Turkey Trauma

Beauty

I saw the most amaizing multi stemmed English Silver Birch this morning. It looked spooky sat in the middle of a garden full of evergreens. This tree was so elegant and was appealing to me because this morning, just as a tinge of homesickness kicked in the tree reminded of home. The Sceptered Isle.

I have never noticed autumn here before. But this year I have admired the flame red and vibrant oranges of the Liquid Amber in particular. There aren't tree-lined streets littered with fallen leaves here. You know the ones you used to run through on the way to school, or bend down and rumage through looking for any hidden conkers? This is because there is an army of guys with blowers, ready to eliminate any leaf that dare make a mess.

It made me smile just to see the morning sun glistening through the bare branches of the lone Birch. Ideally a black squirrel would have given me a bit of extra entertainment, not that I needed it. The beautiful branches reaching out to the sky made me smile because after spending all week in the throngs of stressed out shoppers this was an experience which would not leave me tired, bad tempered and broke.

Christmas Shopping. Again!

Why did I call my step dad and ask if he needed anything from Macey's?
I have now only 5 more pressys to buy. For five lads between 15 and 27 years old. So a trip to the city centre tomorrow night after work will mean fighting my way through yet another throng of shopping crazed folk. San Francisco is mental right now.
Usually one can stroll around the big department stores with not a care in the world. The occasional make up clad lady will approach you with a stick of paper smelling of the latest movie star's perfume. You can freely browse the rails of clothes, seeing if they fit by holding it up under your chin while looking in the mirror. The cafe is the busiest place in there. They do a wicked bread bowl with soup of the day, and always chowder and tomatoe.
But tonight it was a different story. Macey's shop floor was a free for all, full throttle, maxed out battle field. The make up glad, immaculatley dressed boys from the cosmetics department were hauling themselves at you like a misfired cruise missile. Dodging these f***ers was a chore in itself. And becoming a chore is what Christmas shopping was for me this evening. The drizzle did not help.
I was however pleased with my choice of venue for dinner. Sear's. I had fish and chips. Lovely. The chips were french fries or freedom fries as they liked to say when France chickened out of the war effort. There was enough as always to take in a kitty bag. Fat Cat and retardo now love their new mummy!
This was written last night - Now I am publishing it I may as well be walking over burning coals then jumping into a vat of acid. Yeah folks you have guessed - I am back shopping tonight. The only difference tonight is that it is torrential rain as opposed. A list of gifts will be written tonight, just so you know which shops to avoid!
Late x
P.S.Who ever said cut and paste a word doc once spell checked it talking outta their ass (CJ) it does not work.
P.P.S. Please read my Beautiful post just so you can reinforce your views of me. I have been a bit grumpy of late. Soz.

Morning Ride x 3 Don't Ask!

Pants

the sun rise pics r really ok. However some malfunction in the photo department means one's bolloxed it up once again.

Sun Rise This Morning

San Francisco Union Square Pictures

Just a few snaps I took when I was Christmas shopping last week. I love strolling about this square and always am drawn to it when I am out and about in the city.

Happy Crimble

Where is the spell check these days? Apologies and who ever sent that anon post re my spelling - some are unintentional, mere typos so sod off. Although I must admit I have a problem with double letters in a word.

Ho Ho Hooooooooooooooooooooooo
Harper is back...

Still an on going prob within the fam but I am sure it will either become livable or just dissapear into oblivion.
I am home alone, my room mate has gone to sunnier climes for Xmas to visit his family in Florida. Lucky sod, 'cause right now it has been gale force-winding-it and peeing it down for two days. Shame because I had a date this weekend and we had to spend a lot of time indoors! I did however manage a scenic drive through the redwood trees, passing Xmas tree farms and vineyards. Winding our way to Highway 1 and the Pacific. The fog was pretty bad but he got the jist - You know breathtaking cliffs, crashing waves including the Maveriks which is the biggest wave on record. It comes but once a year like Santa and the surfer dudes are all camping out in Princeton-By-The-Sea waiting for the ride of their lives.
Friends, country men and country men in foreign parts Happy Christmas to you and yours. May the season be filled with many happy times and may Santa bring you something you actually want instead of another electric razor or pair of gloves. Just in case anyone is feeling generous - especially my English friends a big box of t-bags would go down a treat. Right now I am on with 'Sleepy Time' bags from a health food shop (no I did not purchase them!) and I may as well neck a full bottle of Night Nurse (Nyquil) as that is the effect one gets. I set my alarm for PM the other day, it's a good job that the dustbin men come down my street at least 3 x a day or I would have been asleep 'till tea time!
Anyway I thought I would let you know I am cool and very pleased with the weekends goings ons. I am just waiting for mum to call me from Union Square so I can meet up and finish of the last minute bits n bobs.
Thanks for the cards - slowly they are getting here. I am like a big kid (well, not that big as the weight I put on from stopping smoking is slowly coming off) when I get home from work. I have been guessing the number of cards in the 'mail' box with Mike - Who was beating me by miles until this weekend. Nitzy, Sarah (nee Day) and Jules thanks.
OK off to get rid of this French manicure I have been scraping off for the past 1/2 hour.
Late.
X

The Shit Has Hit The Fan

You may not know or even care to know what this phrase means - Or in fact what it means in this instance. All I can say is there is something going on right now that affects my ability to blog. There is a matter that requires urgent attention from all family members involved and unfortunately I am other wise disposed trying to help someone in great need.
x

Quick Update

Just a quickie update on the Thanksgiving Holidays.

Thought I would use the spare 30 mins I have to let you know what I have been up to during the past week. May I appolgise to my friends first though, I am so rubbish at emailing you but do miss you all terribly. My Chrissy card list is being ticked so expect something in real ink through the post soon.

Thanksgiving Thursday last week.
Went to Angie's for a Scottish vegi food-a-thon. Got very merry and ended up at Treat Street bar in the Mission.

Friday.
Shopping for Uggs knee length lace up boots and various pressys for moi. Nice new heels (although not apreciated by all who saw them), jumpers for the winter etc.
Then met up with my roomie Mike and his mate, now officially my mate Blair, from NZ, and hopped a few bars up Haight Street. Back to ours, looked at the dominoes and went to bed.

Saturday.
Baker's Beach SF, with Freida the Mike's dog. Oh I will have to buy a camera asap, I need to be posting pics NOW. The dog is gorge' and the beach spectacular, shame you can not see them. Soon my dears, soon.
Sat night I went to Fisherman's Wharfe and met a new friend for cocktails and stuff. All very relaxing.

Sunday.
Sightseeing on Wharfe. Sealions etc.
Then I missed my 1st Spanish lesson, nightmare. So did Mike, bummer.

Monday.
Work and stayed at mum's.

Tuesday.
Same as Monday.

Wednesday NOW.
Just off for dinner round the corner at my mate's Teresa's. Better go gonna be late.

X

Sun Set San Gregorio Beach California USA

Hi, just a taster of the sort of gorgeousness I encounter on a daily basis. This was taken last Autumn actually on the beach closest to my mum's house. The weather is very wet in this part of the world today, so I thought I would cheer myself up, plus my step dad is out in that huge chunk of ocean right now. Crab fishing. He has had 2 hours sleep in 48 hours, I bet he is not looking in to the horizon with such rose tinted glasses.

Thanksgiving

Hello Peeps,
Just passing time at work, it is Thanksgiving tomorrow and I have Thursday and Friday off! It is like the day before you break up for Xmas in the UK. Everyone is the holiday spirit. I even had an eggnog latte yesterday, and wish I'd never bothered - It tasted really boozy - reminded me of the end of a heavy Saturday night squeezing a few Bailey's coffees in just because it seems like the right tipple at 1.20am. Please do not try this at home. I have to try the gingerbread one next - just for comparrison, I will let you know about the taste outcome.
Last night was a mad one, I went to the Filmore in the city to see a band called She Wants Revenge. Unfortunately we, mum, Mike and myself thought that there would be loads of tickets, and there wasn't. So we people watched for a bit outside the venue, I actually saw some girls dressed up. That is a first in the city. The fashion here is however a few months behind London. Which is an improvement on the previous years when I have been making observations. It's all the 3/4 length shorts and Victoriana blouses. Oh, that reminds me Uggs have brought out a new boot - check them out on their website, they have laces and look really warm. I can feel an investment coming on. How do they fair in the snow?
The snow is coming too. Lake Taho is gonna have to be visited this season. I have not been on the slopes since about '98 so please wish me luck, especially considering lack of medical insurance (note to me. Please sort this out). I want to learn how to snow board, so I guess I will have to hire all the stuff, just in case there's one sport I cannot quite master and I have to give it up as a bad job! Anyone off up Taho reading this - I would love to be involved.
Time to tell you about the clubs and groups I have joined in my 1st month in this strange and tantilising city. I have joined a book club, which apparently concentrates on a series of q's and a's regaring one's sex life, so that should take all of 2 mins! I missed my 1st session with the girlies as I was sick, I must find out what the next read is and try and get in the necessary reading more than 6 hours before the meeting - The book is irrelivant from what I have heard, so I should concentrate my efforts on seeking out a good Wednesday night red wine.
I am off to a games night at a random house in the city next Wednesday. I have looked on the Yahoo evite and there are about 30 of us going to some guy's house to play Scrabble, Cranium and Pictionary. Now to you lot at home this probably sounds a bit wanky, but it beats sitting in doors looking at 4 walls, and I am in a new environment. I have realised bars are not a good place to meet people. Unless vagrants, drop outs and bums are one's preffrable genre in pals. This will end up being a boozy night with hangover consequences, must try and remember this when the time comes. My train journey does not bode well with chunder stops and brief moments of outer body experiences. It is a 'Baby Bullet' so it doesn't stop for wimps.
Finally I have signed up for Spanish lessons. It is $15 for an hour and half, there is a group of 8 ish and it is in a house close to mine so won't be too much hassel for a Sunday night. Let's see if I can learn the language when I am paying for them! When I had them free at uni the learning was not as speedy as I imagined - Mind you I did have a lecture at a really silly time like 10am, far too early for the party mad jock that I was. Now with no physical activity obsession or commitments I feel it is time to find the time to educate and open my mind to the wonders of a second language. Plus being in Barcalona with Sarah in October made me want to join in with the conversations, so maybe I will learn fingers crossed.
Oh - forgot Beautifulpeople.com have a dinner meeting on Saturday, it is sushi in a place in the city voted the best looking wait staff in the Bay Area. Now talk about pretencious.
Jon Crooks if you are reading this you will be pissing your pants. I AM NOT PRETENCIOUS, honestly, just wanna check out the San Francisco BP members, nowt narcassistic about that is there? I will be updating and probably offending several in my mest blog. Which will be after the "Holidays" when I actually have summat to witter on about, as opposed to now where I am merely passing time untl my bus comes at 3.30.

Big Cocks it's Friday

CAPTIONS PLEASE...

SF Book Club

Here are a few of the lasses from the book club I joined. These gals sure are good for make-up tips!

Blind Date

Oh,
I forgot to mention earlier - I hooked up with a blind date off Craig's list (UK readers this is a mad web site if u r looking for anything - and I mean anything), thought I'd post u a pick!

Out Of Bed At Last

Shouldn't really complain about having to stay in bed for the past 48 hours, but since I was alone and coughing up what looked like the reminants of a coal miner's bath water I suppose I should be happy to finally be back in the swing of things again.
Can I just apologize for the previous post? There is supposed to be an attachment with some sort of personality test however it has not worked. I have no energy to do my usual spoilt brat routine and smash the keyboard around and tutt a lot while cursing about the lack of simplicity of the wondrous invention only a Silicon Valley techi could fathom. No no no, calm and collective just until I get 100% back on form, then the serious investigation and second download attempt may occur.
I must say since I have laid in bed for the past 2 days I completed my book group book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, which was quite a good read considering I prefer true stories, biographies etc; and I have started my 1st Irving novel The Cider House Rules. This illness has made me get into the novel thing. Since I am writing one (will I ever get this off my list of things to do?) I suppose it's necessary research, but I am dying to read something on Howard Stern. Since I have been here I have been catching his last shows on Live 105. They have just had a guy on with a fetish for women throwing up over him. Howard made his dream come true and had three hot chicks in the studio trying to puke! It all ended with a bit of spit up, since these women were a size 0 I think they had only had coffee for breakfast hence the puking game lasted nearly all morning. I am pleased I had a bagel at 6am, which is well and truly digested by this time therefore no puking from this gal. I need to try and understand what happened in this guy's childhood to make him want to produce such drivel, and while I am at Barnes and Nobel I suppose I will find something about him - He seems to love himself a fair bit so they will probably be stocking his 4th re-run of his biography. I listened all morning though so maybe I am sick and twisted too!

Hope you like this picture, I had it taken on my 29th B/day - I thought I would download it or at least try - It could cheer me up too (since I have so many zits my face could be mistaken for the BART route; obviously due to the lack of cleansing routine over past 2 days).

Well, short but sweet - A bit like Graham Norton!

Laters.

Oh - I must briefly mention the 30somethings and the SFNewcomers group I have joined since I have lived in San Fran. I am looking forward to meeting you (except the weird ones of course), there is a drinky poohs this evening - If I can locate the panstick (to cover the zits) I will be there x

What I have Done Since I Have Had The Flu

This is a little test I did as I rose from my pit at 12.30 pm. I am in bed with the flu. I have slept for about 36 hours outta the past 48! I look like crap and I am feeling sorry for myself. Then I read my emails and came accross this test and blogged it - It seems pretty on the ball, but don't they all?

Aren't Baths Brilliant?

It has been so long since I have had the pleasure of living in a home with a bath, so you can imagine after 8 years of living in London I must be pretty smelly! Seriously what a pleasure it is to get home from work and soak in the deepest depths of my 'only in America' mahoosive new tub.
It is only after living here for three weeks and having taken the waters at least 6 times a week (the 7th is shower day) that I have truely begun to appreciate the relaxing quality of a right good soaking. There is the added bonus, which should be a fundamental aspect if you had lived with only a shower for so long, that you can sucessfully shave the necessary areas, without having to do an Evil Kanevil stunt agin the tiles.
I decided instead of doing the usual in and out in ten minutes routine that I was actually going to lay there and partake in a few relaxing techniques, which for me is stopping talking. So I floated (massive bath remember) there, and my body started to actually relax. Gosh, what a wonderful thing that is? To actually have 'me time' without it involving earplugs and a really good pillow. Re reading that line evokes serious connotations for which were, or are (reading back) certainly not intended.
I do not like bubbles in a bath, this factor I have known for some time now. I actually had a flash back yesterday as I was about to take a dip. I fell into the bath and skidded about like a duck on snot for what seemed like an eternity. This fiasco reminded me of my brother and I getting an emptied bath and skidding around with head injury consequences when we were kids. The bubbles stopped then. The odd candle is permissible but I never remember to take in a lighter. Magazines last about 2 seconds before they become at one with my own ocean (remember it is an 'All American' bath).
Finally the aftermath of the Bath, that actually deserves something a bit special;

THE AFTERMATH OF THE BATH.

Trader Joe's Cow Udder Cream

YES YOU HEARD IT GIRLS

It really is for cow's udders and we all know how smooth they are?

HONESTLY IT'S REALLY FANTASTIC

Hope you enjoy a lovely bath soon x

Dia de los Muertos - The Day of the dead

Last night I was in the Mission. Basically it was the night when this entire neighbourhood's Mexican community celebrated the traditional Aztec beliefs of death and after life.
The scene was similar to that of carnival in Salvador, Brazil. However the revelers were dowdily dressed in black with their faces painted to resemble skeletons. Flowers and silver charms were draped and sewn onto the costumes and there was a fair share of men on stilts, looking like something out of Poltergeist.

Unfortunately I have not purchased a new camera yet, even though I have been given permission to use my Step Dad's Pay Pall account (I don't think he realises that's like letting Paris Hilton loose with a Black Amex card!). So I have tried to download an image from a free service on Google. I will probably get my ass sued over copyright but it would be worth it as the image sums up the occasion. (you have to right click on the blank image and open that way!!!) - I have since tried to delete these pictures to no avail!)

I had a few con limon Coronas - well, when in Rome, and tried to get in to the party spirit. I did manage to upset an Aussie guy as I asked him how long it took him to stick his crooked nose on thus completing a rather fetching Dracula ensemble; "It's MY nose" was his reply. Whoops! He was my friend in the end so I managed to smooth it all away in my Harperistic manner. You know sometimes having big boobs really does come in handy!

My friend Angie from Glasgow has lived in the city forever, I have been mates with her since I was 19 years old. Her house is round the corner from the parade so I met her in the local boozer Treat Street. Apart from watching a 70 year old snort coke from her handbag at the bar it was your usual local really! There is so much potential for the crack (not to be confused with crack cocaine) however my sense of humour tends to fall on stoney ground. Mind you with Angie's laugh and me laughing at Angie's laugh we managed to keep the place bouyant all evening.

Completely off the rails here and I have got an A'level in English what is (sic), I am seeing this a lot lately - I suppose I could do a search, but thought you may like a little lunchtime entertainment.

Anyway, I was pleased to walk to the station this morning with a clear head because no matter how many shots of Tequilla were-a-flowing, I managed to restrain myself. The Coronas were as far as I would go in indulging in Dia de los Muertos - OK I am off now to research this tradition, me thinks swigging Mexican, but probably brewed in the Stated beer, is a little too far from the traditional Latino way. x

San Francisco

Ok - I know I have not written for a while. I am only here for a few seconds to dispel any unecessary rumors.

1) I AM NOT PREGNANT (nor do I have a sperm donor)

2) I AM IN SAN FRANCISCO UNTIL THE END OF JAN (at least)

3) I AM CARRYING MY OWN WEAPON OF MASS DISTRUCTION (a can of Mace)

4) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I HAVE NOT HAD A CIG (it must ba about 15 weeks now, like I care)

So please stop worrying and get ready for a few San Fran blogs, I am really busy getting my social life sorted and this does not involve hours of mindless chit chat on the net. However I do appreciate all of your concerns x

Ok wise bottoms. No back chat on any spellings. The spell check is broken and I am resorting to using a US version of the English dictionary. You have been warned, anything could happen. I have discovered that if a word ends in 'our' they drop the 'u' as in color.