167. The new kid in town

In three months, I have started two new jobs. The second one is permanent. It's MINE.
I have had a lot of jobs, and some things are always true:

1) You will always spend at least three weeks thinking that literally every single thing that comes out of your mouth makes you sound like a cock.

2) You will wonder if you will ever know everybody's name

3) You will wonder if you will ever make a friend in this new place

4) You will drink a lot with your pals to compensate for being a bit small and lonely at work.

I know the likely outcome to all four. Doesn't stop the old brian whirring. I am trying NOT to do too much of 4 because I am old and tired, but because I am old and experienced 1 is proving to be not too much of a problem.

One thing's for certain - before I know it I will have forgotten what it felt like to be new. Some things never change.

166. A Bacon Bagel

HERESY! I hear you cry. Yeah. Whatever.

Heretical or not, the marriage of a slightly sweet, chewy bagel (from Brick Lane, no less) and hot, salty bacon is - truly - divine. It's good at any time, but when you're slightly hungover and you're replacing fluids as quickly as you can and feeling your age, it's so good it makes you want to sob with gratitude.

Herself is a passionate supporter of a bacon bagel - I think that's where I got the habit. Not that long ago, I had a fried egg and bacon bagel. I can't really talk about it. Some things defy description...



I will be blogging more regularly from now on. I'm back. Oh yeah.

165. Vouchers

One of the few 'upsides' (and that's pushing it) of the recession, has been the proliferation of money-off vouchers. It is thanks to these that I haven't paid full price in Pizza Express for two years, and now don't go there if I haven't got a voucher. For me, the best value is the quarterly 30% off at Gap vouchers which are emailed out and go virally round London like the clap(pers).

It's a beautiful sunny day in London today, and I've done my work, so I'm going to go to Gap and buy something summery with my voucher. After all, I have got a new job to go to - and I've got to make a good impression...

164. Artichokes

Went to Rome for four days with Herself and her parents (and, for one day only, my own Parent). I haven't quite decided about Rome yet, but I have decided about one Roman speciality, and that is the artichoke, or Carciofo.

Not the Jerusalem Fartichoke, the good old globe.

They marinate it until it becomes sublimely soft and slightly vinegary and yet tastes entirely of itself. I had one that had been deep fried and it was crisp and toothsome. I had some with broad beans and some other kind of bean at a fabulous restaurant called Tullio and there was practically a fight to finish it, even though there was lots.

I thought about bringing some back, because I'm sure it's because they're Italian that they taste so good, but I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make them delicious. The Parent, however, has brought back six, (doughty and excellent Parent) so I am going to look up recipes to help her make them delicious and then casually drop by every day at about 7.30pm....


The other things that were good about Rome were: the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, some of the churches, the taxi drivers, ALL of the food, my Parent's lovely friends, being offered a new job while having the best lunch with a large proportion of my favourite people, the orange trees growing on every corner.

163. Roast Chicken

Yesterday was Saturday. Herself and I had a good day, and this is how it went.

Coffee and papers for her. Lemon & Ginger tea and a guide to Rome for me (we're going! In a WEEK!) Croissants for both.

Walk in the park. The sun was shining and the blossom is on many of the trees. The dog was going extreeeeeeemely slowly so we sat on bench with our faces in the sun for a bit while she did her thing.

Went to the garden centre. Bought seeds and herbs in pots and lots of earth.

Ate delicious lunch.

Spent some time in the garden potting up.

Baked a lemon polenta cake.

The Parent arrived, we had roast chicken, roast potatoes and salad from the garden, followed by lemon polenta cake, creme fraiche and grapes bought by the Parent. Herself and I had some lovely red wine, the P had water. (She chooses water.) It's ALWAYS lovely to see the P. I'm biased, but she's fab.

Watched the last two episodes of Series 3 of Damages (see previous blog post).

Slept for 8 hours.

Sad and middle-aged? Maybe. But in terms of simple pleasures and battery recharging it can't be beat.

Happy Sunday.

162. Buying Shoes

Yes, I'll admit it, I love buying shoes. My work drought has recently become a flood (never rains but it pours) so today I went out and bought some lovely shoes. They're green.

Shoes are a relatively easy retail fix. You don't have to get undressed, they almost never need taking up, and if you're me, they never cost too much moolah.

But the joy they bring! I remember crashing into a lamp-post when I was a kid because I was running down the street watching my new shoes, rather than where I was going. Not much has changed in 30 years...

I'm not allowed to wear my new green shoes tomorrow, but rest assured that whatever I wear on Thursday will be to augment and display my beautiful green feet.

161. The Good Wife

The Good Wife is a soapy American series about the wife of a sleazy politician. She's had to go back to a career in the law because her husband's in jail - so the first series is all about her being a junior associate in a big Chicago law firm, and her husband's efforts to prove that he is (mainly) innocent. It's great stuff.

I asked a real lawyer if she thought the 'work' part of it had any bearing in reality and she thought it did. Which is worrying and reassuring in equal measure. The wife is played by Julianna Margulies (Nurse Hathaway in ER) and she's very good. It's slick and glossy and entirely entertaining. Series 2 is on the tellybox at the moment so if you're in (and you have More 4) check it out. You'll want some popcorn...