Food! Wine!

I have been roused from my blogging slumber by the arrival of my favourite time of year in Orlando: autumn. This is my favourite time of year for several reasons:

1. The temperature finally starts to slide downwards - albeit very, very slowly - after nearly six months of cooking for the outside in, meaning I can cautiously start wiping the dust off my sparkly wooly hats and leather boots.

2. Flight prices dip to acceptable levels meaning people might actually come to see me. Evidence: my mother is currently here, and her departure is immediately followed by the arrival of my best friend a week later, and one of my other best friends a few weeks after that.

3. All the special events start at the theme parks. Most notably, Halloween Horror Nights at Universal, and - the best one of all - 6 glorious weeks of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.

Food and Wine is a food-lovers paradise. In the World Showcase, there are normally 11 country "pavilions" promoting their country's heritage, exports, and food. During F&W, that number almost doubles, with temporary food stalls from several additional countries popping up in-between the permanent pavilions. So as well as the United Kingdom, you also have Ireland. As well as Mexico, there is also Australia, Brazil, New Zealand and South Africa. Each stall sells taster-size plates of a few national dishes as well as a selection of locally sourced wines, beers and specialty drinks.

I'm going to assume it is becoming clear why this is up my alley.

This weekend was my first visit of the year to F&W and I took my unsuspecting mummy along for the ride. A "perfect storm" of theme park factors - it being a Saturday, a food and wine day, and the perfect temperature for wandering around a park - meant that tens of thousands of other people had the same idea...but it was soooooo worth it. Highlights included:

- The cheddar cheese soup from Canada, made with Moosehead beer and bacon as well as cheese.
- The frozen caipirinha from Brazil. Delicious and very effective, although I was very disappointed at the end of they day when I discovered I'd missed out on a coconut rock mojito at the Caribbean stand. Next time.<br>
- Lamb slider with tomato chutney from New Zealand. Oh how I miss lamb. However as a leg of lamb from Publix costs almost $50, it is a rare treat.

Unfortunately it didn't occur to me to take any pictures of my yummy food, but my lightbulb moment of blogging about only happened about an hour ago. Again, next time. For now I will leave you with a photo of a foodie, winey Epcot sunset :)

Whoops

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I last wrote anything. It's been a very eventful month at that.

First things first - we moved. It's fabulous. Our pictures are starting to go onto the walls, our paint colours are on the same walls, I can sit and have a beer on my own sofa. Which I am doing right now. Ohhhhhh yes.

However, as Bridget Jones says: it is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life finally starts to come together, another falls spectacularly apart. The item leading the charge on the falling apart section was Chrissie, the hubby's ten-year-old long-suffering Chrysler Sebring. On Saturday morning, the start of what was supposed to be a nice relaxing weekend off after 12 days in a row busting my ass at both my employers, I got a call from my boy saying he had a flat tyre on the side of I-4.

At which point I thought, "I am so glad I paid for a AAA membership."

About 90 minutes later, I got another call from my boy. Saying the reason the tyre was flat was because the rear brake calipers had seized partially shut. No, I don't know what a caliper is either, but essentially it meant the boy had been driving with his brakes partially on for several weeks.

At which point I thought, and said, "fuck".

For the uninitiated, ten-year-old Chryslers with 160000 miles on them aren't worth very much. Chrissie's prognosis was grim, and when we were given the estimate - only $50 less than the car was worth - her death warrant was signed and sealed.

Whilst this is no doubt bad news, you may be wondering how this falls into the 'life falling spectacularly apart' category. If you are, you have never tried to live in Orlando, Florida without a car. One between two, when you have opposite schedules and different days off, isn't enough.

And you have certainly never tried to buy one when supporting two people on half the money you used to make. This was around the time I reached for the emergency gin.

Plan B was to try and get finance to buy a used car that would actually last longer than five seconds. This plan lasted 24 hours before being shot down by my lack of credit history and a total arsehole in Central Florida Toyota, who wouldn't even show us any cars until we'd agreed to the terms of the seven-year, 16% APR loan he was offering us. Don't go to Central Florida Toyota if you want anything even vaguely resembling customer service. I couldn't face the humiliation of being told the same thing anywhere else.

More emergency gin.

There have been several days of emergency gin, and tears. It is times like this that home seems impossibly far away and this place seems as alien and as unwelcoming as if I was on Mars. And for the first time since I got here, I said, without any caveats or mitigation, "I want to go home". Oh how I miss home.

My lovely Mr. Jess, fortunately, came up with a Plan P. P for Pepe.

In case you didn't know, all scooters must be called Pepe.

It's not ideal, but has some serious advantages. Like less tax, $120 less a month on insurance, and it gets - wait for it - 120mpg!!!! Plus we got one new for less than a bumper on the car we almost bought. Plus I get to wear a pink helmet. We don't have a choice right now, so we might as well have a giggle.

Life is certainly taking twists and turns that I can't keep up with at the moment. But I always kind of wanted a scooter.

All change.

This week is going to be a big week, for a couple of reasons. Jason's daughter is going home to Ohio, and tomorrow I start a new job.

I'm going to be a management trainee for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Not my dream career, but it's going to open doors and it's going to get me leadership experience in the US on my CV - nobody seems to give a toss about anything I achieved in my two years at BT over here, but Enterprise did, and that's good enough for me. I'm very excited about new adventures and challenges, but was very sad leaving the Universal crowd yesterday, who really are a fabulous bunch of people. It's not forever though - I've stayed seasonal, so I will be back there for the peak times and the fun times :)

The summer with the mini-Jason here has gone surprisingly quickly. Overall I would give myself a B-, being generous. It turns out that the keeping-the-small-person-alive is actually relatively easy. Even Trying to form some sort of bond, or relationship, has proved the trickiest bit. We've had our moments of good fun, and there haven't been any arguments, but feeling anything has been problematic, and if I was judging myself on that part alone I'd probably give myself a D at best. It does not feel like a good omen for - God forbid! - any of my own kids I may have.

In more positive news, it's less than two weeks til the big move and my inner domesticated wife could not be more excited. My outer non-domesticated wife is also extremely excited! We've got quite a lot of stuff in boxes, paint colours have been selected, and we have a very long list at Ikea that will burn a very large hole in my credit card, but one that I am happy to burn!!

So there are lots of changes right now, but most of them are good. I am hoping it's going to breathe new life into me after a difficult few months of adjustment. I feel that good things are around the corner :)

Random things I like about America.

I am getting precariously close to posting 'Random things I don't understand about America - Part Deux'. But in the interest of balance I felt it was only fair to list some of the things that are, actually, pretty sweet about this enormous country. I don't mean to sound so surprised, of course. But as a shipwrecked Brit, some days the sunshine is harder to find than others.

But anyway, we are being positive today!! So here it goes...

1. CHEAP BEER. Although this relates to one of my pet peeves, the demonisation of alcohol, it is an inexplicable side effect that I am happy to accept. My job does not pay very well, so yes, I will gratefully partake of a $1, slightly tasteless but very refreshing, beer. Or maybe a few.

The demise of the hospitality tent at Sea World and Busch Gardens is still a national tragedy, though.

2. Oreo Fudge Creams. Nobody quite knows why, but they're JUST SO BLOODY GOOD.

3. 24-hour everything; helpful when you work shifts.

4. Being able to use my debit card to buy something that's 50 cents and not getting dirty looks.

5. BAGELS. Nom.

6. The choice. No matter what you need, there will be at least 10 different variations to meet your exact requirement. This is especially true of non-prescription medication and toiletries. For example, there is not just shampoo for coloured hair; there is shampoo for fine coloured hair, thick coloured hair, damaged coloured hair, shampoo to make your coloured hair voluminous or shiny (this is all the same brand, by the way).

This is an amazing feat, but you can have too much of a good thing. Before now, I have gone into Target to pick up one thing and ended up wandering round in a daze for an hour because I was so overwhelmed by all the different varieties.

This does, however, bring me to number 7...

7. Target. I love me some Target. Part-supermarket, part-department store, it is SO much nicer than Wal-Mart, and the people working there don't look at you like they'd like to kill you when you ask them a question. Plus they sell some nice clothes. And some nice handbags. And toys. And patio furniture. And, most importantly, BOOTS COSMETICS.

So you see, although I miss my homeland very much, it's not all bad news. I will add to the list as I go along, but for now, furniture painting is calling. Moving out is only 3 weeks and 1 day away...

I have to get this off my chest...

Before I start I feel I need to apologise in advance. I have been trying desperately to avoid writing this, in the hope that as the days passed the hysteria would fade, because I really don't want to get into a debate, but if I don't get it out I'm going to go stark staring bonkers...

...I have to have a rant about Casey bloody Anthony.

Two disclaimers. One, I don't wish to negate the fact it is a tragic and very disturbing story, because ultimately a child lost their life. Two, I do not pretend to know every last detail, for reasons that will become clear below.

I was going to say that, if you are in the US, you will have heard about this story unless you lived under a rock. But to be honest, if that rock is in Orlando, Florida, you still won't have been able to escape the relentless, torturous, continuous media histrionics surrounding this tragic and disturbing story. If you are British, you probably still know, but let me fill you in on the basics.

About 3 years ago, a toddler named Caylee Anthony vanished from an Orlando home, causing a huge search to be launched. Her body was found 6 months later in nearby woods. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance were sketchy at best, as was the behaviour of her mother, Casey. Casey was, indeed, eventually arrested for Caylee's murder.

However, before this had even happened, a media storm was brewing. A CNN "journalist" (and I use the term loosely, because I feel the expression "hack" or perhaps "harbinger of all evil" would be more appropriate) called Nancy Grace got wind of the story. The mystery surrounding Caylee going missing, and Casey's dubious behaviour, peaked her interest. She decided Casey was guilty, before she had even been arrested, and went on national television with a message that was essentially this: get her. Resulting in a lynch mob outside the Anthony's house for 2 weeks. Casey Anthony was indeed arrested and charged, but in the eyes of the media she had already been tried.

That was 3 years ago. About 6 weeks ago, Casey Anthony's actual trial - you know, in a courtroom, with lawyers - began. Last week, it ended. Casey Anthony was found Not Guilty on all charges except lying to law enforcement, which was frankly blatantly obvious even to the unititiated.

I don't want to have a debate on whether or not she did it. Everyone is entitled to an opinion - but it is just that. Opinion. Ultimately only one person really knows whether or not she did, and I doubt she's going to do an OJ Simpson any time soon.

However, the media circus surrounding the whole debacle makes me feel physically sick. There was coverage of the trial 24/7 on all our local stations, plus several of the national 24-hour news channels too.  It was even available On Demand, so you could rewatch the prosecution showing photos of decomposed remains and discuss with psychologists whether or not Caylee was abused. The same as you can watch How I Met Your Mother or America's Got Talent on demand. I fail to see how that is acceptable in a civilised society.

I literally tried to hide from it, and didn't watch my own TV for 6 weeks in desperation to avoid it - but on other TVs in my house it was on from dawn until dusk. When the trial wasn't live, there was always reruns or endless analysis to watch. People queued up outside the Orange County Courthouse for tickets to the day's 'action', with one woman who was interviewed by local TV saying she was, "so excited!! It's the ultimate reality show!!"

...I'll let that one sink in for a bit.

Nancy Grace, for her part, went on CNN the night after the verdict, announcing, "the devil is dancing tonight". TV analysts pronounced her guilty before the verdict had been read (one pundit said they were "hoping for manslaughter". Hoping?) Local businesses have put signs up saying the jurors are not welcome.

I'm sorry, but the jury found her Not Guilty. You don't have to agree, but you do have to respect it. The right to a trial by jury is part of the Constitution that this country I now live in is founded on - something many people, in the hysteria, seem to have forgotten. Which alarms me greatly.

Meanwhile, there have been numerous other hideous and tragic child murders across America. How many do you think got any national media coverage?

The slim chance of even finding out what really happened to Caylee Anthony was obliterated by media histrionics that were so over-the-top that 75% of the covering stations would have been sued for slander if this was the UK (where definitively calling a person 'guilty' in the media before a verdict has been reached is almost certain to land you in court yourself). The whole thing has just made me nauseous.

And the worrying thing is, I highly doubt any lessons will be learned.

End of rant. I promise a less serious subject next time.

Respect the Flag

Happy Fourth of July everyone! Albeit a little late...

This holiday weekend, I went to an Independence Day party at my good friend's house. It's the first time in five years I have been in the States for America's birthday, and my memory of the overflowing amount of red, white and blue appear to have been overblown somewhat. But then, I don't work for Disney any more, I work for the competition, so maybe it's just been less in my face this year.

Anyway, it was an enjoyable time - lots of friends I haven't seen in a long time in the same place, including two of my very good friends who are here from the UK, so there was some friendly colonial banter going on as well. I wore my Union Jack headboppers (of Royal Wedding fame) and brought my flag to wave as a bit of a joke - after all, we English don't really have a particular day when we celebrate being English. It exists, but we get more excited about Ireland's national day than our own. I am intending to change this by having a St. George's Day party next year, even though ironically I completely forgot about it this year....

While we are talking about flags, I had a bit of a disagreement with my hubby's daughter right at the end of the night. She was holding my Union Jack flag like one might hold a shoe that has dog poo on it and trying to get me to take it off her hands. She thought she was being funny, and of course didn't mean any offense,  but I was not impressed. Yes I was a bit tired and emotional, but the fact of the matter is this. In the United States, the flag is everything - this is one thing I really like about America. I might not be a big monarchist but I still have to sing God Save The Queen at the football. In the States, you may not like the current president or disagree with this amendment or that, but your allegiance isn't to one person - it's to the flag and the country that flag represents. There's all these different rules about how you store your flag, how you fold it, how you hang it.

The flag is everything. So when this nine-year-old now in my charge, who has been brought up to respect the flag, failed to respect mine, I felt a little bit of despair. The one thing I felt I have going for me as a - I hate this word - stepmother, was being able to impart some knowledge and respect for other cultures. Clearly so far, I have not done a good job, and need to try harder.

Needless to say, if I was at home I doubt I would have cared. But expatriation makes you care about things you never realised mattered before - so that's why the St. George's Day party is going to be on next year.

I also tried to pick up some bargain basement fireworks on the way home to stockpile for Bonfire Night (November 5th, AKA Guy Fawkes Night, and the pinnacle of the UK's fireworks-selling calendar) - but the gentleman in his tent clearly felt that 15 minutes left of Independence Day was enough time for him to not need to negotiate on price for the huge pile of pyrotechnics he still had left over. Never mind - next year I'll be prepared!

Happy birthday, new home. I miss you, home home.

Random things I don't understand about America

I've been thinking about writing this list for a while, just to see if anyone else is confused as me. It is also a bit tongue-in-cheek - for while I could easily write a list of things that I don't understand and also make me very cross, it would be a bit pointless - before any of my American friends get all upset...

Just a few for starters, and sure to be added to over time!

1. The word "winningest". Is that even a word? I'm pretty sure the Oxford English Dictionary would be a bit upset about it - but as you have to pay to look at it online, I'm only guessing. Either way, it just doesn't sound right.

2. Road directions. My phone's satnav tells me to go North on a certain road. That's fine, except when you have no idea which direction north is. Yes, I could look at the sun, but I thought technology had advanced a bit...

3. Why can't you include the sales tax/VAT in the price in the first place?

4. How the appropriate response to "thank you"is, in a lot of places, no longer "you're welcome" or similar, but the noise "uh huh". Sometimes it comes across genuine, other times I think the cashier secretly wants to kill me.

To be continued...!