| TL;DR |
[Dec. 28th, 2009|11:39 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | zen | ] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | studio.2.0 | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  crazy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Velvet Acid Christ - Rain For 27 Days | ] |
I've been a bad blogger, so will try to catch up soon.
So far, recent highlights have been...
Lots of good friends, and lots of silly gossip.
Cocktails of doom... and drunkenness.
Planning of 2010 DJing gigs/slots/stuff.
Dealing with fuckwits.
Being 20 again and seeing iNsuRge live - and actually telling Chris just what influence they had.
Making plans for 2010 that might involve actually pulling my finger out and using some of the tools available.
Having such great tools available - you guys rock!
The rest, while not actual highlights, have been fun/interesting/confusing/colourful/tasty/swelling/look-a-plane...
Since this is my last (likely) post of the year, hope all is well, that if it isn't, you know you are loved, that I get to see you all soon (if I didn't over the last few days) and that next year starts off as good as the best this year had to offer, then exceeds itself.
And to those few close friends having a cunt of a time at the moment, you know I'm about, one way or the other, and I'm hoping that shit improves. We have dates to turn that shit into gold after the 4th, so lock it in.
Peace, love, mung-beans. And other InappropriatePauly thoughts.
Seeya in 2010... unless I'll seeya in Perf before that. |
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| Spammers... gotta love them |
[Dec. 28th, 2009|06:36 pm] |
So... just a quick note... whilst recovering from the Xmas Party (still).
Today I got a whole lot of "Undeliverable" emails regarding a link I sent to some people re: something to do with Electronic equipment for sale in China.
For the record, no I didn't send the email, my email address was co-opted by some spammer. I have also changed the password on my hotmail account (which I rarely use anymore) just in case.
Just delete the thing (IF you got it) and I have notified Hotmail that the address was hijacked.
< sigh >
Cheers - and see MANY of you at Infected Mushroom and DM on NYE :)
:) |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 27th, 2009|04:52 pm] |
Today I am recovering and recuperating.
In recovery mode you might say. It was a wise
idea spending last night at the hospital.
I'm now full of anti-biotics and in a lot of pain.
Thank you to all my friends who care.
We took photographs of my swollen face!
love Tork |
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| Indeed I must! |
[Dec. 25th, 2009|09:09 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  relaxed | ] |
In 2009,  miss_porcelain resolves to... Take evening classes in carlton.
Buy new corsets.
Go to music every Sunday.
Learn to play the fashion.
Get back in contact with some old tattoos.
Lose ten killer boots by March.
</div |
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| Goth Goes to the Big Apple: Ramen and goth shops, back to normal |
[Dec. 25th, 2009|04:15 pm] |
Now Tuesday I was meant to do a walking tour of downtown, but I'd been enthused at so much about Momofuku Ramen it was time to head to the East Village to get some Asian food. By the time ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) fatherdog arrived it was getting late but we did a quick run through St Marks Square so I could check out the goth shops.
These stores really don't vary all that much country to country, on the other hand I was a little surprised and a lot disappointed by the limited range of alternative clothing stores. I'd have been a lot better off shopping in Newtown *sigh* Still I did walk off with a pair of Pleasers and a Lip Service shirt because... well I'm on holiday and I'm a goth.
This bastard travels more than I do, but it's nice to add another sticker photo to my collection, this one's in the East Village, NYC.
Afterward on to Momofuku Ramen, the legendary New York eatery. I in fact was quite disappointed, it makes me appreciate Sydney cuisine but I was suspicious when the clientele were all white, and so were the staff.
Back to the hotel to drop off the shopping and then it was back downtown to at least do some of the walking tour we'd planned for the day. We headed down to the Ground Zero site however I was a little surprised that the main site is a very large construction zone with no public access whatsoever.
Instead what there is is a 'memorial preview' opposite St Paul's church. Shown here is the architectural model for the planned memorial and replacement *four* sky scrapers on the former World Trade Center site. I'm not sure you could get much more American really.
That being said the memorial is quite nice, I can't imagine working in the preview store though with the emotional 8 minute video on endless repeat. I picked up a book of photographs of New York around September 2001, some of the site, some of the survivors, some just celebrating the city. It's a lovely book but it weighs in at about 3kg so it's going back via sea post.
This should have stayed a somewhat sombre moment however then I spotted Century 21 the discount designer department store. This place is oh so good and oh so dangerous. Designer leather gloves for $20? Last season's designer heels at $25 a pair? I may have just walked off with enough clothing to make even the clerk in a downtown NYC shopping centre raise her eyebrows *facepalm*
Yonder to Ninja (!) the themed family restaurant for some Ninja-tastic Japanese/American fusion. The whole restaurant is decked out like a Japanese village and enthusiastic waiters sneak through secret passages to ninja you in the face.
Every dining room is its own private party and I think this makes a big difference as you are not subjected to group humiliation and can get a little bit into the silliness. A little too much ume shu and late night conversation and I fell asleep in the cab on the way home. Woops! |
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| Writer's Block: Like mobile for chocolate |
[Dec. 24th, 2009|12:32 pm] |
Too easy - Mobile phone.
Seriously, whoever invented the concept of a mix between a dog leash and a home arrest ankle brace is a fucking genius. |
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| Its official |
[Dec. 23rd, 2009|12:29 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  accomplished | ] |
Yes indeedy.. I am now a registered nurse. woohoo!!
That is all :) |
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| Goth Goes to the Big Apple: Posh goth is posh |
[Dec. 23rd, 2009|02:52 am] |
It started at Louis Vuitton and it ended at the Russian Tea Room... yesterday was a day of delightful extravagance.
The entire day was set asside to go shopping and look at Christmas window displays, but given we had done much of this yesterday we chose to target only the items we hadn't made it to and take the rest of the day as it came. My stomach was unhappy with me after a day of endless American snacks and heavy fatty food so I had a light breakfast at the inn and we caught a cab to 5th Ave to go shopping. A long drive around Central Park was most welcome and gave us all sorts of ideas for the day.
We stopped for a look at Louis Vuitton, there's a much larger range at the store here than ones that I have been used to, even those in Europe. It was nice to see everything, particularly the oh-so-sparkly diamond jewellery in the shape of the Vuitton flower motifs but I really hadn't budgeted for a handbag upgrade and with no prices on display it was worth noting the adage "if you need to ask, you can't afford it" so instead it was off to Tiffany.
The Tiffany on 5th Avenue is a 6 story wonder filled with every Tiffany item I knew existed and some that I didn't (Why yes, I will take a house with Tiffany door knobs, why thank you!). I had walked in with an idea of the 'souvenir' item that I wanted to buy, and could afford - a replacement 1837 lock for my bracelet, however Scott bought it for me for my birthday along with an enamel Tiffany box charm. So of course I just had to spend my Tiffany budget on something else! I walked off with the remaining 1837 ring I didn't own - a black titanium and silver band that matches the others I wear, as well as a set of surprisingly affordable Tiffany/Riedel co-branded Riesling glasses.
At least I wasn't the only one struggling under a pile of blue boxes!
Afterwards we headed across the road to FAO Schwarz, I did stop to take a picture of the Apple Store but really as we have a flagship store in Sydney it really didn't seem all that necessary to go in. Instead I pounced upon the living toy soldier at the store's entrance.
The range of high class plushies inside is just *amazing* and I'm really surpised that the furries didn't gush at me more about it. There's an entire safari of animals leading up the major stairway with prices in 4-6 digits. The ones I liked were the bears overlooking the balcony though :o)
On arrival at the top I found the most glorious Harry Potter section, decked out to look like Diagon Alley.
This is where stores like FAO Schwarz really shine, I mean sure you can get most things you buy in New York in Sydney or even on the internet, but the range and quality of items in the store are amazing. I walked off with not only a pair of delightful Quidditch goggles with brass accents and hand stitched trim but also a gorgeous prop replica Time Turner from the Noble Collection.
I think I could have walked off with about $5000 of stuff for various friends if only I had the cash, but sadly all you get at this stage is pictures of some of the amazing pieces in the collection.
The rest of the store is really worth a wander, though there were limited other adult/collectable toys. Particularly at Christmas though the whole store is buzzing with family fun, and there's plenty of cute, nostalgic or just astounding items to be poured over.
The real highlight of the whole store though was the perfect timing, walking past the Big Piano just as a live show was about to start, so here's a little delight for you straight from New York to your nostalgia.
All that shopping really took it out of us so we stopped across the road at the famous Plaza Hotel for a drink.
Here's me living out my best Karen Walker fantasy sipping a 5 shot liquid lunch martini at the Oak Room Bar.
We were a bit nervous about walking around town laden down with Tiffany and FAO Schwarz bags, so decided to swing back to the hotel to drop off shopping and have a bit of a rest. My body shut down immediately (the extra strength martini and champagne might have helped here) and 3 hours later I had to drag myself up and dress for Carnegie Hall which was quite the struggle.
Sadly it appears there is a no camera policy at the concert hall but I did get a couple of shots off before the staff came and said something to me.
We were there to see Handel's Messiah, a very festive oratorio and fitting for our "Christmas in New York" themed holiday.
The concert itself was just beautiful, with a small orchestra and the Musica Sacra choir plus 4 soloists - Soprano, Tenor, Countertenor and Bass. The Bass singer was lovely, a jolly African American man whose voice started somewhere in his stomach but the real (and surprising) star of the show was Anthony Roth Costanzo, the countertenor. The man had the voice of an angel, something really special and possibly the best singer I've heard in my lifetime of concerts, operas and festivals. Amongst a long list of what I suspect was a small portion of his accolades printed in the program the man graduated Magna Cum Laude of Princeton and is the first countertenor ever to win the Opera Index Competition. In the end he was so strong that in the duet with the Tenor the CounterTenor lead the rounds.
Unfortunately the soothing music and jet lag caused a real internal struggle to stay awake, and in the intermission I had to grab a coffee and some sugar just to make it through. Boy was I glad I did because the rest of the concert was amazing and to see the Hallelujah chorus at Christmas in Carnegie Hall with a standing ovation? Pure magic.
Afterwards for a real treat we headed to the Russian Tea Room next door, the famous caviar salon and Russian restaurant favoured by New York's elite. Originally I had only gone to get a picture of the menu, but being surprised that the prices - while hardly "cheap" - were affordable for a belated Birthday meal on a holiday we just *had* to go in.
I will of course be blogging on goth_gourmande about it, but as a teaser here's a picture of my caviar tasting plate.
Afterwards what with the 11pm dinner seating, champagne and the smug warmth of rich world class food I climbed into bed and crashed like a crashing thing, waking from a deathlike slumber just in time for breakfast. |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 22nd, 2009|01:40 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  annoyed | ] |
Blah.. I'm at uni killing time until my stupid transcript says "course completed". This is very annoying and a waste of the day as far as I'm concerned.. now I won't get to the registration board till around 3pm at the earliest.. and somehow i need to get my registration done and take it over to concord hospital before 5pm. I am so not pleased with uni right now. In fact, i don't think i've ever been pleased with uni. This is incredibly frustrating.
Addit: I now have the damn transcript after waiting all bloody day to get it. So now tomorrow has to be registration day and then going to concord to give them my number. Fingers crossed it will only take a day. |
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| Goth Goes to the Big Apple: Christmas in Midtown |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|07:18 pm] |
After a delightful breakfast at the inn where we chatted with our mostly German fellow holidayers we suited up and headed out. Thanks to Yuumei and Tech we had some prepaid metro cards and so we wandered up to the 116th Street Subway and caught a very fast train to 42nd and Times Square.
The garishness of the lights and the sounds is a bit overwhelming, it's like Leicester Square caught tacky. Somewhat appropriately one of the first stores we came to was the Times Square Sanrio store, so I picked up some Hello Kitty souvenirs. Afterwards we went to a Starbucks to find some warming coffee which was very welcome as we trudged through the snow and the cold up to Bryant Park.
Bryant Park is well known to the fashionistas being the location of NYC Fashion Week each year (and of course much of the location of Project Runway), but for this seasonal time it's covered in festive booths, hot chocolate booths, Christmas trees and of course a skating rink! So we pottered about and poked at the snow and took pictures.
Here I am in the snow, looking super festive in front of the giant Christmas tree at Bryant Park.
Let me tell you if you ever want good service, wear something festive at Christmas time. I have never had so many smiles or such good service everywhere I went. By the end of the day it got a little grating because strangers approached me all day wanting photos, wanting to know where I got the coat, asking for items off their Christmas list and so on.
From Bryant Park we wandered up to 5th Avenue, by this time it was a bit after 11am and we were surprised that it was quite quiet. Wandering along to the Rockefeller Centre was just magical, there's so much festive cheer and decoration, no wonder everyone talks about New York at Christmas.
The Rockefeller Centre also just seems to be a love letter from Rockefeller to his fellow New Yorkers, the whole place just gleams with hope and civic pride. Rockefeller commissioned much of the building and the artwork during the depression giving hope and employment to many, all the art runs on this theme and a huge plaque bears inspiring messages of hope (and free enterprise ;) such as "I believe in the supreme worth of the individual and in his right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"
We were surprised to find ourselves disappointed with the skating rink at Rockefeller. Compared to the bright and gleaming sweetness of the Bryant Park Pond this rink was small, slushy and surrounded by pushy locals. So instead we wandered about the shops on 5th Ave for a bit. I have encountered the horror that is American telecommunications... it's not just that there's only a couple of GSM/3G networks (?!), it's not just that the don't understand the concept of a sim card that's not tied to a phone, but a prepaid service starts at USD$60 and contains no data. For a land where the consumer is meant to be king, this is just ridiculous. It is cheaper for me to use my phone on roaming from home than it is to buy a sim card. The concept of a $2 convenience store sim was just lost on the AT&T girl.
Rounding the corner we discovered Nintendo World! There's some fun 'historical' displays including a GameBoy bombed in the Gulf War and an original Super FamiCom, but mostly I was there for the merchandise. I added to my Mario plushie collection and picked up a couple of gifts for the nerds in my life. I find it interesting that the *only* place I've encountered so far with modern EFTPOS equipment was in the store of a Japanese company. All the telecomms and banking infrastructure here seems to be about 10 years behind the times, something I find somewhat bizarre when America prides itself on modernity and consumerism.
In order to prevent my earrings freezing to my flesh for the 18th time I bought these muffs for the bargain price of $5. With as much hair as I have and these muffs there is no need for a hat even in the freezing cold!
Lord I was glad I did though because the line for the Radio City Music Hall was about 2 blocks in the snow. On arrival I was ecstatic to discover alcoholic hot chocolate on sale in the lobby, hot chocolate and Grand Marnier really takes the edge off the cold!
The Rockettes are corny ridiculous festivity, but god I had fun. The whole thing is so cheerful and optimistic in a way that only America could do, 'shine the light of love' seemed to be refrained about 1000 times mixed with traditional holiday songs and themes, cheerful War Era pageantry and pleasant American formalwear.
The dancing itself was sheer precision and beauty, reminiscent of the opening scene of the Temple of Doom, every tap and click to perfection, chorus lines moving with grace and speed. Some of the dance rotations and synchronised line dancing were just breath taking and made even my cynical little heart gasp with delight. Less delightful was the 3D animations that made me motion sick and had me staring at the floor, but they had a lovely "history of the Rockettes" film toward the end that was sweet and interesting.
Of course it wouldn't be American without a hefty dose of Jaysus so there was an extended living nativity complete with camels and sheep, the scripture readings were a bit much but in my seasonal excitement, secular society and atheist parents it's easy to forget 'the real meaning of Christmas'
By this time the city had really started to get busy, and the snow had really started to melt, so it was time to get off the street. Heading into Saks on 5th Ave both a very good and a very bad idea if you get my meaning. The girls at the M.A.C counter fussed over my hair, coat, stockings, nails and makeup and were more than happy to serve. I didn't go silly really but it's worth noting that the cost of M.A.C retail in an upmarket dept store in New York is still 2/3 the price of it duty free in Australia.
I was actively disappointed with the designer clothes on sale, though they had a number of my favourite designers including Nicole Miller and Vivienne Westwood on sale for 40% off (god bless the poor economy!) there was not a single thing worth buying in my size. Even the rubber Westwood platform Mary Janes that you'd think would be oh so me, had a heel so small that I felt awkward walking in them. I did however hit up the "outerwear" section for a lovely new cashmere military style coat with fur collar, suitable for Sydney winter, and a pair of black fur ear muffs suitable for wearing with my black trenchcoat after the Christmas season is over.
Again the Christmas outfit did me some good, I got excellent upbeat service the whole time, and noted with pressed lips the rude rich New Yorkers barking orders at the service staff and willed them to learn the difference that a smile makes. Afterwards a quick run by an Irish Pub for an energy regenerating Magner's ($7USD for a 330ml bottle, ouch) and we were well into the evening. Instead of heading home for a nap we decided to push through the evening and get everything out of the way.
Firstly a run up to Top of the Rocks, the observatory at the top of 30 Rock. The wait was nil and the upstairs not crowded, definitely a better choice than the run to the Empire State Building we had planned to take today. Unfortunately the wind 70 storeys up was far too much for a long stay, particularly after dark in a coat that only reached my knees! There were some beautiful views though and it was well worth the entry fee, especially given the super fast talking elevator to the top floor. For awesome souvenirs of awesomeness I got myself a ViewFinder, complete with a Rockefeller Plaza disk, super happy with that purchase.
Afterwards we decided to head back to Times Square to find a truly horrendous touristy restaurant to round off our day. We succeeded! Here's the giant Reubens sammich I bought at the Roxy Deli after about 15 minutes of eating into it and giving up. I had them pack the leftovers because I couldn't bear to send back that much food, but I do wonder on the etiquette of giving food to homeless people, the rest of my sandwich could have fed two people easily and the lack of support for the needy here is enough to make my blood boil.
Between the long long busy day, the hefty food and the strange waking hours I was super tired after dinner. We caught a taxi home (they're very reasonably priced here) and I almost fell asleep on the way home. On arrival I managed to get my coat and boots off and climb into my bed, where I woke up 3 hours later dripping sweat... I had forgotten to remove any of the rest of my warm clothing in a heated room under a doona.
Once again it's the middle of the night and I'm wide awake by virtue of my nap (ah normality!) but it's given me plenty of time to blog and upload pictures. I hope that wasn't information overload! |
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| Room available in sharehouse, $170.00 p/w |
[Dec. 20th, 2009|11:21 pm] |
We have a spare bedroom in our 3 B/R share-house.
Close to UTS/Broadway, Transport, Shopping.
It is a very large room (prefer Singles), partly furnished.
Good for student or creative types.
We have a cat also, who is very friendly and affectionate.
Share cleaning, cooking, responsibilities.
$170.00 p/w includes electricity.
x-posted. |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|08:31 am] |
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For goodness sake people, slow down on the roads and don't drink and drive. The Christmas road toll is not a competition. |
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| Goth Goes to the Big Apple: Winter Wonderland |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|01:04 am] |
I think we have been very very lucky with the weather, there's been a blizzard across the entire North East and most flights after ours were cancelled. 30 inches of snow predicted for Rhode Island!
Now the good thing about being an insomniac with erratic sleeping patterns is that when you're jetlagged it works out perfectly. So with the B&B having a very respectable breakfast time of 9am I had time before breakfast to get out and see the snow!
This area is beautiful and the people are all very friendly, add in the pristineness that the snow adds and it's just gorgeous.
For good measure here are some additional pictures of the hotel parlour, the whole place is beautiful and filled with antiques, artworks and a bibliophile's dream of a library.
http://www.mountmorrishouse.com/ is the inn and is just beautiful! |
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| Losing touch, gaining self |
[Dec. 20th, 2009|09:27 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  full | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Gomez - If I Ask You Nicely | ] |
I couldn't believe how long it's been since I made an entry.
Life's been busy.
People always ask, 'How are you'? I don't really know how to give them a non-response these days? Like someone returning from a stranded island, or a man in prison, I feel i'm learning the world all over again. A little different the second time around. Unlike a child full of awe and wonder, it's full of fear and apprehension. But that doesn't stop the world from spinning.
How am I? I'm OK.. sorta
Well alright... I'm not any worse. I must admit I haven't had anything positive to write in quite some time. While this is not uncharacteristic of my journal, some would say not my life. I'm going through a really shit time, and I'm not sure when I'll pull out of it any time soon.
That said... I'm on the mend. Physically I was quite broken, stinging and worn eyes, back problems, muscle tension, knee pain. But now I got my eyes tested, and now have glasses (that have helped immensely), had therapy sessions with my physio and a remedial therapist, I'm going to the gym, and have decided to see a psych.
Early days with the psych, two sessions in. We're just talking about the last 2 years, and just talking about the background of it all. It's nice to talk to someone that hasn't heard it already, namely Kellie, who could really do with a break of hearing me crap on and on about myself for the last 6 months. I feel like I could make progress.
I have a new job. I finally decided to get out of Vodafone, when the new changes occurred over there. I was a long time coming, problem was I'm so shit scared of changes letting people down, I didn't want to take a risk in case things fell through. But I took a leap of faith, I need to get out of retail sales. The next job in that field will be my last. I'm 30 and I feel like my heart's just not in it anymore.
I took a job at JB Hi-Fi, and since I started 3 weeks ago it's been a roller coaster ride for me. Aside from the massive change in how I work on the floor, there are lots of budgets to maintain, of which none I've actually hit yet. I've had little to no training on the floor, so I've made a lot of mistakes. The position is technically a casual one, which is a little scary as to what might happen after Xmas. The managers tell me I'm doing a good job, but I'm worried every day if I did the right thing, and that things will work out in the new year. It has me paranoid almost every second shift.
Photography? What photography? Heh.. Jokes aside I have barely picked up the camera in 6 months. I have come to the conclusion that all of my side projects (business, dance music network, blogs), while in essence were worthwhile things to persue, in the end were nothing but distractions to the real problems in my life. And as every month I slaved away them, it became less about the love, and more about misdirection. So everything has been put on hold. I have to work out my shit before I can move forward. I don't know how long it will take, and every time I try to put a timeline on it, it only makes it worse, so yeah... dunno..
It's been great having Mic around. I feel like I have my best friend back. I finally feel like I am also making good friends again. The last time I wrote that I felt like cutting loose, and I finally got the chance to do that, a couple of times actually! Once with my oldest brother, and both times with my wife and the newest dear friend in our lives, Amanda. She understands where we are in our lives, and is patient enough to just let us be ourselves. Her and Kellie get along famously, on Friday I had to go to bed and they were dropping Jagerbombs and yabbering away till 5am. It's really great for Kel, and I love that the most.
I have been sampling a little Newie nightlife. I guess it's a totally different situation than it used to be, places open earlier, and shut earlier, and the variety of dance is well... isn't. I've figured out that I'm best to just wait for the big artists to come to the clubs, and since then Kel and I have had great times seeing the likes of Sarah Main, and Martin Solveig. One of the trainers is massive fan of dance music too, he's great cause he's a purist, and he doesn't touch drink or drugs, so it's great to connect to dance music fans again and not drug music fans.
That's probably one thing that's still missing from my life. It would be really amazing if I could re-connect with the true fans of house, club and trance music. I just feel like drug addiction has really taken dance music culture by the scruff of the neck and turfed it in the gutter. I need to get back to the heart of it again, and I would love to have someone around with the same passion as I do. Very few people like the music I like these days.
Dom has followed us back to Newcastle too. We had caught up a few months ago and it was great to see her in such a more relaxed mood. Haven't seen her for a while, but then again I haven't seen most people in a while. I've just decided that i've got to spend the moments of time I have spare with myself, or in the comfort of my own home. So most of the time I've devoted the bulk of my time making a time for a real home, and while I have no problem having people over for a night of drinking and chatting, I have no major desire to seek out crazy fun, maybe that's what it's like getting old... he he he...
The house is good, I'm over the backyard though, or rather maintaining it. I just don't have the time. I find myself cleaning cat shit from the litter box and washing up the dishes at 11.30 at night after everything else, while the weeds in the yard just keep piling up. The place also needs constant maintenance, and I'm not what you would call a handyman, so I struggle just with the simplest of chores. I like the room we have in the house, but I do miss the bohemian lifestyle of living right by public transport, coffee shops, pubs and the beach. I would also gladly trade in the backyard for a nice courtyard.
And that's really where my head is at right now. It seems as more and more time passes getting my head together, I want to get back to the way things were, but this time make the changes I should have made 5 years ago. I want to find a little piece of urban heaven by the beach, I want to be time rich again, I want to get rid of the unnecessary stresses in my life, and I don't care if that means I live an ordinary life in the process, I don't have to earn a million dollars, I don't need to go out every night, and I'm over any misconception you need to attain a certain status in your life that says you've 'made it'. I want to find the time to read about the world, have time to create, and be the loving husband I know I can be. Just as long as the rent is paid, the wife is happy, and I have a handful of friends I can really count on, then I'll be happy.
The 64 million dollar question of course is... how? |
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| Goth Goes to the Big Apple: World's Longest Birthday |
[Dec. 20th, 2009|03:33 pm] |
Lets start with a quick picture of the fabulous holiday nails I had done yesterday at the Sparkle Nail Salon at the bottom of World's Square. In the end it took 4 people to do them, with one girl tugging at me for gel layers while another did the 3D acrylic application.
Sadly the search for coffee at Sydney airport was a bit of a failure, even the Starbucks seems to have gone so I couldn't even have shameful Christmas drinks. Sadly despite being promised it would open on Thursday the new airport Danks Street Depot was not yet open for business.
The plane ride to LAX was mostly uneventful; the food was tolerable but not great, the drinks selection is a bit awful on Qantas so I settled on Scotch and Dry which is a rarity indeed. I finally got around to watching District 9 which while gory was *amazing* and left me breathless in parts. To recover I watched Up! again and then plenty of Stephen Fry in America which I thought was awfully fitting. The rest of the time I slept which was quite useful really.
On arrival at LAX I was a little weirded out at the lack of grating American accents, and then I realised why. Every service staff member in the entire airport was either African American or Hispanic and the standard accent of LAX appears to be Mexican. On the other hand I was also delighted at the ease at which we cleared customs and immigration, the line was fast and quick and the man checking our paperwork very polite. I suspect that being white and middle class may have helped in this regard.
I also had my first run in in ... a very very very long time with American fast food, coffee that was entirely undrinkable and meat that I could not recognise the supposed source animal. I'm not sure I shall be attempting either again.
I had intended to watch more movies on the flight from LA to New York however my body had other ideas and I fell asleep before take off. I did wake up to an announcement from the pilot that we were flying over the grand canyon so I got some lovely shots out the window.
After another mediocre Qantas in flight meal my body put me back down again for the rest of the flight; meaning what with my standard insomniac sleeping patterns I had slept much like normal and landed in New York refreshed as any day. At the end of it all Qantas people did not bring me cake or sing as promised, however really, any 36 hour birthday where you get to wake up in another country is pretty fine.
We were informed towards the end of the flight that it was snowing in New York and would be until Christmas (yay!!) but that this likely meant we would be delayed in landing (boo!!). However on landing we had no problems whatsoever, landing on time and smoothly; amazing travel luck continued as I had no wait for my luggage and no wait for a cab.
On arrival the Mount Morris House B&B is even more beautiful than the website gave in. My 'room' is really a suite including a walk in dressing room about the same size as my Newtown apartment sized bedroom. The whole house is a classic brownstone filled to the brim with beautiful antiques and artworks, with a delightful owner. There were already rave reviews online I will be adding to them. At $250 a night for a 4 room suite on a picturesque edge of Harlem, this sure beats staying at a chain hotel, and for NYC? Much much cheaper too.
The owner recommended some local restaurants so we rugged up and went for a walk in the neighbourhood, laughing and stomping in the snow which was now several inches deep all around us and giving everything a clean white and festive feel.
Eventually we tumbled into the Soul Food restaurant we were looking for and by god it was everything I needed. Warm fried food, birthday cake and decent strong coffee, good enough to waddle home in the snow satisfied.
All in all I've been very lucky with my travel today and stepped out into a fluffy white winter wonderland. It's everything I wanted for my birthday, hoorays.
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| Goth Goes to the Big Apple: The Departure |
[Dec. 19th, 2009|11:40 am] |
Merry Vacationmas to me! I am about to embark on a 36 hour birthday owing to crossing the date line on the flight Sydney to New York. Hoorays super excited! .... Even if there was no Danks Street Depot or Breakfast Birthday Cake :o( Expect silly amounts of blagging and photos! Posted via LiveJournal.app. |
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| Goth Goes to the Big Apple: The Departure |
[Dec. 19th, 2009|11:14 am] |
It's my birthday, and it will be for about 36 hours as I get on a plane to New York via Los Angeles.
Excitement!
...Even if there was no Danks Street Depot or Breakfast Cake :o(
Expect pictures and blogging ago go! |
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