Funny Photo Fridays: In case you missed the first one

One street in Liverpool had these, or should I say TWO of these, at every crosswalk, doing the same thing at the same time for the same direction. We still don't know why.

A letter from Newcastle

Dear Reader,

With the last and next few weekends busy, I thought I'd do a bit of shopping this evening after work and before heading back to Durham. I didn't leave the office until a bit before 7, as it is, unfortunately, just one of those weeks. Knowing of, but never partaking in, Thursday's late night shopping, I thought I'd still have at least a few hours in the shops. Yet when I arrived on the High Street, tills were already being counted and clerks were starting to look impatient. I soon realized that a late night ends at 8pm if you don't mind half closed security gates and dirty looks... and 7:40 if you do.

Read the rest...
Feeling rushed and disappointed, I found myself in Fenwicks, a rather large and rather nice department store, just as the warning announcements began. Ten minutes. Without enough time to do any serious perusing, I started to look for the closest exit before remembering that I hadn't eaten and maybe I should. I followed the signs down to the Food Hall. Five minutes. The expression on the face of the matronly woman at the till looked as empty and shuttered as the meat and cheese counters, so I headed back towards the exit. And this is when something familiar caught my eye. I knew they sold £6 Lucky Charms and the largest Hershey's bar I'd ever seen at Fenwicks, but this was the real thing: a display of American-ness.

There were:
-Not only red boxes of Lucky Charms, but also brown boxes of Chocolate Lucky Charms (?!)
-Jars of Marshmallow Fluff, including raspberry flavor (again: ?!)
-Skippy Peanut Butter
-Jars with Smuckers peanut butter and grape jelly swirled together
-Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
-Hershey's Baking Cocoa
-Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix
-Both regular and light Aunt Jemima Maple Syrup (for 6.49 a piece!)

I lingered. As the woman's voice came over the speakers informing me that my time was up, those neatly stacked shelves made me feel a little intoxicated. And, to be honest, a little sad. You know you've worn yourself a bit too thin, dear Reader, when Fluffernutter makes you teary.

I found myself walking to the one unlocked door with mixed emotions, when a Purpose popped into my head. My train wouldn't leave for another 38 minutes, so I might as well do a bit of American investigating. Another shared batch of monster cookies (which are by far the world's best cookie and you should make some or at the very least ask me to make some for you next we meet) last week had prompted multiple discussions about biscuits. We'd explained the difference between muffins and cakes at church, debated the fine points of cookies and scones at work, chuckled over the British conception of biscuits and gravy on our way to Liverpool... Cookies, as opposed to biscuits, tend to be softer, chewier, and chunk-containing. A package of Tollhouse Chocolate Chips could very well have produced a blubbering sob had they been sitting there next to that raspberry marshmallow fluff. And while I'm at it, surely graham crackers and true marshmallows are a worthier stock option than a perfectly good jar of peanut butter pre-ruined by jam? Regardless, wed' always come up short describing an American biscuit, but last Friday, we remembered Kentucky Fried Chicken. Of course! The explanations would be unnecessary if we could produce the real thing. If they had it...

And that, Reader, is what went through my head as I set off to find out. If, of course, the KFC was open past 8pm. I entered the store figuring I'd pretend not to have cash (which was true). It's been some time since I've been in a Kentucky Fried Chicken, and it took me a moment to figure out what was where. The buckets were still there, but there were a number of meal options, all with french fries. Is this the case in the USA? I do not know. But there were the sides. No biscuits. No mashed potatoes, for that matter, although gravy was there, so maybe I missed them.

Now, what's the appeal in a KFC without biscuits? The chicken, you may say. Yes, perhaps, but while there was always enough chicken in a bucket for my family, it was the biscuits that came up short. Scarcity breeds desire. I'd take one of those little pats of butter they don't make any more with the handy peal away paper, and my sister would find the little plastic honey packet... Alas, Wikipedia pictures of biscuits will have to do as Exhibit A is not coming from KFC.

A woman turned to me and said it was too late (!!) for sit in, but I could do take away. I mumbled an excuse and went outside, frankly a little awed by the McDonald's advertising 'Open 24 hours' across the street. Next up: McDonald's breakfast biscuits. Gag. But I'll check it out since it's for a good cause and all. But not tonight.

I walked down the nearly empty sidewalk (except for the growing number of Thursday drunks) towards the train station, slightly cold as I'd chosen not to wear socks this morning. And then I was on the train, and we were leaving, and the announcer was a Scottish man, and I was happy again. Albeit hungry.

It was just a night, but I thought I might share it. I hope you have one just as interesting, although perhaps a bit more productive.

Sincerely,
Your typically not-so-serious friend,
Megan

What was the name of that road again?

This article seems in accord with Funny Photo Fridays (as odd signs are one of our staples) and has some great names including Titty Ho, Northamptonshire and Penistone, Yorkshire.

I'm curious what odd signs exist in the US, we are big and rural enough that we must have some gems in there somewhere.

Funny Photo Friday: and what mind thought of this?

Don't know if this is true Funny Photo Friday material, but as we missed Friday (road trip!), we'll do something a little different.

This is funny just because it exists. In Liverpool. It's called:

the SUPERLAMBANANA

Even funnier (to us) when said by a local rather than an american.

Cakes...

Recently I was talking with a friend/co-worker about an upcoming project and refered to it as 'a cakewalk.' She looked at me a little puzzled and then made me explain what that meant. So, after giving her my definition (something easily won and/or an activity that was more or less musical chairs with the winner getting a cake), I finally decided to look the thing up.

cake·walk (kāk'wôk')

n. Something easily accomplished: Winning the race was a cakewalk for her. A 19th-century public entertainment among African Americans in which walkers performing the most accomplished or amusing steps won cakes as prizes. A strutting dance, often performed in minstrel shows. The music for this dance. intr.v. cake·walked, cake·walk·ing, cake·walks To perform a strutting dance. cake'walk'er n.

I had no idea that's where it came from and that is nothing like the cakewalks I had as a kid. Weird.

I can't get no.... graduation (or congregation as they like to call it here)

So its happened, the reason why we originally moved to another country, continent and culture happened and yesterday and I officially graduated. In general it was a good day, I enjoyed the process and ceremony of the whole day, it just had a nice pace to it. Durham's graduations (or congregation as they call them for some reason) happens in the cathedral, with the line up in the castle beforehand and then receptions being held in various departments across campus. It was a nice time to see friends I haven't in weeks, feel celebratory in the work we've done and enjoy company with each other. It ended with Meg and I being taken out to celebrate by my supervisor along with a PhD student of his and throughout the day I just had a nice time. But aside from the generally vague descriptions there were a couple of note worthy things happen and as such, I'll put them down as notes.
Read about my special day... well kind of special but not really special...
1) Academic robes/gowns make such much sense now! For years I thought that surely the academic regalia we are made to put on is primarily to make us like silly but on this graduation it made sense. England is always mildly cool/cold and as such when I wore my silly little gown and hood (which has to be in the running for the most misleading noun in English) I felt surprisingly comfortable. Since graduations normally happen in May (not January) I normally feel like I'm sweating buckets under the gown but for the first time, and probably the only time, I was actually happy to have the thing on.

2) When we lined up before processing into the cathedral, we did two interesting things. First we did a 'Durham rendition of the Mexican wave' (which I always knew as just 'the wave,' I've missed that apparently so far being over here) and the man leading our procession made us give three cheers for ourselves (with the full 'Hip, hip! Hooray!'). Awesome.

In the midst of the 'Durham/Mexican Wave'

3) I've now officially shaken Bill Bryson's hand. While I don't find this an overwhelming hono(u)r, especially since several other thousand people do each year, it was still kind of neat.

4) Before the service I was a 'graduand' (noun British. a student who is about to graduate or receive a degree) and after the service I was a 'graduate.'

Me and other graduates.

5) The Theology MA folks were lumped in with with Ministry MA folks (those who are pursuing ordination) and as such I just happened to be surrounded by them, with all but one of the in collars. At some stage I made an off hand reference to 'me and the clergy' to which they pointed out that I wasn't totally alone as he (I forget what his name was) wasn't ordained. He quickly pointed out, 'Oh no, I'm clergy as well, I just didn't come dressed as one.' As a non-clergy who has been through seminary, I found that hilarious.

6) Durham graduands don't wear the glorious little motar board hats. I asked around amongst some of the more senior University people I knew as to why (I had to wear the stupid things in high school for pete's sake but when I come to the origin of the things I don't anymore, what's with that?) and no one seemed to know. I heard origins of 'Health and Safety risks' to stories of when women were first admitted to the University the men protested and threw their caps into the river rather than wear them with women, but neither of those felt convincing. Finally after asking five individuals who had spent at least 20 years working for Durham I found out it was simply because alot of students weren't wearing them anymore. And since the Provost's office thought it would look better to have no hats rather than occasional hats, they canceled the practiced all together. A disappointing answer in the end... I was hoping for the river.

7) Durham's robes (perhaps all UK robes?) are different than those in the US and look much less let an unflattering dress or large and flashy bathrobe and more like something Dracula should wear. They don't button or zip and the sleeves stop at the elbow giving them almost cape like qualities.

Sure it's fuzzy but you still get the cape like effect of the sleeves.

All in all it was a good day. I'm glad I came to Durham, I felt proud to study here and to be part of this academic community. I've studied under some quite intelligent people so far but I was always so impressed with the faculty here. Also, Durham was recently ranked as the best theology department in the UK. A friend talks about it more here, but it made me proud to be part of this whole place. Glad we came.

Funny Photo Friday: So that's why it's on sale...

A post for my mother, I mean, Santa, who put this in my stocking

How I Spent My Christmas Vacation.

See the rest...

homemade mince pies- trying to take some English traditions home (notice the crowns below)

Funny Photo Friday: restaurant (n.) a place where meals are served to the public

in the Amsterdam airport

And a happy new year to you, too.

I was searching for something in my sent mail at work before Christmas and found this email from last year. Wonder if it'll still apply when I get back to work next week...


From: Megan Feenstra Wall
Sent: 14 January 2008 08:54
To: 'jjfw'
Subject: forgotten cultural (?) item

Did I ever tell you about the New Year thing? When I got back after Christmas, it seemed like if you hadn’t spoken to someone since before the holiday, you had to shake their hand and wish them a happy new year, even if it was a few days after you’d started back again. Isn’t that interesting? I shook hands with a few people I’ve never shaken hands with before.

-meg

Funny Photo Friday: Things in churches that shouldn't be.

Perhaps more sad than funny, we couldn't help but take photos of these...

One of those souvenir coin machines (put in one cent and a euro and watch your copper coin get stamped) in the apse of Notre Dame in Paris
Vending machines in Las Sagradas in Barcelona

A coin-operated machine to turn on the lights in the crypt at the Catedral in Barcelona

Another souvenir coin machine in the Spanish Synagogue in Prague