Cat! Birthday! Shower! Go!

OMGYOUGUYS. I have a dilemma. I have exactly one hour before I have to leave for this birthday party and that means I have to choose between writing this blog or showering. And I really need to shower. But if I don't do the blog NOW, then I'll have to do it AFTER the party, and at that point I may have a few cups of tea in me, which is never the best of writing conditions. See Exhibit A.

Okay, compromise: short post and leave with wet hair. I GOT THIS.

First, Obligatory Cat.

I KNOW, RIGHT.

Second . . . okay, I have no second. Moving along.

While I was in Japan, I received an email full of pictures of my face. Usually my response to something like this is 'OMG PLEASE DON'T, DO YOU TAKE PAYPAL' but this time they were taken by a good friend who happens to be a masterful photographer and not at all a master of extortion so it was a welcome missive. She generously took some headshots for me when she was visiting and this email contained the results. And now, after much and careful consideration, I've been forced to the conclusion that I may be the best-looking person I know. I don't even know HOW I'm going to choose just one to blow up life-size for the living room.

Okay, I have to race for the shower, otherwise I'm going to be late to this party. And I know for a FACT that the birthday girl is worried about being the only one on time and sitting alone for the first hour - a not-unwarranted worry, given that an hour late is right on time for day-drinking Londoners - so I should do my best to alleviate that. Like by only being HALF an hour late.

I hope you all have a wonderful day, and I'll see you tomorrow!

Big hugs and lots of love,
Esss

Birthdays and steaks and leaves and stuff

OMGYOUGUYS. Big weekend ahead. It is BIRTHDAY CENTRAL over here. We've got a birthday dinner tonight (thrillingly at HAWKSMOOR, which I hope has a Christmas Sandwich), and two more parties Saturday and Sunday. So this blog is gonna be chock-FULL of people you don't know celebrating things. What fun to look forward to!

Why is the Top 40 so CATCHY? Not that I'm listening to it. Uh.

Here's a cat. Shut up. 

This is exactly the kind of music you don't want in your head while you're trying to edit a book on the Byzantine empire. Sean Paul, NOT THE TIME! We don't boogie during sieges!

Except for this guy. He definitely does. 

Apparently while we were in Japan, our tree decided to drop all its leaves at once in our back garden. I should probably sweep it this weekend, but, you know. BIRTHDAYS. Who's got the time??

Besides, if I let them lie, there's a really good chance they'll get all moldy and decompose and create a nice big slick spot that we can surf across.  

Alright, time to turn off this playlist and buckle down into my manuscript. I hope you guys have a great Friday night lined up!

Big hugs and lots of love,

Essss

On cats and Christmas and culinary delights

OMGYOUGUYS. After a skim of some of last November's MyBloWriMo content*, I have reached the conclusion that my writing has not matured at all in a year's time. 'Consistent' is not a characteristic I can usually self-ascribe, so I'm feeling mighty pleased about this.

As pleased as this kitty was about being taken for a walk. 

Today I have learned something new. Apparently there is a thing here - I like how it's taken me eight years to hear of this, I'm nothing if not observant - called "The Christmas Sandwich". According to a Very-British group chat I'm in, it can best be described as 'Christmas dinner in bread,' and is found by looking for 'any limited edition sandwich in a green, red and gold box around this time of year.' Some discussion then ensued about what and who makes a good Christmas Sandwich. There were some hotly contested leeks v cranberries in the conversation, followed by a round of applause for Pret and their vegetarian options. It all got very exciting for a good half hour. Apparently if there's one thing the Brits take seriously, it's seasonal cuisine.

So I took it upon myself this afternoon - with the guidance of my Very-British Foodie Friend Hannah - to get my first ever Christmas Sandwich. We went to M&S Food Hall - one of my favourite places in this fine country - and spent some time picking out just the right introductory product. And here we have it, youguys: the Turkey Feast. According to the box, this contains 'roast British turkey breast with pork, sage and onion stuffing, cranberry chutney, smoked British bacon and mayonnaise on malted brown bread.' BECAUSE THEY CAN.

And you thought it'd look obscene.

Here it is on the plate, looking just like a Turkey Feast masquerading as a sandwich: 

And you thought it'd look obscene.

And then I did it: I took my first, hesitant bite. AND HOLY COW. YOUGUYS. WHY DO WE EAT CHRISTMAS DINNER IN ANY OTHER FORM. This is a holiday party in my mouth! Now, to be fair, this is my first Christmas Sandwich so I have no bar to set this against, but I would rate this sandwich is a 10/10, would eat again. Hannah also pointed out that when you buy one, they give 'donations to charity' or something, so that means you can eat as many as you want and it's guilt-free. Eating these is basically SOCIAL WORK. For the sake of humanity, I will have to eat more. 

And then, because the afternoon continued to win, we ran into our friend Doreen and shared a round of tea.** Who can beat the joys of East London?? 

Not pictured: Pressure Drop Pale Chamomile

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to watch Good Wife - I mean, enjoy a fine novel - and inhale the rest of my bread-encased Christmas dinner! Happy Thursday, all!

Big hugs and lots of love,

Essss

*Which yielded NOTHING I could plagiarise 
**It's all I drink, Grampa.

BIZZY BIZZY

I gave up trying to wash six sets of bed linens using one drying rack and am now in the local laundromat watching Rihanna music videos while my sheets spin. I could go to the café next door but they call themselves a roastery and I have yet to see them use the shiny kit decorating a third of their space so EFF YOU HIPSTERS, I'll stick to my musical television and linoleum and the company of old black women with scarves tied 'round their hair. You can tell they don't put up with BS, either.

Wait. I think one of my loads is done. Hold on.

Oh yeahhhhh. Dryer 1 started. This is getting real, folks. FLYING.

And now what we're all here for: today's Cat of Japan. This noisy thing sat under a bridge like a total troll, yowling at everyone that walked past:

 We GET it, you're THERE.

The cat itself was far more interesting than the bridge. Which is saying a lot, because JAPANESE BRIDGES. 

We GET it, you're THERE.

I honestly think there isn't a single photograph that isn't improved by the presence of one of these. Take this shot from the Amalfi coast, for example. Perfectly nice, sure:

But add a Japanese bridge?

NOW you want to go there. 

Someone just came in trying to launder what appears to be an original Jackson Pollack. He claims it's like this because of his screen-printing business (#Hackney) but I think we all know better:

 Seriously, #Hackneytho.

Guess what?? I got another book to copy-edit! This one came with an entire four-page single-spaced historical note attached, so I feel pretty confident I'm going to learn something from this one. Historical fiction is the best: so much better than real history. 

I'm off to get cracking on it; see you tomorrow!

Big hugs and lots of love,

Essss

It's that time again!

OMGYOUGUYS. I can't believe it's already November. We all know what that means: 30 days of Absolute Blogging Nonsense. I hope this year's MyBloWriMo will show more lucidity than last year's, but I think we all know better. So let's lower that bar and get started!

We just got back from Japan yesterday so that seems like a natural subject to begin with but I just spent six hours today paring four thousand photos down to four fifty and now I'm a bit blind on the topic, so maybe we'll try it again tomorrow. But just to give you an idea of what we have to look forward to, here's a picture of a cat in a stroller:

He gets it.

I filled the other increments of my day trying to make a dent on the outstanding ten loads of laundry - very difficult without a dryer and limited space to hang things - and attempting to catch up on emails, which we all know is a Sisyphean struggle in the best of times. Once I finish this post, I'm going to fry something up for dinner and binge on Good Wife and likely pass out at 9, which for the sake of looking normal, I'll blame on jetlag. What a great month this is already! You can safely expect more excitement like this over the next 29 days.

Okay, one last photo before I go. This little boy's mom clearly nudged him to smile because he went from this: 

To this:

TOO MUCH. 

Big hugs and lots of love,

Essss