and delhi is a dreamy corner of cyberspace populated by ultra intelligent virile handsome men.
after many a road trips and elevator rides, the move officially ended this past sunday. we are now occupying 838 anza snuggly despite sleeping on the floor and dining at a borrowed card table. we had surprisingly few glitches in the transition. most notable are a welcome to the neighborhood parking ticket, massively faulty ikea furniture, and three bouts of expletive armwrestling with sbc before my man in delhi hooked me up with power dsl.
living room 04nov2004
note the little bit of the pacific to the left of the dome. i love the views; they made the long laborious week bearable.
last night the beeze joined us for dinner. he brought us a box of firewood.
blurry beezer+inaugural fire
the living room is a bit tidier now than it was in the top photo. even though the city lights beyond the window isn't as impressive as they appear, it's a lovely space.
many thanks for your well wishes. we're settling in slowly but surely. i should be back into regular blog mode in another week. i can't wait to litter the internet again.
it's about my first snowboarding experience, also known as the butt that could. i had never wanted to have anything to do with snow sports ever until the evening of jg's 32nd birthday. he said he really wanted to go snowboarding. and, in his usual unforceful manner, he added, "but only if you'd come along." and then we went out for japanese food.
that was thursday night. friday we went to see the beeze after he closed shop to get fitted with proper gear.
beeze, boots, and beanies
they put on boots
and did the zydeco
some hours later, jg finally bought a pair of boots. he must have tried on eighteen pairs before he made the decision. yes, a lot of dancing. as i am not planning on making snowboarding my thing, i settled for the rentals. my meaty calves couldn't fit in the 7.5 boots so i had to take super 8s.
now it's sunday, october 31st.
the morn of halloween
we woke up at 4:30 and was on the road by 5. we picked up kevlar, who went to bed at 2. he continued sleeping in the car.
beeze drove while kev made like a detainee
in the back seat, jg admired the snow
while i tried to knit me some mittens
heading for sierra at tahoe aka the ghetto
beeze getting naked in the parking lot
the blinds put on contacts
pick a caption from below
a. would you like some butt to go with those pads?
b. help! i'm stuck in the eighties!
c. dude, your ass is morphing into darth vader!
d. all of the above
e. i want to insert my own caption.
it was pretty cold so everyone got dressed in record time. i struggled most because i couldn't zip up my pants over the butt pads. then beeze and jg had to lace up my boots because i couldn't bend over with those darn pads on. i was clumsy delux.
beeze made a case for the butt pads
beeze putting the bindings on my board
kev looking professional
jg looking... like a norwegian?
beeze in his very own crocheted beanie
and off we went. i took no pictures once we hit the slopes. there were many humiliating falls but, thankfully, no pictures. well, except this one taken by jg.
i survived a face plant, everybody!
beeze, jg, and kev took turns giving me snowboarding lessons. kev, what can i say? i fell the most and the hardest under his watch, with one fall resulting in me spreading eagle and sliding headfirst downhill. that's when i told him he's the worst instructor ever! beeze was better than jg, mostly because he didn't come running to pick me up each time i fell.
and boy, did i fall! it was the only way i knew how to stop the crazy runaway board attached to my legs. my butt made a very effective braking mechanism. after one particular fall, i remainded on my back listening to beeze, kev, and jg telling me what i did wrong; a ski patrol guy pulled up and asked, "is everything okay?" it must have looked like three guys looking at a dead girl on the snow.
but i managed. i was at the mercy of the board the whole time but i learned to go with it. i did a couple of runs going side to side like a falling leaf. i could check my speed as i went along but i couldn't stop, not without ramming into one of the guys or using my very own enlarged hinie.
by 11, the hinie decided it had enough. so, we all went back to the car for lunch.
kev+beeze providing lunch hour entertainment
beeze goofing around with a found empty can of olde english
i was too happy to be released from the butt pads after a nearly diastrous incident in the bathroom stall. let's just say that one cannot bend one's knees with one's ass pads pulled down half way. after lunch, i decided to knit for the rest of the day. i imagined putting up my feet by a grandiose fire in the lounge. except i forgot that this here ghetto don't got no lodge, yo!
i'm glad i handed the camera over before i went knitting in the car. they got some pretty neat shots while trying to live out their burton ad fantasies.
the brothas
the couple
jg, fast learner
neat shot of jg
kev showing off
kev about to eat it
old man styling
jg?
they called it a day around 4:30. i was pleased to see no one got hurt. they dressed down and packed up real quick. i couldn't wait to leave the cold!
going home with beeze at the helm
during the drive home kev told us how he went to the aquarium in boston and how it sucked. jg said, "why? was it full of clams?"
the regular jester, passed out
have a great weekend, everyone! and don't forget to lean into it!
838 is slowly coming together. my days are still slow and unproductive. most of the time i sit and stare out the window.
it rained all week last week. it pounded night and day. i rather enjoyed listening to it pour. i took these on friday:
autumn rain
looking south from bedroom window
not much of a sunset
it couldn't look any better saturday morning.
extreme zooming in on the bit of the pacific
taken shortly after sunrise
north east view over roof tops
sunday we went snowboarding again. just me, jg, and beeze this time. we left for kirkwood at 5.
jg eating breakfast at the wheel
morning in the valley
beeze loving the sunrise
goofing around with mirrors
approaching kirkwood
we arrived at the massive resort at around 9. there were so many cars and buildings that i couldn't see the mountain. if it wasn't for all the skiers milling around, i wouldn't have guessed there's snow near by.
i got dressed on my own this time. beeze brought me larger pants so i could zip them over the infamous butt pads impact shorts. also, at my request, beeze brought me a shorter board. all said and done, i still felt every bit awkward as i did the first time.
i spent the morning hiking up the hill and rehashing what i learned two weeks ago. ah, the joy of falling down. after a couple of supervised runs jg and beeze left me to my own devices. i was more than confident to fall down on my own.
playing dead, taken by jg while riding the wall lift
i did short runs right under the lift lines. each time i sat down to recuperate, i got hassled by the lift riders. some excerpts:
woman: "are you all right?"
thuy: "yes, i'm taking a break."
man: "that's no way to snowboard!"
thuy: "oh?"
man: "can you spare a cigarette."
thuy: "sure!"
kid: "do you need help? if you need help, just yell help! that's all you gotta do!"
thuy: "ok. thanks!"
same kid: "how come you're just sitting there? you should get on a lift!"
same kid again: "you're still there! what are you doing?"
i didn't bother answering the little punk after the first time. other than having a regular conversation with strangers reeling by, i also eavesdropped. nothing notable except one guy asking another for his peace pipe.
back to the parking lot for lunch.
jg eating+drinking alternately
making love to the bottle
in between swigs they talked me into getting a lift ticket. i should have known better.
putting on a brave face for the very first lift experience snowkirk the kiddie run
looking up
looking down, note romantic snowboards touching
my lift mate, filled with dread
jg gave me prep talks through out the entire aerial ride about how to get off the lift. despite all his careful instructions, i fell down as soon as i slid off the chair. it was the first time i felt embarrassed. probably because there were a bunch of rookies watching me. what's worse? i took the lift again and fell even harder the second time!
jg took these while i tried to get down the hill.
yay for butt uh impact shorts!
look everyone, i'm not falling!
i tend to look scared for my life when i'm having fun
try as i might, i had no control of my board. i often ended up heading exactly where i didn't want to go, such as tree stumps and lift support poles. other times i ended up way off the path. beeze and jg took turns towing me out of ravines. yes, a lot of fun.
the sun went down over the mountain around 4:30. it got real cold so we called it a day. my tail bone felt real sore so i kept my impact shorts on for the ride home.
sunset seen at 8,000 feet elevation
going home
our next snow adventure won't be until after thanksgiving. if you'll be on the slopes then, remember to watch out for the goofy foot girl in the orange jacket!
saturday night i went to a dumb art show in oakland. jg and i were on our way back from visiting my peeps in san jose when beeze called to invite us to the show. his buddy had something to do with it.
this supposed artist character gave us driving directions. needless to say, it was all bad. we drove around and around for half an hour before we found the warehouse. and that's after i screamed on the phone, "do you mean it's on the same block as the one with all the drug dealers fighting on the street?!"
and then we paid $10 entance fees.
jg trying not to look like he doesn't belong
those haunting words
my kind of art
angry musician mostly swearing at the crowd
jg and i wandered among the sulky goth rockers waiting for beeze. we looked like sore thumbs in our non black unhip outfits. we went hiding in a dark corner in the side yard. someone lit up an open barrel.
the fire that ruined my brand new $10 skirt
around 10:30, beeze came schlepping in. then kev.
fellow non goths
diego+beeze
elvis showed up
we huddled around the fire and talked to relative strangers until midnight. it got way too cold and windy to be standing around. the old man and i went home so i could mourn on the quarter inch singed hole in my lovely green skirt.
sunday we went shopping. beeze took us along on his usual routine. we went to breakfast in ocean beach before hitting my favorite neighborhood.
yay, the mission!
i forgot the name of this thrift store
these were taken in an alley lined with murals right next to the shop shown above.
beeze trying to blend
indigenism and jg
fun with broken mirror on street curb
the best part of the morning we spent in two hip home decor stores. yes, expensive. so much so i don't even know their names.
store one
excellent new+used furniture
store two
neat cardboard sculpture
clever fruit bowls
hi!
the fun ended around noon, when kev suggested that it's a good day for surfing. well, kev isn't totally responsible for ruining the shopping. the brothas had wanted to go surfing all along.
we went to bolinas.
beeze drove
we sat around on the beach for a while watching the surfers come and go. it was a beautiful day, the clearest i've ever seen since i moved here.
beeze+jg on a seamade bench
pondering the tide
simon joined us for lunch
they sat around after lunch while i walked around the neighborhood. they didn't get ready for the water until 4.
kodak moment
waxing the sticks
jg stripping down
beeze getting into a zipperless suit
jg looking sleek
the brothas struttin
beware of power pole
i think the bottom sign is shark speak for we love surfers
in they went
that's the moon at the top left corner. i sat on the sand and knitted while they surfed into the evening. the sunset was magnificient. i would show you a picture except my camera ran out of juice. ah well.
thanks to everyone for complimenting my rambling photo essays. they're my way out of having to write anything that requires thinking. my thanks also to holly, heather, and kim for having sent me postcards. i should add that my bulletin board and its magnets thank all postcard senders past and present for making them look useful and cheerful.
i hope everyone had a fine thanksgiving holiday. i can't believe i've been here for almost six months. i miss santa barbara terribly, particularly the weather. it has gotten cold in the city. i put on mittens when i go on walks. wearing skirts and high boots outdoors is no longer an option.
tomorrow is december. remember to say rabbit rabbit first thing in the morning!
