Monday, May 28, 2012

Hard for me

I got a new phone.  Our trip to England made me realize how much we needed a phone with international capabilities.  I looked long and hard and finally decided after much deliberation that the android platform offered more of what I was looking for.  It was difficult to pass up the iphone but I am happy with my decision. 

Still, learning a new phone is hard for me.  The number of apps is staggering.  I have so much to try and set up and learn how to use.  Oh my!  I will get it eventually.  But in the meantime forgive me if I accidentally call or message you by mistake.  Its crazy what these new phones will do!

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Moving Day

The kids (and Bruce) have successfully moved their stuff out of Hannia's parents house.  They will be staying here with us for the next month or so, until a few things are more clear.  Will Stephen go back to ECU to work with the new professor who has just signed to start this fall?  He has several out of state job applications hanging in the balance...?  It just doesn't make sense to take on a lease that he might have to break, so we all made the decision that moving here until he knows more just makes the most sense.   Hannia's parents are on their way from Charlotte right this minute and will be here in Greenville later tonight.  They were able to finally sell their apartment there in Charlotte (a minor miracle in this market), so they had to jump when the opportunity presented itself. 

Anyway, everybody is exhausted but its all done now.  I didn't help with the move, but I offered.  I am having issues with inflammed ribs (cartilage), and back pain now that I can't take any medication....but I could have done some of the lighter stuff.  Oh well, I grocery shopped and kept drinks stocked, and made dinner so I guess that is my contribution. 

We were all a little sad that so many of our friends took off to do fun stuff like go to the beach. Oh well.  At least I have a long weekend off of work, and that helps.  Plus it rained again this afternoon (has rained every afternoon for the past 2 weeks pretty much).   Tonight I don't think anybody cares where we are as long as we have a bed to fall into.  I hope your holiday weekend is safe, and fun. 
Thursday, May 24, 2012

The dreaded Summer

Its the most horrible time of the year....(sing it to music, yo).  Its the first day of summer.  Once upon a time, I loved it.  Now I would skip it altogether if I only could.  I was reading this book, (meaning listening to it on CD in my car), and while it was neither particularly good or worth mentioning, the basic storyline takes place at a lake.  The whole entire family takes off 2 months every single summer and rents a house at a certain lake.  Always the same lake and quaint little vacation town, but apparently not always the same house.  What???  I mean really!  I was beset by jealous so deep that words can't begin to describe it.  Who in the world has the ability to take off for 2 whole months every single summer to play and swim and bask in the sun?  Don't these people have jobs?  Lives?  Homes to maintain?  Lawns to mow?  Bills to pay?  The very idea of going away for 2 months sounds so wonderful and amazing that it might be enough to make me not hate summer.  I could tolerate it easily if I were lounging by a lake.  Stupid people and their stupid 2 months off.  I don't even have to go away (although that would be wonderful).  Just 2 months off from work would be almost as good. 

Ok, so while I am dreaming, I will take a moment to also say that this was a horror novel and unspeakable things happened around the lake that summer.  I don't think I am too keen on that part. But the rest of it?  Well, I could totally go for 2 months off from the grind.  Any ideas on how to make that happen?  Minus the heinous bloody murders, I mean.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Now what?

So, my test results did not show any change from the original ones.  My Dr. now thinks that my medications are not the cause of the liver enzyme elevation.  It is scary, but I am trying not to panic just yet.  There are a gazillion reasons for elevated enzymes, and while some are scary, some are not.  But I have a whole string of appointments now for the next week and a half.  Which makes me glad we changed Dr.s now.  First of all, because our new doc caught this right away.  But secondly, I think I LOVE the concept of the practice.

We are seeing a family doctor in the Physicians East practice.  The cool thing is that its a whole conglomeration of just about any treatment, specialist, or surgery that you could possibly need.  There is even a walk-in Urgent Care Center.  And as long as we are seeing anyone within the Physicians East network, all our medical records are there and ready to be accessed.  It makes getting appointments with specialists very easy.  And communication between physicians is simplified, too. 

Anyway, this whole thing is not cool, but I do feel confident I am in good hands for whatever needs to be done.  Tuesday I will be seeing a gastroenterologist.  Wish me luck.
Sunday, May 20, 2012

Wife Abandonment



I have been abandoned for the LONG awaited (like 11 years) release of Diablo 3 this past week.  Even my son is in on the action this time around.  All of Bruce's friends are playing, mostly hooked up by conference call so they can all coordinate their efforts.  Bruce is in there right this minute playing with Jeff, who is in Washington state, and Randy who is currently in Germany.  Technology is pretty amazing when you think about it.

But anyway this is NOT the first time that I have been a Diablo widow.  From the release of the first version, I became invisible.  And unhearable, too, I think.  Just yesterday I told Bruce (while he was in the heat of Diablo battle) that I was taking chicken out of the freezer to make a grilled chicken Ceasars salad for dinner.  He enthusiastically said, "Oh ok, sounds good!"  Later that afternoon, he took a gaming break, walked through the kitchen and groaned with disappointment..."Chicken???  Are we having chicken for dinner?"  Hubby is not a huge chicken fan.  He likes it fried, which I don't do here at home, but beyond that he is just underwhelmed by chicken.  I happen to love it, and so I do make it occassionally.   But the point is....he answered my chicken for dinner question so I assumed that he actually HEARD me!  Guess not, huh?

To be fair, he only started gaming after all of the grass was cut yesterday.  And since we have a huge property, that is no small feat to accomplish, so I can't complain.  And honestly?  I know so many women who have husbands who come home late from work, sneak around, make suspicious phone calls.  Women who spend an inordinate amount of time going through their husbands phone log, or wallet.  Trying to track them down...etc.  I have a philosophy that trust is everything, and so I wouldn't waste a moment of my time trying to prove my husband guilty of cheating.  Its not worth it.  If he is then he is a waste of my time.  A waste of any woman's time if you ask me, and should therefore be labeled and shunned as "totally NOT worth it".  But I am off on a wild tangent that has nothing to do with being a Diablo widow.  I will save my "Cheaters" rant for another day. 

The point is, that I really don't mind so much.  I may get temporarily annoyed if I NEED a response to something (like what would you like for dinner...).  But that inconvenience is small, and I willingly accept it because my husband is a good guy.  A trustworthy man who has been here with me and for me through thick and thin.  Besides, he is having fun.  He is positively gleeful!  I think he deserves the chance to chill out with his friends and gang up on the devil.  LOL.  And another good thing for this release?  At least this time around I don't have to perform the duties of a single parent.
The other 2 versions left me dealing with 2 children on my own until the game was completed or the thrill wore off.  I don't mind so much having freedom to do whatever I want by myself.  Plus, I can ask him anything, ANYTHING while he is playing and he will respond in the affirmative....Hmmmm....Let's see:

Me:   "Hey, can we get a kitten?"
Hubby:  "Oh sure, go ahead!"

Me:  "Can I take off with my friends for a 2 week cruise to the Mediterranean?"
Hubby:  "Oh yes, no problem."

Me:  "I need a couple of grand for a new wardrobe.  Will that be ok??"
Hubby:  "Ok, yeah, thats fine."

Wow, this could actually work out to my advantage?  LOL! 
Do you like the cute new Ladybug template?  I really enjoy being able to switch around whenever the mood strikes me.  Ladybug season is in full swing here in NC, so it seems appropriate.  But anyway, Vixen had her regular checkup at our vet today.  We are lucky that our vet does morning hours on Saturday for people who work regular hours during the week.  It makes things so much easier.  Of course, those hours fill up quickly, so making an appointment in advance is a good idea.  Vixen is our only cat that does NOT do well at the vet....(with NEW situations, NEW people, pretty much anything that is out of the norm for her).  I felt so awful because just a few minutes before time to leave, I had the carrier sitting out and open on the couch.  I had already warned Bruce to be close by in case I required assistance (yes, really.  She is 8 lbs of fierceness).  But Vixen jumped into the carrier, blithely ignorant of things to come, and started checking it out.  I jumped at the opportunity, and closed it up and ran out the door before she knew what hit her.  I am certain she feels betrayed by me now, and it makes me sad.

So anyway, she is fine.  She got some kind of vacinne, checked out to be normal and healthy.  But....she was hissing and growling and carrying on like a thing possessed by Satan.  Once again, I was ashamed.  At least the vet AND the techs know us, know her and were prepared.  They saturate a towel in Feliway (a kitty hormone that is supposed to relax them) and drape it over her head while 2 techs hold her down.  She contorts into a writhing mass of black fur, all fangs and claws.  Its quite a scary sight to behold.  And the noise is just awful.  And embarrassing.  She was still carrying on like that when I walked back into the crowded waiting room with her carrier.  All the dogs got quiet as they studied the shaking, hissing, growling carrier I put down on the floor while I paid the bill.  I really want to get some yellow caution tape saying "Beware!  Dangerous Animal" to put on the carrier whenever I have to take her into public. To heighten the effect.  The other cats may meow pitifully a little, but then they relax and purr and are friendly to the vet and staff whenever we have to go.  Oh well, it is what it is.  She is  4 years old, and I doubt a personality change is anywhere on the horizon for us.  She does need to come in for a dental cleaning in a few months.  The vet asked me to inform the appointment desk that we need to be the first in line for our appointment, so they can give her anesthesia right away.  And we need to be available to pick her up as soon as she wakes up.  LOL.  But seriously, it is better not to upset her (and the whole office) any more than is absolutely necessary. 

But on to the sadness...One of my co-workers passed away last night.  He worked yesterday, stayed late until 9pm due to some stressful new changes that are being implemented (routes being cut and consolidated....some carriers losing their jobs while others endure more and more work being heaped on them.).  He had to take care of some things because the changes were due to take place this morning.  He died of a heart attack in his car.  It probably can not be proven, but I place blame, at least partially, on the environment of stress that we all deal with on a daily basis.  He was a nice man, with a quick smile and a good sense of humor.  He will be sorely missed, and its a tremendous loss for our office.  I feel so terrible for his family right now.  And I hope (but somehow doubt) that our district management is paying attention to just what their policies and strategies do to people's lives.  Its odd that just the day before we were called in for a meeting advising us to NOT discuss any internal workings of the office with the media...???  So, I guess we also lose our right to freedom of speech too?  I don't know....it makes me wonder.  Its a terrible situation, and it I hate that this happened.

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  We finally have a sunny day after a week of rain, so at least that is a cause to be happy.
Thursday, May 17, 2012

Blood tests

So my first visit with the new Dr. was fine.  She seems really nice.  She wanted to get a baseline of tests and EKGs and things because its been a year since I had any of that done.  Then she wants me to go have more things done, mainly a mammogram....but that will be after we get through all of this.  I figured it was all routine.  They drew what seemed like a gallon of blood (but its hard to tell since I don't look....I do fine unless I look, so I don't).  I was told to come back in 2 weeks and sent on my merry way.

4 hours later, while I am just hanging out enjoying my afternoon, I got a call from the nurse, who sounded all urgent and official and stuff.  She said that my liver enzymes were elevated.  And that I need to stop taking all meds right away.  And avoid alcohol (which really isn't an issue as I barely ever drink anyway).  And to NOT take tylenol, ibuprofen, or any kind of OTC medication, herbal supplement...etc.  And then she proceeded to read off a list of things that IF I should notice, then I should head to our ER immediately.  ?????  Ok, so the minute you say something like that, OF COURSE I start feeling symptoms of every single thing she said....well, except I didn't FEEL yellow eyes.  I might have imagined them for a second though.

But anyway, it is a little scary.  I have followed the instructions to the letter because I realize that the liver is a pretty important organ.  I have to go in again on Monday and have more blood tests done, but probably won't see the Dr. that day.  Hopefully they will have the results as quickly as they did this appointment.  The nurse mentioned hepatits (no way...there is NO way I could have contracted that), and that they may be testing for that if these new tests aren't normal.  Who knows....

I did go online and read a little bit about elevated liver enzymes.  Some of it was quite scary like liver cancer, pancreatitis...etc.  But people who had those awful things had OTHER symptoms, and I have been basically ok.  A little back pain.  A little fatigue.  Nothing out of the ordinary for me.  So....?  I have decided not to read anything else for the moment.  I am going to assume that the meds I was taking (including prescription ibuprofen and a muscle relaxant for my back) were responsible.  And if thats the case, things should be fine since I have stopped taking them. 

But I want to say this....if its the medications, then I am a little pissed.  My old Dr. prescribed the ibuprofen 800 mgs, and the muscle relaxants BY THE YEAR, meaning 12 refills at a time.  And I have been taking them for 2 years now.  Because my back pain is an ongoing issue for me.  But still...if its dangerous, and elevated liver enzymes seems to qualify....shouldn't someone have told me???  Like use with caution or ONLY if needed...etc?  Besides, I haven't taken any of them since that phone call on Monday and the truth is that my back is only marginally more painful without the meds than with.  Like they really weren't doing much good, and I was poisoning myself for no good reason.

Ok, so yeah....I am thinking that switching to a new Dr. was probably a good thing.  And from now on, I will be asking questions before taking anything.  And trying to find ways of dealing with pain that does not involve taking a pill.  Maybe I will even try out some acupuncture, get back into yoga, or who knows....I will be looking for ways to manage pain that does NOT include liver damage.  So, thats what is going on.  I am just waiting for the test on Monday and hoping (feeling very hopeful actually) that this was just a wake up call to make some life style changes.  Send me some happy, lucky vibes if you have any to spare!!!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Happy Birthday Erica


20 some odd years ago, on this very day, my beautiful daughter made me a Mom.  Made US parents.  It will always be remembered by both my husband and myself as one of the happiest days of our lives.  I felt so awkward, incompetent and frightened that anybody would entrust such a tiny perfect little being to someone like myself.  But somehow, she survived our parenting.  She thrived even.  And now I am honored to be able to see exactly what I used to wonder about when she was just a baby:
Who would she grow up to be?  What would she be like? 

You make us proud, my daughter.  Always!  And although I am sad that you are an ocean away during your birthday celebration, I hope my well wishes for a wonderful birthday, a fantastic year ahead, and a charmed and blessed life make their way to you.  And hopefully, you will also get to eat cake, too.
Sunday, May 13, 2012

Wonderful Day

It has been a nice weekend.  The Quinceanera was a lot of fun.  Becky wore the most amazing gown.  I wish I had pictures, and hopefully Ana will get a chance to post some.  This was a full length ball gown, in teal, with some peacock feathers....I can't describe it exactly.  But it was beautiful and unique and peacock feathers were the color scheme of the night.  Very pretty.  And my dress was fine.  There were people more dressy than me and plenty way less dressy, so fitting into the middle was ok.  We all had a good time, and dinner was delicious.  I am teasing Stephen and Hannia that since their child will be half Mexican, and half American, she will need a Quinceanera AND a Sweet 16th party.  LOL, twice the fun.

And today has been a really nice Mother's Day as well.  We went to see Dark Shadows.  Stephen didn't like it, thought it was really boring except for a few tiny parts of humor....not enough to carry the whole 2 hours.  But I actually liked it.  Maybe because I used to actually watch the overly dramatic show as a kid?  Maybe because I liked the soundtrack or Johnny Depp?  Having Alice Cooper in it made me love it too.  Its not amazing, but it was entertaining.

Dinner was at Anchalee's Thai restaurant.  I love it, Stephen and Hannia love it, and Bruce tolerates it.  LOL.  But he went without protest for my special day out, which was nice and much appreciated. 
Somehow, even though we were full of yummy Thai food, we still managed to hit up Peppermints,  and found room in our bellies for frozen yogurt.  They make this creamy peanut butter flavor, and with a sprinkle of reece cups, and some chocolate syrup...well, its heavenly. 

And now, sadly, the weekend is over.  I am off work tomorrow, but not for fun.  I have an appointment with a new Dr. tomorrow.  I have been having some issues, and feel like my thyroid levels are off again.  I am hopeful the new doctor will have some ideas because I just don't think the medication I am on is working well anymore.  I am sure there will be a battery of tests and I am not happy about it, but if it helps, then I am ready to bite the bullet and go for it.  Wish me luck....
and have a fantastic week.
Saturday, May 12, 2012

Mother's Day and Other Things....



Pets have mother's too! 

I wanted to give a moment of consideration to all of us Mom's out there this weekend.  I know I have said this before, but once again....its a hard holiday for me since my Mom passed away.  If your Mother is alive, please feel gratitude and show her some love.  Trust me when I say you WILL miss her when she is gone.  Unless she is some heinous crack addicted, axe murderer, and even then, she gave you the gift of life....I am sure you can find something to be grateful for.  I know we get all wrapped up in the romantic idea of motherhood and occasionally forget that some Mom's aren't exactly warm and fuzzy.  But you know what I mean.  I hope your Mom is alive and well and doesn't suck.  I think that about covers it.  LOL. 

But anyway, we are going to do something fun that I want to do for Mother's Day, and I am grateful and happy about that.  We are seeing "Dark Shadows" with Johnny Depp.  It got some harsh reviews, but whatever....Tim Burton and Johnny Depp can't completely suck, and hopefully it will be something to have some laughs over.  I am not expecting Academy Award material....just a fun few hours to forget that I am feeling a little sad. 

But that's tomorrow.  Today I am attending my very first Quinceanera!  My friend Ana has a daughter Becky who is turning 15, and in Mexican culture the fifteenth birthday is celebrated in a big way.  Much like our Sweet 16.  I know it involves a formal dress, and a ceremony to celebrate coming into womanhood.  There is a reception following and its being held at the Convention Center.
I think its all a really big affair and I am looking forward to seeing this.  I am not sure my dress is dressy enough, but hopefully people will consider that I am uneducated as to what to expect and forgive me.  I didn't realize just how formal it all was until it was too late for shopping so it is what it is. 

Anyway, I hope you all are having a lovely weekend, and having a nice time with your Mothers. 


Here's a picture of our very own Mama kitty with her own babies.  I know Bitty is thriving (and is NOT so Itty Bitty anymore).  I just hope that these other 3 babies have had a happy life as well.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Walmart....Scary or Not?

I avoid our Walmart as much as is humanly possible, except that there are things that I do occasionally have to go there for.  I try not to go more than once a month....but today was the day.  I HAD to go.  I am having a fit with allergies, and I wanted to try OTC Allegra since my Zyrtec has stopped working.  Plus, we needed kitty treats.  I didn't want to have to stop at several places...so....Walmart it is.  Our Walmart is older, and dirty and very sad.  It smells like desperation and sweat with a hint of urine thrown in for good measure.  There are occasional shootings, and the need for police presence there, too, which adds to its over all aura of scariness.  We are getting a new Walmart and I have high hopes that it will be better.  But while stuff is going on at the new location (looks like they are clearing and leveling the lot), the actual construction hasn't even begun yet.  It will be a while.  Our Target is nice, clean and friendly, but....they do NOT carry catnip flavored kitty treats.  So tragic.

But anyway, I bit the bullet and headed to Walmart after work.  I found a parking space only sort of far away from the door (this place is always crowded, and I don't know why).  I pulled in, cut my car off, and immediately wished I had parked elsewhere.  Next to me was a man sitting in the passenger side of a pickup truck.  Music was blaring, the bass shaking my windows.  The man was bald and tattooed and looked suspiciously like a neo-nazi skinhead.  I was a little unnerved but the idea of coming home without those catnip treats was even more frightful.  I sat for a moment, watching the man do some heavy duty headbanging to his loud music, and then opened my door and started to get out.  I caught a bit more of the beat of the song.....was it?  Could it actually be?  LOL......YES!!!  Scary skinhead man was headbanging away to Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust"!!!  And that?  That is SO NOT scary.  It made me smile, laugh out loud even.  Bless Freddie's heart, he was madly talented but scary he was not.  And if you appreciate Queen, chances are that you are not scary either.
I started to relax just a little bit.

And then, as I was steering my cart down the narrow, crowded aisles, I caught a snippet of conversation that made me smile even bigger.  There was a little old man, seriously older.  Barely hobbling along kind of old.  He was chatting away on his cell phone though.  He was saying, "Hey baby, how can I have the best day of my life unless I get to see you?"  Awwwww.....hahahahaha.  Smooth talking player that he is, he was sweet talking some woman and doing a damned fine job of it.  And you know what?  I hope he does get to see her and I hope he does have the best day of his life.  I really do.  And I hope skinhead man never changes his tastes in music because as far as I am concerned, his taste is excellent. 

Oh, and also?  I got a virtual armload of catnip kitty treats AND the generic allegra was super on sale.  So maybe, just maybe thats why people crowd into that place after all.  Still....I am looking forward to the new one opening......


One day during our week, we decided to rent a car and see some of the sights outside of the York City area.  We wanted to tour the Castle Howard, about a 20 minute drive away, and the seaside town of Whitby.  Erica had been to Whitby with some of her co-workers, and declared it quaint and scenic enough to see again.  Plus, it is the spot where Dracula was to have first made port in England in Bram Stoker's "Dracula"....a favorite classic of mine. 

We had a bit of trouble renting an automatic car, seeing as how 95% of all English cars are stick shift.  Erica and I have NEVER driven a stick shift in our lives....and while Bruce drove a Volkswagen Rabbit for years, it has been a long time since.  We decided that stick shift in combination with driving on the opposite side of the road was a bit much for any of us.  Of course, the only automatic car was a brand new Volvo 660 (pictured above) with only 27 miles on the odometer, and twice the price as anything else on the lot.  But what the heck.  We were on an adventure.  We debated back and forth as to who should drive it.  Bruce felt pretty confident about figuring out British roadways, and although Erica did not exactly feel the same confidence, she was the one about to take driving lessons and had recently read the driving manual.  In the end it was decided that it would do her more good to make an attempt at this than Bruce, so.....reluctantly (very), she agreed and was signed on as the driver.

Here is where the explicit language comes in to play.  She drove most of the way to Castle Howard screaming, "SH*T, SH*T, SH*T!!!!"  because honestly?  She was scared to death.  She hasn't driven at ALL since she left the states at the end of November.  And driving on the left is just weird for us.
England does NOT have exits (clearly marked, with exit lanes, etc).  They have roundabouts (or traffic circles) for EVERY exit, turn, etc.  Roundabouts virtually litter the road ways, and they are confusing.  Well, confusing for us.  I imagine that with practice it would just become second nature, but it just seems so odd and convoluted to someone not used to these things.  They are NOT clearly marked, the lane being marked ON the road itself in faded, worn paint (and too late to really allow a lane change) to indicate which lane you need to be in to make the correct turn as you circle the roundabout.  But every approach to one of these roundabouts caused my daugher to scream, "Oh F*CK!!!  Somethings happening!!!!"  LOL.

Ok, to her credit she did fine.  Nary a scratch on the pristine Volvo, nary a pedestrian run down, or another car off the road.  We accomplished what we wanted to do, even squeezing a quick trip in to Scarborough on our way back to York.  Erica was in writhing pain from being tense all day though.
We congratulated her with a trip to our favorite pub, York Tap, conveniently located at the train station where we had to return the car, so she could unwind with a couple of beers.....she deserved them.  Not only did she drive for the first time, in an unfamiliar car, on the left side of the road, in unchartered territories.....it was also raining most of the day.  Scary stuff!  But we still are laughing at the language being bellowed forth from our car that day.  I still occasionally scream, "Oh F*CK, somethings happening" for no apparent reason other than it makes me smile.  But it was a good day, folks.  A very good day.  Our adventures were amazing, and memories were made.  And that is what life is all about.

On another note, Erica just passed her theory test this past week and is scheduling driving lessons in the near future.  This will include learning a stick shift car, so by the time someone else visits, she might feel more comfortable driving people around.  Because there is lots to see just outside the city.
The moors, the castle, the coast....northern England is so picturesque.  I doubt she will end up buying a car there, but a day rental, for a regular English vehicle is only 30-40 pounds and is well worth it.

The Castle Howard:





The Ruins of the Abbey in Whitby:
Friday, May 4, 2012

Food! York part 2



Here's a bit about the food around York.  We tried some of the local cusine.  And while some of it was ok, some of it was not really our cup of tea.  Pasties are common (pronounced Pah-stees).  They are flakey like croissants and filled with all kinds of stuff....beef, chicken, cheese and onion.  We had those for lunch our first day there and they were decent.  I probably wouldn't crave them, the seasoning is pretty bland.  But it was fine.  There were things that I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole, too, though.  Like black pudding....made with blood.  Bruce actually tried this, as a small piece of it came with his traditional Yorkshire breakfast that he had for brunch one day (I had eggs benedict as I am not very adventurous when it comes to things like that).  He said it tasted like regular sausage, but he only ate a tiny bit because while the taste was fine....the IDEA was not.

Bruce had what we THINK was a gall bladder attack early on in our week, which scared me to death.
He was in so much pain on Sunday night that I was searching the internet for hospitals at 2am.  Luckily it never came to that, but Monday morning left him exhausted and not feeling up to doing anything.  So Erica took me out to the place pictured above.  Its a pub called "The House of Trembling Madness"....LOL.  I LOVE that.  We had an early lunch there...a beef and Belgian beer stew served in a bread bowl, and a platter of cheese, ham, and more ham....and just another bit more ham just in case we hadn't had enough ham.  It was pretty good, but I think I was disconcerted by the collection of dead animal heads staring at me while I ate. 

We finally gave up on the more traditional Yorkshire foods.  Well, we did have fish and chips which was good.  But I eventually went to a more vegetarian diet and found plenty of good things to eat.  If you go, you HAVE to go to Betty's Tea Room.  We had dinner there one evening, and its so much fun.  Formal tea services, complete with silver strainers...Oh My!  But I also had a tomato, pesto and mozzerella sandwich and was in heaven.  Oh, and the Indian food was delicious too!  I am generally NOT a fan so much here, but its different there.  Much more yummy.  We had Korma and Tiki Marsala, and while I normally wouldn't be thrilled with that, it was absolutely yummy.  Definitely try the Indian food there.

All in all the food was fine.  There is enough diversity to keep anybody satisfied.  There was even Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Burger King and KFC although we never visited those places.  I refuse to eat in a place that I can visit while I am home when I am on vacation.  And keep in mind that York has LOTS of chocolate shops, a chocolate museum (with lots of tasting), and also plenty of treats like this:

We had this sweet little treat at the York Museum, and yes....it was every bit as good as it looks!
 
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