February 2010
1 post
20 Questions
Jessika: What's your favourite food?
Me: Indian.
Jessika: Oh yeah, that's good. I'm part Cherokee.
December 2009
3 posts
3 months spent, 14 cities visited, 0 dollars left.
New York. San Francisco. Monterey. Sacramento. Denver. Boulder. Portland. Seattle. Victoria. Vancouver. Washington DC. Pittsburgh. Chicago. Cleveland.
It's cold in Chicago
Guy: Hi, how are you?
Girl: I'm so cold!
Guy: Me too. I'm like, freezing.
Me: No shit dude, it's fucking -13.
How Wi-Fi is killing social interaction
I blame Starbucks.
Remember the days when you would pop into a lovely locally owned, beautifully independent café and enjoy a cappuccino whilst chatting away with some friends? Those days have come to an end it would seem (particularly in America) and I believe Starbucks is to blame.
Nowadays, if people decide not to get their 20oz (591.5ml to most of us) decaf low fat candy cane latte (with...
November 2009
15 posts
WatchA dude in a shit (but awesome) bar in D.C. humping a pool table and talking shit.
“I look good in earth tones.”
– Ryan Meskill. Ha!
Observations on America - Part 3
Neon: A chemical element with the symbol Ne and the Atomic Number 10. It is a colourless, inert noble gas.
What the Wikipedia article I got this information from failed to mention, was that American’s are obsessed with the stuff. In particular, they love to stick it into little glass tubes, bend those tubes into all kinds of fancy shapes and pump electricity into them, creating the widest...
“Depression is anger with no enthusiasm.”
– Smart Mouth Café, Vancouver
Observations on America - Part 2
If you haven’t obtained some prior to departing on a trip to a new country, one of the first things you do when you arrive is pick up some local currency. Now, everyone knows that much has been said about the ridiculousness of the United States currency. For a start, the notes are all green and look so similar that you never really know how much you have in your wallet and you have to count...
Bomba Estereo →
These guys put on a wicked gig that I went to in Seattle. It’s like Columbian Electro-Reggae-Hip Hop.
Sacramento: California's Ghost Town
Yes, we were warned. But we went anyway. We were told Sacramento was dull and yes, it is. That being said though, we had a great couple of days in the Californian capital, a city which has less atmosphere than Canberra. Now that’s saying something. There are banners hanging in downtown Sacramento with the slogan ’Sacramento: Discover the Gold’. By the end of our first (and only) full day in the...
“Do you have change for a loonie?”
– A guy in Vancouver needing change for a dollar for a parking metre. I gave him change, but really wanted to ask, how crazy are you?
Observations on America - Part 1
Now that I’m in Canada, I think it’s safe to put together what will hopefully be just the first post in a series on the U.S. I’ve been loving my trip around the States. I have caught up with old friends and have been enjoying experiencing every American stereotype in its homeland. Still, there are some things which drive me a little crazy.
When I first came to find myself wandering...
“Don’t worry, you’re not getting killed today.”
– Reassuring words from Cornwall as we drove up into isolated mountains in a car loaded with guns moments after I arrive in Victoria.
I Want To Steal A UPS Van
I don’t quite know what it is about them, but I want to steal a UPS van. Maybe it’s the sexy brown and gold colour scheme. Maybe it’s the whole driving along with the door open thing. Maybe it’s the mystery contents of the all the oddly shaped brown boxes in the back.
Let’s face it, the UPS van is indeed a classic of everyday design. Surely they could spare just one...
October 2009
3 posts
Kerry & Eric
I’d like to introduce you all to a great couple that Guri and I met in Sacramento - Kerry & Eric. They live in Sacramento and both work for the state government. They’ve been together for about 6 years now, living together for the past 4, but neither are sure if they’re ready to take the next step in their relationship. During the weekends they like to sit at cafés reading the paper and take...
Post NYC tackiness
Watching Geelong win the AFL Grand Final in an Australian bar in the East Village - $15. Drinking lattes and chai in trendy cafés - $10. Eating a meat pie and sausage roll - $8. Going out for live music and some beers with a friend - $35. Getting a taste of home after more than 16 months away - Priceless.
WatchI only wish you could experience the smell as well.
September 2009
6 posts
New York
Coffee. The Subway. Hipsters. Diversity. Pizza. Bagels. Tipping. City Blocks. Apartment Blocks. Parks & Squares. Anonymity & ldentity. Glimpses of sky. Moments in time. Content.
Your liver is evil and must be destroyed.
A random bar in the East Village.
“Have you ever been or are you now involved in espionage or sabotage; or in...”
– U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Why I'm going to America (and why Lauren & Suzi...
Lauren: You should go to America, flights are dead cheap these days.
Me: I don't know...I might have a look.
(I look up flights and find them to be surprisingly cheap)
Suzi: What! Only 280 quid?! I'm going to New York.
(Suzi books a 5 day trip to New York, quickly followed by Lauren)
Me: (Days later, after much deliberation) OK, I've booked.