« April 2006 | Main | June 2006 »

May 23, 2006

Long days make for long nights

Mlle. Sleep and I have long had a love-hate relationship. I love sleep, but she apparently has devoted most of her affections for my dear wife. And what has long been a rocky relationship has seen even more strain on account of the agreement she has apparently reached with the sun in these northern lands, all leading to the successful frustration of her would-be suitors. With twilight still hanging outside the windows at 11:30 and the sun up to greet us with a mocking smile sometime between 3-4 in the morning, the agreement seems insurmountable.
To be entirely honest I've slept well the last two nights, so posting this would have had more punch a couple days ago. But the length of the days is getting rather ridiculous. We've even heard of folks putting tin foil over their windows to try and simulate night and, I suppose, trick the elusive Miss Sleep to embrace them. I'm not too far away from it. It's not so much the light at night -- we're not typically going to sleep until it's dark either way. But the sun nudging you to wake up at such ungodly hours is not my idea of a good time. How do you snooze the sun? During the winter (when the sun is too lazy to stay up for more than a few hours) I would assure myself that when the summer comes I will be able to get so much more studying done. After all, what else does one do with so many daylight hours? Except for the one minor problem that productive work needs at least a semblance of a good night's rest; or at least a good cup of coffee, both of which are harder to come by in this land.
So I will continue to try and woo that siren of dreams. Or maybe I should just ask Bryonie for the secret to winning the heart of such a mysterious guest.

Posted by j and b at 08:54 AM | Comments (6)

May 03, 2006

Life with Chip Shops

I had always known that fish and chips were a big thing in Britain, ever since my half-English cousin Graham talked about them as a kid and I had no idea what he was going on about. Well now I know. I've now had fish and chips in Wales, England and Scotland and consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur. The picture is from a place that was voted the "best fish and chips in Scotland" for a few years straight. They even have pictures of when Tom Hanks swung by the "chipper". I have to say I wasn't overly impressed. Not only do you only get half the chips that you get at most places (chips are big fries, by the way), but they don't taste as good anyway -- perhaps it's better that you don't get as many. Don't get me wrong, they do just fine and could clog up arteries with the best of them. But the strong point was certainly the fish. The best chips I've had came from a little chip shop in North Wales on the coast.
Not that fish and chips make a part of my staple here, but sometimes you just get that "hankering". And going with Bryonie means I'm going to get about one and a half helpings at a good local place. Good times all around.

Posted by j and b at 07:10 PM | Comments (3)