Must be Friday

Sometimes people come into your life and it’s as if they’ve always been there, they fit so well. You never have to think about what to say around them, you always seem to be on the same wavelength, perhaps they you even walk together in such a way that you’re always level with no apparent effort to dodge round people. When you find someone like that make sure you remember to appreciate them, it’s the easiest thing to forget to cherish what exists between you as it is all so simple. Enough already – I’m sure the rest of the world isn’t as muppet-ish as I am when it comes to social interactions so you know all this.

In a more film review-y vein went to see The Royal Tennenbaums yesterday with my friend Helen who’s in town for a visit. Great movie about a family of three genius children and their estranged parents. Royal Tennenbaum is the father played by Gene Hackman who having lost touch with his children for many years suddenly decides to make things up with them. It’s a great story with wonderful comic moments. Go see.

Mea culpa

I just want to say a big “THANKS” to everyone who’s been putting up with me of late – I know I’ve been a big mopey, distracted pain in the ass since I got back to NYC. Feel free to slap me whenever you want when I space out.

It’s a Beautiful Day

Big thanks to everyone who’s bought stuff from my sale so far. Still some primo pieces left for your enjoyment so peruse at your leisure and let me know if you’re interested.

One temporary solution I’ve found to all anguish (and I’m suffering a bit from that of late what with leaving and all) is to watch Requiem for a Dream. This wonderfully intense film about how people get into drugs and then everything falls apart is enough to make every normal situation you’re in seem like eating Ben and Jerry’s ice cream by comparison. Mmm… ice cream. Although on the subject of ice cream I’ve not been feeling particularly hungry recently which is strange for me as I usually like to eat food to cheer me up. Excellent news for my diet/fitness kick!.

On that note – I’ve been going to yoga down at GoYoga quite regularly so far and it has been great. Come out of those sessions feeling like the world glows and I’m so alive – even if I can’t quite bend my spine anymore. I’ve been going to the beginners classes but they really mix up the levels in there. Sometimes it will be a simple downward facing dog and some bends, then the next lesson they’re trying to get you to do handstands! Yep, did OK at the downward facing dog but not so well at the handstands. I have a pathological fear of throwing my legs violently above my body with no support – wonder if there’s a word for that? Handstandophobia or the Greek equivalent I guess. Our teacher said it took her two years to even do one so there’s hope for me yet…

Stand and deliver

Bizarro news. Apparently Adam Ant was arrested for possession of a firearm today. How the mighty have fallen… prey to the lure of cheap PR. What makes this even stranger is that when I was back in London with Chris we ended up not going to see him play at the Jazz cafe in Camden – strange enough that he was even playing after all these years.

Sale of the Century

Roll up, roll up get your fine un-new merchandise here!

Yep – finally got my list of ‘things to sell’ together and I’ve posted it up. Now all I have to do is get everything else packed into small (or larger) boxes and then shipped back to the UK. This is in addition to the list of things I have to do for a) moving and b) travelling the world as well as c) my last days in New York (for a while at least). My notebook is full of more lists than the British TV schedules.

Yesterday had a fine time snowboarding up at Hunter Mountain. The snow was half-decent of which the same cannot be said of my snowboarding skills… I really need to spend a solid week boarding rather than odd days where I spend half the day remembering how to board and the other half being too tired to actually do it. The day trip was from Paragon Sports just off Union Square and involved getting up at 5am – yes, there is a 5am not that it’s any friend of mine.

After we got back went out for Ruth and Ben’s 25th birthday celebrations down at Pioneer (Bowery btw Prince/Spring). This is another cavernous bar much in the same vein as Sweet and Vicious round the corner although slightly more welcoming and less packed with out of town folk. Also randomly bumped into Caroline, my favorite barkeep from Puck Fair. Celebrations continued until around 2am making it almost a 24 hour day on the go. Don’t get many of those outside of trans-atlantic trips. Now I’m feeling decidedly wobbly so I should probably go lay down…

Mmm, achy

I thought yoga was supposed to make you more limber and flexible not too achy to walk?!!?!?!?

Decided to get a month yoga membership to help pass the time while I’m still in New York. Theory being of course that because it’s a month unlimited membership I’ll go more… Nice theory, not sure it’s ever worked before, and especially not when I’m hella-hungover! Still, had a good session yesterday and it helped me get over some of the current stresses and frustrations of my New York life.

Not having a regular job gets kinda boring after a while. I’ve never been the best at setting my own goals and working at them and although this is all good practice it’s not coming easily to me. There are some really big things I need to organize but I find myself just doing the smaller ones and thinking about stuff that isn’t helpful. Plus there’s a whole heap o’ distracting stuff on the Internet!

I’m dreaming, of a white Jan 7th..

Yep – it’s finally decided to snow in New York! Taken it’s own sweet time about it too. Big flakes drifting gently down from the sky and completely failing to settle on ground soaked from a night of rain. Oh well, might have to wait a few days for those white New York scenes I like so much, or for making snowmen.

Meanwhile I’m kicking off on my big list of “things to do before leaving New York”. Worst of these is arranging shipping/selling of everything I own here. After three and a half years I have a whole heap o’ crap (TM) to deal with. Some sentimentally important, some financially valuable and some that are just there, in decreasing order of how difficult it is to decide of course. Shortly I should be posting a list of things that are going up here so watch this space….

All good things

Back in the US again – sunny New York City is outside my window with the usual chorus of sirens trilling away on the streets below. Flew back yesterday with the delightful Virgin who, having saved me an hour of queuing through the use of my silver card then decided to upgrade me to Premium Economy for the first time ever. Yee-haw! I’m now thoroughly hooked and will be contemplating how to get a non-economy flight back to the UK and then a non-economy round the world ticket. The thought of spending 20 hours in a plane to some far off country in cattle class does not appeal…

Other thoughts now fill my mind – which parts of my life do I pack up and ship back to store in England while I travel and which to leave behind? Don’t have a huge budget for shipping so that will help keep me to the bone on what stays and what goes, plus most of the electronic equipment won’t work so that’s easy. What of the less physical aspects though? The friendships and behaviors I’ve developed over the years? At least this time I’m emotionally more prepared for such upheavel, something that I totally underestimated three and a half years ago when I came here from London. Still scares me a bit though – the through of just leaving stuff and stepping away for a while, if not ever. Never was very good with change, so this is a great opportunity to get better at it. Chocks away…

Happy New Year

A very boring title I’m afraid – that time of year when my braincells are currently trying to re-group and remember how to function. Just got back to Camberley after hanging out with Chris and his chums in Golders Green for most of the last week. This was my first visit that far north in London and it was quite loverley – a relaxed residential haven that only takes about 30 minutes to get you into Leicester Square. Golders Green is also remarkable for a London suburb that doesn’t have amazingly restrictive parking, definately a blessing (and a quick thanks to mum for lending me her car there).

New Years Eve was again spent at Whirl-y-gig, a hippy, trancey dancey thing where you bring your own booze and is consequently a very cheap night out. The crowd there is very chilled and friendly indeed, totally luverley and I met a lot of really nice folk, both random and mates of Chris.

Now the excitement has started to wear off with the hangover and I’m faced with the reality of a month closing down my affairs in New York City and preparing for another chapter in my life to start – Matt the World Traveller. Hmm… all sounds a bit Harry Potter to me (of which I have to say the third book in the series is the best so far, but the film is unmitigated shite – go see Lord of the Rings instead, it’s wonderful).

2001 highlights and thanx to (in no particular order):

  • Alexa – for teaching me so much about photography and everything else.
  • Culebra – a small island off Puerto Rico where I saw turtles laying their eggs on my most amazing night ever so far (and thanks to Tim for getting us there).
  • Aimi – for fun, support and a great cooked breakfast.
  • Alicia – for re-awakening my wander lust even if I wasn’t ready to wander at that time.
  • Max & Kelle – for being them and being there.
  • Chris – for chilled out fun and conversations about nothing and everything.
  • AccuWeather – for teaching me so much, with special thanks to Parsh Mehta, Martin Sheridan, Jim Greco and Brian Amamoto.
  • Quidnunc – for laying me off, a double edged sword that’s made me get my shit together again.
  • Guiliani – for showing why he’s always been the right Mayor for New York – calm, competent and caring (even if he’s not so keen on dancing). My thoughts are still with all those who lost loved ones on September 11th.
  • And all my family – for just being them.

ps, this website can now only be reached through ultrahi.tripod.com (not matthewhobbs.net or sushification.com). I realized I was spending a bomb on owning names I didn’t really use so I stopped paying and a few months later Network Solutions actually noticed!

I do

Yesterday was Lou and Chris’ wedding. I’ve known Lou since the first year at University, now 10 years in the past, and she’s known Chris for as long. Ah, bless. A nice, simple traditional sermon held in a church cold enough for your breath to steam. Bad enough for the congregation but even less fun for a bride wearing an off the shoulder silk number – Lou definately went slightly purple at times, although don’t think her tears of happiness froze on her cheeks.

After the service Jon and I partook of the first part of Lord of the Rings. Wow. An amazing film that kept me entranced for pretty much all of its 3+ hour length. Visually it is stunning, but what really kept me locked in was the quality of the acting. Ian McKellan as Gandalf was outstanding, a wonderful mix of worldliness and caring demonstrated with the slightest of facial movements. The stories been tweaked and trimmed a bit to fit better with film but it’s basically all there. Go see it… now!

Today is the first of many large Christmas meals at home. I feel that I need to get out and go for a long run but it is currently about -100 degrees outside! Ah for a gym in my basement here as well as in Williamsburg! Guess I’ll just have to work harder on my gut in the new year, I’ve lost weight but not from the right places! I think most of it’s due to my hair falling out and my brain atrophying from lack of serious use.