i miss my english life already

Today was the first time I actually shopped in a grocery store since coming back. Because Stephanie was here for almost two weeks when I arrived, we ate out a lot and did take-away. I miss that; now that she's gone, I can only hope for a dining out event once a week. I didn't really want to go grocery shopping today. On our way into the store, I said to my father, "I hate this place. I have never liked going to the grocery store, but I didn't hate Sainsbury's. Probably because I would go to the movies before going shopping every time." He didn't know what Sainsbury's was, even though I talk about it an awful lot. But that is neither here nor there.

I'm writing about my first real trip to the grocery store because I experienced some pretty strong counter shock. It took longer than expected because I had to find things, and I didn't know where they were. This is not because I forgot. It's because that store must rearrange their stock all the time. I didn't know my way round it before I left, and I worked there at that time!

It also took forever because I couldn't find foods of as high quality as I would in England. Especially cheddar cheese. Which makes sense since cheddar cheese comes from England, but still. I was so afraid I would have to buy American.

But this is what was most shocking to find out: most of the foods I bought were cheaper in England, even with the conversion rate! For example, at Sainsbury's I would buy three kilos of pasta for 62p. I bought a one-pound bag of pasta for $1.29. The two pints of milk I would buy in England every week cost me only 66p. I bought a quart of milk today for $1.89. The bread is cheaper in England. The salami, too.

Where in the beginning of my tenure in England I couldn't help but double the prices of everything I saw, today I took just as much time to examine the price. But only this time I spent the time trying to find a cheaper, legitimate alternative. I could sometimes, but not all. The in-house brand just isn't as good as that of Sainsbury's. God, I sound like a fuckin' advertisement.

Our cashier looked familiar to me, but I couldn't place her until hours later. When I realized that she once was a bagger and often worked with me because I was a cashier there last summer. I hated that ill-paying job, so don't expect me to don that uniform anytime soon.

i don't wanna stop living like this

Here are three more things I am going to miss:

1.) Taking long showers. Because my rent doesn't break down exactly what I am paying for in terms of what we collectively call the "utilities," I can take hot showers for as long as I like. I never see how much they're costing me. And it's not like my rent would be adjusted to how much water I use anyway.

At home, I can't really get away with that. I know my dad hates it when I am in there too long. The problem is I don't know how to take a shorter shower.

2.) Sleeping naked. That's right. I sleep in the nude. But I won't be able to at home because we do not lock our doors at night. And I can't allow the possibility of my father or brother walking in on me while I'm au naturale. It'd be too embarrassing. Like something out of a movie. But I wouldn't want to be in that movie.

3.) Reading the nutritional information pie charts/"traffic lights" on in-store products at Sainsbury's. On the front of the packaging, they always tell you how much fat, saturated fat, and salt and how many sugars and calories there are per serving. It's color-coded, too. Red means high (obviously), orange medium, and green low. It's easy to read and thus saves a lot of time.

But when I go home, I'm going to have to pick up the box and search for the nutritional information each and every time. It won't be staring me in the face anymore, calling attention to my health, and making me leave the product whose fat portion in the pie chart is red.

That's all I have for now. There will be more.

everyone needs their priv-acy!

Would you like to know how observant I am?

When I came home from 300 (2007) and Sainsbury's this afternoon, I rushed to put my bags down. Then I turned round and saw that my wardrobe doors were closed. I stood there for a second, thinking how atypical it would have been of me to shut them. Then I looked down just below my sink and saw that my shower caddy, containing my shampoo, conditioner, etc., was missing. This pisses me right off. I went to put my food away in the kitchen and came back. I wasn't burgled. It's not as if someone snuck in on one of the few occasions that I didn't lock my door so they could play a prank on me (what do they care about me?). I knew what it was, but why would they inspect my room and not leave a note? Suppose they didn't find a shower caddy on their precious ugly carpet. Suppose they hadn't moved it inside the wardrobe, shifting my things as they were. They wouldn't have said anything, and that creeps me out. Some respect for privacy!

at least he didn't mug me

An old guy in a motorized cart tried to run me over a few times at Sainsbury's today. This itself is not funny, but watching his wife chastise him for it as if he were a little boy was. "You're backing into someone! Stop it! Go forward and stop!" And he didn't say anything, not to me, not to her.

history digestives

I should start a file where I can slip my Sainsbury's experiences inside. It didn't surprise me today that I would have to pay for the bus; I got caught up giving my French film professor Bon voyage (2003) because he's never seen it and it is related to our endeavors in analyzing how films have perpetuated/subverted the myth that all Frenchmen (and women) were active resistors during the Occupation (1940-44). But that's neither here nor there.

I almost forgot this morning my water bottle. I ran back inside and got it. Never drank from it during my jaunt into town. What I had forgotten were my Sainsbury's shopping bags (well, one is from Whole Foods), and I hadn't noticed this until I was on my way through the city center from Waterstone's to Sainsbury's. Fuck, I thought. I ended up buying two shopping bags: one just like the one I use every time and another which is more cloth-like. It turned out not to be very big (thus not worth the 75p). In any case, I really like grocery shopping without using plastic bags and when I return to the States, you best believe I am going to continue to shop without. Sorry, Dad.

I haven't had tea in a long time, and I really want to, so I bought digestives. The digestives, my friend, are back!