Sweet Chili trout with Pesto Pasta

To the tune of Auld lang syne...

From hurricanes, to terrorists,
It's been hard, to just get by,
Here's hoping, the year, 2-0-6
Is lot better than 2-0-5!
Well Kim Jong is throwing fits and the shuttle's on the fritz
There's an intafada brewing on the Gaza Strip
The deficits arising
And half of Europe hates my guts
And industrial Americas going bankrupt!
There is a great sense of urgency,
I must crush the insurgency
My approval ratings in a dive
Hope it's not another year like 2-0-5
A leak investigation has got my White House in a snarl
A special prosecutor is after my friend Carl
And our energy dependency has put me in a bind
Oh don't worry about Alaska it'll be just fine.
My appointee was a big flop,
the housing markets about to pop
With record profits at the pump
I drive an SUV and take it in the rump
All of our jobs gone overseas
Each week I make $1.73
From Katrina, FEMA, Gitmo too
The last thing I need now is the avian flu
Cause every problem in the world lands right here on my desk
It's hard to rule the free world but I'm doing the best I can
From pirates in Somalia, to that nut job in Iran
I tried to get to Crawford, even there couldn't get no rest.
From same sex marriage, stem-cells, Scooter Libby, Tom DeLay
Here's hoping, the year 2-0-6, is lot better than 2-0-5.

http://www.jibjab.com/originals/originals/jibjab/movieid/123

Duck

Leg of duck casseroled with onion, muchroom and orange and eaten with a baked potato. A gratifying Thursday lunch.

I preluded this with a boiled egg, goat's cheese and rice cakes.

Admission of failings...

yuh... sorry that this blog is winding down... I suppose it will stagger on in one form or another but is mostly defunct. Exciting food gets posted on www.anotherfoodblog.com as ever.

Sausages

Held a small dinner party of sausages with potato, carrot and parsnip mash served with a rich onion gravy.

afterwards we painted on some canvases from the 99p store... fun :-0

A full 24 hours

Wednesday film night was Withnail &I, for which I made copious amounts of bloody mary's.

Thursday I woke up relatively early and sauntered in for my 1pm seminar, afterwards I got some books from the library and hung around at the MUN cake sale stall.. It was also ladies day... there were 'paint your own vagina' stalls and weirdness... On Tuesday I had gone to see the Vagina Monologues as part of this feminist fest.

It was also the Indian 'festival of colour' or 'holi'...

I then eventually managed to get up the energy to leave campus and go into town for shopping for the prohibition themed party which is occuring tonight.

Getting out at Brighton train station I saw a crowd and wandered over to see what the fuss was about. I asked the ticket inspector and he eyed me up and down and asked his colleague if it was ok to say. His colleague judged me not to be a terrorist and told me the Queen was coming (to get on a train and go home) The train looked pretty ordinary, though I suppose it didn't smell of vomit.

Wandered around buying fancy dress stuff then went home and ate a massive pizza that i made myself.

Went shooting, fired off 150 rounds of .22 - I'm becoming rather good.

Went out for drinks.

Apparently...

Risotto

Laura hosted a dinner party of Funghi Porcini Risotto followed by icecream. I had 2 helpings of risotto and ample redwine. Went to the last night at EventII before it closes (thank god), left early for a relatively early night.

Does this make sense?

Is the woman's name Psychotherapist porn?
Does anyone else appreciate that Psychotherapist can be broken down into 'psycho the rapist'?

Decadent abuse of shrove tuesday.

Red caviar pancake. Proving you don't have to give things up on tuesday! Typical student fair.

Neil hamilton again

Haircut

It's been a year folks!

That's correct, whilst the original food mandate has been stretched over the year, this blog has continued to 'broadcast' (more on than off) for exactly 1 year.

Legend has most blogs die after 6 months...

Hazzahs!

See you on the other side.

Sir Ian Blair

Helped out with organising an event which managed to secure Sir Ian Blair to speak on Terrorism and liberties.

A great turnout, a huge success, and the hoard of protesting hippies only added to the atmosphere rather than ruining the event.

Brightonia Snow

Me shooting a 356

Parliament importance

Another sign keeping our country free, etc...

Self-topped pizza

Pizza base covered in pasta sauce, green pepper, purple onion, fried chicken and cheddar....

This pizza was good.

Pasta panic

Ran short of food. Put the remainder of a jar of spicy pasta sauce in a pan added a tin of tuna steak and 14 magic secret herbs and spices. It filled a hole. Went shopping today! First shop of the term, always pricey.

Room for improvement... still

I went to B&Q and bought a solid fire door, it wouldn't fit in the car and was very heavy. I then had to carry this door home, it took a long time and drained my arms of strength, I then used a jigsaw to cut about 18" off the door and put it on the tressels I brought from london - I now have a desk!!

I still need to sort out a chair... and a very large television...

However, my room is now becoming very comfortable. :-)

Random test

Moroccan rug

Apparently this rug is 100 years old... I doubt this... But i do believe it to be hand-made. It depicts the city gates of Casablanca, apparently. I also bought a gallabeah. However you spell that...

Fried eggs

Had to fry there in a saucepan due to limited equipment in spain. Seemed to work ok.

DAVE AND BILLY

Billy was in The Bear, he used to be in the military police in Hong Kong and he really likes Chinese people.

Billy said Dave had the face of a Cherib but was clearly a pervert... a cherib and a pervert, not so much like an officer and a gentleman...

My current room

An attempt at a video:

Loving the American reaction to the song.

Thanksgiving.

Today was LONG. 9am seminar followed by a dash to london and lunch with family followed by seeing Jo for a leisurely beer. This was then all capped by thanksgiving proper. A few more beers and then champagne, chowder, turkey and all the usual american style veg. The pumpkin pie which topped it all was superb and i indulged in 3 portions even though i'd already had a 2nd helping of turkey! More champagned followed once we had sufficed on the madira and cigar front. I'm currently on the train from victoria to Brighton and am aiming for a 1am ETA at the Arc club for a social.

Salmon and mash

I mashed 2 large potatoes and added Herbes de Provence and a dash of salt. This makes a tasty mash quickly. I then dipped the skin of the salmon steak in a misture of flour, salt and pepper and popped it skin down in a hot pan.

The meal was tasty. mmm... simple though as i'm running out of food stuffs.

This blog is very lame right now, but it is still just limping along... we shall try our best.

Art of Brightonia

My new shelves...

So proud of my DIY success here.... The reason why half the brackets are black is because B&Q had run out of white and I was in a rush to get it done...

double decker...

This here sandwich contains 2 layers. One is Bacon, fried (easy over) egg and cheese, the other is comprised of 2 beef sausages.

It has been hailed as a revolution in breakfast/brunch/snack cuisinery...

London Birthday last night.

I returned to London to have a few people round to dinner at mine.

We had a diverse spread of lots of different things, a sort of picnic style... or perhaps meze... depends...

We drank 2 bottles of the wine pictured below. It was officially beyind its best, and 1978 was never a 'great' year - apparently, what do I know.

However, whilst the second bottle tasted overly of loam and had fruity flavours that dried out too rapidly in the mouth the first bottle we drank (deliberatly in that order - hoping the air would mellow the other) was fine. And I for one thoroughly enjoyed it.

I think everyone involved drank as much as they wanted. Staying prudently this side of upright.

Suprise from the cellar.

My birthday!

Celebrated it with a few friends last night.

Tonight massive party!

Massive lunch

just so i remember...

Definition of recidivism (noun) habitual or chronic relapse of criminal or antisocial offenses

Jimmy Carr - Gag Reflex.

Had a large curry before heading out with Dave to see Jimmy Carr Live.

Here is the review (draft) i've written for the Badger (sussex uni student paper).

--

As the name might suggest “gag reflex” is looking to push the boundaries of human morality to the point where an instinctive reaction occurs, his gags pushing one to the point of gagging. He lays down the rules early on; “you can’t laugh and then go oooh – make up your mind and stick to it”. Either way he is happy so long as he gets a reaction.

He proclaims gleefully that the ideal audience would be “lacking a moral compass” but if that were the case he would be denied the reaction he craves - the gag reflex when he pushes in that extra inch and the audience chokes on his creative juices. Continuing that image, three or four times during the gig he mimed sucking on a cock, perhaps encouraged by his location and the easy laugh – It did it for me.

Despite not winning my unreserved acclaim (we all know he wants it) I did enjoy the evening and certainly had a good laugh. His versions of responses to agony aunt letters were hilarious and typically unsympathetic. He opened up this part of the show to advising the audience on their various shouted out problems. This is really where Jimmy Carr excels, breaking from his overly calculating, immaculately timed and flawlessly rehearsed script he engages the audience in quick-witted original conversation. One man asked the best way to propose to his girlfriend, she was present and soon the two of them were up on the stage (he had clearly planned this and had brought a ring). While he was able to nimbly hop up onto the stage she had to waddle round and entered from backstage – later Carr asked her if she was pregnant, alas no. Should anyone care; Sarah did agree to marry Dean.

The audience participation was of a relatively low calibre, with Carr frequently pointing out the obvious “you sound retarded”, this was in fact valid and wasn’t just a ‘get out’ put-down to a heckler. The few who did heckle well enabled Carr to retort with wit and flair, although with too great an emphasis on the cliché “your mum” style responses, this banter spawned some of the most enjoyable parts of the evening.

A party

For beautiful people.

Pie day

A few days ago I bought alot of Pies.

they are normally 4 for £1 something, but that day they were ALSO buy one get one free....

Lunch today was chicken pie, then I painted my room, dinner is going to be 2 Steak pies.

Yesterday and the day before I ate a quiche I had made and the largest chicken curry ever, it was good, so my diet also does contain vegetables etc...

Oh dear...

Patey "after party/pint"

What a brilliant photo except for me telling the person how to use my camera...

Talk with William Patey

William Patey just returned from his posting as the UK's ambassador to Iraq.

He spoke last night to the IR society at Sussex. Chatham house rules meant the talk and questions were both frank and interesting.

After we drank some booze.

It was a good night...

A fresh start

Now I've bored my readership to death and probably killed this blog with inactivity I've finally settled down in Brighton.

I moved into a house with Dave, Zac and Ewan - and lived in the pink room pictured below. The 1970s was officially the worst decade ever and I had to live in it. Or did I?

Yesterday I moved into my new abode which is the sort of house I like. Dub it "IKEA House" It's that sort of thing. Cheap style, nice and clean, simple, modern.

My room is again pink... what is it with me and pink rooms in Brighton... I still have the white paint I bought for my old room and after my return to London (my 21st Birthday is next Tuesday and I'm back Friday to Sunday) I shall pick up my "room painting tracksuit" (it's green, I had it when I was 12(?) and it is covered in paint from my room in London) and come back and attack my room.

Celebrating my Birthday and Housewarming on Tuesday bring a bottle and a personality (preferabbly not your own).

I will now be updating this on a more regular basis.
HOLA!

Sophia gets it on.

Or not. This hunk failed to please her exquisite taste... Believe it or not.

My room

My room is pink. Note the even pinker curtains and the lampshade with frills. Moving a wardrobe yesterday i found a walking stick. I'm living in an old woman's room. Don't have the internet yet. This is all done via my phone...

A British Weather Update

It's raining the bejeezus outside. Hope they don't decide that because there is too much rain they'll push all the sewage into the Thames again. That's just unpleasant.

Next week: drought warning.

Phone etc

New phone - It can send directly to blog... It auto created a seperate blog but today I logged into it for the first time and it offered me the option to merge them automatically - hence the sudden influx of photos below.

I am too lazy to trawel through them turning photos at 90degrees and deleting the repetitions etc.

In future though you can expect a ready stream of photographs to accompany my thrilling lifestyle.

Next week the life and death of a scone.

Beach of Cabourg

Chocolate pudding!!

Vapeurs

Vapeurs anchovy starter