Home, Sweet... Home?

10:40pm Pennsylvania Time
DiRocco’s House
We made it! Pennsylvania at last!
It was a stink early morning leaving Chicago – Up at 6:30. I didn’t think I would have to get up that early until I was back at school! But, I wasn’t actually that keen on leaving Chicago. I had more research to do, thank you very much, and it’s one of the best cities I’ve been in. I mean, with the plot of my story, which has them visiting the Public Library to research the person committing the crimes, is there any better place for me to write my story than sitting in the old Public Library building, which is now the Arts Centre, looking over the beautiful Millennium Park? I do keep thinking how great it would have been to live there, but then catching myself, and recalling how great life really is in NZ, back home, and how much I would lose to never know that.
The flight to Philadelphia was uneventful. I worked on the Chicago Plot, my novel. You know, added place names that were on the old map I studied, detailed some of the baddie’s crime activities from the research I had done on the Chicago Mob, etc.
Kristen, I will add for your sake, and because it scared me a bit, but the plane to Harrisburg from Philly was a teeny-tiny little “puddle jumper”, a Bombadeer Dash 8-100 turboprop plane. We had to walk across the plain tarmac to get to it – no flash bridge right to the door. There were only 4 seats in a row, two on each side of the aisle. I was at the back of the plane, and I could see the cockpit. It was TINY! Can’t be that safe.... Turbulence was terrible.
We flew over the Rivers Potomac and Susquehanna, which was beautiful.
Pennsylvania doesn’t seem like home anymore, but it is good to be back. I nearly cried when I got here. I recognized the airport, and the drive back to where we are staying. We’re staying with friends, the DiRocco family, so we’re only five doors down from the house we used to live him. Same neighbourhood and everything. Scary. Nothing’s changed much, but I remember everything being bigger, since I was smaller, and all the trees have grown. I quite want to stop by my old elementary school, see how everything is, sneer at all the places where the bullies that gave me a hard time cornered me, and really accept the fact that I am a very different person to the one I was when I left.
It’s interesting how much everyone has changed, though. I mean, I was 11 when I left, and you don’t really notice the change in yourself and family, as you’re near them every day. But, Adam, who was 10 when I left, is 14 now, and is over 6 inches taller than me, and is a typical teenage guy. Don’t get much conversation out of him past the occasional grunt. On the bright side, he has matured a bit, and we no longer squabble like 2-year-olds when left in the same vicinity for more than 5 minutes....
Kira, who’s two years my junior, is 3 inches taller than me now, and has glasses and an elf-cut. And, she’s dyed her hair dark mahogany brown. She’s so quiet now. Like, she was so pleased to see me when we first showed up, but it wasn’t anything like the chatty, imaginative friendship we had when we were younger. She seems far older than her years now.
Connor, who’s the same as age my brother, is on eye-level with me now. Everyone has a STRONG American accent, too, which I’m sure they didn’t have when I left....
I’m scared to meet with some of the other people in the neighbourhood, because they didn’t like us much. Too liberal and too anti-George Bush and not Christian enough for them.  ;o)
No one can believe how much Bennett and I have grown, too. Ben was 6 when we left, just a very little boy, and is now very tall for his age, and a bigger build. I was quite chubby when I left, too, so now everyone’s commenting how much thinner and healthier and happier I look.
I showed Danielle the pictures I took of Macleans. She says we have the coolest-looking school ever, she wants to live near the beach, and is surprised by the number of sporty kids in our class. She says my music friends look like very nice people, too.
We went to an Independence Day celebration at the Navel Training Base, as that’s where Peter, Adam and Danielle’s dad works. I would say it was fun, but I pretty much curled up under a tree and slept for most of it, actually, only waking up around evening. There were fireflies! I had forgotten about fireflies. And, we saw a groundhog.
There was a fireworks display that was absolutely incredible. The flashes for some of the fireworks were so bright that I couldn’t look at it straight, and the crashes of the explosions were enough that I could feel my sternum vibrate. I have never particularly liked fireworks displays, but there were fantastic, I will admit.
Have to go. I’m supposed to be setting up a place to sleep for the next two weeks. Thankfully, Danielle, Adam’s younger sister, who is Bennett’s age as well, has lent me her room, so I just have to find sheets and a quilt now. I do have to admit, I’m quite relieved. One hotel room with four people is torture, and the same goes with bunking in the same room at a house, too. I would be sleeping on the floor if it not for Danielle. She’s on the floor in her parents’ room.
Oops, really getting kicked off now!
Cheers,
Rachel

Research up to my frickin' eyes!

What an eventful day! I spent the whole day at the Chicago History Museum, in the Research Centre on the Third Level, up to my eyeballs in crime stats, maps of Chicago in the 60's, police books, underworld jargon, crime scenes, background history, etc. I learned loads, and will have to do a complete rehaul of my manuscript. Turns out there isn't actually a FBI Headquarters in Chicago, which is annoying as my main character works for the FBI.... So, I turned the Wabash County Police Station in South Downtown Chcago into the HQ. All the streets are similar to how they are now, and I've worked out where all the characters will reside. The most convinent place for the FBI Officer is the corner of Cicero Ave and Cermark Rd, as Cermark goes straight to Wabash Police, and Cicero goes down to the Jail and up to where...
The two victims whom the FBI Officer is sworn to protect can hide, at the corner of St John's Ave and Roger Williams Ave, which is far NW wider Chicago City, near the outskirts.
I also was surprised to learn just how many words were coined by the Chicago Mob that are still in use today. To "hijack", to have a "bad rap", to "get it", "dames", to "frisk" a suspect, calling money "dough" "bucks" or a thousand a "grand", a mug shot, a joint, to "rat" on someone, calling someone a "Big Shot", telling someone to "scram" or "beat it", being in the "hot seat", to "spill the beans", to "muscle in" on a conversation or fight, "peepers" for eyes, "punks", "queer", and "booze" are all common words invented in the Roaring Twenties. Not in use, but interesting, a "Chicago Bar" is an unusually heavy crowbar with a cane hook on the end. A "dummy" is a detective. A pistol is a "rod" or a "Roscoe". A sniper is an "organ grinder". The main problem drug was naracotics.

Stats on Crime, 1963/64:
Of the 758 people arrested on Murder Charges
Sentenced to Death - 4 from 64
Jail - None
House of Corrections - None
Juvie Hall - 1 from 63, 14 from 64
Probation - 54 from 63, 39 from 64
Fined - None
Motion Quashed in Court - None
Unknown Sentence or Released - 646

The Four Sentenced to Death were:
Andrew Lee Harper - Killed May 12, 64
John Holmes - Killed May 12, 64
Lyman A. Moore - Killed June 8, 64
Henry Mallett - Killed October 30, 64

An interesting note for Ben, Blaise, Teresa, and Rohaan -
Chicago was the home of the author of The Wizard of Oz, and the Emerald City is based strongly Chcago's White City. I have to say, some of the buildings ain't too far off....
We went to the Symphony Hall yesterday, which was a bit of a wipeout. We weren't there for a concert, and hence weren't allowed out of the main hall, and it's really tiny, not the sweeping staircase I thought and grand entrance I thought it would be. And, the store was closed for inventory. No! Very annoying. There was a cute bag with a piano keyboard pattern and a rose, and a French Horn fridge magnet. Ggrrr. Also saw a pic up of the First Horn Player, who has actually played the very same instrument that I now play when Mum's old teacher met him, and was very impressed with it.
On the weather front, there was an interesting happening - IT RAINED!!! Imagine that? Boys and girls, that was the first time any of us have seen rain since leaving NZ. No rain in Sydney. No rain in California. No rain in Nevada. Rain is a good thing, and I have missed it in the desert. It was actually overcast all day, and a measly 82 degrees Farenheit (26 Celcius). But, it's killer humid all the time. It's like breathing soup, and really not good for getting oxygen. I know why everything is green now... lots of rain and even more sun.
The food here is not at all bad. I'm actually eating, which is a change. We went to Berghoff's, a German American place which is the oldest restaurant in Chicago City, around since before the Great Fire of 1871. It was de-lish. I have to admit, the salad and lamb I got was very nice, and the Caramal Cheesecake was to die for!
Um... the deep dish pizza left a lot to be desired. It was not very nice.
But, all in all, I'm very interested. This is a truly facinating city, and there are many times that I have been thoughroughly annoyed that we are not living here, given this is where we would have moved if we hadn't gone to NZ. But, then I think of all my amazing friends back in NZ, and stop feeling so torn.
We're going to walk around downtown and explore, so I have to log off.
See you,
Rachel

Warning: SERIOUS Science Content!

Tee hee... Chicago Plot research took a bit of a halt today. We went to the Museum of Science and Industry instead. It was WICKED!!! There was an exibit on the Mythbusters, which Bennett and I both thoughroughly enjoyed, it being the only TV show I will watch, other than Law&Order and CSI, and it being one of Bennett's fave programmes as well. There were some of the stuff they had built for myths that you could see, like the robo-shark from the Jaws episode, the Arrow Machine Gun from the Ancient Weapons episode, the duct tape canoe from the Duct Tape Survivor Special, the tail section from the Shredded Plane episode, the torn remains of the Phone Book myth, and coffin from the Buried Alive episode... complete with fake Jamie Skeleton and dirt. Not to mention that you could retest some of the myths yourself, like sitting on a swing held up by the phone books, recording how many times toast really does land "butter side up", the walking or running gets you wetter in the rain myth, hanging off a tiny ledge like in the movies, dodging a bullet, and can you really do the magic trick of whipping the tablecloth from under a fully set table?
Elsewhere in the museum was an airplane exibit (I took photos, Kris, and even went on a fighter pilot simulator with Bennett, definately against my better judgement! It really did spin upside down, and Bennett likes barrelrolls. Felt like I was gonna be sick!)
And, Miss Chaimberlain, you will be happy to know that I have THE most awesome science experiment for the class to do when I get back! It's very simple, if a little bit messy, and really interesting. If you gargle salt water, then add soap and rubbing alcohol to the salt water-saliva mix, then shake gently, it reacts, and you can see the strands of DNA that were in the particles of dead skin in your mouth. Disgusting, maybe for some, but I was facinated. We got to do it today. Only problem... it will have to be a period 2 or 5 lesson, as you can't have eaten within an hour, or it won't work, as the process of chewing and swallowing means you are swallowing the dead skin cells. I have a sheet of paper with the full method written out.
Another highlight was the human bodies exibiton, where you could see the inner working of the body, and how everything functioned. There was even slices of a real body that had died of natural causes. Unnerving... And, a giant heart on the wall with a handgrip in front of it mirrored your heart rate. Mine is unusually fast, even at a resting pulse. When I had been sitting for five minutes, and breathing deeply with the intention of slowing my heart, it was still 120 beats per minute! If you remember from PE theory, class, normal for a student our age is between 60 and 80 bpm. Not good. Going to have that checked out when I get back.
Another part of the exibit was a... arrghh, can't remember the scientific name, but it measured the electrical signals in your brain. This was wired to a "game" where, under the pressur of competition and people watching you, you had to relax. There were two seats facing each other, with a marble in a clear plastic tube between them. The more relaxed, the less of these waves, and the marble was pushed to the other person.  You got it to the other side of the tube, you won. I did very badly. I knew I was under pressure, so the marble went pretty much straight to my side.... Not fair that I was facing Mum as well, who is a psychologist who teaches people dealing with distress, mindfulness, anger management, and controlling emotions. Not fair!!!
In the gift shop, they had t-shirts that had, like, "CHICAgO" spelled out in elements, Carbon, Hyrogen, Iodine, Carbon, Silver, and Oxygen.
It's dinner time now. Famous Chicago deep-dish pizza. Worth a try. ;o)
Your even more mad scientist classmate,
Rachel

Chicago!

This place is wicked!!! Like, actually. Chicago is the most amazing city. There is almost no rubbish in the streets, the food is de-lish, the museums are all free every Thursday (tomorrow, for us. Guess where I will be, and what my next post will entail...), and it's the scene of my most recent novel. Better and better. ;o) There's even a museum specifically on the history of Chicago, which is perfect for my story, which is set in the '60's. I think I've mentioned that previously. Oh well. Wearing my CSI top with pride. ;o) Unfortuently, the season is over for the Chicago Symphony - summer break - but, I may be able to talk my way into Town Hall for a good gawp of where they would be playing, regardless. (Does little victory dance)
The weather is unbearably hot still. And, IT'S GREEN!!! Finally, shades of jade, olive, lime, etc. There are trees, bushes, shrubbery on the sides of the streets. It is a good change from the false, plastic palm trees of Vegas. I really hated that place.
But, yee goodness, I should be exhausted, but nope. I've been hopping up and down since the plane landed here. I've been looking forward to this leg of the trip, mostly for the research it gives me a chnace to catch up on. I mean, in all the really good mystery/crime novels I've read, there is a good description of setting, as well as character and plot. If I have never been to Chicago, and know next to nothing of its history, and the layout of this huge city, what good with the manuscript be??? No good, that's what. This is the chance of a lifetime for a fledgling writer with a [hopefully] publishable book in the wings! I intend to use every second I get here. I've already filled a page in the "work that is not strictly school-related" notebook I keep. Sorry, Mr. Mac... You didn't see that. My mind is focused on my studies all term, promise. The novel is only for weekends that we don't get homework and I'm not busy, and school holidays. It's a rare treat to get this much time to work on my novel. I'll be back to 110% effort at Macleans the first day of Term 3, swear and promise. (Okay... give me a week to readjust from California time; then I'll work hard!) And, I can hear all you kids at school positively spitting your drinks out at your computer screens. "Rachel??? A research project she doesn't have to do, while she's on holiday, and she's excited???" Um... yeah? Why are you not surprised?
Not to mention that we are staying in THE most amazing hotel. It's seriously ritzy, but not in the same faux-glamourous way that the Excalibur was. The hotel suite we're staying in seriously the fanciest one I've ever stayed in, and I've travelled a fair bit for someone so comparitively young. I had another stab of feeling very out-of-place as we walked through this red-carpetted, gold-leaf-and-marble lobby with crystal chandeliers and men in expensive-looking business suits sipping white eine from glass champagne flutes.
Oops... Have to go. Neglected to mention we are really only here because Dad happened to have a business conference that intersected with this holiday, and he has to use the internet. Damn.
Cheers,
Rachel

Chicago, Here we come! ... Wrong lyrics.... ;o)

Hi ya'll just to let you know that you won't hear too much from me today or tomorrow. We leave for Chicago stink early tomorrow (9:00am - I just don't like mornings!). Yay, whoop-dee-doo, and hal-ee-frickin'-lujah! I will not die of second hand smoke inhalation now, nor will poor Bennett get more of an education than he bargained for, nor will my parents go totally nuts over safety (they haven't actually been as strict as I thought they were going to be)! But, we are outta here!
I learned something new today. You can, in fact, sunburn your lips, and it hurts like a bear with a sore head. Not good.
And, I'm really looking forward to Chicago. The story I'm working on at the present moment is set there, in the '60's music and FBI circles, and I need as much reaserch as physically possible. I've compiled a list of questions to bug any official person I meet with, and have set my sights for the museums and the Symphony and the FBI Headquarters and the art gallery. Very excited! Don't know if I will have time, or the ability to sweet-talk my parents for that, though... Ah well. Mum and Dad are both with me on the Symphony and Art Gallery, at least. And, the museums won't take that much wheedling. After all, can any parent resist a child so eager to learn and be a good student? (Bats eyelashes and looks innocent....)
I have to log off now, [hopefully] loyal readers. I need my beauty sleep if I'm supposed to be dragging my weary backside outta bed so early tomorrow. (No comments about me needing beauty sllep full stop! I can hear you!!!) Yeah well... "that's what you get for wakin' up in Vegas!"
Sorry. Couldn't resist. ;o)
Good night,
Rachel
P.S. The "wrong lyrics" is because the song is "California, here we come," actually. Remember, I think I mentioned singing it VERY SOFTLY on the plane to Cali.

!El Rio Grande... es grande y fatal!

Wow. Just... wow. The Grand Canyon is just as magestic as its name suggests. It's very breathtaking, just a vast chasm, carved out over thousands of years, roxk formations towering over 5,000 feet high. The only thing that threw my, scenery-wise, was the colours. I'm used to nature meaning GREEN, all shades of jade and kelp and emeral and olive and lime. But, this is different. Nevada and Arizona are deserts, and the terrain is harsh with russet-red and brick and tawny and ochre and henna. It's an alien world for a person like me. All of this is alien.
The only two things that threw me, not scenery-wise, for the rest of the day was the intense, arid, dusty heat, and my terrible vertigo. Just some numbers on the heat - It was 110o Farenheit... in the shade, closer to 120oF in the sun. I had a uncumfortably close brush with disaster by nearly fainting within two feet of the canyon's edge. I have to get over this "feeling faint" lark. It's really quite annoying. You see, there are no railings or fences or warning signs... just rock, and then death. It's painful, this level of heat. You can feel your skin charring under these harsh rays, and any amount of movement or exertion drains you nearly immediately, and your lips dry and crack until they bleed. No amount of water quenches a ravenous thirst, and you feel like your skin is shrinking around your bones. And, there is the dust, a thick dust, full of iron, that covers everything in a blanket of rusty red. It gets in your lungs and your hair and your clothes, it coats your skin and parches your mouth. It's swirled by the blisteringly hot desert winds, and worsens the feeling of dehydration and heat.
With the vertigo? Forgive my fear and weakness, but we were over 4000 feet (1,219.2 metres) above the Canyon floor, and, like I said, there are no safety rails, and the ground slopes toward the edges at every direction. One false move on the unstable shale, and you're history, and not the first one. There have been plenty of people who have fallen to their deaths - at least three a year.
But, my parents had arranged for us all to go on the SkyWalk. Ya know, that huge, glass horseshoe haning in mid-air over the edge of the cliff? I was really excited to go, not scared at all to start with, and even had the gall to laugh at the booties we have to wear to protect the glass floor. But, as soon as I took about 8 steps onto the glass, and looked down through this flimsy-looking, clear material to see eagles that are actually massive looking the size of pinheads as they rode the thermals 3000 feet below me, and helicopters that looked no bigger than dragonflies, and the ground just falling away beneath me, with rocky outcroppings and cracks in the cliff face and sheer drops of farther than my mind can even comprehend.... I have never been that terrified in a long time, not with that in-the-moment, I-am-in-danger, full-fledged-panic-attack, deer-in-the-headlights response. I quite literally could not move. My legs were so weak that I thought I was going to collapse onto the glass, and my brain would not think logical, coherant thoughts, and my mouth and throat went dry(er). I felt physically sick, and lost about a gallon of precious water through crying. I. Just. Froze. And, it's one-way around the horseshoe. I had to go right out onto the glass, right the way around, to get both feet back on terrafirma. I did it, eventually, but I think it was made easier by the fact that my tears blurred the sight of the ground so far below me. Cheating, maybe, but effective.
I redeemed myself slightly later by being able to clamber up the side of this tower of rock up to a look-out point that was quite high up. It was very difficult. Not the climbing; I can handle that. But, the looking around and seeing sheer drops on every side as you climb higher and higher and higher above sea-level. THAT gets to me.
But, it annoys the heck out of me. The shale heap I climbed was far less stable than the SkyWalk, and we didn't have to pay for it. Couldn't I have chickened out on that instead, and not cost my parents a fortune??? Besides, it was the one reason we came to the cursed place - Dad was desperate to see the SkyWalk, and I wrecked it for him and rest of my family by breaking down in tears and refusing to let go of the railing. So much for channeling the personalities of fearless heros and heroines in the adverntures and crime novels I read, or the characters I create for the stories I write myself. Maybe I will just stay strictly suburban and pathetic, and perhaps interview people on occasion, and leave the exploring to them. I'm obviously not cut out for a life of soaring above my troubles. Actually, looking back, this post has been quite negative. Case in point.
I have to go. We're back in the ritz Elcalibur, and I'm getting red dust over their nice, plush chairs and fancy, patterned carpets. Not very ladylike of me....
Still very much grounded in reality,
Rachel

That's What You Get For Waking Up In Vegas!

10:00pm, Las Vegas time
The Excalibur
We landed in Las Vegas at four, but I didn’t get time near a computer. There is only one phrase to describe this place: OTT, seriously, un-comically over the top! Like, actually, there is so much money and ritz and glitter that you cannot see anything worth seeing. All the hotels are fighting for customers, and try to outdo each other, and it just comes across looking stupid.
The hotel we’re staying in, The Excalibur, is on the main Vegas Strip, and has a Medieval castle theme, so everything is stone or gilt (ha ha, try “guilt”) gold. It’s flashy, in a very rich kind of way. I’ll download pics when I can get the internet working; as we’re forbidden from going outside, I have time now....
All the hotels have shows or entertainment to attract people. And, I hate to admit it, but one or two seem quite interesting. There’s a CSI mock-up, solve the crime yourself at the MGM Hotel, I think, which the “Law & Order” fan and mystery/adventure-writer in me loves, and there’s a Body-Bits, see the dissection of preserved corpses at the Egyptian-themed Luxor Hotel next door. It’s shaped like a pyramid, and has hieroglyphics on the walls. I took pics. Phantom of the Opera is playing. Cirque du Soleil is also in town, doing three different shows, two of which seem good, but the other is more tailored to the local taste.... I have gotten a t-shirt that says “CSI: Crime Scene Investigators - Las Vegas” on it. I succumbed that much. Good God, I disgust myself. Why am I falling to the advertising industry’s hands and buying stuff, as much as I have wanted a CSI-themed tee? It’s exactly why they do shows that aren’t related to gambling and iffy stuff. I refuse to support the gambling culture!!!
I already dislike Vegas, if you guys haven’t figured. The heat alone nearly made me pass out when we got out of the airport, and I’m not the kind of person to pass out easily, contrary to appearance. I never have passed out before, promise.
I feel out of place around so much money and fashion and the obvious sleaze. I mean, we were warned by a friend before leaving Cali not to leave our room after dark because of the level of prostitution and scummy people here! Knowing stuff like that about this place has made me so paranoid. I’m looking up to check the door is locked every few minutes, looking through the peephole whenever I hear footsteps, watching my back whenever I’m out of the room, staring daggers at every male that happens within two metres of me. I’m certain I’m going to be hit over the head and dragged into a back alley. It’s actually terrifying. I mean, Mum and Dad won’t even let me take the elevator up two levels to the hotel room alone because of the scum around here. I’m 15, not a child, usually capable of looking after myself, but here, 15 and alone is too close to looking legal age to risk being alone for more than 5 minutes.
And, there is plain just too much noise and bustle and light. That’s what gets to me the most, is more in the present and less ignorable. I’m really claustrophobic here, actually. Just, the flashing lights, and need for attention, and how everything is false and shined over so you can’t see what’s really there, and how women are portrayed as toys. It’s sickening and scary and disgusting.
At the moment, there is loud music with a pounding bass beat from the pool outside our window, I think. It’s giving me a headache, as is the not eating since a slice of toast this morning and then wolfing nachos, as is the atmosphere, as is the constant stink of cigarettes. I feel so sick now.
I can’t wait until this leg of our vacation is over, and we’re off to Chicago. I know it’s a terrible mindset, and this is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I can’t take it here!!!
While I’m at it, I’d just like to point out the unfairness of this whole set up, and the fact that this money could be going to, say, research to heal all the people that have gotten AIDS from this place in the past. Just saying. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas – Ha! Really? This amount of wealth put on show sickens me. I mean, in San Fran, all over the States, there are people on the streets, homeless because they couldn’t pay for medical care or university funds for their children. They are the survivors of wars and have been to hell and back, and they have nothing to show for it. But here, people flaunt their wealth because they can, and thousands and thousands of dollars flood in every day by gullible people wanting to win their fortunes when the gambling industry can afford statisticians to create games that mean that people are ripped off!!! It’s greedy and selfish and I can’t see how people have ignored the power imbalance for so long, and continue to do so. Mum bought food when she lived in Cali, and gave it to the poor and homeless as her “good deed of the day”. More power to her. I might do the same, to do my part for equality, not that there are any homeless that can afford to be anywhere near here.
This place is so different to NZ, not even on the same planet. I’m homesick and miserable, and miss my friends terribly. I just feel lost and adrift and scared.
See ya, if I survive this place to return to NZ,
Rachel

Promised Happier Post

Well... Bodega was fun. We drove through the tiny little town, up to the Bodega Heads, and hiked around there. I took lots of pics. I know I keep promising to upload photos, and don't... I have them all on my computer and camera. It will take a while to find time.
Anyhow, Bodega is another one of those "microclimates", so it was quite windy. the walk was only about 2 miles, not far, but was made longer given we stopped to eat lunch and Bennett, Dad, and I stopped to take photos. Only bad bit was me nearly stepping in coyote scat, but not seeing any coyotes! Not fair!!!
The California Coast is gorgeous, and I repeat that Cali is the US version of NZ. The wildflowers are beautiful, and there are lots of birds. A red-tailed hawk flew right over our heads... twice! I didn't get a photo, though, as it caught a thermal and took off. We also saw a blue heron, a formation of pelicans, and lots of sparrows.
We all stopped back in the town on the way back by the Salt Water Taffy Shop!!! I love salt water taffy, and you can't get it in NZ. I'll try to save some to bring back, promise, but don't hold your breath, folks. My resolve is not that good, and I only have one bag to myself. Sorry.
We leave for Las Vegas tomorrow morning, bright and stinkin' early, so you probably won't hear too much more outta me for a while unless the Hotel has Wi-Fi. Just warning you now.
Ben, if you're reading this, go find a piano and play "Waking Up in Vegas" for me, will you, please? ;o) Thanks.
Good night, NZ. It's 11:45pm here, and I'm quite tired.
Dancing already,
Rachel

Wrenching - Worth Reading!!!

Oh, my goodness. We just came back from the UUSR, and the service was on "Hungry Ghosts", and the haunting memories of the soliders returning from war, how "PTSD" (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) does not account for the horror and grief and damage to the soul war inflicts. I was really shocked, and taken aback, actually. In tears for most of it.
She talked about how the soliders are usually drafted when they are young, taken from their family, how they are given conflicting orders, and told that the moral codes they have grown up with are null and void - worthless. How they will chant "Kil kill kill" while being taught to stab human figures with bayonets, and how some of their shellshock is the fact that they were taught nothing but loyalty to their comrades, so now thrown into normal life, they can't function. In WW2, only 20% of soliders fired their weapons when ordered and at risk of their own deaths. By Vietnam, it was 95%.
The music was "Bring Him Home", from the musical Les Miserables, which is one of my favourites. Very fitting, very well sung, and if you haven't heard it (which, knowing my taste in music, you haven't), I would suggest listening to it. Made me break down in tears. Typical, I know.
There was also a slideshow of pictures from the wars over the years. The two I remember most were from Vietnam. One was a wedding picture. The man was a vet, his face completely maimed, looked like Voldemort, no ears, no eyes, no nose, a slit for a mouth, and the woman was looking up at him, the expression on her face trapped, horrified and disgusted. The other picture was of a black solider, staring across a wasteland, tears on his face. He didn't look much older than us, probably 18 or 19.
I have to go now. We're going to Badaga Bay, so I will post another, slightly happier journal entry later today.
Still in tears,
Rachel :'o(

Eventful Kayaking Trip

Eeep. Today was a very long, tiring day. Mum, Jayne, Bennet, and I went kayaking on the Russian River on a two-hour trip. It's called the Russian River because of the influx of Russian immigrants during the trapping and hunting part of California's history. There is actually quite a large population of Russian decendants in the area.
Anyhow, we were split into two double kayaks, me and Jayne, and Mum and Bennett. It went alright, but I'm scared my ribs are going to be sore tomorrow. I like kayaking, but it is hard work some of the time. Today was warm enough, and sunny, but the wind picked up in the afternoon, chilling us all to the bone. Not to mention, if I'm not sunburned, I'm gonna eat my shoes, and paddling against the wind is a pain in the butt. Or... a pain in the shoulders, but oh well.
The kayak arrangments weren't working, and Jayne and Mum wanted to chat, so they gave Bennett and I our own kayak. Big mistake. We know what we're doing, yeah; we have an ocean kayak in NZ, but you don't have over hanging branches in the ocean. Bennett panicked when the current took us toward the bank, and... we capsized. The cord on my hat got caught around my neck, I was trapped under the kayak for a little while, and I was really shaken afterward. Got a lungful of water, and came up sputtering and gasping and shaking like a leaf. It was freezing water to boot. Not good.
Bennett redeemed himself, however. Rescued my escaped shoe, and helped Mum haul the overturned kayak in.
After the capsising, Bennett and I were really not liking the idea of getting back on the boats, so we split up, me with Jayne, and Bennett with Mum again, and limped our way back to where the boats were being picked up.
Must go. I'm really tired, and I still need to wash the river weeds outta my hair!
Cough, splutter, choke,
Rachel

New Friends

Well... yesterday was interesting, and I'm sorry for not posting said story yesterday, but we didn't get home from our friends' place until one in the morning... But that's later in the story!
So, I was expecting a nice, relaxing Friday. Mum and Jayne had gone out shopping, and Dad and Bennett had gone as Dad had banking stuff to do. Great. I could play piano as loud as I wanted, write stories, use the internet link, steal chocolate, etc.
Heh heh. Not so much. Turns out the banking stuff was concerning my old US University fund (unneeded, now that we live in NZ), and I was needed to sign some papers. There went my unhurried day. It took forever!!! And I only needed to scrawl my John Henry on three bloody pieces of paper. Waste of me getting off my lazy backside. Then, Dad and Bennet had stuff to do, so I was dragged around elecrtonics stores (fun), and Dad realised we were pushing late to get home to get ready to go out for dinner with the Glazers, friends of his and Mum's from when we lived here.
Mum was late in getting home, and we eventullay scuttled out the house at the same time we were supposed to arrive.... Thank goodness it was a Snata Rosa address, only twenty minutes away. :o)
But, the family has two girls, twins, four months younger than me. They're names are Amy and Gabby (aka Gabriel), and they are really fun, despite being the typical California sporty blonde types. ;o) I had a blast hanging out with them. We talked about the usual girly stuff, boy trouble and annoying friends and the stupidity of drugs and the differences in culture between here and NZ. They also had one of those cool X-Box video game players, so we played a soccer game with Bennett, and a dance-off game, which I failed epically. No surpise. I don't dance. I mean, I didn't full-out flunk, but I'm not the world's best dancer by any means.
But, I got a bit of my reputation back when Amy and Gabby bugged me to sing, having learned I sung in the choir at school. They were very impressed. :o) Very happy. I'm glad the other sopranos from choir weren't there. I ain't that good.
I wish I had brought my camera, but I didn't think of it. They're house is a MANSION!!! It's in a neighourhood with a gate at the entrance to the subdivision, and you need the people inside to open the gate for you. The twin's shared bathroom was bigger than my bedroom. It's sad. And, the house backed out onto the woods. A deer came to visit us, which was a nice touch. They say they have raccoons, too.
I will post the events of today just now, and goodness knows there are a lot of them!
Still dancing,
Rachel

Warning: Science Content

What a day! This could not have gone better! I heard through the grapevine that the Big House Choir shield has been won by... Snell? Way to go! My kind regards to the Harmonising Choir and to Freddie, and to the rest of our fantabulous house!!! You guys rock (if you'll excuse the terrible pun....)
Adding to my good mood is a finished novel, a nice afternoon tea of the best frozen yogurt in California, the fact that the weather was temperate for the first time since we got here, and the SFPD called to say someone had found Mum's purse in the park, with everything in it. The creep hadn't touched a thing, just riffled through, looking for cash. :o)
Anyhow, the meaning of my post's title rests in the fact that today was spent at the California Academy of Science. I had a blast! I learned sssoooo much, and I loved every moment. I can't start to describe the layout of the place. There were animals, and skeletons, and taxiderimies, and OMG!!! I know, I know. Only I can get hyper over a science museum, but so sue me.
We were met by a T-Rex skeleton. Yes, Kristen, I have taken pictures for you. I will download them when I have time, as I will with the mulititudes of pics I have taken over the past 5 days.
There was a movie that showed the seismic activity of the earth for the past few milenia, and was in a huge ampitheathre with a nearly 360o screen that allowed a person to feel that they were actually sinking through the layers of the earth. Ingenious. I'm so glad I don't get motion-sick!
We got to see a show on snakes, which would have been my favourite part of the day if we had been able to get close to them. It may be a bit goth, but I love snakes - they are one of my favourite animals, and I hate that they are forbidden completely in NZ. I had to leave my beloved pet albino cornsnake, Bindi, when I moved from America, so to be able to see snakes and other similar reptilian animals again was a real treat.
We also ran into a taxidermied kiwi and a moa skeleton - Us Kiwis are not completely forgotten!!!
There was an exhibit on African animals, which I liked, despite a long-held mistrust of taxidermies. They had so many animals, and I know it's no where near as good as seeing them in person, but it's good enough for now. There were cheetah, leopard, orix, lions, zebra, gorilla, wild dogs, roan antelope, thompson's gazelle, etc. I have pics. I will download. I promise. At the end of the exhibit was the skeleton of Lucy, the first and earliest hominid remains ever found. I had seen the remains before, when I lived in Cali as a four-year-old, and had to go to the university with Mum as she was doing her doctorate. I became quite close with the old bag-o-bones, and talked to her (don't laugh - I am not crazy!). She was my height, after all, all three feet of her. I liked seeing the exhibit again. Trip down Memory Lane.
The trip through the simulated rainforest was fun. A little on the over-heated side, though!
And, aarrgh! My camera died at the worst possible moment. I did however, manage to capture the last of the exhibit we were in - Wildlife of North America. I had just finished photographing a polar bear skin. They live in Alaska; it counts. ;o)
Must go. I skipped dinner to finish my book, and because I was still full after the frozen yogurt, but now I'm getting food shoved down my gullet. It's 9:45pm. Everyone's still up.
E=mc2 ;o)
A sincere good-bye from your mad scientist classmate,
Rachel

Yesterday... About time, I know

Yesterday was fun. We spent the day in San Fransico, and stopped briefly in the Marin Headlands Park to look over the Golden Gate Bridge, and the old WW2 gun batteries that are on the cliff. It was very interesting, and very fun, but quite cold. It's one of a funny set of "microclimates" around the bays, and is very windy, and is probably 20o cooler that the other side of the ridge. It got warmer when we were in San Fran city, however.
Cali is like the State's version of NZ, really. Same land mass. Lots of countryside and cows, and beautiful natural resources with lots of lakes, and the coast. But, to put it into purspective, the population of the bay area of San Fran is the same as NZ. Not even the whole of one city - just the bay area.
After that, it was off to the Golden Gate Park, and we rented bicycles to make the hike to Stow Lake easier. My bike was so, so cool. It was a mountain bike, raven's wing black, with crimson and ice-white stripes down the sides, and crimson handbars and bits on it, and white shocks.
The trip was supposed to be fun and easy. Not so much There were no signs or anything, and all the paths leading to the Lake said "No Bicycles". Damn. Not good. We also saw a raven, which is supposed to be a bad omen. I'm not particularly superstitious. Goes to show me. Our car got broken into. ^-^ We biked around for close to two hours with no luck.
Thankfully, my biking skills improved dramatically. I'm usually pretty hesitant on bikes, but I was okay that day. Was at the front of the pack, and my stamina stayed with me for the most part until the last half-hour, which was good, given we were out for close to five hours. I was suprised. I expected to be an unfit mess, but I was mostly okay. Dying by the time we got to the car, however.... I can hear all you runners. Leave me alone! I'm a muso, not a sportsperson! But, I'm not even sore today at all. Well... I had a guy's bike seat, so my butt's a bit sore. Not fair. Guys are a weird species.
My only thing was that I didn't want to be the one to let the team down, 'coz no one in our family is especially fit, but they were all keeping up. I couldn't lag behind. That would batter my pride too much. Finally, however, we made it eventually. It was so idyllic and romantic and nice. There was a painter with a set of oil paints, doing a canvas print of the scene. There was a heron, which are beautiful birds, and the whole area was rimmed with sweet-smelling flowers and plants and palm trees. Gorgeous. There are photos! And, we rented a rowboat, and went out onto the HUGE lake in the middle of it all, which was so cool. I loved it. It was surreal, just too beautiful to be true. Rowing was quite hard, though. Because it was the whole family, and Dad was photographer, Mum and I had to row together, and co-ordinating it was hard. We kept veering off to her side because I was too busy watching the scenery to pull my weight, and we kept tilting, and argued about which direction to go and everything halfway around the lake!
I saw my first "wildlife" today, too, in the form of a jack rabbit, an American robin, a deer, a red-earred turtle and a squirrel. I is happy! I really missed the nature around here, and it's good to see something more interesting that birds. We see those too. Bennett mistook a turkey vulture for a bald eagle. ;o) LOL.
That's all, folks. I'll load all the pics I took tomorrow, but I can't be bothered fighting with the camera tonight. It's late now.
Good night,
Rachel

Swing yer partner!

Okay. I've just gotten back from "watching" the square-dancing. I would have pics, but got cornered into doing the first square, and I went "???" to start with, but joined in for pretty much all of them after that.
It was really fun! I had a blast, but I'm very tired now. It's harder than it looks.
Yes, I can hear you laughing on your computers from here. Shy, two-left-feet Rachel, swingin' her way around a hoe-down to a country tune????? Whatever. I don't care. But, in answer to the teasing questions coming my way, yes, I can now "do-see-do" and "swing yer partner" (or get swung, given I was dancing girl), and all those stereotypical beginner moves.
Just clearing up the stereotypes now. No, not many of them actually wear the plaid shirts and jeans and fringed leggings. No one had fringed leggings, and most people were dressed in just plain shorts and t-shirts.
The only thing with the square-dancing is that there is a shortage of men, so if you get a female partner, suck it up and get over it. But, most of the women there are gay anyway, so for them, it really isn't a problem. Most of the guys are gay, too. One of those things. San Fran is gay capital of the world. For me, it was suck up having a gal partner and get over it. You just dance with who's free. I danced three squares, one with a guy and two with fellow girls.
Actually, I found the guys, who were all middle-aged, really intimidating. They're all the "farm-hand" types with the plaid shirts and jeans, and most of them could have made three of me.
The gals were really nice, and couldn't believe that I had never really danced before. They said I was one of the fastest learners to show up. Some of them were taking bets on how old I was, they told me later. The bets ranged from 16-18 years old!!! I'm 15. Bit of a change. (Looks very happy.... Starts eyeing the bar down the road.... ;o) Nah, jokes. The drinking age here is 21 anyway.)
Will sign off, and start a post catching up the other events of yesterday.
Yee-ha and all that jazz,
Rachel

Later, guys and gals

Alright. Don't expect this blog to be anything but a jumble. I still haven't gotten a full night's sleep, and I'm really tired. Getting the car broken into yesterday has not helped my mental state any.
It has suddenly gotten busy over here, and sorry for getting so behind in writing anything interesting.
I'm off again now. Have a chance to watch a square-dancing class, and am leaving now, so I will take some time to fill in yesterday and today when I get back at 8:30 tonight (probs around 3:30 for you, plus the hour or so I will spend writing and editing).
Cheers,
Rachel

Disaster!!!

Oh, my God. Oh my, GOD! Today has been frazzling.
This is will be heck of a long post. Please bear with me. If you don't have a spare hour, don't read.
Okay. Okay. Okay. Rachel, get a hold of yourself and calm down. Get it together. Don't cry. Whatever you do, don't start shaking, and don't cry. You'll short your keyboard and drop your laptop.
Right. I'm in my more logical mind now. I can explain this.
I'll start from the beginning, as that's the best place to start. This will just go over the basic events of the day so its understandable, and later, I will post the good happenings of the day when I've calmed down a little, and slept. Insomnia sucks, and it's been hard.
We were in the city for the day, at the park, biking, and at lunch, we stopped at a picnic table and were interupted by this stoned, homeless and very talkative skateboarder (Sorry, Tom, Harry, Adam, etc.) that seemed nice enough, but seemed rather taken with me, which was terrifying in itself, and rather more taken with my sandwich. We left, pronto. Then, three hours later, after an exhausting day getting lost cycling around San Fran (trust me - that is a whole other story in itself!!! Watch this space!), we get back to the car to leave to gussy, as we're going out for dinner with friends, and the window is shattered with a very skateboard-shaped bash. There is glass everywhere, embedded in the driver's seat, splayed across the passenger, through the back as well, the boot has been popped, and Mum's expensive, leather bag is gone, meaning all the pics of my dead grandparents, us as little kids, and photos from home (NZ) are gone too.
Mum's way more frazzled than me. She's so upset about losing her pack. Bennett is shaken and upset and confused. Dad is just pissed off.
I actually was the one who freaked the least. I knew I wouldn't get through it if I thought about what had happened at all, so something in my subconscious fell into professional mode, and put all the research I had done on FBI criminal investigation to work. I had my camera, so I took pictures, like a Crime Scene Investigator would, and walked around the wider crime scene with the video camera , dictating my thoughts and what I saw. I really tried to be logical, and think it all through, what may have happened, what a CSI person would do. Not easy for me.
So, my thoughts, for what their worth. I want to go through this, and write it down, because being able to think this through logically makes me feel that little bit more in control. Consider it the Police Incident Report. Again, I say, bear with me. You don't have to read this.
I know that immediately suspecting the homeless guy is cruel and judgemental, and all I have is circumstantial evidence - nothing that would hold up in court - but, I trust my gut instincts, which usually never lead me astray, and I have a suspect, motive, and weapon.
The homeless guy introduced himself as Damone - a fake name most likely, Mum said. Sounds like Demon. Sounds tough. He had mentioned being an escaped parolee. Dad saw him follow us to the car without reasonable doubt. Suspect sorted. He has no alibi, and has a criminal record.
Motive? We're a white family, obviously well-to-do, both me and Dad are carting expensive cameras, we have good food which we didn't offer him, flash bikes, our accents betray us as aliens, and we're together. Everything he doesn't have. Obviously we've never lived off the streets in our lives. Jealousy and anger can be powerful motivators. I know I would be bitter in such a scenario, and goodness knows my nature is not to go in fists blazing.
Weapon? He was fiddling with the skateboard when talking to us at lunch, and I examined and photographed the window. I know I am no expert, but I am also not dumb. I could tell that the window had been broken by a single, blunt-force trauma (duh), and the object had been large and wide, as the glass that had fallen into the car had been the same basic diameters as a skateboard. Besides, I've seen pics of windows broken by thugs at home with skateboards, and it was similar.
God, I would have given my eye-teeth for silver nitrate powder, and gel electrophoresis. Not to mention a ruler, a pair of latex gloves, a doctor's mask, etc. Ya know, the basic CSI's kit.
Okay, logistics over. Normal, emotional Rachel is back again. I know, as I'm finally in tears. It's about time. I was wondering why I wasn't sobbing earlier, as I knelt there, calmly taking photos, serching for Mum's purse, comforting Bennett, helping Dad fish glass out of the driver's seatbelt.
I think I went into minor shock after the effects of "professional mind" wore off. All the way to the airport to get a new rental car, we were conversing and being police-ish, but at the airport, I was left to my own devices while insurance and the rest were sorted, and it really started to sink in. What if my computer had been in there? That would have been all my stories, my music, my photos, the ones I took of everyone before I left. Those pics are my only links to NZ for the next month. And, my STORIES! Those are my life. We were so lucky that he just saw the most obviously expensive thing and ran. There was actually quite a lot of things in that car. Mum had her wallet with her. The only thing we lost are the photos she always keeps, which is tragic, but not life-stopping.
Have to go. I got three hours sleep last night, and I've been biking, rowing, and panicking all day, and haven't eaten since my very hasty lunch.
I'll post the rest of today as soon as I can, I promise.
Sincerely,
Detective Childs
P.S. Knew all that being observant and "Sherlocking" would come in handy.

Feelin' like a "Cal-ee-forn-ya Gurl"

Ha ha! I am in my element. Hippie culture is still alive and well here in ol' Cali. Fashion is totally based on bright colours, loose-fitting tops, flared jeans, tank tops, everything that works in this desert environment.
Only one problem.
I love hippie culture, and I have the long hair and love of everything psychodelic... but hippie styles tend to look terrible on me. And, I cannot find jeans that fit. At all. They are all either WAY too big or slightly too small.
Shopping in the US is really ridiculous. There are so many colours and choices and fashions, and shops are so big and crowded. You just end up feeling clastrophobic after a while.
And, like the song implies, we are totally in the land of bikinis. Try finding a pair of boardshorts that cover your butt. Impossible. I've had to make do with a mini mini made of swim material which is good enough over the bikini I own already. You see, the deal was that Mum would let me get a bikini, but I wasn't allowed to wear it unless I had a pair of boardshorts or something similar over top to make it slightly less risque.
Oh well. Can't win 'em all. I have made out like a bandit on the clothes front, and really can't complain.
But, everything here is so cheap. I was let loose in a book shop and told to go nuts, because here was the place to buy books. Too bloody right. The Hunger Games Boxed Set in Hard Cover, one paperback Romance novel, a Historical Fiction and two Murder Mysteries later... total price? Less than US$50. Pretty sweet, eh? The Hunger Games alone would have been close to NZ$100. I'm stoked. I'm set for reading material for the next... let's see, 7 books, plus the one I brought on the plane.... That'll last me at least a fortnight. (I read fast!)
It was comparitavely cool today, with a nice breeze off the ocean. Of course, me - expecting it to be roasting again - wore my lightest tank top, and was actually quite cold.
Funny thing worth mentioning is that it's odd driving on the right-hand side of the road, mostly because all the buttons and dials are in the right place except for two reversed, and Dad keeps turning on the windshield wipers instead of the indicatiors, which given the state of the climate, is rather amusing.
Um... probably will give you all a laugh to say I got in trouble this morning for playing Pirates of the Caribbean on the piano at full volume and annoying the heck outta the rest of the house. Oops. ^-^
Other "Sherlock"-ish observations from today: Californian teen guys are not at all bad looking. The architecture here is very interesting, as you can see the Mexican influence in the pueblo style. I still really hate pink. It's very summery. Americans speak funny. "Trash can"? Really?
We have plotted pretty much what we're gonna do for the next few days. Tomorrow (Tues) and Thursday will be spent in San Fransico. We'll go to San Fran Park and hire bikes, and there's the Natural History Museum and the Model of the Bays to see. Should be really interesting.
Oops. Bennett's kicking me off the computer so he can use it.
Sincerely, your Cali PI,
Rachel Holmes

Big House Choir

Good morning, NZ. I'm just blogging to say good luck to all my friends in the Big House and Small House Choirs. I think Small House is the end of Term, but Big House is today for you. So... GOOD LUCK!!! And, extra luck to the Harmonising Choir at the front and the Soloist. I know you guys will all do really well. Enjoy dressing up like nuns/Freddie Mercury/all in black/just plain outta school uniform. ;o) Remember the actions, keep in time, sing well and in tune, and break a leg.
See ya,
Rachel

Grumble Mutter Ggrrr

8:20pm San Fran Time
Jayne’s house
Ggrrr. You think I’m intelligent enough to be able to turn on a shower, but no. There were three little knob things, and it was all very complicated, actually. I eventually managed to turn the water on (took a depressingly long time), but in the end, I gave up, and just had a cold shower. Highly annoying, especially I had been in the cold lake all afternoon. I would have spent more time fiddling, but what one has to realise is to go to Cali in summer is to go to Cali in a drought, and one doesn’t spend extra time fiddling when one is wasting water. But, as much as I gripe, it does feel much better to be clean and tidy and respectable again. I am very lucky for small mercies.
Jayne has a piano, which I count as another small mercy. I couldn't live without music of some description, and I can play Queen and Les Mis and Titanic and Pirates of the Caribbean and tinker with other songs to my hearts content.
Um... my one only major complaint so far is that, because Americans do tend to be larger than the rest of the world, the fashion companies have increased the sizes, and kept the numbers the same. Can you believe it??? So, I went shopping for a pair of boardshorts, because mine are starting to die, and saw that the sizes were 4-24. All goods. I’m an NZ 6-8. Could I find anything to fit? Nope. All didn’t even come anywhere close. I am a US size 0. Read it, Size 0. And, I am not a particularly skinny kid. Most of NZ is skinnier than me. (I am American, after all!) This is ridiculous!!! All the adults are quite well-built, and, all the teen girls I see make me look really chubby. There’s such a push for watching one’s weight. There are calories (the Imperial version of the kilojoule) on the menus, and the TV keeps having adverts for “An hour’s exercise a day!” amid all the fast food adverts. It’s disconcerting and infuriating and confuzzling.
Bloody... blimmin' perfect timing. Dinner is ready, it being 8:30pm, so I must log off. We're having spaghetti and salad.
Your starting-to-feel-slightly-anorexic pal,
Rachel

Ah, the beginning of true holidays!

7:10pm San Fran time
Jayne's House
Just came back from the park! Very cool!!! Well, hot actually, given it's summer. Thank goodness it's not as completely roasting as yesterday. That was just intense. But, it's still hot enough, and I'm sunburned to prove it! Thankfully only minorly, though.
We were allowed an hour in the kayaks, and then I went swimming for a bit with Bennett. It was amazing. Beautiful, absolutely stunning sceneery, as the pics will tell you.
I love kayaking, and in the lake, it was great, because there was no current to fight against, and there's marshes on the sides to explore, and weeping willows on the banks. I was supposed to be with Mum and Jayne, who were in a double kayak, but I couldn't be bothered. I went my own way, did a whole lap of the lake. It was a big lake, too, and there was an island thing in the middle which was a make-shift bird sanctuary. We saw a Night Heron and an Egret, but I wasn't allowed to take my camera on the boat - Dad had it - so I couldn't take photos.
I know I have lots more "Sherlock"-type thoughts to write down, so I'll be back online when I remember, but I have to go now. The grimy marsh water is not great for one's skin and hair - as vain as I know that sounds - and I have to shower. I smell like a swamp-thing at the present moment!
Sayonara,
Rachel

Sunday Morning

12:30pm San Fran Time

Jayne’s house
Yee goodness. Food is very different here. It’s much sweeter and saltier, stronger tastes. We went to IHOP for breakfast. That’s the chain International House of Pancakes, just BTW, and it was so sweet and filling that I could only finish about a third of my meal.
We also went to the Unitarian Church of Santa Rosa this morning, it being a beautiful Sunday morning. Unitarianism is a religion based off 7 principals concerning treating all people with dignity and respect, compassion for everything and everyone, and respect for Mother Nature. We went to the Unitarian Church of Harrisburg, so my family has been UU for as long as I can remember. There is one UU church in NZ, in Auckland, and it only has approx 70 members.
It's gorgeous though. The building is an old cinema, actually, and is really been spruced up. I've attached photos I took.
We arrived an hour late, as Jayne, the friend we're staying with, misread the time, but we got the last few minutes of the service, and Bennett and I met the kids. There aren't that many for such a big congregation, three siblings, two boys and a girl. The one boy, Roger, is just younger than me, and is quite shy. He spent most of the morning avoiding me!
It's so funny, though. I can hardly understand people with a strong American accent. The boy introduced himself, and I had to get him to say his name three times because I just wasn't getting the broad "Ah'm Rrrawdgerrrr" that he answered me with! Not like it's a hard name.... I mean, the drummer from Queen was a Roger, but he wasn't a "Rrrawdgerrrr."
Gotta go. We didn't get to go swimming the other day, but we're going to the park, and there's a lagoon for swimming, and a lake for kayaking and paddle-boating. Can't wait!
Cheers,
Rachel

Interesting Trifles

(Okay, just a hint - "Trifles" means funny little happenings, not a sweet dish)
It's funny wht you see when your trying to do a Sherlock Holmes. We only went out for dinner and did some shopping, but it was still interesting. For one, I had forgotten how much food there is here, and how many brand names I had forgotten. Sugar Cookies, Hot Tamales Candy, Milk that comes in cartons, not bottles, Dannimals Drinks, Hershey's chocolate. You are probably getting a funny view of what I remember, given most of that is sweet, but keep in mind I was 11 when I left. It was a real "trip down memory lane", and we got a lot of weird stares throughout the supermarket going "OMG! I remember that!" all through the shop!!!
Also, you know that 95o Farenheit I mentioned in a past blog? I should have been more specific. That was in the shade, at 6:00pm! I was outside for... less than five minutes, just walking to the shop from the car, and I'm already sunburned slightly pink. Thank goodness all the buildings have central heating and air conditioning!
Everything here is - very predicably - American! It's so weird. I've become accustomed to this tiny little island in the middle of nowhere, and now I'm in the middle of this huge great place. Everything seems bigger. The cars are massive. The serving sizes at resturants are enough to make me queasy!
But, despite that, there are a huge range to people and body types. Not all Americans are fat. Actually, here, they seem to be mostly healthy enough, thank you VERY much.
There are also a lot of people with tattoos, but different tattoos to NZ. Intricate dottalations of Mexican designs, and American flags and stuff like that. And, it seems all the guys have moustaches, you know, the funny Cowboy moustaches. It's so weird.
And, there are warning signs against theft everywhere, because the homeless population steals shopping carts.
Things are much cheaper here, too.
And there is a big Hispanic theme to culture, as we are so close to Mexico, and there is a huge influx of Spanish-speaking population. The colours here are very dulled, tawny browns and yellows, or very bright colours, like red-oranges and apricots. Fits with the environment around here. And the food is able to take the roof off the top of your mouth!
It's weird to use Imperial System now; I'm used to using kilograms - shock, horror.
Have to log off - We're out the door in a few minutes.
Signing off,
Your not-so-local super sleuth,
Rachel

Being Observant

I now have a little notepad that I'm using to write down what happens here, but for now, since nothing has really happened, it has observances of this funny place that I am supposed to call home. I would write them all down, but you patient people will have to wait for tomorrow sometime, as I have to get ready for bed, it being 9:30pm here.
Good night, all,
Rachel

Petaluma

2:45pm San Fran Time
Jayne’s House
Okay, I don’t think we’re in Kan... New Zealand anymore! I was right in saying this isn’t home. I mean, this place, Petaluma, just outta San Fran, was the place I was born and raised for the first four years of my life, and I have no memory of it at all. It’s all new. I wasn’t expecting the heat, the dryness, the tawny-goldenrod sheen to the grass, the blistering winds, and the stagnant, dull air. It's painfully hot. I've adapted to the slightly colder NZ climate (though I fuss about that, too), and to be back in this desert atmosphere, especially while jet-lagged and out-of-it is a real toll on me. It's better for Mum, who likes this weather, but Dad and Bennett are suffering as much as I am!
Being an American, and living here for so long, and not coming back for so long, this is the first time I have ever heard an American accent as an accent, but now I can really pick it up, and can pick up that my voice has changed. My accent has faded, is more New Zealand-ish. Now, the Cali accent is really grating on my ears. It’s “dawllars,” not “dohllors.” And, they say “nawt”, not “noht”. It’s so different. It’s not normal, I concede.
I’m gonna sound FUNKY when I return. All my British- and Kiwi-speaking friends, I will completely understand if you can’t understand me, because none of the Americans I’ve talked to can understand my half-NZ talk.
Must go. Have places to go, people to see, and we’re going swimming soon, I think. Very tempting. It’s about... 95o Fahrenheit here, which for all you mathematicians, is about 30o Celsius.
Since Cali is partially a Spanish-speaking State,
Sayonara,
Rachel :o)

Travel Day 3

4:45pm Auzzie Time
Plane to San Fran
Kris, our plane is a Boeing (Boring) 747-400, and we’re well on our way to good ol’ California, and settled in for the long haul. People are sleeping, so I’ve been singing “California, Here We Come” and “California Dreaming,” but v-e-r-y quietly. Ben, if you’re reading this, that means pianissimo, pp, and I don’t mean “pretty powerful”, as funny as that was. ;o)
I have never been able to decide if I love flying or hate it. On one hand, my ears are quite sensitive to pressure, and hurt a lot on flights – I stole a piece of gum off the person sitting across the aisle from me, which helps a bit – and I hate the connotations of leaving friends and missing people, of everything, my normal routine and simple, organized, average life being disrupted and different. The roar of the engines hurts my ears as well, and the lack of privacy, claustrophobic sense, and disruption of sleep and food even more than usual is terrible. As... bouncy as I attempt (and fail) to come across, I am a very shy person at heart. Crowds unnerve me no end, and I hate being around strangers and people I don’t know so well. Travelling gives me the creeps.
But, on the other hand, it’s change; it’s adventure, something new and exciting and different. I love the chance to explore, and I’ve missed my friends back in America so much. I am glad to be able to get away from the stresses of my very perfectionistic attitude towards school-life, and live a little.
But – and Kristen, please forgive me – I hate the actual PLANES part of flying! As much as I know planes are very technologically advanced and safe, there is that little part of me that is reminded that I am but one, very innocent and vulnerable human girl, and it wouldn’t take much to make this whole machine come crashing outta the sky, destroying all that is important to me, pretty close, save a few key people back home that are not coming with.
I’ll be back in a month, it’s not like I’m leaving forever, and I don’t intend on croaking, trust me.
The journey has been really terrible as of late, actually – lots of sitting and waiting and not doing a lot, and the flight attendant serving us is a battle-axe. I mean, I understand that a waitress-on-wings is a tough job, and she must be tired and cranky, but I don’t like getting yelled at for stretching my legs, nor does Mum like getting talked back to when she asks politely if the coffee served could be anything other than stone-cold.
The only thing that has made it cool is that I am now watching the sun set over the Pacific ocean, and it is absolutely spectacular. Wish I had my camera. The ocean is still as glass, and dark, midnight blue, and the sky contrasts it with a band of brilliant crimson, mingling with mostly vibrant dark tangerine, with another band of amber above it, fading to pale periwinkle, finally darkening to a dulled electric blue. As I watch, all the colours are gradually fading away to jet black (if you’ll excuse the pun), and blurring into each other. It’s beautiful, and (I hate to be typical but) ssooo romantic. Yup, just in the time it’s taken me to write this, the ocean is now almost complete dusky-black, with just a hint of magenta tinting the horizon-line.
My blog will get a WHOLE lot less philosophical and a WHOLE lot more interesting when I actually get to the States and start hanging with people and going places and sightseeing, trust me. And, I’ll have my camera, and will be sure to download lots of photos! Watch this space, folks!
Must go. It’s a 13-hour flight, and my computer is nearly outta juice. Not good!
Don’t expect anything outta me until I recuperate and get over my jet lag a bit, okay? I’m so tired that I can’t sleep, and I’m grouchy and royally...  um... ticked off at the world just about now. No, Mr. Mac, you did not see me write that, nor did you see my earlier blog on swearing, right? Right. Thanks. :o)
I have just taken my disgusting migraine meds, and nearly gave myself a tonsillectomy doing my teeth (turbulence sucks), and have pretty much had enough for one night. Time to see if I can actually get some sleep on this bloody... blimmin’ tin can.
Good night, all.
Your always cheery and bubbly classmate (ggrrr, grumble, mutter, scowl),
Rachel

Travel Day 2

12:15am Auzzie Time

Sydney Airport
So much for Sunny Sydney – We landed an hour ago, and it’s pouring with rain. I hope the weather is better in San Fran. Probably not. San Fran is known for its smog, not its sun.
We don’t have any Auzzie money, so I’m hungry, ‘coz I haven’t eaten since an inedible thing of sushi at the airport this morning, and I have a bad taste in my mouth, and am sorely outta luck.
I also am consciously watching my mouth, as Americans are fussy about pristine language, and mine, even as comparatively polite as it is, will shock and offend back in the States, so... yeah.... That’s life. Don’t worry. A few weeks back with you lot at home and I’ll be back to normal in no time. It’s been... inventive. The best so far have been “fundamental orifice” instead of “ass-hole”, “make a sexual exit” instead of “f*** off”, and “Make like a hockey player, and get the puck outta here,” to quote Tomorrow, When the War Began. (See, Miss Kostova, I have been learning my quotes!!!  ^-^) I have parents with very warped senses of humour. I’m only responsible for the quote one, and I’m supposed to be the rebellious teen who swears a lot!
Kristen, for your sake, I must add that we went on an A320-232 Air New Zealand. Asked Bennett for you – All I knew was that it was a pressurized tin can with wings. ;o)
Bennett knows because he managed to charm his way past the flight attendants and into the cockpit after the plane had landed and everyone had disembarked, and talked to the pilots. I managed to clonk my head on the overhead compartments, and get chuckled at by Mum and the flight attendants, as Mum’s head didn’t reach the bulkhead on which I clobbered mine. Yay. I hate travelling.
Oh, good. Mum has Auzzie money now, and a huge plate of spaghetti – my fave.
Au revoir... or, whatever “see ya” is in Italian,
Rachel

Travel Day 1

10:40am NZ Time
Plane to Auzzie
You know, this is really weird. I’ve been looking forward to a trip “back home” to America since I moved from there four years ago, but now that it’s actually happening, all I can think of is how little this seems like going home, but like leaving it. NZ is my home now, plain and simple, and this is vacation to visit old friends who live overseas. I already miss all my friends in NZ, and it seems strange to be travelling again. I used to travel a lot when I was younger, and a lot of my memories are of planes and flying, but I haven’t been near an airport in years. All I can remember is leaving my friends in the USA for the first time, how lost I felt when I first moved, how much I cried, how young I really was, and how much my life’s been altered since then.
I’m actually really scared. The friends I left will have changed as much as I have. They will have new friends, and a whole chunk of their lives that I have missed. What if I get on really badly with them now??? What if they’ve changed for the worst? What if...?
Bloody hell. Pull yourself together, girlie, and stop fussing.
Anyhow, it’s been going okay so far. I am not a morning person, so getting up at 5:30am was not fun at all. But, Kristen, whose family picked us up, can vouch for the fact that the adrenaline had me bouncing all the way to the terminal. Don’t worry, Kris, I got [comparatively] more normal fast, and was pretty much outta energy by 8:00am.
We are on our way to Sydney at the moment; we have a 4-hour stopover there before carrying on to San Francisco, California. I’ve been working on a novel I’m writing on my laptop, and I found you can listen to music on the airplane screen thingy in front of you, so I took off to Viva La Vida, and now I’ve found Queen, the soundtracks to Pirates of the Caribbean, Sherlock Holmes, and Mamma Mia, and am happily grooving to Bohemian Rhapsody, Pirates and Holmes’s themes, and Dancing Queen. Very happy! Freddie Mercury rocks (if you’ll excuse the pun!), and I love movie music!!!  This has been the most awesome flight ever so far!!!
I really have nothing better to do than write to all you charming people, but I am liable to write a book if left to my own devices on the computer for much longer, so I better sign off, and go and write my book!
An hour’s left on the flight.
Wish me luck, folks!
Rachel :o)

I shoulda known. Internet spazz.

Okay.... Nothing ever works for me if it has more than two wires.
Um... It turns out titling my test "Testing...." means my whole blog is called "Testing..." until I get back. Damn it! Not what I wanted! I will try to rename it.
As it is, I had no internet on the plane, but regularly updated a word document. I will do this every day, and then download everything at once at the end of the day (sometime around 4:00pm for you).
Watch this space!
Cheers,
Rachel

I hope this works....

I'm hoping this is how you use this "Blogger" site. Most people who know me know that computers are not my strongest point, so I will do my best to keep this blog up to date on my travels.
I don't want to start writing too much now, just to make sure this works, so I must say...
TTFN,
Rachel