An Update on My Wii Status

You'll be happy to hear I did another Wii "fitness" assessment today and I've dropped 18 years! Now I'm only 43 (luckily I look and feel much younger than that). For those of you that don't know, the target age is 20. So, I've got some more training to do. I'm telling you, the tennis training is quite a work out - I was glowing up a storm (read: sweating) this morning... Then I tried Guitar Hero for the first time. I'm really working on becoming well rounded in my cyber talents.

my beach rock

 
 
 

I found this rock on the beach - I'm told that if I had left it there, the tiny rock inside of it would have eventually bored it's way compelety through.

Luckily, I'm not that bored.

This Will Come As No Surprise

His name is Ginger. He's 18 and he lives down the block. Don't worry, he's just visiting. I've talked to his mom and it's ok that he's here...

I noticed him the first week I got here and the last couple of days he's been outside our window, so I invited him in. Today I was preparing dinner - we're having some friends over - and I heard a noise, so I went to the door. He was patiently waiting on the doormat.

He's not a cuddler, but it sure is nice to have him around. I hope the boys and Sasha won't be jealous!

Thanks for the Empathy!

I thought I'd be a good girlfriend and get a couple of prescriptions filled for Jay today as he's been suffering awfully from gout for many weeks now. He's on a road trip to visit another video game studio across the country. Which, of course. means a few hours away here. I had a nap first - no use going out in the pouring rain... When I awoke it was beautiful out - the weather here is much like Victoria - constantly changing.

I thought I'd put the prescription in my back pocket - that way I would remember where I'd put it rather than frantically rummaging through my purse like I usually do. I was especially motivated as one of the drugs is Naproxen – an analgesic/anti-inflammatory prescribed not only for acute gout, but also for menstrual cramps, which I’M suffering from.

Anyway, I got to Boots and reached into my back pocket and good goddamn - the prescription wasn’t there. I frantically rummaged through my bag. The irony was not lost on me.

The problem of the lost prescription remained… I resigned myself to retracing my steps – the chances of finding it were slim, but I had to try. It’s always windy here, I’d walked for about 20 minutes already, there’s tons of people everywhere – shouldn’t be a problem!

The gods must have had empathy for girls with cramps today because I found it about a block away. Unbelievable.

You’d think that would conclude this little tale, but no. They didn’t have Naproxen at Boots and the clerk mentioned there seemed to be a supply problem with it and suggested I try another pharmacy… I decided to work my way back to our neighbourhood by way of the beach. The pebble beach is quite wonderful. I hadn’t actually walked along the water line yet, so I did – the sound of the water sucking back over the rocks is really amazing. I dipped my hand in and tasted the water – yup, it’s salty! Now I’ve experienced the Pacific, the Mediterranean, the Arctic, the Caribbean and the English Channel.




I went into Day Lewis Pharmacy and they filled it in a couple of minutes. And a mere three blocks from the flat. Could have saved myself a lot of time, but wouldn’t have this charming anecdote to relate to you!

Xoxo sue

PS the Naproxen works!

i put the wrong one up

bryan - in every english park - chubby pigeons and fatter squirrels.

Vancouverites - I phoned a few of you a couple of days ago. I sensed the "three week holiday" ending and I was afeared. Boredom at home is one thing. It can be easily remedied with friends. I have used my brain to reconfigure our home. And put up more suitable art. And to (gasp!) to cook. I made the most amazing salsa ever. To make sure I have always been lost. Maybe here I will be found.

Fox on the Run

I was out tonight - apparently the fox is equivalent to the raccoon here in England. They are opportunists and can survive in an urban setting. Go foxy lady, go!

A Fox in the City and I Don't Mean Me!

Jay and I were serenely watching a movie about Comrade Evilenko, the Communist serial killer who killed and ate 55 women and children when a fox sauntered past our window. No shit! A fox in downtown Brighton!! You can imagine the screeching (well, Jay was pretty quiet)...

Cissbury Ring

Nick and Eileen are fortunate to have a car, so on Sunday we took a drive up the coast. It's amazing how many little places there are between "here" and "wherever you are going". And then, seemingly all of sudden, you're surrounded by the beautiful English countryside.

We drove until we all had terrible hungers and stopped at the Black Horse (it reminded my of Pony) and had lunch. We were directed further into Finton to watch footie - Manchester United v. Arsenal. I stood in the way of the tv trying to get a drink and got yelled at by the locals. Apparently football is much more important than a Canadian hottie. I'm not sure why I was surprised. It's the same with sports at home... I did meet some nice Springer Spaniels, though - Benson and Mr. Baggins.

After Man U won the match, we drove up to check out the Cissbury Ring. Note to potential hikers - don't wear clogs. After a semi-treacherous steep climb, we were rewarded with a spectacular 360 degree view. Rolling hills, the white cliffs of Brighton and lots of sheep. Unfortunately, I left my camera at home and I can't figure out how to download pictures from my cellphone to my computer. I borrowed the picture above from the Finton website.

Anyway, the Cissbury Ring has been around since the Iron Age and BEFORE that, flint was mined there. So, this hillfort is really, really, really old. Plus, they have special cows that live there - I wanted to pet them, but their horns were rather daunting so I settled for taking a photo instead. Alas, it's in my phone so I can't show you.

A lovely weekend.

Nick Trout comes to Town

Greetings! Well, we spent a fabulous weekend with Nick Trout and his lovely girlfriend, Eileen McCarthy. It's been great meeting new people, but it sure is nice to spend time with old friends. They drove down from Leamington Spa on Friday night and got in late, so we had a few bevvies and caught up.

Saturday we visited Brighton's Royal Pavilion - the Prince Regent's party pad back in the early 1800s. Apparently he liked liquor, licentiousness and leisure better than his royal duties (who wouldn't?) The palace is insanely decadent. In the main dining hall there is a gigantic chandelier held up by a dragon that weighs one ton. The beds, though, were quite small...

We ended up in the gift shoppe and I noticed a book about "George" the Pavilion cat. Apparently this little stray guy wandered into the palace in 1968 and settled in nicely - he lived there for 12 years. He kept the mice at bay and even met Queen Elizabeth II when she came to visit. Jay was kind enough to buy the stuffed George and the book for me. I thought it was fitting that he be in my collection of cats named after the kings and princes of England.

Touching god before tasting my pint

I was invited down to the pub - I used google maps to get directions. Good directions, yes. The quickest way, no. After only a week, I know the shortcut. This shot is on the way there.

Had some funny chats - Brighton is a lot like Vancouver - not very people are actually from there. The Brits are quick witted and talk faster than I do! And enjoy poking fun in a sarcastic manner. Hmmm - remind you of anyone?

Mii

I can sense all of you giggling about my new Wii obsession! Here's Sueshine and Sueshade. I'm back to working on business receipts, but not before I played a couple of games of tennis.

I like it here!

Ow, ow, ow, ow

The Wii hurt me. Perhaps that means I do have the fitness level of a 61 year old woman. We got our television going and have hundreds of channels. I'm vowing to watch less and Wii more, but not tonight. I bought a nice chenille blanket. It and the Chunky Monkey ice cream are calling...

Ta ta for now!

Wii, wii, wii, wii all the way home

After toiling a good part of the day on Excel, I decided to take a well-deserved break (almost as well deserved as my four hour nap) to play with my Wii. There's a "fitness assessment" feature. The thought of Nintendo rating my fitness level is much less terrifying than having a trained professional do so. Plus, my character "Sueshine" is so cute! (I created a mean Sue, too - "Sueshade", but I'm saving her for when I'm angered.)

I played tennis, baseball and golf. I bowled (we all know how bad I am at that in real life) and I boxed. Beating the crap out of that boxing bag was fun. The Wii has spoken - my fitness level is 61. I'm not entirely sure if that means I have the fitness level of a 61 year old woman or it's some arbitrary number. But, there it is. I guess the point is to lower the score.

Our flat is a basement suite with two large windows that reach up to ground level. This means passers-by can see in. Embarrassing? You bet! But, unlike the gym, they just keep on walking. (Not that I would actually know about gyms - I've never set foot inside one except for one humiliating experience in my late 20s... )

Enough about me - back to gaming. Jay tells me I'm actually doing R&D for him - I'll have to invoice him for it later.

xo sue

Sunday Afternoon in Brighton

It was a lazy Sunday here in Brighton - the snow certainly was a surprise! We decided to venture out for Sunday lunch - nothing like roast beast (pork for me; beef for Jay) and Yorkshire pudding mid-afternoon. The snow was almost all gone by the time we were done so we wandered down to the sea. It was bleak and it became clear this was a day not for strolling but for reading.

I've been doing lots of reading, especially as our television isn't working. It's really made me realize how much tv I had been watching (i.e. way too much).

Yesterday we got a Wii, so my new plan is to become an ace tennis player. I'll let you know how it goes...

Oh My God, It's Snowing!

I could hear the tinkle of rain this morning, so I happily rolled over and went back to sleep. When I woke up again, I looked outside and realized that I was wrong. And it looks like it's been snowing for quite some time. Crikey! It's April! Can't wait to go down to the sea and check it out...

bacon has turned against me

I shopped for the groceries and Jay made breakfast. Unfortunately, cooking the rashers set off the NMN loud smoke detector, which has not abated for about 45 minutes. I have my earplugs in and decided to start my blog. The smarter thing would be to leave and go shopping.