This city reminds me of Osaka. The massive, one way streets, the high class shopping centres, the many taxis, the crossings, and the buildings. And I really liked Osaka, so this is pretty cool. The heat is quite intense. I'm in loose fitting clothes, as most are. But the sun, which rarely pervades through gaps in the buildings, does provide a suitable friend to the air conditioners. I'm considering buying an air conditioner to take back home. I'm scared of the English heat, but it's only for a few more weeks after I get back, so it wouldn't be worth it.
I took the train to 72nd Street station, and from there walked to Central Park. Central Park is far more incredible than I imagined. The contrast to the city is so stark. I was walking among the most consistently tall buildings in the world, and then I was in a park that could have been in South Africa, in the suburbs of Durban. The city is the first place that definitely didn't feel like Africa, but the Park is like this natural haven from every negative aspect of the city. And life in general. It's peaceful and tranquil, and in New York, it sticks out like a green thumb.
I walked to the centre of the South Side, an then walked South towards Times Square. On the way, I found this Starbucks, where I'm currently writing, and I'm enjoying the first of three free drinks. I won't have them all here and now and today, I'll space them. I'll go and have a McDonalds later as well. Anyway, my Venti Banana caramel Frappucino is gone, and I'm about to go to Broadway for discount tickets. I'll post this and go.
Monday 31 July 2006
Hot Apple
The heat in this city is increasing. Apparently next week is a record breaker. I hope not. But, I'll live with it. It's better than being in England.
I left the building today, and immediately regretted taking my jacket. This wasn't California where you could wear it on your shoulders, this would cause you heat related pain by being near it. I struggled with the door locks for a few minutes before I got in, and dumped the coat and left again. I took the subway to Times Square.
I honestly felt like I was at the centre of the earth. I looked into the sky, and imagined the world looking at me, as it revolved around me. Henny does work for a lot of companies, and they give him vouchers in return. As well as money, of course, but he gets vouchers. He doesn't use many of them, and gives them to me. At the beginning of the day, I had 5 Free Extra Value Meal vouchers. Now I have 4. But these vouchers don't need any purchase or anything. I hand it over, they look, they give me the meal. This evening, he also gave me three Starbucks Drink Vouchers, valid here, Canada and the UK for any drink I like. Venti Java Chip Frappucino tomorrow I think.
I wandered Times Square. I wandered 42nd Street. It is just shops with massive rents backgrounded by skyscrapers. It's a beautiful shopping complex. An iconic shopping complex. THE shopping complex; where you buy anything that's worth owning. Like I<3NY shirts. It was a spectacle that had my neck craned for hours. I didn't actually do much. Or anything. I did a little shopping. I had more Cold Stone Cemetary ice cream, white chocolate with Oreos this time.
It was strange to hear English accents around me again. I felt no less like a tourist, I just felt less alien. I felt less foreign. This is strange because Natasha noted that she felt more foreign in New York than any other place. Compared to Osaka and San Francisco, I feel less foreign here. I do however, feel more remote. The friendliness of people here seems to be less. I'm not complaining, it's what I was expecting. And it's quite nice to be ignored in the hustle of everything. Despite the fact that this isn't my home, I feel like it has been, just for the way people don't tend to react. People are still friendly, don't get me wrong, but this isn't the West Coast. And don't think I don't enjoy not being ignored. It's why I like going to far away places and I cherish my accent when I do, but this makes a change.
I had a good chat with my family before I went out, and I am still eager to see them again, but I'm liking it here. My feet are throbbing and I have another busy schedule tomorrow. I'm going to see if I can get discounted tickets to Rent, and look for other, cheap shows as well. I applied to go and see a taping of the Daily Show, and I'm also going to go in and look for tickets for The Colbert Report, Letterman or Conan O'Brien, if they're available. I don't know much about the latter shows, but any live taping would be awesome.
I have vouchers for free food, and drink, and the subway is pretty cheap here. It's $2 to go anywhere you like. And it's not exactly the most pleasant trip ever. It's smelly and dirty, and people keep trying to sell you things, but I enjoy the 90% saving over a cab.
Henny took me to a Chip Shop, where we chatted and shared stories about the West Coast. I also finally ate deep fried chocolate. This was a deep fried Reeses Peanut Butter Cup, and it was good, but I'm too used to deep frying to come with something savory. I noted that it tasted like less-healthy chocolate. Which it was. Still good though. One the walk back I also grabbed a 12 pack of Welch's Grape Soda, a relatively tasty drink which Henny had brought over for us before.
I'm expecting every person who has missed me to meet me at the airport. That is, if Heathrow has the capacity to hold all of you. Oh ego ego. But I am hoping to see Becky waiting, and parents smiling as I walk in to Terminal 2 (it isn't necessarily Terminal 2, I just left from there).
If you are jealous of my location, I ask you to do one thing: imagine all the media that has portrayed Ney York City, and use that to pretend you're there. It's pretty much what it's like, just with the third dimension and extra senses and all.
Erin mentioned we were starting a new society. She's going to have to be a long distance President of the Amateur Philosophy/Capture the Flag/Break Dancing Society. Or APCtFBDS. Rolls off the tongue.
I finished Arrested Development. Fantastic show. I'm going to have to watch it again, with friends. But I did like how it ended. It wasn't typical, but it was very conclucisve. They couldn't have had any further seasons. Maybe a Year Later special or something. Speaking of watching television on the computer, I might finish The Life Aquatic, or watch Hero. And turn the air conditioning back on. I missed out on stuff I did today, but you haven't read the last few updates and I'm writing this for nothing you worthless reader.
I left the building today, and immediately regretted taking my jacket. This wasn't California where you could wear it on your shoulders, this would cause you heat related pain by being near it. I struggled with the door locks for a few minutes before I got in, and dumped the coat and left again. I took the subway to Times Square.
I honestly felt like I was at the centre of the earth. I looked into the sky, and imagined the world looking at me, as it revolved around me. Henny does work for a lot of companies, and they give him vouchers in return. As well as money, of course, but he gets vouchers. He doesn't use many of them, and gives them to me. At the beginning of the day, I had 5 Free Extra Value Meal vouchers. Now I have 4. But these vouchers don't need any purchase or anything. I hand it over, they look, they give me the meal. This evening, he also gave me three Starbucks Drink Vouchers, valid here, Canada and the UK for any drink I like. Venti Java Chip Frappucino tomorrow I think.
I wandered Times Square. I wandered 42nd Street. It is just shops with massive rents backgrounded by skyscrapers. It's a beautiful shopping complex. An iconic shopping complex. THE shopping complex; where you buy anything that's worth owning. Like I<3NY shirts. It was a spectacle that had my neck craned for hours. I didn't actually do much. Or anything. I did a little shopping. I had more Cold Stone Cemetary ice cream, white chocolate with Oreos this time.
It was strange to hear English accents around me again. I felt no less like a tourist, I just felt less alien. I felt less foreign. This is strange because Natasha noted that she felt more foreign in New York than any other place. Compared to Osaka and San Francisco, I feel less foreign here. I do however, feel more remote. The friendliness of people here seems to be less. I'm not complaining, it's what I was expecting. And it's quite nice to be ignored in the hustle of everything. Despite the fact that this isn't my home, I feel like it has been, just for the way people don't tend to react. People are still friendly, don't get me wrong, but this isn't the West Coast. And don't think I don't enjoy not being ignored. It's why I like going to far away places and I cherish my accent when I do, but this makes a change.
I had a good chat with my family before I went out, and I am still eager to see them again, but I'm liking it here. My feet are throbbing and I have another busy schedule tomorrow. I'm going to see if I can get discounted tickets to Rent, and look for other, cheap shows as well. I applied to go and see a taping of the Daily Show, and I'm also going to go in and look for tickets for The Colbert Report, Letterman or Conan O'Brien, if they're available. I don't know much about the latter shows, but any live taping would be awesome.
I have vouchers for free food, and drink, and the subway is pretty cheap here. It's $2 to go anywhere you like. And it's not exactly the most pleasant trip ever. It's smelly and dirty, and people keep trying to sell you things, but I enjoy the 90% saving over a cab.
Henny took me to a Chip Shop, where we chatted and shared stories about the West Coast. I also finally ate deep fried chocolate. This was a deep fried Reeses Peanut Butter Cup, and it was good, but I'm too used to deep frying to come with something savory. I noted that it tasted like less-healthy chocolate. Which it was. Still good though. One the walk back I also grabbed a 12 pack of Welch's Grape Soda, a relatively tasty drink which Henny had brought over for us before.
I'm expecting every person who has missed me to meet me at the airport. That is, if Heathrow has the capacity to hold all of you. Oh ego ego. But I am hoping to see Becky waiting, and parents smiling as I walk in to Terminal 2 (it isn't necessarily Terminal 2, I just left from there).
If you are jealous of my location, I ask you to do one thing: imagine all the media that has portrayed Ney York City, and use that to pretend you're there. It's pretty much what it's like, just with the third dimension and extra senses and all.
Erin mentioned we were starting a new society. She's going to have to be a long distance President of the Amateur Philosophy/Capture the Flag/Break Dancing Society. Or APCtFBDS. Rolls off the tongue.
I finished Arrested Development. Fantastic show. I'm going to have to watch it again, with friends. But I did like how it ended. It wasn't typical, but it was very conclucisve. They couldn't have had any further seasons. Maybe a Year Later special or something. Speaking of watching television on the computer, I might finish The Life Aquatic, or watch Hero. And turn the air conditioning back on. I missed out on stuff I did today, but you haven't read the last few updates and I'm writing this for nothing you worthless reader.
Sunday 30 July 2006
Beep Beep
Good evening.
I'm in a high altitude traversing vehicle. An aeroplane. I'm blogging from thirty thousand feet. Cool, isn't it? I'm a few hours out of Newark, and I'm not going to sleep in the airport, I was recommended to a taxi from Penn Station, and it won't cost too much, about $15. So I won't be in danger at Newark Airport, worry not.
It's not a week in New York anymore. It's pretty much five days. It's not long, but people have gone to New York for shorter, so I don't think I'm missing out on a long holiday. I've had a long holiday. I had a good, long, holiday. People say that you should always leave a place wanting more, wanting to return. That works if you get sick of a place quickly. I would have spent any longer time at any place I stayed. It was great fun everywhere I went, and I want to go back, despite the fact that I went for a long time. My first holiday without Emma in two years, I miss that, but everything happens. She emailed me yesterday, noting how I had missed the entire time she's been busy. I guess I had good timing. We can enjoy the rest of the summer and do fun stuff without any other obligations. I have a busy summer to do.
I'm going to watch the rest of Arrested Development while I'm up here. I'll post when I'm at Henny's apartment in a few hours.
---
I'm looking currently at a massive thunder storm that I am watching from the sky. I saw one on the way to Japan, but I was more over it, now I'm more to the side, and this is very big. I'm going to stop posting and watch.
---
The thunder storm was massive. I mean, the one on the way to Osaka was pretty big, but the flashes were muffled by clouds, so they were like huge, brief white bruises on the clouds, then fading to blackness again. This time, I could not only see the log streaks of charge, but I saw them grow, and dart from one end of the cloud to the other. This was the first time I'd seen lightning in detail. I saw it close by once before, but it was only one. I'd been a stranger to forked lightning until tonight. Beautiful.
Three minutes before the end of Arrested Development, the very end, they asked us to turn off and put away all electrical devices. So I have three minutes left to watch.
I'm in New York. I'm at Henny's apartment. Everything went according to plan: I caught the train to Penn Station, and from Madison Square Gardens I caught a cab to Henny's place. Being in a car in New York is different to being in a car anywhere else in the world. Or at least any place I've been. There are white lines painted on the road, but I don't know why. Lanes mean nothing to these people. Everyone honks and hoots and beeps and shouts at everyone else. On the plane I watched 16 Blocks, and it was good to be shown stereotypical New York shortly before landing in typical New York. Busy, loud, stinky, and wonderful. The cabbie that took me drove and swerved like a mad man. I thought we'd crash several times. Once we had to slam on brakes hard enough to almost skid because someone just pulled into our lane. So much fun. I really want to drive in this city. And I want to drive a manual in this city.
California's gone, I'm going home soon, and I have a lot to be doing. Henny doesn't know his WEP key and he's going to check it tomorrow, so I'm leaching off one of the other 4 networks available. I love cities, I so do. I'm going to leave my computer here when I go out from now on, unless I plan to spend the say in a Starbucks. Which I won't do.
I asked Rachel in Cannery Row Starbucks if I could leave my computer there and go for a walk, and it was fine. I severely doubt I'll make any relationships like that here, or be able to do anything like that with confidence. But hey, it's a different thing, there's a lot more to go on, and I'm sure it'll be more lively and maybe more fun. Damn hot though. I'm going to browse other people's blogs now.
I'm in a high altitude traversing vehicle. An aeroplane. I'm blogging from thirty thousand feet. Cool, isn't it? I'm a few hours out of Newark, and I'm not going to sleep in the airport, I was recommended to a taxi from Penn Station, and it won't cost too much, about $15. So I won't be in danger at Newark Airport, worry not.
It's not a week in New York anymore. It's pretty much five days. It's not long, but people have gone to New York for shorter, so I don't think I'm missing out on a long holiday. I've had a long holiday. I had a good, long, holiday. People say that you should always leave a place wanting more, wanting to return. That works if you get sick of a place quickly. I would have spent any longer time at any place I stayed. It was great fun everywhere I went, and I want to go back, despite the fact that I went for a long time. My first holiday without Emma in two years, I miss that, but everything happens. She emailed me yesterday, noting how I had missed the entire time she's been busy. I guess I had good timing. We can enjoy the rest of the summer and do fun stuff without any other obligations. I have a busy summer to do.
I'm going to watch the rest of Arrested Development while I'm up here. I'll post when I'm at Henny's apartment in a few hours.
---
I'm looking currently at a massive thunder storm that I am watching from the sky. I saw one on the way to Japan, but I was more over it, now I'm more to the side, and this is very big. I'm going to stop posting and watch.
---
The thunder storm was massive. I mean, the one on the way to Osaka was pretty big, but the flashes were muffled by clouds, so they were like huge, brief white bruises on the clouds, then fading to blackness again. This time, I could not only see the log streaks of charge, but I saw them grow, and dart from one end of the cloud to the other. This was the first time I'd seen lightning in detail. I saw it close by once before, but it was only one. I'd been a stranger to forked lightning until tonight. Beautiful.
Three minutes before the end of Arrested Development, the very end, they asked us to turn off and put away all electrical devices. So I have three minutes left to watch.
I'm in New York. I'm at Henny's apartment. Everything went according to plan: I caught the train to Penn Station, and from Madison Square Gardens I caught a cab to Henny's place. Being in a car in New York is different to being in a car anywhere else in the world. Or at least any place I've been. There are white lines painted on the road, but I don't know why. Lanes mean nothing to these people. Everyone honks and hoots and beeps and shouts at everyone else. On the plane I watched 16 Blocks, and it was good to be shown stereotypical New York shortly before landing in typical New York. Busy, loud, stinky, and wonderful. The cabbie that took me drove and swerved like a mad man. I thought we'd crash several times. Once we had to slam on brakes hard enough to almost skid because someone just pulled into our lane. So much fun. I really want to drive in this city. And I want to drive a manual in this city.
California's gone, I'm going home soon, and I have a lot to be doing. Henny doesn't know his WEP key and he's going to check it tomorrow, so I'm leaching off one of the other 4 networks available. I love cities, I so do. I'm going to leave my computer here when I go out from now on, unless I plan to spend the say in a Starbucks. Which I won't do.
I asked Rachel in Cannery Row Starbucks if I could leave my computer there and go for a walk, and it was fine. I severely doubt I'll make any relationships like that here, or be able to do anything like that with confidence. But hey, it's a different thing, there's a lot more to go on, and I'm sure it'll be more lively and maybe more fun. Damn hot though. I'm going to browse other people's blogs now.
Saturday 29 July 2006
Guess Where I Am!
I'm in friggin' Utah.
Salt Lake City. How weird is that? Utah has always been this strange, middle America, desolate place, and it doesn't disappoint. Erin came and saved me after a long trip on the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) train, and I got to spend another 24 hours with her in California, so not everything was bad. We went to the Cold Stone Creamery (which I initially thought was the Cold Stone Cemetery), and I had this Cake Mix ice cream with Reeses and Snickers mixed in. I say it was amazing, and I will look for more in New York.
Erin took my to a Japanese place so I could taste the California-Japanese food, which most say is better than England-Japanese food. And it was. But it wasn't as good as Japan-Japanese food. I still remember the night with Yayoi as a provider of the best Sushi ever. I had Tonkatsu and Erin had Tempura, and the portions were big and the price was quite high, but I enjoyed the Tuna and California rolls I had with it all.
I spent my flight here watching the final season of Arrested Development, and if I have enough battery, I'll watch the rest of it before I get to New York.
I have to pack and get to my gate now. I'll call Henny and I'm thinking of writing a mid-air blog post. But for now, stay where you are, I'm not far.
Salt Lake City. How weird is that? Utah has always been this strange, middle America, desolate place, and it doesn't disappoint. Erin came and saved me after a long trip on the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) train, and I got to spend another 24 hours with her in California, so not everything was bad. We went to the Cold Stone Creamery (which I initially thought was the Cold Stone Cemetery), and I had this Cake Mix ice cream with Reeses and Snickers mixed in. I say it was amazing, and I will look for more in New York.
Erin took my to a Japanese place so I could taste the California-Japanese food, which most say is better than England-Japanese food. And it was. But it wasn't as good as Japan-Japanese food. I still remember the night with Yayoi as a provider of the best Sushi ever. I had Tonkatsu and Erin had Tempura, and the portions were big and the price was quite high, but I enjoyed the Tuna and California rolls I had with it all.
I spent my flight here watching the final season of Arrested Development, and if I have enough battery, I'll watch the rest of it before I get to New York.
I have to pack and get to my gate now. I'll call Henny and I'm thinking of writing a mid-air blog post. But for now, stay where you are, I'm not far.
Friday 28 July 2006
New Flight
I have just finished a phone call with Continental Airlines (try typing their web address in Firefox without the use of the N key). The call took 40 minutes, but they rearraged my flight for tomorrow without the $100 change fee, so I am relieved. I fly tomorrow at 1PM istead of today, though I will look for overnight fares for tonight.
Now I have to go, a dog has just dropped a very nasty mess near to me, and I can't breath.
I'll be ok. I almost had to wait until the 31st, but it's not the case.
Now I have to go, a dog has just dropped a very nasty mess near to me, and I can't breath.
I'll be ok. I almost had to wait until the 31st, but it's not the case.
My Date with Erin
Oh wow, guess where I am!
I'm finally on a Greyhound Bus! I wated to go on one, you know,for the experience. Origially, I was goign to go from New York to San Francisco, which would take 3 to 4 days, but instead I'm going from Salinas to San José, which is 2 hours. I have been chatting to a woman who has been riding this bus for 3 days from Virginia. She's asking other passegers for hand cream and perfume. From her descritption of her time, I'm very glad I did't take the long route to CA. I'm thankful for Henny buying me the plane ticket. I'm meetig Erin in an hour and ten minutes, and while I can't post this util I get to her house and connect to Rigsys, I thought I'd let you know what was going on. It probably would be comfortable if my hip wasn't in pain, and Idon't know why that is, but it is.
Anyway, I'll continue this post when I'm on firm ground with an actual internet connection.
---
I had do to a lot of correcting on that post, the bumpy coach seemed to worsen the keys so that it almost became unreadable. I'm currently in the airport, SFO. It's 12:22, and my flight was at 11:55. That means I missed it. I know. Sucks. But things like this happen. There's no Starbucks in the airport, but there is wireless. I don't have much battery though.
Anyway, back to the title of the post. I arrived at the bus station, and walked to the front, where an old BMW had decided to get around a corner faster than a leaving bus. This wasn't a good idea, and its front end and wheel got trapped underneath the bus, making a wonderful spectacle as this guy revved and squealed trying to get free. He didn't write off the car, he just damaged the front quite badly. Silly man. Erin turned up a minute later, and we travelled around San Jose, watching the millions of people about and ending up at an In and Out Burger (Outtie Burger). We got a drive through (I just had a shake, as I was completely full of the Taco Bell I had with Kiana), but we sat in the parking lot, in the car, with the seats back and the sunroof open, noting that if we had been dating, it would be very romantic. Incidentally, I proposed twice later that night, but that's nothing important.
We travelled back to her house, and I spoke with her brother. He'd just modded his XBox with en Xecutor 3.0. Quite nice, but he'd somehow messed up the BIOS, and needed to redo it. Erin and I made for bed, and she rolled out a sleeping bag on her floor. Despite the effort to sleep and the early rising we'd be doing, we chatted for two and a half hours, about really strange and wonderful things. And we took photos of her doing all the dancing moves she'd been learning. It was good to be back in San Francisco. Waking at 8:20, leaving at 8:40 we drove TO Berkeley, singing more Lion King songs all the way, especially I Just Can't Wait to be King, which we noted was OUR song. And I departed her at Berkeley, and walked to the station. Despite my best efforts, I didn't make the plane. Now I'm in the airport, trying to call Erin to let her know what's going on. This sucks, but it's a nother day in California. And it's not delaying my trip back to England.
I'm sorry Kiana didn't seem to enjoy my being in Carmel as much as I did. But I didn't do it for her. I did it for me, and I don't regret it at all. I had a wonderful time, even if she didn't. And despite her protests, I know there were times that she enjoyed me being there. I came to California to learn more about Kiana, and I did, and I'm happy with what I did, even if no one else is. But it's not as if I live to please others, not in a situation like this. Plus I met loads of cool people, I had a great time, and I felt what it's like to live in California.
I just called Erin, and explained the situation to her. I'm going back to Fremont soon, as soon as I sort out my flight, and I'll try and make the next flight a bit easier. Anyway, I'll let you know what will happen.
I'm finally on a Greyhound Bus! I wated to go on one, you know,for the experience. Origially, I was goign to go from New York to San Francisco, which would take 3 to 4 days, but instead I'm going from Salinas to San José, which is 2 hours. I have been chatting to a woman who has been riding this bus for 3 days from Virginia. She's asking other passegers for hand cream and perfume. From her descritption of her time, I'm very glad I did't take the long route to CA. I'm thankful for Henny buying me the plane ticket. I'm meetig Erin in an hour and ten minutes, and while I can't post this util I get to her house and connect to Rigsys, I thought I'd let you know what was going on. It probably would be comfortable if my hip wasn't in pain, and Idon't know why that is, but it is.
Anyway, I'll continue this post when I'm on firm ground with an actual internet connection.
---
I had do to a lot of correcting on that post, the bumpy coach seemed to worsen the keys so that it almost became unreadable. I'm currently in the airport, SFO. It's 12:22, and my flight was at 11:55. That means I missed it. I know. Sucks. But things like this happen. There's no Starbucks in the airport, but there is wireless. I don't have much battery though.
Anyway, back to the title of the post. I arrived at the bus station, and walked to the front, where an old BMW had decided to get around a corner faster than a leaving bus. This wasn't a good idea, and its front end and wheel got trapped underneath the bus, making a wonderful spectacle as this guy revved and squealed trying to get free. He didn't write off the car, he just damaged the front quite badly. Silly man. Erin turned up a minute later, and we travelled around San Jose, watching the millions of people about and ending up at an In and Out Burger (Outtie Burger). We got a drive through (I just had a shake, as I was completely full of the Taco Bell I had with Kiana), but we sat in the parking lot, in the car, with the seats back and the sunroof open, noting that if we had been dating, it would be very romantic. Incidentally, I proposed twice later that night, but that's nothing important.
We travelled back to her house, and I spoke with her brother. He'd just modded his XBox with en Xecutor 3.0. Quite nice, but he'd somehow messed up the BIOS, and needed to redo it. Erin and I made for bed, and she rolled out a sleeping bag on her floor. Despite the effort to sleep and the early rising we'd be doing, we chatted for two and a half hours, about really strange and wonderful things. And we took photos of her doing all the dancing moves she'd been learning. It was good to be back in San Francisco. Waking at 8:20, leaving at 8:40 we drove TO Berkeley, singing more Lion King songs all the way, especially I Just Can't Wait to be King, which we noted was OUR song. And I departed her at Berkeley, and walked to the station. Despite my best efforts, I didn't make the plane. Now I'm in the airport, trying to call Erin to let her know what's going on. This sucks, but it's a nother day in California. And it's not delaying my trip back to England.
I'm sorry Kiana didn't seem to enjoy my being in Carmel as much as I did. But I didn't do it for her. I did it for me, and I don't regret it at all. I had a wonderful time, even if she didn't. And despite her protests, I know there were times that she enjoyed me being there. I came to California to learn more about Kiana, and I did, and I'm happy with what I did, even if no one else is. But it's not as if I live to please others, not in a situation like this. Plus I met loads of cool people, I had a great time, and I felt what it's like to live in California.
I just called Erin, and explained the situation to her. I'm going back to Fremont soon, as soon as I sort out my flight, and I'll try and make the next flight a bit easier. Anyway, I'll let you know what will happen.
Thursday 27 July 2006
Cold Fog
It's a cold day in Monterey. I'm not speaking figuratively, it's actually very cold. And it was boiling this morning.
For those of you keeping up, I didn't get to meet with Rachel properly. It's a shame, something came up for her, she's leaving town for a bit, it was bad timing, life goes on. I'm not down about it, I'm happy where I am. I've had a great time here in Carmel/Monterey. I've gone to the beach loads, I've met lots of people, I have lots of people to laugh with and maybe meet again if I come back here. I've set down some potential roots, and I won't forget the awesome people I met here. Like whats-his-name, and that girl, and maybe the one with the hair. John, he's a character, I'll remember him. And Sarah, she's weird enough to make an imprint. By proxy, CatherineRose as well. Jaret too, he's a great guy. And some people I met that I have forgotten the name of, guiltily. But most of Kiana's friends who I chatted to I got along well with, and wouldn't mind knowing better. Charlie's a legend though, I certainly won't forget him anytime soon.
So I set down some contacts. I have people who know me all over the world now. Osaka, Tokyo, Beijing, California, France, Germany, Nagoya, Wisconsin... And so wherever I end up, I'll know somebody who's already there.
Tomorrow, I travel to Salinas, take the Greyhound to San José, where I'll meet Erin, and stay overnight with her, before I depart early for SFO, where I fly at midday. I fly to New York and get there late. That commences my final week. I won't see Kiana for a month, but that's ok, I didn't see her for two weeks while I was with Erin and Yukina, and she was pretty much just down the road that whole time.
This morning, while I was waiting to leave to go out, and I was sitting on Kiana's chair in her room, using her fan to cool me off (it was horribly humid there this morning), I noticed something tickling my foot. It's usually a fly, or something akin to a fly, like a similar bug, and I prepared to crush it. I like to look at what I'm killing first. I don't like killing things, but strange bugs up on mountains are threats to me. I looked, and all I saw was a bright blue thread on my foot. It looked like it was from her blanket she'd leant me to sleep on, but the blanket wasn't blue. Suddenly, the thread moved, and crawled up my jeans a bit. I realised that most of the thread wasn't actually blue, it was actually a lizard with a blue tail. I recognised it from when I was clearing out Kiana's garden. This tiny, beautiful creature, with a neon blue tail sat on my jeans, staring. I didn't know what to do. I was glad I hadn't attenpted to crush it. I called Kiana, and she helped set it free outside. I assumed bug, it turned out to be something beautiful. A similar thing happened yesterday. I was hearing bugs fly outside Kiana's window, sitting in the same chair. I heard what I thought was a massive bug flying by. I shuddered at it's size, it sounded several inches long. I turned around, and it was about two inches. And it was a hummingbird, not an insect. I hadn't seen hummingbirds in the wild before. I think ever. They were very beautiful, and they just hover around Kiana's window, looking for things to eat.
It is beautiful around here. I see eagles soaring everyday, I see vast views over the mountains when I wake up, I see so much that I know Becky and my parents would love to be seeing.
So I will be sorry to leave this section of California. I spend another day in San Francisco, and then I begin my journey home. I would like to live here after a while, I'd like to settle down here after a few years of travelling. I can understand people loving to settle in one place, the place they grew up in, but I feel lucky in my choice to not do that, at least for a while. I want to go all the nice places in the world (I dislike certain places in the world and won't be going there).
So I extend my thanks to Kiana and her family, and apologise for the situation that placed me in their care for so long. But I appreciated it, and I very much enjoyed my time in this corner of the earth.
I'm spending my last time in Starbucks writing this with my oddly functional laptop, drinking unsweetened Passion iced tea, and saying goodbye to the friends I made here. I'm having a good life.
For those of you keeping up, I didn't get to meet with Rachel properly. It's a shame, something came up for her, she's leaving town for a bit, it was bad timing, life goes on. I'm not down about it, I'm happy where I am. I've had a great time here in Carmel/Monterey. I've gone to the beach loads, I've met lots of people, I have lots of people to laugh with and maybe meet again if I come back here. I've set down some potential roots, and I won't forget the awesome people I met here. Like whats-his-name, and that girl, and maybe the one with the hair. John, he's a character, I'll remember him. And Sarah, she's weird enough to make an imprint. By proxy, CatherineRose as well. Jaret too, he's a great guy. And some people I met that I have forgotten the name of, guiltily. But most of Kiana's friends who I chatted to I got along well with, and wouldn't mind knowing better. Charlie's a legend though, I certainly won't forget him anytime soon.
So I set down some contacts. I have people who know me all over the world now. Osaka, Tokyo, Beijing, California, France, Germany, Nagoya, Wisconsin... And so wherever I end up, I'll know somebody who's already there.
Tomorrow, I travel to Salinas, take the Greyhound to San José, where I'll meet Erin, and stay overnight with her, before I depart early for SFO, where I fly at midday. I fly to New York and get there late. That commences my final week. I won't see Kiana for a month, but that's ok, I didn't see her for two weeks while I was with Erin and Yukina, and she was pretty much just down the road that whole time.
This morning, while I was waiting to leave to go out, and I was sitting on Kiana's chair in her room, using her fan to cool me off (it was horribly humid there this morning), I noticed something tickling my foot. It's usually a fly, or something akin to a fly, like a similar bug, and I prepared to crush it. I like to look at what I'm killing first. I don't like killing things, but strange bugs up on mountains are threats to me. I looked, and all I saw was a bright blue thread on my foot. It looked like it was from her blanket she'd leant me to sleep on, but the blanket wasn't blue. Suddenly, the thread moved, and crawled up my jeans a bit. I realised that most of the thread wasn't actually blue, it was actually a lizard with a blue tail. I recognised it from when I was clearing out Kiana's garden. This tiny, beautiful creature, with a neon blue tail sat on my jeans, staring. I didn't know what to do. I was glad I hadn't attenpted to crush it. I called Kiana, and she helped set it free outside. I assumed bug, it turned out to be something beautiful. A similar thing happened yesterday. I was hearing bugs fly outside Kiana's window, sitting in the same chair. I heard what I thought was a massive bug flying by. I shuddered at it's size, it sounded several inches long. I turned around, and it was about two inches. And it was a hummingbird, not an insect. I hadn't seen hummingbirds in the wild before. I think ever. They were very beautiful, and they just hover around Kiana's window, looking for things to eat.
It is beautiful around here. I see eagles soaring everyday, I see vast views over the mountains when I wake up, I see so much that I know Becky and my parents would love to be seeing.
So I will be sorry to leave this section of California. I spend another day in San Francisco, and then I begin my journey home. I would like to live here after a while, I'd like to settle down here after a few years of travelling. I can understand people loving to settle in one place, the place they grew up in, but I feel lucky in my choice to not do that, at least for a while. I want to go all the nice places in the world (I dislike certain places in the world and won't be going there).
So I extend my thanks to Kiana and her family, and apologise for the situation that placed me in their care for so long. But I appreciated it, and I very much enjoyed my time in this corner of the earth.
I'm spending my last time in Starbucks writing this with my oddly functional laptop, drinking unsweetened Passion iced tea, and saying goodbye to the friends I made here. I'm having a good life.
Tuesday 25 July 2006
Orange Layout
I feel my time in America is coming to an end. I find that upsetting, because it's nice to live here. And that's what I came to do, I came to live here. I didn't want to holiday here, I wanted to experience being here as if I were here permanently. And granted that I didn't get a job or start studying or anything like that, I think I lived the way I would live on the weekends. I made friends and I had a fun time while I was here. I leave for New York, and I will not know anyone there, but it's a chance to meet people. I'm going to try and hang around the University and maybe I'll meet some people that share interests. Still, it's a short time and it's a big city. There's a lot there.
In case you didn't notice, I redesigned my site. It's a tribute to my favourite website. Perhaps silliness of this degree will get me a digg or something. I hope not, I really don't have enough bandwidth. I also took the number of posts per page from 10 to 4, so you have to be quicker before they go off the page. I kept the old template, and this is just for a while, but I think it's pretty cool.
I'm waiting here to meet Rachel if she's available for lunch. Later I'm going to fly my kite with Charlie. Should be a lot of fun. If you like the layout, comment. If you don't, comment.
In case you didn't notice, I redesigned my site. It's a tribute to my favourite website. Perhaps silliness of this degree will get me a digg or something. I hope not, I really don't have enough bandwidth. I also took the number of posts per page from 10 to 4, so you have to be quicker before they go off the page. I kept the old template, and this is just for a while, but I think it's pretty cool.
I'm waiting here to meet Rachel if she's available for lunch. Later I'm going to fly my kite with Charlie. Should be a lot of fun. If you like the layout, comment. If you don't, comment.
Closing Monterey
Last night Kiana and Charlie and I went to a dune in Sand City (a sand dune, too!). When told it was impossible, I ran to the top. Upon reaching it, I was so tired, I felt like falling over and dying for about 10 minutes. This is a pretty large dune, too. Like, massive. Anyway, the trio of us stayed atop this dune for ages, mostly consisting of Kiana placing plant pieces in my mouth while I was lying on her, and me accidentally hitting her in the boobs. And it went on like that. Technically the dune is private property, and we were trespassing, so, law enforcement, consider this a formal confession.
After we went down (which involved running and hurling Kiana into plant patches), we drove to a 7-11 and I had my second ever slurpee. That concluded the evening, and Kiana drove home while I played one of my favourite childhood albums, Hello Nasty. It wasn't until track 7 that Kiana realised who it was. But everyone knows that one.
Today I was due to meet with Rachel for the day. Unfortunately she had to work, and her text didn't go through, but she doesn't have to work until midnight or anything, so I should get to see her all the same. Despite looking forward to it, it wasn't so bad. Today was absolutely beautiful, the sun was hot, but not painfully so. I'm wearing my pink shirt and my good blazer, so I'm in good visual stead. And I looked good all day. I ate a tasty lunch from a shopping centre called "Nob Hill", which offered BBQ beef and cheddar panini, which was good. I had a Ben and Jerry's milkshake to wash it down. I have praise for that.
Kiana drove to her work place, the Crazy Horse, and from there I walked to the Del Monte centre, where I checked my email and replied to Dan and Natasha. With Dan as an accomplice, I feel I can accomplish all sorts of mischief this coming year. I then just walked around. I walked through Monterey, I looked at guitar shops, I sat at the beach, I smiled at roller bladers, I just had a relaxing day, it was very beautiful. I won't say that the view compared to the beach at Big Sur, I wasn't as original or beautiful, but it was amazing nonetheless. In a more traditional manner.
From there I walked slowly to Cannery Row, America's Mido-suji, and I ordered an iced Mocha. Rachel made it so I didn't have to pay, which was cool because lunch was expensive. So I sat down and started typing this out on my phone. And that's where I am now. I have had an excellent idea for blogging that I'm going to do next time I have access to the internet and a full laptop. It's a temporary redesign that's easy to implement and I think I'll keep while I spend time on my good redesign.
I am a person of love. I realise who I love in the world, and how important it is to love people. Not in a romantic way, in a way that you know these people care and these people make you happy to a great extent. And I realise that I am lucky in the amount of people that I love, and who I can depend on. I am going to be a person of love, and I am going to cherish it to the extent that I will always keep it, no matter how far away it is. But I will always be looking for more, and that search is important. I will find people that I will love, wherever I am. But despite that, I will not let go of what I have. Passion. I am a person of love and passion. And passion is something I
will prosper and fight with, no matter what it is.
I just spoke with Rachel, I got to speak with her finally, she's very busy. And she will be this evening, so we rearranged things for tomorrow lunch, which will be good. I don't mind missing out on my plans, it's a beautiful day, and I can reflect. Things are going well, and things will go well for me, here and in England.
My batteries are dying, so I'll go online and post this, then head out. Love to you all.
Monday 24 July 2006
Still Not Compus Epistola
I have some novel ways of making my keys work. They're strange, and temporary, but they do the job, even if it's just for a short time. I should get one thing said, I have a sty. Not of the porcine variety, of the ocular variety. And it's very painful. It makes closing my eyes a chore, and I made an eye patch out of tissue and the medical tape Emma and I bought in Japan. It worked to an extent, but I am just annoyed by its existence, and I wish to pull it out of my eyelid.
I found Natasha's blog. She refused to tell me the location of it, saying I should find it, but it wasn't exactly a difficult search. Out of respect to her I won't tell you the incredibly complicated search terms I used to find it.
I am struggling to write as my temporary fixes no longer do what they should. Perhaps this computer has reached the end of its time.
I found Natasha's blog. She refused to tell me the location of it, saying I should find it, but it wasn't exactly a difficult search. Out of respect to her I won't tell you the incredibly complicated search terms I used to find it.
I am struggling to write as my temporary fixes no longer do what they should. Perhaps this computer has reached the end of its time.
Sunday 23 July 2006
N, B and Space
Right, I'm fairly annoyed. I wrote up a post on my phone for about 15 minutes and somehow the page navigated away and I lost it, but since I have restarted my computer, the keyboard is working for the mean time. It might be software, I don't know, but I'm going to attack it with a screwdriver when I can, and see what can be done.
Since I can post briefly only, I want to elaborate on yesterday. After the strange encounter with Sarah, that I still don't understand, I went to Starbucks to see Rachel. Being told that she had just left, I lamented online for a while, and saw to myself that I made the most of my time here. That was made a lot easier by Rachel showing up, and being very smiley and friendly, and after a second I asked to hang out with her, and she eagerly agreed, and she gave me her number and arranged to meet on Monday. First a kiss, then a date? It was turning into quite a successful Friday. All the while my computer slowly failed and made it harder and harder to inform you. Since I have removed the DVD drive, it works slightly better.
Today, we woke up and since Kiana was starting her new job hostessing at a restaurant in Carmel, she dropped me at an auto dealer so I could investigate the DeLorean they had for sale. It was so beautiful; $30000, 16000 miles, almost new. Sadly it was automatic, and I doubted greatly that they'd allow me a test drive, but I did touch it and get some photographs. From there I walked to Starbucks which was quite a way away. I arrived and tried emailing. Half way through my second email the curse of the keys hit in, and I was stuck for things to do. So I asked Rachel if I could leave my computer there, and she let me and we hugged(!), and I walked to Taco Bell. I have difficulty resisting that restaurant because it is good and cheap, and we just don't get it in England. After that, I sat outside another Starbucks (I'm not an addict), and I wrote a wonderful post on my phone, which was lost just before submission.
I walked back to Cannery Row, enjoying the air and the smell of race fuel as the bikes all around me revved and showed off. There was a guy parking his girlfriend's pink motorbike, and he got very teased, bless. He was a big guy too. I found it all very cute. I arrived back at Starbucks, and since wrote this post.
Since I can post briefly only, I want to elaborate on yesterday. After the strange encounter with Sarah, that I still don't understand, I went to Starbucks to see Rachel. Being told that she had just left, I lamented online for a while, and saw to myself that I made the most of my time here. That was made a lot easier by Rachel showing up, and being very smiley and friendly, and after a second I asked to hang out with her, and she eagerly agreed, and she gave me her number and arranged to meet on Monday. First a kiss, then a date? It was turning into quite a successful Friday. All the while my computer slowly failed and made it harder and harder to inform you. Since I have removed the DVD drive, it works slightly better.
Today, we woke up and since Kiana was starting her new job hostessing at a restaurant in Carmel, she dropped me at an auto dealer so I could investigate the DeLorean they had for sale. It was so beautiful; $30000, 16000 miles, almost new. Sadly it was automatic, and I doubted greatly that they'd allow me a test drive, but I did touch it and get some photographs. From there I walked to Starbucks which was quite a way away. I arrived and tried emailing. Half way through my second email the curse of the keys hit in, and I was stuck for things to do. So I asked Rachel if I could leave my computer there, and she let me and we hugged(!), and I walked to Taco Bell. I have difficulty resisting that restaurant because it is good and cheap, and we just don't get it in England. After that, I sat outside another Starbucks (I'm not an addict), and I wrote a wonderful post on my phone, which was lost just before submission.
I walked back to Cannery Row, enjoying the air and the smell of race fuel as the bikes all around me revved and showed off. There was a guy parking his girlfriend's pink motorbike, and he got very teased, bless. He was a big guy too. I found it all very cute. I arrived back at Starbucks, and since wrote this post.
Saturday 22 July 2006
Small Fixing
You know what? Life is good. I'm still in Starbucks, and even though my keyboard has stopped working, losing use of both the N and the B and the Space Bar, and they died shortly into my post, I'm feeling pretty damn happy right now. I lost typing use as I was talking about Kiana and Charlie and Sarah going to see Lady in the Water, which I wanted to see, but had to go to sort things out in Starbucks, like booking my ticket to San José. Erin emailed saying she wasn't going, and I left her a voicemail, and while not going to a rave is a shame, it saves a lot of money.
Anyway, the garbled ending to the last post didn't make it clear, but as I was getting out of the car, Sarah turned around and said, "This is really random, but can I kiss you?". I've heard that line before, but it's not been said to me before. So we kissed, and then I left, extremely confused. I came to Starbucks. The whole of Cannery Row is bristling with motorbikes. Billions of them. So many that even though there are no cars here, they have run out of bike parking. Mad.
Rachel wasn't working, and that made it loads of days in a row that had happened, I apparently had just missed her. I made the post and my keyboard failed. Tragic, but I'm writing this on my phone until I can get a screwdriver set to repair my machine. I'm pretty hard on it, so I'm not too angry with it. It's old, and I put a lot of stress on it.
Anyway, as I'm going to order my second drink, Rachel walks in, waves, says 'hi', and comes to chat. And I finally ask to hang out with her, which had been my intention all along. As it seems to happen, two girls appear at the same time, suddenly and frighteningly within my reach.
I'm not sure what's going on with Sarah, she confuses me and makes me laugh, but I know I'm meeting Rachel on Monday. While on the phone this morning, I told Dan about the situation, and he had some really good advice: "You're in California, go make some friends and get some contacts. Go talk to Rachel, and get photos of her." He was so right that it motivated me to do it today. And I'm glad I did. Starbucks closes in 10 minutes, and I want to post this before then, and that means I should get this uploading now. Everyone reading, hope you're feeling good too. Maybe this is my Yayoi moment from last year.
Anyway, the garbled ending to the last post didn't make it clear, but as I was getting out of the car, Sarah turned around and said, "This is really random, but can I kiss you?". I've heard that line before, but it's not been said to me before. So we kissed, and then I left, extremely confused. I came to Starbucks. The whole of Cannery Row is bristling with motorbikes. Billions of them. So many that even though there are no cars here, they have run out of bike parking. Mad.
Rachel wasn't working, and that made it loads of days in a row that had happened, I apparently had just missed her. I made the post and my keyboard failed. Tragic, but I'm writing this on my phone until I can get a screwdriver set to repair my machine. I'm pretty hard on it, so I'm not too angry with it. It's old, and I put a lot of stress on it.
Anyway, as I'm going to order my second drink, Rachel walks in, waves, says 'hi', and comes to chat. And I finally ask to hang out with her, which had been my intention all along. As it seems to happen, two girls appear at the same time, suddenly and frighteningly within my reach.
I'm not sure what's going on with Sarah, she confuses me and makes me laugh, but I know I'm meeting Rachel on Monday. While on the phone this morning, I told Dan about the situation, and he had some really good advice: "You're in California, go make some friends and get some contacts. Go talk to Rachel, and get photos of her." He was so right that it motivated me to do it today. And I'm glad I did. Starbucks closes in 10 minutes, and I want to post this before then, and that means I should get this uploading now. Everyone reading, hope you're feeling good too. Maybe this is my Yayoi moment from last year.
DamagedKeyoard
In mankinds neverending quest to understand women, I just took another incomprehensible blow.
First if all, I have to apologise for a lack of updating yesterday. We didn't go to Carmel and there was no Starbucks and Ididn't feel like I had the stamnia for working on Kiana's computer for a wholepost. I also haveto apologise for my spacebar decidig to ot work half the time and work double hard the rest of the time. So I get some no spaces and some double spaces, and it's very annoying. My N and B are tempermental too. We spent yesterday moving furniture so Nina could clean the carpets. It was't a hugely fun day, but we did sort out money and found $60 in a piggy bank.
Today I put all the furniture back by myself, and thenn we drove out to meet Charlie and Sarah, Sarah being on of the friends I had met when we went to the Lebanese restaurant earlier. We ate at a nice pizza place, and had a good laugh about the stupid things people our age laugh about. It was good pizza too, I had jerked Jamaica chicken, and sitting on Sarah's feet, got to know her better. They have all gone to see the new Shayamalan film.
Ido'tkowwhatiswrogwithmykeyoard, utitseemstoeomittigcertai crucialletters, soImustedthispostprematurely. Iamsorry,Iwillwrite whatIeedtosay wheIhaveaccessto aworkigkeyoard.Justtoletyoukow, though, thatSarahadIkissewheIgotoutofthecar ecausesheaskedmeto. Idootuderstad,utIwo'tcomplai.
First if all, I have to apologise for a lack of updating yesterday. We didn't go to Carmel and there was no Starbucks and Ididn't feel like I had the stamnia for working on Kiana's computer for a wholepost. I also haveto apologise for my spacebar decidig to ot work half the time and work double hard the rest of the time. So I get some no spaces and some double spaces, and it's very annoying. My N and B are tempermental too. We spent yesterday moving furniture so Nina could clean the carpets. It was't a hugely fun day, but we did sort out money and found $60 in a piggy bank.
Today I put all the furniture back by myself, and thenn we drove out to meet Charlie and Sarah, Sarah being on of the friends I had met when we went to the Lebanese restaurant earlier. We ate at a nice pizza place, and had a good laugh about the stupid things people our age laugh about. It was good pizza too, I had jerked Jamaica chicken, and sitting on Sarah's feet, got to know her better. They have all gone to see the new Shayamalan film.
Ido'tkowwhatiswrogwithmykeyoard, utitseemstoeomittigcertai crucialletters, soImustedthispostprematurely. Iamsorry,Iwillwrite whatIeedtosay wheIhaveaccessto aworkigkeyoard.Justtoletyoukow, though, thatSarahadIkissewheIgotoutofthecar ecausesheaskedmeto. Idootuderstad,utIwo'tcomplai.
Thursday 20 July 2006
A More Complete Update
I was very brief yesterday. Well, now I have hours and hours to post. Until 10PM or something, and it feels good to have no pressure from power supply issues.
I tried out Kiana's dad's electric guitar today. It's a Gibson Flying V, and it is very soft to play. Bending notes is so much more natural. I might get some thinner strings for that feeling. As I go thicker and thicker, I realise the bend is getting harder and harder. I plugged it in to his Fender amp, and it sounded nice, but very bassy. It also wouldn't distort, and being into classical Americana, I didn't think he had a distortion pedal around. He did have a Phaser, oddly.
Well, as is likely when I make an epic post, I am at Starbucks in Cannery Row. Rachel isn't here yet. If she comes at all. But I don't mind, I have good drinks and I might go for a burger in a little bit. I checked my bank account today, and I had $100 extra in there. It was a good relief, because I needed to buy some new jeans. And I have. And they were only $30, which is good because they fit and they are Levis. I feel very snazzy, as I also bought some new sunglasses for only $10. There was a sale on, and I feel like I haven't had new clothes in a long time. Which is true. These are the first jeans I have had in ages that aren't black or grey. I still wish I had the pink ones from Japan though. Those were eye catching. But I'm going back sometime.
Kiana has been driving everywhere recently. She's got the confidence to go everywhere, and I am no longer needed as a chauffeur. It's sad, but I have done my job. She stalls every so often, and she needs to practice parallel parking a bit, but it's really a massive improvement. I'm so proud.
I ate part of this massive sub sandwich yesterday, It was $7.99, and roughly the size of an extravagant clown shoe, and four times heavier. Kiana's school friend John and I both attempted a section. After struggling, I managed to finish an end part, and he didn't finish his. I still have a third of it waiting in the fridge at home. I called it the insanewich. It really was stupidly big. It had four or five animals in it. I took a bite and a watermelon fell out. Mad.
I go to New York in 8 days. It's still a way away, but I'm getting excited. I saw it very briefly on the way over here, and I wanted to see it more. I'm going to enjoy it while I'm there. Speaking of enjoying things, I'm going to include another video in this blog post (no, NEO, it's not the one you want here). It was the final evening of Yukina's trip, and it was ruined by an argument over how we passed each other the butter at the final dinner. It's worth nothing how relationships broke down after such a long exposure.
Erin and I haven't spoken since.
Erin invited me to a rave in Sacramento on Saturday. It's $55, which is quite expensive, but I think would be totally worth it. Getting to Fremont would be an issue, as I couldn't make Kiana drive me and wait around, so I'd take the bus. There aren't any busses to Fremont though, but there are busses to San Jose which are affordable and frequent. I'll look into that. It'd be fun, I've never been to a rave, and I'd like to go to one with the original raver chick Erin.
I'd try and get a video of that going on. It's be good, though I'm expecting the sound on my phone to distort a little but. Like it did while Erin and I were shouting at each other. I'm sorry we didn't get any audio clips of Yukina screaming, it was the most surprising sound ever. Speaking of which, she's updated her blog. I think I'd like another coffee soon, I have to choose what to get though that isn't too expensive.
Reading the BBC page is quite depressing. It seems that bad things have happened since I've been here, and ironically, since I watched Munich. While it is scary and horrible, it isn't anywhere near here. It is out of sight and I am not thinking about it. I don't want to make a criticism of it, but it doesn't seem like many people are aware of what is going on elsewhere, and it's quite relaxing to not think of or worry about the dying civilians or the guerilla attacks. The oblivion is relaxing. But I cannot live like this.
There are millions of bikes around here. I know the MotoGP is coming up just a little North of here at Laguna Seca, and it's making all the bikers migrate here. It's strange. This caliber of biker is strange to see in the US. The image of motorbikes here is very Harley Davidson oriented. To see Japanese bikes, ones which have aerodynamics and aren't entirely image based, is strange in this country. These are bikers without the strange US bike mentality. And there are loads of them.
I'm not going to be much longer in this update. I've been writing other things, so it's not quite as epic. It was good to hear from Dan. This has been the longest time I haven't seen him for, I'm sure. He's a good guy, he really is. He should come to Japan with me after we graduate.
I have so many plans for the next few months, I can't wait to get them going. I love it here, and I'll miss it when I'm gone. And I will come back. But I have some things I need to do in England. I have one more year there, I'm going to enjoy it as best I can.
Anyway, it was good keeping you updated. I hope you enjoy the video. Don't watch it unless you really don't mind really silly things. But being at the bottom of my post, it's probably too late.
I tried out Kiana's dad's electric guitar today. It's a Gibson Flying V, and it is very soft to play. Bending notes is so much more natural. I might get some thinner strings for that feeling. As I go thicker and thicker, I realise the bend is getting harder and harder. I plugged it in to his Fender amp, and it sounded nice, but very bassy. It also wouldn't distort, and being into classical Americana, I didn't think he had a distortion pedal around. He did have a Phaser, oddly.
Well, as is likely when I make an epic post, I am at Starbucks in Cannery Row. Rachel isn't here yet. If she comes at all. But I don't mind, I have good drinks and I might go for a burger in a little bit. I checked my bank account today, and I had $100 extra in there. It was a good relief, because I needed to buy some new jeans. And I have. And they were only $30, which is good because they fit and they are Levis. I feel very snazzy, as I also bought some new sunglasses for only $10. There was a sale on, and I feel like I haven't had new clothes in a long time. Which is true. These are the first jeans I have had in ages that aren't black or grey. I still wish I had the pink ones from Japan though. Those were eye catching. But I'm going back sometime.
Kiana has been driving everywhere recently. She's got the confidence to go everywhere, and I am no longer needed as a chauffeur. It's sad, but I have done my job. She stalls every so often, and she needs to practice parallel parking a bit, but it's really a massive improvement. I'm so proud.
I ate part of this massive sub sandwich yesterday, It was $7.99, and roughly the size of an extravagant clown shoe, and four times heavier. Kiana's school friend John and I both attempted a section. After struggling, I managed to finish an end part, and he didn't finish his. I still have a third of it waiting in the fridge at home. I called it the insanewich. It really was stupidly big. It had four or five animals in it. I took a bite and a watermelon fell out. Mad.
I go to New York in 8 days. It's still a way away, but I'm getting excited. I saw it very briefly on the way over here, and I wanted to see it more. I'm going to enjoy it while I'm there. Speaking of enjoying things, I'm going to include another video in this blog post (no, NEO, it's not the one you want here). It was the final evening of Yukina's trip, and it was ruined by an argument over how we passed each other the butter at the final dinner. It's worth nothing how relationships broke down after such a long exposure.
Erin and I haven't spoken since.
Erin invited me to a rave in Sacramento on Saturday. It's $55, which is quite expensive, but I think would be totally worth it. Getting to Fremont would be an issue, as I couldn't make Kiana drive me and wait around, so I'd take the bus. There aren't any busses to Fremont though, but there are busses to San Jose which are affordable and frequent. I'll look into that. It'd be fun, I've never been to a rave, and I'd like to go to one with the original raver chick Erin.
I'd try and get a video of that going on. It's be good, though I'm expecting the sound on my phone to distort a little but. Like it did while Erin and I were shouting at each other. I'm sorry we didn't get any audio clips of Yukina screaming, it was the most surprising sound ever. Speaking of which, she's updated her blog. I think I'd like another coffee soon, I have to choose what to get though that isn't too expensive.
Reading the BBC page is quite depressing. It seems that bad things have happened since I've been here, and ironically, since I watched Munich. While it is scary and horrible, it isn't anywhere near here. It is out of sight and I am not thinking about it. I don't want to make a criticism of it, but it doesn't seem like many people are aware of what is going on elsewhere, and it's quite relaxing to not think of or worry about the dying civilians or the guerilla attacks. The oblivion is relaxing. But I cannot live like this.
There are millions of bikes around here. I know the MotoGP is coming up just a little North of here at Laguna Seca, and it's making all the bikers migrate here. It's strange. This caliber of biker is strange to see in the US. The image of motorbikes here is very Harley Davidson oriented. To see Japanese bikes, ones which have aerodynamics and aren't entirely image based, is strange in this country. These are bikers without the strange US bike mentality. And there are loads of them.
I'm not going to be much longer in this update. I've been writing other things, so it's not quite as epic. It was good to hear from Dan. This has been the longest time I haven't seen him for, I'm sure. He's a good guy, he really is. He should come to Japan with me after we graduate.
I have so many plans for the next few months, I can't wait to get them going. I love it here, and I'll miss it when I'm gone. And I will come back. But I have some things I need to do in England. I have one more year there, I'm going to enjoy it as best I can.
Anyway, it was good keeping you updated. I hope you enjoy the video. Don't watch it unless you really don't mind really silly things. But being at the bottom of my post, it's probably too late.
Wednesday 19 July 2006
Shortly
Since I'm on Kiana's iMac and her house is running on batteries, I'll
keep this very brief. If we lose power I will be angry, but her, these
things happen.
I met her friend John today, who suddenly had an unhealthy obsession
with Kiana's friend CatherineRose. In that he was singing about her
all day, and how he wanted to be with her, among other things.
I met a load of people from, the year below Kiana in her old school,
and there were pretty cool people. One of them looked so much like
Jenny it was uncanny. I didn't get a photograph, but I will
eventually. She's entirely Mexican though. Or half Mexican, I don't
know. We played this Mafia type game, with Harry Potter twists, and it
was very fun. I had a good day, it was exciting and we went to the
beach and I did another one of my long walks. I walk along the beach,
listening to the waves, at a decent pace for about half an hour. It
feel really good. It's nice to think to that. We always go to the
beach really late, so it's almost pitch black too.
Anyway, I'm going to Cannery Row Starbucks again tomorrow, so I'll
make hellishly long updates then, and that'll be good. Erin invited me
to a rave on Saturday. It's expensive, but I'm really considering it.
However, my most worthwhile asset, my charming accent, won't be
appreciated there due to the loud music. I might get a British flag
badge or something really stupid like that. I don't know.
Anyway, have a fun day English readers. It's 11:30AM where you are,
and 3:30AM here. I'm sleeping very soon.
Tuesday 18 July 2006
Start Again
I'll let you know this seriously, I came very close to deleting this blog completely last night. I'm glad I didn't. But a few things happened, and basically, my worst case scenario came true, and for a short while, I was a broken man. But through putting things aside and being able to rationalise, I am going to be ok.
What also helped was suddenly remembering how wonderful my time with Erin and Yukina was, and recounting a tale to Becky about one or two wonderfully funny things that happened served only for me to be determined to be that happy again. I will not be destroyed, I will always get up.
To lighten the mood, I am embedding my first YouTube video, of what happened at Santa Barbara beach. I, and everyone who was there, keep laughing at this, and it's a fantastic memory, even if you don't fully understand what's going on. And if you are a reader who has never met me and never spoken to me, it's not my real accent.
Now that was amusing, wasn't it? Anyway, I'm at Starbucks. I'm downloading, but it's just Arrested Development, since my movies have finished. I'm at Cannery Row, but it isn't Rachel's shift today. But I did see her, and she came over and said hello. Terrible sunburn, but I told her about Yukina's sunburn and the dirty ankles.
I spoke to Becky for an hour and a quarter this morning. It's amazingly refreshing to speak to her, she can make me laugh more than anyone, and we have pretty similar interests. Shopping, shoes, boys...? No, we have quite different interests, but we like the same kind of films and TV. She's been telling me how she's enjoying XMen TAS, and I told her how I regretted letting her have it. I found it quite funny: the main character in Tokyo Drift didn't know what drifting was at first. Becky knew. How messed up is that?
Anyway, I particularly miss her, more than anyone. But I'm missing Emma a lot as well. More than I was expecting. Enough for me to change my plans considerably. I would be happy living in Tokyo, just so that it's be closer to her. Osaka's great, I love it, but if Emma's going to be in Tokyo, I'd like to be there too. Maybe I can convince her to go to Osaka, but I know her reasons and I cannot fault her. It would by hypocritical.
So as well as them, I'm missing everyone in England. It's hard to be away from people, but it's easier to know I'm going to see them again. I'm planning to travel a lot more now that I am willing to go to Europe, and have good reason to.
Damnit, I'm out of disk space for my downloads. I need to start deleting stuff. Season One of Arrested Development was only a TV rip, I might delete it so I can get The Life Aquatic.
I do need a faster car. My one is great, it's efficient, and it's quick enough. But If I'm going to stop driving for a while, I'm going to have to drive like hell for a year before I do. I know what I have my sights set on. Anyway, I won't blabber on, you're all too amused by the video, but I hope all is well with everyone, and you've had a better couple of days than I have.
What also helped was suddenly remembering how wonderful my time with Erin and Yukina was, and recounting a tale to Becky about one or two wonderfully funny things that happened served only for me to be determined to be that happy again. I will not be destroyed, I will always get up.
To lighten the mood, I am embedding my first YouTube video, of what happened at Santa Barbara beach. I, and everyone who was there, keep laughing at this, and it's a fantastic memory, even if you don't fully understand what's going on. And if you are a reader who has never met me and never spoken to me, it's not my real accent.
Now that was amusing, wasn't it? Anyway, I'm at Starbucks. I'm downloading, but it's just Arrested Development, since my movies have finished. I'm at Cannery Row, but it isn't Rachel's shift today. But I did see her, and she came over and said hello. Terrible sunburn, but I told her about Yukina's sunburn and the dirty ankles.
I spoke to Becky for an hour and a quarter this morning. It's amazingly refreshing to speak to her, she can make me laugh more than anyone, and we have pretty similar interests. Shopping, shoes, boys...? No, we have quite different interests, but we like the same kind of films and TV. She's been telling me how she's enjoying XMen TAS, and I told her how I regretted letting her have it. I found it quite funny: the main character in Tokyo Drift didn't know what drifting was at first. Becky knew. How messed up is that?
Anyway, I particularly miss her, more than anyone. But I'm missing Emma a lot as well. More than I was expecting. Enough for me to change my plans considerably. I would be happy living in Tokyo, just so that it's be closer to her. Osaka's great, I love it, but if Emma's going to be in Tokyo, I'd like to be there too. Maybe I can convince her to go to Osaka, but I know her reasons and I cannot fault her. It would by hypocritical.
So as well as them, I'm missing everyone in England. It's hard to be away from people, but it's easier to know I'm going to see them again. I'm planning to travel a lot more now that I am willing to go to Europe, and have good reason to.
Damnit, I'm out of disk space for my downloads. I need to start deleting stuff. Season One of Arrested Development was only a TV rip, I might delete it so I can get The Life Aquatic.
I do need a faster car. My one is great, it's efficient, and it's quick enough. But If I'm going to stop driving for a while, I'm going to have to drive like hell for a year before I do. I know what I have my sights set on. Anyway, I won't blabber on, you're all too amused by the video, but I hope all is well with everyone, and you've had a better couple of days than I have.
Monday 17 July 2006
Just Letting You Know
I repasted an edited version of my post, and that is how things stand. It was a misunderstanding that escalated, and that was my fault. I apologised to her and she apologised to me.
Against what some people believe, it doesn't actually matter anymore.
I will probably not update as frequently anymore.
Against what some people believe, it doesn't actually matter anymore.
I will probably not update as frequently anymore.
Post Gone
For those of you who managed to read my last post before I deleted it, forget about it. It doesn't actually matter.
Sunday 16 July 2006
Big Sur
Today we had big plans. The evening before we went to Safeway and bought milk and rolls and ingredients to make an awesome picnic. We had a whole trip to Big Sur planned out. Kiana drove down through stop lights and traffic and everything, all in manual. I didn't like it when she took a phone call, but we were ok.
We arrived in Big Sur, asked directions at the information point, and found this little beach, Pfeiffer Beach, down a long, rough road. It was surprising they let non-4x4s on it, but they did. We had to pay $5 to get onto the beach. It was very beautiful though. We found an alcove which wasn't too windy and sat eating sandwiches and Sun Chips and Very Chocolate Cookies for ages. When we'd finished, so she could get her camera, we went back to the car, and I asked the rangers if I could fly my kite. They were very friendly and allowing, saying that it was encouraged. We took the kite back to the beach, and I spent about 15 minutes unpacking it, but it was worth it. The wind was uneven, but was gusty and powerful every once in a while. I did some jumps, and there were shoe trails on the beach four or five metres long where I had been dragged by this thing. There was even a point where it was above me, and I held on, and without jumping, it raised me off the ground, David Blaine style. I was hovering with this kite, it's amazing. I chased seagulls and entertained children, it did feel good.
Instead of packing it away normally, I just rolled it and the strings up. I didn't have time to do it formally, and I think it should be ok for next time. I've seen other people doing it with their kite. After I was done, I joined Kiana on a big rock, and we sat, and I admired the contrasting colours of the ocean and the fog. The fog was a warm blue type grey, and the ocean a perfect teal. It was an amazing join, contrasting line. My phone couldn't capture the colours. I hope Kiana's camera did a better job of getting the colours, I want to use them in some kind of design. I won't forget them though.
Sadly, a misunderstanding followed, and ruined the day. But luckily, selective memory and hasty editing erases it.
I drove the truck home, and I mean that I drove it, as opposed to travelling in it. I don't think the trip from Monterey to Kiana's house has ever been made faster. I wasn't unsafe, and I maintain that. I kept perfect control of the vehicle, even when going over uneven road that usually throws the truck off track. From the smell, I also think I melted a layer of her clutch. But that wasn't the first time I'd done that. I was harder on the clutch the first time I drove her road. Her father says it needs replacing anyway.
Her truck can't really hit and speed worth mentioning. It's not a fast vehicle. But I admire its traction, and I admire that it is very controllable. The winding, paved road was very fun.
When we got back, I watched Tokyo Drift (it downloaded while we were last at Starbucks). It was pretty good. Better than the second one. I'm not sure how much I like the idea of drifting, but I haven't tried it properly. It's nice to hear people talk about driving as something that goes beyond function. How you can take pleasure in something functional, and how it transcends getting from A to B. Driving has meant a lot more to me since I have been here. I have learnt to appreciate it a lot more. It can be one real joy, and I find it a pity that some people don't feel that way. Driving is one very serious pleasure in life. I will take it more seriously when I get back.
The talk about driving has relaxed me. I probably won't be able to sleep, but I'll try to. It's 3:30 now. I'll post this in the morning.
We arrived in Big Sur, asked directions at the information point, and found this little beach, Pfeiffer Beach, down a long, rough road. It was surprising they let non-4x4s on it, but they did. We had to pay $5 to get onto the beach. It was very beautiful though. We found an alcove which wasn't too windy and sat eating sandwiches and Sun Chips and Very Chocolate Cookies for ages. When we'd finished, so she could get her camera, we went back to the car, and I asked the rangers if I could fly my kite. They were very friendly and allowing, saying that it was encouraged. We took the kite back to the beach, and I spent about 15 minutes unpacking it, but it was worth it. The wind was uneven, but was gusty and powerful every once in a while. I did some jumps, and there were shoe trails on the beach four or five metres long where I had been dragged by this thing. There was even a point where it was above me, and I held on, and without jumping, it raised me off the ground, David Blaine style. I was hovering with this kite, it's amazing. I chased seagulls and entertained children, it did feel good.
Instead of packing it away normally, I just rolled it and the strings up. I didn't have time to do it formally, and I think it should be ok for next time. I've seen other people doing it with their kite. After I was done, I joined Kiana on a big rock, and we sat, and I admired the contrasting colours of the ocean and the fog. The fog was a warm blue type grey, and the ocean a perfect teal. It was an amazing join, contrasting line. My phone couldn't capture the colours. I hope Kiana's camera did a better job of getting the colours, I want to use them in some kind of design. I won't forget them though.
Sadly, a misunderstanding followed, and ruined the day. But luckily, selective memory and hasty editing erases it.
I drove the truck home, and I mean that I drove it, as opposed to travelling in it. I don't think the trip from Monterey to Kiana's house has ever been made faster. I wasn't unsafe, and I maintain that. I kept perfect control of the vehicle, even when going over uneven road that usually throws the truck off track. From the smell, I also think I melted a layer of her clutch. But that wasn't the first time I'd done that. I was harder on the clutch the first time I drove her road. Her father says it needs replacing anyway.
Her truck can't really hit and speed worth mentioning. It's not a fast vehicle. But I admire its traction, and I admire that it is very controllable. The winding, paved road was very fun.
When we got back, I watched Tokyo Drift (it downloaded while we were last at Starbucks). It was pretty good. Better than the second one. I'm not sure how much I like the idea of drifting, but I haven't tried it properly. It's nice to hear people talk about driving as something that goes beyond function. How you can take pleasure in something functional, and how it transcends getting from A to B. Driving has meant a lot more to me since I have been here. I have learnt to appreciate it a lot more. It can be one real joy, and I find it a pity that some people don't feel that way. Driving is one very serious pleasure in life. I will take it more seriously when I get back.
The talk about driving has relaxed me. I probably won't be able to sleep, but I'll try to. It's 3:30 now. I'll post this in the morning.
Saturday 15 July 2006
Correction: Screw Loose
I was just saying how my computer didn't let me down?
I lifted it up to show Kiana the screen, and a screw fell out. Damnit. Luckily I haven't cut my nails in a while, so I could put it back, but I've noticed I'm missing three screws from the bottom of it, and I only have two to put back in. I have lost a screw.
Anyway, my downloads have almost finished, and Kiana is about to check her mail, so I will update when I next go online. No more from Starbucks.
I lifted it up to show Kiana the screen, and a screw fell out. Damnit. Luckily I haven't cut my nails in a while, so I could put it back, but I've noticed I'm missing three screws from the bottom of it, and I only have two to put back in. I have lost a screw.
Anyway, my downloads have almost finished, and Kiana is about to check her mail, so I will update when I next go online. No more from Starbucks.
Double
Hooray, I'm in a Starbucks in the Del Monte centre! That means wireless, and it means coffee. I'm having a Venti Caffé Vanilla Frappucino. It goes too quickly. Kiana was with me but she's just left to see if her friend Scott's mother is working at the hotel that is only 10 minutes walk away. Or something more specific.
Knowing my sister's import habits, I bought her a present from Hot Topic! I hope she likes it because it wasn't cheap. I also bought myself a very cool tshirt, but you'll have to wait until you see a photo of me wearing it. It's that cool. Stuff there isn't cheap, but it's still cheaper than England. So I spent about $50 there. But it's ok. I have $350 left for the trip. I might need a little more, but I should be ok as we don't go out every single day, and it's the first actual shopping I've done. So I won't feel guilty. And Kiana's dad filled up the truck with gasoline, so we're ok for a bit.
I have been reading about the Dell exploding laptops. As I told Kiana, she backed away from me, while I typed at arms length. If my laptop was going to explode, though, it would have done it when I was putting it through horrendous heat and leaving it boiling all day. I'm not nice to this thing, and it hasn't let me down. There's nothing it can't run, I'm so proud. Up yours, iBook. This thing rocks.
But seriously, I'm not totally against Macs. I don't understand how people can be so devoted to a brand that they can hate its rivals. I have great brand loyalty to Sony, but I don't hate Nintendo for it. I like Sony just because if I don't buy a Sony product, I usually find I have some kind of regret about it, where I have never regretted buying a Sony product. Especially with audio equipment. You'll find that you can get better than Sony, and I like buying high end German audio equipment, but Sony is very good regardless. And my Sennheisser headphones are suffering from a slight bass imbalance.
Kiana and I just had dark chocolate truffles and buttermilk chocolates. We got into a chat about England with the lady serving, who was a big Beatles fan, but it's hard to find someone who doesn't like the Beatles. Oh yeah, the sub editor of Kerrang. Idiot.
I plan on taking a trip up to Oregon with Kiana, where we will part ways for a while, and I will bus to South Dakota, where I will hopefully meet CM, and there we can party solidly for 4 days or something, and after that I'll return back and then fly to New York. I'll be flying against the clock this time, so I'll lose hours instead of gaining. So it'll be night when I get there. Crazy.
I said to Kiana last night, after a day of almost solid giggling and hair playing, "Maybe I am completely wrong in saying this, but it seems that despite your initial attitude, perhaps your are warming to my presence here." She laughed and quickly found excuses, saying she was getting used to me and stuff, but I feel like she might enjoy having me here a little bit. And her dad is very nice, so we get along too. It's a good place. As desolate as her house is, it's a nice place to live. I wish I had a nicer camera with me sometimes. Or just Yukina. I'm missing some fantastic sunset opportunity photographs, my little phone just can't handle them. Detachable lenses for phones: the next big step.
Is it just me, or is Chinese Gourmet Express some kind of contradiction or oxymoron? There's a restaurant entitled that opposite this Starbucks. Next to Chipotle, which is the origin of my new name from Erin.
If you have been reading a while (or have just read all of this recently), you'll know that I rethink Philosophies on life regularly. Well, perhaps I'll let you hear my latest one. It doesn't replace anything, it just adds to it. Most of you know I don't like killing or death, or hurting things. That goes for insects, usually. Mosquitoes, that's another story. I realise that I can kill them without guilt. I don't feel guilt because they pose a threat to me, they will cause me pain and steal from me. What's more, I don't feel guilt despite the fact that they cannot help it. It isn't their fault. Knowing this, I can understand people better justifying causing pain to others when they pose a similar threat. I don't endorse it, but it's easier to understand. This helps my script writing.
I'm getting inspirations for the movie idea I had years ago, "Kuriyama-". The whole story is taking form in my head. I'm also eager to restart my writing of "Karaoke in Space". That's had some amusing concepts in the works for a while. Maybe I'll record the voices sometime. Reading the script to that was one of the things Kiana and I used to do all the time. It was just silly.
I stalled Kiana's truck today. Just on a mild hill start in traffic. I didn't have to move on so it wasn't an issue, I was trying to creep forward, but as her father says, I need to be more generous with the revs. I only tend to use revs if I'm changing my speed or driving fast. No other time. But It's only a 4 cylinder, bless it. I do need to try out the Cruise Control though. I haven't used that properly before.
I have finished my coffee, and now I'm just wasting time while my downloads finish and I wait for Kiana to return. Bash hasn't updated in far too long, and they even deleted a quote which I thought was pretty good. It was about mapping virtual memory to floppy drives, and it talked about "Please insert disk 427" and stuff. They should spend less time deleting and more time moderating. Honestly, I would spend so much time moderating if they let me do it. They wouldn't even have to let it be final, they could put it through a second queues, I just would like to do something.
Natasha says I should buy some better fitting jeans while I'm here. I might get some in New York. If I have money. I should go in the new Apple Store and get a photo of me trapped in the lift. That would be leet.
I guess you guys have had enough of my meaningless ranting, but some people complain when I don't have an update waiting for them each morning. Natasha got a Flickr Pro account. I want one. Maybe one day. This isn't the Cannery Row Starbucks, so no news on Rachel, but I wouldn't take Kiana there anyway.
Knowing my sister's import habits, I bought her a present from Hot Topic! I hope she likes it because it wasn't cheap. I also bought myself a very cool tshirt, but you'll have to wait until you see a photo of me wearing it. It's that cool. Stuff there isn't cheap, but it's still cheaper than England. So I spent about $50 there. But it's ok. I have $350 left for the trip. I might need a little more, but I should be ok as we don't go out every single day, and it's the first actual shopping I've done. So I won't feel guilty. And Kiana's dad filled up the truck with gasoline, so we're ok for a bit.
I have been reading about the Dell exploding laptops. As I told Kiana, she backed away from me, while I typed at arms length. If my laptop was going to explode, though, it would have done it when I was putting it through horrendous heat and leaving it boiling all day. I'm not nice to this thing, and it hasn't let me down. There's nothing it can't run, I'm so proud. Up yours, iBook. This thing rocks.
But seriously, I'm not totally against Macs. I don't understand how people can be so devoted to a brand that they can hate its rivals. I have great brand loyalty to Sony, but I don't hate Nintendo for it. I like Sony just because if I don't buy a Sony product, I usually find I have some kind of regret about it, where I have never regretted buying a Sony product. Especially with audio equipment. You'll find that you can get better than Sony, and I like buying high end German audio equipment, but Sony is very good regardless. And my Sennheisser headphones are suffering from a slight bass imbalance.
Kiana and I just had dark chocolate truffles and buttermilk chocolates. We got into a chat about England with the lady serving, who was a big Beatles fan, but it's hard to find someone who doesn't like the Beatles. Oh yeah, the sub editor of Kerrang. Idiot.
I plan on taking a trip up to Oregon with Kiana, where we will part ways for a while, and I will bus to South Dakota, where I will hopefully meet CM, and there we can party solidly for 4 days or something, and after that I'll return back and then fly to New York. I'll be flying against the clock this time, so I'll lose hours instead of gaining. So it'll be night when I get there. Crazy.
I said to Kiana last night, after a day of almost solid giggling and hair playing, "Maybe I am completely wrong in saying this, but it seems that despite your initial attitude, perhaps your are warming to my presence here." She laughed and quickly found excuses, saying she was getting used to me and stuff, but I feel like she might enjoy having me here a little bit. And her dad is very nice, so we get along too. It's a good place. As desolate as her house is, it's a nice place to live. I wish I had a nicer camera with me sometimes. Or just Yukina. I'm missing some fantastic sunset opportunity photographs, my little phone just can't handle them. Detachable lenses for phones: the next big step.
Is it just me, or is Chinese Gourmet Express some kind of contradiction or oxymoron? There's a restaurant entitled that opposite this Starbucks. Next to Chipotle, which is the origin of my new name from Erin.
If you have been reading a while (or have just read all of this recently), you'll know that I rethink Philosophies on life regularly. Well, perhaps I'll let you hear my latest one. It doesn't replace anything, it just adds to it. Most of you know I don't like killing or death, or hurting things. That goes for insects, usually. Mosquitoes, that's another story. I realise that I can kill them without guilt. I don't feel guilt because they pose a threat to me, they will cause me pain and steal from me. What's more, I don't feel guilt despite the fact that they cannot help it. It isn't their fault. Knowing this, I can understand people better justifying causing pain to others when they pose a similar threat. I don't endorse it, but it's easier to understand. This helps my script writing.
I'm getting inspirations for the movie idea I had years ago, "Kuriyama-". The whole story is taking form in my head. I'm also eager to restart my writing of "Karaoke in Space". That's had some amusing concepts in the works for a while. Maybe I'll record the voices sometime. Reading the script to that was one of the things Kiana and I used to do all the time. It was just silly.
I stalled Kiana's truck today. Just on a mild hill start in traffic. I didn't have to move on so it wasn't an issue, I was trying to creep forward, but as her father says, I need to be more generous with the revs. I only tend to use revs if I'm changing my speed or driving fast. No other time. But It's only a 4 cylinder, bless it. I do need to try out the Cruise Control though. I haven't used that properly before.
I have finished my coffee, and now I'm just wasting time while my downloads finish and I wait for Kiana to return. Bash hasn't updated in far too long, and they even deleted a quote which I thought was pretty good. It was about mapping virtual memory to floppy drives, and it talked about "Please insert disk 427" and stuff. They should spend less time deleting and more time moderating. Honestly, I would spend so much time moderating if they let me do it. They wouldn't even have to let it be final, they could put it through a second queues, I just would like to do something.
Natasha says I should buy some better fitting jeans while I'm here. I might get some in New York. If I have money. I should go in the new Apple Store and get a photo of me trapped in the lift. That would be leet.
I guess you guys have had enough of my meaningless ranting, but some people complain when I don't have an update waiting for them each morning. Natasha got a Flickr Pro account. I want one. Maybe one day. This isn't the Cannery Row Starbucks, so no news on Rachel, but I wouldn't take Kiana there anyway.
Friday 14 July 2006
Missed Update? Death
Yeah, I missed my daily update yesterday. You know, I was just too
busy doing stuff to update, and I only got a chance to reply to my
emails. It was very sad. And worse, this will only be a short update,
as Kiana and I have to go very soon. So I'm sorry to everyone for
this.
Anyway, I watched two very long films yesterday. And a pretty long one
the day before. i started with the two hour long Syriana, which was
very modern and very relevant to modern politics, so much so that
certain parts didn't make as much sense as I was hoping. I did enjoy
it, but don't prepare yourself for an easy ride. After that,
yesterday, was two and a half hour Munich. This was much more old
fashioned but I felt more relevant. I really enjoyed it, despite it
being very hard to watch at points. Spielberg has impressed me with
his more recent movies. Though I am yet to see Monster House. Then
finally, I saw Man on Fire, which, like Munich, wsa two and a half
hours. That made my total for yesterday 5 hours. Man on Fire was also
excellent, it had a strong daytime Japanese television feel to it with
the text on screen, and I liked how it worked together. Plus anything
Cristopher Walken does is excellent.
Anyway, my movie ratings aside, Kiana has to use the phone, and then
we have to go. So I'm cutting it off there. I might go to Starbucks
and update again because I have to look at timetables for my trip to
Wisconsin. Yes, I'm going to Wisconsin.
Isn't it strange how people are happy with putting their journals
online for others to read? What's the next step in digital
communication? I think text based logs of entire daily conversations
will happen in a couple of years, that way, there would be nothing
that would not be known. Complete personal logging is the next step. I
don't know how much I'd like that.
Anyway, clean behind your ears.
Thursday 13 July 2006
Another from Starbucks
I'm finishing up my time at Starbucks. I have the keys to the truck, so I won't freeze if I have to wait for Kiana to finish dancing. It's a nice step of trust for her to let me have the car keys. Bless her.
No new developments with the sexy waitress, but hey, she's been on break. Oh god... what if she has server access and can read my updates? Marriage definitely. I have to be out of here in 22 minutes or so. The Passion fruit tea goes straight through me, so I've had to keep using the toilet. It means leaving the computer open for hackers to keylog and stuff.
I spoke to CM. Finally. We didn't get to meet, but it turns out that the 12 year old I got through to called Crystal, has the same number as him for some reason. So I need to keep calling it. We should meet up sometimes, just it'll mean I have to travel farther. I hate him for that, so he will die. But at least we're talking.
I have had three Venti drinks from here, I am feeling very liquidated. As in all my assets have been sold. I will try and call my family tonight when it's not too early for them. And things should resolve.
There's this pale couple sitting near me. He's looks like albino Paul Bettany, and she's a standard blond. And guess what... they're using a white MacBook. Losers. I am showing off my sleek 4 year old Dell with a broken hinge here, rocking the PC awesomeness. PC 4eva.
Anyway, CM and I should be meeting up at some point, and I may have to take bus a lot of the way, but it'll be cool because, in his words, we won't be Internet Buddies, we'll be Actual Buddies. That has a nice sound.
I have been thinking about stages of life, in respect to other people. About how willing I am to move on and lose everything and start again, and how much I feel like I do lose too much doing that. I have to balance something along those lines, because I'm stuck in limbo with the way I live my life. Do I know a few people really well, or fewer people really well and lots somewhat well? It's a strange trade off, but I think that I am happy how I am living things right now. I like knowing lots of people somewhat, I always have someone I know somewhere, and that should be ok.
Anyway, I have three minutes to publish and get out of here. I'm meeting Kiana and we're probably going to do something fun. I'm full of caffeine and ready for a party.
Good updating again, speak to you all soon.
No new developments with the sexy waitress, but hey, she's been on break. Oh god... what if she has server access and can read my updates? Marriage definitely. I have to be out of here in 22 minutes or so. The Passion fruit tea goes straight through me, so I've had to keep using the toilet. It means leaving the computer open for hackers to keylog and stuff.
I spoke to CM. Finally. We didn't get to meet, but it turns out that the 12 year old I got through to called Crystal, has the same number as him for some reason. So I need to keep calling it. We should meet up sometimes, just it'll mean I have to travel farther. I hate him for that, so he will die. But at least we're talking.
I have had three Venti drinks from here, I am feeling very liquidated. As in all my assets have been sold. I will try and call my family tonight when it's not too early for them. And things should resolve.
There's this pale couple sitting near me. He's looks like albino Paul Bettany, and she's a standard blond. And guess what... they're using a white MacBook. Losers. I am showing off my sleek 4 year old Dell with a broken hinge here, rocking the PC awesomeness. PC 4eva.
Anyway, CM and I should be meeting up at some point, and I may have to take bus a lot of the way, but it'll be cool because, in his words, we won't be Internet Buddies, we'll be Actual Buddies. That has a nice sound.
I have been thinking about stages of life, in respect to other people. About how willing I am to move on and lose everything and start again, and how much I feel like I do lose too much doing that. I have to balance something along those lines, because I'm stuck in limbo with the way I live my life. Do I know a few people really well, or fewer people really well and lots somewhat well? It's a strange trade off, but I think that I am happy how I am living things right now. I like knowing lots of people somewhat, I always have someone I know somewhere, and that should be ok.
Anyway, I have three minutes to publish and get out of here. I'm meeting Kiana and we're probably going to do something fun. I'm full of caffeine and ready for a party.
Good updating again, speak to you all soon.
Relaxing with Coffee
It was a week ago today that I arrived in Monterey, and at this time last week I also sat down in Starbucks and enjoyed tea and coffee, flirting with the waitress, and enjoying the high bandwidth. I am back, as Kiana has her dance class again nearby.
Once again I am here, I just found out the waitress I was flirting with last week is called Rachel, and it's happening again. Sorry ladies. But this accent here is a babe magnet. And the unusual name, and the mystical stance. I feel slightly supernatural, and I guess some people can sense that.
My torrents are finally zooming along. Unfortunately, Arrested Development Series 3 is going fastest, when I need the second half of Series 2 before I can see anything else. Plus the whole running out of space is getting me close to deleting Series 1 before I can share it with my posse of followers eager to share in my new discoveries and original comedy.
Oh my goodness, Rachel just got me another passion fruit tea on the house... what does this mean? Marriage?
Kiana took me to Circuit City earlier today, we looked at wireless cards for her and I looked at rear speakers for my car. I'm thinking about upgrading the sound system, but then I think about how much longer I'm going to be using it. I am hoping I will be driving a better car for a little while, and sooner rather than later. I guess driving the Soarer and Kiana's truck have let me realise that I can drive other cars with enough confidence to adapt to other vehicles quickly.
I tried to tempt Kiana into driving in the city, but she refused, she's not ready to take hill starts with other people nearby. I know how she feels, I was learning not too long ago. And hill starts are quite nerve shattering if they go wrong in public. But that hasn't happened much. My father took me to a steep hill and made my just go up it over and over until I realised the trick. Once she realises what she needs to do, she'll have the confidence to drive in the city. But it's nice to be needed.
I'm enjoying getting emails from people, including some daily correspondence. It's good to share thoughts privately sometimes (nothing against you, my dearest blogosphere). I thank all those who have emailed me. Dan, email me. CM, call me.
Sometimes when I see that a blog has been updated so often I get put off by how big it is, but I tend to read through. In case I have been mentioned or the like. I hope I don't put people off by the size of my blog or its consistent (recent) frequency. I don't think I've missed a daily update for a while. That's nice. My blog is cool. Respect the Q to tha B. I will upgrade my blog soon enough.
Actually, that's a peeve of mine. I saw "Pimp My Ride" vol. 3 on DVD today. I hope people realise my irony when I use the word "pimp", and how I despise the use of it seriously as a term of praise. Since when has idea of being someone who sells women for sex been a positive thing? Since when was that cool? I must have missed a memo. Seriously, stop the pimp worship. Oh, and with pimping rides? People think that adding spoilers to the VW Beetles is cool. It's the ultimate vehicular sacrilege. Spoilers SPOIL the airflow, and reduce the aerodynamics, therefore slowing you down by adding drag. It slows you, reduces your efficiency and makes you look like an idiot. Unless you need one for safety reasons... don't get one. I'm talking to you Dan, in your 1.2 litre Fiat. I know what kind of speed freak you can be.
Kiana's so fun to tease... eventually she hits me but it's worth it because it's so funny to make her squirm and squeal.
I'm going to submit this update as I'm running out of things to say, and so I'll browse the inter-network for a while. I'm running a few possible blog names through my head. I might post a poll to decide which will be the one after next. They each come with a cool design. But thinking about it, it's cooler if you don't know about them until later.
Anyway, stay cool. I might update before I leave Starbucks, which is in just under two hours.
Once again I am here, I just found out the waitress I was flirting with last week is called Rachel, and it's happening again. Sorry ladies. But this accent here is a babe magnet. And the unusual name, and the mystical stance. I feel slightly supernatural, and I guess some people can sense that.
My torrents are finally zooming along. Unfortunately, Arrested Development Series 3 is going fastest, when I need the second half of Series 2 before I can see anything else. Plus the whole running out of space is getting me close to deleting Series 1 before I can share it with my posse of followers eager to share in my new discoveries and original comedy.
Oh my goodness, Rachel just got me another passion fruit tea on the house... what does this mean? Marriage?
Kiana took me to Circuit City earlier today, we looked at wireless cards for her and I looked at rear speakers for my car. I'm thinking about upgrading the sound system, but then I think about how much longer I'm going to be using it. I am hoping I will be driving a better car for a little while, and sooner rather than later. I guess driving the Soarer and Kiana's truck have let me realise that I can drive other cars with enough confidence to adapt to other vehicles quickly.
I tried to tempt Kiana into driving in the city, but she refused, she's not ready to take hill starts with other people nearby. I know how she feels, I was learning not too long ago. And hill starts are quite nerve shattering if they go wrong in public. But that hasn't happened much. My father took me to a steep hill and made my just go up it over and over until I realised the trick. Once she realises what she needs to do, she'll have the confidence to drive in the city. But it's nice to be needed.
I'm enjoying getting emails from people, including some daily correspondence. It's good to share thoughts privately sometimes (nothing against you, my dearest blogosphere). I thank all those who have emailed me. Dan, email me. CM, call me.
Sometimes when I see that a blog has been updated so often I get put off by how big it is, but I tend to read through. In case I have been mentioned or the like. I hope I don't put people off by the size of my blog or its consistent (recent) frequency. I don't think I've missed a daily update for a while. That's nice. My blog is cool. Respect the Q to tha B. I will upgrade my blog soon enough.
Actually, that's a peeve of mine. I saw "Pimp My Ride" vol. 3 on DVD today. I hope people realise my irony when I use the word "pimp", and how I despise the use of it seriously as a term of praise. Since when has idea of being someone who sells women for sex been a positive thing? Since when was that cool? I must have missed a memo. Seriously, stop the pimp worship. Oh, and with pimping rides? People think that adding spoilers to the VW Beetles is cool. It's the ultimate vehicular sacrilege. Spoilers SPOIL the airflow, and reduce the aerodynamics, therefore slowing you down by adding drag. It slows you, reduces your efficiency and makes you look like an idiot. Unless you need one for safety reasons... don't get one. I'm talking to you Dan, in your 1.2 litre Fiat. I know what kind of speed freak you can be.
Kiana's so fun to tease... eventually she hits me but it's worth it because it's so funny to make her squirm and squeal.
I'm going to submit this update as I'm running out of things to say, and so I'll browse the inter-network for a while. I'm running a few possible blog names through my head. I might post a poll to decide which will be the one after next. They each come with a cool design. But thinking about it, it's cooler if you don't know about them until later.
Anyway, stay cool. I might update before I leave Starbucks, which is in just under two hours.
Tuesday 11 July 2006
Back in Full Swing
I think my blog is back to how it used to be before IXWebHosting messed me around. That's a relief, and I'm glad. I like the daily updates, and I like reading comments, and I like linking to other blogs and the like. If irony serves well, my hosting will freeze and this will be the last post for three months.
It's July 11th. That means that tomorrow is the anniversay of me landing in Japan. Today is a year since I said goodbye to Erin and flew out there. I miss Japan a lot. A landed and it was grey and rainy, and I couldn't think of anything that I wanted to do anymore than be there. And I want to go back sometime.
I had this strange dream last night that I dated Emma for a while, but we decided to keep it as just friends. That was weird, because I woke up not being able to tell what was reality and what wasn't. I figured it out now: that never happened.
Kiana's father is a guitar player, and he has some really nice guitars lying around. I have been strumming his Epiphone acoustic. Its tone is so nice, and the fretboard is much softer than what I'm used to. He also has a couple of Gibsons lying around too, including a Flying V. I might have to try that one, but they're all nice.
I went walking with Kiana along the warf last night, it was fun. I bought a little present for a friend and then we sat in the car, planning a possible road trip. Perhaps to New Mexico, maybe Nevada. I'm not sure, but wherever it is I will be too hot. So I won't take my coats. I brought two coats, against parental advice but I have needed them. San Francisco is cold, and the nights here are pretty cold as well.
My hair straighteners broke! I cannot straighten my hair! This means I am wearing an old style that just doesn't look as good as my new one. It's too fluffy. Maybe it was the voltage, but they didn't explode like Yukina thought they would. Still, bad hair, but I'll live.
Not that much has happened, I'll let you know where I am and what I'm doing. And if I get Skype, I'll try and Skype some of you. But for now, take care. And update your own damn blogs.
It's July 11th. That means that tomorrow is the anniversay of me landing in Japan. Today is a year since I said goodbye to Erin and flew out there. I miss Japan a lot. A landed and it was grey and rainy, and I couldn't think of anything that I wanted to do anymore than be there. And I want to go back sometime.
I had this strange dream last night that I dated Emma for a while, but we decided to keep it as just friends. That was weird, because I woke up not being able to tell what was reality and what wasn't. I figured it out now: that never happened.
Kiana's father is a guitar player, and he has some really nice guitars lying around. I have been strumming his Epiphone acoustic. Its tone is so nice, and the fretboard is much softer than what I'm used to. He also has a couple of Gibsons lying around too, including a Flying V. I might have to try that one, but they're all nice.
I went walking with Kiana along the warf last night, it was fun. I bought a little present for a friend and then we sat in the car, planning a possible road trip. Perhaps to New Mexico, maybe Nevada. I'm not sure, but wherever it is I will be too hot. So I won't take my coats. I brought two coats, against parental advice but I have needed them. San Francisco is cold, and the nights here are pretty cold as well.
My hair straighteners broke! I cannot straighten my hair! This means I am wearing an old style that just doesn't look as good as my new one. It's too fluffy. Maybe it was the voltage, but they didn't explode like Yukina thought they would. Still, bad hair, but I'll live.
Not that much has happened, I'll let you know where I am and what I'm doing. And if I get Skype, I'll try and Skype some of you. But for now, take care. And update your own damn blogs.
Monday 10 July 2006
Power Down
I made that last post yesterday, and my connection went out as I was
submitting it, so horribly tragic. I was going to submit it later, but
then the power went out and the generator was too noisy to start so
late at night. Charlie came around, so we didn't go out to Monterey,
it kind of came to us. He brought Playstation 2 and Katamari Damarcy,
which I have wanted to play since reading about it, and I believe that
I will buy it when I get back. It was very silly and fun. Half way
through playing it though, power died. We lost our progress, and we
spent the rest of the evening in candle light, playing a cut down
version of truth or dare. As in it was all truth. Kiana did find out
about Ritti though.
Charlie has just given us face masks as he works in Lush, so I am
writing this with brown all over my face now. Kiana is having the
green stuff removed as I type. She took photos too, but they're not
digital, so we'll have to scan them and it'll be ages before you see,
thank god.
I listened to Plans again for the first time. I used to listen to it a
lot, and it was at a time where I wasn't very sad, I wasn't going
through much, I was just thinking about Qian a lot. It wasn't a
serious time, it was just an album of last Summer, post-Japan. But as
soon as I heard the first line of the album, I became extremely
emotional. I don't know, it's a very good opening song, and a
wonderful album. But Death Cab have hardly done anything bad. I don't
know why it had that effect on me. I chatted to Kiana for a long time
last night, it was good to get some things out. I fear I don't do that
sometimes.
Becky replied to my message, which was very exciting. I will have to
get her fun sweets. I apologise to everyone who was disappointed with
not receiving an update yesterday. It was wrong of me, I know. So I
will make it up to you by hopefully updating extra when I can, maybe
later today. Until then, enjoy what I have written. I am greatly
enjoying the frequent replies I am getting. They make me want to post
more. It's good to know people enjoy reading what I say.
We should go to Denny's soon. I had two bowls of Trix this morning and
two bowls of Cookie Crisp last night, but the breakfast here is so
good I'm going to have more. Plus, I can leach off the Travelodge
wireless. It's awesome. I'm doing ok out here. It's good to be with
people I care about.
Sunday 9 July 2006
Erin's Influence
I'm not a football fan, but I spent some time with Erin, who certainly had some kind of affect on me. I decided to watch the final so that I could honour the passtime we spent much of the holiday watching and discussing. However - not being familiar with Kiana's television set up, and ESPN deciding to stop covering the World Cup as it kicked off, and instead repeat the World Eating Championships, which would be the third time I have seen that - I had difficulty watching it. Scanning through hundereds of channels, trying to find some kind of football, there was none. ESPNews had minor photographic updates, and the interactive channel's sport page only had NFL, NBA, NHL, WNBA, MLB and a whole ton of sports that don't really exist outside America. Thanks to spending time with Erin, a rudimentary understanding of Spanish allowed me to spot "Copa Mundial 2006", and I proceeded to watch Spanish language World Cup Final. I turned on 10 minutes in, so I missed the penalty, and I went to do washing while the next goal was scored, so almost all of what I watched was fruitless batting the ball between ends and the disallowed goal. Not to say it wasn't exciting (not that exciting), but the ending was a long time off, and could have come sooner.
But I watched it. I watched it for the memory of Erin and Yukina.
I'm not online right now, I'm writing this on my laptop so that I can minimise the time I spend on Kiana's dial up. I have reached my upload limit on Flickr for the month, which is hugely tragic and upsetting. I'm considering the Pro upgrade so I can put a load more of my pictures there. But that would require money and I like the conservation of money right now.
Leeching off Charlie's wireless allowed me to get another episode of Arrested Development downloaded, and some more of Tokyo Drift. It needs a few more hours to get what I need. I had to delete An American Haunting without watching it just for space. I filled my entire laptop since I've been here. I think it's 20GB. Shocking.
I am extremely annoyed at CM. He has completely let me down. He hasn't called, he hasn't let me call him. I really needed some kind of participation from him if we were to meet, and I'm quite stuck without him. If you're reading and are, or have contact with, CM... call me. I need to speak to you quickly, I don't know how much longer you're nearby.
All the Lion King songs and parodies have led me to obtain a copy of the Lion King from Charlie, which I am about to watch with Kiana. Squashed banana.
I spoke with my family, sans Becky, last night. It had been a few days and I have missed speaking with them. I hope Becky has replied to me, and I hope things are good with her. They will have finished watching the World Cup now, and will be sleeping as I type this.
I don't have much more to say, We;re probably not going to Monterey today, so we will be all rested for if/when we go on Monday. I will give Kiana a proper clutch lesson though.
But I watched it. I watched it for the memory of Erin and Yukina.
I'm not online right now, I'm writing this on my laptop so that I can minimise the time I spend on Kiana's dial up. I have reached my upload limit on Flickr for the month, which is hugely tragic and upsetting. I'm considering the Pro upgrade so I can put a load more of my pictures there. But that would require money and I like the conservation of money right now.
Leeching off Charlie's wireless allowed me to get another episode of Arrested Development downloaded, and some more of Tokyo Drift. It needs a few more hours to get what I need. I had to delete An American Haunting without watching it just for space. I filled my entire laptop since I've been here. I think it's 20GB. Shocking.
I am extremely annoyed at CM. He has completely let me down. He hasn't called, he hasn't let me call him. I really needed some kind of participation from him if we were to meet, and I'm quite stuck without him. If you're reading and are, or have contact with, CM... call me. I need to speak to you quickly, I don't know how much longer you're nearby.
All the Lion King songs and parodies have led me to obtain a copy of the Lion King from Charlie, which I am about to watch with Kiana. Squashed banana.
I spoke with my family, sans Becky, last night. It had been a few days and I have missed speaking with them. I hope Becky has replied to me, and I hope things are good with her. They will have finished watching the World Cup now, and will be sleeping as I type this.
I don't have much more to say, We;re probably not going to Monterey today, so we will be all rested for if/when we go on Monday. I will give Kiana a proper clutch lesson though.
Just Finished the Movie
What, my third post today?
Doesn't matter. I saw some videos of Charlie's today, and they reminded of places I wanted to be with people I should be with. Then we watched TransAmerica, and that reminded me of a weird time. Natasha spoke about it, and for some reason she's obsessed with transexuals and transvestites. It's like a hobby for her. Anyway, it's a clever movie and I liked how it worked.
I did have a point to this post, I can't remember what I was intending to say. But it did have a point. I have some strange secrets I intend to share. I do like life. I think I'm driving home in a minute.
Anyway, I doubt I'm leaving Kiana's place tomorrow and I should be watching the World Cup. There's a lot I want to say, but I have to type it on a Mac, so it'll be poisoned by Steve Jobs.
Doesn't matter. I saw some videos of Charlie's today, and they reminded of places I wanted to be with people I should be with. Then we watched TransAmerica, and that reminded me of a weird time. Natasha spoke about it, and for some reason she's obsessed with transexuals and transvestites. It's like a hobby for her. Anyway, it's a clever movie and I liked how it worked.
I did have a point to this post, I can't remember what I was intending to say. But it did have a point. I have some strange secrets I intend to share. I do like life. I think I'm driving home in a minute.
Anyway, I doubt I'm leaving Kiana's place tomorrow and I should be watching the World Cup. There's a lot I want to say, but I have to type it on a Mac, so it'll be poisoned by Steve Jobs.
Picture Update
I'm in Charlie's house, and he has wireless, so I'm taking advantage. I uploaded photos to Flickr, and I'm going to put some of them here for you to all enjoy. I have consumed far too much sugar today. I think I will watch the World Cup Final tomorrow, just for Erin and her love of soccer. It means waking early.
If I had an indie rock band, this would be the cover of the first album.
We saw this little critter by the elephant seals. Cute little thing.
We made Erin a mermaid and I danced behind her. We have a video of the picnic.
This is Erin's 'Happy Face'.
I guess a few illustrations show you what kind of holiday I'm having. I think not only the place I am in is beautiful, but the life I'm living here.
I have been driving again, it's good fun. I have been converted to left hand drive vehicles. It only took a couple of hours. Now when I imagine changing gears, I use my right hand. I feel so Americanised. Sorry, Americanized.
Anyway, I should watch this TransAmerica film with Charlie and Kiana.
If I had an indie rock band, this would be the cover of the first album.
We saw this little critter by the elephant seals. Cute little thing.
We made Erin a mermaid and I danced behind her. We have a video of the picnic.
This is Erin's 'Happy Face'.
I guess a few illustrations show you what kind of holiday I'm having. I think not only the place I am in is beautiful, but the life I'm living here.
I have been driving again, it's good fun. I have been converted to left hand drive vehicles. It only took a couple of hours. Now when I imagine changing gears, I use my right hand. I feel so Americanised. Sorry, Americanized.
Anyway, I should watch this TransAmerica film with Charlie and Kiana.
I Have Bandwidth!
Finally, I have some broadband. I am in Starbucks after a few days of being without. I am downloading at high speed, and although I probably won't have enough Arrested Development downloaded to watch a new episode tonight, at least I'm a step closer. I downloaded both Fearless and Final Destination 3 in DVD rips since I have been here. Both were pretty good, and Final Destination 3 was better than I was expecting. It was good to have Wong at the helm again. It did lack the powerful ending imagery of the first one, as did the second, but it still was pretty good. I may have missed some references though.
Kiana and I just drove to Costco, this massive warehouse that you have to be a member of to shop at. It just has insane bulk things on sale. I got 36 Diet Dr Pepper cans for $6, that's just a little over £3. Insane. I spent £15 in total and I think I have food for the rest of my time here. As well as drink. And even some Nesquick to take back.
I want to go to a slightly less bulk purchasing place so that I can get some basic cereal for Becky, as well as sweets. Becky, if you're reading, leave a comment about which sweets you want me to get for you. I know to get Emma some Twinkies. I haven't seen any yet, but maybey I'm unobservant. I'm almost addicted to Reeses stuff. I'm cutting down. I did put on some weight, but the last couple of days I have been eating healthily and helping out with chores.
I don't want to bore Kiana, so after this batch of photos have finished uploading, I will probably get going. I cannot be long, I don't want her being tired and sad and bored of the back of the laptop.
It's nice to have download speed, but life goes on without it. I'm linking my friend Ivy's blog on my blog. We have been internet friends for a long time since a random Skype conversation. One day we will probably meet up.
Good speaking to you with a warm White Chocolate Mocha. Take care the lot of you.
Kiana and I just drove to Costco, this massive warehouse that you have to be a member of to shop at. It just has insane bulk things on sale. I got 36 Diet Dr Pepper cans for $6, that's just a little over £3. Insane. I spent £15 in total and I think I have food for the rest of my time here. As well as drink. And even some Nesquick to take back.
I want to go to a slightly less bulk purchasing place so that I can get some basic cereal for Becky, as well as sweets. Becky, if you're reading, leave a comment about which sweets you want me to get for you. I know to get Emma some Twinkies. I haven't seen any yet, but maybey I'm unobservant. I'm almost addicted to Reeses stuff. I'm cutting down. I did put on some weight, but the last couple of days I have been eating healthily and helping out with chores.
I don't want to bore Kiana, so after this batch of photos have finished uploading, I will probably get going. I cannot be long, I don't want her being tired and sad and bored of the back of the laptop.
It's nice to have download speed, but life goes on without it. I'm linking my friend Ivy's blog on my blog. We have been internet friends for a long time since a random Skype conversation. One day we will probably meet up.
Good speaking to you with a warm White Chocolate Mocha. Take care the lot of you.
Saturday 8 July 2006
Shift
Dear log, how are you? I am troubled. I had planned on another
Starbucks visit, and it went ahead, but with poor results. Today Kiana
and I woke and did some chores, and I used her internet briefly, but
the main plan was to go to Carmel, drop me at Starbucks for several
hours, let my torrents finish (Tokyo Drift), and then spend the
evening doing something. We drove from atop the mountain to a "gas
station", and from there Kiana let me drive to Carmel. It was a "stick
shift", and she was scared of a hill start.
We met Charlie, and then about a million of her school friends, and
ate at this Lebanese restaurant (I had a sole falafel), and then went
to Starbucks. Sadly they wanted to go to the warf, and my computer was
shut down mere moment after powering on. It wasn't all bad, her
friends are quite cool and friendly to talk to. We went to the moonlit
beach again and they had fun with fire and running around. I got to
know some of her friends better, and I generally had a good night.
Then Kiana let me drive all the way back to her house, which is about
an hour. It included unlit sharp turns and a long, steep and
unmaintained dirt road. They are so much fun. I felt silly driving a
4x4 pickup on paved roads, but it really feels proper when you're on
dirt. It's just more natural to drive those things on there to me. We
just arrived back, and I have written this on my phone using Pocket
Word. I think we shall sleep now. I will post this tomorrow via some
kind of data transfer from here to laptop to iMac to GMail to Blogger.
Wish this post luck.
---
Well, if you're reading it, then the post made it. I wrote that last
night after we returned, and now I am back on Kiana's Mac I can write
a little bit more about how nice it was to drive again. Kiana's still
learning how to use a manual gearbox, and she's going through the
phase of letting the clutch out without slipping, and theremore there
is much stalling. The truck has a large flywheel, and so when she does
stall it's particularly violent. I was surprised at how quickly I
adjusted to it though, and I feel I can drive most cars without too
much worry now. I changed to second instead of fourth once, but I
needed to accelerate anyway. I also stalled on the way up on the dirt
road, but it was a shocking part with very steep gradients and a sharp
turn. Hopefully she'll let me drive again. Maybe on the road trip. You
can't go fast in that thing though, I wasn't going much over 50 the
whole time, and occasionally doing 60.
I don't have much to add, other than I really need to go to Starbucks
for a slightly more extended period next time. Oh, and Erin, don't do
that thing we were saying we were going to do unless I get the chance
to do what I said I would do at the place I said I'd do it, a little
later than the time we said we'd do it.
I will now reply to Natasha's lovely email.
Friday 7 July 2006
Restricted Updating
The last update and this update have to be conducted entirely through
GMail, since Blogger itself cannot handle Kiana's computer. I'd offer
to help upgrade it, but it's a Mac. Actually, an iMac. So it needs
replacing rather than maintaining. So Internet Explorer 5 for Mac
cannot handle the advanced style of cookie Blogger uses, I have to use
GMail, which it can barely handle, even at the cut down interface. If
they choose to replace their computer, I'd help in their choice.
Anyway, my point: grammatical and spelling errors remain uneditable,
and they stare at me whenever I look at my blog. For them, I
apologise. I'd also like to comment on the X Files, which Kiana and I
watched last night instead of The Daily Show, which was at a different
time slot to the one I was expecting. How could they allow the X Files
to continue on so long after the loss of Mulder? I know that fans
called out for more, and even though the quality of production didn't
slip, it's just not fair to the memory of one of the best science
fiction dramas of all time. If not the best.
Well, Kiana and I will be driving down to Monterey later this evening.
I need to buy some liquid sustinance (I don't like American water,
even though Kiana's water is the nicest I've had in America). I would
also like to get some snacks, as I feel bad eating other people's
food. As well as that, I would like to go again to Starbucks to catch
up on torrents, flirt with the waitress, and get some good coffee. I'm
still in that foreign mood, but I am feeling better, so I don't want
anyone to worry. Last year, it was Yayoi that rescued me from feeling
like that. This year, who knows?
There are many of you back home that I can't wait to see again. But
there's a lot here that I want to keep doing. I'm very glad I came, it
has made me rethink my future. For like, the ninth time. But I do
that. All the time. If I go to Starbucks, I'll update my Flickr
account, and I might even update my YouTube account, so you can see
some of the best videos that Yukina and Erin (NEO) made, with my
occasional embarrassing participation.
Hugs all round.
Thursday 6 July 2006
Sudden Changes
Well, I'm here at Kiana's place. It took a long time to drive here,
she really is out of the way. But while I'm waiting around, and I
expect that there will be a lot of waiting around, I thought I'd
address some issues that I normally don't address here on QuasiBlog.
It might be untactful of me to say some of these things, but I guess
right now I'm in the mood to address certain issues that have plagued
me for a while. Usually when I do this, I get into heaps of trouble
and what not, and that usually means that I have hit upon something
relevant. I don't intend to cause any offence with anything I say, I
just want to get a few certain things said.
First of all, can I just state that the crop of new students that
joined the University last September was abysmal. It really was just a
terrible group. The JCS suffered its worst bout of dullness I've ever
seen at the hands of a group of new students who just weren't willing
to say or do anything. People might put this down to bad management,
but I don't think it's the case. Mizuki did a good job with what she
had, and I have no qualms about her retaining total control next year.
I'm going to put in more effort myself, hopefully I can help.
I criticise the first years, and some may say that's unfair, but I do
it purely at the comparison of the leaving third years from when I was
a first year. While not in total abundance, there was an amazing group
there. They had a genuinely fun group dynamic, and nobody was quiet
enough to be a downer to the rest (unless I was too quiet, but I doubt
it). What's more, they included me in the group. I didn't feel like an
outsider because I had known everyone for a quarter of the time
everyone else had. I think it's the only group of people who have ever
done that with me. There was a small divide in the groups in the JCS,
but not a serious one. There was the group where I was very close to
Emma and spent my time with them, and there was the group where I
spent my time with a combination of Jenny, Carlos, Yukina, Erin or
Shun. I felt occasionally there was a divide that may have come about
from incidents like Jenny and Kaori, but there was no lack of mixing
or friendliness.
I miss my third year friends. Last night I realised how lucky I was to
get into a group like that, and how depressing it is that the new
students haven't formed a group like that. I have lost a group, and I
spent a lot of last year feeling upset about that, not realising it. I
realise what I have been missing. This brings me onto my point; a
little over a year ago, Carlos approached me and told me about a party
that he'd had the night before to which I was not invited. He
explained it was a goodbye party for the friends he'd made in his
first year, and it was nothing against me, he just wanted to keep the
group and treat them as they were leaving. I felt nothing against not
being invited, I understood perfectly, and I felt kinda honoured that
he considered that and how I felt. This year, I only find out about
things Carlos has done with friends months after they happen, from
someone else, usually by accident.
This is my main issue, and it's not an issue totally exclusive to
Carlos, but he is the main focus. Last year I had an amazing time with
the whole group, and I was sad that everyone was leaving, I was
thankful that Carlos was staying another year. It didn't actually
matter, because I hardly saw him this year. There was a very sudden
change in the frequency that I saw Carlos, and that was a shame. I
won't attribute this to anything, but I will say that it happened
suddenly enough for Kiana to notice, and she'd only known him for a
month.
Having something that's really good suddenly taken away from you is
always a painful experience. It's hurtful and upsetting, and in the
case of losing my third year friends, I was sad and upset. But I knew
it was coming from the moment I knew which year they were in, and that
was pretty early on in the relationship. Because I knew, and because
it was inevitable, I could, and can deal with it. There's nothing to
be done, people have to go home. If I make friends with third years, I
will have to stop seeing them after one year. In two major cases this
year, it has happened before it was due. That is hurtful, that is
painful, and that is much harder to deal with.
Most people I have met at the University have travelled a distance to
get there, and have a seperate home they can visit. In almost every
case, they have a whole life back at home, with friends and family and
a world special enough to always be waiting. I am different in the
fact that I moved a few miles for University. I am also different as
University is my entire world. I do not have a group of friends
waiting back in Wimbledon, I do not have a life waiting back there. I
have my family, with whom I have a very strong bond, but aside from
them, my entire social existence occurs at University. And DWeb, but
I'm too separated from that now. Because of that, I am constantly
searching for long term friendships that I can keep and hold on to, as
I didn't start with any. That makes losing good friends one of the
most painful and depressing things that can happen to me. And it's
happened twice this year.
I have even been driven to such lengths as to try and forge a
relationship with someone I greatly dislike, just for the fact that I
know I got along with them. I had planned not to have contact with
them, but the loss of so much in just one year has pushed me to
strange ways, and I wasn't expecting something like it to happen at
all, let alone so soon.
Emma is extremely dependable, and I feel awful in the fact that I have
not been as dependable and as stable to her as she has been for me.
Not adding guilt to my worries, it's not a major issue, because for as
long as I can see myself upholding friend based duties with her, I can
see us being close. The last time I holidayed without her, she joined
me a couple of weeks later. Since I'm about two weeks into this
holiday, I guess I'm expecting to see her at the airport and party
with her, while everyone we meet thinks she's my girlfriend and we
have a good time.
In all of these depressing feelings I'm getting about the status of my
life, I attribute it partly to the homesickness I get when I'm away
for about this time. If you go to July 2005 in my blog and read the
post "To A Lesser Extent", I was feeling the same kind of feeling,
missing the same people, and generally feeling a bit foreign. I feel
foreign here for a different reason though. But if I gauge history as
the reliable thing it is, I expect something very positive to happen
and to make me feel a lot better about what is happening. Fingers
crossed.
End of a Brief Era
When I said goodbye to most of my 3rd year friends, I had little hope of seeing some of them again. We had this crazy idea of meeting up in Japan next year, and it fell through when I realised I didn't want to go back to Japan so soon, so we didn't go through with it. So seeing two of them this summer was a surprise. A big surprise, even thought I knew it was coming. As Erin (NEO) said in her blog, we didn't hang out much as just the three of us before, so we could have hated each other, but as I have said over and over, it just worked great.
Today Erin (NEO), for a fee, drove me to Monterey to meet Kiana, and we had a very time at it. Apart from Philosophy and Astrophysics and Theistic discussion, we had a funny ride. As well as the chance to reflect on all the bad things we did while we were away. Yukina spiked my drink with vodka on like, the second night, and Erin crashed into another car while parking and fled the scene (leaving this new GT sports car with a nice new colour of paint scraped down it), and I skipped fare on the BART. By accident. I don't usually do stuff like that, it happened because Erin miscommunicated to me what I had to do. Her fault.
It was two weeks I won't forget. I hope the rest of my holiday can live up to it. I came to California because of Kiana, but I didn't come here for Kiana. I had to see it, I would have come if I saw her or not, and at several times while I was here, I considered not seeing her. I'm glad I am though, it should be fun.
I also got a copy of all of Yukina's photos, some of which you can see on her blog, most of which I will put on my Flickr. I left the CD in Kiana's car though, so I don't have it now, otherwise you'd be seeing what we have dubbed "douzo". You'll see it next update, I hope.
Right now, Kiana's dancing at a class (this is the second time today that I have been excluded from a dance class). I'm at the Cannery Row Starbucks (the road you can see in the photo in the previous post). I have been making a little something for Erin for next time she goes online, which should be a lot since she hasn't got awesome people to hang out with in real life anymore (me and Yukina).
Maybe it'll make you chuckle. I hope you remember to do what you said you'd do. I plan on doing what we agreed on doing at the time we allocated to doing it. Hopefully that's not too vague.
I think I will miss the wireless I had at Erin's house. It wasn't their's, it was just there and really fun to use because it was pretty fast. And unsecured. There were 4 networks connectable from her house, 2 WEP encrypted, one too weak to work, and Rigsys. Greatest part was... they used the same router as me. And not being smart enough to secure the network, they also didn't alter their IP for their router, nor did they change the default password. They might be shocked when they find that I set up port forwarding to uTorrent so I got better download speeds. They probably won't know. Unless they eventually check. Good old Linksys. I thought about upgrading their firmware while I was there, but thought that if the wireless went out because of it I wouldn't be able to go online. And they'd probably encrypt it after that. Aah, I haven't talked about nerdy stuff in ages, it's great. That was for you, Dan.
I've been reading Slashdot and Billy West's replies to questions. He's a funny guy. I'm very happy about the return of Futurama (confirmed this time), and how great it will be, as I didn't think it had peaked at all. It was a consistently funny show, with references that I am only getting now because they are so obscure and clever. I wonder if I can get the Starbucks staff to watch my PC while I go to the toilet. Kiana still has an hour and a quarter to dance for.
Ah, if certain things weren't bothering me, life would be so good right now. There's a strange guy with a beard looking at me, I think he wants to take my laptop. Right, I'll take my toilet break now.
Ah, it was fine, no theft, and the waitress was very chatty. I like it here. I'm sure I've said it before, but people are friendly for no reason here. It's great, but it's at the cost of intelligence. Friendly, but they vote for Bush. It's not so true in California at least. That's why I like it here. One of my favourite memories is running onto the beach with Yukina, looking at the mountains, the sand, the sun, and saying, "Look where we are!". She replied, excitedly, "We're in California!". We proceeded to have an awesome day at the beach with minimal sunburn and maximum sleep.
I think I'll get this posted soon, I'm starting to ramble for the sake of rambling. And when I say soon, I mean now.
---
EDIT: I didn't capitalise an "I", and I thought I should recount the time I wanted a small coffee in Starbucks in Japan. I went in and said, "Chotto latte kudasai.". Haha. Not really, but it would have been funny. I just heard a Japanese woman speaking while a barrista called out her order and it practically wrote itself. It was comedy gold.
Today Erin (NEO), for a fee, drove me to Monterey to meet Kiana, and we had a very time at it. Apart from Philosophy and Astrophysics and Theistic discussion, we had a funny ride. As well as the chance to reflect on all the bad things we did while we were away. Yukina spiked my drink with vodka on like, the second night, and Erin crashed into another car while parking and fled the scene (leaving this new GT sports car with a nice new colour of paint scraped down it), and I skipped fare on the BART. By accident. I don't usually do stuff like that, it happened because Erin miscommunicated to me what I had to do. Her fault.
It was two weeks I won't forget. I hope the rest of my holiday can live up to it. I came to California because of Kiana, but I didn't come here for Kiana. I had to see it, I would have come if I saw her or not, and at several times while I was here, I considered not seeing her. I'm glad I am though, it should be fun.
I also got a copy of all of Yukina's photos, some of which you can see on her blog, most of which I will put on my Flickr. I left the CD in Kiana's car though, so I don't have it now, otherwise you'd be seeing what we have dubbed "douzo". You'll see it next update, I hope.
Right now, Kiana's dancing at a class (this is the second time today that I have been excluded from a dance class). I'm at the Cannery Row Starbucks (the road you can see in the photo in the previous post). I have been making a little something for Erin for next time she goes online, which should be a lot since she hasn't got awesome people to hang out with in real life anymore (me and Yukina).
Maybe it'll make you chuckle. I hope you remember to do what you said you'd do. I plan on doing what we agreed on doing at the time we allocated to doing it. Hopefully that's not too vague.
I think I will miss the wireless I had at Erin's house. It wasn't their's, it was just there and really fun to use because it was pretty fast. And unsecured. There were 4 networks connectable from her house, 2 WEP encrypted, one too weak to work, and Rigsys. Greatest part was... they used the same router as me. And not being smart enough to secure the network, they also didn't alter their IP for their router, nor did they change the default password. They might be shocked when they find that I set up port forwarding to uTorrent so I got better download speeds. They probably won't know. Unless they eventually check. Good old Linksys. I thought about upgrading their firmware while I was there, but thought that if the wireless went out because of it I wouldn't be able to go online. And they'd probably encrypt it after that. Aah, I haven't talked about nerdy stuff in ages, it's great. That was for you, Dan.
I've been reading Slashdot and Billy West's replies to questions. He's a funny guy. I'm very happy about the return of Futurama (confirmed this time), and how great it will be, as I didn't think it had peaked at all. It was a consistently funny show, with references that I am only getting now because they are so obscure and clever. I wonder if I can get the Starbucks staff to watch my PC while I go to the toilet. Kiana still has an hour and a quarter to dance for.
Ah, if certain things weren't bothering me, life would be so good right now. There's a strange guy with a beard looking at me, I think he wants to take my laptop. Right, I'll take my toilet break now.
Ah, it was fine, no theft, and the waitress was very chatty. I like it here. I'm sure I've said it before, but people are friendly for no reason here. It's great, but it's at the cost of intelligence. Friendly, but they vote for Bush. It's not so true in California at least. That's why I like it here. One of my favourite memories is running onto the beach with Yukina, looking at the mountains, the sand, the sun, and saying, "Look where we are!". She replied, excitedly, "We're in California!". We proceeded to have an awesome day at the beach with minimal sunburn and maximum sleep.
I think I'll get this posted soon, I'm starting to ramble for the sake of rambling. And when I say soon, I mean now.
---
EDIT: I didn't capitalise an "I", and I thought I should recount the time I wanted a small coffee in Starbucks in Japan. I went in and said, "Chotto latte kudasai.". Haha. Not really, but it would have been funny. I just heard a Japanese woman speaking while a barrista called out her order and it practically wrote itself. It was comedy gold.
Wednesday 5 July 2006
Departed
Yukina's gone, it's hard to accept. Erin and I sang the song we wrote together, and it wasn't the same without Yukina. But we will always have the songs, and always have the photos. Something like 430MB of photos and videos. That's more than I have hosting space! Watch out, Flickr, I might have to upgrade to a Pro account.
It's been a horrible 4th of July. I have been down all day. It would have been worse if aliens had attacked, but only marginally worse. At least we'd be rid of LA.
Yukina leaving was sad, but I've just had a hard time accepting all sorts of stuff. I have a feeling I'm bottling a lot, despite my profane outburtsts to myself. I'm also seeing I am a creature fuelled by hatred, and I am most creative when angry. Or at least it feels that way. It's a shame they're only negative creations, and wouldn't really be worthwhile to actually have.
A brief mental calculation has me thinking that today I have posted 8 times my average since starting this blog. I have done two posts a day before (and it won't look like 2 posts because I'm in a different time zone, unless it does look like two posts, in which case disregard what i said), but it's not usual, and I don't do it frequently.
I'm going to stay with Kiana for a little bit. It's very kind of her to let me, and I wanted to avoid it if possible, but CM is incapable of understanding how mobile phones work, and has made himself completely incommunicado. Damn him. I'm going to try and see him anyway.
Aah, writing a post is relaxing. I'm going to miss the wireless internet I'm stealing right now. I don't know if you heard about how cops are going to get unsecured wireless network detectors? Not so they can go and leech with doughnuts and coffee, but so they can inform the users of the risk to security they pose.
Did I do something wrong, officer?
Your networks unencrypted. License and registration please.
Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know, I thought I had a password on, and I thought that MAC addressing...
You had MAC addressing, but the state has mandatory 128 bit WEP encryption standards. That, and your router "Activity" LED is busted.
We totally need cyber police.
Erin and I are standing in Carmel, near Cannery Road, on my first night in California. I love it here. Part of me wants to stay, part of me wants to leave. I miss my people at home, but I'd love to start and make a new life. But it's out of the question for now.
I'm going to Berkeley tomorrow morning. Erin (NEO) has another dance class that I'm not allowed to go to because the girls feel like guys are perving on them, which is understandable. I'm going to discuss stuff, and go to the Amoeba store that Pyro recommended to me and that I found totally by chance looking through Yukina's photos of Berkeley.
Anyway, I'll have more to say tomorrow. If I'm depressed for a bit don't worry about it. I tend not to show it.
It's been a horrible 4th of July. I have been down all day. It would have been worse if aliens had attacked, but only marginally worse. At least we'd be rid of LA.
Yukina leaving was sad, but I've just had a hard time accepting all sorts of stuff. I have a feeling I'm bottling a lot, despite my profane outburtsts to myself. I'm also seeing I am a creature fuelled by hatred, and I am most creative when angry. Or at least it feels that way. It's a shame they're only negative creations, and wouldn't really be worthwhile to actually have.
A brief mental calculation has me thinking that today I have posted 8 times my average since starting this blog. I have done two posts a day before (and it won't look like 2 posts because I'm in a different time zone, unless it does look like two posts, in which case disregard what i said), but it's not usual, and I don't do it frequently.
I'm going to stay with Kiana for a little bit. It's very kind of her to let me, and I wanted to avoid it if possible, but CM is incapable of understanding how mobile phones work, and has made himself completely incommunicado. Damn him. I'm going to try and see him anyway.
Aah, writing a post is relaxing. I'm going to miss the wireless internet I'm stealing right now. I don't know if you heard about how cops are going to get unsecured wireless network detectors? Not so they can go and leech with doughnuts and coffee, but so they can inform the users of the risk to security they pose.
Did I do something wrong, officer?
Your networks unencrypted. License and registration please.
Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know, I thought I had a password on, and I thought that MAC addressing...
You had MAC addressing, but the state has mandatory 128 bit WEP encryption standards. That, and your router "Activity" LED is busted.
We totally need cyber police.
Erin and I are standing in Carmel, near Cannery Road, on my first night in California. I love it here. Part of me wants to stay, part of me wants to leave. I miss my people at home, but I'd love to start and make a new life. But it's out of the question for now.
I'm going to Berkeley tomorrow morning. Erin (NEO) has another dance class that I'm not allowed to go to because the girls feel like guys are perving on them, which is understandable. I'm going to discuss stuff, and go to the Amoeba store that Pyro recommended to me and that I found totally by chance looking through Yukina's photos of Berkeley.
Anyway, I'll have more to say tomorrow. If I'm depressed for a bit don't worry about it. I tend not to show it.
Tuesday 4 July 2006
An Early End
Today felt like the end of my holiday. Erin drove me and Yukina to the airport today, and we all said goodbye to Yukina, who I won't see again for probably a couple of years. It was very sad, but it made us realise how fast our two weeks together had been and how quickly time goes when you're having one of the most fun times ever. Our road trip, our Starbucks, all the junk food, the shopping, the singing, the beach... everything went faster than I would have wanted. It's horribly sad, and I'm going to miss this time so much. The three of us just had a really good time, and it was so brilliant to see Yukina and Erin again. I am saddened that, fittingly, our trio's down to two. Oh.
I managed to be up and awake and ready early enough to go to the airport with them, and we listened to a variety of Erin's CDs and songs. Lots of 70s music, lots of singing along, everything. We also had the Lion King Soundtrack to guide us to SFO. We had been singing the songs last night, but altering the lyrics to be something else entirely. For instance, The Circle of Development, I Just Can't Wait to Drive a Truck, and brilliantly, Please Pass the Butter (use your imagination).
This was after a wonderfully large meal at a Spaghetti house that filled us with wonderful desserts. I had some kind of Caramel cake that was bigger than I was. Yukina had a Strawberry Cheesecake that she honourably offered me part of (see picture, coming soon), while Erin enjoyed half a scoop of what appeared to be the remnants of the bottom of the ice cream tray (she said it was Spumoni or something). This was indeed after a parking adventure that I am not at liberty to discuss as it is part of an ongoing investigation.
Before we went out, Erin and I had a hike up the mountains near her house. As I am usually opposed to hiking, I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable this particular hike was. We had a fun time up the mountain, I climbed a tree and discussed my epitaph, and we said hello to everyone that walked by. This was while Yukina was shopping in San Francisco, as I had done the day before.
Good morning.
Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world, and you will be launching the greatest aerial battle in the history of mankind. Mankind. The word should have new meaning for us today. We can't be consumed by our petit differences any longer. It's perhaps fate that today is the fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression or persecution, but from annihilation. We're fighting for our right to live, to exist. And should we win the day, the fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day we stood up and said we will not go quietly into the night, we will not vanish without a fight, we're going to live on, we're going to survive. Today, we celebrate our Independence Day.
That was just from memory. But it's suitable. I'm going to read back on my blog and see what I was doing exactly one year ago. I remember that July 3rd 2005, I spent the evening laughing with the group, I think, and that it was a great time. I'm glad I could spend the evening of July 3rd this year having as much fun, with the same group.
Yukina's gone back to Japan, and I'm leaving Erin's place tomorrow. These two weeks have gone so fast. I still have holiday left, but it feels like I don't. I'll see Erin again before I go, but she's starting work and I should move on.
When you land in Tokyo and you check the internet and stuff, know what a fun time I had, Yukina. What a fun time we had. A seriously fun time. Oh, and as soon as we sat back in the car after you were gone, I said, "Looks like it's just you and me, kid.".
I managed to be up and awake and ready early enough to go to the airport with them, and we listened to a variety of Erin's CDs and songs. Lots of 70s music, lots of singing along, everything. We also had the Lion King Soundtrack to guide us to SFO. We had been singing the songs last night, but altering the lyrics to be something else entirely. For instance, The Circle of Development, I Just Can't Wait to Drive a Truck, and brilliantly, Please Pass the Butter (use your imagination).
This was after a wonderfully large meal at a Spaghetti house that filled us with wonderful desserts. I had some kind of Caramel cake that was bigger than I was. Yukina had a Strawberry Cheesecake that she honourably offered me part of (see picture, coming soon), while Erin enjoyed half a scoop of what appeared to be the remnants of the bottom of the ice cream tray (she said it was Spumoni or something). This was indeed after a parking adventure that I am not at liberty to discuss as it is part of an ongoing investigation.
Before we went out, Erin and I had a hike up the mountains near her house. As I am usually opposed to hiking, I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable this particular hike was. We had a fun time up the mountain, I climbed a tree and discussed my epitaph, and we said hello to everyone that walked by. This was while Yukina was shopping in San Francisco, as I had done the day before.
Good morning.
Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world, and you will be launching the greatest aerial battle in the history of mankind. Mankind. The word should have new meaning for us today. We can't be consumed by our petit differences any longer. It's perhaps fate that today is the fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression or persecution, but from annihilation. We're fighting for our right to live, to exist. And should we win the day, the fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day we stood up and said we will not go quietly into the night, we will not vanish without a fight, we're going to live on, we're going to survive. Today, we celebrate our Independence Day.
That was just from memory. But it's suitable. I'm going to read back on my blog and see what I was doing exactly one year ago. I remember that July 3rd 2005, I spent the evening laughing with the group, I think, and that it was a great time. I'm glad I could spend the evening of July 3rd this year having as much fun, with the same group.
Yukina's gone back to Japan, and I'm leaving Erin's place tomorrow. These two weeks have gone so fast. I still have holiday left, but it feels like I don't. I'll see Erin again before I go, but she's starting work and I should move on.
When you land in Tokyo and you check the internet and stuff, know what a fun time I had, Yukina. What a fun time we had. A seriously fun time. Oh, and as soon as we sat back in the car after you were gone, I said, "Looks like it's just you and me, kid.".
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