A trip to Castle Keep

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

Yes, we visited another castle over the weekend. This one is the “new castle” of Newcastle so it was fitting to finally go see it after my being here for almost a year.  I will celebrate my first year as a resident of England on the 20th of this month.  It took me a while to get use to the cold, the walking, the bus, the subway, and all the other new-found experiences that completely threw me for a loop when I first got here in 2009. 

But last night I was thinking that if we were to win the lottery, I wouldn’t really want us to move anywhere else in the world.  Sure, with the monetary means of travelling we would visit Florida as much as we wanted but we both like it here.  We live in a nice neighbourhood, there are things to do and see (like castles!) a stone’s throw away.  Sure I’d get a bigger house and chock it full of shiny electronic gadgets for making my life more convenient but being here is just fine by me.

So, on to the castle.  We set out early on Saturday with the temperature being about 32F (I forgot to mention that I’m still trying to get use to the cold) and went up the hill (and we have hills here that I have to walk up – lots of hills.)  Once we were in the city centre, we stopped at St. Nicholas Cathedral which was completely amazing since they had grave markers and plaques dating from the 1700-1800s and as early as the 1400s.  What I always found fascinating about the cathedral is that at the art galleries we’ve been in, all of the old paintings show St. Nicholas Cathedral in them. 

After our little visit to the cathedral we walked across The Black Gate to Castle Keep. The thing about this castle was that it was narrower inside than Edinburgh Castle and we had to walk up these big, steep steps that wound all the way up to the top.  But at the top – wow, what a view! You could see the Quayside and Central Station from up there.  Quite a neat experience.  Inside the castle they had ye olde toilets, models of how the city buildings looked over time, and some historical artefacts.  I was interested in the history of the new castle but sort of disappointed that there weren’t more bones and creepy stuff around.  I’m sure a ghost tour will solve that.

It was a really great experience to go there since it is a huge part of the city’s history.  Plus, I love being around the city to explore on the weekends even if it is 30 some degrees outside and I have on the biggest, puffiest coat I can find.  Being in the city is just such a great feeling.  After living in the residential areas for so long that are hours away from any city life, it makes me feel more a part of the place when I’m hanging out in the city centre.  Now, if I could make myself take a bus journey there on my own.

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The January blahs

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

You know how we all started with these New Year’s resolutions a couple of weeks back? Well, mine isn’t really doing much for me. I mean, I’m doing what I need to do, just not in a vigorous way. I feel like a sloth rather than a hare.  I just can’t get motivated to get to the finish line.

I guess it’s just the January bug. We were all worked up for Christmas and enjoyed ourselves for ten whole days of just being able to be on break. Now the schedule has gone back into motion but I’m still dragging my feet.  On the first day I was gung-ho but the following morning I could barely get out of bed.  Now I’m in the in-between phase.

I’m plodding along while the possibility of vacation and fun excursions is in the distance. At least the weather isn’t completely crummy (although it is supposed to get colder this weekend.) I’m sure I’ll perk up soon enough but man am I just moving at a snail’s pace to get anything done.

This weekend we’ll try to go on a little excursion through town to feel back into the swing of things. I’m still trying to go over my first draft with Steve – a process that is not as fulfilling as the initial frenzy of writing to get the work done.  I’m also still trying to get through Breaking Dawn too. (I couldn’t get back to sleep last night so I finally am more than half way though. I’m wondering if the Kindle Fire is slowing me down or if I’m just over the half-vampire monster baby drama.)  We jogged together last weekend so I’ll want to keep that up to help me get trained up.  (All these years that I’ve tried to do this by myself has really not made me a great jogger.) We also made a New Year’s resolution to go to church more – we didn’t go at all last year.  I feel really stupid for letting that happen when it’s right up the road.

I haven’t done more than one article either. After writing about Pinterest I was out of ideas.  Next I should write about Sims 3 Pets because I certainly spent plenty of time on that over vacation. I played today too but I did some re-reading on my project too so it’s okay, honest. I didn’t play Sims the whole time I worked on NaNoWriMo…I played Saint’s Row 3 then.  Hhmm, maybe there’s a correlation to the pace of the entertainment and the pace of the work produced.

Lastly, there’s still no snow on the ground but the air is getting colder (and will presumably get warmer again right after.)  I think that keeps things pretty blah right now – we don’t even have any exciting weather to marvel at this month.

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What happened to teenagers on TV?

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

It’s 43F here and it is about the same in Florida. At least here the cold seems natural. With the humidity of Florida the chill cuts through you. Oh well, better than heat you can’t escape I guess. Though I do miss being able to jump out of the shower, leave my hair wet and wear flip flops on my feet and be perfectly suited for everyday wear. But the rain and wind here has been up for a couple of days now so I’ve been indoors.

With my new year productivity goals in place I want to make sure I get something written up. Yes, that even includes posts to this blog. I have to do some more reading than I did last year and I want to include books that will make me remember what it was like when I was young.

Today I watched half of the 1970s Freaky Friday with Jodie Foster. In that movie Annabell Andrews, the 13 year old main character looks and dresses like a kid – braces and all.  That’s the way kids on television should look but for some reason teenagers in shows now are way too adult. They all look perfect; they dress in designer outfits and have fabulous parties. There never seems to be any authenticity in teenage characters on TV now. The kids in most popular shows are rich and even if they’re supposed to be slightly less than wealthy they dress the same as their rich friends.

How is this any reflection of what society is today? We’re in the midst of an economic crunch that is predicted to be worse this year yet Paco Raban adverts and Breaking Dawn are all about the wonders of extensive cash. How can anyone connect to images like that these days? Granted being a teenager means you want things and, for girls, cute clothes but geez, cocktail hour and diamond chokers at age sixteen?  Even adult women had the idea of wearing Manolos even if you found them used on Ebay. That’s a first world big girl problem, not a kid who needs to study for her SATs problem.

In the 80s, on Dallas, maybe. In the 90s we had 90210 and Dawson’s Creek but still the have and have-nots were addressed. We had My So Called Life were kids looked and acted real. Now we have Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, Secret Circle, Vampire Diaries and the 90210 remake. Those kids all look as if they had a trip to a spa with a shopping spree with Donatella Versace before the camera starts rolling. It was fine to believe we could buy these things when everyone had jobs and homes were owned. Now we’re lucky to find part-time work and their house repossessed. Kids are so obsessed with having an iPhone or an iPad which most families can’t afford because their parent is unemployed.

Why are we still trying to dangle the obsession with riches in front of kids when it has nothing to do with their real lives? I think the Disney Channel is about the only channel that comes remotely close to making young characters be and act young. I know there always has to be an aspiration for everyone but I’d love to see more young adult television shows based on kids who look like kids.

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In between holidays

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

This was our first official Christmas together as a married couple.  (Previously we had celebrated before and after the 25th.)   It was nice to spend Christmas in England for the first time.  I was a bit homesick for Florida but after I had my turkey dinner and watched Doctor Who I was okay.  (Well, Doctor Who and The Snowman both made me cry. Why does the snowman have to leave at the end? Why?) Being together in our home was so, so nice and I’m thoroughly content to be spending these days with one another.

For our holiday we’ve just been at home mainly but we have gone out to do some grocery shopping here and there just to get some fresh air.  Today we went to see the Turner Prize at the Baltic.  We got in a special line to go up to the third floor and had to wait as they only let a few people in at a time.  (Ironically or not, we ended up in line behind an American family.)  I am a novice when it comes to contemporary art so even when I may not “get” what the artist is trying to do, I appreciate seeing it.  I did like George Shaw’s paintings though.  I’m an old fashioned gal – I like paintings and photography the most.

We had snow before Christmas but it’s now melted and left us lots of rain.  The presents have been unwrapped and now it’s time to start making resolutions. So since I now have my Kindle Fire (absolutely love this thing!), my Noel Fielding book, my bath soaps from Boots and Lush, plus my new coat from Debenhams (such a lovely thing it is), I’m ready to figure out what I want to accomplish in 2012.  I know I’ll need to make a separate reading list for the year so that will be left a little loose.  Otherwise, here’s what I’ve come up with to have done by this time next year:

1. Have the first draft edited and ready to look for publishing: Steve’s already reading through and giving me feedback.

2. Get my full UK driver’s license: I miss having a car and listening to music with a trunk full of shopping.

3. Get my Leave to Remain status (unless they say we have to wait until all the way to Jan 2013.)

4. Start another project….or two…or three:  I have ideas!

5. Read more classic books as well as books I liked as a kid: I downloaded a lot of free books to my Kindle and I ordered a couple of 80s pre-teen books in paperback.  I have to finish Breaking Dawn, The Hunger Games, Matched, Shiver, Linger, Harry Potter, and Stephen King’s 11/22/63 because it looks interesting.

6. Start jogging again: Again. I’ve started jogging so many times already.  *sigh* I’ll go to the gym as long as I don’t get more germs.  I still have to try this whole jogging outside thing again too – totally unsure about that one.

7. Work on freelancing from home: Seems like something people do so I’ll give it a shot.

Not an extensive list but some attainable goals there.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year.  A special Happy Birthday to my Dad on Jan 1st as well.  Happy 2012, everyone! See you next year!

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11 more sleeps

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

First of all, let me say that I cannot express how happy I am to be feeling better.  The sickness started right after Thanksgiving where Steve and I sat on a couch for days just trying to get over our cold.  Then he had a relapse while I stayed the same. Then we both felt better, thought everything was fine, then I got the sinus infection. Hooray for me! After fighting the alien pods that were living in my head for a week, Steve took me to the walk-in clinic down the street for some doctor drugs. Antibiotics are my friends.

I must say that I’m impressed with how easily medical care for minor issues works around here.  There were no massive amounts of forms, no long waits, no payment up front and proof of insurance.  I was seen, I was given medicine, we paid £7.50, we left.  I was only out of the house for an hour and 45 minutes and that included the walk to the clinic and back.  If America can get a handle on something that makes this kind of treatment easier, I’m all for it.  (Of course I don’t know how it works for more serious illnesses and hopefully never will, but for the normal doctor visits, this is awesome.)

So since I had the sickness I haven’t been reading or writing as much as I’d like to. My time has been on the couch or in bed.  I’m glad to know that my eye fatigue was more than likely just down to my sinuses being crappy.  I finished Shiver so that will have to go on my book blog soon.  I’ve started Breaking Dawn but I doubt I’ll get through it by January.

Now that I’m starting to feel more human, I’m happy to be sitting at the computer in my warm study, looking out over the chilly Wednesday morning from my window.  There has been no snow yet but it’s been quite cold with the North East winds.  Luckily I have my big, white L.L. Bean coat and my new found collection of hats and scarves to keep me warm. 

It’s not long now until Santa comes over to leave our presents. It’s my first British Christmas and I’m getting more and more excited.  The picture above is of the Catholic Cathedral Church of St. Mary’s in Newcastle and the statue is of Cardinal Hume. We went there during our walk around the city last Saturday after our visit to the Christmas Market.  We saw Santa with his reindeer, drank hot toddies, and walked through town to see the ice skaters at the Life Centre. (That picture is blurry because I had to stand on my toes to my camera lens past the tall barricade.) 

We also went to see Saltwell Park lit up for Enchanted Parks last Sunday.  That was very neat, especially to see the kids enjoying themselves.  I must say, there are so many things for children around here that really makes the place even more awesome. 

Anyway, we have next weekend for the Beamish Museum and Durham Cathedral then it will be getting prepared for Christmas at home.  We’ll send the last cards out this week and then we’ll be all set to enjoy Steve’s ten days at home. The Pringles and Doctor Who special await!

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