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headache of the unsuspecting
This ain't a weather blog, but really, what's up wiith the weather? I know it's spring, but one day it's rainy, then it's 85 degrees, then it's cold, then it's sunny, and we don't even know if it's gonna rain tomorrow. It's like being in England. Oh god, am I becoming a meteophobic Californian? J'espere que non. But anyway, on a completely different subject, if you were interested in hearing (but not necessarily in listening) then you might like to know that ceci n'est pas pete. A work in progress, forever. |
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21.4.07 09:37 |
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gold in tham thar hills
Watercolour, and pen; we went to Coloma today; this was where gold was invented. Sorry, I mean discovered. Gold Rush country, in the foothills, between placerville and auburn. It was nice to see hills. The american river. Cloudy, eventually rained. Nice picnic. Day trip with wife's work. Lots of old gold mining equipment, sutter's mill, little signs with historical facts (at least, i presume them to be facts), and several caterpillars and unusual spiders...i watched my head in the toilet, scared of black widows (i wore my hood actually, yes, i know, i have a problem).
And a teepee, made of wood.Or is it a wigwam? |
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22.4.07 07:04 |
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Yr 2, wk 82: No Picnic
It's the big event of the year for Davis, the one local event when everybody says, yes I should get myself down there for that. Picnic Day has been a feature of the UC Davis spring calendar for about ninety years. It is the largest student-organised open house event in the US, when the departments swing open their doors and put on all sorts of fun events, often involving animals (the university began as an agricultural school, and still has many resident cows, some of whom apparently have windows in their stomachs, which must be a pane in the arse). I had to miss last year's Picnic Day due to working - I still got to see the parade as it marched past the bookstore though - so I was really looking forward to this year's event. I particularly wanted to see the famous Battle of the Bands event, a band-off between marching bands that is apparently lots of fun. I never got to find out, though, because this year it pissed down, so we just said sod it, and went home. We did see the parade, though, marching past the bookshop - a surprising number of people took part, either covered up beneath layers of plastic, or braving the elements dressed up in whatever their department represents (the Classics dept, for example, were all robed in skimpy Roman togas). The legendary "California Aggie Marching Band-uh!" led the way (silly name, I know, but highly beloved and very popular - click here for a ridiculously long and detailed history of the organization), followed by all manner of madness, tractors and the like. My favourite paraders (apart from the giant cow) are the quirky wheeled contraptions invented by eccentric Davisites - you often see these guys around town, bobbing up and down on two great tires and the like. I should write a blog entry all about these guys, but other than the wierd spectacle and the odd sight downtown, I know nothing at all about them - they are as mysterious to me as a golf club to a pelican. Don't ask where that phrase just came from. We attempted to leave downtown Davis and cross the bollard divide into the land of the UC, where the real fun was to begin. I was interested in seeing the band-off, and the doxy derby (sausage dogs racing each other, I'm told), but the rain got the better of us. We tasted some brand new UC Davis olive oil, got some free vines at the viticulture and enology department (look the word up if you don't know what it means; I went for an interview with them once, and I thought it was something to do with insects), but couldn't bear to keep going. Some picnic. Still, I heard that it continued, albeit with most events cancelled. A few days later, I read a letter in the college newspaper from a rain-disgruntled student saying that Picnic Day should be moved to May. Despite the fact we've had hardly any rain this year, and that that it is usually very warm and sunny in mid April. Please. I was bummed it rained, but you know, these things sometimes happen. Honestly, this guy should be grateful - in England, if there's a picnic or a parade or a holiday of any kind, you expect it to rain. Sure, getting drenched was a downer, but it did kind of remind me of home. |
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25.4.07 07:02 |
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we have been At War for almost all of george's presidency...wouldn't you miss it if we weren't?
Why do they even bother... So the Senate has voted to stop US involvement in Iraq by this time next year, they have acted upon the wishes of the majority of the American public, they have defied King George's threats to use The Atomic Veto, and now we just have to sit and wait, in our Veto shelters with our anti-Veto suits and rations, for the Presidential Veto to come. And it will come, sure as eggs is eggs. Nancy Pelosi has called for the War Without End to be ended. Not that the War will End if US troops leave - not in the least; but at least US troops will no longer be dying in it. Oh no, the Administraitors don't want that though, that'll be seen as a defeat, their testosterone could not handle such shame, and for this reason they will not back down. And the Veto will come, amid Foxist declarations that the Senate is just trying to cut funding for the troops and putting the troops in terrible danger (a lot of people will buy into this, as well, because the media are very very convincing, and will fail to point out who actually put them in danger''s way in the first place). And it all comes down to money and dicks. The Veto will come, and the Senate will stamp its foot, and the King will smirk in his victory at the world cowering before his omnipotence, and hey, this is all part of the system the US has had in place for years, hey he can use The Veto, he has the Right, Amurr'cuh gave him the Right to be the Decider. Smirk smirk, pass the peanuts. And hey, we live in a d'mockercy, right? In which two houses of elected representatives of the people can waste all their time debating critical issues and waste all their efforts in voting, because one guy who has been proven to be wrong can just say, yeah, very nice, but I can't hear you la-la-la-la-la. One Man, One Veto, and he's the Man. Yeah, doesn't sound democratic to me. This was an interesting read in the guardian: fascist america in 10 easy steps. Tick the boxes (or rather, punch the hanging chads). |
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27.4.07 07:19 |
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up a certain creek
watercolour, micron pen; cor blimey, had a carl's jr, then zipped over to the arboretum to sit by putah creek in nigh-on-90 degree sunshine. Literally splashed the paint onto this one, and then added the pen; i normally do it the other way around. lots of ducks just off screen. above me, in the tree, an aggressive squirrel ("don't go giving me evils" ) and a startling blue jay have it out, and insect buzz around ("don't go giving me weavils" ) trying to knock over my water-pot. Big butterflies too, like small birds. Lunchtime whizzes by when you're at one with nature. |
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28.4.07 08:26 |
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april in the 90s
Wow, the Valley heat came back, and then some, up in the nineties past couple of days. Davis tonight was busy with fine art students from across northern CA showing off their pain and suffering in a display of ceramics. We went for a thai, followed by the movie Hot Fuzz, a good laugh, full of familiar faces and things. And lots of firearms, and old people with firearms. But the funniest thing was just after the film; we saw this group of three elderly ladies who had watched the movie right to the end of the credits, and despite sticking out like three extremely sore thumbs in a crowd of "yeah that was so funny but i can't understand what these english guys are saying" college kids, they looked liked and sounded like they thoroughly enjoyed it all. I overheard them in the lobby, talking about Wells, is it the smallest cathedral, or sorry did you say Wales...they were all English, so I interrupted, and told them Wells was traditionally the smallest English city, being little more than a village with a cathedral. They were an eccentric lot, from Putney and Archway (and surprised to hear we used to live there), friendly enough. But I just had visions in my head, from the movie, of little old ladies wielding kalashnikovs, and made for a quick exit. An eccentric momentary meeting of brits abroad. Oh. I switched on the TV earlier, and there was Jarvis, lord of sheffield, camberwell and paris, crooning on Dave Letterman's show. Tomorrow night, grr, he's playing in San Francisco, grr, at the Fillmore, grr, and I found out too late, grr, so there are no tickets left, grr. No Bay Area cool for me. I'll just stick out the heat. We may go to the Scottish Games in Woodland at some point. And next week, well, I'm going to LA. Where I'll be drinking Hennessey with Morrissey. On a beach out of reach somewhere very far away. |
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28.4.07 09:13 |
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a pink house on j street, sacramento
micron pen, watercolour, wh smith sketchbook (as ever); blimey, was it HOT today or what, 97 degrees F it was at one point, felt even hotter; we went to sac, fruitless search for clothing (it's all bleurghh), visit to the new store at the tower, then i hung out in midtown for a bit, record store, art store, pub, bus home. Sketched, of course: sat in the heat doing this for, like, ever. Nice old houses. One passer-by passing by remarked (complimentarily) that he couldn't draw straight lines with a ruler. Me neither, i responded, that's why i don't use one. Listening to joni mitchell album 'clouds' now. very nice. talk about chelsea morning. should be chelsea mourinho. |
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29.4.07 08:37 |
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thinking bloggers
I was pretty god at 'tag' at school (except we called it 'had', actually, at Goldbeater's); I could run reasonably fast, fall over and dodge the bullets, and if ever I got 'had' then I would very quickly pass it back to the 'hadder' before they knew what 'hadded' them. I'm surprised I didn't win some sort of scholarship for a major university's 'had' team, but since they don't exist it's not worth going down this avenue. Anyway, modern netblogereality vocabulary has 'tagged' as meaning something, and 'meme' as meaning something else, and it's something that's done, and that's all the dictionary says (mind you I'm using the baldrick dictionary, which lists 'dog' as 'not a cat' ). Anyway back to the issue. I've been 'tagged' by heather dmtskiing/g&teutonic in something intriguing called the Thinking Blogger Award. If you are 'tagged' you get to list five blogs that 'make you think'. And then link back to the original post (that'll be this), so people can find the original 'meme' (yes I'm almost lost). I'm not sure I can do this very well but I'm in a good mood so I'll put down the brush and give it a go.
An that'll do, I could name and name but this short multigeographic list will do for now. I'm tired from watching kilts and bagpipes in the sunshine. And so to bed. |
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30.4.07 09:22 |
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