Mr. Handsome Does it Right
Over the past two days I have had the flu. A weird kind of sinus flu. Someone will probably say it's a virus or something but the fact is - I have been sick. I had laryngitis over the weekend which is odd for me - I usually never lose my voice(how could I whinge without my voice??) Should have known something was up. Tuesday I woke up feeling rather badly. Went to work anyway and things got worse.
My sinuses were painfully tight and my throat was very sore. I managed to stay up for Master Chef Tuesday night but had to hit the hay immediately afterwards. My whole body felt like crap - well, like I had the flu. Problem. Sleep wouldn't come to me. I couldn't put my head down or lie down for the pain in my sinuses. It was terrible. I think I got 2 hours of fitful sleep. Bunny dog had tired of me flinging my comforter about and sneezing, whining and snorting (pretty huh?) He was up in the loft - or perhaps sleeping on his friend the 'old sofa' in the back bedroom.
Either way - this silly Bunny Dog had abandoned me when I needed cuddling most - and to make matters worse, when you live alone - you gotta get up and walk the darned dog no matter how you feel. Wednesday morning I somehow got up and walked him in the park - but I don't remember exactly. I think I wore my pyjamas under my long coat and some Wellies without socks. The dog walker did come and give Bunny Dog a nice hour-long romp at lunchtime, but the thought of getting out of my warm bed and having to walk the dog at dinner time and late night was too much. I kept avoiding the thought until later.
Throughout the day on Wednesday I checked my blackberry for important work mails. I propped it up on the bedside table and periodically came out of my daze long enough to open one eye and see if the light was red. One mail was from Mr. Handsome -I replied that I was in bed and close to death. He mailed back and told me to quit being so dramatic and to get better. Fair enough...
I made it through the mealtime walkies and then took an evening nap. I was dreading the last walk of the night when something very nice happened.
Mr. Handsome showed up at my door with mint tea and biscuits. He made me tea, wrapped me in a duvet on the couch, put the biscuits in front of me, turned on the telly and then took Bunny Dog for his last walkies. What a total Gentleman.
Just the thoughtfulness of it all. When I kept gushing about how nice it was for him to come over he reminded me that each time he fell ill or was under the weather, I had offered to pick up anything for him, bring him anything he needed or come over and cook for him. He was repaying the kindness. And he wanted to see me looking terrible for blackmail purposes....
You know, there are very few people in this world made of real class and kindness.
Mr. Handsome to save the day
Sofa So Good
As much as possible, I try not to fall in love with inanimate objects. I am not a jewellery girl - I am not anal about my car, I like a few items of clothing a lot, but I don't fall in love with these things the way I have fallen for my new sofa.
I want to hug my new sofa when I leave and I want to hug my new sofa when I get home. I am not crazy - I swear!! The odd thing is - I don't really like the colour.. and I actually don't sit on it regularly - but I love the whole idea of the sofa so much. I had a wood-framed sofa and matching chairs and the room had too many hard lines - the sofa just brings it all together with a softness. The colour picks up on some colours in my Oriental rug and other things in the room and it just works. I can get different slip covers any time I need so I will leave this colour on for winter and decide how I feel when spring comes along.
Bunny Dog is still deciding if he likes the new formal sofa. It's higher and bigger than the old one and he's definitely taking a while to feel it out. It sort of overwhelms him. He runs upstairs to visit the old sofa every few minutes - like an old familiar friend. Security.
I can't quite figure out what makes me like this sofa so much. Perhaps because it's a bit like me - pretty rigid in structure and softer on the edges with a bit of curve. A bit preppy at first glance and a bit wild when you sink in.
I plonked down on my sofa at 3:30 am when I got home from my Saturday night out. Was a fun evening of dancing to well-covered 80's pop rock done by a local party band. The sofa enveloped me and held me tight. (Well, if you're not going to 'pull' on a night - sofa is the next best thing!)
OK - you think I am so weird!! Just in Sofa love - don't worry - it will wear off but Sofa so good!!
Mid-Winter Smiles
The breakfast news and radio shows are scraping the bottom of the barrels for interesting things to fill up fodder air time - you know, the human interest part of the shows - usually reserved for items that make you realise what a slow news day it is. Well, this morning was no exception - the topic on one radio station was about how quickly we all drop our new year's resolutions. 2 million Brits have already broken their promises to themselves - gee. How fascinating....
Mid winter - no real weather to speak of. No snow to exhilarate and excite, just grey skies and dreariness. But I have a smile on my face for sure! Two things are happening that when put together can make for very happy times indeed.
1. The sales are on in Belgium. 2. The 2008 Series of MasterChef is in full swing.
The country is allowed to put things on deep clearance sale twice a year. You can find your favourite designer clothing anywhere from 20% to 80% off. It's a crazy scene though|!
I went to Inno Department store at Woluwe Shopping Centre on my lunch break. I prefer Woluwe because I find I can elbow and kick yummy mummies and preppie expat wives more easily than I can the North African Mama Ayeshas and Russian Babushka grannies who frequent the downtown store. There's less of a pawed-over feel to the clothes that have made it to 70% discount - though they have surely been through the same wars.
I laugh at customer service - or customer disservice - in Belgium. A friend told me he was shopping at Inno last night. At closing time, they repeatedly announced on the loudspeakers that the store was closing and everyone was to make their way to the cash registers to pay and leave. But of course, this is Belgium!! Only 1 cashier was open and the line was enormous! Logical?
I spent way too much on a jacket that is absolutely divine and worth every euro cent - even at 40% off it was a bit much. But who cares - I wouldn't have even touched it had it been on full price. And I would have missed the pleasure of how cool it makes me feel and how utterly sexy I am when wearing it...ya. Well at least I have smile on my face!
Last night's Master Chef was brilliant. In the first elimination round, one guy forgot to blind bake his pastry shell so he screwed - up his little quiche. He tried to make another one and ran out of time - He ended up serving an uncooked, greenish yellowish blobby mess on a plate - it was hilarious. 40 minutes and the guy couldn't cook scrambled eggs with a bit of cheese in them.
But it was Gregg's comment about the uncooked chicken that had me in stitches.
Gregg is precious! After cutting in to a chicken breast that was completely and utterly raw inside - he said - 'Well, thanks for plucking the chicken at least, because that's all you have done to it'. Classic.
John Torode said that the cook could 'Kill Someone with cooking like this'. All they ask is for a simple plate of food that is edible. Quite a departure from the range of real talent and strength shown in previous years of the show - but hilarious anyway!
The weather is so-so here. The skies can't quite commit to drizzling rain or fast moving dark and sad clouds. Mid winter January is taking it's toll. People are surfing the net at work. Travel web sites are burning hot with window shoppers - Belgians dreaming of hot sand and the brightness of light from the sun.
But I am in a very good mood. Master chef is on for a whole hour tonight, I will get a new sofa delivered tomorrow, I will have dinner with a very hot man tomorrow night, and I will go and play with lots of friends on Saturday night - wearing a super jacket. I am smiling.
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The Joys of January
There's nothing like being in a whole city full of people with cabin fever. Everyone is raring to go out and dance and move and drink fancy cocktails and shake off those mid-winter cobwebs. Kitty O'Shea's, Hairy Canary, James Joyce, Wild Geese, Celtica, O'Reillys, Nua - here I come.
Work was in hyperdrive after my long holiday in the States. I have spent many late nights working and have already done quite a bit of travelling this year.
Holiday was nice but very long. I got to spend some time with the amazing 'girls' the greatest group of beautiful, professional, genuine, intelligent and creative, loving people on the planet. The best group of friends ever.
Mom went on strike the minute I walked in the door of her new apartment in DC. She no longer served herself, cooked for herself or drove anywhere. The theme for the two weeks was a bit like the movie 'Driving Miss Daisy' punctuated with the tag line 'Why is my glass empty?' (champagne glass of course)... I think I got the beginnings of repetitive motion strain from opening champagne bottles over the holiday.
I had a wonderful 2nd annual dim sum non-holiday party - which included a very professional and convincing performance of a vomiting child played by one of my friend Lisa's kids. Was fun! Excitement had by all!
So, back in Brussels. It's raining like mad. Cold, fat wet drops of rain just slamming on my office window. I'll take a quick break and enjoy my Steven Klein Calendar of the French Rugby Union team - yum.
I have 6 mails from friends wanting to meet up this weekend. I have arranged to have Bunny Dog sleep over at his dog walker's on Saturday night so I can meet up with some of them. Want to hear a band at the Wild Geese that night - fancy the keyboard player - he chatted me up one night at Kitty O'Shea's.
And the real joy of January is that Master Chef is on each night! It's like heaven for me! But this time around, the contestants don't seem as skilled as in previous years. All of my friends agree. And there's something quite odd about these contestants. There's rarely a stand-out in each group and if they stand out, it's because they look normal. One friend is convinced that all the cooks are rubbish and John and Gregg are just choosing the one they can stand to look at more than once. The contestants are really wonky this year - and their teeth!! My god. I thought that British teeth were improving - but no - Master Chef proves that this is not so. These people have meat-grinders for teeth at best. geez. Sorry. teeth matter to me - I don't think it's just an American thing - but they do. Says something about self worth and taking care of oneself you know??
Anyway - back to the food. Not so amazing this year, but always nice to see what people will do to win a competition. And ever so fun to watch John and Gregg eat under/over-cooked onions, burnt meat, raw eggs, and baby sick-looking desserts!
Anyway - adventures new start this year - I am really on the hunt for Mr. Right - and I will take you along for the ride!
