At SFO this morning there was a Hummer (H1) parked in a compact space, badly parked at that.
I couldn’t resist taking a picture.
Monthly Archives: July 2006
Another party weekend
Nikki’s friend Antonella had a birthday party in Santa Cruz this weekend. She had her party at ‘The Avenue’ just at the end of the main strip. It’s what I would call a classic American bar (close to a biker bar). The walls, bar wood and seating are all dark and there a few lights. However, the outside decked area was reserved for the party so I was able to enjoy some last minute sun while drinking.
Stage 1 Power Alert
Today California hit another low in it’s battle to provide sustained power during hot months. With temperatures around 115F the load on air conditioners was huge. This prompted a “stage 1” then “stage 2” from PG&E. This is when businesses are asked to cut electricity usage in return for lower power bills at different times of the year. This includes lighting and non-critical systems.
News Story
Trader Vics
Last night Nikki and I went to Trader Vics for Mai Tai’s and nibbles.
They have some amazing, if strong, drinks. Until recently I didn’t know they were a world-wide chain with locations in London, Dubai, etc. It was just a really nice way to unwind after a hard week at work….bring on the weekend!
Falafel’s Drive In
Last night Nikki and I went to one of my favorite places to eat. The Falafel’s Drive In. The food is quick and simple but oh so tasty. It’s one of those places that the locals know and there’s always a queue at lunch.
In the heat of the California sun this was just the perfect food for the evening before going off to the see Superman Returns. Which turned out to be an excellent movie!
Gnarls Barkley
Nikki and I went to see Gnarls Barkley at The Fillmore this week. The Fillmore is a small place but has put on nearly all the best acts in the last 50 years, from The Who through Johnny Cash and The Verve. We didn’t really know what to expect since the music is kinda dance-ish. However it was a full live production, complete with mini orchestra, backing singers and 2 guitarist. All in all a very good show. Cee-Lo has an amazing voice, while Danger Mouse appears to be the quiet shy brains behind the group. Cee-Lo was a complete character, getting the crowd going and showing off his belly. Special thanks have to go to the man on the door for giving me an over-21 stamp even though I’d stupidly forgotten my ID!
Here’s a short video clip taken on my phone and then some badly taken photos.
Barbeque on the beach
This weekend I had a Barbeque on the beach in Santa Cruz, CA. Nikki had made all the arrangements with quite a large group coming out. However, before we got there our group got busted for having alcohol on the beach (apparently that’s “in pub-lik” (1)). So covert tactics had to be employed. Next time it’ll be 2 bottles of diet coke and a bottle of Jack 🙂
(Photos again off my D600 phone which is now on Cingular
As the evening went on we lit a fire in the fire pit (where else) to keep us warm as the fog rolled in. Santa Cruz is such a weird place. It can be boiling hot and then 10 minutes later the fog has rolled in and you need jeans, jumper and a fire just to keep warm.
UPDATE: Pictures from Jess
Airports
My trip to California took me on a long (yeah 24 hours door to door) route via Chicago and Denver. So if you’ve ever wondered what they look like from the inside…here you go.
Funny Names
Another funny thing from the Goodwood Festival of Speed, was an imaginatively named organic burger company, “Well Hung Meat Company”
They even have a website.
Goodwood Fesitval of Speed
This weekend was one of the highlights of my year. The Goodwood Festival of Speed. This is where the worlds best racing drives, car manufactures, classic collectors and supercars join in one huge event. The main event is a timed hillclimb through the grounds of Goodwood House. This year had a few special treats with Nigel Mansell racing his Champcar and the all new Bugatti Veyron!
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Ferarri + Box
Now there’s one thing you wouldn’t use a Ferarri 575M for and that’s carrying boxes. Yesterday at the Goodwood Festival of Speed two old guys attempted to get a large box into the back of this 575.
They proceeded to remove small boxes from the large box. Those didn’t fit either, so they opened them and got smaller boxes out. Well those didn’t fit either. They were then gradually placed on the back seat, footwell and probably lap in an effort to fit them in. The 4×4 next to them is probably far more suited to the job. This had me laugh so hard as the whole fiasco unfolded for a good 5 minutes.
okay, so they have a Ferarri and I don’t but they are stoopid!
Are we stupid?
I’ve been watching a lot of documentaries recently, in particular Megastractures on National Geographic. They seem to recap everything, time after time. When coming back from a commercial break there’s a good minute of recapping of what happened in the program so far. We were watching the program before you know, that means we were watching and listening. Megastractures seems to be particularly bad, they do this even during sections of the program.
England Out
More football watching this weekend. I went out with JohnBoy and friends to watch the England match at Jabez Clegg. What a disappointment. I’d got so excited about the match and then it ended as it always does. One of the rowdy guys behind us was obviously very upset. When England lost he was laying on the floor crying for a good 10 minutes. Grow up man!
The evening progressed with us drinking away the misery at Kro Bar before heading via The Font to 42nd Street until the early hours of the morning. Maybe, just maybe I’m getting a liking for this club that used to be on my no-go list.
Rain Storm
During the steaming hot weekend we’re been having in Manchester the sun decided to have a break. While the sun way away for a few hours, rain came along and did it’s best to spoil the party. Click on the photo below to see the full extent of the torrent that ran down my road.
Being lazy, I ordered a pizza. However, when I went to collect it, the pizza shop’s false ceiling had fallen in and they were in about 3 inches of water. As the shop is under a railway arch they obviously got the full weight of 3 tracks worth!
Come on rain, give it a break!