Thursday, June 30, 2005
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
You can't fight it!
City Hall that is. I caught SF City Hall out the window one night as I was stuck in traffic on the 101 trying to get home. This is actually just a test of blogpots new image posting feature. If it is better than Hello then I'll switch.
Genuwyin Irish
As Hamishtang and Young Gun were in town for the week. Hammer and me decided to take them out to dinner on Saturday night. Young Gun had just flown in that afternoon and wasn't answering the phone at the hotel so we just assumed he was sleeping like a wuss. So after picking up Hamistang we passed by his hotel and tried to call again, even to knock on his door. Turns out he was visiting relatives or something stupid.
Anyway we ended up at some Irish pub place. By this time it was 9:00 and I was starving. I can't remember the name of the pub but it had genuine Irish hamburgers, genuine Irish baseball on tv and genuine Irish kareoke. Forget your quarter pounder maccas, I had a ONE pound burger which came stylishly pinned together with a steak knife through the centre. And it almost killed me - the burger that is.
Anyway we ended up at some Irish pub place. By this time it was 9:00 and I was starving. I can't remember the name of the pub but it had genuine Irish hamburgers, genuine Irish baseball on tv and genuine Irish kareoke. Forget your quarter pounder maccas, I had a ONE pound burger which came stylishly pinned together with a steak knife through the centre. And it almost killed me - the burger that is.
Pinball Mania
Me and Hammer went to my colleagues house for dinner tuesday night. The cool thing was her husband fixes pinball machines for a hobby. They had a whole pinball parlour in the basement including age old original video games. Galaga anyone? Spent hours playing pinball into the night. Man their kids have it good.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Have ID, will drink
My Californian drivers license arrived today. Its very pretty and thats not just the photo. It should come in handy for ID purposes. They are really strict on asking for ID here seeing as you have to be 21 to drink. I even get asked for ID at the supermarket when I have beer in my trolley. I'm still not used to it but at least they won't spend 5 minutes looking intently at my foreign license.
Of course the trick is to always hand over your Aussie license to policemen and the like coz then you can pose as a tourist and they are more likely to go easy on you.
Of course the trick is to always hand over your Aussie license to policemen and the like coz then you can pose as a tourist and they are more likely to go easy on you.
Things that suck about America #4
Fuel/petrol/'Gas'
The 'regular' petrol here is 87 octane. The most 'premium' is 91 octane. The LOWEST octane at home is 92. I put 89 in the Taurus and it actually started to behave like a normal car. Gas here is about A$65c a litre and don't they bitch about it. A lot of conversations I have with Americans, they want to know about gas prices overseas like they are paranoid that we are getting cheaper petrol than them. I love to wipe that look off their faces.
George W just announced some measures recently to help with the looming gas 'crisis'. One of the main measures was announced as trying to help countries like India to become more fuel efficient!!!. Goddam poor foreign countries for using up the fuel that should be going to America!! Death to everyone who uses fuel (except America).
The 'regular' petrol here is 87 octane. The most 'premium' is 91 octane. The LOWEST octane at home is 92. I put 89 in the Taurus and it actually started to behave like a normal car. Gas here is about A$65c a litre and don't they bitch about it. A lot of conversations I have with Americans, they want to know about gas prices overseas like they are paranoid that we are getting cheaper petrol than them. I love to wipe that look off their faces.
George W just announced some measures recently to help with the looming gas 'crisis'. One of the main measures was announced as trying to help countries like India to become more fuel efficient!!!. Goddam poor foreign countries for using up the fuel that should be going to America!! Death to everyone who uses fuel (except America).
Alcatraaaaz
My friend Naree, who I have known for a long time but not very well, was working for the week in Foster City near SF airport before returning to London. So we hooked up Sunday to go to Alcatraz. Its really popular, I got the last two tickets on the 3:15 boat even though I booked Thursday.
We drove in to SF and quickly visited Vista point over the GGB. Some idiot Italian in front of me in the car park backed his mustang directly into the Taurus but despite a big thump, neither car was scratched. I'm beginning to have a bit more respect for the Taurus even if I still don't like it.
We parked near the Marina like the last time I went in. We were aiming to have lunch first but due to traffic and getting a little lost in SF city, we had to almost run to pier 41 and jump straight on the boat. I had to make do with a single $4 'jumbo' hot dog from the pier side.
Alcatraz was way cool. Spooky, old, they hadn't really done any restoration work so it was in 'original' run-down condition. Made for a really good atmosphere. We got the 'award winning' audio tour and it lived up to its description. Very glad I paid the extra $4. Got to see famous inmates cells, where the dudes escaped as depicted in 'Escape From Alcratraz', right down to the grenade-marks on the floor where the marines dropped bombs onto rebelling prisoners. Loved every bit of it.
Afterwards, we went to an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet place to make up for the lack of lunch (it was 6:30 by now) so we pigged out. The restaurant looked classier outside than in but it fitted our mood. Bloody tired from so much walking afterwards.
We drove in to SF and quickly visited Vista point over the GGB. Some idiot Italian in front of me in the car park backed his mustang directly into the Taurus but despite a big thump, neither car was scratched. I'm beginning to have a bit more respect for the Taurus even if I still don't like it.
We parked near the Marina like the last time I went in. We were aiming to have lunch first but due to traffic and getting a little lost in SF city, we had to almost run to pier 41 and jump straight on the boat. I had to make do with a single $4 'jumbo' hot dog from the pier side.
Alcatraz was way cool. Spooky, old, they hadn't really done any restoration work so it was in 'original' run-down condition. Made for a really good atmosphere. We got the 'award winning' audio tour and it lived up to its description. Very glad I paid the extra $4. Got to see famous inmates cells, where the dudes escaped as depicted in 'Escape From Alcratraz', right down to the grenade-marks on the floor where the marines dropped bombs onto rebelling prisoners. Loved every bit of it.
Afterwards, we went to an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet place to make up for the lack of lunch (it was 6:30 by now) so we pigged out. The restaurant looked classier outside than in but it fitted our mood. Bloody tired from so much walking afterwards.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
SJMA
After IMAX, I went to the San Jose Museum of Art which was free. It was small and their permanent collection mainly sucked but they did have a really good display of 'blob' art and industrial design. Who knew that Logitech designed their mice based on the the shapes of river pebbles? Or that the tooth brush won the award for the best invention in human history?
Bought the most farntarstic photo frame I have ever seen in the gift shop. I felt like I should after I knocked it over and it proceeded to knock over domino-style ALL the other photo frames on the display. How embarrisment. I am really tempted to post a photo of it but the irony of photographing an empty photo frame is doing my head in.
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San Josie and the Pussycats
I had heard about a documentary fillum called Mystery of the Nile that was showing at the San Jose IMAX theater. It's about the first ever 'running' of the entire length of the Nile from Ethiopia to the Meditterannean that was performed by a group in rubber rafts. This was made only a year or two ago. So I headed into San Jose Saturday morning to see it.
The IMAX theatre was inside the SJ Tech Museum but while the museum looked sorta good I really wasn't in the mood. I expected the IMAX to just be a friggin large screen but it was heaps better, it was an entire HEMISPHERE, about 80 m across, tilted slightly so that the centre was more in front of you than over your head. The fantastic effect of this was that when you looked at the curved image you lost all depth perception of the screen surface and it felt like you were really there.
Anyway the doco was awesome. One of the best things I have ever seen. Awesome scenes of them throwing rubber rafts over huge waterfalls and then abseileing down the cliff next to it. One guy abseiled down in his kyak straight into the water.
Outside in the park they were having some kind of community festival. More in the pics...
The IMAX theatre was inside the SJ Tech Museum but while the museum looked sorta good I really wasn't in the mood. I expected the IMAX to just be a friggin large screen but it was heaps better, it was an entire HEMISPHERE, about 80 m across, tilted slightly so that the centre was more in front of you than over your head. The fantastic effect of this was that when you looked at the curved image you lost all depth perception of the screen surface and it felt like you were really there.
Anyway the doco was awesome. One of the best things I have ever seen. Awesome scenes of them throwing rubber rafts over huge waterfalls and then abseileing down the cliff next to it. One guy abseiled down in his kyak straight into the water.
Outside in the park they were having some kind of community festival. More in the pics...
Things that suck about America #3
Banking. Backward and infected with the usual American beauracracy.
I had to open both a "Checking" account and a savings account at the Credit Union. Exactly what a Checking account is I'm not too sure - probably has something to do with cheques/checks (which are practically extinct at home). The dumb part is I declined a cheque/check book because I knew I wouldn't need it. So I have an empty account sitting there that I will never use. Score one for efficiency. Electronic transactions take THREE DAYS to clear.
I had to give them my SSN when I got it but they wouldn't take it over the phone. NO I had to go into a branch to fill out a W9 form. Do you think they had any? When they finally got some in I discovered all a W9 form consists of is a space for your SSN and a space for your signature. Score two for efficency.
I had to open both a "Checking" account and a savings account at the Credit Union. Exactly what a Checking account is I'm not too sure - probably has something to do with cheques/checks (which are practically extinct at home). The dumb part is I declined a cheque/check book because I knew I wouldn't need it. So I have an empty account sitting there that I will never use. Score one for efficiency. Electronic transactions take THREE DAYS to clear.
I had to give them my SSN when I got it but they wouldn't take it over the phone. NO I had to go into a branch to fill out a W9 form. Do you think they had any? When they finally got some in I discovered all a W9 form consists of is a space for your SSN and a space for your signature. Score two for efficency.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Stay off the roads
Went to the DMV thursday to get my Californian drivers license. I had actually already been once the week before to do my written test and now I was returning to do my practical. Apparently you can't do both on the same day. The DMV is a classic American beaurocratic nightmare. The office I went to looked like it came straight out of the 80s. You get in queue A to get a number and then wait for you number to be called. Then after presenting all your documents you get a piece of paper to go to queue C. Here you get you fingerprint and photo taken and get given the test paper. Then after completing it you get in queue D to get it marked. Then usually you have to get back in queue A to book your practical test. Insane.
So today after queing in queue A for 15 minutes to check in for my test, I take the car and get in a CAR queue around the building. This is sort of the MacDonalds drive-thru version where you get an examiner when you get to the window. I'm in the queue 40 minutes with the queue length on average about 10 cars (engines running). Score 1 for the environment. The examiners all wear white lab coats -very very funny -nothing proves you're a professional examiner like a lab-coat!
So I get this girl who looks a LOT like my friend Julia (won't say which one) except this one turns out to be an absolute bitch. My attempts at conversation during the test were not received well, it seems talking was not allowed. The hardest part of the test was keeping under the speed limit. Anyway despite the fact that I thought I did perfect she took a few marks off for reasons I have no idea. But you are allowed loads of deductions before you fail so I passed easily.
As soon as I parked she said "You passed your test, go inside to queue A, have a nice day". Then she jumped out and left. She never smiled once the whole time.
Bloody queue A.
So today after queing in queue A for 15 minutes to check in for my test, I take the car and get in a CAR queue around the building. This is sort of the MacDonalds drive-thru version where you get an examiner when you get to the window. I'm in the queue 40 minutes with the queue length on average about 10 cars (engines running). Score 1 for the environment. The examiners all wear white lab coats -very very funny -nothing proves you're a professional examiner like a lab-coat!
So I get this girl who looks a LOT like my friend Julia (won't say which one) except this one turns out to be an absolute bitch. My attempts at conversation during the test were not received well, it seems talking was not allowed. The hardest part of the test was keeping under the speed limit. Anyway despite the fact that I thought I did perfect she took a few marks off for reasons I have no idea. But you are allowed loads of deductions before you fail so I passed easily.
As soon as I parked she said "You passed your test, go inside to queue A, have a nice day". Then she jumped out and left. She never smiled once the whole time.
Bloody queue A.
Friday, June 17, 2005
TV II
Just watched professional National Unified Double-Elimination 200 lb Right Handed Arm Wrestling Championship complete with black and white shirted referees.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
American TV
Whats good on Comcast cable:
1. Whose Line Is It Anyway. The funniest thing ever.
2. Poker, Poker, loads of poker.
3. Court TV Channel especially "Masterminds" and "Cops" marathons.
4. Most things on the History channel
5. Dukes of Hazard for comedy value. (Country Music Channel where else?).
6. Believe it or not, the show that teaches you how to paint. You have to see it to understand how fascinating it is.
Whats bad on Comcast cable:
1. The Hallmark Channel. Yuk!
2. Strip Search. Yes a reality show ala "pop stars" with guys competing to be in a male strip group.
3. The Inferno. Possibly the most confusing, pointless and pathetic reality/gameshow ever.
There are loads of ads for various drugs. It is obviously American law that they must list all side effects but they don't do it fast! The voice-over will nicely inform you that pills in question will keep you regular and then in the same smiling voice casually mention that they can also cause heart attacks, stroke, dizziness, fatigue, headache, stomach pain, heartburn, nausea, and gastrointestinal bleeding.
1. Whose Line Is It Anyway. The funniest thing ever.
2. Poker, Poker, loads of poker.
3. Court TV Channel especially "Masterminds" and "Cops" marathons.
4. Most things on the History channel
5. Dukes of Hazard for comedy value. (Country Music Channel where else?).
6. Believe it or not, the show that teaches you how to paint. You have to see it to understand how fascinating it is.
Whats bad on Comcast cable:
1. The Hallmark Channel. Yuk!
2. Strip Search. Yes a reality show ala "pop stars" with guys competing to be in a male strip group.
3. The Inferno. Possibly the most confusing, pointless and pathetic reality/gameshow ever.
There are loads of ads for various drugs. It is obviously American law that they must list all side effects but they don't do it fast! The voice-over will nicely inform you that pills in question will keep you regular and then in the same smiling voice casually mention that they can also cause heart attacks, stroke, dizziness, fatigue, headache, stomach pain, heartburn, nausea, and gastrointestinal bleeding.
US Ebay #1
My new black studded cuff watch. It is officially the best thing ever.
... until my ipod arrives.
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Wednesday, June 15, 2005
At least I live on the tenth floor
Pulling into the apartment building listening to Jet on the radio, suddenly all the radio stations are taken over with a long and serious anouncement for a Tsunami warning applying to the whole Californian coast! Apparently there has been an earthquake of 7.4 off the coast close by. Scary man. Didn't see any waves tho.
Made the Age!
Made the Age!
Major quake sparks California tsunami fears
Map: Nathaneal Scott
Web links
US officials briefly issued a tsunami warning today following a major earthquake off the northern California coast before saying the immediate danger had passed.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
A major 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit at 7.50pm local time (12.50pm AEST) 146km west of Crescent City, California, a rugged coastal community hit by a deadly tsunami in 1964.
Emergency officials initially issued a warning that a tsunami could hit anywhere from California up to Canada, but then lifted that warning.
"The risk of a tsunami hitting at this point is gone,'' said California Emergency Services spokesman Eric LamoureuxMonday, June 13, 2005
Hehe
Very aurally amused by "Ass Pocket of Whisky" by R.L. Burnside the famous Blues-Comedian.
The best two lines of spoken word/lyrics:
"Yo don't get out o' mah face real quick,
Ahm gunna kick yo ass you son of a bitch"
"If yo don't get out o' here and make it fast,
Ahm gonna put mah foot right up yo ass"
Stuff your mouth with some scrap paper and say the above in your best deep yokel southern accent. Pure hilarity.
The best two lines of spoken word/lyrics:
"Yo don't get out o' mah face real quick,
Ahm gunna kick yo ass you son of a bitch"
"If yo don't get out o' here and make it fast,
Ahm gonna put mah foot right up yo ass"
Stuff your mouth with some scrap paper and say the above in your best deep yokel southern accent. Pure hilarity.
Yay
My stuff arrived today including the rest of my clothes, my cds and my friendly doona. Not quite sure if my suitcase had a slight bend in the re-enforcing poles down the back when it left but that is what insurance is for and for what the movers have put my colleagues through and for what I know they will put me through when I go home, they deserve to be screwed. Bring on the claims baby.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
The Rosicrucians are a bunch of B-class wackos who believe in all kinds of esoteric stuff. None-the-less they run a good Egyptian museum in San Jose that apparently is the largest permanent collection on the west coast. This was just up from work on the 880 near San Jose airport so I dropped in Sunday.
Housed in a whole complex of egyptian-styled buildings that just screamed wacko, the museum was small to medium sized but well presented. They had some good original stuff and some reproductions of famous stuff as well. With flash photography banned it was a little hard to get good photos.
They also had a planetarium show about the ancient cult of Mithraism that was interesting even if the planetarium part was a little lame. The gift shop sucked even by museum standards.
Then swam and spent a bit more time in the sun (t-shirt on this time). I reckon it was about 38C in the sun. Running out of beer.
Housed in a whole complex of egyptian-styled buildings that just screamed wacko, the museum was small to medium sized but well presented. They had some good original stuff and some reproductions of famous stuff as well. With flash photography banned it was a little hard to get good photos.
They also had a planetarium show about the ancient cult of Mithraism that was interesting even if the planetarium part was a little lame. The gift shop sucked even by museum standards.
Then swam and spent a bit more time in the sun (t-shirt on this time). I reckon it was about 38C in the sun. Running out of beer.
Woops
Spent a little too long in the sun yesterday - a little bit red. But at least I now know I can stay 2.5 hours in the sun without sunscreen. At home it's more like 20 mins.
Saturday
Sleep in. Free donuts. Very hot. Free coke. 3 hours by the pool with music and book. Swim. Awesome.
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