Jez's LiveJournal

Starbucks and Free WiFi

2008-06-23T23:18:15Z

I freaking love Starbucks, because I'm a partner (employee) I get free WiFi access in Starbucks stores. Wahoo!

Update: Life in Florida & Travel Plans

2008-03-16T05:13:50Z

I'm still renting my place out on Indian Rocks Beach but am considering relocating. I work for Starbucks now, the store in downtown Clearwater which is an 8.6 mile (one way, 17.2 daily) cycle for me to go to work (and over two causeways too!) So at least I'm getting a healthy exercise regime :) And as Florida is just so darn hot I usually take a break or two along the way jump off my bike and take a dip in the Gulf. I like my work and I am making a lot of new friends - both 'partners' and even with customers and I'm learning new things so it's a very positive experience. It's so nice to have a job that's enjoyable again, when I first got to FL I was going through employers like water. And also with Starbucks I can pick up shifts at other stores, so needless to say I've been a cycling all over Pinellas County.

A little while ago my parent's came to visit me as they were passing through sunny ol' Florida (pictures: Mum and Dad in FL) and stayed with my grandparents down in St. Pete. It was nice having them here and I got to show off Florida and I suppose my new life.

This summer I'm planning to be back in the UK - to venture using the inverse of the American expression: 'back kingdomside' as my sister Jonica is getting married July 19th in London. I haven't set dates that I'll be back 'in the kingdom' or bought my flights yet but you can be sure I'll be there else I'd probably be excommunicated if I didn't show up to my own sister's wedding :) But if people want to meet up in London, Birmingham or I suppose Northampton in July that'd be cool.

But what I've really been a pondering is what/where next? I mean after I get back to the US - I think I will probably be returning straight back to Pinellas. But for how long do I stay here? At the moment I have an okay life going here do I still need to move about like some nomad? But then I've been thinking a lot about going north, maybe to Philadelphia or to New York. Or perhaps I'll keep with my original plans and move to Miami? Plus I've still not given up my ambition to cycle across America (maybe even Key West, FL to Attu Island, AK!) I want to cycle the Keys at any rate that's for sure.

I'm currently listening to TMBG - 'New York City' was just playing which probably isn't helping my predicament any.

Clearwater and the Scientologists

2008-03-14T07:26:46Z

Lately there's been much a to-do here in Clearwater (for some reason, called 'Flag Land Base' by this local religious group: the Scientologists). Last month there was a 'protest' purported to be staged by some group 'Anonymous' and I think there's meant to be some kind of activity or other either tomorrow during founder L. Ron Hubbard's birthday celebrations or over the weekend.

And of course working at the Starbucks __directly__ opposite the Church of Scientology the job has been interesting to say the least. But what's really interesting or perhaps bizare is that a friend of mine at Starbucks: Rosalie Fair is having run-in's with the Church of Scientology: article from the St. Pete Times - apparently they want to get a restraining order against her! Which is quite ridiculous as she clearly has no animosity for the group and completely irrational seeing as how she has to work across the street from them!

lovejez @ 2008-01-05T11:04:00

2008-01-05T16:06:25Z

Oh man I'm pretty scared. I just successfully typed an '@' on an American keyboard without thinking about it. What does this mean?

Space The Final Frontier

2007-12-30T02:26:29Z

Man! From what I was following the Atlantis was going to launch on the 2nd but now the schedule says TBD. And the Beeb is saying 'uncertainty'. And to think I was planning on training/cycling out to Cape Canaveral to watch the launch!

lovejez @ 2007-12-25T03:38:00

2007-12-25T08:39:55Z

Merry Xmas everybody!

Out Fishin'

2007-12-24T20:28:47Z

Well I went fishing yesterday of my dock down into the intercoastal and caught myself some catfish, the biggest was a little over a foot-long so not the big big ones but I was more than chuffed so I ran inside and got some snaps on my cameraphone. I felt like a real hunter/gatherer. Indeed what with the coconuts, avocados, lemons and now fish - I suppose I'm a living off the land. Anyhoo they tasted yummy with lemon and butter. I'm gonna have to catch me some more...

Basra Returned

2007-12-16T20:07:40Z

AT LAST

Is this the beginning of the end to this almost 5 year long nightmare nay farce?

Oooh Railside Drama

2007-12-11T02:54:20Z

Thursday I was on a train coming back from Jacksonville to Orlando where I had to make a connection to get back to Tampa and of course I'm sound asleep after being awake for a day or two. We were about 20 minutes out of Winter Park in some backwater town when there is a very very loud noise and the train lurches to a halt. Apparently we've crashed. Or rather some schmuck crashed their truck into the side of the train. Turns out the level-crossing was down but the driver thought there was no train so they tried to go across the other lane which didn't have a barrier. Bad idea.

The train driver comes over the announcer and explains the obvious then tells us that we're going to have to wait a couple of hours for a CSX (the railway owners) railway inspector to come and see if the train is safe and sound to continue running. The nearest CSX office he says is in Sanford not too far away but with bureaucracy who knows how long things are gonna take. I don't think that there is anything too terribly wrong with the train but you can hear the fire engines so I'm hoping that the train doesn't asplode. Incidentally the train is already running a couple of hours late but then again Amtrak is legendary for it's delays. I'm not all that fussed as I'm not in any kind of hurry but it's quite evident that others in the carriage are pissed-off by the added delay. I am a little annoyed though that they wont let us off for a smoke but whatever.

Eventually we start rolling again really slowly I guess because there's some crap on the line. As we pass over the crossing there's a real scene on the road: ambulances, cops and fire-engines are all surrounding the remains of what was once a vehicle. There was blood puddles on the road and there's a guy with a bloody forehead being treated by a paramedic and a woman flailing her arms about, she seems pretty angry. There's a long line of traffic that's built up at both ends. People in the train are saying that no one must have died as there'd have been a longer wait for that as it'd have been a crime-scene.

And then the train rolls on like nothing has happened. I fall back asleep again the rest of the way to Orlando.

Beach-Hobo and Proud

2007-12-05T14:05:31Z

Ok ok ok perhaps I am a beach-bum and a hobo (or beach-hobo or wait even better: beachbo). But proud of it!

Now, I really need to update because a lot and not a lot has been a happening of late: I may have mentioned I've quit working, well the most recent one at least. Which makes 3 jobs that I've quit in as many months of my first being here :) This past 4th month I haven't been working - just chillaxing out on the beach(s). But I'm still renting my place out on Indian Rocks and of course I have that teensy scarediness about how long I can coast along sans income but I have enough to last me a little while and as I've already proven it's not exactly hard to get a job in this country. And even if worst came to worst - hec in years gone by I've lived in arrears for months at a time and not gotten evicted.

Why bum? Because not working is so much more fun! Lying on the beach just feels so right ;)

Anyways onto hobo-ing, recently I bought a Florida Year Rail Pass - so I have til next November to travel unlimited on the rails in FL! So as you can imagine I've already been making much use of it - railing off to Miami for a couple of days at a time for as long as I can survive not getting any real sleep - sometimes I just stay awake the night through - which isn't exactly hard to do in such an alive city. And either nap out on the beach, under a tree or in a park. Or once or twice I've spread out my beach-mat (a really cool straw one) and slept rough out on (world famous!) South Beach - and believe me I'm not the only one doing it.

Also I'm exploring the rest of the state by rail like today I'm coming at you from Jacksonville (supposedly the biggest city in America (real America) but hmm... it just reminds me of a slightly bigger Tampa - it doesn't have that Miami cool) when I get back on the train I'll probably crash and go into some crazy NREM sleep - I always get some real trippy dreams with that. Which is also a good way to pass time on the pokey slow train rides. Let's just say that Amtrak isn't exactly the speediest, varied or most punctual carrier. And grrr *insert rant about the Sunset Limited*

But anyways, later, maybe once my FL rail pass has expired or something I may get a USA Rail Pass and rail around the country. But I realise that this probably isn't true hobo-ing as I'm paying and I'm riding passenger rather than freight, well at the moment at least ;)

Bahamas

2007-11-29T00:19:34Z

I just won a cheap trip to the Bahamas w00t!!!

American banks

2007-11-25T18:42:29Z

AMERICAN BANKS SUCK MEGA ASS

I swear they make all these fines just for me. And of course you can't contest them. Bank of America, Bank Atlantic and Suntrust Bank I HATE YOU.

Where's the Co-Op when you need them?

Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T20:17:15Z

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Miami

2007-11-08T04:50:23Z

Miami awesome. Some photos. Running out of time to wri...

lovejez @ 2007-11-07T06:25:00

2007-11-07T11:25:53Z

I voted
... yesterday in my first ever US election - course it was only a local election but hey I made my voice heard :)

Haloween 2007

2007-10-31T03:09:36Z

Happy Haloween Everyone!

And mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm a bucket full of scooped out pumpkin in the freezer ready for my Thanksgiving pumpkin pies.

The Big Guava

2007-10-30T22:18:50Z

I went to Guavaween last night and sweet jesus it was fun - I didn't think Tampa had it in her to be cool. I got a whole load of free junk too: they were throwing cups, necklaces, bracelets and things from the windows of the clubs and bars and from the floats and things in the parade. Everyone was dressed up in some really good costumes (except for me though) and there was an awesome vibe. Live music on every street corner, but I mostly ended up moshing in the rockpit. The drinking age here is 21 (I know, I know, crazy) but I was still drinking, I got ID'd about 50% of the time so it reminded me a lot of being 17 in Northampton again grrr. Anyhoo I got the last bus back to Pinellas County - to the Wagon Wheel (which incidently is a pretty cool place but I digress) and then later that night somehow managed to get a lift back to IRB with some random stranger - but that's also a completely different story for another time.

They hold this festival every year in Ybor City in Tampa it's a pretty cool place on it's own, it's an old part of Tampa setup by a cigar manufacturer but turned into a clubbing zone. The architecture of the place though reminded me a bit of the old French Quarter in New Orleans, it has a similar style to it. But last night Ybor was rammed, they had closed off half of the city and closed down the streets and like the tram network. Unfortunately my camera crapped out on me again so I can't post pictures.

Tinned Cactus

2007-10-28T22:43:24Z

The other day I bought tinned cactus:

It's not at all like I'd expect cactus to taste like, it's kindof salty and tastes a bit like a cross between a gherkin and maybe a bell pepper.

[Edited]

Coconuts

2007-10-12T22:45:08Z

New job

2007-10-07T16:30:42Z

Ok, so I've quit my last job at the drugstore and now I'm working at:

Florida's answer to Primark.

And it is suckass, so will probably also be shortlived.

New

2007-09-25T00:47:38Z

I have been soo busy today, I cycled into Belleair today and omg got a haircut! After avoiding barbers for several years I was alas pulled into one and was de-pony-tailed.

And then went up into Clearwater to the county court-house and registered my self to vote. So FL now has another registered Greenie.

And hell, I still gotta do a full shift tonight. I probably forgot to mention that I got a job the other week at a drugstore doing the night-shift (10pm to 6:30am eek). Anyhoo no sleep for me tonight or tommorow boohoo me. Me in uniform:

(Edited on: 2006/9/25 11:06)

lovejez @ 2007-09-24T11:18:00

2007-09-24T15:20:25Z

Crikey: tornadoes in Npton!

FL and cycling

2007-09-23T14:17:55Z

I cycled from Indian Rocks to my grandparents house the other night - I left at 4:30am after work and got there for breakfast at 7 after making a detour to Wal-Mart on US19. FL is pretty interesting for cycling, on one hand the whole state is flat and omg the buses here have bike-racks which are so freaking useful (will post photo), but then cycling on the roads you don't always get cycle-lanes, and sometimes the pavement just disappears, like your cycling along the freeway and all of a sudden the sidewalk just ends, no reason for it and you're like wtf where'd my sidewalk go?

And it would seem that I need to stay away from shrubbery and glass-roofed skyscrapers.

Also...

A cocanut from the cocanut tree in my 'backyard'

Florida ctd.

2007-09-16T18:16:34Z

Ok so I'm gonna update because I have the internet again!!! Wahoo so now I can do some serious loafing...

To all people in cold dingy places - gawk at this:

Sunset on Indian Rocks Beach

But one thing I would like to document:

Crossing the street here is a little odd

Florida

2007-09-05T20:39:58Z

Well, I'm in the USA now, in Florida no less. And it is HOT. At the moment I'm staying with my grandparents in St. Petersburg, FL. But today I went house-hunting and I'm gonna be renting this fantastic place I found in Indian Rocks Beach. Indian Rocks is an island in the gulf (Link - beware of wordart). And it is so freaking beatiful out there, palm tress line the boulevards and the beach is sandy. The house has a freaking dock in the back garden. (Map)