Well I'm hanging ten in the land of the free and the brave...

SF is cool once you get over the monster jetlag (took me five days). Weather is bizarre - fog rolls in during the morning then Baywatch-esque during the day and then very chilly at night. Still better than pissy old Blighty mind.

Been fixing up my room in the flat I'm moving into. It's about six foot by six foot (I kid you not - they bury people in bigger spaces) but with my Zen-like monastic lifestyle (I came here with one suitcase!) it shouldn't be a problem. Painted it a lovely shade of white and baby blue. Gonna get a futon later tommorrow. Two other people live there - one rather large lady who sits around all day getting stoned plus another guy who calls me "dood" all the time and was yesterday temping at a place called Jews For Jesus. They're both laidback and cool and really want to do the flat up. When I first saw it I wasn't so sure - it makes Steptoe & Son look like winners of the Ideal Home Exhibition - but with a little creative input we should be able to make it special. Oh yes, and it's damn cheap too!

Went to a cool drum & bass night on Saturday on Haight Street (Summer of Love epicentre) and got asked if I wanted any crack as we stumbled outside at 2am. Nice touch. Went drinking in North Beach last night (home of the Beats - Kerouac, Ginsberg etc) and got hit on in a bar - unfortunately his name was Ron and he had a handlebar moustache. Must make a mental note not to walk around with a crewcut and a tight white T-shirt.

Driving down to LA on Fri morning and then to a rave/music festival in the Nevada desert just past Palm Springs. Chem Brothers, Beck etc are playing plus loads of international DJs. All the crew from Urb, the US mag I write for, are going too so it should be a right old knees up. Doing the photo thing there. Should be able to grab a suntan while I'm at it.

Making lots of friends who are all well cool and insist on taking me out every night. I should be off to a gridiron game fairly soon and am eating out loads - shame I don't like fish but there's great Chinese, Thai and Mexican restaurants all over the place. But can someone send me some Typhoo teabags please - the tea here is rank.

Ho hum. That's it for now. Keep the comms coming and lemme know how things are cooking in Blighty.

Peace,

Kieran

Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Live life like there's no tomorrow.
Love like you've never been hurt.

He was born with a gift of laughter
and a sense that the world was mad.

Rafael Sabatini