Today we went on a mini sight seeing tour to Washington DC (It's funny how you have to add the DC on over here. In the Uk most people, I guess in their ignorance, would assume you meant the country's capital when you say Washington but here most people know that there is also a state called Washington and so you have to differentiate) with Johno, Kevin, Devin and Igor. 

It was a fun trip: many monuments, a visit round the national war cemetery with the grave to the unknown soldier, a brief driving tour, a quick trip round the Natural History Museum (the most crowded experience I have ever had but also free which is a fab idea) and then dinner at an incredible tapas restaurant.

Tom took some good pictures of all of the Obama merchandise that is being produced ready for the Presidents' inauguration on 22 January. Quite amusing. 

I imagine you could spend a very, very long time getting to know the city and still have missed a lot. I enjoyed today though and hope to go back to do something else soon.

A few more things to add to the list:

- an ice-skating rink in the middle of the city - very film-like

- seeing the White House and all of the other v. important buildings you've only ever seen in films

- Christmas Tree bases that you can put water in to stop the needles falling off the tree

- cinemas being open on xmas day for the premieres of new films (you go as a xmas day afternoon activity)

Two more things:

 - fire hydrants like the ones you see shooting out water on hot summer days in films

 - buying milk in gallon cartons

We had the neighbourhood round for mince pies and mulled wine this afternoon. It was fun to meet everyone and, in fact, for everyone to meet each other. Some mentioned that there were people living in their cul-de-sac for 4 years who they'd never met. Amazing, but also seemingly normal western-world-over! Anyhow a big success. Phew. Now to sit back and relax and watch some 'football' on TV while us introverts recover!

I want to take up the advice of a very dear friend of mine who suggested before we moved over here that we should, in the first little while of being here, write down all of the things that we find strange, different, amusing about life and culture over here in oder that we can look back on it in 6 months time and see how accustomed to things we have got. 

So here goes:

1. having a button to open my garage with

2. all of the cars being absolutely huge

3. petrol is very cheap ($25 to fill the tank!)

4. people say 'hihowareyou' in a totally joined on fashion and really REALLY don't mean the how are you bit

5. waiters are very, very friendly (Hi, my name is Brian and I'm going to be your waiter for the evening. I'm 27, live on Acorn Street and am a capricorn...)

6. garbage disposal units

7. having a mail box outside the house, rather than a letter box which the post/mail is posted through your front door through

8. being able to put your stamped post in the mail box outside your house so that post man can take it away when they deliver and you don't have to go to the post office

9. people saying hello to you when walking along

10. cutlery is known as silverware

11. drive through banks

12. winterization of everything

13. weather changing from 32' to 60' in the space of 2 days

14. having an ice making section of the freezer

15. not having to clean out tin cans for recycling!

16. no workmen accepting a cup of tea/coffee/water from you whilst on a job at your house

17. the HUGE amount of junk mail that comes

18. the HUGE amount of junk phone calls that come

19. brown paper bags from supermarkets just like in the films

20. yellow school buses everywhere (I keep expecting to see Otto from the Simpsons driving one)

that's the 1st 20. I'll update with more when they spring to mind and when it's not late.

Tomorrow we have our staff xmas party. FUN FUN FUN!! 

I managed to make the miNce meat for the mince pies. It tastes really good. I think I am ruined for the stuff in jars now...

This is a quick blog as I want to have some lie-and-do-nothing-at-all time before the wee man wakes up. This week seems to have sped by: 

Cars broke down

Reuben turned one

It snowed

We tried to go to the Baltimore aquarium for the $1 entry day but it was sold out so we sat and drank tea and hot chocolate in a Barnes and Noble bookstore instead.

We saw a gaggle of Santas walking the streets of Baltimore in the snow (is there a collective noun for a lot of Santsa together? Answers on a postcard!)

I bought Ribena in a shop which cost probably as much as liquid gold would (but we think it was worth it - it is however rationed to one glass a day!)

We had a really great staff meeting yesterday - I love being part of this team

Tom and I both said something up the front of church for the first time as members of staff and it felt good

I helped decorate the HUGE church xmas tree (brought in from Michigan! Man, the fuel costs of getting it here and sadness of chopping such a big tree down really got to me!)(but it does smell great and looks amazing)

Tonight we are going to watch a football (not soccer) game with a bunch of people and some beer in true american style. It feels like I am living in a film sometimes!

We met our landlord - he was very nice!

We met our neighbour who was putting up his animated and lit xmas decorations in his garden. he was very welcoming

We thought of a 'let's invite our neighbourhood round for mulled wine and mice pies and make the most of the being new brits on the hood and meet people easily' thing, made the invites and I am now panicking as I can't find all the ingredients for mincemeat...

We skyped various members of our family

it was a busy week!