dinner and a movie

On Saturday, Pat made plans for us to have dinner with two of his co-workers who have started dating. One is a woman from Indiana who is also on a one-year assignment and came over about the same time as we did. The other is a guy from Turin, Italy who has been in Britain for 6 years. It all made for interesting conversation.

I learned that I'm not totally crazy--there doesn't seem to be an "easy" button on the washer/dryer that I've overlooked. (Or, at least none of the Americans can figure it out) We talked about the Italian vs. American view on white undershirts, speedos, and feminist perspectives. We talked about the American frustration with finding some things from home like a good margarita and baking soda--glad I brought mine from home--baking soda, that is :)

We had a really nice dinner at Plunkets in York. I think I've mentioned them before. Really weird combination of a British architectural shell, 50s-esque black and white Hollywood glam photography, and an assortment of Mexican, American, and British food. I'm happy to report that you can get a real margarita there and guacamole, although I personally think the guacamole was a little flat--more onion! They have a really great bar/waiting room on the third floor of their rambling, ready to fall down, ancient building. You can almost here the wench stirring the fire.

This weekend was also "Illuminating York." It's a relatively new thing to take advantage of the impending darkness (we'll get to that later) and they showcase different artists who create installations with light. For instance, they project multiple sound-driven lights on the face of the Minster. (Sorry for the blurry picture, I wasn't dragging along my tripod)



They basically rig up a couple of microphones to capture the sound of the crowd underneath and the lights react to the intensity or rhythm. As you can guess, you would think there's a bunch of lunatics on the loose as you approach--a lot of clapping, yelling, and kids screaming. It does look pretty cool, but I'm glad we don't live within earshot.

On Sunday, we stayed in. We hooked my computer up to the TV, which allows us to use it as a big monitor. Pat was able to find a cord so the sound comes out of the TV which greatly improves the experience. We spent a lazy afternoon watching Sleepy Hollow to get into the fall, Halloween mood.