Snap Crackle Pop - what a beautiful ballet

PAB and I had the pleasure of seeing Swan Lake performed at the Bristol Hippodrome last week. The principle dancer was a young, beautiful Russian (aren't they all) and the dancing and music, as always with Swan Lake, superb. Actually the only thing I could find amiss in the whole performance had nothing to do with the dancers or musicians or even the lighting. It had to do with the audience. As the curtains rose and the jester twirled, I hear criiiinkle. Chomp, chomp, chomp. Sluuurp. And "Oh no love, I just spilled me beer. Move your purse".

Now I realise Americans started the whole eating in the movie theatre, $10 popcorn, biz. But what we haven't done (and hopefully will never do) is extend that kernel crunching, candy smacking, soda slurping annoyance into the proper theatre (ballet, opera, symphony, etc.). I am a candy fan as much as anyone, but I think I can forego a snickers or two during Tchaikovsky. A ballet is one place where you should be guaranteed to NOT have a beer spilt on you. I had to keep myself from saying SHAME to the bartenders and candy vendors when leaving the theatre.

I don't know why this bothers me so much, but there seems something sacreligious about eating Cadbury Eclairs while watching two lovers die on stage.

Now that that's off my chest I can go about my British life without glaring at every passing Brit as a suspected candy cruncher :)

Snap back to reality, oops there goes gravity...

A very long pause between blog entries, I use for my excuse the fact that I saw many of my avid readers ;) during Christmas/New Years. The weeks leading up to Christmas break and the weeks after were hectic, to say the least.

The ferry company that PAB and I used regularly to visit his family in France went bankrupt, and we lost (or rather I should say PAB lost as he paid) a book of 10 passes that we had pre-paid for. Unfortunately in the UK when a company goes bankrupt it's the customers who lose out. Neither PAB's credit card nor SpeedFerry would reimburse us, so we were stuck paying an exorbitant amount to see his family for an early Christmas. The trip was wonderful (as France always is) though I did manage to give myself a horrible cold that landed me in bed for the large part of the trip. I did fight my illness and muster my strength in order to partake in a Christmas dinner of cider and wine (I think we ate as well, but it seems to slip my memory). The holidays does not make having families in different countries even easier. Definitely a plus for PAB in the boyfriend category for giving up foie de gras and Bordeaux for velveeta queso and Coca-Cola ;)

The trip home was an AMAZING way to end 2008 and begin a new year. PAB and I arrived in Houston on the 19th of December, and were pleasantly surprised to see none other than Rikki Baldwin waiting for us at the airport. My poor parents were stuck in New York in a snowstorm (while we were greeted by balmy 80° weather in Houston) and had somehow convinced Rikki to drive all the way from Magnolia to pick us up.

Sunday we had the annual cookie decorating party at the Peoples (though this time minus the tree) and for the first time it hit me everything that I was missing in Bristol. Funny that I had to return home to feel homesick...But it is true that the opportunity to have friends from Junior High, college and work together in the same room does not happen often when you're an expat.

After only a day and a half we left Houston for Louisiana for the most spectacular gorge fest, again another thing I had been missing in Bristol. Is there anything better than turnip greens in hamhock, potatoes in hamhock, heck ANYTHING in hamhock? Grandma's cooking never tasted so good :) Another miracle happened while in Louisiana - my Dad's family (half of it at least) managed to get together for an occasion that was neither a wedding nor a funeral! It was great to have all the Peoples together, though a little overwhelming for PAB (especially when Aunt Zoey started speaking to him in French and Aunt Amanda and Aunt Liz revealed their competitive horns). I would like to take this opportunity to blame my loss on my partner's ADD and to challenge any Peoples brave enough to traverse the Atlantic to a rematch. Anytime, anywhere.

The beautiful Christmas weather in Louisiana (PAB kept saying he couldn't believe it was Christmas when it was 80° outside) definitely did not prepare us for New York. Even the pugs have put on a layer of blubber to protect them from the cold! It was PAB's first time in New York and it's always great to visit a city with a first timer, minus the picture taking. We went to the Statue of Liberty, apparently some kind of French mecca, we heard enough French for PAB to feel right at home ;) While I buried myself in books at the New York library PAB visited the Rockefeller observation deck and watched a gorgeous sunset over the Hudson and the Empire State building (see pictures above!)

For New Years we road tripped (or rather bus tripped) to D.C. to celebrate not only 2009 but three Dec. 31st birthdays. We had a good old fashioned house party at Julia's, and again a gorge fest (PAB is going to think all we do in the U.S. is eat...) It was wonderful to have a little Baker reunion, I definitely miss the feeling of community at Baker, it just doesn't work out the same way when you're in a Masters where half the people are married or have children. In D.C. we also had the pleasure of an informal tour guide, Jessie's Mom drove us around during the day and at night to visit the monuments and told us about the many controversies of Capitol Hill. We visited the National Cathedral which PAB said was almost, almost as good as an European cathedral.

Before we left we enjoyed two New York classics - steak and Broadway. We saw Grease on Broadway, third row! I felt transported straight to my childhood, only I didn't live through the leather jacket and thunderbird era only watched it on video cassette with my never grown up parents ;) Our last night my parents treated us to Peter Luger's, and I promise you, I never knew bloody cow could taste so wonderful. Even PAB was impressed at their rare cooking. After woofing down half a cow, who would ever imagine that I was once vegetarian?

The trip was, without a doubt, phenomenal. Which made returning to Bristol to finish my two 5000 word essays even more difficult. I somehow made it through (you always do in the end) and now it's English life as usual. I start classes next week (and give my dissertation proposal!) and hopefully the routine will help me to get rid of the lingering homesickness. PAB and I went to see Swan Lake in Bristol, and I missed home even more while I struggled to hear the orchestra above the crinkle of wrappers and the crunch of Cadbury chocolate. The British have taken the American movie theatre snacking straight into the real theatre, someone really should put a stop to that. With every crunch and crinkle I could feel my Oxford ideal of the British fading into the past...

Anyway, I hope you all had a lovely holiday (and thanks to all of you who made mine so wonderful!)