Month: June 2005

We bought it yesterday from CostCo and after one cursory listen can make the shocking revelation that if you like Coldplay, you’ll like this album. It’s more varied than previous efforts and has more electronica bubbling in the background. There’s more prominent guitars, more confident delivery and they don’t have Gwyneth singing back-up vocals, so they’re doing something right.
I was none too pleased when Radiohead stopped doing campfire sing-alongs about plastic watering cans and self-loathing and hit the ‘noodle’ button on their synthesisers instead for 3 albums. So fair play to Chris and his mates for keeping to what works (and people obviously like) with minimal changes.
Jayziz, I’m getting old…

It should in fact have been called the Mystery of the Trullian in UC Davis. I was on the ever-marvellous flickr.com and saw he’d posted a photo of a chair just like the one I was selling so I pounced on the chance to comment. He wrote back, his name’s Chris Lewis. He’s from Trull, he went to Richard Huish 6th form college (as did I), he’s at Bristol Uni but is on his year abroad thing and has an American girlfriend. He chose UC Davis over UC Santa Cruz because Davis had a better website (D’oh!) and the Taunton photos he posted originally were part of a web design assignment at Uni. He rates Taunton over Sacramento for entertainment (Agreed). He also owned the same (OfficeMax) chair as me, but only got $20 when he sold his as opposed to my $25, but the cost of living is different in SC… he now owes me 1 x Milk Chocolate McVities HobNob and our paths may cross in the Wetherspoons pub in East Reach… It’s a funny old interweb

Sita’s (and thus technically ‘our’) little doggy’s been poorly for the last few days. Sita noticed a golfball-sized lump on the side of his neck. He’s such a furry little bugger it was hard to see it. So we took him to the vets and they immediately shaved the lump and put him under to sort it all out. He did alright in the operation, but they’re not sure what it was so we’re waiting on the results of the biopsy. Hopefully it’s some kind of cyst that will go away with meds. The hollow lump’s still there but they put a tube in so the last of the fluids can drain out. It looks revolting, like a bone’s sticking out or something and the fluid’s none too pleasant neither. They’ll be taking the tube out on tomorrow afternoon and in the meantime he has to have lots of hot compresses and antibiotics (wrapped in gourmet ham). He’s also got to wear one of those nirvana video style lamp shade things which he carries off with a certain quiet dignity. Bless him. Pains me to say it but I might end up missing little Asparagus when we leave…

Tanya had us round last night and cooked fancy vegetarian fare plucked straight from the organic farmers market. T’was lovely. We played a bit of Scategories until it got too heated (it may be worth paying someone to independantly referree these games) and then moved on to Scrabble (where the rules are more easy to arbitrate). I had a bit of dizziness (I’m coming off some meds myself and the booze probably didn’t help) and we abandoned that and went home.

Today’s been productive too. Walked the space dog. Did more translation/web work on the Triangle Speakers website. Went to Brasil for breakfast (the restaurant, natch) and for this evening, maybe a film. I’d like to start reviewing stuff again for the site, the last one I did was Mala Educacion back in Feb and I’m slacking off. Now I have acres of free time ahead it’s going to be fun all the way. I’m probably going to buy a fancy laptop any day now and start work on a website for my freelancing in Mexico stuff too.

Eeh well, back to the warm compresses and bumpy doggy. More soon, as per usual…

All our furniture now has price tags on it and things are flying of the shelves like shelves. While I was packing things up I came across this Spanish children’s book “Yo, el perezoso”. I bought it in the Skyview flea market a few years back. It translates roughly as “I, Sloth” and I’ve scanned it in for posterity. Have a read of it here.

Mornin’ all. I’ve been reliably informed that it’s miserable weather in the south west of England and much of Wales right now, so for those of you who don’t check in on my flickr page that often, I’ve done another of those Picasa-made pages with photos from yesterday. Please note the cloudless skies, warm sand and icy water. And feckless doggie.

This one’s from when the horizon suddenly filled up with seagulls and pelicans in some kind of feeding frenzy. NPR’s also been on the blink all day, skipping like a scratched CD. These are both evidence of ‘glitches in the Matrix’, I believe.

Unless I sell Sita’s bike this morning I’m going to go for a ride up the coast, sans chien, which’ll be a novelty. I also have to get back to Stu, Anne & Bert about a ‘Duke of Edinburgh Award for Grown-ups’ weekend sometime in July. I don’t know which weekends we’re available yet nor if sita’s up for kendal mint cake and trig point related fun. It’ll be a laugh however it plays out. Maybe Snowdonia?

http://www.craigslist.org/sby/fur/77009393.html
But in the meantime, make me an offer I can’t refuse…

V. fun night out with Sita, Sudurat and Tanya last night. Mobo sushi, bookshop Santa Cruz, Red, all culminating in trying to stay awake and watch The Aviator. The first 25 minutes? 2.5 Lulus, then I passed out. Sita gives the whole thing 4 Klems- “Solid entertainment”

Thanks Mr. Jesse Barba for the phone call this afternoon, tidy to catch up like, mush.

Temporary Retirement ROCKS! as they say round here… It’s, like, ARE-SUM! BRING IT ARN! YAY!!!

Don’t tell anyone. Till 5 pm Pacific Standard Time anyway…
Jayziz what a long strange trip it’s been… Break out the champagne, or the Rosenblum’s 2002 Zinfandel at the very least. It’s going to take a while to get used to this…

The holidays begin tomorrow! This is my last day @ work, I’ll be handing over keys, budgets, petty cash, supervision notes, sustainability plans, minutes, agendas, business cards, proposals, memos, emails and a LOT of stress to people who should have it much easier since my job is going to be made into two full time positions… I can start putting weight back on and smiling naturally! YAY!
I cannot wait till the end of the day. We’re planning on Sushi at Mobo’s and wine, wine and more wine. There’s also a farewell luncheon planned at 11:30-1 at El Alteños in Watsonville. Pass by if you’re in the area.
Went to Monica’s (’surprise’ in that we didn’t know she knew) birthday in Oakland last night and saw lots of lovely peeps again. Talking of which, thanks to last week’s marathon DVD session with M & D, Peep Show is gaining notoriety among the Piedmont cognescenti; looks like it’s time for a US release.
Anyroad, shall be blogging more often from now on, reviewing stuff, thinking about novel ideas. Next week I’m back at the web site thing. Working with GoJoven on a brochure & translation, 5-a-Day on their website and the Triangle Speakers on making a Spanish version of their website. Oh. and selling everything we own and making various pets’ transition to their new families as trauma free as possible (for them and young sita) and planning a the move to Mexico. This is all stuff I really enjoy though so, it’s all good.
Am v. excited all round. Check back here for regular updates.
Here’re some photos from Wednesday evening’s Lionel Cantu Memorial Event at UCSC too, if you fancy. I should have brought my camera to Oakland last night, mais non. Blogs, pictures and reviews all the way from now on. Cheers