Snow White and the Seven Casinos

For those counting down at home (*Cough* Mum *Cough* Mama *Cough*) we’re over a quarter of the way through our 2-year visa. And only Satan himself knows what will happen to foreigners if Mr Trump is elected. George has been doing bootcamp so he’ll be totally fine if we have to start building a wall – but I’ve got a dodgy neck and shoulder. Will Donald be doing ergonomic assessments?

I, for one, am very much looking forward to spending some quality time in sunny Canada where the poutine is fresh and the Prime Minister (the political woman’s Mr. Darcy) is a dreamy feminist…

Truth be told, Saturday mornings consist of me watching a week’s worth of John Oliver in an attempt to balance the very large, tanned, hair-plugged disturbance in The Force.  But I digress…

This past month has been an adventurous one – commencing with a weekend in Lake Tahoe for our wedding anniversary. (Why yes, I DO feel like a ginormous yuppie typing that.)  Being the enviro-loving Californians that we now are, we hired a small, understated hybrid vehicle to get us through the weekend’s  impending snowstorms. #Murica (See below).

I had surprised GKT with tickets to Penn & Teller –  who serendipitously were performing in Tahoe for one night only – the day we arrived. The show was spectacular and meeting the eponymous duo afterward did not disappoint.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCjzKUpjVMl/

Walking to the venue through the casino on the other hand, made me wish I could do magic tricks and make people disappear.

We’d quite clearly stumbled into a live filming of the Real Housewives of Backwater-Nowhere for all the second-hand smoke, leopard print, Ugg boots and undergarments playing peek-a-boo. (The casinos obviously reside on the Nevada side of Tahoe, because Californians have pride and don’t build casinos. Unless they’re on Native American tribal land.)

The Nevada casino experience traumatized me sufficiently, such that I may never actually make it to Vegas. For a woman that didn’t even gamble the  free $5 credit she got with a Crown Club Card (for cheap parking at nightclubs. Jeez), I’m not sure I’d enjoy Sin City… But my husband made three compelling points: Celine, Britney and J-Lo.

Saturday morning we awoke to inches of snow coating the entire Lake Tahoe area – the perfect start to a romantic snow weekend ‘together’. George skied. I dayspa-ed. George skied. I read books while clutching a hot coffee. George found our friends Jenny & Trav on the slopes. And skiied. I got a pedicure.

The Lake Tahoe area is truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been (just don’t cross the state-line into Nevada casinos and the illusion of beauty will be maintained).

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Mere days after our return from the snow, George and I again packed our suitcases — GKT headed to the UK for his first official work-trip for 2016, and I moved into a luxurious home down in sunny Los Gatos (an hour south of SF – near Palo Alto/Silicon Valley).

Disclaimer: For those who remember my wedding speech, you may recall a snide joke about the film ‘300’ not being a film about the Spartan war, but rather a reference to the number of cousins my husband has. Well, eat my words I shall — as our extraordinary family network came through – introducing us to Lana & Dom, the people who we have unilaterally adopted as our Northern Californian family.

The poor unsuspecting ex-Adelaideans didn’t stand a chance once we’d realized that we shared a love of decent coffee, Lego, board games, Arnott’s biscuits and Formula 1 (Clearly that reference is for George. All I know is that I wasn’t permitted to say the word ‘Mercedes’ for 48 hours, for fear of imminent death…). And their kids are pretty rad too. 

I bet you’re regretting showing us the guest-room now, Lana. (Thanks, Filitsa!)

So while George worked hard in London (excluding St Paddy’s Day festivities), I spent the weekend watching Disney movies, constructing a ‘leprechaun trap’ and generally, just being an additional nuisance with the best sidekicks in the world –  Mary and Luca. And when GKT returned he got to attend a Pirate Princess party, join the nerd hordes at ComicCon and watch the Grand Prix (Yay, cars!)

 

But honestly, these adventures are more part of our ‘highlights reel’ — SF life is now relatively routine and tame.

• We semi-regularly find ourselves sitting on the couch after dinner, working away on our laptops. #techlife

• We’ve been introduced to the bitterly real game of Crack-head or Tech-head. How to play: If you see someone shuffling along on the sidewalk talking to themselves, are they one of the mentally-ill homeless people residing in the city (who have literally been bussed here from other states – true story!) or are they a millennial techie pitching their latest app to an investor (“It’s like Uber, but for…”)?

• George’s suit currently sports an additional layer of dust and I now own a North Face hooded jacket. #fashionforward

• We don’t look twice when a group in unicorn onesies crosses our path or semi-naked men apply sunscreen to people sitting in the park.

• Working full-time means that I had to finally change my Language Settings to English (US). It hurts my soul. Goodbye ‘colour’…

• And realizing that true love is: your husband emptying your purse each Friday because you still refuse to learn the US coins. Piss off, nickels and dimes. And don’t even get me started on pennies…  If I have to adopt the spelling, then I’ll maintain some dignity by refuting the coins.

That’s all for now – but  Coming Next Month: Greek Easter in LA (with obligatory theme-park stopovers), counting down to our Melbourne visit and of course, more Californian sunshine and random strangers in costumes.