Headline: BEEN HERE A MONTH...
WHERE: Here I am in Key West.
WHAT: Job Searching sucks!
WHO: Me and everyones door I knock on to plead plaintively for a paid position. (hows that for aliteration?)
HOW: In bits and starts because some days I just can't handle rejection.
WHEN: Since I got here, well... except for that brief fling in the Bahamas.
WHY: Because otherwise I won't be able to buy food soon, and I'll end up hanging at the soup kitchen.
ALL ABOUT ARRIVING IN DEC:
I'm sitting in a cute little coffee shop that has free internet, and an old friend Chris Fleming is here with his computer and showing me beautiful photos!... Beth is sitting on the other side doing art work... ooo, she just snapped a polaroid of me and glewed and drew until I became ART!... I'm now a mermaid!... very cool... wish I had a camera here
I'm staying a few nights on the schooner Appledore, a bit humid and lovely stinky boat smell, but I love that I'm there!... right in the harbor... looking for a place but first I need a job so I can afford it!
did a job interview this morning, so may go out tomorrow on a boat doing Eco-tours, to see if I want to do it... but when there are no people booked there is no money... the owner is a bit intense...
will do the kayak guide stuff this afternoon as a training run to see if the routine is about the same...
had a good journey down... stayed up way too late the night before in Austin TX with Kurt at Antones Bar, listening to amazing music (Storyville: Malford Milligan an albino black guy as the singer/songwriter, with Stevie Ray Vaughn's old band, Double Trouble and a couple awesome guitar players)... so tired and grumpy the next day
flight was fine, but at Ft Lauderdal airport in the hot, humid struggle of trying to find the bus stop, I was just in time to see the Greyhound bus go by; I missed it!... AARRGGHH... so I stagger back into the AC looking for the rental car place....
"how much to rent one day and drop in Key West?" I ask. -- "$120, it is Christmas week"
I can't afford that and I turned to walk away.
"do you have any discounts?" she asks-- "nope"
"triple A?"-- "that would be a good thing, now wouldn't it?"
"that will make it $56.88" and she starts writing me up... "oooo, so you're saying it's Christmas, thank you."
she consults the computer and then looks up, "I'm sorry we only have the hard top Mustang, will that be okay?"
"Mustang? sure!" ...that's one of those zippy little things, oh boy...
just to put it into perspective, I've been driving a 1989 Isuzu Trooper for the last month that has the "aerodynamics of a refridgerator" (and that's according to the owner) and the power of a sewing machine (okay a big sewing machine, and it did get us from Oregon to Texas)...
I had trouble just getting out of the parking lot because when you step on the gas it goes... no I mean, GOES!!
I can't believe you can rent that kind of sport car, that is all about prestige, and sex appeal... it's a bit heady, the power of possession!... it's almost like it comes with an "attitude" and how could you not drive fast!?
so I drove like a nut case down to the Keys!... music blaring, singing along, windows down, sunshine, blue sky, sunset and the last stretch in darkness zipping past Christmas lights... of course most of the time within the speed limit, can't imagine the nightmare it would've been hitting a key deer in that little plastic car!
got into Key West just in time to see the lighted boat parade, and bump into friends John and Elio, and Chris Fleming in town... found my yoga friend Siobhan... planning to go to a Spa today with Beth to help my sore ankle
will do the kayak guide stuff this afternoon as a training run to see if the routine is about the same... and then the hot date later tonight... I'm so stoked at all this interaction and people to catch up with!...
down side is the panicky moments, when I wonder what the hell I'm doing here... and it's so expensive and how wil I be able to live!... just can't seem to think of it as a long term place, at least not without someone as a partner to pay half the rent!
well, that's future ... today I'm fine, I've eaten... I have a place to sleep that isn't my Mom or Dad's house and life goes on...
Weather:
Its sunny and warm most days. Some wind too, so the yachties here for Race Week couldn't complain too much.
Sports:
Race week means tons of race sailors are in town taking up space but they all seem to spend very little money and have limited interaction with anyone in town. Strange week here.
Book reviews:
I actually read Clive Cussler's Sahara to see how they translated it to a screenplay. Interesting exercise. Made the mistake of asking one of someone at my writer's group if the chapter could be compared to it as he was apologizing for it being so "guy" oriented, he was not happy with the comparison.
Movie Reviews/News:
Saw "Painted Veil" last night. Period piece with beautiful scenery in the limestone outcroppings of China, but so sad. Wept walking home.
Quote of the Week:
“Where are we going and why are we in this hand basket?" --bumper sticker.
Coming Events:
Ping pong game night at the Blue Heaven restaurant.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Dec 4, 2006: Austin, Texas
ALL my NEWS...that's new and improved, or at least mostly fit to print.
Headline: ROAD TRIP TO AUSTIN, TEXAS
WHAT: See headline, duh. Further details include that the vehicle we tortured was a 1989 Isuzu Trooper that paid for it's involvement with a ruptured heating system. More on that later.
WHO: me and my friend Kurt -- once sailed on the Victory Chimes, but most recently doing the Grad School thing
WHERE: From Corvallis, Oregon (where the Grad school is located) to Austin, Texas (yep, I'm repeating myself here) via San Francisco, London Bridge (it's in Nevada now), Grand Canyon, and Albuquerque.
HOW: By driving (hence the Road Trip title and reference to the Isuzu).
WHEN: We left on Sunday the 26th of November to stay the first night in Newport(Oregon) on his sailboat, and got here last night.
WHY: For him it's moving house back here, for me I suppose it was just the thrill of sniffing vaporized antifreeze blowing thru the kaput heating system for the last few hours of the last day that enticed me. No, it would be for the adventure, and seeing the miles and miles of nothing that is west Texas (if I'd done this years ago, I'd have skipped travelling the Outback in Australia.)
DETAILS:
Newport - Small coastal town, with a great seafood place called Local Ocean and a good pub that brews up Rogue Beer as it's claims to fame. It was slushing snow and hail when we left. Hydro-planing and cold toilet seats, yuck. Driving the Oregon coast is always amazing for stunning views of trees and rocks and shoreline in jagged cliffs.
San Francisco - It hasn't shaken into the sea yet. Great City, and fun to catch up with friends. You know who you are! Plus the mandatory walk on Fishermans Wharf to the Maritime Museum to oogle the tall ships there. Looking out from Sunset hill to the Farralone Islands where the schooner pilot boats used to wait. Riding the L-line train in town, and having Chinese food.
London Bridge - The town of Lake Havasu is a Snow Bird retreat, and seems like the lake is dropped into the middle of rock pinnacles in dry desert. (I'm sure Snow Birds also leave droppings but not sure how to work that into a pun here.) And as the tacky tourist draw, the town bought London Bridge (that was falling down) and shipped it here brick by brick (numbered for easy reassembly) and put it all back together in a way that it hopefully won't fall down and then dug a channel from the lake so that it could go over some water. Pretty silly, but found a cute cafe under the bridge that had good coffee. (location location location)
Grand Canyon - It's BIG! It's awe inspiring! It's enormous! And really that doesn't even come close, I'd show you a photo but it wouldn't be worth it. (Take it back, I'll show you one anyway) You really have to stand at the edge and look into the abyss! Next time there hopefully I'll be drifting down the river in the sunny warmth of summer, though the cold of winter (snow in the tree shadow) certainly keeps the tourists at bay, mostly just the international crowd while we were there. Stayed at the rustic Bright Angel Lodge (www.kaibab.org/tr972/gc972109.htm) for only $56/night, less than you'd think but I'd bet the suite on the Rim edge costs more than you'd think. Sage brush and scrub Juniper trees, hawks and amazing rock buildings designed by architect Mary Jane Colter in the 1930's. Plus talking to a Hopi Nat'l Parks Interpreter, very interesting.
Abuquerque - The flatlands where the major Hot Air Balloon festivals are held. Went up the Tram to the top (10, 378ft) of Sandia Mt, so called (it means watermelon in Spanish) because indeed at sunset the mountain side turns pink!... Went with Kurt's friends to a wonderful Mexican food place the original (in-town) Gardunia's. Even the leftovers in the car next day were good.
Austin - A city of music and the black sheep of Texas (also home of Dixie Chicks-- and look where that got them!), but we seem to be stuck out in the countryside (40 miles out of town) at his folks house until we can get the Trooper fixed.
What a trip!
Weather:
It may be sunny and dry here in Austin Texas, but damn it's cold! (especially when the heater in the Trooper is broke!) Broke records today. Possibly the constant swirl of Willie Nelson songs is assisting in the flow of the Jet Stream keeping the weather clear and bright eyed?
Environmental news:
Save the Whales. I know it's just a charismatic mega-fauna, but still doing something can seem like a better day, than watching it all dissappear. Hard to bring people together over a slogan like "save the shipworms."
http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=474&aid=7741&msource=DR061103001&tr=y&auid=2173841
Checking out the Planet:
There are even riots in Tonga! What is the world coming to? It would seem that Corporate Hegemony is being passed off as "democracy" and people are getting angry? If I'm not angry, I'm not paying attention? At least its motivating, so I'll donate to Oxfam again for my Ho Ho Gift and know that somehow the money is put to good use.
Found out that a Oceanography group is heading out to do core sampling off Indonesia in hopes of better understanding the tsunami pattern/process. Now if we could just re-vamp the human process that assists people in need, instead of cutting off budget funding to these distant places (like New Orleans.)
Sports:
Does shifting gears in the car count? Still waiting on my ankle, it makes me nervous that isn't healed up yet but I'm trying to be patient and just care for myself... So here I am still not working on a boat... and feeling some dissconected from that scene, that is so far away... Right must do my exercises.
Book reviews:
Reading "Probable Future" by Alice Hoffman to do an adaptation to screen for a Grad School application, but just found out she already sold the rights and the film is in pre-production. damn.
My own book -- need to keep going on the writing so I can get it to the publisher on time... the publisher himself is 80yo and at our initial meeting was making jokes about being dead before I got the book done... doesn't actually instill confidence, huh?!
Another publisher has also asked me for a proposal, and I was told that never happens (that more than one publisher might ask for a book)... "show me the money?" ha, none of the green stuff so far on a long shot first book that isn't written yet!
Movie Reviews/News:
Saw Tenecious D: the Pick of Destiny. Not for the Movie Connaisseur/Gourmet, fun trash for Jack Black and his band fans. Wishing I was in Key West for the Sound of Music Sing-A-Long Event with the drag queen dressed as Julie Andrews assisting the crowd. Probably a too much Rum and Eggnog kind of night!
Quote of the Week:
“Those who love it call it the canyon. THE canyon. As if there were no other topographic feature on the face of the Earth.” -- Edward Abbey
Coming Events:
Possible travel to Key West to search out my long lost friends, who obviously spend much less time than I do online.
Oct 20, 2006: Sedgwick, Maine
Made it to Maine. Just in time to rush about madly, preparing for Mum's wedding. A lovely ceremony and a great gathering of people!...
The vows were wicked short... brilliant! and the crowd went wild, hooray! The cheesecake Jonathan made to die for. And dancing, and giggling over Dark and Stormies (rum and ginger beer).
All my siblings made it out here! Tiffany, Crosby and little brother Bryce (he was so easy to make fun
of, came with his new girlfriend and they were really inseparable in that so mushy first love attached at the hip way... didn't really get to talk to him)
Crosby came across country on his motor cycle and then decided to ship it back!... he has no fat on his ass... his girlfriend couldn't make it out... (those two statement have nothing to do with each other.)
Tiffany came with her boyfriend Scott, which meant games of Scrabble late into the night... And with all of us there, lots of good conversations late into the night...
My friend Maria who came travelled with me in Cuba, came over from New Hampshire where she now is staying... Great to see her after 2 year without visiting... "I brought a bottle of Gatorade and Tylenol. I'm ready!" Which she so graciously shared the next morning when my brother rolled over and groaned, "So that's why they call them Dark and STORMies."
Me, Maria and Cros all went down to Camden to go sailing with my ex-boyfriend Perry and his now girlfriend Bethany on the Appledore... Great to see old friends, and be able to get out sailing....
A fantastic sunset sail despite the bizarre man with his bugle! trumpeting at passing boats and sunset and whatever else would set him off... and the weird woman hitting on my brother ... "My husbands out of town"(nudge nudge) he ignored her... "Oh you so look like a Kennedy."
And another occasion, we went down with Mum, her now husband Ed, and Tiffany and Heather's relations to go sailing again. There was no one else signed up for a trip, but luckily the Commodore was feeling generous and with Franklin as our witness we were off across the Bay.
Such fun to visit with everyone, and then like being at summer camp everyone leaves. Sigh. Worked for a few shifts at the coffee shop Jonathan and Heather have in town. Ate way too much pastry and watched the days go by.
It is beautiful here in Fall ... Too bad it will soon be so cold.... The leaves are starting to turn that gorgeous red!...
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