Snow

Woke up this morning to see a thin layer of snow outside. We're expecting a high of +4˙C today.

American Ice-Cream

When I was preparing to come to America my friend Lisa, who had lived in New Jersey for a year, told me that one of the things that America does better than Australia is ice-cream. That's partly true; I certainly wasn't disappointed when I came here and discovered such ingredients as chunks of cookie (sic.) dough and mini peanut butter cups. The only flavour I miss is boysenberry (which is ironic, given that boysenberries were first cultivated at Knott's Berry Farm in California).

Then I saw this at the supermarket:

I'm not sure what to think. Americans seem to like crunch in their ice cream. They have a lot of nuts and occasionally chunks of cone mixed in (or even chocolate-coated ice cream cone fragments). But popcorn!?

Crazy American Food -- Thanksgiving Special

Americans eat a lot more Turkey than other countries (it is native to North America, after all). When they cook it themselves, they like to get it right; they always use meat thermometers and have a paranoid fear that stuffing will give them salmonella. This leads them to cook their turkeys for a long time but they hate when it comes out dry so they're big in to basting. Still, there's only so much you can accomplish by taking pan drippings and squirting them over the top of the bird. If only there were a way to make sure the meat inside stayed moist...

Yes, that lump on the side is a syringe. It's a bottle of buttery marinade that comes with a syringe to inject the fat into your turkey. Yum!

In other news, we're having Thanksgiving dinner with some friends from Cindy's department, other international students. Should be an interesting mix: one Chinese, two Columbians and a heap of Serbs, who've been sending us emails in Cyrillic. (So I'm looking for a joke that starts, "A Serb, a Croat and a Bosniak walk into a bar...")

Baconnaise

Not much has been happening for me lately but I'm always learning little things about America. Many of these encounters happen in the supermarket, so I decided to start taking photos. This will be part of an ongoing series.

Episode 1 - Baconnaise:

Actually, this one can't be found in normal supermarkets, we had to get it from Amazon. No, we don't really want to eat it but we've seen it on The Daily Show so many times that it seemed we just had to take some to France to shock those Continental Epicureans. We haven't even tried it but I'm quite disappointed with the description - it's kosher and vegetarian! What's the point?

But I do like the blurb on the jar, the creators used their prize money from America's Funniest Home Video to make "everything taste like bacon".

I've been to cities that never close down...

Cindy and I spent this afternoon with my new friends, the Australasian Association of IU. The international centre here put on a World's Fair and we had a stall. They were still looking for decorations when I went to my first meeting with the group last week so I volunteered Cindy's stuffed toys. We ended up taking a huge number of toy marsupials as well as a full-size didgeridoo and a very classy beach towel with a map of Australia on it. The group president declared proudly that our stall looked like a gift shop and I reiterated that it belonged to Cindy, not me.

Each stall was giving out food from their home country but I shouldn't have got my hopes up on hearing that our group had given the caterers a recipe for sausage rolls. The recipe we gave them was too vague so we ended up with American "Italian" sausage (i.e. pork with lots of fennel or aniseed) cut into discs. It wasn't bad, the Americans liked it. But maybe that was just by comparison with the Vegemite that we were also forcing them to try! So there was a few hours of passing out food and we got to try some food from the other stalls too.

Most of those international student groups are quite big and some gave musical performances. There was an interesting central-Asian drum group and an Afro-Cuban ensemble that gave me bad tinnitus. The highlight was troupe of Indian dancers. They were wearing bright costumes, holding batons, dancing in circles weaving in and out and generally having a fun time. I don't know whether it was the good rhythm of the music or the super-animated dancing but they had us all mesmerised and got fantastic applause at the end.

Talking Bob Dylan Blues #3

Bob Dylan was in town again so Cindy and I went to see him last night, the third time for each of us. This is what he played. (Including five songs from his most recent album, which is about three too many seeing as it's his worst since Under the Red Sky. But I suppose when you tour as often as he does, you have to keep updating the set list.)

What's more, Tom Waits was in town too. Bob invited him on stage to sing a song. Unfortunately Tom sang just one verse by himself, no gravelly duets. Still, it was enough to remind me of this video:

J'aime bien Tarzhé

We changed the clocks back last night so this morning Cindy and I went to Target bright and early to stock up on cheap Halloween lollies. (We also noticed that TIm Tams were on sale, so we ended up buying a ton of chocolate!)

But the best bit was at the check-out when I asked her to put them in a reusable shopping bag and I got a 5c discount! Apparently now Target gives you 5c off the total for every bag you bring yourself. It obviously doesn't cost them that much to give out plastic bags so I'm impressed with a PR exercise that might actually help the environment. I doubt that this carrot will work as quickly as the Australian stick approach but it's less likely to produce a revolt from liberalist Americans.

Cîndy the Activist

One of the things I had to give up when I came to America was political activism. When I was working and had spare time I quite enjoyed talking to pollies: letting the baddies know that they're voting the wrong way and getting the goodies to table petitions in parliament. But I can't get involved in American politics, not being a citizen and not having the time.

However, Cindy has stepped up to the mark and become involved in campus affairs. For a long time we've both been bothered by the fact that the campus's smoking ban is being flouted regularly. After contacting campus police, various deans and the provost (≈vice-chancellor) Cindy was invited to be on the IU Tobacco- and Smoke-Free Campus Committee. She's been going around taking photos of people smoking in front of signs and asked them questions (it turns out that some international students with poor English just haven't read or haven't understood the little "Tobacco Free Campus" signs on every door).

So when she was at the first committee meeting (in a very formal boardroom, with big high-back chairs) it was Cindy who said, "Let's not wait for reports on the state of things. Let's start talking about what we've already seen on campus and plan a course of action." She's very happy that the provost is enthusiastic about the problem too and not likely to dither. E.g. we've been asked to report any professors seen smoking on campus to the provost!

They're Back!

As promised in their countdown, Pepperidge Farms have brought Tim Tams back to America! Cindy and I went to Target today and bought a couple of packets of Original and Caramel but they didn't have any Dark Chocolate in yet. Still, there was a spot on the shelf for the dark ones so we'll have to check back later.

23rd October
I can now confirm that the port-based Tim Tam Slam works best with dark chocolate ones.

Strangely, it's being reported that Pepperidge Farms employees are not allowed to publicly discuss the Tim Tam Slam. We already told our friends about it (including the Brazilian guy who'd already encountered Tim Tams).

More Hayfever

Last week I had another couple of bad hayfever days so today I went to the doctor to get some advice. I'd been to the university Health Center a few times before but this time I noticed something different - most of the people in the waiting room were wearing masks! The weirdest thing is that this didn't surprise me all that much. Indiana has become a bit paranoid about swine flu, to the extent that they're telling students not to go to the doctor and spread the disease if it's a flu and telling teachers not to demand proof of illness when they miss class. But the people wearing masks didn't seem all that sick, some were playing board games while they waited!

It was only then I discovered that they have a full pharmacy (not just prescriptions) which is run not-for-profit so my anti-histamines and decongestants cost me only $3 all up.

21st October
Those anti-histamines don't actually work that well for me, so I guess it's not such good value.

Mooncake Festival

Yesterday was the Chinese Mooncake Festival. I'd heard about it before in Australia (lots of signs up around UNSW every year) but it was only when I moved to the northern hemisphere that I realised that it's an autumn harvest festival.

So one of our Chinese friends invited us to her place for a little get together. (Actually, being poor penurious students we first went to campus and scored a free Chinese feed courtesy of the Chinese Students Association.) We took along a bottle of French cider (sounds autumny) and a packet of TimTams. Before we even got inside a Brazilian guy who was joining us said, "TimTams! I know what those are. I ate tons of them when I was in Sydney and brought back many packets to share with friends." So he was very pleased to hear that they will be coming to Target in the near future.

But the thing that attracted the most attention was the hat I wore. Yes, I wore the Chinese cap Mum and Dad bought in Hong Kong, the one with a queue. When they gave it to me I had no idea how much Chinese people would love it! I got a great reaction last time I brought it out, photos were taken. And this time we got similar enthusiasm from another couple of Chinese and other assorted international students.

Noise

We've been disturbed by our new neighbours' music for a few weeks now. They must have fantastic subwoofers because we can feel the bass through the floor. Sometimes it continues after midnight when we're just going to bed so I've been meaning to have a talk to the landlord, ask what they think is a reasonable hour.

Then last night we were awoken at 2.30 am by bass coming through the floor. It was enough to wake us both up but I really didn't feel like getting out of bed, so I rolled over and eventually managed to get back to sleep. But then it happened again at 3.30! That was enough to get me up. At first I had trouble believing that anyone would have the audacity to try that in an apartment building so I looked out the windows to see if it was coming from one of the party houses, but the bass was clearly coming through the floor of the bedroom. So I put on some clothes and went downstairs.

I rang the doorbell and heard conversation inside, "Hey, did you hear the doorbell?"
"No, there couldn't be anyone calling." I rang again repeatedly. After more discussion a young guy opens the door and asks, "Is the music loud?"
"No, I'm selling magazine subscriptions!" is what I should have said but I was too tired for sarcasm. I explained to him that I didn't want to call the police because I know that they don't give warnings, just fines, and asked him politely to look at the time in future.

I wonder how long the contrition will last.

Unfair Privileges

Remember when school mothers' and fathers' day stalls sold books of vouchers for kids to give their parents? There would be vouchers for "one free car wash" and "one free massage". I think there might have also been things like "one day of no arguing with siblings".

I recently signed up for a rewards program at our favourite restaurant, TGI Friday's. As a welcome gift they sent me a few vouchers. There were normal ones like "free dessert with purchase" but there was one that struck me as a bit strange -- "One time jump the line pass". (Incidentally, although American computers send documents to be printed to a queue on a server, they never use the word "queue" for people, it's always "line".)

It's true that there is often a wait to get a table there on Friday or Saturday nights, so I understand what motivates this. But there's still something about this offer that strikes me as wrong. It's like saying, "one free evening of inconsiderateness." We won't be using that one; I wouldn't want everyone else staring daggers at me while I eat.

Censorship in America

There's something a little strange about America being a bastion of free speech and simultaneously a nation of prudes. Before getting pay TV here I never realised that this irony plays out in the fact that their movies are full of swearing but TV is censored. (I also see a big problem with the fact that depictions of violence are fine any time but swearing and sex are not. But that's not just America, that's the West in general.)

The thing is, you don't notice how much swearing there is in a movie until you watch it on TV and find that half a sentence is hushed out and you can't follow the plot. (Yes, swear words are sometime key-words in action movies.) Unlike Australia, it has nothing to do with the time it's shown, swearing is hushed even after midnight! I looked into this and what I found was even more surprising: 1. Profanity laws only apply before 9 p.m. and 2. They don't apply at all for pay-TV. So why do (almost) all networks stop swearing all the time? Because apparently the advertisers demand it. (I think the only exception is HBO. Maybe some other premium channels.)

Here comes the funny bit - there are certain words that are ok by themselves but not in longer forms; "damn" is ok but "god-damn" has to be censored, "ass" is ok but "asshole" has to be censored. Guess what they do! They don't bleep or hush the whole word, they make it "***damn" and "ass****"! One word they don't bleep but over-dub comes out as "mother-lover"!

And they blur out raised middle fingers. I kid you not.

13th September
Apparently they even cut out foreign swearing. We're watching Matrix Reloaded and they cut out the best bit. Here it is:

I have sampled every language, French is my favourite - fantastic language, especially to curse with. Nom de Dieu de putain de bordel de merde de saloperies de connards d'enculés de ta mère. You see, it's like wiping your arse with silk, I love it.

The Rhythm of Life

The days are getting shorter and everyone in Bloomington is gearing up for a new academic year.

About a week ago people started moving back into town. The streets were filled with moving trucks and the dumpsters overflowed with empty boxes and junk. Yesterday there was something called a "freshman induction" ceremony. (I dunno, I guess it's the opposite of a graduation? I'm not sure why they need it when those students just had a high-school "graduation" with full academic regalia.) The town was so full of parents that the police put out a notice saying that we should treat it like snowy weather and only leave the house if absolutely necessary!

I was a bit worried when I saw someone moving into the apartment below us with a pair of guitars and an amp. I think he set up the bass in the room below our study because my desk trembles when he plays.

Allergies

After four years living in Bloomington, my allergies have finally caught up with me.

When I lived in Sydney I used to get debilitating allergies a few times a year. So bad that most antihistamines would barely make a dent in the sneezing, weeping and runny nose. I think it was some sort of pollen allergy because it was worse in the suburbs than in the city and it was seasonal.

Coming to a town called "Bloomington" worried me a little. There are a lot of blossoming trees here but somehow they never bothered me. Not until this year. A few months ago I had a couple of days of sneezing but was able to chase it away with an antihistamine. But today is worse, two antihistamines and I'm still excreting copious amounts of mucus.

I'm not too sure how allergies work but I suppose I've become sensitised to something here that wasn't around in Australia. What I have to wonder is whether I'm still allergic to whatever it was in Australia or if by not being exposed I've been desensitised. I'd be great if I were now only allergic to North American flora and could just go somewhere my new allergies can't find me. But if my old allergies were still waiting for me where ever I had been, I would soon run out of places to run.

Sometimes abuse does get you places

It seems that someone at Pepperidge Farms read my abusive letter, or at least added my email address to a list. I just received an email telling me that they'll be back as soon as October (but for some reason they'll remain seasonal, available Oct-March every year). I guess this means we'll be able to eat the stash we brought back from Australia.

But we'll have to continue rationing the fancy-schmanzy varieties. This year they're going to introduce a dark chocolate variety to the US (as well as the plain and caramel) but I have to assume that Black Forest and honeycomb flavours will remain scarce for a few years yet.

Humidity

It was hot and muggy when I woke up this morning so the "air conditioning" has being going all day.

I'm just about to step outside so I checked the weather. It's currently 29°C - a bit hot - but the "real feel" is 40! That's how it feels when the humidity is 79%. It's going to get up to 32°, at which point it will feel like 42.

There'll surely be a big thunderstorm this arvo, hopefully not when I'm trying to walk home.

(Still, this doesn't mean that I'm looking forward to winter!)

Satellite TV

We now have over 150 channels. (Most of them are rubbish, but there's about 10 good ones. Much more than I had before!)

Since moving to this apartment we haven't had any TV reception because the little indoor area couldn't pick up anything. But then when we renewed our lease the landlord explained that the rent increase would include cable TV. Being economical uni students we asked if we could just opt out of the TV and save a few bucks. She replied that we don't have to use the TV connection if we don't want it but the price is the same. Well, if I'm paying for it!

So we now have a very fancy digital decoder that gives us hundreds of channels. They wouldn't give me a second box for the bedroom but this one has both RCA and coax outlets so I've set it up so I can watch the little TV in the kitchen while I cook.

I was all excited to be getting BBC America; I had seen it advertised in the intro to various DVDs I'd seen here. But now that I have it I see that, apart from BBC World News, there's just hours and hours of Gordon Ramsay. I did enjoy his shows for a while, it made me reminisce about when I worked in a restaurant, but there's only so much you can watch a chef yelling and swearing at people before it gets boring.

Indianapolis

Cindy wanted to see Harry Potter again in 3D, so yesterday we took a drive up to Indianapolis to see it at the IMAX.

Having gone all that way we had to do a few other things while we were there. There was our usual trip to IHOP:

It was a tropical theme this month. We had a choice between pineapple upside-down, banana macadamia or strawberry passionfruit pancakes.

But we also went to a couple of interesting grocery shops. We had been to Trader Joe's before. They have really good quality food for much cheaper than from a normal supermarket.

This was the first time we had been to Cost Plus World Market. They stock a range of foods from other countries including Australia and the UK. There's still plenty of TimTams left from our recent trip to Australia so we only bought one packet. I was looking forward to getting some Bundaberg Ginger Beer but they had run out (apparently it's quite popular and they run out often). I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had Robertson's Golden Shred marmalade - the same sort that was confiscated from me at Glasgow airport! They also had 250g blocks of Cadbury's but were charging $6 each - not worth it.