Sorry We Suck So Much

Hey all, sorry we suck and have been in Seattle for ONE MONTH and haven't written a post!!! For shame on us.

So we got here and stayed with Zoe (Clark friends FTW) and looked at like a THOUSAND apartments before finding a landlord who didn't care that we didn't have jobs. We also craigslisted a lady to be our roomate so now we have a third roomate, Lisaa.

SEATTLE IS AWESOME. I love it, it's super beautiful and nice and lovely. It's been super nice since we got here. It's only been cloudy, like, two or three days and rained twice! Everyone feels the need to tell me this isn't normal (which, duh, I know) and reassure me that a hell of cloud and rain is on it's way...thanks.

Anyway, the way I'm describing the weather to everyone is that it's like the best day of late summer/early fall where isn't not super hot but the perfect freakin' temperature and you can wear pants or shots. It's gets pretty cold at night but not NEW ENGLAND cold...god, I love it so much.

I've had a total of 6 (SIX!!!) interviews and a total of 0 (ZERO!!!) job offers. Everyone can suck it. I'm actually procrastinating from e-mailing a job listing right now by writing this post. (Don't worry Mom, I've already e-mailed two others and filled out an application for a third online.) I should get apid to tell people what not to say or do or wear in an interview because, apparently, I'm doing/saying/wearing all the wrong things. Just do the complete opposite of what I do and you'll get HIRED.

The library is closed all week DUE TO BUDGET CUTS. They make a point of saying/writing that everywhere. I think it's to make people aware of how the taxpayers are fucking them over and boy, are we feeling it this week! We have to go to the coffee shop in order to use the nets and that means having to buy something which means spending money that we don't have. But I had a free coffee today so I used that (wow, my life is SO interesting. I'm sure you are fascinated!)

OK, I guess I'm gonna go e-mail these peeps so I can go, my wrist is starting to carpal tunnel

San Francisco

We have landed in Seattle! A long journey it has been...and it has yet to come to a close. We've been very busy looking for jobs/apartments (but also trying out our first coffee shop and exploring the Fremont area and going on epic hikes along the cliffside overlooking the sound...nbd. I love Seattle from what I've seen) so we are still far from settled.

But let's backtrack a bit and try to catch up.
SAN FRANCISCO seems so long ago already. We had a lovely time! We stayed just outside of the city, actually, in Menlo Park with my friend Anna. Reunions abound!!! We also met up with Lindsay, Rachael and Vanessa for a Clark retour 2011. Then we met up with my friend from high school, Lauren. All kinds of awesome people living in SF these days and it was awesome to see you all.

meester pickle man likes rachael and lindsay

The video that we took was kind of cruddy...at least the one from my camera. I'm debating whether or not to put it up anyway. Maybe Rachael has a better one? Okay. No. Here it is. Rachael, if you have a better one, you should put it up instead etc...

Day one we went on a small tour of SF on our own. Checked out the Fisherman's Wharf, which was a tourist shitshow. Got some clam chowdah bread bowls...totes worth it.

oh hi, azkaban...i mean alcatraz

Then we ended up in a bar in the Castro called "Moby Dick". Just sayin. Also I really liked it as a tip o' the hat to my English Capstone class...lots of whale flashbacks going through my head the entire time we were there. That night is when we had some Clark-style burritos/nachos/etc. Great stuff.

Next day, Anna took us on a tour of Mountain View and the Google-plex-dom campus. EPIC. They have these little Google bikes that the employees ride around on between the buildings, spread out across a million mile expanse (obv not really.)

This is the Android Dude on the Google Campus and an epicly colorful Google bike

We all went back into the city and explored some more. Got some epic driving views from the hills. Some really gorgeous cloud action was going on up there...we got a video of that too. Maybe another time and place.

We love the rolling clouds of SF. Eliza the car makes a guest appearance.

After a sharp day wandering in the city and some yummy Chinese food, we went back to Menlo Park for our final night in the Bay Area. And after a short but sweet Italian coffee meetup in Little Italy with some lovely friends, it was time for us to continue on our way up north...

(Look, I even wrote stuff this time!)

LALAland and Hollyhood

YOOOOOO sorry for the delay in posts (we are tres terrible). Now we're in LA!!!! I've been staying with my awesome cousin TONY and his GF ROBYN in an area known as Silverlake. Charlotte spent a couple days with us then went to go chill with her dad and some friendlies. We've been doing some cool stuff.

Charlotte, friend Paige and myself went to a museum of Jurassic Technology. I have no idea what this means, I have no idea what this museum was even about...I just don't get it.

Examples:

Cures for ailments....

We went to Union Station which was cool. A little movie called Can't Hardly Wait filmed a scene or two there...

On SATURDAY we went and saw some cool shit in downtown namely the Bradbury building which was in BLADE RUNNER!! It's much pretty than in the movie. Tony and I got our pictures with Charlie Chaplin too! He was very nice.

Then we went and saw Chaplin's old studios which is now a Jim Hensen studio.

We also walked around the WALK OF FAME which was pretty lame cause it was really packed! Then we went to the Chinese Theater place that has all the hands and feet which was even more packed!! What's with everyone's obsession with Marilyn Monroe?!?!? People were crowded around her star AND her cement block. I just don't get it.

Later that night Tony and I went to the Observatory!! Which was really packed but totally worth it. It might look familar as a little film called Rebel without a Cause was partially shot there (nbd). I learned some stuff about space but mostly got freaked out because I don't really get any of it and it scares me.

On Sunday we went into the Los Angelos National Forest and drove and drove up this mountain. It was suuuuper beautiful. Then we got out and walked around a bit. It was hot but really nice. There was a second part to the observatory so we walked around that and learned some more stuff. There was a huge forest fire two years ago that burned a lot of the forest. You can still see burnt trees and there were some just a few feet from the Observatory's museum.

On Monday I was on my own. Tony told me about a Street Art exhibit that was FREE on Mondays because Banksy gave them a bunch of money. So I did that which was awesome but what was also awesome was that I totally got there all by myself on foot and public transportation. I have never really used public transportation outside of Boston and obviously their's is super nice. So score for me.

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT LA:

They don't have good pizza

I was an East Coast Undercut Pioneer (they have TONS of them here)

The bus drivers are super nice but super sassy

Medical Marijuana is EVERYWHERE and getting a card is super easy

FOREST is super close and pretty

There are SUPER weird museums (jurassic technology, death, etc.)

Grand Canyon and such things

It's been a few days now...and by a few days, I guess I mean, like, over a week. I was going to write a real blog post, but then I got internet distracted and am now bleary-eye tired. So here are some videos from Arizona to explain some things:

Santa Fe, an addendum

Albuquerque is a shit show

So to backtrack a bit (New Mexico is before Arizona) after we spent the night in Santa Fe we went to Albuquerque. We were staying with some friends of friends so we didn't really know them. We show up at their house around 6pm. One of the residents is already drunk and stoned but seems nice enough and invites us in. There are quitea few people in the house, a late afternoon party if you will. We all sit around and chat. People include us in their conversations and are quite cordial. Those of your from the East Coast know what I'm talking about when I say I have been pleasantly surprised about how nice people have been to us.

Eventually everyone filters out of the house and it's just Charlotte and myself with Herman* (dude who lives there). His roommate Althea* eventually comes home and Charlotte and I are getting peckish. We decided we want to get some food and CA offers to take us to a local haunt that all the college students love. It's the place we have to go to have truly been to Albquerque. It's called Frontier and it's a weird cafeteria type situation. I get a "vegetarian" salad which is ok, nothing great though. Charlotte gets the same a a tostada but is shocked to see that the salad has SUNFLOWER SEEDS on it. The menu had said NOTHING about this so we were all quite upset. For those of you who don't know Charlotte is deathly allergic to sunflower seeds. She gets another salad and all is well...

...For awhile. We decide to not let the sunflower s

eed incident deter us from enjoying beautiful Albquerque/New Mexico. That night is tame enough, we go back to the house and play Uno with Herman and Althea. The pair of them talk about what a great time they had the night before and how they party a lot etc. etc. But Charlotte and I went to college, we know what's up so we just smile and nod, nothing new. It is a bit off putting how often they talk of partying just because at least for Charlotte and myself (and most people, I would say) Clark was not a party school. But we are fairly non-judgemental and pass the night pleasently enough. We went to a bar that reminded us a lot of Worcester dives and met some of our hosts friend who all seemed nice. We tried to crash a "90s lesbian party" but by the time we got there it was already breaking up but it didn't really matter 'cause I didn't even have my dr. martens on.

The next morning we decide to go get some breakfast and coffee. It was suggested we go to Satellite Coffee. THIS IS BEST PLACE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. Not only did it have AMAZING BREAKFAST BURRITOS it had iced coffee refills for $0.54!!!!!!!!! Amazing!!! So obviously we spent several hours catching up on our internets and caffeine

We decided we needed to actually go and see something of Albuquerque other than it's coffee shops. We went to this place called Old Town which is pretty kitschy and touristy with a bunch of stores that sell "Native American" art and the like. It was actually pretty cool with some interesting stuff. I got a blanket that was made in Mexico for $16 so that was pretty cool. We tried to go see an old church but it was actually giving a service so we backed off.

We went back to the house and were just kind of sitting and handing out on the their front porch, reading. Chandler* a third roommate came and sat with us. He was a exchange student from Britain at some point and now just lives in Albuquerque. He was really cool and we talked about some British stuff.

That night we hung our with Althea and chatted, ate some dinner, had a couple drinks. We decided to go meet Herman at some bar and by the time we got there he was pretty drunk. We decided to take the bus further downtown in order to go to somebody's birthday party. Herman's friends were really nice and I enjoyed talking with them immensly. I'm not totally sure what happened but all of a sudden shit got real at this party. Charlotte and I were talking and making friends. Herman and Althea were doing their own thing but all of a sudden it seemed Althea was wasted and I mean wasted. She was beyond slurring her words, carrying empty bottles of alchohol around. Althea made it clear she wanted to get the fuck out of this house and just kinda left so Charlotte and I followed her. The problem was she was so drunk she couldn't remember how to get home. She tried to call a cab (we tried to help) before giving up. We ended up circling the block and ending up back at the party. I went in to see if Herman could give us directions. He made a pretty asinine comment about us trying to cockblock him before giving my the directions. He said he would walk us home but after the shit about us cockblocking him I thought it best to just leave.

We then walked what felt like MILES. Althea being as drunk as she was obviously stumbled a lot and a few times we had to coax her to keep walking. We finally get to the house and low and behold Herman is already there. I'm already ripshit. I'm not sure how anyone could act like this to people they don't know. Yes, it was very nice of them to let us stay there but still! I couldn't believe it, if anything you should be nicer because you don't know us. Anyway, all I want to do is go to sleep but Herman and Althea are sort of wandering around. Herman eventually goes to bed. I fall asleep as does Charlotte.

The next thing we know, Chandler is asking Charlotte if she can help him carry Althea in from the porch where she passed out! (I'm only sort of half awake from this). Chandler sort of drags/carries Althea in to her room. Neither Charlotte nor I knew that she was outside we sort of just fell asleep.

Hours pass, it's probably around 5 or 6am and I need to pee like any normal human being. I go to go into the hallway where the bathroom is and get CHASED OUT BY A DOG. Althea's dog won't let me use the bathroom! He barking and going crazy because I guess I was too close to her room. So I have to pee outside which I'm pissed about because there is a perfectly good bathroom with toilet paper that WE supplied in the house.

All in all, Albuquerque was great. It was just the last night that made me sort of hate everything. I still am not totally sure how people act like that towards guests. Charlotte and I have spent more than one occasion trying to make sense out of it to no avail. I guess it's just safe to say that some people are just nice, others are alcoholics.

*Names begrudgingly changed to protect identities.

(Oh, also none of the pictures are ours, we didn't really take any for some reason...? YAY internet)

Arizona

Okay. So we're a little bit backlogged. We've been camping in Arizona for a couple of nights, so internet access has been limited. We stayed in Flagstaff for a night, which was very pretty and environmentally comfortable. The town itself was okay.
More importantly: WE SAW THE GRAND CANYON.
It was beyond breathtaking and there can be no exaggerations made about it. (More on this to come.)
Last night we stayed in Kingsman, AZ for the night, just as as stopover.

Will update with pictures and videos later (we took some good ones). As of right now, we've finally entered the homeland (California). I was uplifted spiritually until we basically got heat stroke in the 101 degree desert while trying to explore an old childhood favorite--Calico Ghost Town. Needless to say, we're ready for the Pacific Coast...I think we've both had enough desert for one adventure.