Humming

Rich and Ernie have got a fake flower, that is only fake in so much as it is made out of plastic and does not photosynthesise. However, it is attached to a sugar/water solution, so hummingbirds like the one I saw that was humming in their garden in the suburbs of San Fransisco feel that, for all intents and purposes, it is indeed a flower. Maybe this is a lesson i am going to learn in america- who cares if it is fake if it does the job? certainly i doubt the word 'real' had anything to do with the ravioli i had on the flight from amsterdam to minneapolis, and less to do with the yanquee lady beside me who spraffed abotu the joys of mormon-only schools for 5 minutes too long. It was ok though, the journey, even though it lasted 29 hours from Boro to Frisco, involved many a suspicious immigration person and i wasn't allowed to smoke ANYWHERE in the US airports. travesty! what about freedom of choice. the airports of the world really hate smokers- in manchester, there were about 15 smokers in a room the size of a badminton court, with only a tiny amount of ventilation, so you could get yoru smoke fix without even smoking. in amsterdam you had to buy a coffee in a smoking cafe to smoke (in theory), and then in america you had to un-security yourself, go outside into the parking lot, and then security yourself back in again. gaybar. we made lots of smoke two (or is it 3?) nights ago, at the steve irwin memorial/lizzie and sam birthday/ me going away party, what with the fire, freedom liam's hot air and plenty of tobacco and tea smoke. after being a bit nervous about whether everyone would get on, it turned out really nice, and even liam did his bit by breaking the ice at the beginnign by beiong a drunken idiot and making everyone giggle. saw mischa, who i had my first ever travelling experiences with without my mum and who i haven't seen for at least a year. she always squirms when i ask the question 'whats going on', i think she thinks nothing is changing with her and it renders the question a bit redundant, but then there are many ways to ask the same question, and ofcourse she is full of worldly wisdom and new-music-tips. by 2am it was just me, liz, sam, lozz, behla, liam koed on a rock and adam, (who else) and i got mauled in a drunken game of duck duck goose. behla sang and played 'fugitive motel' by elbow, my fugitive motel, somewhere in the dustbowl if i......the other side of the world and it has been in my head as i have travelled above the dust bowl and to the other side of the world.

the night before i wanted to jam, after a suggestion of north bay jamming by james g. i bumped into young billy bass and ryan on the way and invited them down to join sam etc, and from the moment we started the fire with only a few post-it notes for kindling i knew it would be a good night. if the right balance of instruments is there, and noone is the type for hogging the guitar with hours of covers, then quality musicians will at least provide an in interesting evening and sometimes, as on this occasion, also release sparks. the added factor of cannabis was also interesting, expecially as myself and a couple of others are prone to paranoia. the thing was, even though i got pretty paranoid at times, and i was sensing wother were too, the music just overruled everything and as long as it didn't stop, everything was fine and everyone was comfortable because HOW CAN YOU ARGUE WITH GREAT LIVE MUSIC? ryan and billy beatboxing together really is quite special, you should check them.

and now i am in san fransisco! fucking hell man, i couldn't believe it. was reading on the road (kerouac) on the way over, choosing it for its relevance, its page turning ability and the memories it invokes of making up part of our mini-bookcase in la gomera, and sal's first trip to frisco is a sad one ("everything was falling apart"), but a very romantic one none the less. and then BANG! there's alcatraz shrouded by fog, theres the golden gate bridge! theres the 49ers stadium! theres the 5 lane traffic jams! theres ridiculous advertising hoardings (you need a doctor who fits your personality"- no you don't!!!). well fuck me.

but i am tired, and this post is feeling alot like a ramble, even though i wanted to evoke the loveliness of my last couple of nights in scarborough. will try again tommorow maybe.