Find out all about my Liverpool Beerdfest here
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
"you make the world a smaller place"
six degress of Kevin Bacon ain't got nothing on Jodester ;)
let me tell you a story about the sort of thing I like to do when the opportunity arises...
I am a big believer in simple pleasures, in the little things that get us thru the daily grind...
so when I heard a friend of mine from across the pond had a gig in NYC on his birthday I plotted a way to surprise him with some english treats*
my friend G drives a cab in NYC and you can read his blog about his adventures here
I thought it would be fun to send G with said treats to meet my friend but Hurricane Sandy tried to thwart me! well Mother Nature can try harder next time, cos my friend received my packet despite the weather and delivered said packet despite work restrictions!
I won't lie, I had the biggest smile on my face when I got the email from my friend explaining what happened when he received this surprise packet -- sufficient to say he was thrilled and that made me so happy...
a friend told me tonight I make the world a smaller place -- and I can tell you that's probs one of my most favourite compliments of all time!
to give is to receive my friends... simple pleasures ahoy!
*McVities Ginger Nuts since you ask ;)
let me tell you a story about the sort of thing I like to do when the opportunity arises...
I am a big believer in simple pleasures, in the little things that get us thru the daily grind...
so when I heard a friend of mine from across the pond had a gig in NYC on his birthday I plotted a way to surprise him with some english treats*
my friend G drives a cab in NYC and you can read his blog about his adventures here
I thought it would be fun to send G with said treats to meet my friend but Hurricane Sandy tried to thwart me! well Mother Nature can try harder next time, cos my friend received my packet despite the weather and delivered said packet despite work restrictions!
I won't lie, I had the biggest smile on my face when I got the email from my friend explaining what happened when he received this surprise packet -- sufficient to say he was thrilled and that made me so happy...
a friend told me tonight I make the world a smaller place -- and I can tell you that's probs one of my most favourite compliments of all time!
to give is to receive my friends... simple pleasures ahoy!
*McVities Ginger Nuts since you ask ;)
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
whirlwinded
life sure ain't boring... and to hell with wanting it to be!
just on the other side of a whirlwind romance with an inappropriate man... lordy I sure can pick them!
but I am so happy to have had the time of my life this last summer and even though him breaking my heart hurt like never before I am determined to only take away the best of it and maybe try learn some lessons for next time... it's all we can do right?
PLUS the best art comes from pain so I got some serious masterpieces in my collection now cos boy did that hurt the mostest!!!
it's so crazy that heartbreak hurts like a physical pain... but heck I lost a few pounds and wrote a few songs so it's not all bad news (you can tell I'm trying my best to be breezy here right? it still hurts as I type but I'm moving on slowly...)
Adam Sandler sings it best in Wedding Singer and it's best to laugh at the bad times right? Just learning to dance in the rain baby!!!
darling Bettie
I got me a Bettie fringe!
It's been a long time since I saw this much of my face... I was tres startled when I came out of Something Hells the rockabilly barber shop off Carnaby Street in the London but a few days on and I LOVES it muchly... funny how such a little thing can make such a big difference in your appearance.. number one thing I had to do post-fringe-trim was get me to an eyebrow sharpener! At work people looked at me oddly... 'something's changed...' but they couldn't quite put their finger on what haha I had an Open Mic gig that very eve and got lots of thumbs up for new look so it's a success all round really ;)
Talking of which... if you haven't heard me singing yet, really you ought to! if you go along to www.facebook.com/shebeatmusic you'll find all my info & links, it's all going rather well and I'm enjoying it muchly! gotta love a new hobby, especially when nursing a broken heart... so beards and guitars are keeping me busy!
Thursday, August 09, 2012
ROOOAAAADDDTRRRIIIPPP!!!!!
Sunday June 11... and lo, two girls arrived in Las Vegas and it was good!
me and my friend M had two nights in Vegas then a hire car (Christina Corolla we called her haha) to take us across Southern California... here, friends, is the tale of this most excellent roadtrip!!!
VEGAS is one of those places you just have to see for yourself... I had some idea of it from movies and hearsay etc but I was still taken by surprise by my first experience of the sin city in the desert... first of all it's startling to see a Pyramid from the landing strip... most times when you fly someplace you're an hour away from the sights, but across the afternoon sizzle there she was! we shared a cab with plane buddy Bill who dropped us off at VDara Hotel and wouldn't take any money - how lovely! The cabby told us it was a big rave weekend in Vegas which explained the hundreds of space cadet youths at our hotel haha luckily Big Electric Daisy or whatever its called was sold out so we couldn't party dusk til dawn (truth is it was NOT that kind of holiday!). VDara is a great hotel and spa in the middle of the famous Vegas strip, it is unusual in that it has no gambling - me likey! enjoyed a cold beer by the pool and then went for a look around our neighbourhood... Lots of begging types in superhero and cartoon costumes posing for pics with tourists and then asking for dollars... Lots of begging on the street types too.. I guess they don't show that in the movies! VERY BIG! Lots of walking around in 40 degree heat made me a tired girl so I was glad of a large cola and veggie burger for my dinner - but little did I know it would be the first of many such meals (holiday belly anyone?!) as veggie options in tourist land is minimals :'( Took a trip to The Mob Museum while we had some tourist time, pretty scary bunch! Bumped into Liverpool peeps on the bus! Saw The Beatles Cirque Du Soleil show Love at The Mirage, pretty cool and a MASSIVE margarita made me happy! haha took a stroll through The Bellagio and had a view of their impressive fountains from our hotel room... the hotel concierge Mary was a star, she helped us out getting around and then gave us a great last minute hotel room app which helped lots for the rest of our trip as we hadn't booked any other stays... on reflection I didn't really LOVE Vegas, I thought it was interesting, super lovely weather, a bit too much concrete and crazy... maybe I need to see a different side to it, a local's Vegas, or maybe I'm more of a Palm Springs kinda gal...
PALM SPRINGS a few people asked why we were going - that it was boring nothing to see town... but in fact our expectations were of a small desert hideout and we got what we wanted & more! pretty tired after a 5 hour drive from Vegas (via the cutest 50s roadside diner Peggy Sue's - recommended!) we arrived at Hotel Zoso after a recommend that came (one person removed, but still) from one Barry Manilow! A very brutalist concrete design from the outside but tres cute inside and the loveliest pool & hot tub action - those bubbles were just what the doctor ordered after that drive! I must mention it was my first drive in the US or indeed abroad - wrong side of the road does test your lane positioning and concentration but the classic rock radio got me thru... 'You Can Go Your Own Way' by Fleetwood Mac will forever mean Route 15 to California now! haha We got into PS pretty late but we went out & found dinner in a little Italian place opposite from the giant Marilyn Monroe statue across the street! There is no apparent reason for the MM but fabulous she is... We asked the waiter if there was anyplace open late for a beer on a Tuesday night and he sent us to gay-ville, it all looked pretty quiet so we were about to call it a night when karaoke at Street Bar caught my ear and that was it - SOLD! to the lady who likes to have a warble... These Boots / Nancy Sinatra thanks for asking ;) In said bar we met a few locals and also couple of lovely chaps holidaying from Birmingham, England! It's a small world... they told us we MUST do the cable car before we left for San Diego the next day... which is what we did - wow! Not great with heights me so I sat in the middle of the car as we rode up the mountain, but wow! what a view up there, and such thin air! crazy... beautiful... another recommend! I also papped my first fabulous California beard for the blog - thanks Sam!
I think I'd defo go back to Palms for a sunshiney Christmas break...
SAN DIEGO after acclimatising to the desert heat we were FREEZING when we got to SD - just 23 degrees and on the coast! booo! had to wear a jumper! haha we were glad to have a day off from driving, out hotel was very central and SD very walkable so we took advantage... Found a great little bar in the Gas Lamp District on 4th called The Lincoln Room... nice people, nice music, nice beer #winning :) Next day we took in some art & later took a ferry to Coronado and saw the hotel where they filmed Some Like It Hot - gawgus! I also managed to get another great beard for the beard blog and some seriously indecent 'Dorothy' shoes for my birthday! On the way to LA we popped into La Jolla to see another gallery and M tried to park the car on a lamppost #crunch eek! tbf the curb was very high... #ahem
LA is HUGE! I don't know why I expected anything in America not to be huge but there you go... we stayed right in the centre of Hollywood at the Hotel Roosevelt... We didn't know the history of the hotel but it was built in 1927 and apparently Marilyn Monroe and all the big Hollywood names stayed there, it's very old school glamourous, very easy on the eye!
First thing we did was go get something to eat - just a takeout across the street but we eyed up all the stars on the sidewalk, most you've never even heard of but a few favourites, including one Nancy Sinatra right outside the hotel! A couple of friends of mine live in LA so we were less left to our own devices than usual but I think given the size of the place this was for the best! We went to a few local bars with my pal PJ - a piano bar on Selma, St Felix and The Beauty Bar around the corner from there... pretty cool, tho it wasn't a late night after driving all day... Next day I got sent a really cool tourist map by none other than my favourite artist Todd White! He knew I was new to LA and gave us the best places to see including Melrose Ave and invited us to see his gallery way up in the sticks...
First thing first tho, we got breakfast bagels and tea from the coffee shop next to the hotel and went for a little mid morning pool side chillaxing :)) This Is The Life. Boy oh boy, the sun was shining hot, I had a dip in the glamourous pool.. I coulda stayed all day right there. But we had to go see Santa Monica! haha Which I loved!!! Very nice, tho the parking is a beast!!! We got stung (even after being warned by our plane pal Bill about LA parking nightmares! damn!) when we stopped to look in a cool looking junk shop, we didn't understand the signs/ meter and got busted about 3 minutes before we got back in the car - we stopped for about 15! omg! let this be a lesson to you! So when we cruised down to SM we knew we better get the parking right or it would be an expensive day out! We got a space right outside Hooters! #winning haha M wanted to go eat there and I was asking the universe for a car to our right to pull out and leave us a space... and it did just that! AMAZING! thankyou universe!! Had a stroll around, made my obligatory overseas trip to H&M even tho I've kind of fallen in love with American Apparel (it's ok H&M I can't really afford AA anyway haha) got some groovy sunnies and a purse... shopped out we went back the hotel to get ready for a big night out at the LA Roller Derby! Wow! those girls are MEAN! haha as if mean girls on roller skates wasn't enough fun, we bumped into the LA Beard contingent! I was much saddened to hear that the weekend after we left would be host to the LA Beard Championships!!! But at least I got to see some fantastic beards prepped for the big event ;) Sunday we had to check out & hit the road again, so we went for a stroll down on Venice Beach (a little more like Blackpool that I'd anticipated! And not in a good way haha) and then onto Todd White's private LA gallery an hour out of town... we NEARLY came unstuck not having a satnav on this little excursion but somehow we got there and back to the highway without too many u-turns... The gallery was awesome, filled with White work and Todd and his family (it was Father's Day and he still took time out to show us the gallery - what a sweetheart!!!) were so welcoming and made a fuss over my WHITE tattoo :)) He gave me a copy of his coffee table book which is FABULOUS!!! and gave me some other merch in appreciation of my lifetime commitment to his work #amazing
*sighs*
So then we hit the road again and he made us promise to go see Hearst Castle and Carmel on our trip north...
ROUTE 1 and BIG SUR (or Just Don't Mention Oxnard!!!) We had a list of places we wanted to see and lot of space to fill inbetween which we figured would fill itself.. and boy! Didn't it just! We knew we wanted to stick to the coast road Route 1 going north and come back south on the quicker Highway 101, but somehow we got a little confused because our maps were a little fuzzy on the detail.. haha #hindsight is a wonderful thing ;) So after a 2 hour detour round Oxnard... (seriously, NEVER go there, it's like the Bermuda Triangle or something! Patience tested to the MAX! haha) we got to San Louis Obispa around 10pm Sunday night and booked into The infamous Madonna Inn, taking a horsey themed room! ACTUAL bonkers is this place, the lady on the desk was borderline rude - but I guess the night shift sucks... each room has a theme and there are like 200 rooms... anyhoo after we checked into our room complete with carousel horse light fitting (!) we took to the cafe for a very late but very much needed bite to eat... and that is when we met Rob and Bob... Oh my goodness what fabulous fortune for us all :) Turns out our dinner neighbours had been up the coast on a wine tasting session, driving home to Malibu they were having some food... Remember it's still Father's Day and Rob is with dad Bob having some together time... Rob was very sweet, very chatty, Bob was more interested in the food, but at some point he perked up and was quite the smoothie, telling me that when I got to wearing those new birthday shoes to forget wearing anything else! haha And by the way, the Madonna Inn cafe is open to non-residents so please do pop in if you're passing by - the food was great and this place invented kitsch! wow, that was some decor! Fancypants is not the word! haha
In the morning we grabbed a little poolside time and then hit the cafe for a huge brekkie before our BIG day of driving...
Many people by this time had told us that heading north on 1 we really ought to see Hearst Castle at San Simeon, so off we went! We had no idea what to expect but my goodness what a sight! This guy Hearst was a big deal in the 30s in Hollywood and owned a load of newspapers and radio stations, a Murdoch type character I suppose... He built his own version of a European Villa way up on the hillside at San Simeon where the climate was tres fabulous and it is quite the most ridic OTT holiday home you'll ever see! haha Wall to wall with ancient antiques, the highlights were the private cinema and the outdoor pool - I asked one of the stewards if they EVER got used because what a waste of such a beautiful pool with people just looking at it and he said generous benefactors of the national park would get invited to use it sometimes or the Hearst family occasionally... but I reckon its a shame...
On the road again we went thru Big Sur and the surrounding coastal scene - JAW DROPPING views, I'm a sucker for a good coast scene and since it was my leg as passenger I got to gawp out the window and drool at the gorgeous colours, textures and delightful sights on offer while my poor pal grappled with hairpin turns and angry locals stuck behind forced to do the speed limit! haha
We reached Carmel about dinner time and asked a local cable guy where we could get some cheap eats, he directed us to Bruno's Deli where we found takeaway pizza and ate it down on the beach... we could see why Americans would rave about Carmel, (Clint Eastwood was once mayor! haha) because it was very quaint, low rise and pretty unlike a lot of newer towns I guess, but we felt it was unfriendly and stuck up... the beach was a little chilly but pretty and we enjoyed our pit stop before heading back to the highway with Santa Barbara our destination!
SANTA BARBARA this leg was the longest drive and I undertook it with many confectionery supplies at my reach! Notwithstanding tiredness and a couple of close calls with the US traffic police* it was alright, after dark in the countryside was a little hairy in places when the mist settled at eye-level but nothing this girl couldn't handle! The classic rock on the local dial was our friend and when that failed we chatted about life the universe and everything (relationships #obvs, we're chicks remember! haha) I think it took us from 7pm in Carmel to Santa B just before Midnight (like a quarter to!) and I did give up the wheel in the last hour due to sheer exhaustion and grumpiness haha (I could NEVER see an In & Out Burger until we PASSED the exit darnit!). The hotel was interesting. Not such a great stay as we'd been used to, but we were so tired it didn't matter too much and the gal on the desk was the loveliest lady who told us of her stays with a friend in Blackburn if my memory serves me correctly! We gave ourselves a much deserved lie-in the next day and then drove into town with some shopping advice from the very friendly desk staff and a use of their 'business centre' (aka a computer, printer & fax (!) in a small room haha) to print directions to our next destination, Ventura.
What a lovely lovely place Santa Barbara is! We had very low expectations, people gave us such a dim view of it, why go there, nothing to see.. in fact there was a cute shopping area, a lovely pier/ marina area with #standard palm trees along the beach - whats not to love? They forget we don't have that shizzle in the UK, that this is in fact what we expect from our California trip! The 'burbs suited us fine! haha A trip to the Betty Page Store later and we hit the road again, this time a delightful single hour in the car :)) #thankgoodness
VENTURA we hit this very small beach town to meet up with another stateside friend of mine, else we would not have thought to stop there... but very glad we did! Another little trip into old school America, high street filled with shops bars and thrift stores (thankfully all closed but we'll get to why thankfully in a moment! ha). We had gathered lots of momentos from our trip thus far and hometime was looming. How to fit said trophies into such small luggage allowance was beginning to look like quite the task... (THANKS Virgin Atlantic and I DON'T think! ha) so we set ourselves time to take it on... and boy did we need it! We emptied everything out on the beds and got to it #ruthless style! haha about 2 hours later we had very very bulging cases and needed a beer! haha We wandered into town and dropped into Star Lounge. Later we learned this was the only 'dive bar' in town. Suits us really haha. We loved it! We drank beer, ate popcorn for dinner and played pool, chatting with the locals who were curious about the accents and abused the jukebox with Beatles and Madonna! #quality We skidaddled when one punter started a little gay-bashing (not cool brother) plus we were getting tipsy and had to meet my friend! One bump-into-in-a-lift later, all caught up with my guitar playing pal R, we ditched Ventura for the bigcity once more!
LA so imagine being in my shoes (and they're always fabulous darling haha)... I've been on the road for 9 days and taken in so many places I'm not sure what day it is or where I am exactly! haha We arrived back in the city of angels on Wednesday and hit Universal Studios. Now I'm no theme park fan but I am a movie fan and I was led to believe you see the backstage area, and I guess you do and I guess it was kinda fun going on the tour in the buggy with the 'shock' bits... but I was undewhelmed, and given it's so pricey I couldn't recommend it.. my pal however LOVED it! We waited over an hour for an admittedly awesome Transformers 3D rollercoaster but dudes! Sort that system out, it just sucks! After we were worn out by the heat queues and excitement we went to see another local pal of mine, an ex-pat who lives and works in LA. His digs are near to the infamous Chateau Marmont Hotel and has fancy neighbours like Sandra Bullock and Cameron Diaz which was interesting but mostly we were glad of a sit down and cuppa on his lovely balcony with a view across LA... we'd found a hotel over near Wilshire so we checked in and then met my other LA pal for one final beer in Cali. She took us to The Village Idiot on Melrose, nice place, very proper pub for US standards ;)
For our last day in town we met up with my actor friend for lunch in the Urth Cafe in Beverly Hills - tres cool! Recommend this for hanging out and having a nice healthy feed! After a LOT of on-the-road food this was needed! Then we headed to the airport - grappling with local advice on how to avoid the main freeway to LAX (gotta love the local info re traffic jams!)...
1300 MILES LATER... Exhausted but happy we sat at LAX waiting for our flight home, we will be back California, don't know when don't know how, but one day!
In hindsight another week woulda been perfect but who has that kinda holiday allocation/ cash! haha Probably THE BEST holiday of my entire life. Just so much fun. So many laughs. So many experiences. And all with a great mate. Who only laughed at my grumpy tired persona once! #friendforlife
*both of these are hilarious in retrospect but at the time horrifying haha first time on the 101 Southbound we saw lots of 'patrol by radar' signs and the limit was a tedious 60mph so I got all outta control and drove 65/70mph for a very short period of time - thing is my friends back home who had done similar trips had ALL been done for speeding so I was wary despite always being the slowest on the road... Zipping along we see a patrol chopper up above lights flashing and I got that panic jolt in the stomach and slowed right down haha 'oh no, we got busted' I thought... nope it was some wagon with a cop car up ahead #phew !!!
how my co-pilot chuckled at my ashen face regain colour haha later she would pay for such schadenfreude ! when we arrived in SB we were on a dark side street looking for the entrance to the hotel (and it's late, I'm painting a kinder picture than I might haha) when a car comes at us from the right. Now we have right of way but for some reason M decides to slam on the brakes incase this car is about to run into her. It's a cop car hahaha in between gaffaws I'm saying 'just drive we have right of way' so then we're crawling - cos the hotel is literally a few hundred yards away - with this cop car behind thinking 'tsk, more no-clue tourists' and us thinking, 'that's it, we're for it now!' haha oh how we laughed. at least i think we did... it's fuzzy... ;)
me and my friend M had two nights in Vegas then a hire car (Christina Corolla we called her haha) to take us across Southern California... here, friends, is the tale of this most excellent roadtrip!!!
VEGAS is one of those places you just have to see for yourself... I had some idea of it from movies and hearsay etc but I was still taken by surprise by my first experience of the sin city in the desert... first of all it's startling to see a Pyramid from the landing strip... most times when you fly someplace you're an hour away from the sights, but across the afternoon sizzle there she was! we shared a cab with plane buddy Bill who dropped us off at VDara Hotel and wouldn't take any money - how lovely! The cabby told us it was a big rave weekend in Vegas which explained the hundreds of space cadet youths at our hotel haha luckily Big Electric Daisy or whatever its called was sold out so we couldn't party dusk til dawn (truth is it was NOT that kind of holiday!). VDara is a great hotel and spa in the middle of the famous Vegas strip, it is unusual in that it has no gambling - me likey! enjoyed a cold beer by the pool and then went for a look around our neighbourhood... Lots of begging types in superhero and cartoon costumes posing for pics with tourists and then asking for dollars... Lots of begging on the street types too.. I guess they don't show that in the movies! VERY BIG! Lots of walking around in 40 degree heat made me a tired girl so I was glad of a large cola and veggie burger for my dinner - but little did I know it would be the first of many such meals (holiday belly anyone?!) as veggie options in tourist land is minimals :'( Took a trip to The Mob Museum while we had some tourist time, pretty scary bunch! Bumped into Liverpool peeps on the bus! Saw The Beatles Cirque Du Soleil show Love at The Mirage, pretty cool and a MASSIVE margarita made me happy! haha took a stroll through The Bellagio and had a view of their impressive fountains from our hotel room... the hotel concierge Mary was a star, she helped us out getting around and then gave us a great last minute hotel room app which helped lots for the rest of our trip as we hadn't booked any other stays... on reflection I didn't really LOVE Vegas, I thought it was interesting, super lovely weather, a bit too much concrete and crazy... maybe I need to see a different side to it, a local's Vegas, or maybe I'm more of a Palm Springs kinda gal...
PALM SPRINGS a few people asked why we were going - that it was boring nothing to see town... but in fact our expectations were of a small desert hideout and we got what we wanted & more! pretty tired after a 5 hour drive from Vegas (via the cutest 50s roadside diner Peggy Sue's - recommended!) we arrived at Hotel Zoso after a recommend that came (one person removed, but still) from one Barry Manilow! A very brutalist concrete design from the outside but tres cute inside and the loveliest pool & hot tub action - those bubbles were just what the doctor ordered after that drive! I must mention it was my first drive in the US or indeed abroad - wrong side of the road does test your lane positioning and concentration but the classic rock radio got me thru... 'You Can Go Your Own Way' by Fleetwood Mac will forever mean Route 15 to California now! haha We got into PS pretty late but we went out & found dinner in a little Italian place opposite from the giant Marilyn Monroe statue across the street! There is no apparent reason for the MM but fabulous she is... We asked the waiter if there was anyplace open late for a beer on a Tuesday night and he sent us to gay-ville, it all looked pretty quiet so we were about to call it a night when karaoke at Street Bar caught my ear and that was it - SOLD! to the lady who likes to have a warble... These Boots / Nancy Sinatra thanks for asking ;) In said bar we met a few locals and also couple of lovely chaps holidaying from Birmingham, England! It's a small world... they told us we MUST do the cable car before we left for San Diego the next day... which is what we did - wow! Not great with heights me so I sat in the middle of the car as we rode up the mountain, but wow! what a view up there, and such thin air! crazy... beautiful... another recommend! I also papped my first fabulous California beard for the blog - thanks Sam!
I think I'd defo go back to Palms for a sunshiney Christmas break...
SAN DIEGO after acclimatising to the desert heat we were FREEZING when we got to SD - just 23 degrees and on the coast! booo! had to wear a jumper! haha we were glad to have a day off from driving, out hotel was very central and SD very walkable so we took advantage... Found a great little bar in the Gas Lamp District on 4th called The Lincoln Room... nice people, nice music, nice beer #winning :) Next day we took in some art & later took a ferry to Coronado and saw the hotel where they filmed Some Like It Hot - gawgus! I also managed to get another great beard for the beard blog and some seriously indecent 'Dorothy' shoes for my birthday! On the way to LA we popped into La Jolla to see another gallery and M tried to park the car on a lamppost #crunch eek! tbf the curb was very high... #ahem
LA is HUGE! I don't know why I expected anything in America not to be huge but there you go... we stayed right in the centre of Hollywood at the Hotel Roosevelt... We didn't know the history of the hotel but it was built in 1927 and apparently Marilyn Monroe and all the big Hollywood names stayed there, it's very old school glamourous, very easy on the eye!
First thing we did was go get something to eat - just a takeout across the street but we eyed up all the stars on the sidewalk, most you've never even heard of but a few favourites, including one Nancy Sinatra right outside the hotel! A couple of friends of mine live in LA so we were less left to our own devices than usual but I think given the size of the place this was for the best! We went to a few local bars with my pal PJ - a piano bar on Selma, St Felix and The Beauty Bar around the corner from there... pretty cool, tho it wasn't a late night after driving all day... Next day I got sent a really cool tourist map by none other than my favourite artist Todd White! He knew I was new to LA and gave us the best places to see including Melrose Ave and invited us to see his gallery way up in the sticks...
First thing first tho, we got breakfast bagels and tea from the coffee shop next to the hotel and went for a little mid morning pool side chillaxing :)) This Is The Life. Boy oh boy, the sun was shining hot, I had a dip in the glamourous pool.. I coulda stayed all day right there. But we had to go see Santa Monica! haha Which I loved!!! Very nice, tho the parking is a beast!!! We got stung (even after being warned by our plane pal Bill about LA parking nightmares! damn!) when we stopped to look in a cool looking junk shop, we didn't understand the signs/ meter and got busted about 3 minutes before we got back in the car - we stopped for about 15! omg! let this be a lesson to you! So when we cruised down to SM we knew we better get the parking right or it would be an expensive day out! We got a space right outside Hooters! #winning haha M wanted to go eat there and I was asking the universe for a car to our right to pull out and leave us a space... and it did just that! AMAZING! thankyou universe!! Had a stroll around, made my obligatory overseas trip to H&M even tho I've kind of fallen in love with American Apparel (it's ok H&M I can't really afford AA anyway haha) got some groovy sunnies and a purse... shopped out we went back the hotel to get ready for a big night out at the LA Roller Derby! Wow! those girls are MEAN! haha as if mean girls on roller skates wasn't enough fun, we bumped into the LA Beard contingent! I was much saddened to hear that the weekend after we left would be host to the LA Beard Championships!!! But at least I got to see some fantastic beards prepped for the big event ;) Sunday we had to check out & hit the road again, so we went for a stroll down on Venice Beach (a little more like Blackpool that I'd anticipated! And not in a good way haha) and then onto Todd White's private LA gallery an hour out of town... we NEARLY came unstuck not having a satnav on this little excursion but somehow we got there and back to the highway without too many u-turns... The gallery was awesome, filled with White work and Todd and his family (it was Father's Day and he still took time out to show us the gallery - what a sweetheart!!!) were so welcoming and made a fuss over my WHITE tattoo :)) He gave me a copy of his coffee table book which is FABULOUS!!! and gave me some other merch in appreciation of my lifetime commitment to his work #amazing
*sighs*
So then we hit the road again and he made us promise to go see Hearst Castle and Carmel on our trip north...
ROUTE 1 and BIG SUR (or Just Don't Mention Oxnard!!!) We had a list of places we wanted to see and lot of space to fill inbetween which we figured would fill itself.. and boy! Didn't it just! We knew we wanted to stick to the coast road Route 1 going north and come back south on the quicker Highway 101, but somehow we got a little confused because our maps were a little fuzzy on the detail.. haha #hindsight is a wonderful thing ;) So after a 2 hour detour round Oxnard... (seriously, NEVER go there, it's like the Bermuda Triangle or something! Patience tested to the MAX! haha) we got to San Louis Obispa around 10pm Sunday night and booked into The infamous Madonna Inn, taking a horsey themed room! ACTUAL bonkers is this place, the lady on the desk was borderline rude - but I guess the night shift sucks... each room has a theme and there are like 200 rooms... anyhoo after we checked into our room complete with carousel horse light fitting (!) we took to the cafe for a very late but very much needed bite to eat... and that is when we met Rob and Bob... Oh my goodness what fabulous fortune for us all :) Turns out our dinner neighbours had been up the coast on a wine tasting session, driving home to Malibu they were having some food... Remember it's still Father's Day and Rob is with dad Bob having some together time... Rob was very sweet, very chatty, Bob was more interested in the food, but at some point he perked up and was quite the smoothie, telling me that when I got to wearing those new birthday shoes to forget wearing anything else! haha And by the way, the Madonna Inn cafe is open to non-residents so please do pop in if you're passing by - the food was great and this place invented kitsch! wow, that was some decor! Fancypants is not the word! haha
In the morning we grabbed a little poolside time and then hit the cafe for a huge brekkie before our BIG day of driving...
Many people by this time had told us that heading north on 1 we really ought to see Hearst Castle at San Simeon, so off we went! We had no idea what to expect but my goodness what a sight! This guy Hearst was a big deal in the 30s in Hollywood and owned a load of newspapers and radio stations, a Murdoch type character I suppose... He built his own version of a European Villa way up on the hillside at San Simeon where the climate was tres fabulous and it is quite the most ridic OTT holiday home you'll ever see! haha Wall to wall with ancient antiques, the highlights were the private cinema and the outdoor pool - I asked one of the stewards if they EVER got used because what a waste of such a beautiful pool with people just looking at it and he said generous benefactors of the national park would get invited to use it sometimes or the Hearst family occasionally... but I reckon its a shame...
On the road again we went thru Big Sur and the surrounding coastal scene - JAW DROPPING views, I'm a sucker for a good coast scene and since it was my leg as passenger I got to gawp out the window and drool at the gorgeous colours, textures and delightful sights on offer while my poor pal grappled with hairpin turns and angry locals stuck behind forced to do the speed limit! haha
We reached Carmel about dinner time and asked a local cable guy where we could get some cheap eats, he directed us to Bruno's Deli where we found takeaway pizza and ate it down on the beach... we could see why Americans would rave about Carmel, (Clint Eastwood was once mayor! haha) because it was very quaint, low rise and pretty unlike a lot of newer towns I guess, but we felt it was unfriendly and stuck up... the beach was a little chilly but pretty and we enjoyed our pit stop before heading back to the highway with Santa Barbara our destination!
SANTA BARBARA this leg was the longest drive and I undertook it with many confectionery supplies at my reach! Notwithstanding tiredness and a couple of close calls with the US traffic police* it was alright, after dark in the countryside was a little hairy in places when the mist settled at eye-level but nothing this girl couldn't handle! The classic rock on the local dial was our friend and when that failed we chatted about life the universe and everything (relationships #obvs, we're chicks remember! haha) I think it took us from 7pm in Carmel to Santa B just before Midnight (like a quarter to!) and I did give up the wheel in the last hour due to sheer exhaustion and grumpiness haha (I could NEVER see an In & Out Burger until we PASSED the exit darnit!). The hotel was interesting. Not such a great stay as we'd been used to, but we were so tired it didn't matter too much and the gal on the desk was the loveliest lady who told us of her stays with a friend in Blackburn if my memory serves me correctly! We gave ourselves a much deserved lie-in the next day and then drove into town with some shopping advice from the very friendly desk staff and a use of their 'business centre' (aka a computer, printer & fax (!) in a small room haha) to print directions to our next destination, Ventura.
What a lovely lovely place Santa Barbara is! We had very low expectations, people gave us such a dim view of it, why go there, nothing to see.. in fact there was a cute shopping area, a lovely pier/ marina area with #standard palm trees along the beach - whats not to love? They forget we don't have that shizzle in the UK, that this is in fact what we expect from our California trip! The 'burbs suited us fine! haha A trip to the Betty Page Store later and we hit the road again, this time a delightful single hour in the car :)) #thankgoodness
VENTURA we hit this very small beach town to meet up with another stateside friend of mine, else we would not have thought to stop there... but very glad we did! Another little trip into old school America, high street filled with shops bars and thrift stores (thankfully all closed but we'll get to why thankfully in a moment! ha). We had gathered lots of momentos from our trip thus far and hometime was looming. How to fit said trophies into such small luggage allowance was beginning to look like quite the task... (THANKS Virgin Atlantic and I DON'T think! ha) so we set ourselves time to take it on... and boy did we need it! We emptied everything out on the beds and got to it #ruthless style! haha about 2 hours later we had very very bulging cases and needed a beer! haha We wandered into town and dropped into Star Lounge. Later we learned this was the only 'dive bar' in town. Suits us really haha. We loved it! We drank beer, ate popcorn for dinner and played pool, chatting with the locals who were curious about the accents and abused the jukebox with Beatles and Madonna! #quality We skidaddled when one punter started a little gay-bashing (not cool brother) plus we were getting tipsy and had to meet my friend! One bump-into-in-a-lift later, all caught up with my guitar playing pal R, we ditched Ventura for the bigcity once more!
LA so imagine being in my shoes (and they're always fabulous darling haha)... I've been on the road for 9 days and taken in so many places I'm not sure what day it is or where I am exactly! haha We arrived back in the city of angels on Wednesday and hit Universal Studios. Now I'm no theme park fan but I am a movie fan and I was led to believe you see the backstage area, and I guess you do and I guess it was kinda fun going on the tour in the buggy with the 'shock' bits... but I was undewhelmed, and given it's so pricey I couldn't recommend it.. my pal however LOVED it! We waited over an hour for an admittedly awesome Transformers 3D rollercoaster but dudes! Sort that system out, it just sucks! After we were worn out by the heat queues and excitement we went to see another local pal of mine, an ex-pat who lives and works in LA. His digs are near to the infamous Chateau Marmont Hotel and has fancy neighbours like Sandra Bullock and Cameron Diaz which was interesting but mostly we were glad of a sit down and cuppa on his lovely balcony with a view across LA... we'd found a hotel over near Wilshire so we checked in and then met my other LA pal for one final beer in Cali. She took us to The Village Idiot on Melrose, nice place, very proper pub for US standards ;)
For our last day in town we met up with my actor friend for lunch in the Urth Cafe in Beverly Hills - tres cool! Recommend this for hanging out and having a nice healthy feed! After a LOT of on-the-road food this was needed! Then we headed to the airport - grappling with local advice on how to avoid the main freeway to LAX (gotta love the local info re traffic jams!)...
1300 MILES LATER... Exhausted but happy we sat at LAX waiting for our flight home, we will be back California, don't know when don't know how, but one day!
In hindsight another week woulda been perfect but who has that kinda holiday allocation/ cash! haha Probably THE BEST holiday of my entire life. Just so much fun. So many laughs. So many experiences. And all with a great mate. Who only laughed at my grumpy tired persona once! #friendforlife
*both of these are hilarious in retrospect but at the time horrifying haha first time on the 101 Southbound we saw lots of 'patrol by radar' signs and the limit was a tedious 60mph so I got all outta control and drove 65/70mph for a very short period of time - thing is my friends back home who had done similar trips had ALL been done for speeding so I was wary despite always being the slowest on the road... Zipping along we see a patrol chopper up above lights flashing and I got that panic jolt in the stomach and slowed right down haha 'oh no, we got busted' I thought... nope it was some wagon with a cop car up ahead #phew !!!
how my co-pilot chuckled at my ashen face regain colour haha later she would pay for such schadenfreude ! when we arrived in SB we were on a dark side street looking for the entrance to the hotel (and it's late, I'm painting a kinder picture than I might haha) when a car comes at us from the right. Now we have right of way but for some reason M decides to slam on the brakes incase this car is about to run into her. It's a cop car hahaha in between gaffaws I'm saying 'just drive we have right of way' so then we're crawling - cos the hotel is literally a few hundred yards away - with this cop car behind thinking 'tsk, more no-clue tourists' and us thinking, 'that's it, we're for it now!' haha oh how we laughed. at least i think we did... it's fuzzy... ;)
Friday, July 27, 2012
fame at last!
a few months ago telly people came to my workplace (a UK radio station) and filmed me at work with a local business... I sort of forgot about it but it was broadcast last night!
it was so nerve wracking doing my job while being filmed! you don't think about how much being watched doing something - anything - puts you off your game! ha
it was great fun getting messages from friends and family alerting me to my close up moment! plus i got to watch myself being quite bossy haha which is tres interesting... but I'm only bossy when I'm right... honest guv'nor! ;)
watch it here
it was so nerve wracking doing my job while being filmed! you don't think about how much being watched doing something - anything - puts you off your game! ha
it was great fun getting messages from friends and family alerting me to my close up moment! plus i got to watch myself being quite bossy haha which is tres interesting... but I'm only bossy when I'm right... honest guv'nor! ;)
watch it here
Monday, June 25, 2012
beardy backlog!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
California Dreamin'
Next month me and a galpal hit California! Well in fact Vegas first which is technically the state of Nevada, but really isn't it the playground of California (if all those movies are to be believed and who am I not to! hehe) ???
This is one of THOSE trips...
The sort of trip you always had in mind, but no money or no body to go with held it up until the day when a friend said - hey are you up for it then? and without hesitating to check the bank balance you say HELLLLL YEAAH! ;)
Soon I'll get to tread the sidewalk* of all those places I've heard about in songs, TV shows and movies, Vegas, Palm Springs, San Diego, Los Angeles, Malibu, Big Sur, Santa Barbara... there are TOO MANY places to see in our short trip but it is going to be WILD!!! (can you tell I'm a little excited?)
Also I'll get to visit the Todd White Gallery in LA which if you read my last post you'll know is the man behind my first ever tattoo just 2 weeks old!
If you have any Must Sees for me do leave a comment for me! I am planning on seeing Universal Studios, doing a trashy Where The Stars Live bus tour, some music and movie pilgrimage... I expect to come home exhausted, penniless and with California well and truly stamped on my soul!
*sidewalk - see I done my homework! it's like pavement but Amerciano ;)
This is one of THOSE trips...
The sort of trip you always had in mind, but no money or no body to go with held it up until the day when a friend said - hey are you up for it then? and without hesitating to check the bank balance you say HELLLLL YEAAH! ;)
Soon I'll get to tread the sidewalk* of all those places I've heard about in songs, TV shows and movies, Vegas, Palm Springs, San Diego, Los Angeles, Malibu, Big Sur, Santa Barbara... there are TOO MANY places to see in our short trip but it is going to be WILD!!! (can you tell I'm a little excited?)
Also I'll get to visit the Todd White Gallery in LA which if you read my last post you'll know is the man behind my first ever tattoo just 2 weeks old!
If you have any Must Sees for me do leave a comment for me! I am planning on seeing Universal Studios, doing a trashy Where The Stars Live bus tour, some music and movie pilgrimage... I expect to come home exhausted, penniless and with California well and truly stamped on my soul!
*sidewalk - see I done my homework! it's like pavement but Amerciano ;)
Saturday, May 05, 2012
Inked!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
sound city
tis a small planet. and Liverpool is a small city. full of people I'm more than likely less than 6 degrees separated from! I went for a couple of pale ales at the White Star pub this weekend and got chatting to a couple of neighbours (as I am oft to do) and they only had been in the same pub as me the night before seeing the same great rock covers band play!
having been away from Liverpool for many years I am really enojying its thriving live music scene while I'm based here, need to get out in Manc more too, the North West is aces for guitar pop and rock wot I likes #winning
this weekend alone I saw Sea Witches/ Stealing Sheep/ The Loose Moose String Band/ Fonetiks/ Muto Leo/ The Mono LPs/ The Hummingbirds and The Lowtones! :D
My ears are full!
having been away from Liverpool for many years I am really enojying its thriving live music scene while I'm based here, need to get out in Manc more too, the North West is aces for guitar pop and rock wot I likes #winning
this weekend alone I saw Sea Witches/ Stealing Sheep/ The Loose Moose String Band/ Fonetiks/ Muto Leo/ The Mono LPs/ The Hummingbirds and The Lowtones! :D
My ears are full!
Thursday, March 01, 2012
what a difference a day makes
You know I do believe you can make every day count in this life of ours... but I didn't expect my February 29th 2012 to be quite so productive!
I wrote a song a few weeks ago, a what-if scenario, if I wanted to propose on Valentines Day or Leap Day how would it sound in a song? just a little fun, then yesterday I thought I'd share my demo with my friends online via my SoundCloud/ Facebook & Twitter because it was Leap Day and it seemed relevant...
Next thing I know, today my friend has makes me a video and plays me on the radio! #amazing
So here it is... just a work in progress really for me as a newbie songwriter but pleasant enough and I'm hoping the catalyst to some lovely proposals across the land! (I better get some wedding invites asap! haha)
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
it's your movie
last year I read a book called The Four Agreements by some dude who knows about the Toltec Wisdom.. with me so far? ;)
I love and loathe self help in healthy proportion.. I think he who thinks he knows it all knows nothing but also that anyone selling something is, well, selling something! ha
in this instance I read it once and was unimpressed. then later in the year with some persuading by the fella to read it again found it incredibly helpful! whatsthatabout?!
so the premise is this: you have learned bad habits, behaviours and attitude that are making you unhappy. that you are master of your own destiny and nothing can hurt you unless you allow it!
of course there are always exceptions to the (4) rules but at the time I was having trouble with someone I had to work with and had to figure a way thru (which is always the best way out!). the book reminded me that I am the star of my own movie and I decide who what where when (for the most part) so to get to work with making it go my way - nobody else will ever have your interests at heart like you do! empathy is humanity but we are not altruists as a species...
the 4 agreements are:
Be impeccable with your word - that is don't be negative about yourself or anyone else, the power of words is stronger than you ever give it credit for!
Don't take anything personally - most of the time if someone says something or behaves in a way that upsets you it's more than likely to be about them and you should shrug it off as such..
Don't make assumptions - when you assume something most times you'll misunderstand which leads to conflict..
Always do your best - what more can you do? and if you have a day when you don't manage it - just try again tomorrow :)
awesome. simple. effective!!!
like the dude who bought Remington's I loved the book so much I bought it for all my friends for Xmas* and can't recommend it enough to you dear reader... unless you know everything of course in which case you know what I think of that! ;) haha
*most of whom haven't read it yet despite my protests... but they will pick it up eventually and then they will thank me! haha
I love and loathe self help in healthy proportion.. I think he who thinks he knows it all knows nothing but also that anyone selling something is, well, selling something! ha
in this instance I read it once and was unimpressed. then later in the year with some persuading by the fella to read it again found it incredibly helpful! whatsthatabout?!
so the premise is this: you have learned bad habits, behaviours and attitude that are making you unhappy. that you are master of your own destiny and nothing can hurt you unless you allow it!
of course there are always exceptions to the (4) rules but at the time I was having trouble with someone I had to work with and had to figure a way thru (which is always the best way out!). the book reminded me that I am the star of my own movie and I decide who what where when (for the most part) so to get to work with making it go my way - nobody else will ever have your interests at heart like you do! empathy is humanity but we are not altruists as a species...
the 4 agreements are:
Be impeccable with your word - that is don't be negative about yourself or anyone else, the power of words is stronger than you ever give it credit for!
Don't take anything personally - most of the time if someone says something or behaves in a way that upsets you it's more than likely to be about them and you should shrug it off as such..
Don't make assumptions - when you assume something most times you'll misunderstand which leads to conflict..
Always do your best - what more can you do? and if you have a day when you don't manage it - just try again tomorrow :)
awesome. simple. effective!!!
like the dude who bought Remington's I loved the book so much I bought it for all my friends for Xmas* and can't recommend it enough to you dear reader... unless you know everything of course in which case you know what I think of that! ;) haha
*most of whom haven't read it yet despite my protests... but they will pick it up eventually and then they will thank me! haha
Thursday, February 02, 2012
beards: they grow on you
I do a beard blog and so if you have any interest in the hairy ones please enjoy my quirky past time here :)
Monday, January 23, 2012
The Artist - believe the hype!
I am not one to get behind a PR machine and I defo was sceptical about the hype this movie had around it - especially since they went for the ad campaign featuring 'happy customers' leaving cinemas.. other people do not encourage me to go see a movie! But then actually my dad said he wanted to go - so I went along, not expecting much... but how wrong could I be?!
This movie is WONDERFUL! having studied the subject of language a little, and worked with it in part for my job writing scripts, the fact that this movie is SILENT speaks volumes about the much bandied-about stat that 85% of human communications are non-verbal -- which is why it makes it so difficult to explain to someone how amazing this movie is! haha they're a victim of their own success at being non-verbal! a movie that makes you FEEL something... and something that you're not used to feeling... something, non-verbal in a world with verbal diarrhoea!! priceless!
As an average Joe I don't go see all movies at the cinema, it's too time consuming and expensive... but this movie is worth well up to £10 - SEE IT!
I know you will love it and your heart will be warmed (if you still have one) haha ;)
Friday, January 13, 2012
stop me if you've heard this before...
but I am now officially Team Hummingbirds!!!
this bunch of talented young men from Liverpool kicked up a storm down The Cavern last night and frankly I think it's essential listening for anyone who will listen to me! haha
Listen to my current fav ditty of theirs here
and should you feel the need to know more find them at www.wearethehummingbirds.com
:D
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
2012
yikes! you know what they're all saying about 2012 don't you?
well if it IS really really the end of the world this year let's go out with a bang i say (and buy ourselves an airtight underground bunker to hide in until it's all over! eek!)
today i heard my brother's cat had died suddenly yesterday :(
now it's just a cat! and not even my own! but i felt really saddened #RIPHenry
nothing like a death in the family to make you embrace the NOW!
that is all.
go forth and prosper reader!
well if it IS really really the end of the world this year let's go out with a bang i say (and buy ourselves an airtight underground bunker to hide in until it's all over! eek!)
today i heard my brother's cat had died suddenly yesterday :(
now it's just a cat! and not even my own! but i felt really saddened #RIPHenry
nothing like a death in the family to make you embrace the NOW!
that is all.
go forth and prosper reader!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
