Everyone loves a bit of the Rat Pack… or failing that, some Bobby Darin!
You don’t have to listen to it, I just thought it was apt, as I’m going down to the coast for the weekend. To Southampton! It’s only about 60 miles away, but this being England, that’s a considerable distance. We’re not like the Americans where a 6 hour journey is ‘just down the road’. 6 hours is the length of England…
I’m heading there for the consummation (and consumption!) of my yearly Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) obligation. Every year I head down to see my university friends that are currently there studying for their PhDs; occasionally, if we’re lucky, other friends from university also turn up. If we’re unlucky, aforementioned bonus friends turn up with their loved ones. We don’t like it when that happens. It’s always a bit of a bitter/sweet thing when someone unexpected turns up — on the one hand I get to catch up with someone that I haven’t seen for years. On the other, shiny-with-grease-and-dripping-with-syrup hand, it means less pancakes for me.
Anyway, to cut to the chase: I’ll be eating pancakes until I burst for the next 2 days. If I don’t update within 2 days, I’ve probably died of pancake poisoning, if such a thing exists. Or perhaps I just can’t find anyone to roll me within range of a computer with an internet connection. Either way, I’ll try my best to take a few photos, and maybe bash out a couple of mid-scoff entries. I’ll get my keyboard all sticky and icecreamy just for you.
Maddie
Feb 20, 2009
Umm…I am one American that does not consider 6 hours just “down the road.” That is a long ass trip, yo! I drive 5.5 hours to mi madres casa and that is a hellaciously long journey for me.
sebastian
Feb 20, 2009
‘Hey, dude, we should totally drive up to San Francisco, it’s only 6 hours away!’
(True story)
Sarcastically Bitter
Feb 20, 2009
mmmm pancakes! please don’t burst.
sebastian
Feb 20, 2009
I am travelling with a roll of sticky tape, and some printed notes that I will make my friends memorise in case of emergency. I do intend to return in one piece!
I really should sleep if I’m going to be up early…
andhari
Feb 20, 2009
I make mean pancakes.
AH WHO AM I KIDDING?
Renee
Feb 20, 2009
I’m guessing the friends who said that (drive to SF) were from California. Californians do tend to be a little worse than other Americans in that regard.
Eleni
Feb 20, 2009
Pancake Day? Shrove Tuesday? Ah… Mardi Gras! Fun.
I concur that 6 hours is a long trip. But the U.S. is a large and diverse place, so it would make sense if we wouldn’t all agree on how long of a trip 6 hours is. Here on the East Coast, 6 hours will probably take you through a number of states, so it seems like a long way. Out west, the states are much bigger; 6 hours will take you from L.A. to San Francisco, which is still in the same state, so it doesn’t seem so far. But talk to folks in Honolulu, and the 45 minute drive to the North Shore is really, really far (it is the farthest they can get by car, after all). True story: My family stayed at a cousin’s house on the North Shore last summer and drove in to Honolulu each day to visit my grandparents at their (now famous
retirement home; my grandparents thought it was somewhat unreasonable that we were willing to make the 1.5 hour round trip every day, while we didn’t think it was that bad (some people here have longer daily commutes than that).
Chele
Feb 20, 2009
I like pancakes
sebastian
Feb 20, 2009
Oops, I was meant to be up early… so much for that… *looks at his alarm clock*
I guess I’ll have to arrive a little later than anticipated!
I had no idea Shrove Tuesday was the equivalent of Pancake Day! I guess that just highlights the difference between the wild North Americans and the grey, rainy Brits. Pancake Day is meant to be when you use up all the food, in preparation for Lent. Obviously no one really observes Lent now, so we just eat pancakes. I guess the same happened with Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday… Now everyone runs around half-naked and SQUEEEing…
Perhaps it is just those slightly-special Californians. I still remember Yosemite being ‘just up the road’, Renee…
Jossie Posie
Feb 20, 2009
Real men eat french toast.
sebastian
Feb 20, 2009
There was a time, at university, when we’d be so late onto campus that when we went to get breakfast, all they had left was slice upon slice of fried bread.
So we’d have maybe 5, 10 slices of fried bread for breakfast.
(Not quite french toast, but… still… pretty bad!)
Daniel Cassidy
Feb 21, 2009
I assure you that 6 hours will most definitely not get you from one end of England to the other. Have you never been to Cornwall?
sebastian
Feb 21, 2009
Twice… one to some God-awful holiday camp… and the other time to a lovely manor that we’d rented for Christmas.
I meant London -> Edinburgh or so!
pinginrua
Feb 21, 2009
RE: the comment you left me – did ya see the post before, or after, i added the pic? if ya didn’t see it – check it out.
anyway, sorry dude, but you know i’m in love with Randall Munroe! (aka. xkcd dude)
sebastian
Feb 21, 2009
I am happy for my love to be unrequited, don’t worry! As a geek, that’s my normal mode of affection anyway… from afar…
I just checked it out; the similarity IS astonishing… But truth be told, it wasn’t your love of Pokemon that I was attracted to…
pinginrua
Feb 21, 2009
really?
bizarre!
sebastian
Feb 21, 2009
Pokemon was slightly after my time…
I’m more Sonic, Mario…
You should come sit on my knee sometime; I could tell you some stories!