h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just dropping a line to say how much we enjoyed having you for the weekend. It truly was a great experience - even the rollercoaster disaster (in a way )

SoRB and I can't wait to see the pics and hopefully read your journal about what you made of us Brits and Sevillians.

Alfster was truly a star!

Alex.

Doh!!!! Embarrassed wriggle!!!!

Though not a star with the Alex mini-meet photos a lot of them are blurred must have had the camera on the wrong ISO setting.

Learning point: just stick it on portrait mode and let the camera do the work for a change.

It's going to take me some time to get the photos sorted out.

*pounces and smooches*
Y'all made this the greatest adventure ever for me and there's not enough thanks in the world for that.

I'm finally having a chance to process everything now, was so involved in the doing and absorbing impressions without trying to disrupt the experience by analyzing at the moment while I was there I felt like my brain was on hold most of the time. I'll definitely be writing a journal about it all once I've figured out what I think--one of the weirdest things for me was the actual realization of just how *much* I compartmentalize things (that sounds MUCH better than being unable to think and chew gum at the same time, doesn't it? )

Photos will begin to go online probably Sunday when I'm off. I'm starting with Seville, editing my way through chronologically. Once I've got the whole shebang together, including commentary, I'll send y'all a very self-indulgent DVD of the opus. That'll take a while, though.

Today at work everyone was telling me how relaxed and bubbly I am, seems being there made me fall back in love with being here in simple ways. You have NO idea how nice it was to be able to go to the lav without struggling through a million layers of clothing. There's a lot I miss as well, I'm kinda undecided whether I like the omnipresent vividness here better or whether the pleasure I got from seeing that red or blue paint or the flowers looking so alive in the subtle-misty colo(u)red landscapes was better. I think it's all pretty awesome, maybe one of those differences that isn't improved by comparison. I'm looking forward to making the painting of it though, will have to learn whole new ways of dealing with colors when I make it.

Alfster *is* a star. I hope I didn't permanently damage his sensibility with a week of intensive MoGliness. You have NO idea how reserved and non-blingy I was trying to be in order to not make a spectacle of myself, and I *still* wasn't especially successful. I shall never forget his explanation of the 'inner moment' of WOW! he had at the awesome sunset when I hooted loudly on the street about the blue surprise. I think that's a basic and huge differences between us Amurricans and y'all, in general.

I'm getting better at the juggling, actually managed to have seven two-ball throws, correctly, in a row, before I went ballistic and dropped 'em. And a couple of neighbors peeked out with worried looks on their faces when I was practicing on the digereedoo (sp?) this morning. I think they might have thought we were having an infestation of farting locusts. All in good time. By the way, tell SoRB that I only had three of the TSA officials in JFK stop me to ask what was in the long, suspicious-looking bubble-wrapped tube I had strapped to my back. They left me alone once I started demonstrating the kind of sound that fragile musical instrument was supposed to make, so I guess they realized I was mostly harmless. Or else they had me covered by snipers.

Alex, we'll do less violent things than rolly-coasters when you're here. Florida is a great place to be laid-back or give up your soul to kitsch and diversity, and I realized that the place I'm moving to is substancially cooler than here in the winter so you'll not melt away. Um. At least, you'll be able to re-form once the sun goes down.

Hehehehehe. I'm really glad I had the chance to make an unfettered WOooooohoooooo! across your civilized country, though. Haven't felt that gleefully naughty for quite some time.

<>

The blue surprise?

Blue Surprise is what I call that grand finale bit of the sunsets over there when the sky suddenly goes almost neon and indigo blue before it settles down for the night. They have it in Seville as well. We don't have that. Our sunsets down here kinda go through the spectrum of intense pastels with a lot of rosy-gold trimming then fade into pewtery desaturation and dark.

Well, I still have my WOW moment inside me for that. Moggie left hers half way up Fleet Street.

I can picture Londoners on the way to work hearing a *WHOOOP* as the pocket of American WOW hits their eardrums.

Completing the circle, eh? Cultural exchange is a wunnerful thing!

Glasshopper, I didn't 'leave' my WOW anywhere, it's still with me. I just let it resonate. Really *do* like the idea of a pocket of it enveloping unsuspecting Londoners as they pass through, though. Could make 'em smile and feel really, really alive for no good reason at all.

oops... making tea and just realized I'd forgotten my mission when the air was full of steam. *sigh* Must reboil fresh water so all those tiny bubbles aren't flattened out of it. Can't have that.

Ah the blue sky sunset. You know I love the 'wooohooo' thing about you MoG . A real 'joie de vivre', fabulous to be around.

awwwwwww

The pleasure is definitely mutual! Alex, I was thinking (hold onto yer hats, now!)... since we didn't get around to the drawing together maybe we could do a project of some sort via internet and photoshop by taking turns working on it. You interested?

I got the montage stuff done, Alf. Gmail is being fickle, am not sure whether it's been sending the files to you or whether I choked the thing with too many PSDs. Last one was a jpg of the montage, the way I see it. Let me know if they're lost in cyberspace, ok?

Mmmmmmmm Sudden downpour, just what I needed as an excuse to laze about reading for a while before going to the gym and working my way through Seville. I *love* having rainy Sundays off.

If you'rehaving trouble sending files, my friend told me about this:
http://www.yousendit.com/

That's good idea MoG (drawing via the web). I fancy trying some simple line drawings at first. You know those really clever minimalist things that you can totally tell what or who it's supposed to be. Do you think this would be too hard? And what subject?

Eventually I'd love to be able to do people.

Lines (like in ink), no shading.

I'll take a photo of what I meand and send it to your gmail.

Alex
xx

Let's start with a person doing something. That'll be easiest I think, and those line drawings really convey motion and temporararariness.

I just invented a tapa and it was good! Lovely, ripe bartlett pear sliced and smeared with a dab of Stilton with lemon, then wrapped in a thin slice of dry cured coppa. I wonder how something like that would cook? Might try using apple slices wrapped in the coppa tomorrow then smear the cheese on when it's out of the oven. Experiments abounding!

Mmm, that sounds gorgeous. Did you bake it in a little dish?

OK. I'm off on my travels this week so I'll take my sketch book and have a go.

XX

I juggles 3 balls today!! Only twice round but I did. It's funny I just picked them up after not touching them for months and wham! I think this an omen of things to come .

I had the Simon tutorial like you did and had a bit of a go myself ending up with the 2 passes right up left up and catch catch.

Keep practising.

xx

Oooooo, I envy you your ball count! Congratulations! When you come here maybe we'll run away and join the circus! I'm getting pretty good with two (remember, it's not how *well* the bear dances, but that it can dance at all)and was thinking that by the weekend I'll have to figure out how to manage three. Would you bribe the Meistro into making a little tutorial video for me? When I do it I look straight ahead, into the mental parka, and I count aloud...one...two..three. Pathetic, eh? But I'll not give up. It's good to develop tiny pockets of coordination when I've basically spent my whole life walking into things.

Did you decide where you're going to go for your Adventure this week? I predict you're going to have a ball. And if you get to feeling a bit lonely start yourself one of the little books with a theme and use it as an excuse to pester strangers. Works every time.

I emailed your yahoo with an idea on how to start the line drawings. Apparently your work account has decided I'm incorrigible and rejected me again, and I *promise* I was behaving.

Invented three new tapas tonight, two were keepers and one was a 'learning experience'.

Mixed wild shrooms woked quickly in olive oil and a touch of teriyaki sauce with a sprinkling of lemon herb spice .

Raw baby carrots and tinned earlets of corn drizzled with honeyed ginger sauce. Yum.

Now off to check your link so I can send that pic to Alfster. Mucho gracias! Otherwise I'll have to compress it into a manageable size and send. I'm *almost* done with the first edit on the Seville photos, got a few really good non-touristy ones that'll deserve more intensive photoshopping. I've invited some friends for Thursday evening experimental tapas and slide show, so I have to swooooosh through the rest of these things with haste.

I keep getting the message that Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close every time I try to send the dastardly file. *sigh* I can transfer it to my laptop and try it from there, not sure if I still have wireless though. The neighbors whose wireless I was hitchhiking on have moved. This is frustrating. I'll mess with it in the morning.

"I look straight ahead, into the mental parka"



SoRB

WILL SOMEONE PLEEEZZZZEEEEEE LEND ME THE DVD OF THE MIGHTY BOOSH. I HAVEN'T ANY FRACKIN IDEA WHAT YOU ARE ON ABOUT.

Thank you

The stage show was very funny Alf. Email me your address.

MoG, I copped out a bit and decided to go off to my mum and sister's for a few days (they have an excellent craft shop near them that I can't wait to get to tomorrow). Obviously I want to see them too . Then going to Edinburgh with SoRB. He fancied getting away at Easter too and it will be nice to peruse the town together.

I post you a link to a video of me juggling when I get back on Thursday. I reckon we can get SoRB to make a video although there are some really good tutorials on the net.

Post the link to them mush (SoRB).

Alex
xx

You're so fine,
You're so fine you blow my mind...
Hey Mogie,
Uh Uh Uh,
Hey Mogie.

(Mind wanders off to pop-sock wearing cheerleaders with 80's hair-do's.

It had to be done!!!!!

*tiptoes cautiously in*

Did y'all see the photos I took at Alex's? My hosting service hit its bandwidth limits yesterday, and I've been too mean to buy more bandwith, but I can.

Alex, my roller-coaster cherry remains un-popped. I was so freaked by the first four seconds of Hex at Alton Towers (where you appear to be spinning upside-down but actually aren't) that I closed my eyes for the rest of the ride, and simply ducked out of all the physical rides.

The plan is to do an historical survey of Rollercoasters, starting with the slow wooden ones at Blackpool.

B