California Dreamin' - I'm 21 everywhere now

I was afraid that my ignoring of the 'turn off all electronic devices' warning and listening to this as we touched down at San Francisco International might somehow crash the plane.

Here are some of my snap happy pictures if you fancy taking a gand -
photos.photos.photos.photos.photos.photos

Fo'sho I had hella time in Cal.

Fall break, my 21st birthday - what else would I be doing? Visiting my person (yes, that was most definitely a Grey's reference) at Berkeley and hitting up SF.

The flight down from PDX was a stand out experience in itself. I love flying, airports, plains, that whole cliche liminal space arrty farty poetic crap anyway, but this was something else. Learning from my mistake coming from London I nabbed the window seat. Holy. Mother. I was absolutely transfixed the entire journey. Not only was it such a clear day and the plane flew very low, but I had the most awe inspiring view of the Oregon Coast the entire way. There are no words. Everyone should see it - there is nothing I think I will ever be able to see that will even slightly compare. Words cannot do it justice. The way back - slightly more inland - was equally transcendent, this time with views out over Crater Lake and Shastina mountains. Breath.taking.

And then. I was THERE.
After shedding the tweed jacket VERY quickly in the Californian sun, I got my first taste of SF as I made my way North through Downtown and across the Bay Bridge and into Berkeley where Tash and I, amid a crap tonne of squealing and hugging, saw each other for the first time in the US.

This is her co-op. I know right? Shared by 40 really chill, really lovely girls (well those I met anyway!!) who I got chatting to straight off the bat as we went  that evening to go see Tash in Midsummer followed, ofcourse, by a little bit of vino.

So I realize that instead of me boring the socks off you with every little detail of my  trip (plus then what would I have to talk about when I come home?), it'd be better to just hit y'all with some particularly particular highlights :)

Saturday -
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_derby
Freakin intense, its like the best feministy hard core sport I've ever seen. The Portland Rose City Rollers have a bout soon and I will find some people to come and hsare my new found love for roller derby. Plus it meant I got to get to know Tash's ladies from Sherman which was sweet. On the bus on our way back the clock ticked over and suddenly holycow I was 21! So we headed off to Kips for a free birthday shot, and because it being game day (the Cal Bears vs the Oregon Ducks would you believe!) the little dive bar was crammed with Jock-y Frat-ty guys, cheap beer (well actually it was pretty expensive..) and the girls were very apologetic whereas I was like hell yeah, this is so America I feel so 21 right now!

Oh also, so because I have this thing where things just fall apart wherever I go the BART, Berkeley's main form of public transport between the Bay area and SF, was on strike pretty much the whole time, (imagine the tube going on strike... yeah I know right!), the F bus became my new best frenemy - but travelling over the bay bridge every day looking out at Alcatraz, the Golden Gate and going through Treasure island MORE than made up for the extra hour it added to my commute. Plus a drunk busker serenaded me as I turned 21 which was pretty hilarious.

Sunday -
My birthdayyyy
After breakfast bagels and coffee by Sather Gate with Miss T, I spent the day feeling all poetic on Pier 39 and along Fisherman's Wharf, watching the seals and writing stuff, and generally being a massive tourist with my huge, and now seriously battered map of SF(I know, I'm so cool it hurts sometimes). I then bravely took to the SF hills (holy crap are they really as steep as they look in Princess Diaries!!) for a wander, stumbled into Lombard Street (the crookedest street in the world apaz) and decided that an hour wait was definitely justified in hanging off the side of a cable car and being driven all around the city!

Monday -
Tash and I hit up Bette's diner and the Berkeley Marina, any excuse for making up for lost time and putting the world to rights. Most of our conversations consited of 'but can you believe we're actuall here!' oh have I missed that girly.

Tuesday - After magical adventures in the Japanese Tea Garden (I can't resist can I?) in the Golden Gate Park where I blissfully lost track of time and so lost half the day where I'd planned a million and one other things, my camera run out of battery! I'm so on it like that.Not only could I not snap up my wanderings around Haight-Ashbury, but after being chased down by a mind bendingly beautiful guy named Francisco (off all things) I had the awkward moment of attempting to pose for his SF street style blog. Not going to lie I was ridiculously flattered (even though now according to the internet I really do only ever wear this one dress over and over again) but also, on top Emily form, made a fantastically awkward twat of myself, an wishing I'd bothered to wash my hair that morning. Oh what is my life!
http://luxrad.tumblr.com/ - There are like a million ridiculously cool looking edgy photos and then... me, looking like some sort of dented ostrich. Not cool. Not. Cool.

Wednesday - After Tash took me all around the UC Berkeley Campus, around Telegraph Ave, through People's park and round the Berkeley Art Museum, we glittered up and went flyering for their out-of-house party (guttingly) on the Friday night I was leaving. Armed with saucepans, spoons and wine we banged on doors and ran through the 17 other co-ops with flyers - not going to lie it was just a chance for me to be really nosey and have a look! From the LGBT co-op Wilde (Oscar, ofcourse), to Loth (the vegetarian/'natural' theme) they were all gorgeous, in these beautiful big houses/converted hotels filled with so many people! It sounds funny I know, but I'd so gotten used to Reed's small little quiet campus that I was suddenly very aware I was on a University Campus with other College Students!

Thursday - My final day in SF whizzed past, I've never worked my little leggies so hard pounding the pavements to pack the last things on my list in! After a mare trying to work out which bus I needed to get to the Golden Gate Bridge, the kindness of one San Francisco stranger sent me on my way up to the Palace of Fine Arts, where I accidentally made a few cameos in an Amazon Prime ad that was being shot there (oops), and off on a long walk through Chrissy fields to the bride itself - and a welcome cup of cawfee at the Warming Hut right underneath it! No tie to let up I managed to get myself to the wrong end of Broadway and had to walk miles down through China Town to get to the Beat Musuem (I gots to get my Lit geek on sometimes y'know?) and City Light books and Vesuvio where all my beat poet homies hung out. The guy running the museum was so interesting, after convincing me a full sleeve tattoo of Jack Kerouac like his was a fantastic idea (don't worry its me, ofcourse I just nodded and agreed then ran away) I found out he was a kind of late beat writer himself whose book had just been published (and he was very keen for me to buy). Before I knew it, I'd agreed to look after the shop for him whilst he ran out back for 'something', for which he gave me some free post cards :) waheey. I think I was just pretending that because I'm at Reed I'd be forming the next Snyder, Whalen, Welch trio hahaha, I think not. The cherry on top of this bizarrely beautiful day was meeting up with Flora and Mara for drinks at Rickhouse which ticked all my hopes of a cool SF cocktail bar, plus Mara's magical ability in getting free drinks off the barman for us also made it preeeetty sweet.

Friday - After a final breakfast at Ann's kitchen on Telegraph I made my way back to PDX where, exhausted, exhilarated, I leapt straight into life in Portland as a 21 year old being all old and wise (and much more hungover). I'm loving life as part of Reed's exclusive 21+ club, sadly if the last three days are anything to go by, Portland has been less thrilled to meet me. Oops. Cocktails are definitely stronger here I swear! I blame this for my lack of correspondence since returning from Cal. Hopefully this has made up for it - better late than never right!!












SO the big question before I finally let y'all go. Berkeley vs Reed? As most of you know I had my heart set on Berkeley and was absolutely shattered when UEA wanted me to apply to Reed instead. Now, hand on heart having been to both, where Berkeley was undoubtably beautiful and the classes all sound incredible (a lot more my kind of thing than a lot of Reed's traditional academics), the city was great and the people were fiiierce - my little old soul has taken root in Portland. Where I was expecting a kind of jealous longing, I was so glad that it actually re-affirmed that maybe UEA got it right and I belong at Reed. It's hard to put my finger on exactly what it was that tipped the balance (because Berkeley really was wonderful too and obvs, it IS Berkeley), I don't know if it was the size, or the people, or how much I love Portland/Oregon and the NW but it meant that I could really enjoy my time there, whilst knowing I was heading back to a space that just... fits better! Now who'd've thought I'd ever be saying that!

A post that was supposed to be about California but got too carried away in the shiz that happened before

I know right? It's about time I posted something. Hold your hats this is probably going to be a long one. I'm very unsure where I should start as its been so long! First thing's first - one of the girls on my floor has brought her bunny back from home to live with us on Mac3. We met. we cuddled. I will never be sad again. Legit.

Some brief things I had no reason for not posting about before fall break that kind of need to be rambled about for a bit. Multnoma Falls.

Yes. Me. Hiking. Who'd've thought? The look of the (really stoned) guy at the back-pack co-op on campus when I went in to borrow some clothes (ofcourse I have nothing suitable) was priceless. I don't think wearing heeled boots, a tweed jacket and pearl earings gives any kind of legitimacy to the phrase, 'I want to go hiking' but there we go. My lovely lovely host mum Gay drove me and Grace up to the Falls, we hiked, she treated us to lunch in the sweetestest little lodge up there and then toured us around the town she grew up in. Sublime doesn't even begin to cover it. It was so beautiful, it reached into the big pandora's box of crap in my head and pulled out some lines of modernist poetry I didn't even know I had remembered - it was THAT good. I'm totally smitten, Oregon has me breathtakingly hooked. I actually can't imagine living anywhere else in the world. That's right. THE WORLD.

 from the top of Multnoma

 Horse Tail Falls

 Horse Tail

 Wakeena Falls

 Wakeena

 'WHIRL up, sea—

Whirl your pointed pines.

Splash your great pines

On our rocks.

Hurl your green over us—

Cover us with your pools of fir'

 The Columbia River Gorge

 Vista House 

Views of Vista point and the Columbia

From falls to The Fall. It needs a line before I go off on what will inevitably be a sanity questioningly long post about going down to see Tash in California. And man, I do love Autumn in Oregon. (quick tangential note: that line totally doesn't make sense - American's don't use the word autumn. Silly Rimer's of Eldritch...) My shit photos of how beautiful the fall really is do not do it justice in any way shape or form. Google image that shiz.

 (This is the same tree - I know you were dying to know)

 

Oh and this. lol. Homogenous Fall coloUrs. English Reedies love burgundy.

So with Halloween just around the corner, I experienced my first Pumpkin patch extravaganza yesterday. Every holiday in America has to turn choosing some sort of plant to celebrate it into a precursory event to the event itself (choosing chirstmas trees... pumpkins...). This one involved taking hay rides around creepy looking fields of pumpkins and eating corn on the cob. It also as to be noted that the five of us who showed up were the five people who'd been out in Portland the night before - intense commitment to the holiday season.

A pumpkin flower!?

This. Has to be my favourite photo of the semester. <3

YES so enough jibberjabber, SAN FRANSICO/BERKELEY fall break (woohoo?) updates coming tomorrow!!!! I SWEAR.

An apology

I know it's very british and all to start handing out apologizes to people you've neither met/nor offended actually assuming there are people reading this that fit either of those categories, or just general fam and actual real life friends (not just the imaginary ones facebook tells me I have) whom this blog was really intended for (a lazy way of me not responding to emails and fb messages, which can I just have a moment to say, check out how much of a changed woman I am no?) but I feel the need. Firstly a) for my lack of proof reading. I don't do it. period. I know I should. It's not like I'm a lit third year (oh lordie I had to backspace the phrase 'junior English major' - what is this country doing to me!?) Especially after the incident during my last paper wherein I accidentally had a long academic discussion about the unfairness of the distribution of cool superpowers - that 'special' separation rather than the more commonly discussed spatial one. If there's no squiggly red line under it, I won't find it. b) my lack of post for last week - I've got a draft hiding somewhere and a half baked excuse (freshers flu round 2 took me down) but really, I'm just being a bad communicator and slipping back into ye olde Emilye.  It will be fixed. I had some pretty cool adventures this week to share (involving 'rain pants', waterfalls/mountains, vegan bakeries and Iraqi food) so I will get on that shiz soon. c) THIS post. It's not like it's nearly 2am and I've got my first solo performance assessment since I left BRIT first thing tomorrow or anything, OR a 5 page paper that needs writing OR a trip to SF on friday that needs planning OR a homophonic (read that word again, yes, there you go) translation of Icelandic verse OR oh I don't know a million other useful things I should be doing with my night instead of rambling here and d) for my lack of actual information outside of tea and food and absence of many actual real people/real insight on this blog.

For all of this

I am truly sorry

x x x

Don't want to be an American Idiot

Hey y'all, so here's the run down on this week's Portlandy shenanigans. But before I start I had a couple of general reedie/portland things to share. So yes, I think I can safely say I've quelled my tea fears about the US (not mind you, home brewing tea in my dorm, I miss 250v - kettles don't take 10 minutes to boil back in London). HOWEVER, what Americans/Portlanders HAVEN'T mastered is the art of Tea. They just haven't got the whole tea drinking EVENT down. There may be a cursory teacup every now and again but I see no cake stands, or BISCUITS to dunk or TEASPOONS anywhere - it's all teabags on strings and craptonnes of sugar! Quick, in and out, bam, bob's your uncle. Man what I'd do for a fondant fancy...

ALSO, I can't believe I haven't mentioned it but DOGS (I'm not sure why the Caps lock loving all of a sudden either... bare with, it might get less irritating). Everywhere. All over Reed campus. And very lovely friendly ones. People bring them to commons, to conference, you name a spot on a reed, there'll be someone with their pet pooch. Which means, although I will ALWAYS be a crazy cat spinster at heart, there is a little bit of love for the canine now too.

Enough ramble.
Onto the good stuff.

9.29 BRUNCH. Oh lordie, brunch brunch brunch. My favourite meal. I am instigating a cultural revolution when I return to the UK and force all cafes/restaurants/people to have brunch every weekend. Fact. This Sunday I got to hang out at Delta on Woodstock, SOUTHERN brunch. And yes, you got it. Southern means OMGOSHLY HUGE PORTIONS.
Yes, I'm still being that girl, taking photos of food, but humor me with this one - I think it's worth it!

9.30 Standard Monday, pretty productive day=nothing particularly interesting to report. Other than the pharmacist giving me my free flu shot making some cute jokes about British rain. And the cute barista being back at Papacinnos serving me my 8oz.

10.1 It rained. We hid in Paradox. Again. The Geese are still here.

10.2 Trip to Hawthorne had a pretty sweet day. Had an indulge seeing as I haven't actually been clothes shopping since being here (I'm shocked too) and boyyyy did I make up for it. Red Light vintag was a bit of a let down so I crossed the street (no jay-walking I promise!), to the luxury goodwill. I say luxury because it is so expensive compared to every other goodwill ever. So for the Ukians who don't know, goodwill is a kind of chain charity chop like Scope or Oxfam. And this one in particular is where they house all their top notch stock. Yes, there I was trying on ralph lauren jumpers like it was an everyday occurance haha. After accepting that a petite medium couldn't really be further from my size really and my lack of waist really wasn't going to squish into a gorgeous woolen two piece suit, I did settle for a beautiful Ralph Lauren hawaiin print maxi skirt (I'm not usually a label whore but oh lordy was I going to pass up the opportunity for a $16.99 Ralph Lauren? helllll no!) and an icelandice cardi (to console myself over mine and STeph's postponed trip.. next summer... next summer). After breaking the purse seal came the inevitable, a warehouse full of vintage clothes? Yesyesyes. I'll nab a 1980s leather jacket for $20 ofcourse I will. Blissfully tired, with a ravaged checking account I calmed down in, yes what a surprise, a lovely little tea room - The Hazel lounge. The decor was lush and the pumpkin spice chai tea was pretty good so Ima say it was a successful day! Topped off in my creative writing class getting to have a really good sit down chat with tung-hui hu, who's done some increidble things with words and art > http://www.architizer.com/projects/last-time-you-cried/ seriously, check him out

10.3 Sam invited me down to dinner in the co-op. So this is a pretty alien concept back home but second nature to Portlanders (and californians so I hear from Tash). Essentially they're a big house of people who all live together and take turns cooking/cleaning for the house. Hard core co-ops grow their own food, keep chickens etc whereas here at Reed, it pretty much means you live in a house of people and don't have a board plan. I wish I'd known about it before I came - everyone was so so lovely, they're like a little family! Sam and one of the other girls cooked a crapload and I mean CRAPLOAD (there are 10 of them!)  of vegan/gluten free delightfulness. It was so lovely to have a home cooked meal again and be able to wash up and do all domesticy things, being in a home y'know rather than dorms.

10.4 MORE BEAUTIFUL ADVENTURES WITH THE BEAUTIFUL GRACE
China Town and Beyond :)

starting, as every pretend American (and real one) would with a quick visit to stumptown - Portland's favourite coffee roasters and armed with an apricot and cardamom scone we headed to the divine Lan Su Chinese Garden (supposedly the most authentic garden chinese outside of China - and as someone having fallen in love with the beauty of Suzhou gardens in China two years ago I can definitely attest to this being true!). I'll let the photos do the talking.

 It was like I was back in China, I don't know how Grace didn't get sick of me. Of course there was a tea house - The Tower of Cosmic Reflections. Lotus tea and Lychees. Yes. Just. Yes.

So following an Emily whim we jumped on a bus and headed to the other side of Portland to hit the Japanese Gardens. After a lovely bus driver drove off route to get us where we needed to go (we weren't lost per se...) and trecked through Washington Park (Imagine me in my high heeled boots and swishy black skirt lol) and stumbled upon the Rose Test gardens instead. The roses may have finished but I FINALLY got to see Mount Hood in all her glory. Breath.taking.

  Getting back to the roots man.

Relying on our little feet rather than another bus fandango we wandered slowly back downtown, stopping at a proper Goodwill in awe of the crazy amounts of halloween decs they had on display. I'm not a halloweeny person but man, the Americans so do know how to do halloween so I'm kind of excited! I didn't pick up a tea cup in goodwill no no no, I'm not that stupid/grannyish... $2, 2 freaking dollars, I was NOT passing that up!! We finished off the day on 23rd in a little mexican place and then topped it off with froyo ofcourse :)

10.5 Portland Saturday Market and other shenanigans. It also decided to be summer again.

oh lordie....