Living in America

Remember the film 'Coming to America' with Eddy Murphy? So do I ("The royal penis is clean, your Highness."), and that is precisely why I've had the signature and eponymous theme tune in my head since Friday. Why? Because I have come to America, and I live in America.

Currently, I am eating pistachio ice cream, and i'm living in San Francisco in my sister's apartment on 4th street somewhere near here


View Larger Map

I arrived on Friday 17th, 3pm local time. Yesterday I reacquainted myself with this great city, and today we went to Marin County Park, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. I took a dip in the sea here:


View Larger Map

Tomorrow, I'm visiting Santa Cruz for the first time. I need to touch base with the admin people at the university, and I have a couple of houses to look at. I'm getting the caltrain to san jose, then the bus down Highway 17 to santa cruz. The whole 70-mile journey will cost me less than $6 - public transport is so cheap here - the bus to marin cost $1.50 RETURN (the round trip is 3 hours - for 80 pence!!!)

I cannot wait, but wait I must, I must say ...

... more news soon

Read more...

Note to self

Oh, and the McHenry Library on the UCSC campus has computers on the entry-level floor which do not require a username or password, but these computers are theoretically for student use only.

... might be useful in the early days ...

Read more...

One hopes people turn up!

Read more...

Visa obtained, flight booked

I am now the proud recipient of a shiny visa, and I have booked my flights. I fly on 17th September from London Heathrow Terminal 3, to San francisco International Airport, leaving at 11am and arriving at 2pm local time, which, I'm sure you'll agree, is all very civil. And at a savage price of 281 quid all-in!

Just spent the last couple of days driving a Transit van around Plymouth helping someone move. I'm shattered. I know I say it every time, but that is absoloootely the LAST time I haul a sofa up three flights of stairs!!

I'm off home to finally get some work done (still got so much to do!!!), and have a much-deserved bath. Leaving-party provisionally booked for 10th? October

Karen - see you stateside, baby. Will be great to see your smiling face after my gruelling non-stop Virgin Atlantic flight (jealous? - ha ha!!!)

The latest news is that, apparently, I CAN drive a hire car when I arrive (i can drive anything for up to 6 months without applying for a californian driving licenec, so I'm tempted to get a car straight away, but we'll see what you have planned first)

off i go! xx

Read more...

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light

Ha ha! I'm IN. IN!

Read more...

The Roaring Camp Railroad

My Fellow Californians:

Make sure you remind me to take a visit for scenic beach and steam train rides. It's in Felton. I must wear pink aprons, back and front.

Progress - the following tings are done (kiss me neck):
- got DS2019
- sevis fee paid
- visa forms filled and interview booked for friday
- domestic affairs organised (banks closed, addresses updated, direct debits ended, new glasses ordered, driving licence new photocard applied for)
- hard drives backed up, cleared, organised. Paper files organised. Office stuff packed and sifted and ready to be driven to london
- other stuff (god this list is pitiful - what the hell have i been doing then?)

Tings not done:
- graduated (this happens tuesday)
- booked flights (this happens after visa interview)
- place to live
- other stuff

Read more...

Sunday, Sunday, so good to me

Inspired by MaMaS and PaPaS

Erm, dan and maria were getting kinda itchy
i spent a lot of time in the sea
...working for a penny
working for nothing actually
Greasing on British Barclaycard
really low rent and keeping shaved is really hard
daniel's good vibrations and his imagination
and go on but think of the fees
and california dreaming is becoming a reality ...

... slowly

This is dedicated to the one I love

Read more...

Peasy!

'Tis but a few weeks before I depart the shores of England, for a stint in the United States. I hope to have the time and discipline to document my move and stateside existence on these digital pages.

My due start date is Monday the 3rd November, so I have about 7 weeks to get from here to there and settled in. Peasy!

This week I have been getting my files together (making electronic copies of my paper, and boxing up the rest; getting all of my CDs onto a hard drive; throwing lots of stuff away, etc). I have already moved out of Professor Scott's house, and he has kindly allowed me to store some stuff there. Mercifully, I don't have a lot of stuff (i've always figured there's no point until I get my own place to live)

I should receive my DS2019 form on Monday, which marks the start of the administrative side of things - i need this before i fill in my visa application forms etc. Roll on!!

I still have understandably mixed feelings about it all - I'm excited about the science, and living in California, but I'm equally as scared!! However, since I have as many knowns as unknowns the equations are easy to solve - time unfolds, and knowledge accumulates, and fear dissipates. Again I day, peasy!

Read more...