Blink and you may have missed it. No, not the only ray of sunshine in an English summer or the forward advance of a French army but the flash of inspiration that led me to challenge myself into *** shock! horror! *** doing something new every single month of this glorious year 2008, my very own 12 Labours. With neither the Cretan Bull nor the Erymanthian Boar being available for re-capture, my tasks have had to be rather more mundane.
April 2008: discover and conquer a new borough of London, this month and every month until the end of the year...
Me new mucker Sazzo - whose fantastic description of her home borough "a place-name crossed between a cliched expression and the charming sound of pleghm" so accurately describes it - suggested going to a politically supercharged free carnival, Love Music Hate Racism. In Hackney. Not Hackney-upon-Thames, a name that might suggest lollipops and balloons, but Hackney, the name presumably coming from ancient pirate dialect, "Arrrrrr, you be 'anding over 'at doubloon Cap'n, or we be playin' a game of Hack-Knee", as the swinging cutlass swooshing through the air turned a two-player game into a one-winner game.
And so I set off for the Wild East, iPod in pocket and supersized dose of apprehension in my mind. Five years of West London snobbery have instilled a deep-seated belief that the rails of the District Line bend downwards at Aldgate East into the deepest pits of Hell itself, or worse still, Essex. Apparently this is not the case.
Getting on the Tube at Hammersmith, I found myself sitting opposite two girls - clearly sisters - with acutely emotive expressions on their faces as they talked to each other. Poignant looks such as I had never seen before, they fascinated me. I was so moved yet curious at the same time at what seemed like such raw emotion, what terrible news could they possibly be discussing? I felt like an intruder even looking at them and so decided to take things one step further. As I took out my earphones to eavesdrop more effectively, I was truly surprised as the first words I was able to make out were "Shall we get off here or at the next one?" in the most beautiful London accent one could possibly hope to hear. Aaahh, the joys of a fertile imagination. No prizes who would be at the other end of the line if you dialled 1-800-DULLANECDOTE...
To be totally fair to Hackney, there was more chance of being killed by a paper cut from the neverending stream of anti-BNP flyers being handed out than anything else (during the hours of daylight anyway). It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. The fascinating political undercurrent mixed with the palpable appreciation of a free event of this magnitude being organised made it a trip well worth making. Predictably, the loudest cheer of the afternoon went to the sun, as he peaked a hesitant, then confident look from behind his cloud and warmed our souls for the last hour...
Monday 28 April 2008
Wednesday 23 April 2008
Ash's Farewell...
No fancy titles, no smartarse puns, this is going to be as raw and gritty as the 3:10 to Yuma, and I mean the original...
Imagine the long conversation to the girlfriend you have not seen or spoken to in 6 days. Remember the nailbiting final minutes as your team clings on to a vital 2-1 lead. Picture the time it takes to get from Hammersmith to Cockfosters.
That is how long the barmaid took when pouring the spirit measures in our drinks last night. Whilst St. Louis and Dallas may have started in 4th gear, San Francisco inched into the lead in 5th, Las Vegas most certainly generated a free-drink motivated 6th and San Diego (a whale's vagina in German allegedly) hit the nudity heights of a colossal 7th, the poor old Townhouse Cocktail Bar (did they name the bar knowing what Ash was going to do?) in Venice Beach L.A. hit the Flux Capacitor and Turbo Boost at the same time during our 3 nights there.
Given that our hostel was 17,4 yards across the street and that Ash has already urinated on two telephones on our previous visits, the portents were looking strongly in favour of an almighty battering when he ordered octuples rather than just sextuples. The best compliment I can pay the Townhouse Bar is that I cannot remember the last 2 hours of the last 3 nights spent there. Last night was no exception.
You want the details? Read on...
Ash got naked. That should come as no surprise to those of you fortunate to know the now moustache-like-a-slug-on-fire sporting legend from Melbourne. But this was good. He got naked in the bar. He posed on stools, yes, still naked. He ran into the street and tried to wrestle his friends on the beach. Naked. And then, the climax (thankfully figurative)... He played naked basketball (1 on none) using his miraculously still accessible boxers. That they did not bounce at his feet and did not glide through the air like a LeBron James 3-pointer did not deter him in the slightest. He was possessed. He was driven. He was naked. Butt naked. The sole salvation for our freckled friend was that my camera battery had sold its soul to the devil and decided to spare him from the ignominy of facebook humiliation.
And I miss him already. The time I have known him has been a special time, a time before cable. When the local anchorman reigned supreme.
I digress. Ash is a phenomenal human being, a melting pot of all things good, funny and downright amazing. It is stupendous to see such intelligence, logic, thoughtfulness and maturity counterbalanced by the sheer retardation that this man is capable of. I love him. I love him to bits and the last two weeks were as fitting a send-off as our friendship required.
The fantastic nature of such a good relationship (ggghhhhaaaaaayyyy) is that the sadness of parting ways (ggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy) was instantly wiped away by the knowledge that it WILL NOT be long until we are reunited discussing bowel movements and outconsuming the Russian national GDP (Gross Drinking Philosophy).
See ya soon mate...
Imagine the long conversation to the girlfriend you have not seen or spoken to in 6 days. Remember the nailbiting final minutes as your team clings on to a vital 2-1 lead. Picture the time it takes to get from Hammersmith to Cockfosters.
That is how long the barmaid took when pouring the spirit measures in our drinks last night. Whilst St. Louis and Dallas may have started in 4th gear, San Francisco inched into the lead in 5th, Las Vegas most certainly generated a free-drink motivated 6th and San Diego (a whale's vagina in German allegedly) hit the nudity heights of a colossal 7th, the poor old Townhouse Cocktail Bar (did they name the bar knowing what Ash was going to do?) in Venice Beach L.A. hit the Flux Capacitor and Turbo Boost at the same time during our 3 nights there.
Given that our hostel was 17,4 yards across the street and that Ash has already urinated on two telephones on our previous visits, the portents were looking strongly in favour of an almighty battering when he ordered octuples rather than just sextuples. The best compliment I can pay the Townhouse Bar is that I cannot remember the last 2 hours of the last 3 nights spent there. Last night was no exception.
You want the details? Read on...
Ash got naked. That should come as no surprise to those of you fortunate to know the now moustache-like-a-slug-on-fire sporting legend from Melbourne. But this was good. He got naked in the bar. He posed on stools, yes, still naked. He ran into the street and tried to wrestle his friends on the beach. Naked. And then, the climax (thankfully figurative)... He played naked basketball (1 on none) using his miraculously still accessible boxers. That they did not bounce at his feet and did not glide through the air like a LeBron James 3-pointer did not deter him in the slightest. He was possessed. He was driven. He was naked. Butt naked. The sole salvation for our freckled friend was that my camera battery had sold its soul to the devil and decided to spare him from the ignominy of facebook humiliation.
And I miss him already. The time I have known him has been a special time, a time before cable. When the local anchorman reigned supreme.
I digress. Ash is a phenomenal human being, a melting pot of all things good, funny and downright amazing. It is stupendous to see such intelligence, logic, thoughtfulness and maturity counterbalanced by the sheer retardation that this man is capable of. I love him. I love him to bits and the last two weeks were as fitting a send-off as our friendship required.
The fantastic nature of such a good relationship (ggghhhhaaaaaayyyy) is that the sadness of parting ways (ggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy) was instantly wiped away by the knowledge that it WILL NOT be long until we are reunited discussing bowel movements and outconsuming the Russian national GDP (Gross Drinking Philosophy).
See ya soon mate...
Saturday 19 April 2008
Panda Watch!!!
If last night were to be described in military terms, it would almost certainly be called the Shock and Awe evening.
Shock at the sheer stupidity of 4 travel enthusiasts consuming enough alcohol to strip naked in a hostel kitchen and Awe as in "Awe my God, what a bunch of tools".
Equipped with only a large-brimmed straw sombrero each and enough idiocy to be elected village idiot of the millennium, our evening
descended into unadulterated anarchy from the moment drinking rules were added to what had previously been an 'innocent' game of Shithead on a night preassigned as 'quiet'. How many nights can be described as having Mexican stripping, medieval jousting with empty cases of lager, beer pong and more group photos that you could wave a big stick at? For those of you with a graphic imagination, try to picture 5 guys and one girl in the communal lounge/kitchen of a youth hostel at 3am stark naked creatively using a sombrero as a lone item of clothing. Or perhaps do not try to picture it. My conscience often has to slap me around the chops with an imaginary wet haddock, saying "Hold on, me old mucker, you are 33 years of age". Fortunately last night, my conscience was incinerated by an obscene streak of immaturity that retorted "Wot'evaaaahhh".
*** THIS IS A PUBLIC HEALTH WARNING: do not look at the photos if you are a) of a nervous disposition; b) liable to projectile vomiting at a second's notice or c) allergic to the sight of Swiss/British love handles. ***
The sign of a good holiday is when you do not want to share the tales and memories with others because a) they will not understand them and b) they will not appreciate them. This baby is staying 100% in my own little head. It is a cracker and if you see me grinning inanely as I walk down Fulham Palace Road, there is a good chance I will be recreating the Naked Sombrero Soirée in my head...
How now brown cow.
Shock at the sheer stupidity of 4 travel enthusiasts consuming enough alcohol to strip naked in a hostel kitchen and Awe as in "Awe my God, what a bunch of tools".
Equipped with only a large-brimmed straw sombrero each and enough idiocy to be elected village idiot of the millennium, our evening
descended into unadulterated anarchy from the moment drinking rules were added to what had previously been an 'innocent' game of Shithead on a night preassigned as 'quiet'. How many nights can be described as having Mexican stripping, medieval jousting with empty cases of lager, beer pong and more group photos that you could wave a big stick at? For those of you with a graphic imagination, try to picture 5 guys and one girl in the communal lounge/kitchen of a youth hostel at 3am stark naked creatively using a sombrero as a lone item of clothing. Or perhaps do not try to picture it. My conscience often has to slap me around the chops with an imaginary wet haddock, saying "Hold on, me old mucker, you are 33 years of age". Fortunately last night, my conscience was incinerated by an obscene streak of immaturity that retorted "Wot'evaaaahhh".*** THIS IS A PUBLIC HEALTH WARNING: do not look at the photos if you are a) of a nervous disposition; b) liable to projectile vomiting at a second's notice or c) allergic to the sight of Swiss/British love handles. ***
The sign of a good holiday is when you do not want to share the tales and memories with others because a) they will not understand them and b) they will not appreciate them. This baby is staying 100% in my own little head. It is a cracker and if you see me grinning inanely as I walk down Fulham Palace Road, there is a good chance I will be recreating the Naked Sombrero Soirée in my head...
How now brown cow.
Wednesday 16 April 2008
Slipsliding away...
Creative spirits are often asked how their inspiration takes form, what seed is sown in their mind and how the idea germinates. It is an honour, nay privilege, to be able to quench your thirst for knowledge. The following paragraphs were the product of a nine hour creative marathon (translation: copious amounts of wheat beer during the hours of daylight followed by the flash of genius that pushed me to go online and add an entry to my blog) and will surely enable common mortals to grasp with both hands the literature genius of my mind:
"Must. Write. Slowly: I would love. To write. Clearly. And. Enthusiastically. But. My. Brain. Is absolutely blown away.
I have been in Las Vegas for 72 hours. Period.
This is most distressing. Ouch. Fading. Away... I miss the real talk. I miss real speech. I will have to disappear. "
The mind boggles... If Nobel prizes were awarded for mental debilitation, I would surely be a contender.
"Must. Write. Slowly: I would love. To write. Clearly. And. Enthusiastically. But. My. Brain. Is absolutely blown away.
I have been in Las Vegas for 72 hours. Period.
This is most distressing. Ouch. Fading. Away... I miss the real talk. I miss real speech. I will have to disappear. "
The mind boggles... If Nobel prizes were awarded for mental debilitation, I would surely be a contender.
Friday 11 April 2008
California Dreaming...
There is something quite intrinsically romantic about driving around the hills of San Francisco. The quaint European trams trundling their way around town, the glorious views across the bay and universally recognised street architecture, it all seems so ideal to drive around.
Or so it would be with the right driver / partner. Our taxi driver, an early but strong candidate for Lunatic Asylum Escapee of the Year 2008, took it upon himself to launch our 1,2 tonnes of Detroit automotive steel into the path of fellow drivers, dog-walkers and pensioners at every opportunity, using the steep gradients of the world-famous local streets as a basic but effective
rocket ramp. That we laughed rather than cowered in fear was undoubtedly down to the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc consumed during dinner.
Today I witnessed something special. Basking in the unexpected glory of being entrusted with excursion duties for the day and treating the scale on my map with wholehearted disdain, I suggested a short walk to and across the Golden Gate Bridge to the leafy and upmarket suburb of Sausalito for dinner.
14km, a brush with death and an absolutely breathtaking stroll across the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset later and I am fairly sure that my tour leadership skills will not be called upon again by my fellow travellers. It is said that objects in the rear-view mirrors appear closer than they actually are. I would like to extend that conjecture to the Golden Gate Bridge. 14,5 gazillion tonnes of steel and hundreds of feet high (Statistics kindly provided by the It-is-midnight-and-I-cannot-be-arsed-to-check-the-guide-book-for-the-correct-numbers reference library), it nevertheless appeared to sprout castors at its base and roll slowly and surely away from us every time it seemed we must be close to hitting the final straight.
After living in a universe inhabited entirely by blisters and profanities, our annoyance and tiredness rapidy transformed themselves into unrestrained awe and marvel as we timed our arrival onto the bridge so perfectly to coincide with a glowing sunset over San Francisco Bay. As the city slowly completed its transition from day into night, lighting up the sky with its myriad lights, the evening sky and sea gave us the most splendid hues of orange, blue and aqua from the lofty heights of America's largest man-made construction. A truly spectacular moment in my life that I have no hesitation in describing as one of the finest sights I have ever witnessed.
The often unjustified high esteem in which I hold myself as a world traveller usually leads me to judge a city too rapidly. After orderly St. Louis and sterile Dallas, my first impression of San Francisco was of a dirty and disorganised city that did not deserve its reputation and status as unique amongst American cities. And all this within the first block upon exiting the Metro...
Well dammit and damn you to hell JMK. You were sorely wrong. This city is a magnificent and vibrant metropolis in an absolutely unique geographical location wrapped around the shore of a natural bay. This is THE city for lazy strolls and long lunches. Whether gorging on tastebud-arousing Dim Sum in Chinatown or sipping a ruby chianti at a streetside table in Little Italy, we have enjoyed every picosecond of our stay here. I will be sad when we leave on Saturday... And a little fearful, because:
Next stop Las Vegas...
Or so it would be with the right driver / partner. Our taxi driver, an early but strong candidate for Lunatic Asylum Escapee of the Year 2008, took it upon himself to launch our 1,2 tonnes of Detroit automotive steel into the path of fellow drivers, dog-walkers and pensioners at every opportunity, using the steep gradients of the world-famous local streets as a basic but effective
rocket ramp. That we laughed rather than cowered in fear was undoubtedly down to the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc consumed during dinner.Today I witnessed something special. Basking in the unexpected glory of being entrusted with excursion duties for the day and treating the scale on my map with wholehearted disdain, I suggested a short walk to and across the Golden Gate Bridge to the leafy and upmarket suburb of Sausalito for dinner.
14km, a brush with death and an absolutely breathtaking stroll across the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset later and I am fairly sure that my tour leadership skills will not be called upon again by my fellow travellers. It is said that objects in the rear-view mirrors appear closer than they actually are. I would like to extend that conjecture to the Golden Gate Bridge. 14,5 gazillion tonnes of steel and hundreds of feet high (Statistics kindly provided by the It-is-midnight-and-I-cannot-be-arsed-to-check-the-guide-book-for-the-correct-numbers reference library), it nevertheless appeared to sprout castors at its base and roll slowly and surely away from us every time it seemed we must be close to hitting the final straight.
After living in a universe inhabited entirely by blisters and profanities, our annoyance and tiredness rapidy transformed themselves into unrestrained awe and marvel as we timed our arrival onto the bridge so perfectly to coincide with a glowing sunset over San Francisco Bay. As the city slowly completed its transition from day into night, lighting up the sky with its myriad lights, the evening sky and sea gave us the most splendid hues of orange, blue and aqua from the lofty heights of America's largest man-made construction. A truly spectacular moment in my life that I have no hesitation in describing as one of the finest sights I have ever witnessed.
The often unjustified high esteem in which I hold myself as a world traveller usually leads me to judge a city too rapidly. After orderly St. Louis and sterile Dallas, my first impression of San Francisco was of a dirty and disorganised city that did not deserve its reputation and status as unique amongst American cities. And all this within the first block upon exiting the Metro...
Well dammit and damn you to hell JMK. You were sorely wrong. This city is a magnificent and vibrant metropolis in an absolutely unique geographical location wrapped around the shore of a natural bay. This is THE city for lazy strolls and long lunches. Whether gorging on tastebud-arousing Dim Sum in Chinatown or sipping a ruby chianti at a streetside table in Little Italy, we have enjoyed every picosecond of our stay here. I will be sad when we leave on Saturday... And a little fearful, because:
Next stop Las Vegas...
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