Archives for November 2006

Memory nearly failed me

November 9, 2006 by Jen at Semantically driven

A couple of weeks ago I committed myself to this NaBloPoMo thing. The idea is that you post to your blog once a day. Of course I always commit myself to something when I’m quite busy doing other stuff.

I have some extra work on and I’ve done a few hours of that already this week and I’ve been doing my daily post in my other spare time.

Tonight I’d eaten my dinner and put JJ to bed and thought now I can get the bean bag out to sit down and watch My Name is Earl and the beginning of the new series of The Amazing Race. I had to go into the kitchen to get something and looked at my laptop and realised I hadn’t done today’s post.

It’s lucky I’ve got my laptop. I wouldn’t be doing NaBloPoMo without it. I wish that I had broadband installed already so I wouldn’t have to drag out the phone cord to dialup and get on the internet. By this time next week I will hopefully have broadband installed at home.

Here ends today’s post.

Shameless cross promotion

November 8, 2006 by Jen at Semantically driven

I’m not sure if cross promotion is the right phrase here, and it isn’t really shameless although some of the outfits on the website I’m about to mention are quite shameless. It’s just the title I came up with for this post.

A few Fridays ago a website I’m responsible for – safarisuit.com was changed from a static – not updated very often – to a blog which I now update at least once a week.

I’ve written about the process of converting this website into a blog in part 1, part 2 and part 3 and while some friends were surfing the site it kept changing before their eyes as I got rid of the old and brought in the new.

It’s all about safari suits or leisure suits as they’re sometimes known – I think mainly in North America. If someone knows please let me know. It’s also all about tragic 1970s fashion, comb-overs, fashion accessories and the underground culture that is safari suits. Although safari suits are not so much underground anymore because they’re damned hard to find here in op shops so someone’s buying them.

You can find out what the website’s about, read the history of the safari suit event or just look through heaps of pictures.

The one day a year I’m remotely interested in horse racing

November 7, 2006 by Jen at Semantically driven

Today was the Melbourne Cup. I don’t normally gamble on horse racing but this is the one day a year I put a few dollars into the office sweep to hopefully win a few more back.

The two horses I picked didn’t get a place so I didn’t win my money back but I did get a free lunch and some orange juice (didn’t feel like bubbly).

The horse that did win (Delta Blues) was ridden by a Japanese jockey who can’t speak English so there was no interview immediately afterwards with him.

As with many sporting events it’s not just about the actual sport any more, it’s about the fashion. Last night on tv I saw Jennifer Hawkins talk about what to do and not to do at the races fashion wise, ie wear the right underwear (or just wear underwear) because you don’t want to fall over drunk with no knickers on.

That’s it till next year.

New York New York

November 6, 2006 by Jen at Semantically driven

This entry is part of my plan for NaBloPoMo.

Then – 19 December 1991, New York City

Overall New York is very intense. Everyone is in a hurry and usually not helpful at all. Cars and trucks are always tooting their horns even if they can see that the car in front can’t go anywhere. Pedestrians cross anywhere, anytime, and usually wait in the middle of the road.

Our hostel was in a bit of a sleazy area on 42nd, 43rd street. Had absolutely no major hassles like being robbed. A few people would say rude stuff but do nothing more.

There were lots of people on the street handing out pamphlets. There is also heaps of rubbish on the street and the subway is generally very grotty, but seemed quite efficient. There are a lot of beggars on the subway and they go to every carriage, introduce themselves and tell everyone why they want, or rather need, money. For example, one had a stroke and needed money to survive.

Now

Even though I had been to Los Angeles which is also a pretty big city, it didn’t prepare me for New York City. Probably because it is quite different. New York is a lot more concentrated which is why it was full on for me. I actually liked it more for that reason even though it’s hard to tell from my ‘Then’ above.

By this time in my travels a few people that had done the States circuit were in New York to spend a bit of time before Christmas and before they headed off home or onto London as I was going to do. Therefore I wasn’t alone in New York and spent most of the time with someone while sightseeing.

I had never been so cold in all my life. Luckily I’d bought a fairly warm winter coat when I was in Florida, of all places, but I also wore tights under my jeans and bought a hat to keep my head warm. It was bitter, especially as I was traipsing up tall buildings to view the city, and I climbed the Statue of Liberty.

I couldn’t get over the cars beeping at each other when obviously nobody could move. It seemed everyone was in a hurry in this place. Coming from a city of about 1 million people it’s a big culture shock, although New York is the only city I’ve ever been to where there is this constant beeping. I could hear it in the room I was staying in.

As I mention above I stayed on 42nd, 43rd streets not far from the Port Authority Bus Station – not a very good area. The hostel I stayed in was at the top of a 13 or so storey building and there was a brothel on one of the floors so you never knew who you’d be in the lift with.

Two of the photos I’ve put on a Flickr set of New York have the twin towers showing prominently. It’s a stark reminder whenever I see them that these buildings are no longer there.

Christmas pageant

November 5, 2006 by Jen at Semantically driven

Yesterday we got up quite early to go into town to see the annual Christmas pageant. The people we ended up sitting with (friends of friends) got there at 6am to get a prime spot. I found it hard enough getting up at 6.30am to have breakfast and get in there. By the time we got in at 7.30 the streets were packed with people waiting for a 10am kickoff.

It’s the first pageant I’ve gone along to since I was a kid myself and therefore the first time JJ has been. He really enjoyed it and kept asking when Santa was going to come along.

Halfway through the pageant he turned around and told me he really needed to go to the toilet. I told him that if we left we’d never make it back and he’d miss Santa. He managed to hold on until after the end.

We went back to a friend’s place afterwards and ended up staying there for the rest of the day. It was great fun – even for me.

Quirklyalone

November 4, 2006 by Jen at Semantically driven

A friend pointed out the Quirkyalone website to me recently. Quirkyalone is described as ‘a community of independent thought on singledom, life, and love.’

Or more of a full explanation:

A person who enjoys being single (but is not opposed to being in a relationship) and generally prefers to be alone rather than dating for the sake of being in a couple. With unique traits and an optimistic spirit; a sensibility that transcends relationship status.

That describes me to a tee. I’ve been out of relationships longer than I’ve been in them in my adult life and I’d much much rather be single than be with a wanker.

The website is a place for quirkyalone people to get together virtually, but there are face-to-face get-togethers also. These happen mainly in North America, but the movement is spreading across the seas.

You can do a quiz to see if you are a quirkyalone type person. I scored 97.

There’s even an International Quirkyalone day on, of all days, 14 February. This is just one of those days where it can be depressing because couples all around are going out for romantic dinners or receiving flowers. To me it’s right up there with being around on mother’s or father’s day if you don’t have one of those, or Christmas day if you don’t have a family to celebrate with.

Are you a quirkyalone?

Yosemite

November 3, 2006 by Jen at Semantically driven

This entry is part of my plan for NaBloPoMo.

Then – 21 November 1991, Yosemite National Park

Yosemite is absolutely gorgeous. Yesterday I went on a Valley Tour. Yosemite National Park is in the Sierra Nevada mountains which means, if I remember correctly, mountains topped with snow all the time. We saw El Kapitan which is the largest rock (granite) in the world. The valley is 4000 feet above sea level and El Kapitan is about another 4000 feet and it’s enormous.

We saw people climb up it. They only actually looked like dots but the people climbing it take about 3-10 days depending on which way they go. Therefore they have to sleep some time, either on a ledge or suspended on a hammock. I’d be too bloody scared to sleep.

…It’s the first time I’ve ever eaten in a restaurant by myself but I was seated right next to the group I’d met. After we’d all eaten I sat with them and talked for a little bit. ….and I was left with the bus driver [of the tour group]. He asked me if I had a boyfriend, then why didn’t I have a boyfriend because I was kinda cute. I hate it when people ask me that. His tour is going to Los Angeles, like me, and on Saturday they are touring Beverly Hills and Hollywood and he asked me to go along which I will.

Now

I know, I’ve rewound time slightly. I went to Yosemite before I went to Key West and the east coast. I decided to include this one as it was so gorgeous as I mention above. I was captivated by El Kapitan. (Click on photo above to see more of Yosemite).

I only went to Yosemite after a suggestion from some friends I stayed with in San Francisco. It was lonely being in a place like this by myself. It was more suited to the tour groups, couples and families. I had a lovely cottage all to myself though, and it was a bit decadent especially as I was supposed to be backpacking.

I didn’t write in my diary as to why I didn’t end up going with my bus driver but it didn’t feel right, especially as everyone else on the bus would have paid and I would have just been a hanger on. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been above board and another kind of payment might have been expected.

I ended up catching a bus from Yosemite to Merced and getting a cheap hotel room to wait it out there rather than at a bus station for a 4am bus trip to Los Angeles. It wasn’t that far to walk to the bus station which was really stupid of me especially as I got lost. Luckily I found some guys doing up a shop at that time and when they realised I had luggage one of them gave me a lift to the bus station. I made it to Los Angeles safely.

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