Om nom nom nom

SO. MUCH. FOOD.
Which is exactly how I enjoy my life!
Last week a few of us from lab slipped out for lunch at a delicious tapas place (Casa Don Carlos) and some early sangria. Although... I ended up drinking most of the sangria. That wasn't my choice either; the other two didn't pull their weight with the jug of fruity wine. Later that night, I went out to the pub and then a club with my friends Caitlin and Chad. Chad found out that on Thursdays, Charles St. Pub has 1 pound Coronas and the club Revenge has cheap entry and 2 pound cocktails. However, a friend from lab gave me a VIP card to Revenge (so free entry) and some guy bought me a Jaeger bomb. A great night of cheap and free :]
Caitlin and I went out again on Friday, this time to a new club- Oceana. While we both knew that Oceana was pretty popular with the student population (which isn't really our scene), we found that they have a Disco room! They played Michael Jackson and songs from the 80s and 90s. It was great and totally my speed. We had to lie and say I was over 23 to get in, but I somehow managed to get into that room. It was great, but way more expensive than the previous night.
On Saturday, we went into Brighton to try some reindeer. However, when we got to the pub (Northern Lights) that serves reindeer, they were all out. Dominik, Caitlin, and I were very sad. I'm still hankerin' for some reindeer (which I probably won't even enjoy...). So instead, we went to Zafarellis... or something along those lines... which was a really good Italian restaurant. Dinner wasn't a total bust after all, but reindeer NEEDS to happen sometime soon.
Then, Sunday came. And Sunday meant that it was time for London-Christmas adventures with Caitlin!
First, we went to Hyde Park which was putting on a Winter Wonderland

Then we went to Soho and Covent Gardens. In Covent Gardens, we went to The Spice of Life; a pub that my aunt Mary Jo has been telling me about for awhile now. But not only did we go to The Spice of Life, but I also had my first Sunday Roast!!!! And it was DELICIOUS!

After lunch, we walked up to Oxford Street and Regeant Street, which have the best Christmas light displays in London.

For dinner, we got MEXICAN FOOD!!!!!!!!!! Which I have been missing and craving for a long long time. In Soho, there's a place called Wahaca (Oaxaca spelled incorreclty) and it was a mix between Mexican and Tex Mex. Which was good enough for me! However, I was so excited to dig in that I forgot to take pictures of our feast. Finally, upon the walk back, we stopped into a pub just outside of Victoria station and waited for our train. A FANTASTIC day, full of Christmas whimsy. However, the next day my feet were killing me from walking all over London all day long.
In lab I've been reading relevant theses from post-PhD students and have been looking a little into electrophysiology. Which, too me, is way too hard haha.
I've tried new exercise classes as well! Aerobatone, on Mondays, is fantastic. Its not super intense, but still a good cardio workout. On Tuesdays there's Dynamic Yoga, which is a decent workout (as far as yoga is concerned). I really enjoy yoga and actually zenned out at the end of Dynamic Yoga. In my zen moment, I had this really intense craving for chocolate, which I never get. SO weird. And then yesterday I tried Zumba and then Yin Yoga, which is restorative yoga, good for building up ligaments and strengthening joints (which is exactly what I need). Last night, my hips basically died. I'm pretty sure I'll need my hips replaced sometime in my life, but Yin Yoga made me realize that this replacement will probably need to occur by my 30s haha. I think this class will be really great for me. Zumba wasn't really my cup of tea.
Also on Monday, Caitlin introduced me to weight lifting. She's really into weight-lifting, specifically strengthening, not muscle-mass building. I really enjoyed our little gym time, so I am planning on continuing that track as well. As long as I don't get bulky, which isn't supposed to happen if I keep my caloric intake in check. However, knowing me, counting calories isn't really my thing haha.
I'm enjoying the gym here so much that I'm kicking myself over taking so long to sign up for it!
Which brings me to today, Thanksgiving. Caitlin and I are hosting a mini Thanksgiving, which has grown from 6 to 9 people. Here is the menu:
Turkey (premade in the grocery store, cooked by Caitlin and Lenzie)
Gravy (premade in the grocery store, heated by Caitlin and Lenzie)
Green Beans (Caitlin, Canada)
Turnip Puff (Caitlin, Canada)
Rice Stuffing/Casserole (This recipe! I wanted to make Moona's rice stuffing, but I couldn't find Uncle Ben's over here. America)
Biscuits (AMERICAN biscuits, by me. America)
Potatoes (Dominik, Germany)
Yams (Aahoo, America)
Cranberry Sauce (Aahoo, America)
Thanksgiving-themed beverages (Sarah, Canada)
Selection of pies (Chad, Canada)
And we still have some dishes unaccounted for. Not the most organized of events, but it'll be a nice get together!
I'll let you know how it all goes. It'll be an adventure, especially since our ovens are CRAP.
Fambam- I'll be seeing you tonight (for your Thanksgiving) :)

Later gaters!