Tuesday 22 January 2008

I just love facebook

This has nothing to do with Salt Lake, skiing, or the USA. But I feel the urge to say just how much I love facebook. I've just got lost in it yet again..... I've been looking at Shelley's pics of her sister's wedding, discovering TC has persuaded someone to marry him and stumbling across pics of me on my windsurfing holiday in Vassiliki where I met the best bunch of northerners ever.

It's so good. It's just effortless to keep in touch. I love it. I don't know how I lived without it.

That's all.

Oh, and an update on the party theme: went to an 80s night on Thursday. It was funny. It would have been Lucy 'dancing queen' Melly's dream. Of course we old bastards knew pretty much all the songs too. The venue is holding a fetish night in a couple of weeks so Salt Lake can't be that straight. I suspect if you scratch under the surface there's loads of naughtiness; there must be, it's all so squeaky on the outside.

Monday 7 January 2008

Party capital part 3

So off we went tonight for $1 dollar margaritas. Of course the bar is so far away we have to drive, so convince Sarah to lend me her car; she agrees even after I drove it into a snow bank the other night. I agree to be the 'dd', I'm so keen to go out I'm prepared to forgo the alcohol, which is quite frankly a miracle. Jane and I put on make-up and the nicest clothes we can find.

Find the bar which turns out to be a restaurant and we have nine margaritas between six of us for just $9. Getting a good buzz on (love this term, very American!) when the boss realises our table is drinking without food. Shock, horror, anti-Utah drinking laws. So off we go on a drugs run to the State Liquor Store to make our own.

Arrive back at our new friends' place, talk bears, Alaska, rafting, rivers and tele skiing, marvel at the axe in their bathroom and drink serious amounts of tequila (well, Spencer and Jane did, I am having my reward of Baileys now).

It was so much fun. Yes, things are looking up in the party capital.

Saturday 5 January 2008

Party capital part 2

Guess what else. In Utah, you're not allowed to buy two drinks for yourself at once. You can only have one in your hand at any one time. Wow.

Went to this bar the other night with a guy from work - it was a real bar with loads of people and live music and came complete with a few white American hip hop kids; backwards baseball caps, baggy trousers, white chunky trainers. It was so good to be properly out, I can only go so long without an injection of nightlife. Of course we drove there, it was in the middle of nowhere. The locals either have 'dds' (designated drivers) or they take their chances; seems they take their chances more often than not judging by the amount of cars in the parking lot.

Last night I ended up at this enormous house just at the mouth of the canyons, belonging to some guy's grandparents who are in South Utah for the winter. This picture doesn't even begin to do it justice. It was so 70s flashy but pretty cool at the same time; they have a games room in the basement with pool table and pinball machine. Grandpa owns a car dealership. In fact it really was a bit like the Gilhespie's pad; very footballer's wives. There was even a statue of a Greek God in the bathroom complete with fig leaf. We drank Grand Marnier - much nicer than slugs of Jagermeister at the back of the employee van.

And look at the view over the valley in the morning. We're in the middle of a 3 day storm; couldn't get up the canyon at all today so I had an excuse for not being the brightest of sparks this morning.

I've been invited to shoot guns. I feel this is a cultural experience I just can't turn down. Let's hope it materialises!