(Be)musings
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California, Here We Come/Came/Cometh?
April has been and gone and an appalling long period of time has passed since we’ve posted an update. So here we are, in the throes of packing suitcases for our first trip home – naturally, the best time to maniacally bust out some musings about the last couple of months in SF.
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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…
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Hulk chocolates, Minnie Driver and February sunshine!
It’s the middle of winter here in Northern California… Vitamin D levels? Awesome. Proximity to Zika Virus? Not so much.
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This is London calling!
Instead of a list of resolutions that will undoubtedly feature a decree to binge-watch less TV and to throw away empty cartons of my beloved ‘The Tonight Dough‘ ice-cream (instead of back in the fridge whence they will remain until I angrily discover them at the next instance of an ice-cream craving…), I have chosen one word, to inspire and recentre me throughout 2016: Balance. A word that seldom features in my internal vernacular, when my natural tendency is to move at the pace of a child after a handful of chocolate.
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Get Stuffed: The First Thanksgiving
Nary a month after Mumhattan 2015, whereby 20kgs of clothing, 8 pairs of shoes and 2 coats – were lugged cross-continentally for a 5 day jaunt in NYC, it was time to pack for another trip to Manhattan.
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Queuing for Fortnightly Fairy Bread
The last time I looked at the calendar it was early November. Turkeys were frolicking freely, pumpkins nestled against warm pie crusts and marshmallows were melting atop mashed sweet potato. (Let’s just quietly add this to the ‘Culinary Crimes I Shan’t Partake In, You Foodie Heathens!’ list, shall we?)
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Our Pumpkin Patch has a Turkey Farm
Hypothesis: Facebook/Uber/Google-wunderkinds are benefiting most from the tech-boom. Empirical Evidence: Organic dog treats in cafés, vegan dog food at the local restaurant, canine day-care & professional dog walkers while owners are at work funding the inflated rent for apartments overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, that the dog lazes around in all day. Conclusion: In my next life, I’m coming back as a golden retriever in San Francisco.
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Too Many Backpacks, Not Enough Brunch
Having completed my wardrobe transformation from A-line dresses and patterned stockings to jeans and flats (I have yet to succumb to Seinfeld attire of accessorising with sneakers), the North Californian transformation is coming along nicely. Currently sipping my surprisingly decent macchiato in a shared-workspace/coffeeshop in the CBD, while the megaphonic voices of activists protesting climate change outside are making me feel right at home.
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A Blank Canvas
A mere 885 days after ‘We should live here!’ was uttered while honeymooning in California, George & I put our extensive Lego and designer shoe collections into storage and purchased one-way tickets to San Francisco. It is not often that we are able or inclined to displace ourselves from a life that is established and familiar, to start life anew – a blank canvas comprising of nothing but an E3 visa, an overpriced 1-bedroom apartment and whatever you can squeeze into 130kg of luggage (22 pairs of shoes, 8 dresses, 5 skirts, 2 recipe books and a kaleidoscope of peplum tops & cardigans, for those wondering).
