chrishansenhome

It's been one of those months, really.

On the positive side, I'm getting psyched up for my first trip out of the country in near as dammit three years. My various foot problems have made it impossible for me to travel for almost all of that time. I'm just hoping that nothing happens to my feet (or any other part of me) while I'm over there. I tried to get travel insurance that included health cover, and the insurance company, once I told them everything that was wrong with me, wouldn't cover me for any preexisting health situations. This means if I get hit by a bus over there, I may be covered. If my feet get ulcerated again, I won't be. Will have to be extra careful.

I'm memorising the installation of my successor as Master of Goliath Lodge. It's been a very interesting two years. You may recall that I was sprung from Kings College Hospital in order to be installed two years ago, then clapped right back into it. I've initiated four men, passed two, and raised three. Another two men were initiated while I was hospitalised for one further meeting. So we've done pretty well. I memorised all the degrees except for the first half of the Third Degree, which is fairly good going. I am now going to be able to sit there with the book as Immediate Past Master and prompt my successor.

Spring has sprung here in London quite early. We have had little rain or snow over the winter so we are officially in drought at the moment. But the blue skies and budding trees are lovely, especially as spring is normally extremely wet.

Our favourite Chinese restaurant at the Elephant, The Well, closed in January and has not, as yet, reopened. I fear that we've lost it. The inferior restaurant in front of the shopping centre is our only decent alternative.

Our friend Mark was diagnosed with diabetes. He's 41 years old, and has other health problems. Sad news. The doctor issued him with a blood glucose meter but didn't tell him how to use it. He called me in a panic, and I told him to come over and I showed him how to use it. He had a hard time stabilising his blood sugar, and was on insulin for a while, but is now off that and on metformin only.

We had two deaths in the parish in the last three weeks: Gwen Bartlett, a Barbadian woman who used to sit behind me in church and wisecrack her way through the service, was diagnosed with leukemia last month and died early in March. Pat Woods, who used to sit to my right and had been pretty much housebound for the past three years, collapsed in her flat and died a day after being taken to hospital. A third friend, Mara Chibnik, who many friends from soc.motss would know, passed away a few days ago after suffering from pancreatic cancer. I'm very sad about all three; may they rest in peace and rise in glory.

Yesterday I decided that rather than sit inside I'd go out and enjoy the day. I got on a bus for London Bridge, then on another one for Wood Green, then on a third one for Southgate Underground Station. The Masonic Temple where my Chapter meets is up there, and I was curious to see what it would be like to bus up there rather than take the Piccadilly Line. It was nearly two hours, mostly because of delays due to road works. There are lots of vibrant neighbourhoods up there, and I may someday soon take the bus again and actually get off and explore some of them. Once I get my Seniors' Freedom Pass in a year or so I may start bussing myself to those far-flung places rather than taking the Underground.

The good thing was seeing someone from Marblehead, who was visiting with his husband for a week last week. When I was living in Marblehead Peter's brothers used to bully me incessantly. Of course, things are different now and 40+ years later, we took to each other quite well. Peter and his husband John now live in Provincetown, and John is a registered nurse, while Peter is in hospitality. John nursed two people whom I knew in Provincetown, Ernie Cooper and his husband. So it's one of those small worlds once again.

Here they are, John on the left and Peter on the right. What lovely men they are! HWMBO and I were really happy to meet them, and I hope to visit Provincetown while I'm in Massachusetts to see them again.

Saturday dawned bright, but cold. A horrible storm was on its way, so we must go shopping first!

My soon-to-be ex-sister-in-law arrived at 10, so I "hid" downstairs with my uncle until my sister arrived to ferry me around; she also brought a warm coat to make up for the fact that I'm so lame I didn't bring one. We went to Swampscott to have lunch and look for memory for my uncle's computer. No memory there, so we went on to Danvers to a Best Buy; no suitable memory there. However, I picked up a set of Harmon-Kardon speakers with subwoofer for him, as the Bose speakers he was using were a bit anemic-sounding. Ruth took me up to see the horses while she fed and mucked them, then back home to install the speakers.

Once I figured out how to increase/decrease volume, those speakers rawked! My uncle is 78 at the moment, and the only way he keeps his mind active is to transcribe music from scores into the music program in his computer. The sound was a bit funky, and he had been futzing with the controls to try to make it better. Once we got this system installed, everything just perked up: it was clear, bright, and there was some bass for the first time.

When I saw how his eyes lit up as the sound system started working as it should have, I realised why parents are so happy and pleased when they give a gift to their children that the kids really like. It's not a feeling that childless people like myself get very often, so it was worth the wait.

Then we went out to the local Chinese restaurant, Fantasy Island, in Salem. I may have written about it before, but I have to say that it's really not the greatest Chinese restaurant I've ever patronised. First, they brought a basket of four large rolls and butter. Rolls and butter? In a Chinese restaurant? Aiyoh! Then my brother and sister ordered a Pu-Pu Platter, which is a large plate with a little Sterno burner in the middle, surrounded by deep fried meat and prawns. Instant coronary, I would think. My uncle had the egg rolls from it, and used that very hot mustard as a dip. Augh! Everything here is so huge: the portions, the pieces of meat; it was incredible. I had chicken wonton soup, which was OK, nothing too special, and Sesame beef, which, again, was OK but was three times the size of a portion at our local Chinese in London, the Well. I ate about 2/3rds of it, and my sister, brother, and uncle managed to get through about 1/2 of the Pu-Pu platter.

I suppose that for the sake of the sensibilities of my Chinese friends, I should put that last paragraph behind a cut. Well, my children, someday you will learn that Chinese food is not the same the world over, and some places are positively dreadful. You may actually be dragged to these places by your ang moh friends. So be prepared, and be very scared.

Today I haven't left the house, as 6 more inches of snow fell this morning. There is now about 16 inches on the ground (around 40 cm) and while it's warmish now (about 4C) it'll get colder than freezing overnight and the whole town will be an ice rink tomorrow. Didn't go to church, sadly; most of them were closed, I think.

Tomorrow, more shopping, and then dinner in Boston with rsc and jwg and some friends from Luti. Tuesday is our Lodge meeting (where the dinner is...wait for it...Chinese buffet. Argh!) and Wednesday we're going to Outback. Thursday, weather permitting, I'm back home. The time really flies.

Well, there were no disasters today. I woke up, looked at my toe and it has already improved. And, jumping ahead, this evening when I undressed it after walking and standing all day, it was still improving. So, fingers crossed this will continue.

We went out and took a taxi to the Metro. I haven't mentioned much about the taxis here, I believe. They are ubiquitous, clean, and well kept. Unfortunately, I've not been in one yet that had a functioning rear seat belt. This makes me majorly nervous, as the traffic here is wild, wild, wild. People just walk in front of cars, they jaywalk with impunity, I've only seen one motorcylist wearing a helmet (and I will bet he was foreign), and running red lights is the norm. Anyway, we got to the Metro in one piece. We went on an elevated train one stop to Line 2, which is below ground, and took that to Nanjing Road East. There we met our friend Jane for a walk to the Bund for some pictures.

Now, I won't be uploading pics from the camera for a while, so no pics here. However, I did take some down there. The buildings are all 1930's or perhaps turn of the last century, and every last one has a Chinese flag on it. The tourists are bunched like flies to honey over there, so the touts are out in force. Every few yards, a guy or (more rarely) a girl will sidle up to you (if you look like a tourist) and mutter "Watches?" As a tourist, you throw them when you answer "Bu yao" which means "Don't want." They then go away convinced you speak enough Chinese to understand them. There were no touts for girls, boys, or massages, which somewhat surprised me.

We walked up the main drag until we got to an (ahem!) Pizza Hut, where Jane thought we should have lunch. This was, um, interesting. There was no diet soda, so I had to have a Kiwi Mango drink, which tasted neither of kiwi nor of mango. It must have come from Zaphod Beeblebrox's spaceship "The Heart of Gold," where the tea machine spat out something that was almost but not quite entirely unlike tea. The pizza was OK, but I long for a US pizza, with a thin crust, oodles of peppers and onions on it, and lots of tomato sauce and mozzarella. I shall have to learn to make one, I think. I banged my head on the ceiling as I walked upstairs to the toilets. Saw stars for a moment or two. The "Mind your head" sign is parallel to the staircase and only becomes obvious as you descend.

Then we taxied to an older part of town, where there were shops galone. I bought a finger painting in blue that I felt was absolutely stunning, a name chop (Chinese signet stamp), some socks for my poor feet, a Beijing 2008 neck chain (I wish they'd take it in 2012 as well), and HWMBO bought a panda to accompany the one I bought him in 2006. We saw a traffic accident at the end of the road we were walking on, and a fistfight broke out between a taxi driver and (we believe) his passenger. The passenger's girlfriend tried to break up the fight, and didn't succeed. I took some pictures. The crowd was growing, and turning ugly, before we taxied away to the restaurant.

The restaurant is very substantial, with lots of very heavy wooden tables laid out as if around a courtyard. There is a grand staircase up to the balcony, which will figure later. We ordered a lot of stuff (again, no diet soda, so I had to order a bottle of Evian with which to take my pills), including some brown sticks of solidified tofu, which tasted almost but not quite entirely unlike cheese, asparagus with black fungus (the fungus was chewy, but the asparagus was OK), some steamed pork belly which seemed quite fatty to me (so little of it was consumed by me), a whole braised spicy fishhead (of which I did not partake but which HWMBO demolished--these are huge, about the size of dinner plates), Szechuan chicken, which had more chili pods than chicken pieces (but tasted quite good--your mouth didn't burn after eating it, it tingled), some chicken and mushroom soup that was fabulous, fried rice that is the closest I've ever had to fried rice in US Chinese restaurants (I gobbled it up), Szechuan spicy noodles which were good, sweet potato puffs and a corn bun, which were also both good.

Then, at 7:40, the performance began. A man in costume jumped out on the balcony and began to caper about, robes and fan swinging in the air as he jumped. Wonderful; I got some pics which will, unfortunately, have to wait. Then he came around the balcony and descended the staircase. I posed with him as HWMBO was in the background and Choo Beng took a picture. That one came out really well.

Back to the balcony for some fire-eating. It was really great; got one picture which probably will need lots of Photoshop before it's presentable.

Now in London, you'd probably pay 25 pounds a head for something like this, maybe more. We paid 295 renminbi, which is approximately 20 pounds. For the entire meal plus performance.

Then home to unpack our goodies, watch a Chinese version of Pop Idol (good looking boys), and make this entry, and thus to bed.

Got up this morning and discovered that a blister on my right big toe had burst. I find it difficult to understand why I have such trouble with my feet when I am here. Could it be that the heat makes them swell and that chafes in the shoes which fit perfectly in the UK? Anyway, bought some special blister plasters and will try to get some proper dressings while I'm in Shanghai. I'm certain that someone will be able to assist. I shall keep it clean and as dry as possible. If it's still weeping when I get back, I shall see a doctor here and get some antibiotics as well as proper dressings.

Next time I come I shall take advice on good shoes to wear so that chafing will be kept to a minimum. I'll probably look like an old man on his last legs, but I don't care...I am so tired of my feet.

In other news: didn't do much today. I went to Bishan shopping centre and had a MosBurger. For those not familiar with Singapore, MosBurger is a Japanese burger chain. Their burgers are small compared to McD's and Burger King, but they are very tasty. I had that, small fries, and a diet Coke. Bought a book to read during lunch, and found it so riveting I came back home and finished it. The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld is a murder mystery set in 1909 New York, with Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and various other real people as part of the plot. Really good. spwebdesign, I'll try to bring it back as I think it might be something you would like (although not a serious book).

This evening I met kingbitch for dinner and a drink. He is so nice and sweet and funny that if I weren't married to HWMBO, I'd propose immediately. He will be a great catch for someone as he's not only good looking, but great company. We then went to Tantrics and I met nicekit for the first time. Also a sweetheart, and I'm so glad that I can meet all these people on my travels. Then home, packed, and now to bed.

I had a much better night; I thank your good thoughts and the melatonin, in that order.

Our host had a houseguest over the weekend other than me, and we all went out to lunch together. He's from KL, and works in clothing design. Very nice chap, David's the name. I conducted him to the MRT station, then turned to walk to the loo before getting on the train myself. I had one of those back spasms that will absolutely paralyse you. I managed to get to a pillar and stand against it, to the bemusement of a very hot guy across the path. I stood for a while and finally the spasm went away. Then I was off to Sim Lim Square to look around (but not shop).

One thing that has become clear to me is that Singapore has gotten much more crowded of late. The malls are more crowded, the streets even more crowded (and few people other than mad dogs and Englishmen walk on the streets in the midday sun here), and the MRT is crowded; I only got a seat twice out of six trips today.

My friend George gave me a call and said that he could have dinner tonight and that as his bf is going out of town for a meeting tomorrow, tonight would be best. So I went downtown again to meet them in Chinatown. We ate at Xinmin Vegetarian Restaurant, 29 Kreta Ayer Road, open each evening except Monday. They had a very nice Ma Po beancurd, and sweet and sour mock pork. Their English is limited, so you will have to point if you have no Chinese. But the food's worth it and not too dear.

Afterwards we met HWMBO and his brother for tea. We passed the new Temple of Buddha's Tooth in the centre of Chinatown. Apparently the temple was built right across the square from a big Methodist Church, which has taken exception to such a heathen building springing up so near to them. They are just pig-ignorant. Most Protestants here are even more fundamentalist than coldwater Babtists, and ignorant on top of it. Some feel that meditation is the devil's work, because Buddhists do so much of it. Tell that to the chaplain of Dunwoodie seminary, who made us meditate for 1/2 hour each morning back in the mid 1970's.

Tea, then home again. Early start tomorrow for the Chinese Embassy and my visa. Hope it goes OK.

If you're in New York, or lived there, you'll love this site. You'll never be marooned far from a known restaurant if you consult it.

I got a pair of these for myself for Valentine's Day.



They feel a bit strange on my head, and the iPod Nano base that comes with it does not fit my iPod Nano, but the sound is incredible. Plus, no more wires to fool around with. Just put the headphones and the base unit in touch with each other, put the headphones on, and let 'er rip.

I would still use my noise cancelling headphones on an airplane or in another noisy situation, but the Logitech ones are the bee's knees.



In other news, as yesterday was our anniversary (1st of the Civil Partnership, 9th of our relationship), we were going to go out to an Italian restaurant called Azzurro (which we went to and liked, but the reviews are somewhat spotty) but HWMBO had a recurrence of his cold, and was coughing up a storm. But we couldn't cancel some of our guests, so in the end HWMBO stayed home and spwebdesign, Mark, Rob, and Ethel (Mark and Ethel were our witnesses at our Civil Partnership) went out to the Indian restaurant at the Elephant and Castle shopping centre.

spwebdesign gave us a lovely Spanish wall hanging showing two lovebirds, which was really thoughtful and will be framed soon (I hope) and hanging on the wall; Ethel and Mark and Rob gave us cards, and we then tucked into the Indian food.

I have discovered that the way to avoid feeling somewhat off after an Indian meal (for me) is simple: lay off the lime pickle. It must be putting my blood pressure up. I had mulligatawny soup, chicken jalfrezi, and some naan bread (the kind with the grated coconut on it, whose Indian name I forget) along with a litre of Cobra lager; mango kulfi for dessert and a bit of brandy on the house. I treated, as it was our party! Ethel is such a wonderful woman, a real "Cockney sparrow" who has lived in the neighbourhood all her life, had a wonderful marriage and great children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and has an easy hearty laugh. I got her a box of Bailey's Irish Cream chocolates (she's partial to Bailey's) and she was delighted.

Usually after an Indian meal I feel a bit bloated all evening; last night I felt great and slept like a baby. HWMBO stayed home from work today and I worked from home, so it was really restful.