Lay of the Land

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

I could seriously get used to this Haight Ashbury, San Fran lifestyle...Love walking the streets and checking it all out. Janis knew a good place when she found one.. Happy hours, everywhere, all the time. Feel very safe here, the people are blissed (and hell to any driver who tries to hurry a pedestrian - those on-foot RULE!) ...and it's really, quite simply, a tree-laden, architecturally interesting, beautiful city. Took a ferry cruise out over the Bay, swept under the Golden Gate and scooted around Alcatraz Island in the crisp winter wind, eating my over-sized pretzel and sipping my coffee(horrid stuff really). Discovered that the infamous fog is a summer phenomenon... to do with a cold inversion layer and the summertime heat creating the condensation..but bla bla - you don't care about that, do you?!. Visited the Aquarium which was okay (too many no neck monsters) Monteray's Aquarium (largest in the country) is a-calling. Drove new gal pal Malika down to Campbell yesterday - home of the Winchester Rifle and E-Bay - two rather diverse/eaons apart icons of Americana. As I was already on the road Charley & I swung down through Santa Cruz (cool locale right on the beach), thrilled at the sparkling ocean & waved hi to the whale pods still frolicing just offshore while I got some sand between the toes. The coastal road up to Halfmoon Bay was cruisey. Shame about the monstrosity that is the gated community, 5 star hotel and golf course eating into the south of Halfmoon bay, very efficient way to ruin natural beauty - still people pay for that shit I guess - so who am I to judge or complain. Swung back through the mountains and eased into San Fran without a worry. Think I've just about got the lay of the land. Have been prepping my approach - and made first contact with 22 Californian Prod Co's for Representation/ Also found a possible teaching position at City College right here in San Fran that pays verrrry well - who could complain, so an application is going in...who knows where I'll end up! Love San Fran, but LA makes more sense workwise...yada yada. A few facts that makes this place hard to cope with. 1. No one seems to have land-line phones anymore. 2. Addicted to the 'Cell'. 3. No-one has printers. 4. It costs $5p.min to use a computer to print out at FedEx/Kinko stores (Thievery Incorporated). We travellers have no choice but to laden our credit card with stupid amounts at such places. 5. Cash is SO NOT used here! It's all Visa debit and credit cards. I think all the greenbacks have been taken to third world countries to bribe touts and pay for black market goods... Uploaded a few pics (technical issues) so go check em out... need to get some of me with Charley - it's hard traveling alone - no-one to take the pics...but other than that - I don't want to stop. xxKJB Currently listening: Janis Joplin - Greatest Hits By Janis Joplin Release date: 31 August, 1999