Suburban Lush

Resolution Redux - February Edition

Well, February is over. How have I done with my non resolution resolutions this month?

See more movies: I saw Frost/Nixon, which I really enjoyed. Especially as I managed to drag John along, and it was a bit of a departure from our usual action movies. I also saw Gran Turino, which was fantastic. And I've seen The Reader.

Read more non-fiction books: I finally finished the biography about Thomas Jefferson, which was hard work. I've ordered EB White's letters on Amazon for my next non-fiction read, and I've heard good things about it.

Try two new recipes a month: I made a divine smoked salmon linguini, and spicy parsnip soup. Both were great success and will be made again, but probably with a few tweaks. I also tried this chocolate chip cookie recipe, and can report that its a good one - perfect for M & M cookies.

Explore local sights: Again, I've been slacking on this one. Although I have taken walks around a couple of new neighborhood and discovered a great new pub.

Do more hiking and work to improve my overall fitness levels: I've made it out on one hike, which is the only one my group had this month. I've still been going to the gym lots, so I'm pretty proud of this one.

Say yes more and take all opportunities presented to me: Went to a pub quiz and out drinking with new friends, so have made some progress on this. Also splurged and took John to see Jimmy Carr.

All in all, January wasn't a bad effort. There are a few things I need to work harder on, and a few things that I can just continue on the same path on. I'll try to remember to check back in a month.

Because I Am A Sheep

Well, everyone else is doing it, so here I go:

What are your middle names? My middle name is Cathy, and John’s middle name is Barr. As far as I’m aware, my middle name has no particular significances. We think John’s middle name was probably one of his ancestor’s maiden names but he’s yet to actually ask his mom about this.

How long have you been together? In a week’s time, we will have been together for 6 years.

How long did you know each other before you started dating? We didn’t really. We ran into each other at a couple of parties, but never really spoke to each other. Then we started chatting at another party and that was that.

Who asked whom out? There was no asking out. We were both drunk, and it was a mutual decision.

How old are each of you? I’m 28 and John is 26. Yes, I have a toy-boy.

Whose siblings do you see the most? Its always been a matter of distance. At the moment we live pretty far away from all of our siblings, so we never see any of them. Although I talk to my sister more than John speaks to his family.

What situation is the hardest on you as a couple? I think we struggle with the age gap a bit. I tend to want thing a couple of years before John wants them. We usually make some sort of compromise and end up somewhere in the middle.

Did you go to the same school? Nope. I went to a posh private school, and John went to his local school.

Are you from the same hometown? Sort of. John moved to Hamilton when he was 3. I moved to just outside Hamilton when I was 11.

Who is smarter? We are similar in our intelligence levels, but we are very different in our strengths. While I am better at languages and the arts, John is better at math and science.

Who is the most sensitive? Definitely me.

Where do you eat out most as a couple? I love to eat out, and John is not such a fan of it. As a result we tend to go to Chilis or Tony Roma's, where the food comes fairly quickly, but you can still sit down. And also, they have buffalo wings, which is enough to entice John anywhere.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? We holidayed in Hawaii and Vancouver. And we moved to Belfast.

Who has the craziest exes? John has one very crazy ex. I have several fairly crazy exes. So it pretty much evens out.

Who has the worst temper? Me. Although I don’t have much of a temper, John is not very emotional, and is far more rational than I am, where as I occasionally get rather het up about things.

Who does the cooking? We take turns, but I cook the most. I am also more adventurous in my cooking, where as John tends to stick to old favourites.

Who is the neat-freak? John is definitely tidier than I am. And he does almost all the vacuuming.

Who is more stubborn? We are both pretty stubborn, but John is less likely to admit that he is wrong.

Who hogs the bed? Me. And I hog the covers too.

Who wakes up earlier? During the week, John’s alarm goes off earlier than mine, but I get up before him. On the weekend, its fairly even – when one gets up it usually motivates the other to get up as well.

Where was your first date? For the first couple months of our relationship we met up at parties and bars and never had a proper date. After almost three months, I insisted we have a date where we at least start the night sober. We went to Burger Fuel.

Who is more jealous? Both of us have had very jealous partners in the past and hated it, which means we make a huge effort not to be jealous. And to be honest, there is no reason for jealousy on either part.

How long did it take to get serious? Much to my friends’ amusement, I refused to admit that I was in a relationship with John for about the first year. Finally I had to admit the relationship, but I will still usually deny that it’s serious.

Who eats more? John eats bigger meals, but I snack more.

Who does the laundry? Whoever runs out of clothes first. And once the laundry is done, we each put our own clothes away.

Who is better with the computer? John is a software engineer, so I’ll let you guess the answer to that one.

Who drives when you are together? I do. John finally got his learner’s license last year. Of course, he got it in New Zealand, so he still can’t drive here.

The Reader

A couple of weeks ago some girlfriends and I headed out for dinner and to see The Reader.

We had dinner at Pizza Express, because it is tasty, well-priced, fairly quick and close to the theater. Unfortunately we lost track of the time, sitting at the restaurant sipping wine and chatting until well past the start time for the movie. We had a lovely evening, but I was still really keen to see The Reader so a few weeks later three of us tried again.

We arranged a Wednesday night when we could all make it. The day before we double checked the movie time and noticed that it wasn't on. After calling the theater, it turns out that they had switched it for Confessions of a Shopaholic, so we were thwarted again.

Finally this evening I managed to see The Reader. It wasn't what I expected, and I enjoyed it all the more for that. It was extremely well acted, and with a bit of bonus eye-candy.

Although I still seem to be feeding my holocaust obsession, but I promise, its only by accident!

Adrift

 

I'm not usually one to talk about my feelings. I’m more likely to bottle things up, hide them away, and wait for them to disappear. Or to explode like homemade gingerale.

But recently I’ve been feeling a little lost, a little adrift, like I’m not going anywhere. I’ve never been very career-oriented, focusing more on what I do outside my work to get me by, but recently I’ve been suffering from a strange unfulfilled feeling, particularly at work. A trained legal executive with a degree in anthropology, I have yet to find a job doing what I love, or even to find out what I love doing, and attempts to find it have so far failed. I feel like my mind and my talents are going to waste and that I could be so much more, but I don’t know what to be. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m not the only person out there who feels like this. But I’m not sure it helps that I’m dating someone who has always known what he wants from life, and has a clear path.

I sent my mom and e-mail, telling her that I was struggling a little. And I think I may have concerned her, since I don’t think she is used to me opening up about my feelings. But the fact is I don’t know what to do, and I don’t know how to make a difference, and I think I may need some help figuring out what will make me feel fulfilled.

My usual solution would be to up and move somewhere new, but I know that this won’t fix the problem. And I have John to consider – while he’d probably follow me anywhere, he’s not such a fan of moving countries as I am. I find packing up all of your things and selling those that won’t fit in a backpack hugely liberating. I love going out in a new city and not knowing anybody, but knowing that I will be there long enough to make it my own, and for it to grow comfortable, before I move on to the next challenge. John likes his things, his computers and flatscreen tvs, and his home comforts. He likes going out to a familiar pub and running into familiar faces. And sometimes I have to think about what he wants, especially since I last convinced him to move countries less than a year ago.

I know that moving feels like action, but can really be running away from my problems. I think I need to sit down and figure out what is important to me and what changes I can make to feel more positive about my future.

25 Things

I'd managed to avoid this one, but finally got tagged. So here you go, 25 random things about me.

1. I am the youngest of two children, but I have middle child syndrome.
2. I don't know my sister as well as I'd like to. We didn't get on at all when we were growing up, and we haven't lived in the same country for over 10 years.
3. Not being close to my sister upsets me more than I like to admit. I'm trying to change this, and we are getting closer. Turns out she is a great person.
4. I can't stand running late. I get really antsy and upset. The time you are most likely to see me in tears is when I'm running late for something.
5. John is always late. It drives me up the wall, especially when he makes me late too.
6. John and I have been together for almost 6 years. Sometimes it seems like the time has flown by. Sometimes it seems like far longer.
7. The longest I have continuously lived in one country is 11 years. It was from when I was a baby, to when I was 11. I lived in New Zealand for 15 years, with a two year break in the middle.
8. I've lived in the UK, Canada, and New Zealand. I don't feel truly British, Canadian or Kiwi, and I don't know where to call home.
9. I lived at home with my parents until I was almost 21.
10. My parents are still married after over 30 years.
11. I'd like to get married, but I don't know if I will.
12. I have an absolute phobia of things that lurk in the sea. This includes fish, sharks, weeds, and interestingly, submarines.
13. I think one of the worst ways to die would be to be trapped in a sinking ship. I couldn't watch most of Pearl Harbour because it showed people dying in this way.
14. One of my close friends died a year ago. I still think about her every day.
15. I love to be naked. If I didn't have flatmates, I probably wouldn't bother putting on clothes on days I didn't have to leave the house. When I live without flatmates, please telephone me before popping by for a visit.
16. I hate talking on the telephone. If I need to phone someone, I will put it off for ages. I would far prefer to drive for an hour to talk to you in person then to call you.
17. I have never owned my own car.
18. I have still managed to have 3 car accidents. One, I drove into the back of somebody when they suddenly stopped for a pedestrian. Two, someone drove into the side of the car I was driving while going round a roundabout. Three, someone drove into the side of my car in a hit and run. I was in a house across the street at the time.
19. I had stitches in my chin from an ice skating accident.
20. I also had stitches in my knee when I tore it open on the lid of a car-door ashtray. It didn't heal well and I have a large scar. Sometimes I think they will use this scar to identify my body.
21. I could never be a vegetarian. I love meat too much, and there is nothing like a large plate of ribs or a rare steak. It doesn't bother me that I'm eating an animal, and I can even handle you making mooing noises when I'm eating.
22. My parents raise sheep. We name them, and then we eat them. They are often named after family friends. Some people think this is sick, but we find it hilarious.
23. Sarcasm is one of my favourite types of humour.
24. I worry that I'm not funny. I sometimes think people only like me because I'm nice, and I don't really have a personality.
25. Peanut butter cookies are my very favourite type of cookie. Although white chocolate and macadamia nut comes a close second. Mmmm, and molasses cookies. Basically I like cookies, but only really the homemade ones.

Spicy Parsnip Soup

Its been a while since I've posted a new recipe here, not so much because I haven't been making them, but more because I tend to scoff down my food before I remember to take a photo of it.

I saw this spicy parsnip soup recipe over at Jamie Oliver, and it looked like a nice simple recipe so I thought I'd give it a go. I gave the recipe some tweaking (as always) and was  pleased with the final result. A tasty and filling soup, the only thing wrong with it is that it doesn't look that nice - in fact, it looks rather like runny oatmeal. But once you get past that and garnish it with a bit of cilantro, its totally worth it.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• Thumb size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 6 parsnips, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 500ml milk
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• Salt and pepper
• A handful of fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves to garnish
• Crusty bread, to serve

Heat a splash of olive oil and the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and garam masala. Gently fry for around 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and sweet.

Drop in the chopped parsnip and stir together so that everything gets coated in the oil and flavours. Pour in the milk, stock and sugar. Season well and bring to the boil, but watch it doesn't boil over. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 minutes with a lid on.

After half an hour, check that the parsnips are cooked. If they're done, remove them from the heat and carefully whiz up using a hand blender or liquidizer. Taste the soup to see if it needs a little more salt or pepper.

Top with a few cilantro leaves and serve.

The original recipe suggested substituting the milk with coconut milk, which I'd be keen to try, especially if some chopped chillis were added to the soup after blending

Book Review - Karski, How One Man Tried To Stop The Holocaust

Author: E Thomas Wood & Stanislaw M Jankowski

Published: 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Blurb: An instinctive survivor, a soldier driven by a single-minded focus on his mission, an extraordinary man in an extraordinary time, Jan Karski became a legend.
A young Polish diplomat turned cavalry officer at the outbreak of World War II, Karski joined the Polish underground movement in 1939 after ingeniously escaping from a Soviet detention camp. Most of the Polish officers held with him were later executed. Karski became a courier for the underground, crossing enemy lines to serve as liaison between occupied Poland and the free world. Captured by Gestapo in 1940, he was savagely tortured. Afraid that the Germans would extract secrets from him, he slashed his wrists. But after the suicide attempt failed, he escaped from a hospital with the help of an underground commando team. His work had just begun.
Karski, a Roman Catholic, developed a keen concern fo the plight of the Jews under Nazi domination. In 1942, Jewish leaders asked him to carry a desperate message to Allied leaders: the news of Hitler's effort to exterminate the Jews of Europe. To be able to carry an authentic eyewitness report, Karski agreed to tour Warsaw's Jewish Ghetto in disguise. The suffering he saw there was only a prelude to the atrocities he witnessed when he later volunteered to be smuggled into a camp that was part of the Nazi murder machine.
Carrying searing tales of inhumanity, Karski reached London in late 1942 and set out to alert the world to the emerging Holocaust. He met secretly with top Allied officials, including British foreign secretary Anthony Eden, and with intellectuals like HG Wells and Arthur Koestler. Some reacted viscerally to his message. Others responded with disbelief or indifference. In July 1943, Karski traveled secretly to Washington, where he briefed President Roosevelt in a dramatic meeting. This fully documented account of Karski's myriad encounters discloses new information about how leaders in the West reacted to the Holocaust.
Karski is the first definitive account of Jan Karski's mission, which was perhaps the most significant warning of the impending Holocaust to reach the free world. It is a compelling story of moral courage against all odds.

My two cents: An amazing book about an amazing man. Fighting through thick and thin to do what he felt was right, Jan Karski's story is inspirational and informative. The book manages to make the number of Jews who died in Poland in the Holocaust seem real, rather than just an unfathomable number. Karski's experiences introduced him to many people and, at the meeting of each new person, the authors of the book quickly outline what happened to them. It really brings it home when you realise that the vast majority of people that Karski met in Poland during the war were dead within a few years of the meeting. I didn't find the second half of the book as interesting as the first half, but that is mainly because I don't really find politics and political figures particularly interesting. I don't particularly enjoy non-fiction books, but the story is so amazing I'd certainly recommend reading this book if you can get your hands on it.

Fair Head & Murlough Bay

Sunday I hiked at Fair Head and Murlough Bay, on the North AntrimCoast. From the carpark, the walk takes you to the cliffs and then along the cliff top, offering views of the coast, Rathlin Island, Mull of Kintyre and Scotland. Fortunately the weather in the morning was fine and the sky was clear, and we were affording spectacular views.

We headed down the hill to Murlough Bay for lunch, and followed the coastline for a while before trudging up the big hill back to the top of the cliffs as the snow started to fall. Fortunately we were all cozied up in our hats, gloves and scarves, and there was hot tea waiting for us back at the cars. And it was a great chance to be able to test out my new thermos, which I'm pleased to report works perfectly, and I had hot Thai soup at lunchtime.

The hike itself wasn't particularly taxing, with only one real hill (although it was a big one!). The cold weather meant the bogs were mostly frozen over, although we did have one casualty while crossing a stream, with Grainne misjudging her leap, jumping just far enough to take her smack into the middle of the water.

The total distance for the day was just under 13km, so not a bad effort.

The day started out like this:

 

And ended like this:

 

The cast and crew:

 

A few of the sights:

   

A perfect way to spend a Sunday if you ask me.

Resolution Redux

So, we are one month into 2009. How have I done with my non resolution resolutions?

See more movies: I saw Twilight, which I loved in a mindless fluffy was and Milk, which was fantastic. And the first half of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which I found ridiculously boring.

Read more non-fiction books: I read both Finding George Orwell in Burma and Karski: How One Man Tried To Stop The Holocaust. And I'm half way through a biography about Thomas Jefferson, so not to bad, really.

Try two new recipes a month: I tried two new marinade recipes - one for a Vietnamese stirfry and the other for lamb shoulder chops. I will definitely make both again as they made for delicious and convenient mid-week dinners.

Explore local sights: other than a trip up Cave Hill, I haven't done much around Belfast. But in my defense, it has rained almost every weekend.

Do more hiking and work to improve my overall fitness levels: I haven't made it out hiking, but I have been to the gym 3 or 4 times a week, so I'm pretty proud of this one.

Say yes more and take all opportunities presented to me: While not much has been going on (everyone seemed to spend January quietly indoors) I have done a couple of things to take me out of my comfort zone. I'll need to work on this one more, though.

All in all, January wasn't a bad effort. There are a few things I need to work harder on, and a few things that I can just continue on the same path on. I'll try to remember to check back in a month.