What is that made of again?!

Egg, Ham and Leek Pie with Black Pudding - Il Fornaio AUD9.50, AUD5.50

Even now I get looks of disapproval when I order black pudding; or in other words, fried blood with oats. It's a typical part of a full British breakfast so not a completely obscure food group. But the fact that it is fried blood does take some by surprise. Still, I like it. Oh, it tastes very beefy in case you were wondering.

Money doesn't always make the world go round.

Sweep

The long summer vacation as a teenager led me to taking many jobs. In part the money was good, but it also got me out of the house. The small, quiet village I was living in did not satisfy my need for, I'd like to say adventure. but really it was probably a need for something new; something outside of my comfort zone. Still, one of the jobs was market research; literally a clip-board on the street trying to get people to answer semi-pointless travel related questions. This lasted just under two weeks; two very long weeks. In that time I struck up conversations with many of the council workers who cleaned the streets, emptied the bins, water the plants and performed many general high-street maintanence jobs. One guy, a street cleaner got talking to me. He told me how he has a university degree, but about ten years ago had a nervous breakdown due to his then city job. Now divorced and relatively broke, he said his health has never been better and is far more content with his life. At the time, my age dictating my attitudes, this spoke to me on a level that I hadn't heard before. All I had been told was that the more educated you get, the happier and wealthier you'd be. Yet here was a guy, whose name was the same as mine, telling me that the opposite was possible and true for him. Until then I had not really considered that point of view, the opposite from the mainstream. Still to this day I think about our talks. I don't know where he is, nor what he is doing but I hope he's still enjoying life.

I've started so I may finish...

Books behind the bed

To finish reading a book is to complete the journey started on page 1. But if the traveling has taken its toll, and to continue would be an act of sacrificing ones own mental well being then, I think you're fine to drop the book.


...maybe pick up the audio version later...if you don't mind "cheating" :P