Glug

Five things about me, alcohol and bars.

When I was still at school, I used to go a lot of birthday parties at the Mexican Bar in Roslin (of Da Vinci Code fame). There was absolutely nothing Mexican about it. At that time my drink of choice was Martini and lemonade, or sometimes lager and blackcurrant. I can still taste the cloying sweetness that would build up in my mouth over the evening.

I was sick into a wastepaper basket in a friend's bedroom after one of those parties.

The only alcoholic drink I would ever refuse is a French apéritif called Suze. It is bitter and revolting.

A couple of weeks ago in Spain, we discovered the joys of vino de verano (summer wine). We did that "we'll have a jug of what those authentic looking Spanish people at the next table are having" thing in a restaurant and discovered that "summer wine" is much more refreshing than sangria.

The only alcoholic drink I have ever been unable to finish was one of those massive margaritas they serve you in the USA. We were in Durango, Colorado and it came in a glass the size of a punch bowl with two straws - more like an oversize sorbet than liquid alcohol. The best margarita I have ever had was served in New Mexico in a village that sold "holy chili" because the dirt in the church had magical properties. (America is a country of great contrasts, I tell you).

P and I once spent a long weekend in Istanbul. It was freezing cold and we repaired to the bar of the Pera Palace Hotel earlier and earlier every evening. We wallowed in the opulent, threadbare furnishings and warmed our insides with technicolour cocktails.

I borrowed this meme from Yogamum and I'm tagging you all. Yes, all of you.

Saturday Night Meme

Deborah suggested I do this meme which she first saw at Marrickvillia. It's a bit different and after a day of trudging around Bordeaux International Fair it is about as much as I can cope with.

1. PICK OUT A SCAR YOU HAVE, AND EXPLAIN HOW YOU GOT IT
I have several small scars on my tummy from a laparoscopic cholecystectomy I had in 1999. After several nights of pain and sleeplessness, I came to the conclusion that I had gall stones. There were some clues: my Mum had had her gall bladder out, my Dad had had his out and my grandfather had had his out. The first radiologist still managed to miss the 2.5cm gall stone on the x-ray, and concluded that I was suffering from dyspepsia. House he was not. My operation was scheduled for 10th November and I went into hospital the night before. They woke me up at about six, put me in a gown and splattered orange antiseptic liquid all over my tummy. I lay rigid in bed until the doctors came round about 6 hours later and told me that they'd had a long procedure in the O.R. and just couldn't fit me in. Could I come back, not the next day which was a public holiday, but in two days time?

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?
An abstract painting by a Scottish artist called Alison Auldjo. And some prints.

3. WHAT DOES YOUR PHONE LOOK LIKE?...like a phone

4. WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?
My taste in music is eclectic. (Eclectic is the new skinny, don't you know?) At the moment I'm still listening to that damned Mika over and over again. But the musical highlight of my week is whatever Julien does on La Nouvelle Star. He's a genius.

5. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT DESKTOP PICTURE?
A dandelion.

6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?
I would quite like an article I have to finish next week to write itself.

7. DO YOU BELIEVE IN GAY MARRIAGE?
Absolutely

8. WHAT TIME WERE YOU BORN?
In the middle of the night, I think.

9. ARE YOUR PARENTS STILL TOGETHER?
My dad died in 1994. Otherwise, I'm sure they would be.

10. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
The noisy fan on my Powerbook.

11. DO YOU GET SCARED OF THE DARK?
I don't particularly like being outside at night in the country in the dark.

12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY?
I have tears in my eyes every time I read the news about Madeleine McCann. And now I want to score out my silly answer to question 6 and replace it with the wish that she is returned to her parents very, very soon.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COLOGNE / PERFUME?
At the moment Kenzo's Flower. I also like Guerlain's Champs Elysées.

14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOUR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?
I really couldn't care less.

15. DO YOU LIKE PAIN KILLERS?
Yes. I also frequently think how fortunate I am to have had my children in the age of epidurals. Overdosing on House MD is making me want to try Vicodin in large quantities. Call me impressionable.

16. ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT?
Come back and ask me that question in my next life, because it's just not topical any more!

17. FAVE PIZZA TOPPING?
I like all pizzas except those that include smoked salmon and/or pineapples which I like fine, just not on pizzas..

18. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I'm not really too hungry at the moment because I went out for lunch today and had a delicious foie frais pané with orange powder and asparagus, a fish trio in broccoli sauce and some strawberry melba.

19. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU MADE MAD?
A person at work. An extremely satisfying experience.

20. IS ANYONE IN LOVE WITH YOU?
I certainly hope so. (P. is nodding his head)

Now it's your turn. Go on, you know you want to.

Weird, moi?

Jordan tagged me to tell you 6 weird things about myself and here they are:

1. I have seven nipples. This is apparently much commoner than you might expect and I’ve finally got over my embarrassment about it.

All right, that wasn’t entirely true (I do have two nipples though) but do you have any idea how difficult it is to come up with five interesting weird things about oneself?

1. I set my alarm to go off at 7 a.m. every weekday. I never get up before 7.30 a.m.

2. I don’t like milk and most dairy products but I do like Roquefort.

3. I don’t own an umbrella.

4. In summer, I like to sleep with one leg on top of the quilt and one leg under it.

5. Someone once slashed the tyres of my car.

6. I say "anyway" and "however" to fill gaps in conversation.

God, I'm boring. Maybe those of you who know me in real life could come up with weirder weirdness. Please.

A few of my favourite dings

10 things I like beginning with the letter d.

…dictionaries. I like having a whole shelf of dictionaries beside me when I’m writing anything; looking things up from time to time; having my eye drift across the page and finding some other, more interesting word. My favourite is Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary, which now I come to think of it is possibly slightly out of date now. I also like being able to flick between a dictionary window and a text window when I’m translating.

… dall. I like making it and I like eating it. The version I make calls for brown lentils, tamarind and mustard seeds.

… drizzle. It rarely drizzles here in South-West France where we either have torrential downpours or days of unrelenting medium-size, medium-force rain. I like the feel of Scottish feather-light raindrops on my face.

… Durango. P and I went to Colorado a few years ago and Durango was one of those towns where everything was postcard perfect: a wide main street, lots of interesting shops and bars and restaurants, even an old-fashioned railway station and a steam train. The inhabitants of Durango are all young and sporty and promenade their children around town in little trailers behind mountain bikes.

… doughnuts so I probably wouldn’t fit in in Durango. Dough, oil and sugar; what a healthy combination.

… dinner parties. I like inviting people for dinner and I like being invited for dinner. I like the informal sort best, where people stand in the kitchen having an aperitif then move to the dinner table and the conversation goes on into the wee small hours.

… drifting from page to page on the internet. In fact, I like this a little too much.

… deer. I like catching sight of them at the edge of the woods in the gloaming and to see them look up warily when they feel someone watching them.

… dandling babies on my knee — my own when they were small and compliant, and also other people’s. Especially babies with

... dimples.

Charlotte gave me the letter d. If you'd like to play, leave me a comment and I'll give you a letter.