The English are coming!

[sophia jane]

bummed that you wont be here. it was supposed to be a conglomeration of birthday peeps.

Well, I promise if we don't get this house and we don't move, I will absolutely be there. And if I do move, then I'll call you lots and live vicariously through you.

(and besides, I'm NOT celebrating my birthday this year. No way)

 

[Guest]

Well, I promise if we don't get this house and we don't move, I will absolutely be there. And if I do move, then I'll call you lots and live vicariously through you.

(and besides, I'm NOT celebrating my birthday this year. No way)

thats a damn shame. you should always celebrate, no matter what. if you were here, you'd have no choice.

as much as i want you here, i want you to have a home you're happy in...

 

[sophia jane]

thats a damn shame. you should always celebrate, no matter what. if you were here, you'd have no choice.

as much as i want you here, i want you to have a home you're happy in...

Thanks sweetie. You know if I move, y'all will definitely have to go to Milwaukee again.

 

[Guest]

Thanks sweetie. You know if I move, y'all will definitely have to go to Milwaukee again.

butt
ofcourse! we'll make our way up there again eventually, theres nothing that could keep us

 

[sophia jane]

butt
ofcourse! we'll make our way up there again eventually, theres nothing that could keep us

Good. I'd imagine the four of us could get ourselves into some trouble.

 

[TheEarl]

Before I travelled, I was bought a book called 'Yes Man' by Danny Wallace as a leaving present from work. The idea is that the author came to the conclusion that he was saying no too much in his life. No to nights out, no to trying new things, no to meeting up with his friends down the pub. So, he decided to take a challenge. He was going to say yes to everything until the end of the year. Every question he was asked that could be answered with a yes, had to be answered with a yes.

It's a very inspiring (true) story, as the guy ends up with a new job, loads of new experiences and finding a new love, simply because he has to say yes to everything. So, I decided to take a leaf out of his book for this holiday. I'm not saying yes to everything (he ended up with 10 credit cards and several penis enlargement patches from internet questions!), but I'm making a conscious effort to say 'no' less often.

This has so far led me into doing some very fun things that I'd probably have not done otherwise. I've refrained from saying "No, my knees won't take a long bike ride over the Golden Gate bridge," (and subsequently discovered that three months of intensive weight training have solved problems that years of physio and doctors failed to), and also from saying, "No, I don't understand baseball." It's more been "Yes, I'd like to see the bridge closer," and "Yes, it's only about 15 quid, why not?" So, it's been good.

Recent yeses since I last wrote here:
- Yes to the Asian Fine Arts Museum. Had a fantastic time looking at and reading about statues of gods and religions that tie in quite substantially to my own.
- Yes to the restaurant there. I tend to be a bit conservative over my food and especially with Asian food, but I deliberately picked something full of vegetables and foods that I didn't even remotely understand. Mostly nice, despite Thai Iced tea being thoroughly horrible.
- Yes to the Japanese gardens was a no-brainer, but it was still thoroughly pretty.
- Yes to a Twinkie roll. I have a strong suspicion that it tasted horrible, but, as I recreated the scene from BtVS where Xander demonstrates the correct eating manner to a foreigner, by shoving it all in his mouth in one go, it went a bit too quickly for me to be absolutely certain.
- Yes to a Foo fighters album that I've considered for several years but not got around to buying. Ditto to a Four Star Mary album that was on sale for $1.50.
- Yes to a film about Culloden that I wouldn't normally have watched.
- Yes to a cable-car ride (another no brainer). Discovered that cable car operators are kinda like taxi drivers in England. Our one talked to us about Henry VIII and why they'd built a church around such a bastard. He wanted a church of The Beatles, cause they were all nice guys. I got my picture taken with him.

Having a blast with the Way of the Yes in SF. Long may it continue.

The Earl

 

[Tom Collins]

That's awesome, man. I'm glad you're having such a great time over here. "Frisco really is a beautiful town. Just avoid Oakland...lol

Wouldn't be coming into the Flagstaff area, would ya?

 

[Aurora Black]

I'm glad that you're enjoying yourself during your stay, and with your new "Yes" regimen.

 

[English Lady]

"Yes" is a wonderful little word, glad you're enjoying using it.

 

[Elsie Grey]

Hey hun!

Glad your having fun! So you finally found a twinkie roll, was it worth the effort?

Was the film good? And will I be able to convince you into more things back home under the whole yes scheme?

Elsie

xxx

 

[Tom Collins]

Yes to a Twinkie roll. I have a strong suspicion that it tasted horrible, but, as I recreated the scene from BtVS where Xander demonstrates the correct eating manner to a foreigner, by shoving it all in his mouth in one go, it went a bit too quickly for me to be absolutely certain.

The Earl

BTW, Oil, Twinkies are nasty. You ought to try some Raspberry Zingers made by Dolly Madison. Those are good. If you want something sweet that's really goog though, find a Krispy Cream store. The rasperry jelly and the boston cream donuts are both pure sin.

 

[MagicaPractica]

I think you could travel around the U.S. and find some very different cultures, just as if you were traveling through different countries in Europe. But, in general, we're pretty friendly. It's just expressed differently in different places; Minnesota, New Orleans, and New York are all unique but.. "There are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try to invade."

 

[Elsie Grey]

If twinkies are nasty why do people eat them?!

Elsie

xxx

 

[Tom Collins]

If twinkies are nasty why do people eat them?!

Elsie

xxx

For the same reason people eat liver. Because they've been conditioned to like it. A lot of people like them. I don't. I also hate liver. Nah...it's Dolly Madison's raspberry Zingers for me. And I don't even have those very often. maybe once a year.

 

[yui]

... but I'm making a conscious effort to say 'no' less often.)

Long may it continue.

The Earl

omg.

Just.

omg.



Have fun, Spiffy!

 

[Aurora Black]

*blurt*

Why do I giggle every time I see the title of this thread?

 

[AchtungNight]

Congrats on making it to America, Earl.

 

[TheEarl]

*blurt*

Why do I giggle every time I see the title of this thread?

Because it's a cheap pun and it's funny to smutty minds. Next question?

omg.

Just.

omg.



Have fun, Spiffy!

See, now you I'd have no issues with saying yes to.

The Earl

 

[Aurora Black]

Because it's a cheap pun and it's funny to smutty minds. Next question?

Ouch.

 

[moonlight elf]

Sounds like you are having fun

 

[TheEarl]

Ouch.

In a good way! Sorry, wasn't meant to be an ouch.

The Earl

 

[Elsie Grey]

I wouldn't eat liver either...

Elsie

xxx

 

[ChilledVodkaIV]

Don't say 'Frisco

Say Sanfran

 

[TheEarl]

Say Sanfran

Or 'The City'. <laughs>

The Earl

 

[TheEarl]

Big sky and hot weather

When I was in San Francisco, people would come up and talk to me all the time. As soon as they heard the accent, they were instantly friendly (or flirting) and asking questions about where I came from, and how I was liking the city, and where I was going next. When I told them I was headed to Texas, it always got exactly the same reaction. There was always a brief look of surprise, followed by amusement and an expression of "Oh, well that's... interesting."

From what I've seen of it so far, TX is a world away from San Francisco. Big flat roads that stretch off into the distance, surrounded by vast expanses of cotton fields. The grass is brittle and dry and the people less impressed by the accent. My first impression is that it's a region which has little patience for artifice or pretension. I get the feeling that Californians would rather waste tons of water in an attempt to create a green lawn in a land where the sun burns most plants to a cinder, rather than treat the situation as it is and have straw as the Texans seem to do. I may be making gross generalisations, as it's only my second day here, but it's what I'm picking up.

Speaking of the heat, it is incredible. That's not 'incredible' in the sense of really cool, but in the sense of it seeming barely credible. Walk outside and it hits you like a slap in the face. Air conditioning is a way of life here.

I'm staying at the Love Shack, which is just as incredible as imagined. Take that use of the word any way you like - it's both wonderful and unbelievable how great it is. The house is homey, full of children's drawings and the comfortable mess of family, and the people in it are warm, friendly and just a sheer delight to be around. I'd like to direct anyone, who doesn't believe that families with two mums or two dads can work, to this house. Because here's physical evidence of why they have their head stuck up their arse.

Recent yeses:
- Yes to going to the Exploratorium. Good call from Pear on this one, as it was basically a big playground for the scientifically minded. Buttons to press, experiments to play with, optical illusions to look at. They closed before I was ready <pouts>.
- Yes to a trip to Angel Island off San Francisco. Beautiful scenery and a fun discovery - they paved the roads with a semi-precious stone called serpentine. It was available from a local quarry and it was hard enough, so a lot of the roads are made from a crystal that is very protective. Which is lucky. I half-inched a bit!
- Yes to exploring side roads on Angel Island on the bike I rented. Found a beach off the beaten track which was absolutely beautiful. Yes also to paddling in the freezing cold water.
- Yes to a 10oz beefburger in a genuine American diner. That was fun.
- And finally, the first Texan Yes (should that be a 'Yup'?): Yes to a trip out to a lake with Lucky and the kids. Sadly, we found no water whatsoever, but had a great picnic in a park, surrounded by trees.

The Earl