la vie en rose Tweet

I couldn't explain why, but I was very determined that we move work home from the office in time to catch the last wink of light. Chris kindly obliged, and while we only have the shortest walk imaginable (other than tumbling from bed to the office), we did take a bit to drag along 96 candles off eBay (as you do) and vividly debate hires and commitments (as you do). Chris quickly mixed us a drink, while this was quickly evolving outside:



I was ordered to pop on the terrace and enjoy it, and since I started snapping away (as you do!!!)—even more vigorously ordered to put the camera away and... enjoy it. So we did, drink in hand, and work chat suspended for a very short and at once very long five minutes, while the world was painted peaches and our skins glowed in one of the best London phenomena: pink sunsets as only Asia, we thought, can provision. I'll drink to that. As you do...

A labour of love, as with the entirety of the mad garden we created, these tomatoes are grown from seeds of the sweetest fruit I found at farmers' market last year (and learned to save, which is a bit more work than, say, sunflowers). Considering the typical (read shit) summer we had, I was first mesmerised that they ripened at all, and then stunned by just how good they were.



Then, I was happy that Chris was all ready to pick them up this year (instead of me only last year), and a bit sad to realise that's about the best possible volume of our few crops still to come. We need a veggie patch. Several times the size of our current flat. But hey, who's complaining?

take two Tweet

These days I've sat in my parents' lounge for the first time in more than a year, and chatted and laughed and let them pamper me. This evening I got to show them some of the thousands of photos that are yet to make it to Flickr, and somehow moved on to some of my videos, of which they're only aware when I get to blog them. Which I don't, of late. A few of the videos are about winter in London, and my mother noted that on a hot day like this in Bucharest, she gets a very pleasant chill simply from looking at all that snow. It's a long story as to how I finally made it to this lounge, and an even longer story as to how I later came across this winter photo. Suffice to know that I have, and instantly thought of one of my own, shown underneath. Unless you're happily tucked under a thicker blanket of the white stuff than these images capture, I hope they'll make you feel better about the weather and temperature of your whereabouts.

olympic tickets. haves and wants. the short of it Tweet

Just for the irony and helplessness of it, all the work and fret put in it, all the money we're ready to make and spend, both in a blink, if all our wants could come true. After the worst ticket lottery ever organised in the UK (Wimbledon aside, don't get me started on that frickin ballot), we're down to crawling poorly designed websites in foreign languages we don't speak, writing emails in the wind (and in English, fancy the chances of those getting a reply) and even filling out paper forms to scan and, dunno, fax?! It blows my mind that for once I'm in the same place with the Olympics* but may end up seeing them on TV, still.

HAVES
BD003 (C), BV009 (D), ED001 (D), BV021 (D), ED003 (C). Or in other words, badminton, beach volleyball, equestrian - dressage. MEH. But better than nothing.

WANTS
ZO001 (C), SW004 (D), SW008 (D), GA010 (E), AT004 (E), GA011 (D), GA012 (D), GA013 (D), AT011 (E), AT013 (E), AT014 (D), SY005 (E), AT015 (D), GR003 (D), ZC001 (C). Or put simply, opening and closing ceremonies, athletics finals, swimming finals, much artistic gymnastic and a touch of rhythmic. Should that be so hard?

Later update: This spurred quite a debate on Twitter with @thegareth which eventually involved @adrideo and @Rachelonthehill. I argued that the ballot system favoured rich people who could bid a lot of money on a lot of tickets (one had to have the money in the account for months, as there were delays, or risk losing all chances). Gareth argued that the ballot is inclusive by allowing people without computers and/ or Visa cards to bid for tickets, too. I believe it's exactly those people who got left out in the end, and that a first come, first served system would be fairer. Gareth still believes the ballot is best, even though he agrees it could be improved. Chris has argued all along for a type of bid along the lines of "I'd like to see something on these dates and I can pay this much". And Rachel suggested a system where as many people as possible just got one pair each. There you go, plenty of options for the next Olympic city to not fuck up this badly.

* I had dreams for Athens 2004. Maria must recall we nearly volunteered but with Romania outside the EU, and our employeer not liking the idea much, either (understandably), it came to nothing.