January 26, 2010
How time flies ...
... when you're having fun!
Recap: England, Copenhagen, France ... that takes us up to October 30th ...
So, there I am, no girlfriend and in Paris, the city of love. What would anyone in my position do? That's right! Move all his possessions back to Denmark and then fly to San Francisco ...
But first ...
Thanks to Colin for driving me and eight boxes from Paris to Copenhagen in one day. It was a great trip, even though the weather got chillier the closer we got to Denmark. And, having set off at 5am, it was a long long trip, and we arrived in Copenhagen around 7pm. That's nearly 14 hours of straight driving for Colin, with the occasional stop for coffee and a pee. But, all in all, although it cost a bit more to get the stuff back to Copenhagen by road, it was a hell of a less stressful trip than getting it to Paris in the first place ...
So, there I am, in Copenhagen, all my possessions safely stowed in the lockup. What would anyone in my position do? That's right! Go to London with an ex-girlfriend to see a Marc Almond concert. Nina and I spent four excellent days at the Meridiana Hotel on Argyle Square (single rooms are only £35 per night, and although the hotel isn't 5 star, the staff are friendly, King's Cross is a hell of a lot cleaner than it used to be, and the hotel overall is neat and clean). We went to Slimelight on Hallowe'en night - fantastic! Armageddon Dildos were playing, and some poor drunken girl thought I was "that bloke off the telly" (who, I never found out) and tried to chat me up for half an hour. Saturday was recovery day and shopping in Camden Market, then Sunday evening we went to the Roundhouse to see Marc. Problems with the equipment (oh, eh, missus) didn't do much for his mood, and while the gig overall was good (especially liked Marc's cover of the "Tango Song" by Aleister Crowley), the venue itself was a bit of a disappointment. I'd expected more of the place - my dad had been to see Pink Floyd there in the early 70s - but the staff made it feel like just another venue, unlike Wilton's Music Hall in May 2008. Ho hum. Then Monday was spent walking around the City and having a bevvy or two before catching up with Elise at Dirty Dick's on Bishopsgate. Nice the two ex-es get along! Then back to Copenhagen on Tuesday afternoon.
So, there I am, staying with my ex-girlfriend in Copenhagen. What would anyone in my position do? That's right! Travel round Denmark and Spain saying goodbye to friends and family! I spent a week in Spain saying bye bye to Mater and Pater, a few days in Fredericia, a couple of days in Tisvilde, an afternoon or two in Copenhagen, walking around the lakes and visiting Amager. Much shuffling of possessions, toying with the idea of taking the full bike garb to the US, finally succumbing to common sense instead. Then a couple of trips to Faust, a last evening at the Rock to see NMA, and goodbye Nina! Whooosh!
So there I am in San Francisco, slightly frazzled with the trip, staying at the cousin-somewhat-removed of my stepmother, who is also looking after said stepmother's dog because ... it's time to fly to Maui.
Now I didn't really know what to expect in Maui. It's, y'know, an Hawaiian island, right? Beaches, Hawaii 5-0, loud shirts, surfboards, a slightly cheesy place. Wrong. Maui is gorgeous. Cloud-enfolded mountainous rain forest, beaches for sure, warm blue water, dormant volcanoes. All on an island 720-ish square miles in size. There are very very few holiday destinations I haven't wanted to leave; Maui was one. We were there to see my sister Alyssa, her´hubby Jacob, nephew Jasper - and newborn new nephew Ben! So we spent Thanksgiving, enjoying the time together, and occasionally dipping toes and other body parts into water the colour and temperature of a relaxing hot bath.
Then it was back to Southern Humboldt county by way of San Francisco to collect car and dog. Christmas was spent repairing pipes, opening bank accounts, seeing the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in Arcata, surviving a (not-very-damaging-compared-to-what-hit-Haiti) earthquake (6.5) and eating turkey and listening to (half) a House of Floyd concert (the drummer got ill ... Spinal Tap syndrome, apparently), and New Year's in Garberville, while figuring out how to earn some money.
So, there I am, without any income (supported by my very kind father and stepmother), so I apply for some jobs. And get an interview. And a job.
So, here I am. Working for a medical device company in South San Francisco, on a six week contract. Part of me would like the six weeks to turn into something longer, because I like the work and the people and the company and the money, and the nightlife the city offers. And part of me would like *not* to keep working, because I like living in Southern Humboldt county and waking up to deer and wild turkeys and the prospect of there always being something to do up there.
Stay tuned, folks ... I'll try to keep the updates coming. You can always find me at Facebook or LinkedIn (for my professional chums ...)
Posted by daen at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)