Happy Halloween from the UK
That's probably just a coincidence though.
Here is some more useful (or less) English Trivia for you.
Trick or Treating originated in the British Isles. Click on the link to discover what the "trick" in "trick or treat" is supposed to be. This sounds like a good idea to me. At least this way you get something for the pounds of candy you shell out.
Apparently Halloween also originated in the UK. Click
here for more info on that and other slightly interesting stuff.
Thanks to Pettigirl for the Halloween card.
And thanks to PDE for causing me to look up all this crap.
Movie anyone?
YG and I continue to discover the attractions of Nottingham. Did you know that Nottingham has the worlds smallest public cinema? The Screen Room has a capacity of 21 and is listed in the 2006 Guinness Book of World Records as the smallest cinema in the world. And I can now say that I have been there.
We went to see The Aristocrats on Friday night. I'm guessing that most of you have never even heard of this, let alone witnessed this spectacle. For those that have had the pleasure, I assume that you either liked it or were repulsed by it.
The movie is a documentary on the "oldest joke in the world." While we found it funny (I'm sure the 2 pints at the pub across the street beforehand helped), this movie is definitely not for the easily offended. To say the least, the joke is dirty.
If you do plan to see this film, I recommend you check out the website first. If you are not offended at that point, you will probably enjoy it.
While I am not endorsing the movie (lest you think less of me), I do recommend a 2 pint minimum if you do go.
3 Reasons to Own a Hatchback Vehicle if You Live in the UK
and those reasons are:
1. The size of the parking spaces in the UK
2. The guy parked on the left.
3. The guy parked on the right.
Fortunately I have only had to worry about #1 and 3 so far.
That's right, for the second time since I've been here, I had to get in on the passenger side of the car and crawl over. I couldn't even walk between the two cars. You would think that the guy who did the parking would have seen it, but I guess not. Either that or he just didn't care (which I just can't believe).
I am just waiting for the day when I come out and I can't get in either door and I have to get in through the hatch back. That should make for some good CCTV footage for the security guards I am sure.
People of the UK - widen your parking spots and learn how to park!
Beer Drinker's Paradise
England is definitely the place to be if you like good beer. Yankee Girl and I just joined CAMRA about a week ago. CAMRA is the CAMpaign for Real Ale. Ale is considered "Real" when it is cask conditioned, and usually hand pulled. Click on the CAMRA link if you want more info. When you get right down to it, it's basically a club for beer drinkers. Anyway, as card-carrying members of the club, you get free admission to most of the beer festivals. Before you get too excited, admission is free, but you still have to pay for the beer you drink (usually about 1 pound for a 1/2 pint).
This weekend just happened to be the Nottingham Beer Festival, hosted by the Nottingham branch of CAMRA. They had over 350 beers on tap (hence the title of this post). Unfortunately, due to the half pint servings, we were only able to try about 16 beers. I guess that just gives us something to look forward to for next year.
I'm Back
After a brief hiatus, I am back. I was in the US for a week, and free wireless internet is not as prevalent there as it is in Europe. That, combined with the fact that my editor (YG) just got back from the States last Saturday, have prevented me from posting. Anyway, stay tuned as there should be a flurry of posts over the next week.
Over the weekend I did find one more thing to like about being in the UK. At least over here I wasn't forced to watch another pitiful Purdue football loss by less than a touchdown. Not to mention, since it was Homecoming, I would have been forced to drive home hungover, tired and depressed. Even though I didn't have to endure that painful performance, I did miss having a beer (or 10) with my closest friends. I hope you guys had a beer and rang The Bell for me.
As if the Purdue loss wasn't enough, my next alma mater, Penn State, had their national title hopes smashed by the Wolverines. The only saving grace was that USC prevailed over the Irish.
