Awesome new thing: #10

I have discussed before my dislike for the traditional British Christmas dessert, Christmas pudding, but I don't think I mentioned that there is one thing great about Christmas pudding - it's usually served with brandy sauce.

Stuff on top = brandy sauce

I'm not actually a fan of brandy (unless you're talking about my childhood dog named Brandy - she was the best), but creamy brandy sauce is delicious. I have even been known to accept a bowl of icky Christmas pudding just to slurp the sauce that settles in the bottom of the bowl.

But, as good as it is, brandy sauce is not awesome thing #10... This is:

Photo: Tesco.com

Yes, folks, this is brandy flavoured spray whipped cream (or aerosol cream as it usually called around here). Spray directly into mouth. Swallow. Repeat.   Ho ho ho yum!

ETA:  I am sorry to report that this stuff is GR-OSS!  Still an awesome idea, but gross. Do not try this at home. 

Just another Thursday?

I've always liked Thursday.  It's almost Friday and it used to be "ladies night" at a few bars I frequented in my younger days which holds good memories of $1 vodkas and very bad dancing. 

However, tomorrow is Thursday and I know I'm going to hate this one.  As you are probably aware, tomorrow is also Thanksgiving in America - a Thursday like no other - where Americans gather with their families, eat too much food, maybe watch football (if you're into that kind of thing) and remind themselves or eachother how thankful they are for even the littlest things... like your uncle throwing manners aside and tossing a roll in your general direction becuase its so much easier than passing the bread basket all the way down the table, your mother secretly counting how many glasses of wine you're drinking, or simply sitting across the table from your father.

I know the best thing to do would be to share the tradition of Thanksgiving with my British husband and friends (since I suppose they are my family here), and we are having a meal on Saturday with traditional Thanksgiving dishes, but trying to replicate only reminds me how impossible it is to replicate.

I hate you, Thanksgiving, for making me want to hug my real family and for reminding me that a Thanksgiving meal will happen just as it always has, only without me.

I hate you, Thanksgiving, for calling attention to the fact my father will have dinner by himself this day because I went off and left him.  The image of him eating yams alone is haunting me like your happy-turkey-togetherness could not possibly understand.

I hate you, Thanksgiving, for ruining Thanksgiving, and Thursday.

Awesome New Thing: # 9

For those of you who think it rains too much here in Blighty (and don't care if you look like an idiot) I have the best new invention for you.

Introducting the Umbrella Rain Coat:

Photo: DailyMail Online

It ensures your hair stays dry with a pop up, hands-free, rigid umbrella, but what your legs?   Yes, it protects them too!  Check it out:

Photo: DailyMail Online

Havent you always wanted a coat that keeps you warm, dry AND makes you look like you've come straight from Fukushima?   Unfortunately, the one shows in the photos is only a prototype and I somehow doubt they will ever make it to market, but I admit - I kinda want one.

Awesome New Thing: #8

I'm taking the easy way out on this one... Just read this article. 

The best combination of pure awesome and that famous British "quirkiness" ever.

Are we really that different?

My husband recently bought an iPhone 4S and I couldn't wait to play with Siri, the new virtual assistant who was supposed to issue reminders, verbally send text messages and much more.  We spoke of Siri before buying the phone and both of us called her a "her". "She will do this..."; "I'll ask her to remind me of that..."   

You can imagine our shock and horror (ok, maybe it was just borderline surprise) when Siri first spoke in a man's voice!  A male Siri!?  What on earth?   Soon after, I heard from a friend in America who was still calling his Siri a "she" and then it hit me - the US Siri is a woman and the UK (and apparently the French also) Siri is a man. 

What's this about?  Are we really that different that some marketing or development executive decided that British consumers want a male assistant and American ones want a female?   Surely this took more work to develop the two voices, so why bother?

I did a bit of research and found most studies on the topic of robot voices say that female voices are more pleasing and easier to understand. Some research puts this down to hearing the mothers voice in the womb.  Other theories related to the use of female voices in robots and computers hark back to World War II, when women's voices were used in airplane cockpits because they stood out among the male pilots. Also, since telephone operators have traditionally been female, many people have become accustomed to getting assistance from a woman's voice. 

This all makes sense to me, so why is the UK (and France) any different??

Apple refuses to comment on the UK male voice and the only theory I have come across was in the Guardian which claimed the reason for the difference is that 'British people mumble and obey authority, so they need someone authoritative'.  Huh?  I'm not buying into this, so my confusion remains...

Any thoughts from my loyal-ish readers?  (or am I the only one perplexed by this?)

Oh, and if you are in the UK and would perfer a female Siri, you can simply change the language to US English, but this will also change the accent of your new friend.  There is currently no option of getting a female British-accented Siri.

Awesome New Thing: #7

We've had a bit of a lull in the awesome category lately and I apologize for that.  I haven't found a single awesome new thing to share for three weeks now, but I've got a good one today.

Allow me to introduce the very awesome GlossyBox.

You know those Graze boxes that you can have delivered to your home or office that are full of "healthy" snacks?  I used to get those once a week, and loved them, but then the evil Middletons sucked me into the idea of the Dukan diet and Graze boxes are not very Dukan friendly.   I've been missing the special deliveries that made me clap when the postman came in, so was thrilled when I learned about GlossyBox.  The contents of these boxes are calorie and carbohydrate free because the box is filled with make-up!  Yay!

They aren't cheap at £10/month, but they come in a lovely box with a bow and tissue that is fun to open and makes all the other ladies in the office 'ohh' and 'ahh' when you open it. 

Here is my first box:

Dermalogica samples (and bag), full size nail polish, perfume samples and full size Stila eye liner. 

Oh and boys, they haven't forgotten about you - there is a GlossyBox for men too!

Thank you Mrs Thatcher

Are you one of those wierdos who likes ice cream right out of the tub?... you know they ones who actually kind of chew ice cream?   If so, then you won't care about this, but if you are like me and much prefer soft serve ice cream (think McDonalds or Mr Whippy), did you know that you have former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to thank for that glorious form of ice cream?

According to a new book, The Book of Celebrity Inventions by Mark Champkins, Mrs (or is it Baroness?) Thatcher, who has a degree in chemistry from Oxford, is responsible for research done into whipping more air into ice cream to make lovely soft serve ice cream that can be distributed through a machine! 

McFlurry anyone??