Penless!

In the absence of a pen, I'll instead write here so I don't forget what happened today (unlikely, but it's the little details that get lost).
Unfortunately, I'm on the computer that types so slow it would be much faster to write. That sentence just took 25 seconds to appear after I had started to type it. You would think using a computer would give me and advantage-allowing me to get down a lot of thoughts and words down quickly...not so with this one. How frustrating. Anyway I will soldier on.

Yesterday I went on the city tour and because it is the off season the tour was just me and the tour guide! His name was Cory and he was about my brother's age-he was a genuinely nice guy. He told me he and his wife has lived in Mexico for the past few years working as youth pastors. He ended up asking if I wanted to come to his family+extended Mexican family's Thanksgiving get-together tomorrow (which was today).
Being around strangers in an environment like that makes me really anxious-I wish I weren't so anti social but I am hopeless at talking to people and making new friends.
It's the kind of invite that you would have to be really fortunate to receive-and the kind of one where if you even wanted to go a little bit but didn't go, you would regret it later. And in my case, if you had any reservations you wouldn't be able to work up the nerve to go. Deep down I knew it was a great opportunity and a very generous offer from a genuinely nice guy...but on the other hand, I knew if I went I would be the 'odd one out' and would feel like an intruder. Plus if I went I would have no way of leaving until somebody was ready to give me a lift back, because it was out of town. Lastly-I didn't have anything prepared to bring with me (it's only polite...) and felt bad about that.

So this morning after breakfast, I made myself a deal: since I had originally planned to go to the aquarium today if I went there and it was open I would go there but if it was closed I would call Cory and tell him I would love to come along to his family's get-together.
So I walked down to the aquarium and it was open. Sorry, Cory :(
I kind of do wish I had gone to see what it was like-but I am too anxious/nervous to be in a situation like that, that I chickened out.

The aquarium was pretty cool though-they have the massive sea otters! Massive cuteness. It was overall a really kid-friendly place, with plenty of touch pools and educational facts/displays all around.

Since it is Thanksgiving, everything is closed for the day. It's like a ghost town in here! Even the big chain coffee-houses are closed. Tomorrow is the biggest shopping day in the US year. 'Black Friday'. Shops open at 6am and have massive sales-it sounds stupid but I might go and try get a laptop. They are super cheap here, like <$500 and if I had my own computer I wouldn't have to put up with the bullshit associated with the computers in the hostels. No waiting, no having people look over your shoulder at what you're doing, could upload all my photos onto it, no dodgy keyboards! Plus I could use the Wi-Fi from places other than the hostel e.g. cafes. We'll see how it goes, though. A laptop would be alot of extra weight to carry around. Plus $500, while cheap, is still alot of money to spend on one item.

Like I said-we'll see how it goes. I need to get a replacement charger for my pentax (or the broken one fixed) at any rate so we'll see what deals Radio Shack has on.

Ok I have had jack of this keyboard-it's taken the stupid thing about 30min to compute <3min worth of typing!!!
I'm going to go read the books on Alaskan wildlife I picked up today...

Take care-and vote well tomorrow!
-Lisha

Mmm wafflelicious

I made my own waffles this morning! They also have granny smith apples the size of grapefruit over here! I ate almost a whole punnet of fresh juicy raspberries this morning...what a piglet. Posting from my phone now-yay for technology! Went up the top of the bank of america tower this morning, it's the tallest building west of New York and the views of the mountains from the 76th floor were stunning! Or 'intense' as Michael would say. He left this morning so now i'm truly starting my adventures...I LOVE the cold of Seattle and it smells like coffee and seafood here instead of pot, like San Francisco. I'm waiting for the city tour bus right now, drinking an 18oz coffee...that's their regular/large size. Going to take myself on a self-guided coffee house tour sometime soon, too. Thanksgiving is tomorrow so all the locals are excited. There are beautiful wreathes and decorations involving dried chillies for sale in the market-I wish I could post one back to Australia! Ok the tour bus is here and it's just me and the tour guide in a ford expedition so that should be interesting! Gotta go! x Lisha

SEATTLE+PHOTOS biatches!

Finally, some photos to show you guys!
The bus ride to Seattle from San Francisco was long, but ultimately I'm glad I went that way. The countryside was nice and on the way out we got a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge-sans fog, unlike yesterday on our tour when it was completely shrouded in mist and fog!
Anyway, this computer is so slow so I'll shut up and post some pics (only from my pentax, because my canon doesn't play well with Macs, which are the main computer here at the Green Tortoise).



Coloured Fortune Cookies!

Apparently the fortune cookie was invented in San Francisco!

Stained glass roof & interior of department store Nordstrom, San Francisco:


Around the back of the Green Tortoise, San Francisco:

http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=7806526650688981276&postID=1019199206846279828
Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf-San Francisco


Fatty Sea Lions that hang around at Pier 39:


Me on Telegraph Hill, just below Coit Tower (San Fran)-the Bay Bridge is just visible in the background.


I love these houses:


At the Ghiradelli Square Christmas Tree:


Oops my camera is out of battery! Will upload more later, and hopefully the ones from my canon somehow.

Take care!
-Lisha

Tell me...whatever happened to predictability?

We went on the Golden Gate tour yesterday afternoon.  Far out-the fog here is maniacal...it has a life of it's own!  Remember that time earlier this year when there was fog all in Sydney Harbour?  Well it's 10 times worse here, practically every day!
As we left on the bus (4pm) the sun was starting to peek out of the clouds and the clouds and fog were visibly moving-but by the time we got to the bridge it was completely under.  All you could see from a distance was...well practically nothing, except for a little bit of the towers.
The fog comes in over the mountains behind and just blankets the whole bay in pea soup mist and fog.  We drove into it and automatically the temperature dropped like 10 degrees and visibility was so bad you could hardly see the car in front of you!
We got some photos on the other side of the fog rolling over it and down to the water so it's interesting, it's just not 'postcard perfect' like we all would have wanted it to bever
But then instead of just driving back over the bridge and to the pick-up/drop-off point, they went into the snobby area on the city side of the bridge and went all around in the military base and stuff.  It was bloody foggy and COLD...plus there were eucalypt trees everywhere!  That's another weird thing about this city, they seem to have a love of Australian trees and plants because there are so many kicking around.  Wattles, bottlebrushes (which are all out in flower now), gum trees, those patersonia lillies (I think that's their name...)-all sorts!
Anyway we went into (S)Nob Hill and saw Danielle Steeles mansion (um....yay?) and went past some really nice Victorian homes.  I think this is where they 'set' Full House.

hhh Ahh Ahh Ahhh... Ahhhhhahhhh
What ever happened to predictability?
The milkman, the paperboy, evening TV?
How did I get delivered here?
Somebody tell me please
This old world's confusing me
Clouds as mean as you've ever seen
Ain't a bird who knows your tune.
Then a little voice inside you whispers
"Kid, Don't sell your dreams so soon"
Everywhere you look (Everywhere you look)
There's a heart (there's a heart)
A hand to hold onto
Everywhere you look (Everywhere you go)
There's a face
of somebody who needs you.
Everywhere you look
When you're lost out there and you're all alone
A light is waiting to carry you home
Everywhere you look
Everywhere you look.
Ahh Ahh Ahh Ahh
Chitty Chi bob botta.

Yeah...that's the stuff! (again, NOT my photo...still waiting!)





Today we leave at 3pm to get on a dirty dirty Greyhound bus to go to Seattle.  It's going to take almost 24hrs.  Ergh...it's currently about 2 degrees C in Seattle, so I think I might need to stop wearing my thongs and start wearing my shoes.
Need to go to the post office today badly as well, if I don't post this stuff back I won't have room to carry it.

San Francisco has been really fun, I could easily live here except the house prices are through the roof!  It's a really beautiful city with lots of culture and so far the people have all been really nice to me.  I haven't talked about the little gallery opening I stumbled across and was invited into yet, have I?  That was a laugh...

Anyway, time is running short and I have alot to do.
Take care everyone!
-Lisha

Such a lovely place, such a lovely face...

Seriously-somebody put 'Hotel California' on the stereo in the dining room...

I'm so tired-like, unbelievably tired.  It's not even 8pm here yet!  Yesterday was like this too, and I ended up crashing out from like 7.30pm til 10.30pm and then not being able to get to sleep again until 3am.  Then waking up at 8am the next morning.  Lather, rinse, and repeat.
Is this what jetlag is?  I thought I was doing ok but I don't understand why *this* time of day is when my energy is so sapped.  Going to fight it though and not sleep until 'bedtime' tonight though...

Went to the Australian Consulate today with Michael who was running about trying to get an Australian passport.  Get this, because his dad is Irish, Michael is able to get dual citizenship.  So when faced with the option of getting an Irish passport for $80 or an Australian passport for $200, he went with the Irish passport.
Anyway, now he is in the USA unless he has an Australian passport the airline will refuse him entry onto the flight back into Australia because he doesn't have proof he is 'Australian' nor the appropriate visa.  But he can't get the visa because he actually is on the 'system' as being a citizen!
So, he needs to arrange an emergency passport to be sent to him here.  This is where I come in-luckily for him, he has somebody who can act as a witness/whatever to sign his passport photo to show that I know him.  If I weren't here he'd have had to fly to Texas and get his other friend who lives there to sign the forms.
The whole situation is fucked, what I don't understand is how he didn't know any of this before he left?!?
Anyway it's fixed now so it's of no real concern anymore.

The fog has rolled in and we're seeing 'true' SF weather now.  It's brisk and a little windy, much like late Autumn in Sydney.  I love it!  Michael however doesn't like the cold and keeps adamantly reminding me that this weather is 'colder than the coldest day in Sydney!'.  I severely doubt that!!!
The fog meant that we didn't go up into the Transamerica Pyramid (if you can even get up to an observation deck) because it would have been pointless.  Also because we ran out of time because we were too busy shopping.  Oops!
Ok...a quick check of Wiki tells me that the Floor 27 Observation Deck is no longer open (stupid fucking September 11) instead there is a 'Virtual Observation Deck'.
WTF?  Yeah, let's go into this sweet huge building and look at some monitors that are showing pictures from the real Ob. Deck.  Lousy.
It's a pretty mad building though-we have a great view of it from our hostel room.
(I did NOT take this photo, I'm pretty angry that I haven't been able to upload my pics yet!)


On our travels today we went to Gap, H&M, Macy's, Bloomingdales, Westfields (hahaha), Nordstrom (I think), Saks 5th Avenue, Forever 21 (USA's version of Supre), Diesel and a few other places.  All the shops here are multi level, too.  The average number of floors is three.  It's a novelty at first but gets annoying after a while.  Most of the shops have lifts though but it feels to lazy to use them all the time.
We also went downstairs in the food court area of the Westfield (haha) centre and saw this place called Britol Farms-it was massive...like a specialty supermarket and fast food place all in one.  It's hard to describe.  Here's their link so you can see for yourselves. http://www.bristolfarms.com/locations/sanfrancisco.html
I suppose the closest thing in Sydney I can liken it to is David Jones Food Hall, but nicer.  They had this self serve stuff, and it was like $8.56 (their prices always come in odd amounts) per pound.  We think nothing of it and get a container and put some food in, then when we go to pay it comes to almost $30!  What??  Then we check out the receipt and it turns out we've got like, 3.2lbs of food!
I had 1.4lbs-damn Turkey being so heavy!!!
I couldn't eat it all...what a waste.  I feel more American every day!

Tomorrow is Alcatraz tour and Fisherman's Wharf and Golden Gate Bridge.  It's going to be a full on day but there won't be the mucking around with passports and passport photos like there was today.

My iPod has also conveniently shat itself too.  Not happy...the Apple store here is no help either because it's only good for US bought products I'm pretty sure.  The place is nuts, it's always packed like a party is going on in there!  It says there are songs on there but it won't play them and has lost all the cover art.  Also the games are busted and it says I need to plug it in and reinstall iTunes.  Fat chance of that happening anytime soon!!!  So pissed off.

Beeing meeting and hearing more Aussies about...it seems like all the Aussies here put on a broader accent and use expressions they wouldn't use at home.  The amount of times I've heard 'mate' and other ocker-isms is much more than frequent than I hear them at home!

Meanwhile I have finally bought a Tracfone.  Piece of shit.  Have to struggle some more to activate it tomorrow.  But it was only $16 and a $30 phone card so I can't complain too much.

SHIT gotta go!
Take care will update more later
-Lisha

What is the deal with....

As much as I dislike the comedic stylings of Jerry Seinfeld, as a visitor to the United States I can understand his confusion and disbelief about everyday things over here that defy logic or seem irrational/ill-thought out.
As a local, Seinfeld must either be very astute and have a keen eye for the nuances of the culture he lives in, or just be fastidiously picky and anal about everything.
My previous opinions of him would lend me to go with option B.

I'm sure there are very good reasons why things are done the way they are here.  Afterall, isn't it sensible to believe that overly difficult or confusing practices would naturally be replaced by more effient or easily understandable ones?  (Says she who knows little of beaurocracy and red tape)

One thing that has irked me is the situation with postage stamps.
Here is the design of postage stamp I purchased yesterday:


It's not an unattractive design, in fact I think it's quite handsome and obviously has some special meaning to the people of North America.
Notice it is labelled with 'First Class'.  I feel slightly more refined and well-bred just having bought it.
Notice anything missing from it? Yes?  Aren't you a keen bean! No? Don't worry-I will show you soon.

Here,for comparison, is an example of an Australian postage stamp, also depicting something that is important to Australian culture.



Notice any differences between the design and the markings on the two?

Despite buying a set of 24 stamps (I think) for just over $8 yesterday, I had no idea just by looking at the stamp how much postage it would give me.  The Australian stamp says it right there: 50 cents!
If I were more resourceful I would have gotten out my trusty calculator (ok...my phone) and did some division or something and found out the price of the stamps individually.  Compared to being able to just look at the stamp and see exactly how much it is, having to actually KNOW stuff or RESEARCH/CALCULATE stuff is the inefficient option!
So from that inference, I think it is fair to assume that because Americans don't have simple things like this handed to them they will be a smarter society, yes?
I mean, any idiot can get an Australian stamp and go 'oh ok that's 50c worth I will need just one for a letter' but in America you actually have to know shit in order to go about your daily business.  Lazy Aussies and smart, hardworking Seppos.  Kind of flies in the face of all the stereotypes that we hear about Americans being insular and stupid, fat and lazy.

But the postage stamps do not lie!!!!! I speak the truth!
-Lisha
(Don't even get me started on the money...)

 


(if you took any of this seriously then I think you need to book yourself into a short course: 'Pisstaking 101')

 

Haha

I think I 'met' my roomate last night around 11.30pm. Some little european girl opened the door, took one look at me then left again. To be fair (to me!) she had both a guy and a bottle of booze in tow so I'm assuming she didn't want the room to rest for the night.
I woke up around 7 this morning and as I was trying to get back to sleep over the noise out on the street below, her alarm kept going off. Fast asleep...in the window bed. Bitch.
:-P
Going to get me some free breakfast and check out the city tour today. Then buy a cellphone and some pepper spray. Awesome! Most probably looking at finding out about the three of four types of public transport they have here, too. The streets are a killer. I imagine if you lived around here and walked everywhere you would get thighs like a bulgarian weightlifter after going up and down all the hills here!
OK I'm off:
Take care
-Lisha

*edit*
I tried to upload some photos last night, as I had a small collection after going for a late night saunter about the neighbourhood but the USB connections on the computers here are blocked and the one computer that you can plug a USB cable into, is operating on some crazy system (Xfce or something?) and doesn't recognise the camera. Poo!

*extra edit*
Wandered into the bottle shop a few doors down and they have, among other things, premix Smirnoff and green tea! And their bottles of premix (think Ruski and Cruiser type drinks...except weirder) are $1.84!!! I bought three bottles of weird premix shit and paid less than what one pathetic Cruiser would cost back in Sydney (granted, at a bar, but still). Considering the fact that the bottle shop near a backpackers would no doubt be more expensive than one in the 'burbs, I can't believe how cheap food/drinks are here! I got a delicious bagel last night for 95c-shits all over Sydney bagels. Hard and chewy and like, $3.50. I shouldn't slag them off too much-after I get back it's all I'll have access to again.

A chapter in my life entitled...

Yeah you all know how the song goes...

Needless to say I am in San Francisco now. I had a picture attached originally,that I had taken on my phone but it messed up. Will have to wait until tomorrow for photos sorry!

Flying in, I was put in what had to be the worst seat. On the ailse of a bank of 3 seats next to the window. With the two seats closer to the window occupied. Most other banks of window seats had only one person on the whole row! Anyway I askedto be moved and they put me on the row just behind the emergency exit behind the wing. That means no wing obscuring the view and plenty of leg room. But it also meant the guy next to me hogged the armrest and snored but I stole the window seat flying into SFO :-P It wasbeautiful-lights EVERYWHERE, blanketing the whole bay area. We were extra lucky too because our side of the plane was the one that had the view of the land coming in. At customs after we were collecting our bags, there was an officer asking people who had just collected their baggage if they had any food on them. Most people said no (I would have said I just have lollies, but they don't count asreal food anyway) and then she would have to elaborate.
"Do you have any snacks? No nuts or seeds or fruit?" and forthe most part people said no. One guy had stacks of boxes and after he was quizzed he went to go and one of the boxes fell, making a crash. The officer rushed over to help pick them up and I look back and see containers full of peanuts strewn about on the ground. I'm pretty sure I had heard this guy say not even 5min ago that he didn't have any food on him!

The hostel is pretty cool. It's on a street full of strip clubs and adult shops. They aren't all hidden away upstairs out of view like the Sydney ones are-they are like supermarkets or regular stores with big glass windows and open doors so you are walking past and see what you think is a market or something then you look in and there are dildos and whips and porn everywhere!
The hostel building itself is like a massive labyrinthine dormitory. I'm only on the second floor up and I got lost a few times on myway to find my room! It feels so old school and hippy, too. Old crazy chandeliers and threadbare carpet-patched with gaffa in a few places. I'm not sure about the other rooms but my room has a 'window bed' where there is a bay style window (how fitting!) and the bed is like, inside it. You can hear the ladies outside yelling out stuff like 'come in and see-no cover charge!' at the strip joint across the road, because my room faces the street. I really should say 'our' room but I haven't met the other person who is staying in it yet. But she already has the window bed. Lucky bitch.

I went for a walk down the strip to the local Walgreens and picked up somemuch needed deoderant (man, I STINK!) and water for tomorrow, and plenty of stamps :-) I'm such an idiot-I went there to get a pre-paid mobile but of course I forget the one thing I go there for!
Tomorrow when Michael gets in I will take a walk down the strip and get photos of all the neon signs and the steep hills. There is a street just a block down that is so steep, it doesn't have a flat footpath-it's got steps on the sidewalk!
If I were more adventurous (or if I get hungrier) I will try and get down to the Mission andget a burrito or something.
But it's probablybest to just have a shower and get some sleep. It's 9.20pm here but only 4.30pm back in Sydney. I'll wait until it gets to maybe 7pm Sydney time then hit the sack.

Maybe I'll try and make some friends.


BWAHAHAHA! Who am I kidding?

I suppose that's about all for now. Not sure whether to write this journal independantly from my pen&paper journal or to write in that one predominantly and take out the best bits to put here. I'm kind of leaning towards option B because otherwise I will be repeating myself alot. But it means alot of writing. Meh.

Time to sign out for now!
-Lisha

Waiting around in Taiwan Airport now...it's pretty empty and quiet but that suits me. The flight was good, better than I expected. I don't want to jinx things though.
I was one of those passengers that turns up right before boarding and got paged as I was leaving Sydney :-P
Another flight coming up, this time 10.5hrs.
Then arriving in SF aroun 1pm Sydney time. My brain isn't working right now, not sure what local time it would be. Probably something like 4pm yesterday.
I'm not sure what to do about sleeping. Do I sleep at an appropriate Sydney time and be screwed up for SF time or do I force myself to wait and sleep during normal hours on the Pacific timezone? I didn't sleep at all last night so that might be a problem. If I were to sleep during Sydney hours then I would have to be sleeping right now, basically...it's only 9pm here right now and in SF right now it's 5am! So doing things by San Fran time would mean I lose another night's worth of sleep!
Meh I'll see how it goes on the plane. If I have nobody next to me like I did last flight then it's easier to spread out and get comfy.

They've got taiwanese Subway (sandwiches) over here...it's pretty funny. Those things are like a cancer taking over the world!!! There was a starbucks too...and I bought some. What can I say-I'm a starbuckers incorporated!
Been taking photos of my meals on my phone, will be posting them here for your gastronomic (albeit visual) enjoyment.
Only plane food and starbucks so far, nothing too exciting.
Watched 'A Mighty Heart' on the plane. Damn that was a good movie!

Spose I had better head off to check in. Got 2hrs to my flight I think.
Stay safe!
Lisha