Annie Rhiannon

Monday, November 27, 2006

San Francisco

I'll admit it, I wasn't expecting to like the US all that much. I only went there because of my cariad, otherwise I would've chosen a country from my list of Places to Visit Before I Die instead; Newfoundland, Greenland, Norway, the Faroe Isles. Basically anywhere with restricted winter daylight hours. I think it's because I'm a Ginger.

But I loved California. Especially San Francisco, where all the buildings are painted pastel colours and all the people are at least a little bit cracked. Baby blues, salmon pinks, mint greens; you'd go crazy too, wouldn't you?

On our last day together Bjarni and I drove round the coast again, ate good food and drank nice wine under a palm tree in Napa Valley. I never realised that palm trees actually existed. I thought they were just things you saw in cartoons, like sticks of dynamite, or big black vultures with sweaty red heads.

When I (reluctantly) arrived back in Reykjavik I was devastated to see that Rabbit had suffered a terrible injury in my checked luggage. (Yes, I took him with me. You wouldn't just go off and leave your pet at home to look after himself, would you?) His battery pack—which I had carefully removed so as not to get him too excited during the flight—was smashed apart, and no amount of tender loving care could put it back together again.

It's going to be a long, cold, lonely winter in Iceland this year, I reckon.

21 comments:

  1. Oh, no! Elecotronic-mutilating, luggage-handling pricks! I suspect it was destroyed deliberately, either by assholes who thought it was funny, or by american airport security who felt the need to make sure it didn't contain some kind of explosive or detonator.

    or both. actually, those two groups have a lot of overlap.

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  2. Aw baby. I'm so glad you came over, I had a great time. I'll see if I can bring spare rabbit-parts with me when I come home for the holidays.

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  3. I can't believe for a second that anybody would have done this on purpose! All the Americans I met were absolutely lovely and very helpful. It was just an accident, I didn't pack it properly.

    Bjarni, thank you cariad, but Cathy has already offered to get it replaced for me in the Yook. Oh I'm so lucky to have all these peeps looking after my, uh, pets for me.

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  4. Oh Annie, you're just meant to take the BATTERIES out not the whole pack.

    Get the 'thruster' next time.

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  5. I don't understand why you need your rabbit when you are spending time with your cariad.

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  6. its alright for you guys but ive only just realised what the rabbit is.

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  7. There must be a market for discreet rabbit repairs via t'internet .. I had a conversation the recently with a disgruntled female friend whose 'pet' had expired and having shelled out for the new improved version was left wanting for the old one back. Obviously not improved after all.

    Retro Rabbit Repair Co ?

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  8. Damn! Stagedive got there before me. I was thinking there's a need for specialised vet services for rabbits only... still stuck on a name for the website tho. Bunny Bashers anonymous? RSI avoidance clinic? Ram Pants refurbishment rooms? Thumper Therapy?

    So many dot coms, so little time.

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  9. Cariad is really good company and everything but he doesn't vibrate at 350 gigawhirlz per second. But actually rabbit didn't make it out of the rucksack while I was away. I took him all the way across the Atlantic just to break his little heart.

    I'm too scared of getting a Thruster. Old Flatmate got one for his gf and was bitterly disappointed. He said he'd wanted to give the girl a good time, not permanantly damage her internal organs.

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  10. Ha ha - you are hilarious. Glad you liked the Bay Area - it is a nice place to live most of the time. Don't they make rabbit parts in Reykjavik?

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  11. California is one of those places, isn't it? It's hard to be unhappy there. That might be why I don't like going there all that often. I get so chipper I frighten myself.

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  12. I was once told all none of the palm trees in Cali are native to the state.. wonder if that's true..

    It's Bjarni's turn to visit you now!

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  13. Whoops... "all none" should be "none".

    Heh..

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  14. Perhaps Bunny was just tired of it's home and just couldn't go through the agony of making a new burrow. They get depressed too, I imagine.

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  15. It's been brought to my attention (thank you V) that not everybody knows what a "Rabbit" is. I find this weird, didn't everybody watch S&TC? Anyway, it's a vibrator. I'm sorry if it seemed kind of cryptic. But I'm allowed to write about it because it was popularised on HBO.

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  16. Anonymous1.12.06

    I'd like some pictures of your American trip please.

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  17. I didn't take that many pictures, and only liked a handful enough to publish them. My favourite was taken in an American Diner:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/annierhiannon/307679546/

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  18. Annie, sorry to hear Rumper Thumper has (rab)bit the dust, especially after it had gone on another adventure. However, you can consol yourself that you are probably creating a new genre in travel writing.

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  19. I went to San Francisco too for the first time last summer, and left a vital organ behind... must remember to pick it up again next summer. Hoping to live, work and study there next year (and go to Burning Man again). It's a lovely city. I spent my last 4 days and 60 dollars there, travelling on a rickety old mountain bike, picking up clothes from street giveaways, somehow managing to feed myself AND buy souvenirs, wandered into the Museum of Fine Art for free, also went up the observation tower... wow, it was quite special. I must get the pictures up...

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  20. should have packed it in your christmas stocking!

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  21. Hello long lost cousin. Isn't the internet great for reuniting family members? I hope when you talk about your vital organ you mean your harmonium and not a kidney or whatevs.

    Conan, I like the nickname Rumper Thumper. I'd rename him that if he wasn't already dead. *Sob*

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