Thursday, January 17, 2008
A State A Month: Back Catalogue
I turned 30 last August. So I decided to visit one new state every month for as long as possible. Seeing as I've not blogged since July, here's a quick recap on what you've missed.
August: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Not a deal seems to go on there, though the countryside on the drive there was good. It's quite a small place, though there's some cool restaurants. The beer there is quite weak.
September: Charlotte, North Carolina
I was there for a convention so didn't see much of the place. It reminded me of Dallas, ie not somewhere you'd go as a tourist. I hear the countryside and coast aren't far away, hopefully I shall get to check them out soon.
October: Nashville, Tennasee
Now we're talking! Awesome place! Lots of live music, a fair chunk of history (for America) and very friendly people. I want to spend more time in this state, including going to Memphis.
November: Las Vegas, Nevada
Ha, I could write a whole series of posts on Vegas. In a sentence: Surreal place. Flashing lights and loud glitzy shows disguise what might be quite a lonely place. Though I did come away with $40 more than I went with.
December: Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam, Arizona
The Grand Canyon doesn't exist. It's just a film set. When I was there, it was full of mist and I couldn't see a thing. Literally. I stood on the end, looked out, and saw blankness. Check my pictures on Facebook for proof. The Hoover Dam was incredible though, and I'd highly recommend it.
Coming next: January. Obviously.
August: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Not a deal seems to go on there, though the countryside on the drive there was good. It's quite a small place, though there's some cool restaurants. The beer there is quite weak.
September: Charlotte, North Carolina
I was there for a convention so didn't see much of the place. It reminded me of Dallas, ie not somewhere you'd go as a tourist. I hear the countryside and coast aren't far away, hopefully I shall get to check them out soon.
October: Nashville, Tennasee
Now we're talking! Awesome place! Lots of live music, a fair chunk of history (for America) and very friendly people. I want to spend more time in this state, including going to Memphis.
November: Las Vegas, Nevada
Ha, I could write a whole series of posts on Vegas. In a sentence: Surreal place. Flashing lights and loud glitzy shows disguise what might be quite a lonely place. Though I did come away with $40 more than I went with.
December: Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam, Arizona
The Grand Canyon doesn't exist. It's just a film set. When I was there, it was full of mist and I couldn't see a thing. Literally. I stood on the end, looked out, and saw blankness. Check my pictures on Facebook for proof. The Hoover Dam was incredible though, and I'd highly recommend it.
Coming next: January. Obviously.
I don't drink coffee I take tea my dear
Yes, I am British.
Yes, I like a good cup of tea.
Yes, I prefer it to coffee.
However, Americans have some weird assumptions about our tea drinking habits. So as a small training session for the yanks amongst us, here are some tea facts about the British.
1. Firstly, by "tea" I mean black tea. In a tea bag. Not caramel tea, or green tea, or rosebud-dipped-in-scents tea, or anything else posh.
2. Teabags don't come in wooden presentation boxes. And they certainly shouldn't be wrapped individually! Do you slices of bread come wrapped one-by-one? Or your Rolos? Or your crisps? A whole load of teabags stuffed in a cardboard box, that's fine with me. Saves money, time and pompousness.
3. I take my tea with milk. Real, liquid milk. Not cream, not soya, and certainly not the "non-dairy powdered milk substitute" we have at work at the moment. When you can milk a cow and powder comes out, that's when it'll be suitable for tea.
4. Tea tastes better in a mug. If you sit inside Starbucks, drinking your drink from a paper cup, then you should try requesting a proper mug. However, I find they don't understand what "mug" means (apart from it being someone paying their prices), so I normally specify a "proper ceramic mug". it's also better for the environment, not to mention the taste.
5. A cup of tea is a normal sized cup/mug. Not a bucket. If you see someone drinking 64oz of coffee (Note to Brits: drinks here are in oz's, and 64oz is just under 2 litres, if my calculations are correct) then they need therapy, not coffee.
6. Drinks holders in cars are getting bigger. So are Americans. So am I. Tea should not be drunk while driving.
7. Tea is better for you than coffee.
Next: "iced tea"... don't get me started...!
Yes, I like a good cup of tea.
Yes, I prefer it to coffee.
However, Americans have some weird assumptions about our tea drinking habits. So as a small training session for the yanks amongst us, here are some tea facts about the British.
1. Firstly, by "tea" I mean black tea. In a tea bag. Not caramel tea, or green tea, or rosebud-dipped-in-scents tea, or anything else posh.
2. Teabags don't come in wooden presentation boxes. And they certainly shouldn't be wrapped individually! Do you slices of bread come wrapped one-by-one? Or your Rolos? Or your crisps? A whole load of teabags stuffed in a cardboard box, that's fine with me. Saves money, time and pompousness.
3. I take my tea with milk. Real, liquid milk. Not cream, not soya, and certainly not the "non-dairy powdered milk substitute" we have at work at the moment. When you can milk a cow and powder comes out, that's when it'll be suitable for tea.
4. Tea tastes better in a mug. If you sit inside Starbucks, drinking your drink from a paper cup, then you should try requesting a proper mug. However, I find they don't understand what "mug" means (apart from it being someone paying their prices), so I normally specify a "proper ceramic mug". it's also better for the environment, not to mention the taste.
5. A cup of tea is a normal sized cup/mug. Not a bucket. If you see someone drinking 64oz of coffee (Note to Brits: drinks here are in oz's, and 64oz is just under 2 litres, if my calculations are correct) then they need therapy, not coffee.
6. Drinks holders in cars are getting bigger. So are Americans. So am I. Tea should not be drunk while driving.
7. Tea is better for you than coffee.
Next: "iced tea"... don't get me started...!
