Norway - April 2019

Wednesday 3rd April 

• Abram Games blue plaque unveiling, The Vale, London NW11
• LHR-Oslo-Trondheim

Thursday 4th April

• TRONDHEIM
• Dromedar cafe
• Delivered lecture at Cinemateket
• Workshop at Isak cultural centre
• Walk with Line - cathedral, Bakklandet (old working class quarter)
• Cinemateket - Brief Encounter
• Svartlamoen with Line - hippy area & great bar (Lars & Kay & Kristin)

Friday 5th April

• TRONDHEIM
• Breakfast at Scandia hotel
• Walk through Bakklandet & back lanes
• Workshop at Isak cultural centre
• Podcast recording with Audun
• Walk to shore of Trondheim Fjord
• Walk back to Bakklandet for dinner (Folk & Fe)
• Sunset by river app. cathedral

Happiness Experiment - Vienna

26/8/17

LHR to Vienna
Half-circuit boat tour Danube/Danube Canal
Banks to Donaukanal

• seeing The third Man ferris wheel whilst walking across town
• boat ride along the Danube and round the Canal, with a posse of Rhinemaidens on a hen-do
• sundown by the banks of the Donaukanal, reading Atomic Blonde and drinking spritzer & coffee

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry

• San Francisco
• Bernal Heights
• Mission / Valencia
• SFO - LHR

1. Playing bridge in Boogaloo Cafe on Valencia (and talking comics to the waiter)
2. Walking en famille in the sunshine (around Valencia / Dolores)
3. Playing chess on my dad's old set with D

Today's Happiness Experiment Entry - Frisco

• San Francisco
• Bernal Hill
• Bernal Heights
• Embarcadero
• Golden Gate Bridge (by bicycle)
• Sausalito
• Mission

1. Cycling over the Golden Gate Bridge with N including down by Fort Point where Vertigo was shot
2. "most authentic meal" of the trip with N at Baby Blues BBQ - with two great BBQ sauces
3. listening to Roger Graef's Desert Island Discs and Giles Andreae's Inheritance Tracks on top of Bernal Hill

Today's Happiness Experiment entry - San Francisco

• San Francisco
• Alcatraz & Embarcadero
• Russian Hill & Nob Hill (cable car)

1. finding out about the Red Power occupation of Alcatraz
2. walking up Russian Hill for the views in the late afternoon - and cable-carring down again
3. reading The Subterraneans on the front balcony and in the sheltered back garden at sundown with the smoke of the recent bushfires (100 miles) to the north of SF drifting across the hills

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry - The Beat goes on

• San Francisco
• Bernal Heights
• North Beach

1. Listening to live jazz in North Beach at Washington Square while reading The Subterraneans
2. Recreating the recreation of the Jack Kerouac-Neal Cassady photo after 11 years with N & D
3. Playing bridge over brunch on our local high street (Bernal Heights)

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry - San Francisco

• Monterey
• San Francisco - Bernal Heights
• Oakland 

1. walking around Oakland First Fridays festival with Richard Hart (including some top hummus)
2. sitting reading on the balcony of 117 Prospect Ave, Bernal Heights, SF (finishing Laurel Canyon by Michael Walker - third book of the trip) in the windy sunshine overlooking the city
3. being driven through San Francisco out of Downtown to Mission into its low-rise European style vibe

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry - Monterey CA

• Monterey (incl. Aquarium)
• Monterey Bay

1. Watching whales, sea otters, a shark, dolphins and other animals in Monterey Bay with N & U
2. Looking at jellyfish, all kinds of fish and other sea-life in Monterey Aquarium with D & U
3. Walking home at night in a lightening storm with N & D

Recent Happiness Experiment entries

2/8/15

• San Luis Obispo
• Cayucos
• San Simeon
• Big Sur

1. D lighting fire in Lower Creek House, Deetjen's, Big Sur
2. Unearthing the history of Cayucos - Capt. Carr's landing to Western street
3. View of Hearst Castle and surrounding landscape from San Simeon, in particular the smooth hills

3/8/15

• Big Sur
• Andrew Molena Beach

1. hummingbird (my 3rd?) in red-flower tree above Deetjen's outdoor breakfast
2. swimming where Big Sur river meets Andrew Molena Beach
3. watching surfers at Andrew Molena Beach with N after a walk past eucalyptus grove

4/8/15

• Big Sur
• Castro Canyon
• Pfeiffer Beach

1. fertility rite in Castro Canyon
2. the 4 of us playing bridge at Riverside Inn
3. walking Pfeiffer Beach with D

5/8/15

• Big Sur
• Carmel
• Monterey

1. listening to the stream up Castro Canyon - an orchestra of nature
2. re-visiting Old Capitol Books, Monterey 11 years on - picked up 60s edition of Kerouac's The Subterraneans and Yael Dayan's June 1967 diary
3.  re-creating map of USA with N

Recent Happiness Experiment entries - California

30/7/15

• Venice

1. Jog to pier at Venice 
2. Listening to The Doors at the Jim mural (Speedway & 18th) with N&D
3. Wander along Rose Ave, Venice and back-streets

31/7/15

·      Venice

·      Pismo Beach

·      San Luis Obispo

1.     Finding out that, as well as staying on Jim Morrison’s street, we were by the location of the first Chaplin Tramp film (Kid Auto Races at Venice) – 1302 Pacific & Westminster Av

2.     Dylan spotting a cute movie star over breakfast at Gjusta – Cody Horn (from Magic Mike)

3.     Watching surfers at sunset from a cliff at Pismo

1/8/15

·      San Luis Obispo

·      Morro Bay

1.     Seeing seals while out kayaking as sundown at Morro Bay

2.     Buying vinyl at Boo Boo record store est. 1974
3. Reading To Kill a Mockingbird with U by the river in San Luis Obispo under the trees and in the cloisters of the nearby Mission

Today's Happiness Experiment entry - Hollywood

• Venice
• Paramount Studios
• West Hollywood (Canter's)
• Glendale, Griffith park - Quixote Studios

1. Attending a read-through of Criminal Minds with Thomas (Gibson) at Quixote Studios
2. Chatting with Joe Mantegna (Joey Zasa)
3. Walking around the New York and Chicago sets on Paramount backlot as a tree was driven up the street (thanks to Scott Martin)

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry - Hollywood

• Venice
• Sunset strip (Chateau Marmont)
• Burbank (Warner Bros.)

1. Reunion with Ash BC at Chateau Marmont (respect to John Belushi/Bluto)
2. Tour of Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank including shades of Blazing Saddles
3. Visit to BookSoup, Sunset - picking up a thriller for N (plus a book on Laurel Canyon set for me)

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry

• Venice - Venice Canals

1. listening to Strange Days in our Venice apartment on the same street as Jim's place
2. walking around the Venice Canals in the afternoon
3. first family breakfast in California 2015 (organicy healthy bakery in in-land Venice)

Today's Happiness Experiment entry - Venice Beach

• Anaheim
• LAX
• Venice

1. A Doors tribute act (Peace Frog) on Venice Beach with N
2. A Soul Sacrifice drumming gathering on the beach at Venice at sunset with U
3. Watching scratching on Venice Beach boardwalk with N

California - Today's Happiness Experiment entry

• Anaheim
• Newport Beach

1. Reading To Kill a Mockingbird on Newport Beach at sundown after an evening swim
2. Watching John Green's Paper Towns in the week of watching John and Hank Green at VidCon 2015
3. Women of YouTube including Felicia Day's contribution to the Creators Keynotes session at Vidcon and catching up with Rosie & Lex

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry

* Anaheim

Watching AntMan at IMAX cinema

Dozing to Kind of Blue

Listening to interesting stuff at VidCon including Hank Green interviewing Jason Kilar of Vessel

Wednesday's & Thursday's Happiness Experiment entry

22/7/15

• Hidden Hills
• LA
• Anaheim

1. Meeting the intriguing Olivia (new porn performer)
2. Reading Simple Twist of Fate in the California sun (in a porn star's home)
3. Conducting interviews for LA Hardcore

23/7/15

• Anaheim - VidCon

1. Dinner with Jody at a par-for-the-course US burger restaurant
2. Listening to Ze Frank (Buzzfeed Motion Pictures) and a couple of other industry experts at VidCon 2015
3. Watching all the young folk (some with their parents) having fun around Short Form Video

Yesterday's HEE - LA 2

21/7/15
Sunset Strip, Beverly Hills - Hidden Hills - House of Blues (shortly to close)

• A surreal afternoon spent with a porn star
• Finding good vinyl in a Sunset Strip bookstore - Back in Black and Fine Leaves Left
• People watching in Beverly Hills culminating with a paparazzi ambush (of Hilary Duff)

Yesterday's & Today's Happiness Experiment entry - LA 1

19/7/15 LHR-LAX, Sunset Marquis

20/7/15 Sunset-Hollywood&Vine, Culver City (YouTube Space), Marina del Rey beach

19/7/15

• Watching You're The One That I Want from Grease with D aka Sonny Lattiere
• Watching plane movies - Ex Machina & Kingsman
• Arriving to find the Sunset Marquis steeped in music, in the footsteps of Joe Strummer

20/7/15

• smoking on Marina del Rey beach at sunset
• iced tea at Mel's Diner, off Hollywood Blvd
• seeing CBGB's bar at YouTube Space