The Maintenance of Trans-Atlantic Relations

My friend Alison came into town for the last week or so from the UK.  My brother, Brittany and myself had met her in Siem Reap, Cambodia last December, and a night of cobra whiskey and fried tarantulas ensued.  I can STILL taste the way the fat abdomen of the palm-sized arachnid tasted when it's innards squished...



Anyway.

For two people who supposedly speak the same language, there was a lot of confusion.  For example, Brits love the letter "U."  For example:

• Colour
• Favourite 

No, it does not make sense.  Wasteful use of letters, you ask me.

Other funny things that Brits say:

• "Spot of tea" - Yes, they really say this.
• "Guv'nor" - You, me, whoever else they are addressing
• "Skahn" - Same thing as a scone, but they say it odd
• "Tea" - means "dinner"

There.  Now you speak Britainese as well as I do.  Good times were had.  There was no eating of insects, but we did make a bunch of Pisco Sours from a bottle that she brought back from Peru.  She also brought me this sweet knife that has alpaca teeth and hair on it.  I can't wait for an invader to break into my apartment so that I can menace them with it.



We surfed.  We didn't suck too horribly.  We went to the Long Beach Aquarium and saw sea lions, and then we impersonated their bark for the rest of the week.

We went on a road-trip, and we gave each other double high-fives when appropriate.  Note - it was always appropriate. During said road-trip, we visited my brother and Britney at their abode in Santa Cruz, and we ate a lot of meat and drank beer on a cliff over-looking the ocean at night.  I also whooped that ass at darts.

The following day we headed north to San Francisco, and watched all the crazies at Dolores Park.  I don't know if it was a scheduled rave, or if it was just another Saturday, but the park was packed with chemically-enhanced teenagers.  People-watching was prime.  

We were joined by good friends, Hanley, Clara, Shawna, Jai, Jas, Paris, Mae, and Eli.  Now I miss my old stomping grounds and friends in San Francisco.  I know I will eventually make good friends in LA, but I met some really good people while living in the Bay.  I am lucky.



Despite the day-drinking, we all managed to last pretty late into the night, and played pool at a North Beach pub until closing time.  Shawna ordered tequila shots that I have yet to forgive her for, but she also let us crash in her living room, and made one hell of an omelete the next day, so she is well on her way back into my good graces.

The next morning, groggy and hungover, Alison and I made our way back down the lovely 5-freeway, passing close to a billion walking steaks (cows), and playing "I'm thinking of..." for hours at a time.

This was a good week.