Well the days are speeding up and it's just a week now before I go to Atlanta but there has still been plenty of fun and games during the last week. The week began on Saturday night when me and Nichol went to the Ocean Club at Jax beach to watch a band called the Road Show Killers. $5 to get in and a 50s diner style on the left hand side, we watch the band as the 4 piece get off to a swampy blues start followed by some great catchy songs mid-set. Please check them out at their website http://www.myspace.com/theroadshowkillers - their lead singer Rob was the guy who sold me my guitar!
After the show, the band shot off quickly so had little time to thank them and wish them all the best so we agreed to finish our drinks and head to another bar down the road. I was told the streets were paved with gold in the USA but wherever I have been so far they were covered with fake boobs! Seriously, the weather gets them all out but I'm not complaining. We head to an Irish style bar that has some European beers and I grab an Amstel and chat to some people as the background band played awful reggae music with a UB40 twist. Ew! Getting nicely drunk we finally call it quits at 1am and ask our lovely taxi driver (Jaime) to come to where we were and pick us up.
The following day was a tiring one as after just 4 hours sleep the house was awoken by Jaime as we were going a on a trip to the other side of the County. 6.30am? This is preposterous! Ha ha! The place where we were heading was the Ichetucknee State Park which has a river in which you can go tubing (grab a giant rubber ring and float down it)! Awakening from our slumbers and looking like hell, we drag ourselves around the kitchen in a vague attempt to not look like the living dead. We then all meet at the Salon where we split into different cars and begin the long journey (three hours) across the State. Travelling with Dean and Crystal, they kindly allow me to pass out in the back and after a stop to refuel (both the vehicles and ourselves), the next break is at a tube-hire centre where we grab some large inflatables and then finally reach our destination. Feeling more awake now, we have to wait for the cars to be dropped at the final end point and after 45 minutes of lingering and people right about to kill each other, the designated drivers finally return and we head towards the river. The park map is here: http://www.floridastateparks.org/ichetuckneesprings/docs/brochure.pdf
Not sure as to what expect, any fears I had were soon removed, as the day became one of the highlights of the trip so far. The river is crystal clear and a great experience as you get to see the real qualities of Florida (Everglades style flora, fauna and wildlife) all the while floating leisurely down river. Once we joined the river, it was over an hour of traveling before we even saw a departure section and the sides of the river were swampy marshland with gator warnings. No health and safety officials. No signs. Nothing. Nada. Nowt. Just yourself and nature. As we sun ourselves and play splash and take turns singing ("Rolling Down the River" of course) we finally see a departure point but it doesn't allow us to exit and says the next one is 30 minutes further down. Starting to burn and with dark clouds looming all we can see are the odd fellow 'tuber' and one or two turtles - the shelled little bastards not doing anything at all, just sitting there silently mocking us. We weren't allowed to take cameras (mine isn't waterproof anyhow) so here's a short youtube clip I found from the park:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC1B9WUs9Ls&feature=related Eventually, we get to the departure pier and realise that 3 hours have nearly gone by as we stumble out over the slippery moss covered rocks at the water's edge. That afternoon the weather did indeed take a turn for the worse and with thunder and lightning booming down, we drove slowly back home to get some much needed sleep.
Later that week a crazy thing happened when I was sunbathing at Jaime's house when a car pulled up, the window wound down and a lady voice called from inside and asked if I was the guy from London. What the f*ck? How did she know? I had been here for a couple of weeks and wasn't that white! I said I was and asked her how she knew but she said she was Jaime's Auntie and had been told about my visit! Small world indeed.
In addition, whilst waiting outside with my guitar the next-door neighbours' kids asked me to sing Sweet Home Alabama! Now with guitar ready I have written two new songs. The first is a pop-rock Coheed style number called "Superhero Save Us" which has some cool melodies and some symbolic lyrics about who we turn to in times of trouble whilst the other one is a bluesy/White Stripes-esque minor key song which I've called "Straight Up" and deals with issues of people being honest with each other.
Tuesday morning started with the news that a water pipe under the house had burst so Jaime's dad came over as me and Jaime attempted to turn the water off after digging in the garden to find a switch to stop the water. As Jaime said, she now has her own personal pool - albeit one about 2 foot across filled with brown murky muddy liquid! That evening after a relaxing day we went to watch Sean play roller hockey which their team unfortunately lost in a nail biting final minute and once back home received a message from him saying his team mate had crashed into him in the parking lot. He was NOT a happy fella!
Later in the week we go to see Hancock, in which the trailer suggests is going to be awesome but is really a two part movie - one good (the HAN) and one bad (complete and utter COCK!). It starts as a great superhero satire and soon turns into a dull as ditchwater emotional drama about people twatting about in costumes of which the aforementioned trailer shows you nothing of the sort.
By Tuesday of the following week I went out for some drinks with Matty at the local Applebees after grabbing some new threads at the local Target superstore and proceeded to get really drunk. After switching drinks (being like petrol on a bonfire) and acting like a numpty, I call Jessica and she picks me up from the side of the road near Jaime's house after I nearly pass out at a child's playground and get hit in the face with a late night sprinkler as a stumble away! My face! My face! :-D
After this brief emo moment (ha ha!) I drank with her and her friend Mike until I couldn't stand any longer and they turned a nearby sofa into a bed and I promptly crashed down awaking many hours later feeling rough as a badger's arse! The week has ended with this hangover turning itself into a nice cold - but it's boiling outside - no, I don't understand it either - so have had a few chillaxing days to get my energy back as I get over the American germs!