My Epitaph

'What" will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Paper Planes and 7/11

Currently sitting in a coffee shop near my house doing research for a paper due tomorrow on the dynamics of defecting from a cult with special exploration of the brainwashing conjecture and post-involvement attitudes of former members. It should be a good paper, I am just very late in starting it and procrastinating. Life lately has been...obscure. It's like a see-saw between my very scholarly life lived in and out of coffee shops working on papers between classes and work, and then there's all the other stuff, which is a jumble of people and the dynamics between them.

Earlier I was going into a 7/11 to get candy for my studying and this lady asked a guy for bus money to get back to Kalihi. I was thinking in my head, "Avoid eye contact or she'll ask you too when this guy turns her down." But, he didn't turn her down, he gave her $5 and said "God Bless." Then, she came into the 7/11 and I thought, "Watch this, now she's going to buy alcohol or a pack of cigarettes." But, she didn't. She asked for one dollar bills and left to go to the bus stop. Man, what a judgmental bitch I felt like. People really still can surprise you. It's important to try not to get too jaded by this crazy world we live in.

Final Day: Blue Lagoon and Sirkus

Blue Lagoon

On my final day in Iceland Begga, Torfi, Jonsi and I went to the Blue Lagoon, which is supposed to be like the Icelandic fountain of youth. It was pretty cool, but at the same time it seemed very commercialized. They had turned it into a spa/hotel type of thingy and you had to pay to get in. It didn't used to be like that, so I would have preferred to get to it before it was sold out and raped for all it was worth. We still had a great time though. Haha even though the bottom of the lagoon was super squishy and when Torfi, Joni, and I grabbed a handfull of the mud from the bottom it was laden with human hair! Ick!

Sirkus

After Blue Lagoon I went back to Begga's and packed and had a very nice dinner with her family. I said goodbye to everyone since my flight was at like 6AM the next morning and Begga's Grandma gave me a book of Icelandic folktales as a present - so sweet. Begga and I met up with Jonsi and Torfi after dinner and went to a bar called Sirkus, which is Bjork's favorite bar, and had some goodbye beers. It was nice, but I was sad and knew I had to get up early. I really really didn't want to leave, but I couldnm't extend my ticket. After Sirkus we went to Torfi's workplace to see his art, then he took Begga and I home. The goodbye to Iceland was tragic, I guess I kind of fell in love with everything about it...but i'll be back bitches!

Iceland Part 3: Park/Celtic Cross Day & Mini Road Trip

Park/Celtic Cross Day

One day after I pre-celebrated Begga's Mom's B-day with Begga's close family members we went to a park with some friends and drank beer, etc. etc. At one point when it got really cold and Begga and I both had you use the bathroom we hopped into Torfi's car and went downtown to an Irish pub called the Celtic Cross because Jonsi said he felt like having a Guinness. We ended up staying out until the bar closed and from the time we got there to the time we left a lot happened! We met this crazy Sicilian Guy who was trying to conceal his smoking cigarettes from his angry looking Swedish wife sitting alone at the bar with a beer. This man was very talktative and drunk and some people at our table didn't like him, but Torfi stepped up to the plate and sat at the bar with the guy and talked with him while I sat at the bar with his angry wife and talked to her because she looked so upset I though she was going to cry! I ended up really getting along with her after she was rude for about 1/2 a minute because she was mad we were giving him cigarettes since he was supposed to stop since he was having surgery in 3 weeks. Eventually crazy Sicilian man dissapeared and she sent me to find him at the bar next door. I found him, but I wasn't able to escape his clutches - literally! He grabbed my hand and made me hold hands with this guy he was sitting next to at the bar who was reasonably attractive and paid me lots of compliments, but I was only interested in getting him out of there and back to his wife! I got stuck with a beer and some guys hand, then thankfully Torfi came in and saved me. Then, we were both stuck there, but at least we had each other! He and I talked to the bartender after she was done yelling at Sicilian guy for being handsy, it turned out she was a gypsy from Copenhagen who followed her one true love who wasn't evern her boyfriend yet to Iceland. Her gesture of love was successful and now they live together in Iceland and he's moving to Denmark with her soon. I thought the story was very bold and romantic - good for her! Finally, Sicilian guys wife showed up at the bar and after Torfi and I were done talking to an older gentleman who said he was an artist we went back to the Celtic Cross. A whiskey later the bar closed and Torfi, Begga, Jonsi and I went back to Jonsi's house and drank and hung out til early morning. The next day Begga and I were off on another mini-roadtrip, hungover...

At the Park Before Celtic Cross Talking

Me Swallowing the Sun

Random Bar Image
(Note: Unfortunately the debauchary of the night wasn't well documented!)

Geysers

Geysers were pretty spiffy! I'd say the best part was watching all the people stand around them with their cameras ready to snap a photo waiting for it to errupt. It usually takes up to 20min, so you can wait for what seems like awhile. The water from the geysers was in little pools on water on the ground we walked on to get close to them and I could feel the heat through my sneakers! Also, it was kinda stinky cuz of the sulfur.

Behold the Natural Heat!

Waiting For it to Errupt

Damn - I moved out of the picture before it went off!

Small Hot Water Pond by Geysers

(No joke - it was this blue in real life.)

Most Powerful Waterfall in Iceland

Begga and I didn't stay here too long on account of our hangovers, but we snapped a few photos to prove we were here. Then, we decided tourist groups are evil as they spent forever taking a stupid group photo and blocked the only walkway back to the car! I must say, the waterfall was mighty...well mighty!

Big Powerful Waterfall

Begga and I "Watching the river flow" like Bob Dylan

Begga Giving the Wink and Gun

Mountain Torn in Two

This was pretty cool. I wondered if the mountain was torn in half because of Iceland being on 2 tectonic plates? Not too sure though. On the way to getting here it bucketed rain while we were driving on this teeny tiny dirt road (there was even lightning!) and Begga and I were a but concerned. But, we drove through the rain and made it OK. Once we arrived we walked around a bit and saw a little lake where they used to drown women - total bummer. Also, saw the oldest parliament (or something to that effect). When we finally left, we made a wish in a brook that I would be able to stay in Iceland an extra week - but, the stupid wish didn't come true! Oh well!

One Side of the Mountain Split

Me Standing Right in the Middle

Pond Where They Drowned People

Plaque Explaining How The Pond Used to Drown People

Named of Women Drowned

Parliament House Where They Were Probably Sentenced to Drowning

Icelandic Flag - Viva Iceland

Icelandic Sunset!

For a place where it doesn't actually get dark, they sure have a rocking sunset considering it doesn't actually set! I saw this around midnite when Begga and I were on our way home from tasty dinner with her Mom's boyfriend and his kids. Awesome-ness!

Part 2: The Summer House Weekend

So, we actually only camped 1 night, then we stayed at Begga's friend Torfi's Summer house on Friday night and partied pretty hard there, and then spent Staurday night at Begga's Grandparent's Summer house. It was a freaking awesome weekend! The weekend was well documented thanks to Torfi's sweet camera and Jonsi's videocamera.

Friday: Torfi's Summer House

Jonsi, Begga, and I on the Porch

Elli Being Supercool

Elli Advertising For Forehead Enhancing Gel

Overview of Porch Activity

You Can Take the Girl Out of Hawaii, But You Can't Take Hawaii Out of the Girl
(Notice no shoes or straps.)

Begga Practicing Eating Pussy

(Just joking!)

Pondering the meaning of life?

Sunsetting

I'm In Bloom!

Buddies

(I miss you Begga!)

My Other Favorite Icelandic: Torfi

(I took this picture!)

Begga and Her Various Social Lubricants

Torfi in His Fabulous Sweater

Desert - Grilled Bananas and Chocolate :)

Begga and I in Conversational Trance

Attractive Mid-Sentence Face

Elli and His Buddy Bob the Bird

Friends Forever!

Party People

I Don't Know What This Face Means

I Think I Know What This One Means

("Get the camera out of my face, homie!")

Torfi Doing His Thang

Skuli and I Are Talking About Films, I Think...

Still Talking

Party Favors on the Table

Once I Started Making Those Potent Pink Drinks Things Got Fuzzy

(Begga and I drank a bottle of vodka pretty much.)

The Final Night Time Photo

(After this I recall a lot of talking, some shots, Elli singing "Magic Mirror" by Leon Russell, me ans Begga singing along to Bob Dylan on the stero, Torfi taking forever to draw something in my journal, then I guess I passed out on Torfi and then he passed out on me and Begga and Jonsi carried me to bed.)

At one point earlier in the night I wrote this in my journal: "At Torfi's Summer house getting stoned, drinking red wine, and listening to old surf music/ Tom Waits. Also, smoked a joint shaped like a tulip that Torfi made."

The Next Morning...

The next morning I woke up in a big bed with no recollection of going to bed and wrote in my journal, "Wake up in unknown bedroom with no one. Vague memory of someone getting up and leaving earlier." I guess that "vague memory" was of Skuli coming in and getting a blanket. I was the first to wake up, so I cleaned up the house and listened to Led Zeppelin. The plumbing wasn't working so I had to go around the back of the house and wash dishes from a faucet coming out of the side of a shed. There were many bugs attacking me!

Elli Working Through His Hangover Musically

Jonsi Working Through His Hangover Smokilly

Jonsi in Car

(Off to Begga's!)

Staurday: Begga's Summer House

Follow the Red Gravel Road

Begga's Glorious Summer House

Begga on the Porch

Pond and Lake Behind the House

(I went fishing on it twice with Torfi and Skuli and I caught the biggest fishy!)

Begga and Torfi Playing Some Hackysack Game

Begga Rocks Out

Begga Working the Grill

(We had awesome dinner that night.)

A Scene From the Kitchen 1

A Scene From the Kitchen 2

Begga's Booty

(So precious!)

Torfi

Smoking and Gambling - Hooray For Vices!

Skuli's Poker Face

Elli Being "Adaptable" with a Lime

All I See is NOSES

I don't remember what was so funny!

Torfi Being "Special"

Night-Time Coffee to Awaken Us

(After this we all listened to music and drank and talked in the living room. Far more mellow than Friday thankfully! I think we were all still pretty exhausted from the previous night!)

The Night Winding Down

(Coffee couldn't keep us up forever.)

Torfi and I Sleepy on the Couch

(We finally gave in and went to bed around 5AM, I think.)

Skuli Snores Like He's Possessed by the Devil!

(He actually slept the whole night in the position. After this Torfi and I went to bed, then Jonsi and Begga went later and we woke up the next afternoon.)

The Next Day...Sunday

Skuli had to leave early to catch a plane to Denmark and I think Elli left too. Begga, Jonsi, Torfi and I spent the day hanging out at the house and procrastinating leaving. We finally took off around 4 or 5, I think. It was nice and mellow.

Goodbye Awesome Summer House!