Oxford, Paris, and other things

Today I went to the beach,  bit of a head ache due to bad management of vodka orange. I was supposed to meet some other poets at City Light but my day has been too tiring.  I stupidly assumed that you could find food near the beach.  So between 11 am and 7 pm I didn't eat,  and I swam. Just once. Of course I got pestered. Find it quite difficult to quite relax. Got pestered yesterday too. Hm...  I had a Hitchcock moment of course,  being near the bridge... Vertigo. It was a bit of a trek going there and I had to trespass but it had to be done! And I got some help from an inner city kid from LA. Very happy about that. Meeting young hyppies on the beach was fun too.

Meeting another photograph this afternoon.  We will to to the Mission for a walk.  Should be nice. Will try now to go to a museum of native Indian art if there is one.  Then, if I find the time,  back to Oakland for the museum there. Intrigued (and horrified) at the difference in fees from one university to another. Stanford,  Harvard. Do they make you pay the price so that you think you're at Oxford or Cambridge? (and we are already so expensive I think! )

Above politeness Above good and evil In your bubble limousines You surf the streets Surf the streets Collecting Us in apps for sale. Drink, oh drink babe, NSA is good for you!

If you love stones more than people Building on sand you don't see If you love your car so much You won't stop at the stop sign For the passer-by that I am If you think saying it's lovely All the time will stop you From feeling like shit If you're afraid of leaving Your stuff on the sea side While you go swimming And off in rented gear you go Into the sea into the sea And told me later you did 3 miles whatever The sea, the sea, that really tried her best To kill me #fail I am ready. And here I am, The day after, Walking on art, crying It's an earth quake really You won't see it you won't feel it But an old lady, second name Elizabeth, Took me for a tour. Thank you.

Today two visits to libraries: St Mary's college and Oackland main public library,  the two will be quite different from one another I'm sure. Couldn't shower today my towel is gone so my hair look weird as they have still sea water in them. Oh well. I hope no more stuff will be stolen! OK here we go. On my way to the other side of the bay. End of day. Though I have not walked as much as the other days, I feel quite tired. Perhaps it was the intellectual effort in visiting other libraries. Very good day, and for photographs too I think. Found at last a cheap, quiet place where you can eat. Nice fresh tacos. Really liked Oakland.  Would like to go back to the museum. Also should go to the native American museum,  I hope there is one. And the oriental museum.  If I find the time. And go swimming on the beach. There should be a nice view of the bridge and the waves are not high.  Well we will see. As usual, swimming in a sea you don't know is a question of tactic. ...

Today I went for a swim in Aquatic park. Bloody cold. But still people should get used to it rather than renting these swim suits. I went swimming twice.  Bad idea.  Took me a while to get my warmth back the second time. But now I feel nicely relaxed.  I'm in an Irish pub on vodka orange and soon to come nachos,  Irish version. Earlier I went through little Italia and past the bookshop I already saw yesterday,  quite a famous bookshop which went all the way to high court as a publisher. Apparently a poet runs the place,  oh I must go back there! There's also this pub where you have this Chinese woman speaking Russian,  oh I must go back there! And yes! I had a Vertigo trip, went to where James Stewart used to live, the flat is still there but it has changed a bit, and of course the trees! There used to be no trees then. So yes,  went to the shop and bought an anthology of poetry pubished by them. And, after,  yes! I spoke a bit of Russian! ...

In Castro. No I have not spent the night here,  promise! Though one of my room mates may have... hehe,  didn't come back last night. Yesterday I found a nice house for Dolores O'Brien,  my character.  She'll be living near here,  opposite the school in 17th street, not far from Sanchez street. And this morning before arriving at the Mystic cafe for a well deserved break fast,  I took the 5 bus from Powell station and exited at Divisadero street in order to be Dimitri,  another of my character. He has to walk from there to the Castro theatre,  took me 20 minutes, will take him longer as poor SF has suffered another earth quake then. Anyway,  where should I go now?  Perhaps Mission as it looks so close on the map! Plenty of time before my meeting with the photograph Dave Glass, met through Flickr. Here is a link to his wonderful look on the city http://www.flickr.com/photos/daveglass/ Later. Had a great time with Dave. We spoke of films se...

Went back to hostel to discover my pair of sandals got stolen... oh well could be worse. I then decided to walk all the way to Castro.  It wasn't difficult,  I just had to walk market street. Castro,  once again a disapointment. I just stayed for one drink at Twin Peaks which seemed to be full of tourists. Then took a bus thinking it was a tramway -I know I know,  maybe that drink was strong!-and got lost somewhere near Buena Vista garden,  which,  bythe way, has a crap vista as the fog was there.  But it was great to be lost. Found my way back to Castro and took the tramway at last,  well when it arrived. Transports here,  it is said, are not bad for American standards... thank god I live in Europe! The metro for example is quite sovietic, almost no advertisements, which is great,  but compared to Kiev or Moscow, it's really ugly.  And so rough,  hardly no seats. I wonder how old people survive.  Probably not. And two car...

I'm having lunch in the heart of Silicon valley at Mountain View in a Greek coffee though we could really call it geek coffee,  quite a few guys with their apple laptops. Very rich place here,  similar to Palo Alto where I was before in order to go to Stanford university. Had a beginning of a nice conversation with a war veteran on wheel chair but he had to rush to get his bus. Too bad. Had a mini conversation with one of my room mates yesterday who's deaf but she lip reads well and I think understood all I said. I'm glad I read this blog from a deaf guy from England who said he didn't like it when people where speaking louder! I also used my hands a lot,  invented my own sign language.  Anyway she's German and her sign language must be different. Deaf people should have their own Esperanto perhaps. Ok will go back now,  my face is burning but some fresh water should do me good. Will try to go for a swim now :-) Operation going for a swim completely failed, ...

Bad bad idea to drink a bit of alcohol yesterday after most of the day spent walking.  I went everywhere! Spent some good time near the civic centre as part of the book is set there: went to the libary, took a few pictures, went all the way from the hostel, which is on Minna st and ninth st, to the Ferry building to have lunch with a friend (thank God we shared this ceasar salad, the portions were enormous!) and I realised I knew this place thanks to the film Interview with a vampire as the opening scene starts from there,  went to Union square and spent time at Macy's (as one of my characters works there! ), went to Chinatown, went to little Saigon (not sure where it is now!), took an escalator in a skyscraper in the financial district to see the view thanks to a guy met on the street who told me about that: many buildings have a top roof garden and this is indicated by a sign on the door,  then took the tourist bus, "went" to the summer of love place, Golden gate park, ...

Yeah yeah yeah... the original idea to go to San Francisco was a crap one... I got dumped at 3 pm on a working day last year yeah yeah and decided to go to the city where my ex now lives, send an email to ask if she'd like to go for a coffee,  maybe. Crap idea though,  because after buying my non refundable ticket I saw her again.  Did she see me did she not,  not sure but there was no answer to the email I sent. But here I am now and the city is so big it is very unlikely we will meet.  And if we were too well I hope I'll be strong enough to give her an oxford cut (ignore her). Lots of things planned: visits to libraries, meeting people including those only met through Flickr! Going through streets I'm speaking about in my book and I hope and I hope lots of writing!

Тебе не нравится дым и чёрт с ним Он убивает слова, кругом голова Уже разносит молва по дворам Что между нами чивава. О чём с тобой говорить, потеряли нить Быть не собой перестать и дома спать Нас не измерить на глаз, а сейчас Зачем мы давим на тормоз, не на газ? Вопрос извечный зачем да почему Я понемногу с ума, ты не сама А эти ночи в Крыму, - теперь кому? Я если встречу потом передам ему. Писклявый твой голосок как электрошок Что я бухой без вина - твоя вина Теперь узнает страна до темна Им донесут обо всем на FM волнах. Припев: Я помню белые обои, чёрная посуда Нас в хрущёвке двое, кто мы и откуда? Задвигаем шторы, кофеёк, плюшки стынут Объясните теперь нам, вахтёры, Почему я на ней так сдвинут? Соло. Давай вот так просидим до утра Не уходи, погоди - но мне пора И если выход один впереди То почему мы, то холод то жара? Раскладывать по местам я устал И поворачивать вспять, ну вот опять Прикосновения плавили мой метал Ты элемент номер пять - ни дать ни взять. Идёт к финалу игра в это...