The British Take Over

It hasn't help that for most of this week it has been cold and rainy. It just adds to that post-holiday blues feeling that I experienced after last weekend! Luckily the past couple of days have been warm and sunny, traditional Californian weather, so the blues have (some-what) departed. They have, however, turned into something else; stress. Stupid mid-terms. I do not want to leave UCSC at all, but I won't be missing the constant examinations and papers. I have a big Spanish exam on Monday which I have been working on but unlike the past two quarters, there is this voice in the back of my mind saying LOUDLY "Who cares? It's worth practically nothing towards your degree". This hasn't helped in the revision process! But you know what has helped...Frozen Mocha's from Coffeetopia.

Not much to report on this week. Apart from catching up on work, going to classes, gym and physio, it has been a pretty boring week. On Thursday a bunch of us went bowling down at the Boardwalk which was fun! I haven't been bowling in aggess. My score reflected this. I did have to explain to my friends who Take That were as Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow appeared on the big screens singing 'Shame' and my friends were wondering if they were a gay couple! By the looks of that music video, yes, yes they are. I have had to do a lot of explaining about British pop culture this week in fact. Not only is My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding airing on TV right now which everyone loves (they are even making an American version. Help.), but Embarrassing Bodies is about to start airing. The British version. We are taking over their TV's! After bowling, we went and hung out in Saturn Cafe, where, even though it was 11.30pm, they were ssooo slow at taking our order that we sat there for 30mins and just left. I really wanted soy ice cream as well.

On Friday I went for dinner with a friend at this pizza, pasta place that I can't remember the name of but it is something like 'Katniss'! Obviously it isn't as that is a character from The Hunger Games but for now that is what I will call it! They do the most gorgeous bbq chicken wings, and also put on a show a few times a night; singing and dancing to Eye of the Tiger, YMCA, and other such songs. Of course, being Americans, the waiters looked like they were actually really excited to be performing! Adds a bit of amusement to a meal at any rate seeing your long haired, slightly hippy waiter, dancing around with red, sparkly pom-poms!

Ok, well that is literally it. How boring. I need to go study for Spanish and head down to Coffeetopia! One of these days I shall post a photo of this most delicious drink. As I haven't really taken any photos this week I shall leave you with a picture of the most retro drinks machine ever. Oh and Happy 1 Year anniversary Kate and Will;)

Hello, Hola, Bonjour Finals.

That is it. Winter quarter over. Apart from final exams and stuff, all the classes have finished and all that stands in the way of me and Tennessee are 2 exams and an essay. Which is obviously why I am on here, writing this blog!

My friend from South Carolina/England went back to university on Monday which was sad. We had had a really great time, especially Sunday. It was a gorgeous day so we got up and went down to the Boardwalk by the beach to ride some rides (actually we only went on these sky-ride things as they are so expensive!), play mini-golf, and chill out on the beach, working on our tans. Or in my case, trying to cover up my burns from the day before! We then walked downtown to stock up on all different kinds of nuts from the best shop in the world; Nut Kreations. They deliver anywhere just in case you wanted to go and peruse their website! It is alike a shop of pic-n-mix nuts and dried fruit. I have been in there so many times that the owner knows me personally! We stopped and got some dinner at a diner type place (all organic and natural of course) that provides trivial pursuit cards on each table in case conversation runs dry...we immediately turned it into a competition! I don't want to reveal who won, or who won mini-golf...i'm still bitter. Not even the thought of a deep-fried Oreo would stop me being a sore loser. 

At about 9pm my roommate and the guys came and picked us up and went to Seabright beach to build a bonfire in one of the pits there. It was such a calm and mild night and we just hung round the fire, making smores, playing guitar, and relaxing before the final week began and studying for exams was going to have to take place! All in all, a great end to a lovely visit:)

All that happened during the week was studying, and more studying. Oh and rain, lots and lots of rain. It started on Monday and did not stop once until this morning. When it rains here, you know about it. It sucked because all you wanted to do was curl up on the sofa with a book or a movie but instead you had to bundle up, get out the rain gear and traipse around campus to class. Though I suppose it meant that the sun was not taunting us from the library windows. It also meant that I had to battle the rain to get to a bone specialist appointment in Capitola. I got my roommate to pick me up though, then get frozen yogurt;)

Yesterday I finally got my zipcar account approved! Zipcar is like a car rental service but the cars are already in certain spot on campus (well they have them all over the country) and you reserve a car for a length of time online then  use your card to unlock the car and the keys are already in there. It is pretty expensive, $8 an hour, but is great if you just need to drive to the store or something. It was so liberating driving by myself around Santa Cruz! I definitely felt more like I lived there. Though it was a bit scary. For starters the steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car, and the cars are driving on the wrong side of the road! And the overtaking lanes are opposite, and you can turn right on a red light! What is with that? Surely red means STOP. Also, all these cars are automatic, they are go-carts essentially. I kept bashing my hand against the door as I went to use my left hand to change gears. Talk about negative reinforcement through pain. I felt like Pavlov's first attempt before he realised reward was a better way to go. Anyway, after that experience, one of my friends was house-sitting/ cat-sitting for her cousin in San Jose so me and the roommate got in her car and drove to go visit and have a 'study-session'. Yep, hardly any studying got done which is bad seeing as I have an exam tomorrow. Instead we passed the time rolling on the floor with the cats, names Aloha and Ahn-Nyeong (pronounce anyong) which mean hello in Hawaiian and Korean respectively, watching funny clips on youtube, and pretty much everything else. We got back at 3am. So guess what I have to do allll day... 

Oh well, Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday! I am so unbelievably excited y'all.  

Clam and Get It!

For a shorter week than normal (President's Day was on Monday so a day off to celebrate the birth of George Washington) the weekend has been a very long time coming. This week was a tough one for me for many reasons  be it work, annoying people, health and just general hormones. Facebook and Skype has been greatly appreciated this week as it is the best place to rant and rave to those people unlucky enough to be the ones you can dump your  baggage onto! Thank god for modern technology. I hate having a bad week while on the year abroad, it feels like a waste of time. But as one friend put it, doesn't matter where you are in the world, there are still going to be crappy days!

Pancake Day- definitely not a crappy day! For starters, pancakes are pretty much the best thing ever. They are the perfect vehicle for both sweet and savoury foods and we used them to their full potential on Tuesday. My roommate had a box of Bisquick ready made pancake mix where you just add water. I firmly put my foot down and said that there was no way I was making pancakes with that....it has to be done the proper way! Mine were better. We had the usual lemon and sugar ones, then we had blueberry and chocolate, cheese, sausage, bacon concoctions, nutella, peanut butter, the list is endless. We even had chicken ravioli ones where a ravioli was cooked into the batter (they were not nice).

Friday was a particularly crappy day but an improv comedy show at one of the theatre's on campus definitely put a smile on my face. Usually i'm not a fan of improv shows, there is too much room for error and extreme embarrassment on both the performer's and the audience's side. It is like watching live X Factor auditions in physical pain because of how shockingly awful they are! However there was hardly any of this (besides a few awkward moments from this one girl which both me and my friend inwardly cringed whenever she stepped forward to perform) The theatre is called 'The Barn' basically because it is a converted old barn! It is a lovely space and I kept thinking of my playwright friend at home who I could totally see doing something here!

That night some friends called us to come downtown to the bars but this time, my fake/real ID doesn't work. The bouncer on the door of this really seedy looking place was like "You know, I have never seen this before. I'm not saying that you made it at home, but you could have made it at home. It's just it's a Friday night you know..." I don't know what is so special about a Friday night but to him that was the deciding factor. I really wanted/needed a drink as well! We ended up across the street at a diner called The Saturn Cafe. It wasn't until we were inside that I was told that it was owned and run by a lesbian couple and that they only employee homosexuals to work there. Then it was obvious!  Not just that but in true Santa Cruz style, it was a vegetarian/vegan diner! I opted for the soy vanilla ice-cream which the guy was very sweet and brought free re-fills! Ice-cream is the perfect cure for anything.

Saturday was the annual Clam Chowder Cook Off at the boardwalk which was YUMMY! You pay $9 to get a tasting bowl and spoon and lots of companies and individuals had set up stands along the boardwalk, in amongst the rides and corn dog huts, where you give them a ticket and they ladel in a steaming hot pile of delicious, creamy, wholesome chowder which you slurp merrily away at with some saltine crackers or sourdough bread! You only get to sample 5 but they were all pretty damn good. Some of the teams had brilliant names; Clamma Lamma Ding Dongs, Four Men and a Clam, The Drunken Clam, We Clam Do It etc etc. My personal favourite:

The weather has been gorgeous this week. We even had a class outside on Wednesday because it was so friggin hot! I got sunburnt. Nos surprises there. It isn't supposed to last but it has been great having the sun shining, it makes it harder to be in a bad mood!

Finally a Banana Slug!!

It has taken almost 5 months but I have finally spied my first banana slug!!
Walking back in the afternoon to return some stupid Spanish movie to the library I saw something long and yellow from the corner of my eye and low and behold, this time it was not a small banana, it was a banana slug, the mascot of UCSC! I got very snap happy so here are a few photos that I took:

As you can see, they are pretty cute, well cuter than a regular grey slimy slug. However I did not partake in the tradition of kissing a banana slug...that just seemed wrong on so many levels.
It has been a week of wildlife actually. It is not everyday that you have to keep a look out for mountain lions as you walk to and from the library or around campus! I proper freaked myself out when walking back from the library at about 9pm, in the dark, down a uninhabited path. I definitely saw some eyes stalking me. And then a friend told me she saw a mountain lion cub not too far away! Half of me wants to see one and the other half of me doesn't! Apparently some more were spotted near my apartment and another one who was 'stalking some hikers'. Perhaps I will buy myself some pepper spray or something. I also know EXACTLY what to do if I do come across one...we got sent an information sheet just in case!

Friday night, me and some friends went down to the Boardwalk where there is this big arcade, bowling and laser quest (they call it laser tag here). I have not played laser quest in like 8 years and my competitive side certainly got the better of me, which it has been doing all week.! I love that adrenaline rush of stalking someone with a gun in a smoky, dimly lit, obstacle filled arena...maybe I should join the army?

After a few games of DDR (Dance, Dance Revolution) which we epically failed on after being cocky and choosing a higher level than our co-ordination abilities allowed, we headed out with our winnings- some plastic heart rings, shot glasses for the guys and a plastic frog.
Not much else to report on. I hear England, and indeed the rest of Europe is experiencing some chilly weather?;) Once again, I love California.

Ok, off to prepare for the SUPERBOWL! I think some chicken wings may be in order....