Back on track
May. 19th, 2003 10:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lobelia321Oh, peaches and plums! All you lovelies who left comments!
I have returned. I am recovering from jetlag by recovering from cold turkey. Because, yes, strangely, bizarrely, perversely and inexplicably, the United States, cradle of the internet revolution (besides Switzerland, that is) and mythical land of web-web everywhere, is a barren land of no internet cafes.
Remember how I always found a little webnook in Rome or Munich or Paris? Not so in Baltimore, Philadelphia or New York. And if, then fiendishly expensive, e.g. 35 cents per minute! (In my local internet cafe I could have a go for *one pence* per minute, that's 1 1/2 cents.)
Also, my mobile didn't work in the States. I was *bereft*! I made a meeting point to see a friend: we never met up. Life is not worth living without the mobile.
But the offline cold turkey didn't matter all that much in the final analysis because I did meet up with so many other old and lovely friends many of whom I hadn't seen for years and one of whom I hadn't seen for over a decade. I was determined to overcome my depressive state (and I was in near catatonia when I flew across) and seeing these old friends was a benison and a balm, it really was.
South Bend, Indiana: very exotic (for a European). Everyone drives hummers or hummer-like vehicles, and nothing is accessible on foot. I bought a very nice dress. And saw two wonderful old friends, with one of whom (the male one) I had very interesting discussions about sexuality, always a topic of perennial interest. ;-)
Philadelphia: interesting but shocking amount of slum. My son had warned me off West-Philadelphia (he gleans this from the opening song of "Fresh Prince of Bel Air") and true, it was drive-thru country: you wouldn't want to get out. Beautiful old buildings but totally, and I mean totally, run down. All of this goes on for acres and acres. Particularly shocking: it's all black. Class is divided along racial lines.
I also saw a great Frank Lloyd Wright synagogue and had "chicken'n'pot".
Baltimore: this was charming. A lovely town, gracious, on a charming little harbour with many portside pubs and eateries. This was the only place I didn't have friends and stayed in a hotel.
New York City: I saw a very old friend here whom I hadn't seen for 13 years. He's a sculptor and absolutely one of the handsomest and most charismatic men I know. I had forgotten how nice it is to hang about with a friend where there is lots of sexual frisson, I enjoyed it *a lot*. In fact, I think I really enjoyed it for its own sake for the first time: this sort of thing used to discompose me when I was younger. I met his wife and daughter, both of whom are also absolutely great and whose existence, I was pleased to note, did not deter in the least from the frisson -- au contraire. And he's Manly, he's 49. It goes to show that a man in the flesh is always to be preferred to a drool object on the screen.
New Yorkers are good looking. Americans, on the whole, I found very good looking. Primarily, because you see so many different *types* of good looks: white, black, Asian, mixed, the lot.
Am too jetlagged to think of anything else right now. Also, I want to finish Karl/Dom epic.
Any juicy news? What have I been missing? Rec the good fics!
I have returned. I am recovering from jetlag by recovering from cold turkey. Because, yes, strangely, bizarrely, perversely and inexplicably, the United States, cradle of the internet revolution (besides Switzerland, that is) and mythical land of web-web everywhere, is a barren land of no internet cafes.
Remember how I always found a little webnook in Rome or Munich or Paris? Not so in Baltimore, Philadelphia or New York. And if, then fiendishly expensive, e.g. 35 cents per minute! (In my local internet cafe I could have a go for *one pence* per minute, that's 1 1/2 cents.)
Also, my mobile didn't work in the States. I was *bereft*! I made a meeting point to see a friend: we never met up. Life is not worth living without the mobile.
But the offline cold turkey didn't matter all that much in the final analysis because I did meet up with so many other old and lovely friends many of whom I hadn't seen for years and one of whom I hadn't seen for over a decade. I was determined to overcome my depressive state (and I was in near catatonia when I flew across) and seeing these old friends was a benison and a balm, it really was.
South Bend, Indiana: very exotic (for a European). Everyone drives hummers or hummer-like vehicles, and nothing is accessible on foot. I bought a very nice dress. And saw two wonderful old friends, with one of whom (the male one) I had very interesting discussions about sexuality, always a topic of perennial interest. ;-)
Philadelphia: interesting but shocking amount of slum. My son had warned me off West-Philadelphia (he gleans this from the opening song of "Fresh Prince of Bel Air") and true, it was drive-thru country: you wouldn't want to get out. Beautiful old buildings but totally, and I mean totally, run down. All of this goes on for acres and acres. Particularly shocking: it's all black. Class is divided along racial lines.
I also saw a great Frank Lloyd Wright synagogue and had "chicken'n'pot".
Baltimore: this was charming. A lovely town, gracious, on a charming little harbour with many portside pubs and eateries. This was the only place I didn't have friends and stayed in a hotel.
New York City: I saw a very old friend here whom I hadn't seen for 13 years. He's a sculptor and absolutely one of the handsomest and most charismatic men I know. I had forgotten how nice it is to hang about with a friend where there is lots of sexual frisson, I enjoyed it *a lot*. In fact, I think I really enjoyed it for its own sake for the first time: this sort of thing used to discompose me when I was younger. I met his wife and daughter, both of whom are also absolutely great and whose existence, I was pleased to note, did not deter in the least from the frisson -- au contraire. And he's Manly, he's 49. It goes to show that a man in the flesh is always to be preferred to a drool object on the screen.
New Yorkers are good looking. Americans, on the whole, I found very good looking. Primarily, because you see so many different *types* of good looks: white, black, Asian, mixed, the lot.
Am too jetlagged to think of anything else right now. Also, I want to finish Karl/Dom epic.
Any juicy news? What have I been missing? Rec the good fics!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-19 07:16 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 04:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-19 08:14 am (UTC)New Yorkers are good looking. Americans, on the whole, I found very good looking. Primarily, because you see so many different *types* of good looks: white, black, Asian, mixed, the lot.
mm, New York. I miss it. Did you stay primarily in Manhattan? Did you venture into the little holes in the walls? Best thing in the world is to go to the Bronx in the dead heat of summer, sit on a stoop eating a pizza (NOTHING compares to NYC pizza!!!), and waiting for the Italian icy man who doesn't speak a lick of English to come by. My dad's entire side of the family live up there. I used to threaten my mom that I'd hitchhike all of the way to the Bronx when I was little. heh.
And as for good looking Americans, well. You didn't come Down South. oh dear.
er, yes. Done rambling in your journal, now. But I'm glad you're back! And I'm very very glad that you enjoyed yourself (even without the phone, meep!), and yes, Karl/Dom, please oh please. ;) *hugsandmorehugs*
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 04:37 am (UTC)No, I was in fact staying with friends in Brooklyn which was very interesting because I had never been to Brooklyn before, and I also visited a very good friend in Queens -- but I did spend a good deal wandering about the grid of Manhattan as well.
Did you venture into the little
holes in the walls?
What are these??
Welcome back! *throws confetti*
This is so funny, considering I am now further away from you than I was when I was in the US. It just goes to show that the internet *is* a location. We think of it as such. So even if I'd been in your home town, if I hadn't seen you and not been online, it would have seemed as if I'd gone "away".
And as for good looking Americans, well. You didn't come Down South.
Well, you're there, aren't you? Heh.
As for Karl/Dom, bane of my life: part one is with beta. ;-)
Re:
Date: 2003-05-20 12:23 pm (UTC)Holes in the wall? Oh, those are those little establishments that the tourists never go to, but all of the locals flock to. The "Jim's Cafe"s in the back alley that are fabulous, and only get costumers because of word of mouth. The best places to shop, eat, whatever. That's what my mom calls them, a hole in the wall. They're everywhere, but in the big cities, they're priceless.
And, heh, you're right. You're only back because we can actually "talk" to you... location means nothing, really. Us strange internet junkies.
And as for good looking Americans, well. You didn't come Down South.
Well, you're there, aren't you? Heh.
oh, hush! *grins anyway* Besides, I refuse to admit I'm Down South. It's a huge ass place, and by country I mean dirt roads and pick-up trucks and mullets and tractors riding down the "highways" and cows and pigs and horses and cilos and tabacco farmers and dueling banjos and bad teeth and cash crops and people who spit and wear big ole belt buckles. That's Down South. shudder.
As for Karl/Dom, bane of my life: part one is with beta. ;-)
ahem. Excuse me while I squee aloud and frighten the family dog. *squee* (and, hey, who're you calling bane???)
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-21 02:38 am (UTC)Re:
Date: 2003-05-21 08:27 am (UTC)*drools*
Wantses.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-19 09:02 am (UTC)God yes.
Drool objects are rather distant and then there's the way the video cassette digs into your ribs when you roll over in the middle of the night...
The invention of DVD was a godsend.
S'lovely to have you back.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 04:39 am (UTC)Speaking of video cassettes: the hubster interestingly downloaded porn movies in my absence. He *paid* for them. If anyone in authority ever needs to requisition my hard drive, it may well scupper all our careers for ever.... From having been a work tool, my Imac has long ago been transformed into a tool of sin.
*glomps you*
Date: 2003-05-19 09:40 am (UTC)And you sound happy- Yay!
Re: *glomps you*
Date: 2003-05-20 04:42 am (UTC)West Coast? West Coast? Why do I always picture you on the East Coast?? But you are right, of course, Oregon is West Coast -- my grasp of US geography is clearly shaky. It sort of *sounds* East Coast...
And yes, I would love to visit the West Coast. I lived in Berkeley for a year, and I have a very good friend there, plus online friends in Portland, Oregon (now that I know where it is!) and L.A. (Jenn). Plus I just love the landscape of the West Coast. I love, love, love the Pacific. I think I was imprinted with it when I lived in Australia.
Re: *glomps you*
Date: 2003-05-21 10:28 pm (UTC)And if you love the Pacific, I'm just over an hour away, and the Oregon coast is particularly rugged and beautiful and cold. Come anytime!
Re: *glomps you*
Date: 2003-05-22 01:27 am (UTC)And I could see *you*!!
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-19 10:05 am (UTC)Good to have you back!
*cracks whip on the Karl/Dom*
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 04:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-19 10:53 am (UTC)and eep! I thought you'd be gone till the 22nd! *hurries to the post office*
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 04:44 am (UTC)*licks lips in Orli-tongue-anticipation*
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-19 11:13 am (UTC)coloniesland of the free.K/D Epic! Epic! *whimper*
* not necessarily having to do with Mr Mortensen
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 04:46 am (UTC)Gloria Mundi (viva_gloria) wrote,
oh, welcome, welcome, invigorated* Lobelia! How delightful to have you back, and I'm
extremely happy to hear that you too were transformed by a trip to the colonies land of
the free.
K/D Epic! Epic! *whimper*
* not necessarily having to do with Mr Mortensen
*snort* No, I suppose a better word would be 'infeminated' or whatever the non-masculine equivalent is (I *could* now scuttle downstairs to get my Latin textbook but it seems excessive.... Engynecated??)
And when you say "you too": are you the other person? And how were you in-whatever-ated?
K/D: part one is with beta!
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-21 10:30 am (UTC)Colorado at Christmas illuminated the gloom enough for me to get through a very bad patch ... though I do rather wish it was closer, and I could escape on a regular basis!
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-21 10:54 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-21 04:06 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-22 01:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-19 01:54 pm (UTC)re: juicy news: *cough*woodcest*cough*
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 04:46 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 05:37 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 05:43 am (UTC)How is this controversial, though? Seems a harmless piece of 3some het to me. And all the comments are benign.
But heh, I've evidently missed *something*.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 09:45 am (UTC)I never actually saw any backlash outside of the, uh, DLR crew. Was there that much? (
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 03:14 pm (UTC)Anyway :) When I said excitement I didn't mean that in a negative way, although I saw quite a few opinions that weren't pro woodcest. But they were mostly along the lines of 'I won't read it but it's okay that it's there', and everyone agreed to disagree. I dearly hope nobody was nasty to the other author, she certainly didn't mention it.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-19 03:37 pm (UTC)Oh, thank you. I'd just got that song out of my head.
...Ermmm, and your serious point was very good too. *g*
Welcome back, dear. Your trip sounded lovely.
:)
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 04:48 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-19 04:14 pm (UTC)i hope your research also went splendidly.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 04:49 am (UTC)And thank you. Yes, it was a lovely trip. The research not as plentiful as on my previous trip but the stuff I did see was very intense and very important. American museums are very different from European ones, more based on the tastes of individual collectors than on nation-building state visions.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 06:23 am (UTC)Pronunciation: 'rEd
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English -- more at READ
Date: before 12th century
1 dialect : to give counsel to : ADVISE
2 dialect : INTERPRET, EXPLAIN
so, i am assuming Legolas thinks some sort of information or instructions regarding their situation will be revealed in the morning.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 08:53 am (UTC)Btw, are you able to update your journal right now? I keep getting the message 'temporarily unavailable'. All I can access is the comments function.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 09:03 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 09:14 am (UTC)As you say, I *am* amused but should I be thinking about such trivia?
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 09:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-20 09:23 am (UTC)See, I spent (wasted?) all day re-reading Part One of Karl/Dom. I did not revise Part Two.
*hangs head in shame*
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-21 03:51 pm (UTC)Philadelphia: interesting but shocking amount of slum. My son had warned me off West-Philadelphia (he gleans this from the opening song of "Fresh Prince of Bel Air") and true, it was drive-thru country: you wouldn't want to get out. Beautiful old buildings but totally, and I mean totally, run down. All of this goes on for acres and acres. Particularly shocking: it's all black. Class is divided along racial lines.
Heh. So you've been to my birthplace. Good ol' Philly. Only lived there until I was five or so, then grew up in an all-white neighborhood, went to an all-white Catholic School, and basically only had white friends. Of course, I was the freak wearing a Pink Floyd t-shirt when I went back for a family reunion, but, I digress.
Sounds like you had an interesting time, and welcome back. :)
Karl/Dom! Yay!
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-22 01:16 am (UTC)Where did you move to after you turned 5?
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-23 02:01 am (UTC)It's pretty sad that I grew up there, but never really experienced the wonderful architecture and history.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-23 03:48 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-27 10:56 am (UTC)But every city has a slum, doesn't it? Although I can't speak for European cities.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-05-29 01:59 pm (UTC)But no! That's what I found shocking (this time round) about the US, I suppose: first, the fact that every city does indeed seem to have a slum (and that the slums seem all to be organised along racial lines: they're all black), and second, that people seem to accept the fact of the slum as they accept the fact of bad weather. It's just part of city life.
In Philadelphia, I was quite shocked at what I perceive to be complete lack of civic responsibility on the part of town government. To just let miles of good real estate go to waste like that, not to take care of the building fabric of the city.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-06-02 09:48 pm (UTC)Exactly. And that's so sad.
I went to college in Baltimore for three years, in an 'upscale' part of the neighborhood. Well, it was an upper-class street, with beautiful mansions and the like. Oh, but one block to the south, and it was gangland. And that was where the pubs were, of course. So students were constantly getting raped, mugged, shot at, etc about a block away from the school. Incredibly strange, but it was basically common knowledge that you didn't walk down THAT street alone or at night. And was anything being done about it? Nope. It's just 'that bad area'.
Unrelated note:
Orli icon! Hee.
I don't know if you read loaded magazine. Well, there's a little blurb in there (and a nice picture) about the hair products that he uses. Mud styling something or other. And it mentioned his naturally curly hair. I just had to grin at the thought of men reading that and putting down Orli!hair products on their shopping lists. Ha.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-06-03 03:42 am (UTC)Orli hair products? Mud style? *speechless*