Strawberry Banana Pancakes

Do you know what's frustrating? Being nostalgic for the present. Inadvertently anticipating the inevitable. A kind of pre-sentimental sentimentality. That's where I keep finding myself lately. I haven't even left yet, and somehow I already miss London.

 

It's like I'm acutely aware that these moments are fleeting and that when they are gone, I will miss them terribly. So I jump the gun and end up feeling all sentimental about the eventual absence of people and places and things that are still right in front of me.

 

It is perfectly fine to mourn the end of an era...but only at the end of that era. I'm still here. This is silly. This is no way to live. This calls for comfort food. Specifically, pancakes.

 

The amount of time it takes to make and eat pancakes is pretty much the perfect amount of time to allow myself to sit in this too-soon sentimentality. It's okay to be a little sad. But don't stay there. Make yourself some pancakes. Then eat up, man up, and move on.

 

Let's save the tears for the plane ride back, shall we? It's always more fun to cry in a cramped public space anyway, right? Riiiiiiight... 
 
Strawberry Banana Pancakes 

 
Ingredients:

3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

just over 1/2 cup milk

1/4 stick (28 g) melted butter

1 egg

A dash of vanilla
1 banana, thinly sliced
handful of strawberries, thinly sliced

Directions:

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

Whisk together milk, butter, egg and vanilla in a smaller bowl. Make sure the milk isn't cold or it will cause the butter to re-solidify (is that a word?) and make life and whisking very frustrating. I usually just melt the butter with the milk and let it cool a bit before adding the egg and vanilla.
 

 
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. 

Heat a pan over medium heat. Grease before spooning the batter into it. Add banana and strawberry slices as you see fit, making sure to press them down into the batter a bit so they stay tucked into the pancake when it's flipped. Once bubbles start to form and burst in the middle of the pancake, you'll know it's time to turn it. It'll only take about half as long to cook on the other side. 

Stack sky high and serve warm with plenty of butter and cinnamon. 
 

Snow.

Heathrow cancelled almost 400 flights, trains were delayed, and panic ensued this weekend, as London was crippled by a fierce snowstorm that brought the city its first snow this year.

Now, based on the chaos it caused, you might be picturing something like this:

  

Notice that the ground floor apartments are barely visible...

But you would be wrong. That picture is the entrance to my apartment complex in Illinois after the Snowpocalypse that hit our area and surrounding states a couple of years ago. We got a foot of snow in one afternoon, and I still went to work the next day.

No, this was the snowfall that wreaked havoc throughout London over the weekend:

A whopping several inches. Enough snow to make a footprint, and yet somehow enough to cause Europe’s busiest airport to grind to a halt.

Still, snow does make London look particularly picturesque. My parents were in town, and we decided to brave the “blizzard” and play tourist while the rest of the city hid indoors. 

I’m glad we did, because this is what we saw:

Isn't it lovely? It certainly makes winter feel worthwhile.

 

Frozen.

Apparently, there are a lot of spiders near my bus stop. I wasn't really aware of this until this morning, when it was so cold that their webs froze, and all of the sudden their presence was very noticeable. The webs that weren't perfectly formed (more like strands strewn all over the place) made it look like the bushes were covered in white silly string. 

Weird.

Anyway, I realized something as I was standing there shivering in the cold, looking at this frozen web: I'm gonna need to buy some thicker socks. 

Happy winter!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today was Thanksgiving, even though it didn't really feel like it.

I spent the day at work, because apparently England doesn't have anything to be thankful for. I would have much preferred to have spent it surrounded by family members while I ate myself into a food coma, like a true American. But alas.

I settled for this.

Did anyone else spend their Turkey Day at an Irish pub?

Not your traditional Thanksgiving meal, but at least it was tasty and shared with friends. Plus, I still have Saturday to look forward to, when we'll celebrate properly.

Happiest of Thanksgivings to you and yours.

There's no place like home[coming].

I'm sitting at work, smiling maniacally and buzzing like I just drank a lot of coffee. But I haven't had any coffee at all. This, my friends, is what you call a natural high.

 

I'm just so excited to be heading to Texas tomorrow! Why am I going, you ask? Because of this:

 

That's right. I get to go to Baylor Homecoming this year! 

Here's what I'm most excited about:

 

Driving -- I say this all the time, but I can't tell you how much I miss it. A car gives you so much freedom. Plus, where else am I supposed to sing loudly without fear of embarrassment?

 

Christmas -- But it's barely Halloween, you say? Well when you're not going home for the holidays, Christmas comes early for the ones you love. I've been planning, and I'm really excited to make people feel loved and special with an assortment of British goodies.

 

Football -- (American style.) When I was at Baylor, I never missed a home game. I've watched online, but it's been two years since I've actually been to a game. I can't wait.

 

Campus -- Apparently, a lot has changed around my alma mater. Still, I'm sure it will still feel like home. I'm excited to grab a cowboy coffee and walk the Bear Trail like old times.

 

Sunshine -- I've checked the forecast, and it's supposed to get into the mid 80s (that's 30 degrees for all you silly Celsius users). I haven't been that warm since my visit to Italy last June. To give you some perspective, our highs for London are expected to be 50 and below this week. God bless Texas and it's complete lack of regard for fall...even in November.

 

Food -- I've already made a list of all the restaurants that I absolutely must visit. Judging by what I've got down so far, it's possible that I could spend my entire trip eating. But that's a risk I'm willing to take.

 

Target -- I don't even need to buy anything. I just need to go. Don't judge.

 

And of course, friends and family -- To me, that's what Baylor Homecoming is all about. In fact, when my friends and I were interviewed at Baylor a few years ago by some local news crew, that's the answer I gave. That's also the answer Alexis gave, immediately following mine (I think she panicked). So the camera panned across our group as we listed off our favorite things about Homecoming, and it ended up sounding like this: "Football. Pigskin. Friends and family. Friends and...family." It was hilariously awful. I'm pretty sure we never ended up on TV.

 

-------------------------

The point is, I can't wait to get on that plane tomorrow. I absolutely love living in London. It's such a fun city, and I've met some incredible people who mean the world to me.

See what I mean? Lovely, wonderful people.

But there's just something about going home that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. So all you lovely Texas people, get ready. I'm headed your way.
 
And I can't wait to hug you.

  

A bold and dashing adventure.

One year. One whole year.

That's how long it's been since I moved to London. And it's been the fastest year of my life. I hope things slow down soon so that I can really appreciate them. But somehow I don't see that happening.

Just over a year ago, I went for Chinese with my mom. This was after I finished my last day of the job I had while I lived in Illinois. It was my last day, because I was moving back to New Mexico. I was moving back to New Mexico, because I was getting ready to move to London. 

I remember being a mess of emotions the whole meal. I couldn't believe that I'd be going abroad in just over a month. It was simultaneously exciting and terrifying. And when they brought out our fortune cookies, this is what mine said:

Prior to this, my most meaningful fortune cookie read, "Your place in life is in the driver's seat."
This was right after I passed my driving test.

It was perfectly appropriate. And it couldn't have been more accurate. This entire year really has been a bold and dashing adventure. One year later, I'm still in London -- this time around, much more settled and confident, but still very excited and occasionally terrified. 

But mostly excited.
 

Reading over shoulders.

I spend a lot of time on trains, so I figure I might as well get some reading done. The problem is, I don't currently have any books I haven't read. So I read other people's. 

Luckily, there's also a never ending supply of newspapers.

I like to see if I can figure out what book it is just by the first few sentences of wherever they happen to be in the story. I usually can't. But every so often, I figure it out before they turn the page.

After a while, I started keeping track. Here's some excerpts from what commuting Londoners are reading these days. See how many you recognize.

-----------------
He ought to have explained more fully about the Dementors, about how he had fallen over, about how both he and Dudley had nearly been kissed.

Maybe I'll do a shout-out to Willow.

Could she only bring herself to dispense with the lot of them?

More days than not, he's out there fighting someone.

"That's very broadminded of you."

Dozens of faces immediately buried themselves back in their work.

"Poor Liz," I say and I am suddenly overwhelmed with pity for her.

Si vous faites la moindre résistance, je vous tue avec les pistolets que voici.

"But you do not consider how it may appear to the Coles."

As soon as Petra finished talking I stood up and took her in my arms.

She'd had to force herself to stick to the rules of the grounding.

I was beginning to feel very tired and emotional.

Crying is not an option.

Royce and Hadrian glanced nervously at each other.

"Even them," Professor Martin said, sounding sleepy from all the wine.

-----------------

I only knew like 3 out of all those, but I was still pretty proud. How many did you get? 

(And Googling is cheating, people).

 

  

Biscuiterie.

This is perhaps the most magical thing I've stumbled upon since I moved to London. 

A biscuiterie. I didn't even know these things existed. Basically, it was giant selection of decadent pastries (think pistachio creme filled cannoli) that stretched on for days. It was beautiful.

You got to pick and mix to your heart's desire, and then you paid by weight. (And if there was one near me, I'm sure I'd pay by weight gained as well.) It made my day.

The sweet little French man who ran it barely spoke English, so you just knew it was going to be good. And right where the selection of biscuits ended, a creperie began. Glorious.

Needless to say, I'll be visiting again soon.

  

Tentative celebrations.

I'm no longer homeless! 

Well, I suppose I never actually was. Still, the possibility was looming. But we found a house! It's lovely too, and just what we were looking for.

Confession: Despite having moved every year for the past six years, this was my very first time to sign a lease without any sort of parental involvement. My fam didn't even know about the house till after we were told the landlady had accepted our offer. So I was mildly terrified about the whole thing. While we were viewing the property, I just knew the leasing agent was going to see right through me -- that he'd realize I was just a kid (24 is still a kid, right?) and laugh me out of there.

I kept telling myself, "Stay cool. Just act like an adult. Stand up straight, think of clever questions to ask, and don't let on that you have absolutely no idea what you're doing here."

This cartoon sums it up nicely:

But I guess we pulled it off, because we left the leasing agency with a piece of paper that said the property was [tentatively] ours. I practically skipped down the street (again, I'm just a kid). It was all very exciting, and I feel like I can breathe again.

Now we're just waiting to make sure all our references go through before we can be absolutely certain we've got it. So keep those fingers crossed.

Barring some horrible, catastrophic mishap, we'll be moving in at the end of the month.

Hallelujah.
  

We're sorry.

But this blog has been postponed until its author finds a place to live next year, as she now spends every ounce of free time scrolling through countless property websites.

The good news is, she's now unbelievably familiar with all of South West London (at least in map view), including how long it takes to get to Central, links to transport, and walking distances to grocery stores. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Please note: this is a merely an illustration,
not an actual approximation.

So in the meantime, she's got a proposition for ya. Whenever you pass a house with a "for sale" sign, say a little prayer that she gets this whole thing sorted soon.

Because she really really doesn't want to be homeless come September.

Wednesday randoms (that have to do with London 2012).

As it's Wednesday, I've decided to briefly tear myself away from the BBC Olympics website (it's where I've been spending most of my free time lately) to post a couple of randoms.

Oh, Ryan Lochte. You're a great swimmer, which is why we can forgive you for this. But next time, let's leave the attempts at stringing words together to form coherent sentences to someone else, okay big guy? It's just better for everyone.

Olympic memes are taking over the Internet right now. But my two favs so far are McKayla is not impressed and One is not amused.

Brilliant idea: Since there's really no way for us non-Olympians to wrap our minds around just how incredible these athletes are when they're competing against other incredible athletes, they should have a regular person participating in each event. That way, we can better understand just how much stronger, faster, and more talented these people really are compared to the rest of us. Even some kind of a "normal human" marker (similar to the world record lines that they show during the coverage of swimming or track and field events) would do. That'd give us some perspective.

Speaking of track and field, if you ask someone about that here, you'll just get blank stares. Here, it's called the athletics. Which is kind of confusing, because I was under the impression that, this being the Olympics and all, pretty much every event was athletic...

Meet Boris Johnson, the mayor of London. He's a legend. The other day, he got stuck on a zip line in Victoria Park. He also did this once.

I got this in the mail yesterday, which means I'm finally able to cheer on my 'Mericans properly.

Ask any American to sing you the Olympics theme song, and they'll give you their own rendition of this. But did you know that it isn't associated with the Olympics anywhere else but the US? Because they don't play it during their coverage here, and hardly anyone I know has heard of it. Crazy.

Anyway, that's all for me. Happy Olympics!

Wednesday randoms - Olympics edition.

Happy August! Yeah, it's August...already. I know I say that like every month, but it's crazy to think that I've been living abroad for almost 11 months now.

I'm starting to really dislike NBC's prime time tyranny, because it severely limits my freedom to post about the outcome of Olympic events. I get excited watching the US women's gymnastics team win the all around team competition, and start to give them a Twitter shout out...then I realize no one at home (aka 90% of my Twitter followers) haven't seen it yet, and I don't want to ruin it for them. Lame.

Guess who got to hold an Olympic torch. That's right. This girl.

If you're here for the Olympics, or just planning to visit. Here are some good tips on how to blend in.

I was so so so excited to see the US women completely rock the team final (as in, I may have gotten teary-eyed). They were really incredible. It's especially fun, because the last time the US won gold in the event was at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and I was there. Now, I'm here in London and they win again. I think I'm good luck. How about an honorary gold medal, ladies?

Speaking of gymnastics, You've probably already seen this video, as it's kind of exploded onto the scene recently. But it's maybe the funniest Olympics vid yet...

Still on that topic (can you tell which Olympic sport has my heart?), I feel like beam mounts used to be so much more creative. These days, they just hop up and start their routines, but I remember when the mount used to be a major part of the routine. Can we bring that back, ladies?

This also made me laugh. She's just so cute, bless her. And I'm sure I'd be making those faces too if I were made to stay up past midnight at 86 years old.

Did anyone watch the men's beach volleyball game between the US and South Africa? One of the South African guys was named "Freedom," so of course we joked about how it was the US vs. Freedom. And when the US won, there was plenty said about how Freedom didn't stand a chance against the US, and how we destroyed/defeated Freedom. It got pretty ridiculous, but it sure was fun.

Found this article about the medals race between US and China, and definitely laughed out loud. 

That's all for this week. Hope you're enjoying London 2012 as much as I am!
  

On your mark, get set...

Here's a fun story from the Tube this morning. 

Right before a train leaves, an announcement will be made. "Please stand clear of the doors. This train is ready to depart." This happens every time any train leaves any platform, and it's always exactly the same.

So imagine my surprise today when this announcement came over the speakers: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Underground Olympic train races. Please stand clear of the doors, because the race is about to begin. Drivers, take your marks. Get set...go!"

And we were off. Everyone was smiling -- a rare occurrence during rush hour in Central London.

It was a nice little moment during an otherwise mundane commute. 

  

"If a smile like that is single, I'm throwing myself off this train."

Girls, we've all been there. You're alone, and somehow end up stuck in close proximity with a creeper of a guy who seems to be going out of his way to make you feel uncomfortable.

Today was my turn.

Now, I don't really like to be the center of attention. I'd rather just blend in and keep to myself. But apparently my crossed arms, averted gaze, and other please-just-leave-me-alone body language was a little misleading.


Two guys got on the train a couple stops down the line and sat down directly across from me, despite the fact the train was pretty much empty. One had a dog. It kind of lunged at me (in a friendly, non-threatening way), which essentially threw me into the spotlight. So they started talking about me (but not to me) -- things like "Oy, leave that lovely lady alone," etc. It got to the point where they were wondering out loud if I was married, and one of them actually said, "If a smile like that is single, I'm throwing myself off this train." 


And that's how he died.


Kidding. 

Anyway I tried to avoid actually speaking to them the whole time, because I figured that my American accent would just them more to talk about. The whole ordeal was super awkward. 

But something I've noticed is that creepy English men are often far more charming than creepy American men (even if it's just in their word choices), because they say things like, "Afternoon, my darling," or "There's something elegant about that one there," or "You are a gorgeous one, m'dear." 

And while it's true that that can also be super creepy, during the daylight it's not panic-inducing, and it's quite funny because it's so stereotypically British.

So even though I left that train thoroughly embarrassed, I also had to laugh.

Olympic cyclists: blink & you'll miss em.

The cycling came right through Kingston today, so of course we had to go see it. We got there plenty early, and spent an hour or so watching official-looking guys walk up and down the road, telling people to stay on the sidewalk, as the cyclists could be there at any minute. Every so often, a non Olympic cyclist would pedal by, and the crowd would cheer and laugh.

We knew they were close when we saw the helicopter circling overhead. Everyone got really excited.

And then this is what we saw:

  

 

  

We were so close to the athletes. There were two groups (that video is of the first), and they were going crazy fast. It was pretty incredible how close together they all were -- one little mistake would surely cause the whole group to go down.

  

And it did, apparently. About five minutes after they passed us. Crazy.

Also, Chris Froome of Great Britain was lagging way behind (at least, we think that was him). Not sure why. But he got a huge applause when he finally came through.

   

  

Anyway, after they passed by, we booked it to a nearby pub to watch the rest of the race. And even though neither the US nor Great Britain medaled, it was still so fun! Our first Olympic event! And then we came home and gathered round the computer screens to watch other events for about six more hours. (Sidenote: Handball! What the heck?!) 

  

All in all, a great day.

 

Let the games begin.

When I first got here last September, I took this picture:

At that point, the Olympics seemed forever away. But all of the sudden, this has happened:

Zero days. Can you believe it? They're here! The opening ceremony is tonight. And even though I'm not venturing into Central to watch it (tickets for Hyde Park tonight are £60, and that's just not going to happen), I'm excited to be here, nonetheless.

Get excited, world. It's time for London 2012. 

(Oh, and go USA!)

 

Olympics, round two.

I was 8 years old when my family went to the Olympics in Atlanta. My memories are a bit fuzzy, but a few stand out: getting to see the women's gymnastics (that was the year the US won gold), playing in the Centennial Olympic Park fountains, the debut of Dippin' Dots (it was supposed to be the ice cream of the future, remember?), and going to see the torch as it made its way to the stadium.

That was in 1996.

Who would have thought that 16 years later, I'd get the chance to do Olympics, round two?

Ladies and gentlemen, get excited for London 2012.

I know I am.
  

Wednesday randoms.

The other day, I was asked how to make a particular sweet treat, which meant that, for the first time in my life (though hopefully not the last!), I got to give directions that started with, "Bake a whole cake." How fun is that?

You know those red solo cups that you see everywhere in the States? When I first moved here, I had a conversation with my flatmates about them. They were wondering if they were as prolific as TV made them seem. I told them yes. Of course. They're everywhere...especially in college. Well guess what, guys. They've made it to London...

Who knew these were such a big deal?

This was a pretty interesting read. I knew those parakeets I saw at Richmond Park weren't just somebody's escaped pets!

I've been applying for jobs like crazy lately. It's not the most enjoyable thing ever, but I actually don't mind it as much as most. I actually like cover letters. Editing and tailoring information to fit a specific audience is what I like to do (and what I hope to do), so it doesn't bother me. What bothers me is the waiting game. It can be tough to be patient.

I used to hate broccoli, so I never dreamed that something like this would have such a negative impact on my life. But it does.

One awesome thing about working with kids is it pretty much requires that you buy art supplies and get your craft on. I'm loving it. There's something incredibly therapeutic about coloring.

Good news! It looks like we might actually get some summery weather next week! And it's about time. So cross your fingers for us.
 

Oh deer.

First things first: apologies for the cheesy title. I just couldn't help myself. 

Remember when I told you about Richmond Park? I said I'd like to visit it again. Well, it took me almost five months, but I finally made it back. And even though one of my housemates pointed out that it could be a dangerous decision, I'm glad I did.

The largest of the Royal Parks, it also happens to be the biggest enclosed space in London. Its 2360 acres are home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, but it's most famous residents are probably the deer. Oh, and the reason it exists in the first place is because Charles I didn't want to get the plague.

Fun stuff.

Anyway, the last time I visited was in February. While I definitely enjoyed myself, it was still winter, so everything (well, except for the deer) was kind of dead. This time was different. Sure, the skies were still grey. But this time, everything was green! And there were flowers! It was lovely.

It's crazy how just stepping through the gates seems to take you straight out of the city. It's so quiet and peaceful, and with all the wildlife, you don't really feel like you're in London anymore.

(But you are.)

There's so much to see, and we only made it through about a fifth of the park. But since it's only a 5 minute bus ride from where I live, I plan to go back and do some more exploring soon.

Who knows? Maybe there will even be sunshine.

Third time's a charm.

  

Red London buses.

Apart from catching the school bus when I was in junior high, I've never really used public transportation. Not consistently, anyway. 

Where I'm from, it doesn't really exist. And even if it did, it just wouldn't be all that practical. The cities aren't huge, and there aren't really traffic jams. Things are so spread out. So everyone drives themselves everywhere.

But here, I depend on public transportation. It's all I've got. Especially the buses (shout out to the 131!) So when I saw this little card, I couldn't help but smile.

So even though I seriously miss being able to drive, I guess if I have to be car-less, it's a good thing there's a bus stop right in front of my building. 

Thanks, red London buses. Don't know what I'd do without you.