You know when a guy is glancing around a room, his eyes pass over you and then a moment later he jerks his head back to look at you?
Totally just happened to me. I need to wear dresses and heels more often.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Today
Was filled with the drudgery of manual labour.
I began by helping out with sign in at the conference, between the hours of 8 and 11, at which point there was community service day. Whilst doing sign in, I had some lovely conversation with the kids from University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
At community service day, where we were divided randomly into groups and then sent to go de-weed the terraces along the guadeloupe river (A few miles thereof. Good thing there was a lot of us). I bonded with a bunch of students from Great Valley State University - one of the largest universities in eastern Michigan (that's said in a tongue in cheek manner, just to clarify). At the end of the two hours of pulling up really fierce weeds and hacking at stumps with hoes (don't even bother, we made just about every joke imaginable), after taking the group photos of the GVSU kids, I was asked if I was old enough to go get a beer with them (They knew I was in high school, but not that I was seventeen). I had to reply in the negative, because they're bitches about carding here in Cali.
Incidentally, before we started the community service, they showed us a slideshow outlining wha tthe different tools were. Because apparently some people don't know what rakes, shovels and hoes are. Hoes perhaps is understandable, but who not only cannot recognise a shovel but also does not know its function? Seriously.
There was an accounting careers fair at 4.30 in the afternoon. The dress was 'office casual', so I wore nice jeans, a white blouse... and my sparkly red heels. Because I'd brought them on the offchance they'd come in handy, and so they did.
So today has been a great success. I was invited out for beer by a bunch of college students, and as I walking back to the elevator after the accounting fair, a male student with a deeply southern accent enquired 'How're you doin'?'
This is not an isolated event. I've been spending a hell of a lot of time responding to when good looking southern boys (I swear, all the southern boys seem to be good looking) enquire as to my welfare. Heavens, their accents are adorable.
I began by helping out with sign in at the conference, between the hours of 8 and 11, at which point there was community service day. Whilst doing sign in, I had some lovely conversation with the kids from University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
At community service day, where we were divided randomly into groups and then sent to go de-weed the terraces along the guadeloupe river (A few miles thereof. Good thing there was a lot of us). I bonded with a bunch of students from Great Valley State University - one of the largest universities in eastern Michigan (that's said in a tongue in cheek manner, just to clarify). At the end of the two hours of pulling up really fierce weeds and hacking at stumps with hoes (don't even bother, we made just about every joke imaginable), after taking the group photos of the GVSU kids, I was asked if I was old enough to go get a beer with them (They knew I was in high school, but not that I was seventeen). I had to reply in the negative, because they're bitches about carding here in Cali.
Incidentally, before we started the community service, they showed us a slideshow outlining wha tthe different tools were. Because apparently some people don't know what rakes, shovels and hoes are. Hoes perhaps is understandable, but who not only cannot recognise a shovel but also does not know its function? Seriously.
There was an accounting careers fair at 4.30 in the afternoon. The dress was 'office casual', so I wore nice jeans, a white blouse... and my sparkly red heels. Because I'd brought them on the offchance they'd come in handy, and so they did.
So today has been a great success. I was invited out for beer by a bunch of college students, and as I walking back to the elevator after the accounting fair, a male student with a deeply southern accent enquired 'How're you doin'?'
This is not an isolated event. I've been spending a hell of a lot of time responding to when good looking southern boys (I swear, all the southern boys seem to be good looking) enquire as to my welfare. Heavens, their accents are adorable.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Australiana
Today was like Australia-fest for me.
For two reasons.
One: I found a store selling solely Australian goods. It was strange. There were things like 2L Cottees cordial for $13.50 USD. Tim Tams for $9.
Black and Gold brand Musk sticks...for $5.50
It was expensive up the shizzay.
Two: Mum decided we would have Indian for dinner. In the restaurant (well it called itself a bistro, but whatevvs) there was a television, showing a program called 'Australia: land beyond time'. It had every Australian nature cliché imaginable.
DI people (latin joke there), this is California. Find something else to consumerise.
For two reasons.
One: I found a store selling solely Australian goods. It was strange. There were things like 2L Cottees cordial for $13.50 USD. Tim Tams for $9.
Black and Gold brand Musk sticks...for $5.50
It was expensive up the shizzay.
Two: Mum decided we would have Indian for dinner. In the restaurant (well it called itself a bistro, but whatevvs) there was a television, showing a program called 'Australia: land beyond time'. It had every Australian nature cliché imaginable.
DI people (latin joke there), this is California. Find something else to consumerise.
Fruit
As anyone who has cooked anything dessertlike from an American cookbook will realise, they all seem to involve raspberries or blueberries or other heinously expensive fruit.
That's because here, it's all cheap as.
1 kg of blueberries for $5. 1 kg cherries for $5. 2 kg strawberries for $8. It's insane.
That's because here, it's all cheap as.
1 kg of blueberries for $5. 1 kg cherries for $5. 2 kg strawberries for $8. It's insane.
The Wonders of Consumerism
As I've been going about my merry way, I've just been jotting down random stuff that I find interesting.
Pay by weight frozen yoghourt: this is in all the food courts of supermarkets and also in standalone stores. You get a cup, and fill it with frozen yoghurt of whatever flavour you desire (there are about 20), you then weight your cup, the cup weight is subtracted to give the net weight of your yoghurt, and then you pay by the weight.
Smirnoff Savannah Tea: I saw an ad for this on a billboard. It's iced tea with lemon...with vodka. I don't see why they can't just do it themselves.
Speaking of which - Alcohol licencing: in any regular supermarket in america, there will be a liquor aisle. Not in a separate shop. In the supermarket, right next to the dried fruit and baked goods. And it's significantly cheaper than Aus.
Costco: A warehouse superstore which sells anything and everything. Some of the marvels I came across instore were...
60 inch flatscreen LCD, LED backlit televisions. $2999 (plus another 10% tax. Their GST isn't included in pricing. It means everything is about 10% more expensive than it seems.
Tea bags. In 300 packs.
5 gum: we get it in 12 sticks per pack. They have it in 10 packs of 15 sticks in cooler flavours than we have yet.
Makeup: 2 mascaras for $10.
Petrol: Costco sells ULP for $3.00 per GALLON. That's 75c per litre. Even non-costco petrol only costs about $3.25 for premium. And they complain that their petrol is expensive.
Pay by weight frozen yoghourt: this is in all the food courts of supermarkets and also in standalone stores. You get a cup, and fill it with frozen yoghurt of whatever flavour you desire (there are about 20), you then weight your cup, the cup weight is subtracted to give the net weight of your yoghurt, and then you pay by the weight.
Smirnoff Savannah Tea: I saw an ad for this on a billboard. It's iced tea with lemon...with vodka. I don't see why they can't just do it themselves.
Speaking of which - Alcohol licencing: in any regular supermarket in america, there will be a liquor aisle. Not in a separate shop. In the supermarket, right next to the dried fruit and baked goods. And it's significantly cheaper than Aus.
Costco: A warehouse superstore which sells anything and everything. Some of the marvels I came across instore were...
60 inch flatscreen LCD, LED backlit televisions. $2999 (plus another 10% tax. Their GST isn't included in pricing. It means everything is about 10% more expensive than it seems.
Tea bags. In 300 packs.
5 gum: we get it in 12 sticks per pack. They have it in 10 packs of 15 sticks in cooler flavours than we have yet.
Makeup: 2 mascaras for $10.
Petrol: Costco sells ULP for $3.00 per GALLON. That's 75c per litre. Even non-costco petrol only costs about $3.25 for premium. And they complain that their petrol is expensive.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
They've All Gone To Look For America
Takeoff was somewhat delayed due to some people who were transferring flights.
Whilst walking to the gate, it had seemed we would be travelling on one of Qantas' new A380s. But then we kept walking and saw that that plane was for QF11 to LA. QF73 to San Fransisco (my flight) was on one of those faintly old and incredibly cramped Boeing 747-400s. And it was completely full.
Taking up a reasonable chunk of Economy was (and someone had better tell Koby about this) the Sydney baseball team for the U25ish age group.
The inflight movie selection was underwhelming. I watched How To Train Your Dragon, which was fantastic, and Wog Boys 2, which was rather funny thanks to my wog roots; but they were about it.
The plane took off at 1400 EST, and by about 2130 EST, I was completely exhausted. So I had a nap, only to be awoken at about 0030 EST for breakfast. Strangely, I was quite awake regardless of the fact that I'd only had 3h sleep.
We arrived at 0300 EST [wednesday] or 1000 WST [tuesday] (NB: from now on, all times will be in Western Standard), spent a very long time in customs (and it would have been longer had I not used my Canadian citizenship, and mum her Canadian Landed Immigrant status), and eventually got onto the BART train station at the airport (Bay Area Rapid Transport - they didn't just nickname it).
The trains were lovely. One level, well set out, spacious, well ventillated and a hell of a lot more fast than Cityrail. They were powered by an electrified 3rd rail. This becomes relevant later.
From SFO, we caught a red line train to San Bruno, followed by a yellow line train to Millbrae, at which point we tranferred to Caltrain to get to San Jose/Diridon.
I'd like to comment on the design of the train stations. A fusion of Brutalism and dingy neo-classical Cityrail.
And as for the Caltrains... Giant double decker diesel drawn (sorry, I had to keep going once I'd started) behemoths which (and it may have just been that car) smell of ammonia. Ick. Ickickickickick. The countryside is however quite pretty. Very Californian.
And everyhting here is huge. The stores, the roads, the schools, which all have aroung 3-4k students. The schools here are purty.
I wrote that at 1155 and I was still quite awake. Mum, on the other hand, who only slept during the last hour of the flight was failing miserably to stay awake.
The rest of the day was spent going through giant shopping centres. There was a Westfield, and all I can say is the Australian ones are set out better.
That's it for today. Or perhaps not. Who knows. Tata all.
Whilst walking to the gate, it had seemed we would be travelling on one of Qantas' new A380s. But then we kept walking and saw that that plane was for QF11 to LA. QF73 to San Fransisco (my flight) was on one of those faintly old and incredibly cramped Boeing 747-400s. And it was completely full.
Taking up a reasonable chunk of Economy was (and someone had better tell Koby about this) the Sydney baseball team for the U25ish age group.
The inflight movie selection was underwhelming. I watched How To Train Your Dragon, which was fantastic, and Wog Boys 2, which was rather funny thanks to my wog roots; but they were about it.
The plane took off at 1400 EST, and by about 2130 EST, I was completely exhausted. So I had a nap, only to be awoken at about 0030 EST for breakfast. Strangely, I was quite awake regardless of the fact that I'd only had 3h sleep.
We arrived at 0300 EST [wednesday] or 1000 WST [tuesday] (NB: from now on, all times will be in Western Standard), spent a very long time in customs (and it would have been longer had I not used my Canadian citizenship, and mum her Canadian Landed Immigrant status), and eventually got onto the BART train station at the airport (Bay Area Rapid Transport - they didn't just nickname it).
The trains were lovely. One level, well set out, spacious, well ventillated and a hell of a lot more fast than Cityrail. They were powered by an electrified 3rd rail. This becomes relevant later.
From SFO, we caught a red line train to San Bruno, followed by a yellow line train to Millbrae, at which point we tranferred to Caltrain to get to San Jose/Diridon.
I'd like to comment on the design of the train stations. A fusion of Brutalism and dingy neo-classical Cityrail.
And as for the Caltrains... Giant double decker diesel drawn (sorry, I had to keep going once I'd started) behemoths which (and it may have just been that car) smell of ammonia. Ick. Ickickickickick. The countryside is however quite pretty. Very Californian.
And everyhting here is huge. The stores, the roads, the schools, which all have aroung 3-4k students. The schools here are purty.
I wrote that at 1155 and I was still quite awake. Mum, on the other hand, who only slept during the last hour of the flight was failing miserably to stay awake.
The rest of the day was spent going through giant shopping centres. There was a Westfield, and all I can say is the Australian ones are set out better.
That's it for today. Or perhaps not. Who knows. Tata all.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
I Go To Be In America
Just like a Sondheim [and Bernstein] song that seems adorable and catchy the first few times you hear it, and after that becomes the bane of your existence because it's permanently entrenched in your head on a neverending loop... I'm going to the US tomorrow.
Don't ask how the extended metaphor relates. I don't even know.
But yeah. I'll be in San Jose CA for a week. Tagging along to a conference for some international organisation of...wait for it...commerce students.
At least I get to go (thankyou frequent flier system).
So yeah. I may or may not be able to access the internet during the next week, but I will be jotting down anything remarkable that happens and I'll post it eventually. Who knows. I might even get enough material to do The Week: US Edition.
But somehow I doubt it.
At least I have Cicero, Virgil, Catullus and Horace to keep me company.
Don't ask how the extended metaphor relates. I don't even know.
But yeah. I'll be in San Jose CA for a week. Tagging along to a conference for some international organisation of...wait for it...commerce students.
At least I get to go (thankyou frequent flier system).
So yeah. I may or may not be able to access the internet during the next week, but I will be jotting down anything remarkable that happens and I'll post it eventually. Who knows. I might even get enough material to do The Week: US Edition.
But somehow I doubt it.
At least I have Cicero, Virgil, Catullus and Horace to keep me company.
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