On Thursday I left Big White once and for all and said goodbye to all the friends I had made there. The good news is that I'm meeting up with about a dozen of them down in Pourta Vallarta in Mexico in three weeks time.
I'm working my way down the west coast with Simon, an English guy I met at Big White. We're pretty much traveling together for the next month. On Thursday morning we caught the shopping shuttle from Big White down to Kelowna and got dropped off at the Greyhound bus station. The ticket woman at Greyhound was a real cunt. I won't go into details.
The bus trip to Seattle was 14 hours. I reckon long haul bus trips are worse then flights. You can't sleep very well on a bus and there's always that one lone drifter sitting at the back of the bus, clutching a bottle in a brown paper bag.
Simon and I finally got to Seattle at 11pm. We checked into the Green Tortoise Hostel, which seems to be a really good hostel. They have free internet access and free breakfast. It's also across the road from a Subway which does $5 footlongs.
The next day I went on a mission to get my ski bag sent back to Townsville by post. I had to fork out $300 in postage but it's a lot better then hauling around 50 pounds (that's right I broke out the empirical measurements) of skis, boots and winter clothes.
Once I got that sorted out I could relax and explore Seattle; home of Boeing, Microsoft, Starbucks, Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana. First we went down to the Space Needle tower and checked out the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. I saw Captain Kirk's chair. I was disappointed that I couldn't sit in it and do William Shatner impersonations. It's behind a glass case. It really defeats the point. We then checked out the Experience Music Project which charts a history of American music and is full of hands on exhibits. It was pretty cool.
As nightfall came we brushed up on the Three B's; Basketball, Burlesque and Bitching good times. We went to nearby Key Arena and saw the Seattle Supersonics play the Charlotte Bobcats. We got seats in the nosebleed section but we moved closer after the first quarter when we realised that half the stadium was empty. It was a pretty scrappy game but it got close towards the end. The Bobcats won 98 - 94.
We then went to a little place across the road from the hostel where they were playing a live burlesque show. Form what I understand, the west coast has embraced ye olde burlesque as an art form and now it's considered classy. The place was a restaurant where you could have a sit down meal. The show was also pretty hot.
I thought Seattle was going to be a boring stop on my way down the coast but it seems this place really has quite a lot to do. It seems that off-beat and non-mainstream culture is the mainstream here. There is an anime convention going on at the moment and I've seen tons of people walking through the streets dressed as everything from Jedis to Vulcans.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
I hope I don't catch a cold...
...because this powder is sick!
It bucketed snow all day on Easter Sunday so we had some great snow on Monday morning. I stayed in and watched Groundhog Day on TV. I realised while I was watching it that it was a fitting movie to watch during a blizzard.
On Sunday night the hostel put on an turkey dinner for Easter which was possibly the best meal I've had in the last two months. After that I promptly fell asleep.
I woke up at 7:30 on Monday morning and got out as soon as the lifts opened. I got the chance to make fresh tracks on a powder day. I was out all day until 4:30. It was a pretty good day. The next day I was completely stuffed, I didn't go out until 2pm.
I've spent today packing my skis, boots and all my other winter clothing. I'm going to mail them back home so I don't have to lug it all the way down the west coast. Tomorrow I leave for Seattle.
It bucketed snow all day on Easter Sunday so we had some great snow on Monday morning. I stayed in and watched Groundhog Day on TV. I realised while I was watching it that it was a fitting movie to watch during a blizzard.
On Sunday night the hostel put on an turkey dinner for Easter which was possibly the best meal I've had in the last two months. After that I promptly fell asleep.
I woke up at 7:30 on Monday morning and got out as soon as the lifts opened. I got the chance to make fresh tracks on a powder day. I was out all day until 4:30. It was a pretty good day. The next day I was completely stuffed, I didn't go out until 2pm.
I've spent today packing my skis, boots and all my other winter clothing. I'm going to mail them back home so I don't have to lug it all the way down the west coast. Tomorrow I leave for Seattle.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
A General Summation
I've been lazy with blogging lately because it doesn't feel like there's been anything much worth blogging about. But I figure I should probably give a general summation of the last few weeks.
Los Angeles: I think I pretty much hate it. I saw the good parts and the bad parts and it wasn't all that. I got a photo outside the Scientology centre. I was trying to do a self photo with my mobile phone and I kept on missing the sign so it took me a few goes. I wasn't being very conspicuous. Fairly soon a guy on a bicycle with "SECURITY" written on the back of his t-shirt shooed me away. To be fair he did it in a polite way and mentioned that all the good sights were at the next train station. That actually turned out to be a lie, it was really two train stations away. I got out at the next train station on Hollywood Boulevard on the walk of fame, but it was a good 2kms from the centre of Hollywood. I think it was a ploy to led me to a Scientology assessment centre. I walked past at least two on my way towards Mann's Chinese Theatre. Both times I had to turn down requests to measure my pheton levels.
I also checked out the Santa Monica area which was quite nice. They had all those little Baywatch towers on the beach but there was no Hoff in sight.
Ultimately I think I'm pissed off at L.A. because the public transport is so crap. It took me at least two hours to get anywhere, and it's not the traffic. I took a cab one night and it took me 20 minutes to travel what would take 3 hours by train or bus. It's for this reason that I believe the movie Speed is a fallacy. I don't think I ever saw a bus reach 50 miles an hour, let alone stay above it.
I was quite glad to be finally heading back to Big White. On the plane back I watched No Country For Old Men, which is absolutely awesome, however the plane landed with 4 minutes of the movie to play. I blame the fucking French for this because Air Canada kept interrupting the movie for each announcement and every time the captain said anything, the air hostess had to translate it into French. So I don't know if the crazy killer dude kills that guy's wife and I have no idea what the hell it's got to do with Tommy Lee Jones.
I was happy when I got back to Big White. It's a lot more relaxing here. When I got back they stuck me in a different room with a couple of guys who actually go to bed before midnight, which is good. The last week of skiing has been excellent and it's been snowing every night. The thing I can't believe is the resort is closing on April 6, no exceptions, but they have tonnes of snow. They have more snow then Perisher would have mid-season. It's nuts.
It's kind of funny because I've got to know a lot of the people here and feels quite homely, but it's all coming to an end as soon as the season ends and every one is making plans to move on. I've got exactly one more week left here before I begin my road trip with Simon down the west coast. We're going Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and the Las Vegas. It should be a pretty epic 3 week journey.
Also, I went tubbing tonight and then I watched LOST, both of which were awesome.
Los Angeles: I think I pretty much hate it. I saw the good parts and the bad parts and it wasn't all that. I got a photo outside the Scientology centre. I was trying to do a self photo with my mobile phone and I kept on missing the sign so it took me a few goes. I wasn't being very conspicuous. Fairly soon a guy on a bicycle with "SECURITY" written on the back of his t-shirt shooed me away. To be fair he did it in a polite way and mentioned that all the good sights were at the next train station. That actually turned out to be a lie, it was really two train stations away. I got out at the next train station on Hollywood Boulevard on the walk of fame, but it was a good 2kms from the centre of Hollywood. I think it was a ploy to led me to a Scientology assessment centre. I walked past at least two on my way towards Mann's Chinese Theatre. Both times I had to turn down requests to measure my pheton levels.
I also checked out the Santa Monica area which was quite nice. They had all those little Baywatch towers on the beach but there was no Hoff in sight.
Ultimately I think I'm pissed off at L.A. because the public transport is so crap. It took me at least two hours to get anywhere, and it's not the traffic. I took a cab one night and it took me 20 minutes to travel what would take 3 hours by train or bus. It's for this reason that I believe the movie Speed is a fallacy. I don't think I ever saw a bus reach 50 miles an hour, let alone stay above it.
I was quite glad to be finally heading back to Big White. On the plane back I watched No Country For Old Men, which is absolutely awesome, however the plane landed with 4 minutes of the movie to play. I blame the fucking French for this because Air Canada kept interrupting the movie for each announcement and every time the captain said anything, the air hostess had to translate it into French. So I don't know if the crazy killer dude kills that guy's wife and I have no idea what the hell it's got to do with Tommy Lee Jones.
I was happy when I got back to Big White. It's a lot more relaxing here. When I got back they stuck me in a different room with a couple of guys who actually go to bed before midnight, which is good. The last week of skiing has been excellent and it's been snowing every night. The thing I can't believe is the resort is closing on April 6, no exceptions, but they have tonnes of snow. They have more snow then Perisher would have mid-season. It's nuts.
It's kind of funny because I've got to know a lot of the people here and feels quite homely, but it's all coming to an end as soon as the season ends and every one is making plans to move on. I've got exactly one more week left here before I begin my road trip with Simon down the west coast. We're going Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and the Las Vegas. It should be a pretty epic 3 week journey.
Also, I went tubbing tonight and then I watched LOST, both of which were awesome.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
I'm not dead...
...not that you care, becuase no one reads this anyway. If you did you would post comments or you would complain that I haven't updated this blog in 10 days.
Well anyway I've been having an awesome time without any of you fuckers!
You should also learn how to answer your phones.
Well anyway I've been having an awesome time without any of you fuckers!
You should also learn how to answer your phones.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
"What a terrible fucking day"....
...were the first words I heard uttered out of the mouth of story lecturer Robert McKee. He's almost completely like his portrayal by Brian Cox in Adaptation except he has a thick New York accent instead of a British one, and he says "fuck" a lot more. But he's a really awesome lecturer.
Minor thrills included taking a piss at the urineal next to him and having him sign my copy of STORY. I also asked what I thought was an intelligent querstion and he didn't yell at me.
It's been pretty cool to meet so many other people whose goal is also to write for film. On the first day I meet an Australian girl who lives in London named Nadiya. The Australaian accent is a powerful ice breaker amoungst all these crazy Calafornian's. She's been to L.A. several times before so it's cool becuase now I've got someone to show me around town. I've also meet a copule of other people who actually work in the industry as well as a dentist who really wants to write.
The good news is the McKee is coming to Australia in August so I'm thinking I might re-take the seminar then as well because the information is far too much to absorb in one weekend. It's really good stuff.
Minor thrills included taking a piss at the urineal next to him and having him sign my copy of STORY. I also asked what I thought was an intelligent querstion and he didn't yell at me.
It's been pretty cool to meet so many other people whose goal is also to write for film. On the first day I meet an Australian girl who lives in London named Nadiya. The Australaian accent is a powerful ice breaker amoungst all these crazy Calafornian's. She's been to L.A. several times before so it's cool becuase now I've got someone to show me around town. I've also meet a copule of other people who actually work in the industry as well as a dentist who really wants to write.
The good news is the McKee is coming to Australia in August so I'm thinking I might re-take the seminar then as well because the information is far too much to absorb in one weekend. It's really good stuff.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Fear and Loathing in Los Angeles
I flew into L.A. last night while listening to New Dawn Fades from the Heat soundtrack. It boarded on a religious experience. Today I found out how not to get around L.A. I was given some bad advice and caught the Metro line which basically does an entire circle through L.A. to get to Hollywood when I should have just caught the Santa Monica buses and gone in a straight line. I now know better but that didn't really help me when I found myself completely lost somewhere past 14000 Sunset Blvd on the way to Malibu. I finally found the correct way to get back to my hotel at about 4:30 and got back at about 8:30. So I found out how not to see L.A.
Hollywood was kind of interesting if underwhelming. I expected it to be bigger and grander. Mann's Chinese theatre is actually kind of small, but it's right next to the Kodak Theatre which is a bit more impressive. The thing I found odd is that no matter where you are in L.A. it still kind of feels like a small city - there aren't many high rises. The only clue that it's not is that the suburbs go on forever. It's only when you rise above the city, on the train or on the freeways, do you really get to see how expansive L.A. is. The freeways are actually quite impressive in their magnitude and are as a loud as a jet engine.
I'd have more to say but the Internet is ridiculously expansive where I'm staying and I'm about to run out of time.
Hollywood was kind of interesting if underwhelming. I expected it to be bigger and grander. Mann's Chinese theatre is actually kind of small, but it's right next to the Kodak Theatre which is a bit more impressive. The thing I found odd is that no matter where you are in L.A. it still kind of feels like a small city - there aren't many high rises. The only clue that it's not is that the suburbs go on forever. It's only when you rise above the city, on the train or on the freeways, do you really get to see how expansive L.A. is. The freeways are actually quite impressive in their magnitude and are as a loud as a jet engine.
I'd have more to say but the Internet is ridiculously expansive where I'm staying and I'm about to run out of time.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Leaving Big White
Today I left the hostel at Big White. I'm staying in Kelowna for the night and then I'm catching a plane to Los Angeles in the morning.
The first thing I did when I got to Kelowna was to eat a $1.50 Whopper from Burger King. There's no junk food on the mountain so I'd been hanging out for it. It just occurred to me that the burger cost me less then what it's costing me to tell you about it, but it was a really good burger.
It's funny that after being at the hostel for just over 2 weeks, it already felt quite homely. I'd made quite a few friends and it's unfortunate that as the ski season is nearing an end, a fair few of them will all be leaving within the next week while I'm gone.
After LA I'll be returning to Big White to ride out the end of the ski season until the end of March. I'll be touring the west coast of the US during early April, heading south from Vancouver and ending up in Los Vegas. Then I'll probably visit New York and head home.
I've thought of squeezing Mexico in there some where because I think that would be pretty cool.
The first thing I did when I got to Kelowna was to eat a $1.50 Whopper from Burger King. There's no junk food on the mountain so I'd been hanging out for it. It just occurred to me that the burger cost me less then what it's costing me to tell you about it, but it was a really good burger.
It's funny that after being at the hostel for just over 2 weeks, it already felt quite homely. I'd made quite a few friends and it's unfortunate that as the ski season is nearing an end, a fair few of them will all be leaving within the next week while I'm gone.
After LA I'll be returning to Big White to ride out the end of the ski season until the end of March. I'll be touring the west coast of the US during early April, heading south from Vancouver and ending up in Los Vegas. Then I'll probably visit New York and head home.
I've thought of squeezing Mexico in there some where because I think that would be pretty cool.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
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