I suppose I should mention that I'm doing nanowrimo this year. I'm thinking of doing something very stupid and trying to get all 100,000 words of draft one of book two done over November (or there-abouts). I figure if I have 33 chapters and each chapter has 3,000 words that'll get me to 99,000 which is close enough to 100,000 to me. That means I have to write a chapter a day (that's where the "there-abouts" comes in, because that puts me three days over). And that's why this idea is stupid. On my best days in previous nanos I could write 4,000 words in a day, but that happened only a handful of days and I was exhausted by the time I'd written that much. I'm not sure I can sustain that energy for a whole month. Even to have a chance I'd need an immaculate outline, which I don't have at this stage. But there's still time before November.
First, I have to get my Halloween costume finished. I'm almost done with it. I have a bunch of fur to sew and the bodice to make and I have to put velcro on all the pieces to make them stay on me. Then it's just finishing touches and a bit of painting (and a paper mache shoulder guard - which I'm working on tomorrow) and I'll be done.
Our trip to Flagstaff was really good. We went to the Grand Canyon on Tuesday, the lava cave and meteorite crater on Wednesday, and Sedona on Thursday. Sedona is amazing. I want to live there. I drove there from Flagstaff, and we decided to go the scenic route (which is also the shortest distance). Oh wow. The drive was something else. We went over the mountains and coming down the other side was nothing but breathtaking vista after breathtaking vista. It was so beautiful. And the weather was perfect. Warm, but not too hot. The town itself is nice, if touristy. I wanted to see a vortex (how could I not want to visit a vortex - it's Sedona, you practically have to visit one) but either there was no parking or we had to hike (which lordkilljoy wasn't up for). So I'm going to go back some day and visit a vortex by myself. We just went home on Friday because it was raining. I can hear a voice in my head going: "Call yourself Irish? A little drizzle puts you off?" Yes, well. I hate rain. And living in Arizona has made me hate it even more.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
20 October 2012
12 September 2012
Disneyland
Ahhh, I don't even know what to write, we did so much. We spent about 10 hours in the park on Friday and about 9 on Saturday, and I'm pretty certain we missed out on loads of stuff. You could spend one whole day just watching performances. The good thing is that we got to go on all the rides we wanted. California Screamin' (the rollercoaster) is the most fun ever. I wanted to go on it 5 times, but we only made it 3. I get the impression that lordkilljoy wasn't such a raving fan as I was. We ate a bunch of wonderful food and didn't get fat because we walked so much. We'd get back to the hotel each evening and not be able to move for the soreness of our feet.
So California Screamin'... I was a bit intimidated at first, because lordkilljoy had said it was a bit daunting. And I'd not been on a rollercoaster in years and didn't remember how cool they are. So we get into the car and I'm all "ooohhhhh, scary" and we get launched (0 to 55mph in 4 seconds) upwards and then - it's the most amazing thing ever. We're coming around the top, ready to take the first big drop and all I can think of is "I'm flying." And that's it. I can't think of anything else except being a bird and looping across the sky and it's the most amazing feeling ever. And I don't want it to end, but it does all too soon. We queued up again straight away :P
I've had disney songs in my head since Thursday night when we caught a duelling pianos show (not so much dwelling as two guys singing along with each other and getting the crowd singing). Actually, Thursday night kicked off the whole weekend really well. We got in after 7 and went for dinner. We didn't even know there was a show on in the restaurant, and happened to be sitting right by the stage. That fun led into Friday for all the rides, and Saturday for more rides and the parade, and Sunday for shopping and the swinging ferris wheel and serious disappointment that California Screamin was closed and we couldn't go on it one last time.
And then we had to go home. Which was sad. But a bit of an adventure. We had a rather elemental journey back here. Wind, earth, fire and water in the form of a duststorm with lightning and rain. That was pretty spectacular. I'd been taking pictures of the clouds and waiting to see a rainbow (which I didn't - note to self: If I find myself thinking the weather is fit for rainbows, I should look out for duststorms instead) when I noticed this dark line of cloud in front of us. I sort of wondered if it could be an oncoming duststorm of if it was just thick clouds on the horizon. But as we drove closer we saw the road kind of vanish into the sand. And it got closer and closer, and all of a sudden we crossed the divide from clean air to wall of sand and we couldn't see more than 3 or 4 meters ahead. It was deadly (meaning cool). We pulled over and marvelled at this freak of weather and I got really excited to have gotten the chance to experience a real live haboob up close. And it did not disappoint. We were amazed at cars and trucks that didn't pull over, and it was kind of freaky seeing their lights disappear just a few moments after they passed by.
I wish I could think of all the cool little things we did and saw. Maybe I'll write them down as they come to me and make a post of them.
So California Screamin'... I was a bit intimidated at first, because lordkilljoy had said it was a bit daunting. And I'd not been on a rollercoaster in years and didn't remember how cool they are. So we get into the car and I'm all "ooohhhhh, scary" and we get launched (0 to 55mph in 4 seconds) upwards and then - it's the most amazing thing ever. We're coming around the top, ready to take the first big drop and all I can think of is "I'm flying." And that's it. I can't think of anything else except being a bird and looping across the sky and it's the most amazing feeling ever. And I don't want it to end, but it does all too soon. We queued up again straight away :P
I've had disney songs in my head since Thursday night when we caught a duelling pianos show (not so much dwelling as two guys singing along with each other and getting the crowd singing). Actually, Thursday night kicked off the whole weekend really well. We got in after 7 and went for dinner. We didn't even know there was a show on in the restaurant, and happened to be sitting right by the stage. That fun led into Friday for all the rides, and Saturday for more rides and the parade, and Sunday for shopping and the swinging ferris wheel and serious disappointment that California Screamin was closed and we couldn't go on it one last time.
And then we had to go home. Which was sad. But a bit of an adventure. We had a rather elemental journey back here. Wind, earth, fire and water in the form of a duststorm with lightning and rain. That was pretty spectacular. I'd been taking pictures of the clouds and waiting to see a rainbow (which I didn't - note to self: If I find myself thinking the weather is fit for rainbows, I should look out for duststorms instead) when I noticed this dark line of cloud in front of us. I sort of wondered if it could be an oncoming duststorm of if it was just thick clouds on the horizon. But as we drove closer we saw the road kind of vanish into the sand. And it got closer and closer, and all of a sudden we crossed the divide from clean air to wall of sand and we couldn't see more than 3 or 4 meters ahead. It was deadly (meaning cool). We pulled over and marvelled at this freak of weather and I got really excited to have gotten the chance to experience a real live haboob up close. And it did not disappoint. We were amazed at cars and trucks that didn't pull over, and it was kind of freaky seeing their lights disappear just a few moments after they passed by.
I wish I could think of all the cool little things we did and saw. Maybe I'll write them down as they come to me and make a post of them.
26 June 2012
San Diego
We've been to San Diego before, for Comic Con, but never got a chance to see anywhere outside the Gaslamp Quarter. So last week we decided to go - booked a hotel (motel?) on Tuesday and drove to it on Friday. I did my first stint of long driving on the interstate. It was really fun. I was way more excited than lordkilljoy who's all "I've done this a million times." Anyway - I didn't crash, which is good. I'm very indecisive, though. I'd come up behind a car going a little slower than me and be all "should I overtake them?" Eventually I got sick of it and just slowed down so that all the cars were going faster than me. Except for some and then they'd speed up when I'd go to overtake and it was all very annoying. I even overtook a truck on a normal road (ie, no divide to keep cars on their own side of things). You have to go well out of your way to find one of them around here - a normal road, not a truck.
So we got in and went for dinner in Little Italy (which was just up the hill). Dinner was amazing. I've never been disappointed going out in San Diego. All the restaurants we've been to (this trip and the last) have been top class. We strolled around a bit, me dithering between wanting to live in San Diego because it's beautiful and the weather is perfect and not wanting to live there because it's a bit intimidating at night.
Saturday we went around the USS Midway (an aircraft carrier museum) which was incredible. Huge and full of metal and cool things and stuff you could touch. I spent the whole trip dreaming about being an engineer driving the ship, an enlisted naval person, an officer and a fighter pilot. I don't know if I've ever mentioned that I wanted (along with twenty billion other things (every time we passed a train on the road I'd express my desire to be a train diver)) to be a fighter pilot... I could say when I was younger, but I still daydream about it. Living on a ship, getting catapulted into the air and flying around. I don't think I could deal with the actual killing people part, though. So, we spent 4 hours wandering around and listening to the audio tour - it was a really cool morning.
That afternoon we went to the zoo, which we spent another 4 hours wandering around. It's amazing how you fit stuff in when you only have a short amount of time. The zoo was lovely, though. I'm so impressionable. Every time we go to a zoo, or park or something I wander around going: I want my garden to look like this. And as we sat in the aviary watching the birds flit around, was was like: I could totally build an aviary in my back garden. I don't even have a garden :/ Ah, imagination - I suppose I can have everything I want through you.
So anyway, the zoo was cool. There's a cable car that goes from one end to the other and takes you up above everything for a pretty unique view of the animals. And there were loads of acrobatics and shows on the evening we went (not sure if this is what it's like all the time). That night we went out again, for another amazing meal. Even though we were both exhausted, we still enjoyed it.
And on Sunday morning we went off to the beach for an hour or so. It was packed. We drove up to La Jolla and spent ages looking for parking. The beach was beautiful, though. White sand, blue-green sea, half metre waves. I tried to resist and only dip my feet in, but I couldn't. The water was warm (compared to Irish sea water) and the waves were inviting and with only a little encouragement from lordkilljoy I'd changed into my swimming things and was jumping around in the surf. It was brilliant.
And then we drove home - again I didn't crash. Go me!
I made crackers today. They are delicious - not dry at all. I've eaten about 10 (probably more) since they came out of the oven. And they're so crackery. They snap when you bite into them. And they are lovely with cheese. I'd say they are very successful. I used my new pasta maker to roll out the dough thin enough. Only I'm not very good at it yet, so some of my crackers are more thin and snappy than others.
I think that's it. I'm still playing Skyrim. I've clocked up a rather frightening number of hours at this stage. Still not as many as Oblivion, though and no where near as much as Morrowind or Daggerfall.
I crocheted a doily-coaster for the glass of water that sits on my desk. I was getting a bit fed up of having a water ring where it sits, so I did something about it. Now that I'm done with that I'm making a cute crochet robot.
I definitely think that's that.
P.S. Hey, Lj, what's going on with line breaks not auto-formatting?
So we got in and went for dinner in Little Italy (which was just up the hill). Dinner was amazing. I've never been disappointed going out in San Diego. All the restaurants we've been to (this trip and the last) have been top class. We strolled around a bit, me dithering between wanting to live in San Diego because it's beautiful and the weather is perfect and not wanting to live there because it's a bit intimidating at night.
Saturday we went around the USS Midway (an aircraft carrier museum) which was incredible. Huge and full of metal and cool things and stuff you could touch. I spent the whole trip dreaming about being an engineer driving the ship, an enlisted naval person, an officer and a fighter pilot. I don't know if I've ever mentioned that I wanted (along with twenty billion other things (every time we passed a train on the road I'd express my desire to be a train diver)) to be a fighter pilot... I could say when I was younger, but I still daydream about it. Living on a ship, getting catapulted into the air and flying around. I don't think I could deal with the actual killing people part, though. So, we spent 4 hours wandering around and listening to the audio tour - it was a really cool morning.
That afternoon we went to the zoo, which we spent another 4 hours wandering around. It's amazing how you fit stuff in when you only have a short amount of time. The zoo was lovely, though. I'm so impressionable. Every time we go to a zoo, or park or something I wander around going: I want my garden to look like this. And as we sat in the aviary watching the birds flit around, was was like: I could totally build an aviary in my back garden. I don't even have a garden :/ Ah, imagination - I suppose I can have everything I want through you.
So anyway, the zoo was cool. There's a cable car that goes from one end to the other and takes you up above everything for a pretty unique view of the animals. And there were loads of acrobatics and shows on the evening we went (not sure if this is what it's like all the time). That night we went out again, for another amazing meal. Even though we were both exhausted, we still enjoyed it.
And on Sunday morning we went off to the beach for an hour or so. It was packed. We drove up to La Jolla and spent ages looking for parking. The beach was beautiful, though. White sand, blue-green sea, half metre waves. I tried to resist and only dip my feet in, but I couldn't. The water was warm (compared to Irish sea water) and the waves were inviting and with only a little encouragement from lordkilljoy I'd changed into my swimming things and was jumping around in the surf. It was brilliant.
And then we drove home - again I didn't crash. Go me!
I made crackers today. They are delicious - not dry at all. I've eaten about 10 (probably more) since they came out of the oven. And they're so crackery. They snap when you bite into them. And they are lovely with cheese. I'd say they are very successful. I used my new pasta maker to roll out the dough thin enough. Only I'm not very good at it yet, so some of my crackers are more thin and snappy than others.
I think that's it. I'm still playing Skyrim. I've clocked up a rather frightening number of hours at this stage. Still not as many as Oblivion, though and no where near as much as Morrowind or Daggerfall.
I crocheted a doily-coaster for the glass of water that sits on my desk. I was getting a bit fed up of having a water ring where it sits, so I did something about it. Now that I'm done with that I'm making a cute crochet robot.
I definitely think that's that.
P.S. Hey, Lj, what's going on with line breaks not auto-formatting?
17 June 2012
Weekly News (or something)
For the first time in 11½ years I cleaned up my friends page. Anyone whose name I didn't recognise is gone (because if I don't know your name it means we didn't interact much). I also got rid of a bunch of old communities that hadn't had activity in 3 or 4 years. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner. My profile page looks so much lighter now.
Anyway.
What news? I made caramel squares on Friday night. They are delicious. The caramel is more like toffee, but it is absolutely yummy. They come out of the fridge and they are so hard to bite into. I've taken to leaving them warm up for a bit. They are also horrendously bad for you. I think they are the most fatty sweet I've ever made. So I have to seriously control myself and only eat 1 per day. Yesterday I nibbled away on one square for the whole day and it was great. A nibble is all you need, really, to get the taste and satisfy the desire for yumminess.
What else? I'm back playing Skyrim again and after one day I was totally addicted. I just want to play all the time. I started with a new character (a destruction mage) and she is so much fun to play. I always thought stealth was the most fun way to go, but there's something delightfully chaotic about laying down fire runes (which are like magical traps that set off an explosion when they are triggered) and waiting for foes to walk into them, then shocking them with lightning as they stumble around on fire. That sounded so evil. But it's so much fun. Bethesda are really good at making games. I don't think I've stumbled into any of the same quests as last time and I'm doing things completely differently.
River went to the vet on Thursday to get 3yearly injections. She was fine afterward.
Ooh - last weekend we went tubing on Salt River. It was so much fun. They give you rubber tubes and a bus trip up to the start point, then let you off to drift back to the main area. It sounds really boring, but every so often the water gets shallow and fast and that is when it gets really fun. And just watching the desert drift by was great too.
We went to see Prometheus on Wednesday. I really enjoyed it. There were some super gory bits in the middle, but overall it was a fun story about a girl whose faith is challenged.
Anyway.
What news? I made caramel squares on Friday night. They are delicious. The caramel is more like toffee, but it is absolutely yummy. They come out of the fridge and they are so hard to bite into. I've taken to leaving them warm up for a bit. They are also horrendously bad for you. I think they are the most fatty sweet I've ever made. So I have to seriously control myself and only eat 1 per day. Yesterday I nibbled away on one square for the whole day and it was great. A nibble is all you need, really, to get the taste and satisfy the desire for yumminess.
What else? I'm back playing Skyrim again and after one day I was totally addicted. I just want to play all the time. I started with a new character (a destruction mage) and she is so much fun to play. I always thought stealth was the most fun way to go, but there's something delightfully chaotic about laying down fire runes (which are like magical traps that set off an explosion when they are triggered) and waiting for foes to walk into them, then shocking them with lightning as they stumble around on fire. That sounded so evil. But it's so much fun. Bethesda are really good at making games. I don't think I've stumbled into any of the same quests as last time and I'm doing things completely differently.
River went to the vet on Thursday to get 3yearly injections. She was fine afterward.
Ooh - last weekend we went tubing on Salt River. It was so much fun. They give you rubber tubes and a bus trip up to the start point, then let you off to drift back to the main area. It sounds really boring, but every so often the water gets shallow and fast and that is when it gets really fun. And just watching the desert drift by was great too.
We went to see Prometheus on Wednesday. I really enjoyed it. There were some super gory bits in the middle, but overall it was a fun story about a girl whose faith is challenged.
30 April 2012
home
Made it home safe and sound - if a little tired (5 hours sleep Saturday night and 7 Sunday). It's miserable here, but it's kind of nice for a change.
penelope_stone taught me to crochet today. I made half a flower which was coming along well, but very floppy, before I ran out of wool.
We went for a walk along the Lee Fields today. We had to run back to the car because it started lashing.
I can't think of much else to say. This hasn't been the most scintillating post. Too tired for all but the basics.
penelope_stone taught me to crochet today. I made half a flower which was coming along well, but very floppy, before I ran out of wool.
We went for a walk along the Lee Fields today. We had to run back to the car because it started lashing.
I can't think of much else to say. This hasn't been the most scintillating post. Too tired for all but the basics.
28 April 2012
I'm a driver
Dreams of being a stunt driver in Hollywood, here I come! Not really. But I did manage to pass my driving test. I got 96% :)
It was fine, really. I think I need the tester to drive around with me for an hour beforehand to ease me into things. I made one mistake - which I knew I had the moment I did it. I looked in the mirrors / over shoulder before turning on my indicator. But that's okay.
We're off on a plane in 8 hours. I don't really know what to do until then. I don't know if everything's done or not. And I didn't get enough sleep last night (hoping to be tired tonight so that I sleep on the plane) so I don't really feel like doing anything.
Actually, right now I can see myself playing soul reaver. lordkilljoy got it on good old games. It's one of my favourites, and watching the intro made me think how much Artificer is made up of everything I loved when I was younger.
It was fine, really. I think I need the tester to drive around with me for an hour beforehand to ease me into things. I made one mistake - which I knew I had the moment I did it. I looked in the mirrors / over shoulder before turning on my indicator. But that's okay.
We're off on a plane in 8 hours. I don't really know what to do until then. I don't know if everything's done or not. And I didn't get enough sleep last night (hoping to be tired tonight so that I sleep on the plane) so I don't really feel like doing anything.
Actually, right now I can see myself playing soul reaver. lordkilljoy got it on good old games. It's one of my favourites, and watching the intro made me think how much Artificer is made up of everything I loved when I was younger.
15 March 2012
hot weather
It's starting to get hot here. The apartment was at 29 degrees last night (that's partly because I'd been baking too), and today cycling to the shop I felt that another few degrees and it will be too hot for cycling. Don't know what I'll do for food then :( The climate is so mild here, that the leaves on the trees don't fall off - they are pushed off by the new growth in spring. It's really weird to see all the leaves falling now. And if you are curious, like I was: Phoenix is the second hottest city in the world. Yuma, AZ is the hottest, and somewhere in Egypt is the third hottest. And I live here. Crazy.
I don't have a whole lot of other news. I made chicken cordon bleu last night. It was amazing. The breadcrumbs were so perfect. I had some issues with the cheese - it wasn't gooey enough. It didn't melt out of the chicken when you cut into it. So if I make them again I will look for some other way to do the filling (last night was just grated swiss cheese (which I don't think I like the taste of)).
Here's a photo, because I was so proud:
I don't have a whole lot of other news. I made chicken cordon bleu last night. It was amazing. The breadcrumbs were so perfect. I had some issues with the cheese - it wasn't gooey enough. It didn't melt out of the chicken when you cut into it. So if I make them again I will look for some other way to do the filling (last night was just grated swiss cheese (which I don't think I like the taste of)).
Here's a photo, because I was so proud:
10 January 2012
Brand Loyalty
I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but I was reading this amazingly interesting article on how being motivated by a reward can kill that motivation and it reminded me of something I'd mentioned while out for dinner with some friends on Saturday night. It has nothing to do with motivation, but it does have to do with the way the mind works. It has to do with brand loyalty / recognition.
Living in America is very different to living in Ireland, systems are different, beliefs are different, roads are different, but even something simple like choosing a clothes washing liquid is different. Choosing something like clothes washing liquid is really difficult over here, and you know why - brand recognition. I have no idea what brand of washing is good. I picked washing because it's harder to choose than with food. With food, you look at the list of ingredients and you have an idea of how good the food will be. But with washing you have no idea. You don't know what different brands' claims to fame are. What one will get my clothes cleanest? What one will be gentle on colours? What one will smell nicest? You can look at price and go by that, or by the packaging, but they aren't really a guide. Price is variable and packaging is designed to be appealing.
So what to do? You pick one and hope for the best. And while you pick that one, you think back to how much easier buying this stuff is at home because you have all these brands floating around in your head. The brand you used at home might not be the best, but you believe it is, and that makes the decision easy. It's not really a decision at all.
Being out here just made me realise how much we take brands for granted - how comfortable they make us feel. They are a crutch to save us having to agonize over what product is best. Now, I know a lot of people will just pick the first product to hand, but I like to delude myself that I'm buying the best product out there, and I get uncomfortable when that delusion is shattered.
Anyway - all that said and done, I think I picked a good clothes washing liquid this time. Yeay.
Living in America is very different to living in Ireland, systems are different, beliefs are different, roads are different, but even something simple like choosing a clothes washing liquid is different. Choosing something like clothes washing liquid is really difficult over here, and you know why - brand recognition. I have no idea what brand of washing is good. I picked washing because it's harder to choose than with food. With food, you look at the list of ingredients and you have an idea of how good the food will be. But with washing you have no idea. You don't know what different brands' claims to fame are. What one will get my clothes cleanest? What one will be gentle on colours? What one will smell nicest? You can look at price and go by that, or by the packaging, but they aren't really a guide. Price is variable and packaging is designed to be appealing.
So what to do? You pick one and hope for the best. And while you pick that one, you think back to how much easier buying this stuff is at home because you have all these brands floating around in your head. The brand you used at home might not be the best, but you believe it is, and that makes the decision easy. It's not really a decision at all.
Being out here just made me realise how much we take brands for granted - how comfortable they make us feel. They are a crutch to save us having to agonize over what product is best. Now, I know a lot of people will just pick the first product to hand, but I like to delude myself that I'm buying the best product out there, and I get uncomfortable when that delusion is shattered.
Anyway - all that said and done, I think I picked a good clothes washing liquid this time. Yeay.
02 December 2011
Arizona
So we made it to Phoenix in one piece (or three pieces). The drive was quite amazing. There was a mad cold front forecast for the day of our road trip and we were a bit anxious about getting out of the mountains in time. The only sign of things to come in New Mexico was extreme winds. But just a little while after we crossed into Arizona it started snowing. It was nothing major - a little flurry that lasted about 10 minutes. For the next hour or so, though, it looked like we were driving through winter. I mean, it kind of is winter by now, but snow doesn't usually happen until January or something. Anyway. So we drove through snowy roads for about an hour after than, and then we started to come down from the high desert. Arizona low desert is hilarious. Saguaro cactus is the funniest thing ever. It's like the plant doesn't know when to stop growing. There are arms jutting from the trunk and main branches all over the place.
Yea. So, the drive was about 8 hours. It went by really fast, though. We played a game of licence spotting. And we got 28 or something. The farthest away were maine, ontario and new york. The countryside is amazing, and we went the scenic route to make the most of it. It got a bit warmer as we came down from the high country, but not by much. There's a mad cold spell hitting this part of the country this weekend and temps have really fallen - from 20-something down to 14ish. Anyway; it's still a lot warmer than Albuquerque (which was set to get to -17 this weekend).
We went to Ikea today :) That was so much fun. I tried to curtail myself, and I only got about half the stuff I wanted. We still managed to spend over $150, though. Most of that was on new bedsheets. Oooh, our new apartment is quite nice. It's way nicer than the old place, but the kitchen is even darker than the old one (or well - there's less light getting to it, but the decor is way lighter, so in the end it probably works out about the same amount of light happening). The place is much more tastefully furnished (I had furnitured written. sigh). What's really weird, though, is carpet in the bathroom. What sort of mental person puts carpet in a bathroom? Apart from being kind of disgusting, it's highly impractical.
And. oh god, we don't have a gas cooker. We don't even have a ceramic hob. We have an ancient metal coil stove thing. It's appalling. I tried to cook porridge this morning and it just boiled all over the place. I was almost in tears. I love cooking, but working with something as torturous as this cooker thing just makes it a hassle.
We went exploring a bit today. Phoenix is totally a proper American city. There is so much here. It reminds me of Texas with how many shops and restaurants there are. We went to Famous Dave's today (we first heard of him from a tv show - best in smoke) which is a barbecue place and I'm still stuffed.
I don't really know what else to say. I know there's been loads happening, but I think I got the main parts anyway.
Right so. Byeeeeee.
Yea. So, the drive was about 8 hours. It went by really fast, though. We played a game of licence spotting. And we got 28 or something. The farthest away were maine, ontario and new york. The countryside is amazing, and we went the scenic route to make the most of it. It got a bit warmer as we came down from the high country, but not by much. There's a mad cold spell hitting this part of the country this weekend and temps have really fallen - from 20-something down to 14ish. Anyway; it's still a lot warmer than Albuquerque (which was set to get to -17 this weekend).
We went to Ikea today :) That was so much fun. I tried to curtail myself, and I only got about half the stuff I wanted. We still managed to spend over $150, though. Most of that was on new bedsheets. Oooh, our new apartment is quite nice. It's way nicer than the old place, but the kitchen is even darker than the old one (or well - there's less light getting to it, but the decor is way lighter, so in the end it probably works out about the same amount of light happening). The place is much more tastefully furnished (I had furnitured written. sigh). What's really weird, though, is carpet in the bathroom. What sort of mental person puts carpet in a bathroom? Apart from being kind of disgusting, it's highly impractical.
And. oh god, we don't have a gas cooker. We don't even have a ceramic hob. We have an ancient metal coil stove thing. It's appalling. I tried to cook porridge this morning and it just boiled all over the place. I was almost in tears. I love cooking, but working with something as torturous as this cooker thing just makes it a hassle.
We went exploring a bit today. Phoenix is totally a proper American city. There is so much here. It reminds me of Texas with how many shops and restaurants there are. We went to Famous Dave's today (we first heard of him from a tv show - best in smoke) which is a barbecue place and I'm still stuffed.
I don't really know what else to say. I know there's been loads happening, but I think I got the main parts anyway.
Right so. Byeeeeee.
06 November 2011
Coyote
Daylight savings compounded on the tail end of jetlag. My poor body will be awake at 4am tomorrow.
That could be a haiku.
Anyway. One cool bit of news: I saw a coyote in the wash today while walking river. It was amazing - just walking along, all uncaring about the humans around walking their dogs. It looked back at me as I stood on a rise looking down at it, then just turned away and continued walking. I stood there going: "wow, I just saw a coyote." And I took it as a good sign.
In other, less interesting, news: I have a cold for the first time in over a year. Probably closer to 2 years, actually.
In other other, slightly more interesting, news: I tried fair isle out on the loom. It didn't really work out. Too much wool gets dragged behind the stitches and the whole thing turns out really floppy. So that's a bit annoying.
That's all, I think.
That could be a haiku.
Anyway. One cool bit of news: I saw a coyote in the wash today while walking river. It was amazing - just walking along, all uncaring about the humans around walking their dogs. It looked back at me as I stood on a rise looking down at it, then just turned away and continued walking. I stood there going: "wow, I just saw a coyote." And I took it as a good sign.
In other, less interesting, news: I have a cold for the first time in over a year. Probably closer to 2 years, actually.
In other other, slightly more interesting, news: I tried fair isle out on the loom. It didn't really work out. Too much wool gets dragged behind the stitches and the whole thing turns out really floppy. So that's a bit annoying.
That's all, I think.
03 November 2011
I'm so tired
I’ve been meaning to update all day, but Lj had signed me out and I'd changed my password sometime in the past and I couldn't remember it, so I didn't get around to signing in. Until now - because I changed my password... anyway.
I’m freezing. It’s freezing outside and I don't want to go walk river. I made this amazing 3 meter scarf while I was home and I have it wrapped about my shoulders. My keyboard is keeping my lap warm :) It's also 24 C in here (I had the heating on earlier), and yet I feel cold. Le sigh. River’s tired too. I don't think she sleeps well in the boarding place. She’s been asleep all day and I even had to wake her for dinner. That’s never happened before. So we're all tired.
The trip home was really good. I didn't do much - got to hang out with mammy and daddy and Askea and it was wonderful. We knitted lots. And I got knitting books. Highlights included the beach, tramping through the dunes of said beach, eating - I ate loads - emm, stuff and knitting :) It was a wonderful trip (I’ve said this already, but it really was). There was nothing mad of big or organised, it was just me at home - where I belong :) oh my god - now I’m making myself homesick. Right.
The trip back here was good - everything went well. We had a bit of an issue at immigration in MSP when I asked for my visa to be stamped for a year. I had to go to this special cases area where we waited for a bit for someone to look into it. Apparently, it is very uncommon to get your visa stamped for one year. I (according to the guy) was the first person to go through msp to get such a stamp. So that took about 40 minutes and he had to go up 2 (possibly 3 levels) to get the okay. He also explained that going through on my visa is just going to get harder and harder. Sigh, again. Anyway, I’m in for a year now. We’ll see what happens.
We had 19 hours of daylight yesterday. Travelling is amazing :) If you had a fast enough plane, and enough fuel, you could just have it be day all the time. Or you could just move to one of the poles in summer... but that's not the point. Abq had the most amazing sunset when we landed. The sky was the deepest shade of orange - just amazing. And we saw the apartment from the plane as we came in to land. That was exciting.
Coming back to the apartment was weird. It felt so generic, or something. Like, I woke up this morning and it felt like I was in a hotel. It was somewhat awful. And I got the feeling a few times through the day as well. I don't know what was causing that. The smell, maybe. Or maybe I’m just tired. We’re going to try to stay up until 10 - so 2 hours to go.
Right, I don't really have much else to say.
I’m freezing. It’s freezing outside and I don't want to go walk river. I made this amazing 3 meter scarf while I was home and I have it wrapped about my shoulders. My keyboard is keeping my lap warm :) It's also 24 C in here (I had the heating on earlier), and yet I feel cold. Le sigh. River’s tired too. I don't think she sleeps well in the boarding place. She’s been asleep all day and I even had to wake her for dinner. That’s never happened before. So we're all tired.
The trip home was really good. I didn't do much - got to hang out with mammy and daddy and Askea and it was wonderful. We knitted lots. And I got knitting books. Highlights included the beach, tramping through the dunes of said beach, eating - I ate loads - emm, stuff and knitting :) It was a wonderful trip (I’ve said this already, but it really was). There was nothing mad of big or organised, it was just me at home - where I belong :) oh my god - now I’m making myself homesick. Right.
The trip back here was good - everything went well. We had a bit of an issue at immigration in MSP when I asked for my visa to be stamped for a year. I had to go to this special cases area where we waited for a bit for someone to look into it. Apparently, it is very uncommon to get your visa stamped for one year. I (according to the guy) was the first person to go through msp to get such a stamp. So that took about 40 minutes and he had to go up 2 (possibly 3 levels) to get the okay. He also explained that going through on my visa is just going to get harder and harder. Sigh, again. Anyway, I’m in for a year now. We’ll see what happens.
We had 19 hours of daylight yesterday. Travelling is amazing :) If you had a fast enough plane, and enough fuel, you could just have it be day all the time. Or you could just move to one of the poles in summer... but that's not the point. Abq had the most amazing sunset when we landed. The sky was the deepest shade of orange - just amazing. And we saw the apartment from the plane as we came in to land. That was exciting.
Coming back to the apartment was weird. It felt so generic, or something. Like, I woke up this morning and it felt like I was in a hotel. It was somewhat awful. And I got the feeling a few times through the day as well. I don't know what was causing that. The smell, maybe. Or maybe I’m just tired. We’re going to try to stay up until 10 - so 2 hours to go.
Right, I don't really have much else to say.
24 May 2011
Texas
Day 1: Houston
This wasn't really a day - we got in lateish, went for food (which involved stealing crab-eating implements from joe's crab shack - how could we not, it was plastic and said, "stolen from joe's crab shack" on it), and turned in for the night.
Day 2: Galveston
Johnson Space Centre sits right between Houston and Galveston :) We spent the whole day wandering around the exhibits, taking a tour through NASA mission control and training areas, looking at moon rocks, and marvelling at all the cool space stuff. I wish penelope_stone could have been there. You would have loved it.
Late in the afternoon, we moved on and headed for the beach. Apparently, Galveston island is a sink hole for sat navs, because Lady had the hardest time getting us to our hotel. Three wrong turns, four u-turns and eventually we spotted the place.
Galveston was nice... a bit odd, because rich, high class resorts sit right next to washed out, abandoned shacks. It's a bit weird to walk down the strip and see the difference. It's like going from rough area to up-market all in one block.
Day 3: Galveston
I got to swim in the sea today :) Woooo. And it was warm, and lovely. It reminded me of the sea in Wellington - it had that same kind of cold when you stepped in, but warm once you got used to it. It's the kind of water you can stay in all day. Wonderful.
Not so wonderful was the flies the marauded up and down the beach - tiny black ones. I think they were harmless (not 100% sure, though) but they crawled all over your skin, and face, and were horrendous. So we didn't spend long at the beach. Awh, but oh well.
We went out for food in a place called Casey's tonight and it was amazing. The best meal so far on the trip.
Day 4: Port Aransas
Port Aransas could have been better. The weather was stormy, the clouds a dark shade of grey. I really wanted to go swimming, but a gale was blowing and the waves, while small, were frequent and frothy. I probably would have gone in, but I'm not sure what lordkilljoy and lainey316 would have been. So I settled for dipping my feet.
After a long stroll of the beach and the town, we headed out for dinner. Dinner tonight was the second best of the trip. Mahi-mahi, cooked to perfection, with the most lovely crab sauce over it. It was the most yummy thing ever - well, maybe not ever - we'll get to that later.
Day 5: Port Aransas / San Antonio
I'd hoped the weather might have improved by today, but it didn't. Still, I headed for the beach first thing with swimming togs on and towel in hand. I got wet up to my thighs, and standing there with the waves breaking over my knees, the sky a dark, ragged shade of grey, mist rolling off the waves reminded me of Ireland. It was beautiful, in a rugged way - a desolate beach, a gale blowing, frothy waves and a pale strand, littered with foam and seaweed, definitely very Irish (but for the fact that the gale was hot and the sea was warm).
The drive to San Antonio was uneventful. The most thrilling thing was that we got to follow the evacuation route all the way. It's cool - they have a specific route for people fleeing a hurricane to go. We wandered around San Antonio when we got there, browsed a few shops and strolled the river walk. The river walk is so pretty - paths wander along the river bordered by pretty shrubs and huge trees. The bank is steep and walled, keeping out the noise and bustle of the city. Restaurants and food stalls line the path - all kind of boutique style with lovely, themed decor.
Day 6: San Antonio
The Alamo sits in the very centre of San Antonio. People are funny. The story of the Alamo is not a good one - a bunch of Americans lost a battle there, and still it is lauded as a symbol of patriotism. I can see why - holding out when all hope was lost and all, but still.
It was pretty, though. Small buildings surrounded by lush trees. Actually - that was what surprised me most about Texas. It wasn't dry and desert like you see in the westerns, it was lush, humid, green and full of trees.
That afternoon we went to the botanical gardens, because coming from somewhere as dry as Albuquerque, you just can't get enough of green trees and colourful flowers.
From there we went shopping, and at this stage the day felt like it had been a week.
Day 7: San Marco / Austin
We left San Antonio early and heading for outlet malls about an hour up the road. It was boiling - 34C and humid. My feet were killing me from too much flip-flop wearing and there were few shops I was interested in. Still lainey316 got loads she wanted, so I was okay with that.
Back on the road again, heading for Austin and we were all a bit tired. We stopped off in barbecue town (aka Lockhart) for food. It was all right, but not what I'd been expecting. We didn't stay long - just ate and moved on. Approaching Austin, the sky ahead of us looked ominous, all dark ragged clouds and strong winds.
We were almost to the outskirts of Austin when the radio cut out. It started beeping and then a voice came on: "This is an emergency broadcast. Severe thunderstorms in [town names I don't remember] with hail the size of a quarter. Seek shelter and stay indoors." We were heading right for the storm. As the emergency broadcast ended, we saw the first fork of lightning hit the ground way off to our right. A few seconds later the clouds lit up with more lightning, and again a few second later. It didn't stop. The wind tugged at the car (and not just a little car - we were in an SUV). As we hit Austin, the rain started. It pelted the windscreen in sheets. It crashed into the road, creating a layer of water droplets about an inch thick. It was so bad we couldn't see the road markings and just had to hope the guy on front knew the road better than we did. It was a scary 10 minutes, but eventually the rain eased off. We made it to the hotel safe and got to watch the lightning from the safety of our room.
That night we went to a rooftop bar and enjoyed the lightening from there. Yea - the lightning went on for hours - flashes every few seconds or so. It was amazing.
Day 8: Austin
Austin was boiling today. It was 35C and humid. We had a lovely breakfast (which may have included a glass of bucksfizz), then tried to walk around for a bit but were defeated by the heat. We rallied with ice-cream, and headed to South Austin to browse the vintage and curiosity stores. I could definitely live in Austin. It's a cool place with loads of off the wall stuff. I don't think I could deal with the heat and humidity, though. This was only May, I can't even imagine what it's like in July.
Tonight was party night. We started with a divine meal in Haddingtons (a very stylish restaurant and cocktail bar). This was the best meal of the holiday. I had rabbit for the first time in my life and it was delicious. It was cooked to perfection and the sauce with it was the most gorgeous thing ever. Nom nom nom.
From there we moved to Red River, which is the live gig area of Austin. It was fine - the gig we went to wasn't very good, though. So we moved on after a bit. We made our way down 6th street (Austin's main party street). It reminded me of Khao San Road in Bangkok - packed with people out to get drunk. We settled in an Irish bar (of all places) to enjoy the Louisiana blues band that was playing there. They were quite good - entertaining and lively.
As all nights did - it ended with food off a street truck, lively debate about how Cork is like Texas and a ride up the glass lift in the hotel.
Day 9: Back to Albuquerque
We woke late and packed up, only to realise that lordkilljoy had lost the car keys for our car in Abq. He figured he'd taken them out of his bag in Galveston and must have left them in the hotel. So the drive to Houston was a little stressful, the keys and diversions because of roadworks outside of Austin setting us a little on edge. But it wasn't too bad once we got on the highway.
We got to the airport and did one last search through the bags - no joy. We checked in, got some food, then made our way to the gate. We had some time, so we played our DSs, and when lordkilljoy opened his headphone case the car keys fell out. :)
So it all ended well. We were excited getting on the plane, and on the bus to the long-term car park, and in the car on the way home and when we got home - exclaiming "you found your keys" every few minutes.
So that was our trip to Texas. It was good.
This wasn't really a day - we got in lateish, went for food (which involved stealing crab-eating implements from joe's crab shack - how could we not, it was plastic and said, "stolen from joe's crab shack" on it), and turned in for the night.
Day 2: Galveston
Johnson Space Centre sits right between Houston and Galveston :) We spent the whole day wandering around the exhibits, taking a tour through NASA mission control and training areas, looking at moon rocks, and marvelling at all the cool space stuff. I wish penelope_stone could have been there. You would have loved it.
Late in the afternoon, we moved on and headed for the beach. Apparently, Galveston island is a sink hole for sat navs, because Lady had the hardest time getting us to our hotel. Three wrong turns, four u-turns and eventually we spotted the place.
Galveston was nice... a bit odd, because rich, high class resorts sit right next to washed out, abandoned shacks. It's a bit weird to walk down the strip and see the difference. It's like going from rough area to up-market all in one block.
Day 3: Galveston
I got to swim in the sea today :) Woooo. And it was warm, and lovely. It reminded me of the sea in Wellington - it had that same kind of cold when you stepped in, but warm once you got used to it. It's the kind of water you can stay in all day. Wonderful.
Not so wonderful was the flies the marauded up and down the beach - tiny black ones. I think they were harmless (not 100% sure, though) but they crawled all over your skin, and face, and were horrendous. So we didn't spend long at the beach. Awh, but oh well.
We went out for food in a place called Casey's tonight and it was amazing. The best meal so far on the trip.
Day 4: Port Aransas
Port Aransas could have been better. The weather was stormy, the clouds a dark shade of grey. I really wanted to go swimming, but a gale was blowing and the waves, while small, were frequent and frothy. I probably would have gone in, but I'm not sure what lordkilljoy and lainey316 would have been. So I settled for dipping my feet.
After a long stroll of the beach and the town, we headed out for dinner. Dinner tonight was the second best of the trip. Mahi-mahi, cooked to perfection, with the most lovely crab sauce over it. It was the most yummy thing ever - well, maybe not ever - we'll get to that later.
Day 5: Port Aransas / San Antonio
I'd hoped the weather might have improved by today, but it didn't. Still, I headed for the beach first thing with swimming togs on and towel in hand. I got wet up to my thighs, and standing there with the waves breaking over my knees, the sky a dark, ragged shade of grey, mist rolling off the waves reminded me of Ireland. It was beautiful, in a rugged way - a desolate beach, a gale blowing, frothy waves and a pale strand, littered with foam and seaweed, definitely very Irish (but for the fact that the gale was hot and the sea was warm).
The drive to San Antonio was uneventful. The most thrilling thing was that we got to follow the evacuation route all the way. It's cool - they have a specific route for people fleeing a hurricane to go. We wandered around San Antonio when we got there, browsed a few shops and strolled the river walk. The river walk is so pretty - paths wander along the river bordered by pretty shrubs and huge trees. The bank is steep and walled, keeping out the noise and bustle of the city. Restaurants and food stalls line the path - all kind of boutique style with lovely, themed decor.
Day 6: San Antonio
The Alamo sits in the very centre of San Antonio. People are funny. The story of the Alamo is not a good one - a bunch of Americans lost a battle there, and still it is lauded as a symbol of patriotism. I can see why - holding out when all hope was lost and all, but still.
It was pretty, though. Small buildings surrounded by lush trees. Actually - that was what surprised me most about Texas. It wasn't dry and desert like you see in the westerns, it was lush, humid, green and full of trees.
That afternoon we went to the botanical gardens, because coming from somewhere as dry as Albuquerque, you just can't get enough of green trees and colourful flowers.
From there we went shopping, and at this stage the day felt like it had been a week.
Day 7: San Marco / Austin
We left San Antonio early and heading for outlet malls about an hour up the road. It was boiling - 34C and humid. My feet were killing me from too much flip-flop wearing and there were few shops I was interested in. Still lainey316 got loads she wanted, so I was okay with that.
Back on the road again, heading for Austin and we were all a bit tired. We stopped off in barbecue town (aka Lockhart) for food. It was all right, but not what I'd been expecting. We didn't stay long - just ate and moved on. Approaching Austin, the sky ahead of us looked ominous, all dark ragged clouds and strong winds.
We were almost to the outskirts of Austin when the radio cut out. It started beeping and then a voice came on: "This is an emergency broadcast. Severe thunderstorms in [town names I don't remember] with hail the size of a quarter. Seek shelter and stay indoors." We were heading right for the storm. As the emergency broadcast ended, we saw the first fork of lightning hit the ground way off to our right. A few seconds later the clouds lit up with more lightning, and again a few second later. It didn't stop. The wind tugged at the car (and not just a little car - we were in an SUV). As we hit Austin, the rain started. It pelted the windscreen in sheets. It crashed into the road, creating a layer of water droplets about an inch thick. It was so bad we couldn't see the road markings and just had to hope the guy on front knew the road better than we did. It was a scary 10 minutes, but eventually the rain eased off. We made it to the hotel safe and got to watch the lightning from the safety of our room.
That night we went to a rooftop bar and enjoyed the lightening from there. Yea - the lightning went on for hours - flashes every few seconds or so. It was amazing.
Day 8: Austin
Austin was boiling today. It was 35C and humid. We had a lovely breakfast (which may have included a glass of bucksfizz), then tried to walk around for a bit but were defeated by the heat. We rallied with ice-cream, and headed to South Austin to browse the vintage and curiosity stores. I could definitely live in Austin. It's a cool place with loads of off the wall stuff. I don't think I could deal with the heat and humidity, though. This was only May, I can't even imagine what it's like in July.
Tonight was party night. We started with a divine meal in Haddingtons (a very stylish restaurant and cocktail bar). This was the best meal of the holiday. I had rabbit for the first time in my life and it was delicious. It was cooked to perfection and the sauce with it was the most gorgeous thing ever. Nom nom nom.
From there we moved to Red River, which is the live gig area of Austin. It was fine - the gig we went to wasn't very good, though. So we moved on after a bit. We made our way down 6th street (Austin's main party street). It reminded me of Khao San Road in Bangkok - packed with people out to get drunk. We settled in an Irish bar (of all places) to enjoy the Louisiana blues band that was playing there. They were quite good - entertaining and lively.
As all nights did - it ended with food off a street truck, lively debate about how Cork is like Texas and a ride up the glass lift in the hotel.
Day 9: Back to Albuquerque
We woke late and packed up, only to realise that lordkilljoy had lost the car keys for our car in Abq. He figured he'd taken them out of his bag in Galveston and must have left them in the hotel. So the drive to Houston was a little stressful, the keys and diversions because of roadworks outside of Austin setting us a little on edge. But it wasn't too bad once we got on the highway.
We got to the airport and did one last search through the bags - no joy. We checked in, got some food, then made our way to the gate. We had some time, so we played our DSs, and when lordkilljoy opened his headphone case the car keys fell out. :)
So it all ended well. We were excited getting on the plane, and on the bus to the long-term car park, and in the car on the way home and when we got home - exclaiming "you found your keys" every few minutes.
So that was our trip to Texas. It was good.
05 April 2011
atlanta
I have the wrestlemania theme tune stuck in my head. not really surprising, considering we spent the weekend in atlanta. ah, it was wonderful. not so much for the wrestling, which was fun but i'm not the biggest fan ever. no, it was brilliant because there were fountains and green grass and trees everywhere. the air wasn't at 15% humidity and sitting outside was simply perfect.
apart from wrestlemania, we wandered around the city, went to coke world, ate bison burgers (yummy), hung out, and got to talk to wrestlers in a pub one night. i wanted to go to the zoo, but no train went out that way, and navigating buses is a bit of hassle compared to navigating trains.
it was funny to come back to the yellow ground of albuquerque, but i suppose i'll get used to it again.
in other news, i'm doing script frenzy this year. the objective is to write a 100 page script in the month of april. i have no outline, and just half an idea of a plot, so we'll see how i get on with that.
it's been so long since i last updated, but i can't think of anything else new. i finally got a lovely summer dress, which was white, but i died blue. i've been walking and cycling.
i don't really know what else to say.
apart from wrestlemania, we wandered around the city, went to coke world, ate bison burgers (yummy), hung out, and got to talk to wrestlers in a pub one night. i wanted to go to the zoo, but no train went out that way, and navigating buses is a bit of hassle compared to navigating trains.
it was funny to come back to the yellow ground of albuquerque, but i suppose i'll get used to it again.
in other news, i'm doing script frenzy this year. the objective is to write a 100 page script in the month of april. i have no outline, and just half an idea of a plot, so we'll see how i get on with that.
it's been so long since i last updated, but i can't think of anything else new. i finally got a lovely summer dress, which was white, but i died blue. i've been walking and cycling.
i don't really know what else to say.
29 December 2010
airport security
So, on the way home from Vegas, McCarran airport was sending every person through the full body xray machine. I've read up on these and I made a note to myself that if I had to go through one I would opt out. So I opted out. Now, I've read that opting out isn't that great because you get a full body pat down, but I figure the bruises from even the roughest pat down will heal, while the radiation from the xray will stick around.
Anyway. I opted out and the next thing i hear is 'female opt out' shouted across the security area. Not sure if they do this on purpose to make you feel bad, but I didn't let it affect me. Anything is better than radiation. I also think I was too tired to get worked up. So I was brought to a different area and a woman came over and explained exactly what she would do. She was polite, and caring in an 'I have a job to do' way. The pat down was fine. It didn't hurt, she was gentle and talked through the whole thing - 'I'm going down your back now. Now the legs,' etc. It was like a gentle, quick, full body massage.
So, on lordkilljoy's advice I'm posting this to let everyone know that the pat down wasn't that bad, for me anyway. And now that I've been through it once, I won't mind getting it done again.
Anyway. I opted out and the next thing i hear is 'female opt out' shouted across the security area. Not sure if they do this on purpose to make you feel bad, but I didn't let it affect me. Anything is better than radiation. I also think I was too tired to get worked up. So I was brought to a different area and a woman came over and explained exactly what she would do. She was polite, and caring in an 'I have a job to do' way. The pat down was fine. It didn't hurt, she was gentle and talked through the whole thing - 'I'm going down your back now. Now the legs,' etc. It was like a gentle, quick, full body massage.
So, on lordkilljoy's advice I'm posting this to let everyone know that the pat down wasn't that bad, for me anyway. And now that I've been through it once, I won't mind getting it done again.
27 December 2010
Christmas in Las Vegas
Christmas for me this year was totally different to any christmas i've ever had before. first off, it didn't feel like christmas, and second off, i spent it in vegas with lordkilljoy. Vegas is... bright, colourful, loud, amazing, ott, beautiful, seedy, silly - as lordkilljoy described it, it's a theme park for adults. so many of the hotels are designed around a theme - just like disneyland or something. in disneyland they have little cafes and snack bars that look like they should be in the jungle, or a tropical island, or a fantasy city - vegas is the exact same, except that, instead of selling burgers, pretzels, and sweets, they sell wine, beer, and top of the range meals.
i think the most impressive places were paris (pretty, pretty, pretty, nothing more needs to be said), the venetian (they have indoor canals, with gondolas), luxor (it's a pyramid, and the whole inside is hollow) and the bellagio (that place is like a palace - a real one).
what's really funny, too, is that it reminded me of glastonbury. i think the crowds had something to do with that, but it was also the lights, the atmosphere, everyone looking for a good time; it felt like a permanent festival with permanent gigs (all the hotels have acts that play every night - the same act every single night). it also reminded me of a cross between bangkok and hollywood boulevard. there are people dressed up as all sorts of mad characters, from superman to jack sparrow to angels and devils. but there are also people out trying to get you to go to their strip clubs and they slick flyers at you. not quite as bad as asia, and they were easy enough to ignore. at least they didn't chase after you.
we went to see Penn and Teller, two magicians. Their act was good. Some of the tricks were brilliant, and they alluded to how they were done, which made you wonder just how, exactly, it was done.
That's how we spent christmas night - we got a wonderful christmas dinner in Rio (where the show was on) of fish. I had tilapia and it was amazing. it had a parmesan crumb coating what was delicious.
we stayed at the mgm grand. it's massive, and one of the busiest places. it has a bar called centrifuge that does the most amazing cocktails. they have one (appletini) that tastes like a red apple. but what's amazing is that it tastes like a red apple with the skin on. what else is cool is that every hour, the bar staff jump up on the bar and do a little dance. it was funny.
we saw lions, too - acting like bored cats. their trainers were trying to interest them in toys and they weren't really going for it. we saw tigers, leopards, dolphins and a guest mouse. the mirage has a miniature zoo. what we didn't do was see a pirate fight or go on a rollercoaster. but we couldn't fit it all in. we did see the bellagio's fountain (during the day, but it was still impressive). what i wasn't expecting was the sound. shooting that much water into the air sounds like shooting a tiny cannon.
what else, what else... we went to lush yesterday. there's a lush in vegas. i was the happiest person ever. lordkilljoy bought me my christmas present there. i got two gift boxes (because it was after christmas, it was 2 for 1). now i have loads of yummy lush stuff and will have wonderful showers for the next year. I have (ready for the list?) happy hippy shower gel, ice blue soap, too drunk emotibomb, sandstone soap, each peach massage bar, whoosh shower jelly, snow globe soap and squeaky green shampoo. the emotibomb smells lovely (all of it smells lovely) and i don't want to use it, because it only lasts for one shower. i might use it to smell up my sock drawer or something... :P . i also got porridge soap as a sampler. it smells interesting.
i don't know what else to say. on the flight to vegas, we flew over the hoover dam. it is impressive, even going by at 200mph or whatever pre-landing speed is. leaving last night, we got to see the strip from the air. it's amazing - all the lights and all the shapes.
yea. so. i'm going to go now. have a shower and use all my lush things - maybe not all of them.
i think the most impressive places were paris (pretty, pretty, pretty, nothing more needs to be said), the venetian (they have indoor canals, with gondolas), luxor (it's a pyramid, and the whole inside is hollow) and the bellagio (that place is like a palace - a real one).
what's really funny, too, is that it reminded me of glastonbury. i think the crowds had something to do with that, but it was also the lights, the atmosphere, everyone looking for a good time; it felt like a permanent festival with permanent gigs (all the hotels have acts that play every night - the same act every single night). it also reminded me of a cross between bangkok and hollywood boulevard. there are people dressed up as all sorts of mad characters, from superman to jack sparrow to angels and devils. but there are also people out trying to get you to go to their strip clubs and they slick flyers at you. not quite as bad as asia, and they were easy enough to ignore. at least they didn't chase after you.
we went to see Penn and Teller, two magicians. Their act was good. Some of the tricks were brilliant, and they alluded to how they were done, which made you wonder just how, exactly, it was done.
That's how we spent christmas night - we got a wonderful christmas dinner in Rio (where the show was on) of fish. I had tilapia and it was amazing. it had a parmesan crumb coating what was delicious.
we stayed at the mgm grand. it's massive, and one of the busiest places. it has a bar called centrifuge that does the most amazing cocktails. they have one (appletini) that tastes like a red apple. but what's amazing is that it tastes like a red apple with the skin on. what else is cool is that every hour, the bar staff jump up on the bar and do a little dance. it was funny.
we saw lions, too - acting like bored cats. their trainers were trying to interest them in toys and they weren't really going for it. we saw tigers, leopards, dolphins and a guest mouse. the mirage has a miniature zoo. what we didn't do was see a pirate fight or go on a rollercoaster. but we couldn't fit it all in. we did see the bellagio's fountain (during the day, but it was still impressive). what i wasn't expecting was the sound. shooting that much water into the air sounds like shooting a tiny cannon.
what else, what else... we went to lush yesterday. there's a lush in vegas. i was the happiest person ever. lordkilljoy bought me my christmas present there. i got two gift boxes (because it was after christmas, it was 2 for 1). now i have loads of yummy lush stuff and will have wonderful showers for the next year. I have (ready for the list?) happy hippy shower gel, ice blue soap, too drunk emotibomb, sandstone soap, each peach massage bar, whoosh shower jelly, snow globe soap and squeaky green shampoo. the emotibomb smells lovely (all of it smells lovely) and i don't want to use it, because it only lasts for one shower. i might use it to smell up my sock drawer or something... :P . i also got porridge soap as a sampler. it smells interesting.
i don't know what else to say. on the flight to vegas, we flew over the hoover dam. it is impressive, even going by at 200mph or whatever pre-landing speed is. leaving last night, we got to see the strip from the air. it's amazing - all the lights and all the shapes.
yea. so. i'm going to go now. have a shower and use all my lush things - maybe not all of them.
16 December 2010
It's Raining
This is mad. Rain. I saw the clouds move in yesterday, and my first thought was, those look like rain clouds. Sure enough, everywhere is wet today. It's not really rain so much as a drizzle. I totally want to go out in it - I was out in the balcony just there and it's not really cold. And it smells lovely - like wet concrete. I thought that just happened because of heat, but it guess it's the dry more than the heat, because that's what it smells like outside.
So, other big news: we're off to Vegas for Christmas. We both decided it would be a bit depressing / just like any normal day to spend christmas here. And lordkilljoy had joked about christmas in Vegas ages ago. I guess jokes have a way of taking root and becoming reality. I'm excited though. Christmas is all about lights and spectacle and I don't think there's anywhere in the world that has more of that. We're staying at the MGM Grand - it's got lions (not sure if it has a real lion, but it's got massive metal ones).
So yea. I just wanted to update quickly.
So, other big news: we're off to Vegas for Christmas. We both decided it would be a bit depressing / just like any normal day to spend christmas here. And lordkilljoy had joked about christmas in Vegas ages ago. I guess jokes have a way of taking root and becoming reality. I'm excited though. Christmas is all about lights and spectacle and I don't think there's anywhere in the world that has more of that. We're staying at the MGM Grand - it's got lions (not sure if it has a real lion, but it's got massive metal ones).
So yea. I just wanted to update quickly.
29 November 2010
trip downtown
It was freezing today. This is the coldest it's been since we got here. It didn't get above 3 today. It was -1 early this morning. And I can now report on the temperatures accurately, because we got a little temperature sensor for outside.
I finally made it to downtown abq today. What a disappointment. It was more like south mall, where i was expecting patrick st. there was just the courthouse, city hall, the library and some other official places. I got the bus in - it was mainly straightforward (except i put all my money into the little box at the same time (as you do in dublin) and the driver had to take it out and put the coins in one by one) and the journey was short enough. $2 gets you unlimited bussing for the whole day. Not bad at all.
I joined the library. Got out a random trilogy. It was the only intact (as in, all three books on the shelf) set they had. I may have to do a bit more research into which branch has the most sci-fi / fantasy books, because the main library was sadly lacking.
And the most awful part of the day was losing my hat. My lovely warm, long, cool, ultra-complimented hat went missing somewhere in the library. I think I left it down when I was filling in my application form and someone else must have picked it up and walked away with it. :( It wasn't in the lost and found, but I asked the librarian to ring me if it turned up anyway. I'm really sad. I had that hat for ages (8 years or something) and it had a few close calls, but I always got it back. Let's hope I get it back this time too.
I finally made it to downtown abq today. What a disappointment. It was more like south mall, where i was expecting patrick st. there was just the courthouse, city hall, the library and some other official places. I got the bus in - it was mainly straightforward (except i put all my money into the little box at the same time (as you do in dublin) and the driver had to take it out and put the coins in one by one) and the journey was short enough. $2 gets you unlimited bussing for the whole day. Not bad at all.
I joined the library. Got out a random trilogy. It was the only intact (as in, all three books on the shelf) set they had. I may have to do a bit more research into which branch has the most sci-fi / fantasy books, because the main library was sadly lacking.
And the most awful part of the day was losing my hat. My lovely warm, long, cool, ultra-complimented hat went missing somewhere in the library. I think I left it down when I was filling in my application form and someone else must have picked it up and walked away with it. :( It wasn't in the lost and found, but I asked the librarian to ring me if it turned up anyway. I'm really sad. I had that hat for ages (8 years or something) and it had a few close calls, but I always got it back. Let's hope I get it back this time too.
26 November 2010
the last few days
we went to santa fe today. like a silly girl, i forgot my camera. the drive was amazing. through desert and mountains and things that looked like sand dunes. you could have imagined the sea was just over the dune. but it wasn't. there was just more desert. santa fe is at 7,000ft. we drove up 2,000 feet in under an hour. we were at twice the elevation of the highest mountain in ireland. mad.
once we got there, we went to an outlet centre. not very exciting, or touristy, but lordkilljoy wanted to look around at the sales. i got a big towel too, so i was happy. ooh, and a new wallet. it's smaller than my old one and i can sit on it without it poking into me.
yesterday was quiet. i made dinner. the stuffing was amazing. the turkey was nice too. the potatoes messed everything up though. i roasted them and after an hour they weren't ready. so everything else was done and we had to wait for the potatoes. so everything else was a bit cold by the time we got to eating.
i watched discovery channel for about 5 hours yesterday. mythbusters was on. and then i watched this crazy thing called punkin chinkin. there's this championship that happens every year to see who can chuck a pumpkin the farthest. but teams are allowed to make machines (catapults, trebuchets, air cannons, etc) to throw the pumpkin. it was kind of cool seeing the machines people had come up with.
ooh, we went out for a walk in Rio Grande Valley State Park, along the Paseo del Bosque trail yesterday. we saw a squashed snake (or possibly a very intact snake skin). that was cool. the walk was nice too. it was cold, though. but it seems like a good place for a cycle.
once we got there, we went to an outlet centre. not very exciting, or touristy, but lordkilljoy wanted to look around at the sales. i got a big towel too, so i was happy. ooh, and a new wallet. it's smaller than my old one and i can sit on it without it poking into me.
yesterday was quiet. i made dinner. the stuffing was amazing. the turkey was nice too. the potatoes messed everything up though. i roasted them and after an hour they weren't ready. so everything else was done and we had to wait for the potatoes. so everything else was a bit cold by the time we got to eating.
i watched discovery channel for about 5 hours yesterday. mythbusters was on. and then i watched this crazy thing called punkin chinkin. there's this championship that happens every year to see who can chuck a pumpkin the farthest. but teams are allowed to make machines (catapults, trebuchets, air cannons, etc) to throw the pumpkin. it was kind of cool seeing the machines people had come up with.
ooh, we went out for a walk in Rio Grande Valley State Park, along the Paseo del Bosque trail yesterday. we saw a squashed snake (or possibly a very intact snake skin). that was cool. the walk was nice too. it was cold, though. but it seems like a good place for a cycle.
06 October 2010
Albuquerque
Yea, so. That other news. I got interrupted writing this post by an international shipping surveyor arriving at the house to catalogue our stuff. And that's really what this post is about. Earlier today, our US visas arrived. In 6 weeks, we will be in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and we will stay there for at least a year and possibly up to three years.
:)
I'm pretty excited. lordkilljoy's company is moving us, so we don't know where we'll be living or anything. So that puts a huge damper on the excitement. It's hard to get excited about a place if you can't make plans about where you will be living and what you will do there. But i'm sure things will work out fine.
Yea. So, i don't really know what else to say.
PS - it takes me about 5 minutes to write albuquerque. who would give a place a name that's that hard to type? or even just get straight. there is far too much room to get letters mixed up.
:)
I'm pretty excited. lordkilljoy's company is moving us, so we don't know where we'll be living or anything. So that puts a huge damper on the excitement. It's hard to get excited about a place if you can't make plans about where you will be living and what you will do there. But i'm sure things will work out fine.
Yea. So, i don't really know what else to say.
PS - it takes me about 5 minutes to write albuquerque. who would give a place a name that's that hard to type? or even just get straight. there is far too much room to get letters mixed up.
27 September 2010
Living in Kerry
I'm in penelope_stone's house and Yoshi is looking at me from the corner of the room. Yoshi and nymph live in Kerry, now. We brought them down last night and I set their tanks up today. They seem ok. Yoshi is doing his usual (ask - just hanging out. he doesn't seem stressed). Nymph seems a little more stressed, but he should be ok once his filter clears up the water.
I made chicken jalfrezi for everyone last night. it was yummy. but even better - i made chocolate cake. i have photos at home and will post them when i get back. i kept the recipe so i can make it again and this time (as if the cake wasn't rich and decadent enough, i'm going to add chocolate chips to the base mix. mmmm. yum.
we brought the remains of the cake with us (there's half of it left), and it was all i could smell as i was doing stuff in the kitchen today. i just wanted to eat it. but i'll save it for dessert.
i don't think i have much other news. well, none that i can think of anyway.
I made chicken jalfrezi for everyone last night. it was yummy. but even better - i made chocolate cake. i have photos at home and will post them when i get back. i kept the recipe so i can make it again and this time (as if the cake wasn't rich and decadent enough, i'm going to add chocolate chips to the base mix. mmmm. yum.
we brought the remains of the cake with us (there's half of it left), and it was all i could smell as i was doing stuff in the kitchen today. i just wanted to eat it. but i'll save it for dessert.
i don't think i have much other news. well, none that i can think of anyway.
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