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No pet stories here - having grown up on a farm I couldn't coop up a good dog in a suburban back yard. And cats? Well... nope.
However it is a period of transition forthcoming and a pet might be in the future? Or factors that will alter the Happiness Scale... let me explain:
The Boy finishes his final year of Uni next month, and besides one catch up subject which revolves around an internship placement, he's got to get off his arse and go get a job. He did some work recently installing computer monitors in a corporate office for 3 days, but that's not going to pay the rent, my son. Especially as you owe me $150 for shouting you the tools at Bunnings.
Miss TA is about to do her HSC exams (i.e. finishing high school) and they're all packed into a week for the subjects she picked. She also turns 18 this Saturday, so as of this time next week I have no school kids in the house, and no kids at all, legally speaking
I'm glad to see the back of the Catholic Education system and their fees, that's for sure.
I've recently racked up 18 years at Woolworths HQ here in NW Sydney in parallel, having started there 10 days before Miss TA was born. Quite a ride.
Mrs TA gets her 10 years Long Service Leave in May. She's had enough and TBH I could do with a break as well.
We'll both have about two months worth of leave between us, and no day-to-day school shit to look after, so there's a bit of a question about what next? After the family holiday to Japan later this year I see a yawning chasm of who we are once this transition happens.
Part of me is quite excited to maybe take a trip to Europe and let the kids learn how to look after themselves - fuck knows it won't happen with Mrs TA hovering over them.
Part of me is quite concerned that, without the hovering, Mrs TA will not know what to do with herself; I understand it's quite common for the mothers who suddenly don't have anyone to mother. We're not moving to Mars but it's a very different dynamic.
I'd also like to drive around the great brown land and get a look at things - I'll be 50 next year so not getting any younger.
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Rome. My favorite city on the planet. Second isn’t even close. I’m not religious but Vatican City just blows my mind. Great views from the top of the dome but the interior walk is just mind blowing. Basilica is, for me, the best building on the planet.
Cherry on the top. Today’s convo in La Vita e on Mozzica:
Server: Bongiorno sir, whst would you like?
Me: I hear you choose what we’d like by you looking at us!
S: Ok, where you from?
M: New Zealand
S: No way! Ok, porchetta with mozzarella and pesto.
M: Sounds good, do it!
S: All Blacks, the best.Tells his colleague I’m from NZ
“No way, ah you guys the best so you get the best”
Me: not at the moment, SA better
Server: yayayaya who cares about SA? Not me. All blacks always the best, always.
Me: Grazi sir, italia ok too!
Server: if we ever beat you I’ll party for years. SA …I don’t care.Finishes making the sandwich.
Server: 14 EUR, but you will only pay 10. If SA, I’ll charge 20
Me: grazi!!Legend bloke, legend city.
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@MajorRage said in Happiness Scale:
Rome. My favorite city on the planet. Second isn’t even close. I’m not religious but Vatican City just blows my mind. Great views from the top of the dome but the interior walk is just mind blowing. Basilica is, for me, the best building on the planet.
Cherry on the top. Today’s convo in La Vita e on Mozzica:
Server: Bongiorno sir, whst would you like?
Me: I hear you choose what we’d like by you looking at us!
S: Ok, where you from?
M: New Zealand
S: No way! Ok, porchetta with mozzarella and pesto.
M: Sounds good, do it!
S: All Blacks, the best.Tells his colleague I’m from NZ
“No way, ah you guys the best so you get the best”
Me: not at the moment, SA better
Server: yayayaya who cares about SA? Not me. All blacks always the best, always.
Me: Grazi sir, italia ok too!
Server: if we ever beat you I’ll party for years. SA …I don’t care.Finishes making the sandwich.
Server: 14 EUR, but you will only pay 10. If SA, I’ll charge 20
Me: grazi!!Legend bloke, legend city.
Love Rome. The food shits all over Paris. I'd be off for a cacio E Pepe or a carbonara and an espresso next
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@mariner4life said in Happiness Scale:
@canefan said in Happiness Scale:
The food shits all over Paris
I stand by that. Not talking fine dining, but cheap and cheerful give me pasta pizza and toast meat anyday
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i love them both. the simplicity of Italian food is incredible. But no way am i judging one to be way better than the other.
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@mariner4life said in Happiness Scale:
i love them both. the simplicity of Italian food is incredible. But no way am i judging one to be way better than the other.
If I had one meal to eat in one city? The spaghetti vongole and roasted suckling pig I had in Rome was life changing. A handful of ingredients to create magic
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there was a pasta i ate on the Amalfi that i will remember forever.
But i have had so many incredible meals in Paris, and i am happy to roll in to a small bistro and eat snails or tartar
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Genoa. The foccacia, pastries, and that simple clam pasta. Wow.
I try not to judge cities by tourist hotspot food because it seems to be crap everywhere. I was surprised though, that Athens still had good places to buy reasonably-priced food. -
@mariner4life said in Happiness Scale:
there was a pasta i ate on the Amalfi that i will remember forever.
But i have had so many incredible meals in Paris, and i am happy to roll in to a small bistro and eat snails or tartar
I do like a good steak tartare. And I remember having a lovely roast Brest chicken one night. Quite possibly the most memorable meal I ever had in France was in a small village outside Nice where I got frogs legs and a sublime sauce
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@mariner4life said in Happiness Scale:
i love them both. the simplicity of Italian food is incredible. But no way am i judging one to be way better than the other.
If French food is so great, why does every French restaurant have pasta on the menu...?
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Best city food discussions are as pointless as best cricket player lists. Subjective and ultimately futile. I’ve had amazing, and shit, food in every city I’ve ever visited.
But today, I picked up a gnr uk tour shirt from ‘87 in Rome. For 20 EUR.
Rome just wins. Every time..
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My favourite memory of Rome (outside of the obvious) was the Italian waiter's disbelief at how quickly Mrs Mariner and i could delete pints on a stonkingly hot day.
There was no sipping.
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Happiness: club had its presentation night and it all ran really well. We're not a suit-and-tie bunch of piston wristed gibbons with a hundred-year history
We just get together at the pub, have a few drinks, get on the karaoke and enjoy ourselves.I also got to announce the nomination of two of my mates at the club for Life Membership.
And I've still got the whole weekend ahead of me!
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@MajorRage said in Happiness Scale:
Best city food discussions are as pointless as best cricket player lists. Subjective and ultimately futile. I’ve had amazing, and shit, food in every city I’ve ever visited.
But today, I picked up a gnr uk tour shirt from ‘87 in Rome. For 20 EUR.
Rome just wins. Every time..
The worlds top 50 best restaurants list and 51 to 100 list interestingly have Bangkok as the city with the most restaurants in 6.
Paris has 4.
Rome 0.
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That is surprising, both for Bangkok and Rome. Though top restaurants are not the real story, for me at least, as they offer an experience that is often far removed from the actual food. yes the food is good, sometimes phenomenal, but it is usually about the mix of ingredients showcasing the chef's skills, presentation and in many cases the wtf element. For me the discussion would be centred on the more everyday eating experiences and then it usually comes down to which type of cuisine do you prefer. If you prefer French, then Paris will shit on Rome and vice-versa.
I like the simplicity of Italian food but I also like the marriage of flavours that you get with French food insofar as with one dish you will get say dauphinoise potatoes and another you will get sarlardaise spuds and the marriage just works.
So on the whole I just about prefer French food, plus of course (in the north) they use butter. Lots of it.
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@Catogrande said in Happiness Scale:
That is surprising, both for Bangkok and Rome. Though top restaurants are not the real story, for me at least, as they offer an experience that is often far removed from the actual food. yes the food is good, sometimes phenomenal, but it is usually about the mix of ingredients showcasing the chef's skills, presentation and in many cases the wtf element. For me the discussion would be centred on the more everyday eating experiences and then it usually comes down to which type of cuisine do you prefer. If you prefer French, then Paris will shit on Rome and vice-versa.
I like the simplicity of Italian food but I also like the marriage of flavours that you get with French food insofar as with one dish you will get say dauphinoise potatoes and another you will get sarlardaise spuds and the marriage just works.
So on the whole I just about prefer French food, plus of course (in the north) they use butter. Lots of it.
What's interesting is Lima has the second most spots. Ive never been there or Bangkok.
I didn't have a great food experience overall in France and I felt like many places were phoning it in on reputation. There were some memorable meals though.
Havent had anything special in Rome but other parts of Italy were great.
Spain was great overall. Barcelona, San Sebastian etc.
Interestingly Amisfield Restaurant in Queenstown is in the top 100. Never been to the restaurant either but Ive bought a dozen of the Pinot Noir which is a great drop.
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@brodean France is certainly not immune to the dumbing down of the restaurant scene and yeah, the dial in in element is certainly alive and kicking. I had .a few days in Paris earlier this year with the two Ms Catos. It was NOT a cultural trip, it was all about food and wine and was a great trip. We did our research pretty thoroughly and the only two disappointments were a boulangerie that had a great rep but was trading on past glories and a mediocre Croque Monsieur experience in Le Marais area. No great surprise.
One great little restaurant not far from the river did mainly grilled meats. Madame grilled all sorts of cuts on a plain griddle over an open fire in the main part of the restaurant without a timer or seemingly any attempt at co-ordination at all. The result was fantastic. I had the most beautiful plate of grilled veal kidneys with frites and a green salad which were simple, great ingredients, cooked perfectly. Two courses were about 28 Euros from memory.
My nephew has a house out in the sticks in the Charente Maritime and the local restaurant does a set three course lunch for 16 Euros. Again, simple food cooked beautifully. That is the sort of French cuisine that gets my taste buds going.
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@Catogrande sounds amazing. Last time I went I clearly did not do enough research. It was rocks and diamonds a bit. I did enjoy some excellent Vietnamese food, had a couple of very good traditional French meals, and even had a dirty kebab which was most enjoyable
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A little further afield from my nephew's place - about 20 minute drive at most, there is this beautiful restaurant called la Scorlion, which we always go to whenever we're over there and we always go for the Prix Fixe lunchtime menu. 24 Euros for three courses with a decent choice for each course. It is astonishing value. My favourite main course is the imaginatively named "Buthchers piece of beef with crushed potatoes and brown sauce". It is reffing amazing.
Notre carte| Saint Jean d'Angely | Restaurant le Scorlion
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Happiness Scale
