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catastrophy) wrote2006-09-16 10:26 pm
catastrophy) wrote2006-09-16 10:26 pm
Santa Cruz
Home of the Fighting Banana Slugs. Fiat Slug! (Let there be Slug!)
No, seriously, that's UCSC's mascot and motto. And it's fuckin' awesome.
As is my whim, I will relate some of the high- and lowlights of my stay here in SC.
In the downtown strip there is a store devoted entirely to socks, tights, and shoes. *drool*
On Laurel there is a diner called Saturn Cafe that is all veg, has sparkly vinyl seats, a chair outfitted with a rocket-pack complete with firey streamers from the boosters, tables filled with plastic dinosaurs and McDonalds toys as well as a myriad of recipts and tickets for clubs and movies from the area and the obligatory napkin with "I <3 Vietnamese penis" scrawled in water-stained pen.
Everything, from burgers to corndogs to nachos is made from soy-goodness and they are proud to say that they get their beer-on-tap organic and local and that their ice cream absolutetely does not contain "protein cloned from the blood of an Arctic Ocean fish."
Santa Cruz is also the Land of Paradoxical Cell Phone Reception, where having 5 bars of reception may not enable you to call anyone while you are lost hauling 80 loads of laundry detergent around downtown but can receive calls at home while you don't have a bar to your name.
Coincindentally, while I was stranded downtown I happened upon a bagel place called The Bagelry, and was tickled pink to discover whether by fluke or because the clerk thought I was cute, both halves of my bagel were seeded with seasame. Or perhaps they just seed both sides of their bagels... and they cook magically without smushing one side or browning...
Jeremy and I also picked up a few used videos to go along with the mysteriously free 27" TV we found along the side of the road a few blocks from his new studio. At the awesome and hip and indy used music store (but not to be confused with the hip, indy vinyl store like 2 blocks over) I picked up the 2-disc 4 hour Dune mini-series for a sweet $5. At the going out of business yogurt and video store in the same strip mall as the laundrymat and the "self service, do it yourself" carwash (yes, yogurt and videos. I have no idea who thought that was a winning combination) I giddly shoved "The Wrath of Kahn" and "The Voyage Home," Star Treks II and IV respectively, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas into Jeremy's arms. Now I am sorry that I didn't also grab "The Search for Spock" (III) as well. Superior 1970s VHS technology, yo.
Yes, I am a bit of a Star Trek geek. I have whole-heartedly and unabashedly enjoyed vitually all of the Trek series that have been on television and have seen all of the movies with the exception of Insurrection (which Jeremy got on VHS because he loves TNG stuff but has been scared off the original Star Trek).
Touring the home of the Governator hasn't been all fun and games and purchasing cheap but necessary material objects and food stuffs for Jeremy's new home, however. What visit to the Bay Area would be complete without chillin with the Sush?
When we stayed at Sushu's, she and her lil bro consented to watch Invincible and translate on the fly for me. Ah, I've really missed watching movies with Sushu and geeking out about martial arts plots. <3 And Invincible? Oh man, the subtle as a brick nationalism!!! Just the stereotyping of the fighters in the tournament! Friendly but dumb and fierce American boxer O'Brien, the ferocious and fanatical Prussian lancer, the passionate but sophisticated French(?) fencer, and the virtuous and honroble samurai/judo master. (There is no good tea or bad tea, merely tea! *giggle*)
Sushu and Jeremy took me to see the Ocean for the first time. I was surprised by how cold it was and by how strong and wide the waves were, and how the bits of seaweed always manage to wrap themselves around your ankle. I ran around with my fingers in the knots of the pants, carved a C+J heart in the sand while Jeremy talked to his ant, watched a particually juvenile seagull try to eat a cardbord food box, and thoroughly enjoyed myself despite the cold wind and failing sunlight.
We also discovered a sushi place on Mission called...
SUSHI TOTORO. Complete with a Totoro logo with the name on his belly.
We went there for dinner yesterday, and it appears it's a popular spot among the Sluggies. Sushu and Jeremy were disappointed at the lack of Totoro-themed decor (just two stuffed animals hanging above the sushi bar), however, I found the place rather warm and tumultously inviting, despite having rather loud, curious pop music and being brimming with customers. The sushi was good, though somewhat unremarkable. They had a role called the Krispy, which involved tuna and BBQ eel (I think) on the inside and deep-fried seaweed round the outside. The walls of the restaurant were plastered with Polaroids of customers covered with playful and/or obsure Sharpie symbols. We added ours to the collection with the subtitle "Happy 1st Sushi in Santa Cruz," a nekobasu, Sushu as a totoro, and everybody with totoro ears and chest "^"s
Jeremy and I have had some frustions and tears over Wedding Registry Stress due to our inability to agree on which and what kind of dishes, furnitures, and household objects his new place requires. That, and my difficulty accepting and dealing with the fact that he and I are going to have to be living apart for some time, but also that while we're apart we're still a couple and I'm still going to worry about him being out here by himself with no nearby friends, and that after a few months we'll have to put together a more permanent and shared living space so some things can be done now and over with, but some can be left.... and etc.
All of which resulting in one particularly nasty and painful fight, stomach ache, and sulk which Sushu was good enough to nit apart with Indian food, patience, green tea spread on GIANORMUS, like bigger than Texas, toast, and the fleeting promise of Google internet.
Speaking of Texas, my Beckaboo has been going through a trial of her own with more, and more scary health problems and emotional overload. On the one hand I feel kinda bad because I can't really be there for her in the simple ways that seem silly but would actually be really helpful, like looking after Demon or cooking or helping her doctor visits, or even being a live and compassionate body who could just listen to her and well, be there. For now, I try to talk her out of the rafters, soothe, and say "Fuck, yeah, that's unfair and you have every right to be scared and angry!!" over the phone.
And of course there's more, but, for now... that'll do slug, that'll do.
No, seriously, that's UCSC's mascot and motto. And it's fuckin' awesome.
As is my whim, I will relate some of the high- and lowlights of my stay here in SC.
In the downtown strip there is a store devoted entirely to socks, tights, and shoes. *drool*
On Laurel there is a diner called Saturn Cafe that is all veg, has sparkly vinyl seats, a chair outfitted with a rocket-pack complete with firey streamers from the boosters, tables filled with plastic dinosaurs and McDonalds toys as well as a myriad of recipts and tickets for clubs and movies from the area and the obligatory napkin with "I <3 Vietnamese penis" scrawled in water-stained pen.
Everything, from burgers to corndogs to nachos is made from soy-goodness and they are proud to say that they get their beer-on-tap organic and local and that their ice cream absolutetely does not contain "protein cloned from the blood of an Arctic Ocean fish."
Santa Cruz is also the Land of Paradoxical Cell Phone Reception, where having 5 bars of reception may not enable you to call anyone while you are lost hauling 80 loads of laundry detergent around downtown but can receive calls at home while you don't have a bar to your name.
Coincindentally, while I was stranded downtown I happened upon a bagel place called The Bagelry, and was tickled pink to discover whether by fluke or because the clerk thought I was cute, both halves of my bagel were seeded with seasame. Or perhaps they just seed both sides of their bagels... and they cook magically without smushing one side or browning...
Jeremy and I also picked up a few used videos to go along with the mysteriously free 27" TV we found along the side of the road a few blocks from his new studio. At the awesome and hip and indy used music store (but not to be confused with the hip, indy vinyl store like 2 blocks over) I picked up the 2-disc 4 hour Dune mini-series for a sweet $5. At the going out of business yogurt and video store in the same strip mall as the laundrymat and the "self service, do it yourself" carwash (yes, yogurt and videos. I have no idea who thought that was a winning combination) I giddly shoved "The Wrath of Kahn" and "The Voyage Home," Star Treks II and IV respectively, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas into Jeremy's arms. Now I am sorry that I didn't also grab "The Search for Spock" (III) as well. Superior 1970s VHS technology, yo.
Yes, I am a bit of a Star Trek geek. I have whole-heartedly and unabashedly enjoyed vitually all of the Trek series that have been on television and have seen all of the movies with the exception of Insurrection (which Jeremy got on VHS because he loves TNG stuff but has been scared off the original Star Trek).
Touring the home of the Governator hasn't been all fun and games and purchasing cheap but necessary material objects and food stuffs for Jeremy's new home, however. What visit to the Bay Area would be complete without chillin with the Sush?
When we stayed at Sushu's, she and her lil bro consented to watch Invincible and translate on the fly for me. Ah, I've really missed watching movies with Sushu and geeking out about martial arts plots. <3 And Invincible? Oh man, the subtle as a brick nationalism!!! Just the stereotyping of the fighters in the tournament! Friendly but dumb and fierce American boxer O'Brien, the ferocious and fanatical Prussian lancer, the passionate but sophisticated French(?) fencer, and the virtuous and honroble samurai/judo master. (There is no good tea or bad tea, merely tea! *giggle*)
Sushu and Jeremy took me to see the Ocean for the first time. I was surprised by how cold it was and by how strong and wide the waves were, and how the bits of seaweed always manage to wrap themselves around your ankle. I ran around with my fingers in the knots of the pants, carved a C+J heart in the sand while Jeremy talked to his ant, watched a particually juvenile seagull try to eat a cardbord food box, and thoroughly enjoyed myself despite the cold wind and failing sunlight.
We also discovered a sushi place on Mission called...
SUSHI TOTORO. Complete with a Totoro logo with the name on his belly.
We went there for dinner yesterday, and it appears it's a popular spot among the Sluggies. Sushu and Jeremy were disappointed at the lack of Totoro-themed decor (just two stuffed animals hanging above the sushi bar), however, I found the place rather warm and tumultously inviting, despite having rather loud, curious pop music and being brimming with customers. The sushi was good, though somewhat unremarkable. They had a role called the Krispy, which involved tuna and BBQ eel (I think) on the inside and deep-fried seaweed round the outside. The walls of the restaurant were plastered with Polaroids of customers covered with playful and/or obsure Sharpie symbols. We added ours to the collection with the subtitle "Happy 1st Sushi in Santa Cruz," a nekobasu, Sushu as a totoro, and everybody with totoro ears and chest "^"s
Jeremy and I have had some frustions and tears over Wedding Registry Stress due to our inability to agree on which and what kind of dishes, furnitures, and household objects his new place requires. That, and my difficulty accepting and dealing with the fact that he and I are going to have to be living apart for some time, but also that while we're apart we're still a couple and I'm still going to worry about him being out here by himself with no nearby friends, and that after a few months we'll have to put together a more permanent and shared living space so some things can be done now and over with, but some can be left.... and etc.
All of which resulting in one particularly nasty and painful fight, stomach ache, and sulk which Sushu was good enough to nit apart with Indian food, patience, green tea spread on GIANORMUS, like bigger than Texas, toast, and the fleeting promise of Google internet.
Speaking of Texas, my Beckaboo has been going through a trial of her own with more, and more scary health problems and emotional overload. On the one hand I feel kinda bad because I can't really be there for her in the simple ways that seem silly but would actually be really helpful, like looking after Demon or cooking or helping her doctor visits, or even being a live and compassionate body who could just listen to her and well, be there. For now, I try to talk her out of the rafters, soothe, and say "Fuck, yeah, that's unfair and you have every right to be scared and angry!!" over the phone.
And of course there's more, but, for now... that'll do slug, that'll do.