Groggy...but Soooo Happy!

Well, I woke up at noon today, which is a bit better than my 2 O'clock rising yesterday. I'm still trying to get acclamated to the time and I don't want to spend my entire trip snoozing the days away. Murphy and I have been invited to a movie screening but I think I am going to pass and go to bed early so I can get up early and start the day fresh. We have a long day of Rugby, BBQ and then a party into the night, so I'm sitting this one out. We are having another house guest from the States who will be here all summer while Murphy is in Ireland. Paul arrives from Boston tomorrow and anyone from Beantown is a friend of mine. I am also going to be ducking in and out of the house all summer while I run around the continent. Speaking of, I found this great backpacker tour company called BUSABOUT which basically takes travelers all over Europe, books the hostel and then picks you up at your leisure! I think it is the same concept as OZ EXPERIENCE, which worked wonders for me when I was in Australia. I'm going to their office on Tuesday to book my trip. For more information on Busabout, go to www.busabout.com
Laters!

Luck and The Irish

What can one say about the one, the only, the infamous...Bernie Murphy. This guy is like the Pied Piper of fun! He's the kind of lad who just thinks of the word "party" and people from all over the globe will show up.

I met Murphy the summer of 1997 in Capitola, a sleepy little beach town about 60 miles South of San Francisco. He is originally from Kinvara, on the West Coast of Ireland and was visiting his mom while on break from University. We instantly hit it off and over the next few months would spend every weekend together, usually hosting visitors from Ireland or England, or hanging out with his work buddies at the beach or in San Francisco. And, once you are in Murphy's tribe, it's friends for life. Thank goodness because not only did he rescue me from a challenge yesterday, he was kind enough to give me a train pass, buy me a few beers and then take me out last night to meet with some local friend in Chelsea, a very posh part of the city. His friend Noel came in from Belfast, along with English Dan and another friend Lisa who just make a documentary short called "The Beholder" which was accepted at the Cannes Film Festival. Anyway, now I have three new friends, thanks to Murphy!

Right now, I'm sitting at his computer overlooking the London suburb of Streatham, about 20 minutes by train from the center of the city. It kind of reminds me of Brooklyn.It's a typical cute little house, long and narrow, with steep stairs right as you walk in and a cool back yard. There are 2 bedrooms, an office and a bathroom upstairs and living/dining rooms downstairs. My favorite is the kitchen because of the small appliances and the fact that the washer/dryer is all one unit, situated right next to the oven! There is also a piano, which I trust will be tickled by Bers all weekend. He has been kind enough to offer me the guest room, complete with electric blankie and a place to store my stuff while I travel this summer.

Tonight, we are going to a benefit for Tsunami victims (he works for Reuters) and then tomorrow night we are going to have a few people over for dinner. Saturday his friend arrives from Ireland and then off to a Rugby match in the afternoon, followed by a party in Central London. Mindy is still planning to come out, just later than she thought, so I may have more adventures with her yet. Tomorrow I'm going to start planning my trip by booking transport and accomodations. I'm sure I'll have more stories and hopefully some photos from the party tonight. LATERS!

Bloody Hell!

I was hoping this post would be entitled "London Baby...YEAH!" Alas, not today. Today I started my big trip with bad luck, bad form and just bad news all around. Turns out, because of a family emergency and subsequent mis-communication, Mindy didn't show up to London, I never got the message and when I showed up at the Ritz to check it, they had no record of either of us having made a reservation. I pretty much got tossed out of there with all of my bags, and sat on the corner of Picadilly and Arlington all red-faced and looking like a complete dufus. This is all during rush hour, so I was totally annoying everyone trying to walk past my duffle/backpack ensemble. So, no sleep, no place to go and no idea what to do...of course, I rang my darling Murphy and he came right to the rescue. I'm now sitting next to good ol' Bers in the Reuters building near Grenwich...this was after I dragged my crap on the Tube from Central London. Of course, I sat in the park and stared at Buckingham Palace for a half an hour. I wonder if the Queen would get chucked out of the Ritz? Nah, didn't think so. I would have booked a hostel too, but I just didn't know. First major lesson learned on this trip so far? NEVER rely on anyone to book your accomodation. If so, get a confirmation number and still have a back up. Thank Goodness for Murphy. I still haven't slept and probably won't for a while but there should be a pub around the corner so I can at least have a pint while I figure out my next move!

Airport

Going through the airport scene isn't really all that interesting, but I am always suprised at the lack of preparedness by the passengers. So, I will spare the boring stuff and just impart some words of wisdom.
First of all, know your airport. I left out of Orlando Intl. which is a big tourist destination, just like Vegas or Hawaii. In this type of place, it's important to remember that most travelers are not going to be well-versed in the airport game. It can be frustrating, but if you make sure you have your business sorted out, you won't have to make anyone wait for you.
You can be prepared by:
-GETTING THERE EARLY! Don't chance being late ever, because things can happen on the way and changing flights is a major pain.
-Checking your bags! While it's tempting to take the kitchen sink on board, it is a pain when there is too much overhead baggage and the entire flight has to be delayed.
-Go lean! Too much means too much time to inspect.
-Remember that you have to take off your shoes, so wear some that are easy to remove and put back on.
-Have your documents ready for inspection, along with I.D. No one wants to wait for you to shuffle through your bags looking for your paperwork.
-Be patient. Be early. Be nice. Security is a good thing and it's not their fault if it takes a while. You're life may depend on it.
-Bring dried fruit, nuts and bottle water. The airlines are charging for food these days and airport fare is very expensive.
-Bring a diversion, such as magazine or book and if possible, bring portable music. Don't bring your knitting equipment as they will toss it when you get through security. On that note, don't bring anything sharp at all, not even nail clippers.
-Bring on dollar bills on the flight, it helps the flight attendants, gets your your drink faster and scores you brownie points if you are jostling with your neighbor for the last blanket.
-For the flight, I also like to bring little socks, inflatable pillow, earplugs and eye cover. Especially on long flights. Just some creature comforts that are well appreciated when you are cold or your neighbor is snoring.
-Also, it's good to have a hooded sweatshirt because it can double as a blanket.
-Upon disembarking, let the people who seem to be in a hurry leave before you. They may have a meeting and it's never fun to sit at the turnstile waiting for your baggage anyway. Speaking of baggage, it's good to put some kind of marker on your bag, like a brightly colored scarf or tag. Everyone seems to have a black bag these days and you don't want to get back to your hotel to find that you are loaded up with someone's cricket uniform or Aunti Marge's support hose.
-Finally, don't try to be cute with immigration and customs. It's never fun to sit in the back office for hours trying to explain that you were "just joking" about that time when the national football team lost the world cup.

Time to Fly

Well, folks...today's the day I say goodbye to the USA and head off to Jolly Old England. I can't believe it's finally here! I do have some butterflies and a little anxiety, but at the end of the day I CAN'T FREAKING WAIT! I'm meeting the lovely and talented Melinda Bonner in London for 10 days at the Ritz for debauchery and relentless, shameless flirting! Of course I'll believe the Ritz hook-up when I see it. The hotel is located right in Picadilly near Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace and the River Thames. Yippee! I have to stop in Chicago first, so it will be a bit of a haul, but I have some dried mango, turkey jerkey, an I-pod and several magazines to keep me company. I haven't found a book yet, but I'll wait until London. I didn't put anything into my flask either, I didn't need any grief at customs, and I also don't have any Ambien, which a friend suggested, so I'm going au natch. I meant to list my packing items this weekend, but it just didn't happen. It was more important to visit with Granny anyway, but I will do my best to get that list up and posted asap. My Auntie Pat was most interested in my packing job and so maybe someone else will be too! Bon Voyage! The next time you hear from me, i'll be fresh from a pub!

Life with Mom

Spending time with mom this last weekend has been wonderful. (This is mom when she was about 23...isn't she HOT?) We had a great visit, some laughs, a few tears and lots of hugs. It's really amazing to be with family and it's also quite special that she lives around all of her sisters and my Gran. My favorite time was the sunset tribal gathering on Gran's back porch. Every evening, all the sisters and brothers in law and grannie gather on her porch and talk about the day, life and other miscellany. I was a part of that every night and I'm still laughing at Uncle John Kalange for doing doughnuts on the grass before he left. I also had a blast with mom and Auntie Joan at Gator Joe's restaurant at the Landing. After mom's 5 pineapple martini's, she decided to get us a boat ride around the lake and proceded to put everyone to shame with her funky dance floor moves. Oh my god, she is so funny. I was hard pressed to find anyone under 40 to flirt with, save the odd 17 year-old waiter, but I thought it best to keep out of jail before getting to London. Thanks to Auntie Pat for taking me to the airport and for everyone for showing up to my party. I love you mom, I promise I will stay in touch and I will be safe. Take care of yourself...xoxoxoxoxo

Ode to Pop Pop

Today would have been Pop Pop's 90th birthday. This is him to the right, in his Marine uniform circa 1940. Right down the hill from my mom's place is the little house where I would stay with him and Gran each summer. We would hang out in the garage and he would teach me all kinds of fun things, like the difference between a nut and a bolt, how not to pick up the red ants and most important, how to sort the "dumb" mail from the "good" mail. (We would take his pick up to the post office, that was my favorite part of each day.) We would eat fresh cantalope each morning and do the Jumble puzzle together. I was a lot better at it then, I can't seem to figure out a single word these days. Perhaps, though, he would do it for me and I just thought I was smart. Later in life, we became pen pals. We would write letters all the time, when I was in high school, university and especially when I lived in Montreal with the Bucci's. He was really glad that I married an Italian and was probably bummed when it didn't work out. He never held it against me, though. The last time I saw him we were in Daytona Beach and he took me out to lunch and kept teasing me about my hair flip. I had a habit of flipping my hair from one side to the other and he just thought it was hysterical. He passed away in January 1996, and the single biggest regret I have to this day was not attending the service. I just can't believe what was up with me. It was the single most selfish act of my life. However, I can honestly say that I was there for him when he was alive and I guess that is more important than anything I could have done after he passed. I love you Pop Pop and I will think about you everyday on my trip.
Ti volgio bene!

Thanks, Dad...

Today I had my first little panic attack about forgetting something. Honestly, what I needed wasn't life altering, but I figured if dad can just go into my closet and grab a couple of things for me and then send them out of his warehouse on Monday, then no harm, no foul. So, I called him and had him send 2 tank tops, one brown and one white. It sounds excessive, but the brown one is needed for about 5 outfits and the white one, well, white goes with everything. I also had him send my magic mud peel-off mask from Biotherm, because skin care is a high priority for me, especially with the dry plane air and cigarette smoke that permeates the whole of the continent. (This is dad on the left, with me during my first Christmas morning when I could actually sit upright without help.) So, thanks dad, for helping me whenever I ask. Thanks for the money you gave me for my trip, for letting me take over your house, for dealing with the insurance company and my car, and for your unending support through all of my kooky adventures. You're a peach and I love you. P.S. I'LL BE CAREFUL!

The Eagle Has Landed

It always makes me feel like a little girl again when I come to Florida where my mom and Gran live, along with my cousins, aunties and uncles. This is where I was born and where I spent the majority of time before the 2nd grade. So, after a sleepy red-eye flight from SFO to Orlando, I was promptly greeted by my Uncle Frank and Auntie Nancy. Frank flew jets in the Air Force before he flew commercial jets. He's retired now. After a breakfast of grits and eggs, we drove the hour out to the family "compound" in Oxford, just about 20 minutes from Ocala. Here is where Gran lives, surrounded by 3 of her daughters and 4 if you count Auntie Terry who just moved out from Idaho last year. Anyway, it's a fun time to hear all the stories about when I was young, what I was up to, who babysat me, etc. I guess everyone is coming out on Sunday to see me off and that will be nice. I promised my mom if/when I go to Europe I would stop here first and frankly, it's kind of fun. I don't have much family out West...just a smattering of cousins in Idaho and of course my dad and sister out in Modesto area. They must be so glad I'm gone, I totally took over the house, the computer, the pool, the laundry, the kitchen and my poor car is still sitting in the driveway, waiting to be fixed (or vandalized again, whichever comes first.) I wasn't really able to blog all that much at dad's house because we were busy downloading my I-pod (thanks Mr. B) and downloading pictures onto Kodak gallery, and packing/running errands, etc. I'll have more time here at mom's for that and I'm teaching her how to upload photos so that I can have some graphics while I post. I figure if I can meet people with cell phone cameras, I can get some updated graphics. If nothing else, I have a few archives that should fill the space. I'm going to lay out my stuff and get a packing list together and then bless the backpack with my new St. Anthony medallion so hopefully, I won't lose everything. More later on life with dad, Kate and life after Cali.

Lessons

So, I wake up this morning to the sounds of my sister begging me to take her to Starbucks for a Frappa-thingie and of course I throw a pillow at her and say no. Then I wonder, should I let her whine in my ear or just get up and do it. Lesson # 1: Never have a teen ager. Just wish them away at 13, then summon them back at 18! Easy! So, I grumble, get out of bed and walk out to my car and lo and behold! Some punk(s) managed to get into my Honda and not only steal my new stereo, but they ripped out my ignition box while they tried to hotwire and steal the car. Stupid Eeeedjit! Why didn't you just take the whole freakin' car! Mind you, my dad lives in suburbia...SO perfectly suburbia that people actually take their Christmas lights down after Christmas. This, next to miles of almond orchards. Lesson # 2: There are punks everywhere...trust no one. Then, said punks opened my trunk and stole: NOT my golf clubs...NOT my Thermarests...NOT my sleeping bags but by bloody 15 year-old baseball cleats! Are you kidding me? Anyway, after I cursed up and down, I called the Triple-A and everything will be taken care of before I leave. Lesson #3: GET TRIPLE A INSURANCE! They were amazingly helpful, and I learned all about my insurance (yes, I know I should have known, but I just said I'm learning lessons!) So, we are getting the rental, they are coming out to look at my car on-site, they will replace my stereo and fix my car, send me $50 for my cleats and all for a paultry $100 deductable. Wow. I thought it was $500, but that is liability, not comprehensive. Thanks to Jennifer and Darrell from AAA, now I am just laughing. After all, it's just a car, I wasn't hurt and I'M NOT EVEN DRIVING UNTIL I COME BACK! Augh. Lesson # 4: No matter where you are, or how crazy things can get, there are lessons in every situation if you just look for them.

Ugh...

Well, well, well...after I've had what seems like 4,148 going-away parties, I'm finally hunkering down and finalizing my plans. There was Vegas, St. Patty's Day (weekend) L.A. more parties, Capitola, the last days at CHOW, moving out of Berkeley, moving out to Modesto, moving in with dad, Craigslisting my dad's stuff out of the garage, organizing my stuff, putting my stuff in bins, putting said bins in closets, doing laundry, more parties, back to dad's, one last deadline for Enhance magazine, article for CC Times, travel section, packing list, packing, last minute errands, A's game, lunches, more good byes...then off to the Mtns. for one last look at my special place...then...okay, I can't breathe. Anyway, I managed to also get my Hep A booster from the lovely Dr. Lorence and now....all I have to do is pack. I can't wait. I'm also trying to get this blog thing looking it's best so I still have lots to do and one week to do it. Back to the grind, more later.