my watch has stopped and i can't think of a title for this post but i do know that i want a new watch.

i'm back from 8 days spent in one of my favorite cities and i'm feeling very sorry for myself.
be glad you are not here. because all you would hear is me raving about london. and that would be annoying. i'm sure.

yes, it rained 80% of the time.
yes, getting from a to b was a bit of a logistical nightmare.
and yes, the inhabitants of this city are not really the friendliest most upbeat people.

but after one short walk on its uneven-winding-all-too-narrow-streets...i was sold.

there was a lot packed into not enough days. highlights included (in no particular order) the long afternoon of sunshine in the park, hearing plenty of NZ accents at toast fest, catching up with friends i hadn't seen since highschool, nutella on toast and pg tips tea for breakfast, seeing 'wicked' at appollo theater, meandering the streets with ian ipod, second hand book browsing along the river thames, people watching, lattes and chocolate croissants at a charming french cafe in sloane square, indian takeaway mission one minute after closing time, hugging my grandmother who i hadn't seen in 5 years, exploring charming greenwich and devouring gourmet burgers the size of my head.

i also took plenty of golriz-the-tourist pictures...lame. but true.


xg

how to make me lose a night of sleep...and my mind.

step one: when i do the final check of my itinerary at 2am, how about you post in BIG BLACK BOLD lettering that hard tickets have been issued to me and that i HAVE to have these paper tickets in order to get on the flight.

step two: your office is closed until 8am the following morning. and i need to be at the airport by 11am.

step three: and how about realizing that i have NOT received ANY paper tickets. and turning my room over in case i did, but i forgot.

step four: and just for kicks let's throw in a temperamental cell phone. it may or may not let you make calls or send text messages. it has more important things to do sometimes like switch off at will or make incessant unnecessary noise.

step five: when i wake up at 7am and count down the hours till your office opens how about my friend internet also decides to take a timeout. so now i can't even access my itinerary or reservation number (not that it matters, since phone is still determined not to do its job, except blasting the alarm every 10 minutes because the sleep function WON'T turn off). so with no means of instant conversation...i may as well have entered the medieval ages. i mean, seriously. what am i supposed to do. send a letter of complaint?

step six: finally at 8.30 i get some cell phone service and i find my reservation number in my calendar. in order to get reception on my phone i'm standing in my neighbors lawn with my pj's on. hair askew. the twenty minutes of sleep i got all night, not helping my morning face. after listening to one eighties track after another, smiling at neighbours going to work as if it is perfectly normal to plant myself on their lawn half dressed first thing on a friday, i finally get a human on the other end and i want to ask them on a date. i'm just so excited to be able to tell them my concern and have them figure it out...and OH the line drops out.

i literally looked up at the sky and wailed nOoooooooooooooooooo.

like a three year old who just was told no more Dora the Explorer.

several deep breaths later i tried again. another 9 minute hold listening to cat stevens among other classics. then, sweet victory, another human. before she could even ask me how she could help i recited my reservation number, told her my name and expressed that if this trip didn't happen my blood would be on her hands.

and guess what? there was a problem with THEIR system. there were no tickets issued. it's just an e-ticket (like i had thought up until 2am last night). and so everything was fine. chantelle from customer services PROMISES.

but considering this series of events that transpired in less than 7 hours, am i naive enough to think that it will all be smooth sailing from here on out?

not really. but here is to a positive attitude and the fact that i've now bonded with my neighbors on a deeper level.

x

anticipation.

dear london-town,

so i've just finished packing my bag. if cities could roll their eyes you would be justified in doing so when i enter your bustling heathrow airport, because my luggage is obviously too big for the measly 8 days i'll be there. but i couldn't decide what to leave behind. so, six pairs of shoes later, i have had to upsize from my charming little green suitcase to a large red beast on wheels.

i thought i would let you know that i'm very excited about visiting your parks. and wandering your streets. i am looking forward to being somewhat anonymous and having no real agenda. i hope that the sun is shining, and if it does happen to rain, i hope i'm in a cosy cafe where i can curl up on a couch with a good book and watch the downpour through the windows.

you also happen to contain some of my friends from highschool and uni days. i'm looking forward to catching up with them in person. you can't beat the real deal. or hugs. facebook doesn't give hugs.

see you in 24 hours.

golriz

new TPAC workmateys.

can we take a minute...

...to appreciate the ridiculous amount of effortless style that my friend ladan encompasses.
i saw this picture of her today which i stole off mona's facebook. and i'm obsessed with it.
LADAN. i miss you.
come to america.
please?

menagerie of memories. and yes, menagerie is a word i overuse.

hatton, england:
you would hide bubble gum on the windowsill for me to find when i came home from school. you would tell me that a bird left it there for me because i'd been good at school.

going down our treelined driveway you would pretend our car could drive by itself - while unbeknownst to me you were using your knee to steer. i thought that, perhaps, our car really was magical.

bangor, wales:
you had a pink room and a trapdoor that lead to a secret passageway. i was so jealous.

timaru, newzealand:
you pulled over at the sight of the trees laden with cherries. we piled out of the car and started tugging on the branches. you consistently taught us to love and appreciate nature and to enjoy it with wild abandon.

wellington, newzealand:
we stayed awake all night talking. about boys i'm sure. we'd saved up all our money from 'sausage sizzles' outside of the warehouse and here we were on our adventure.

dunedin, new zealand:
you came into the cafe. bashful and just the right amount of scruffy. bought me a slice of my favorite dessert and we had a picnic in the gardens.

adelaide, australia:
a notebook. placed next to your bed, which you'd given up for me. reading the story. about a girl and a shining star that she couldn't see. wondering if it was meant for me. not recalling ever having read something so beautiful.

sachne, israel:
the crowd gathering around the young boy. you jumped out of the water and ran over, moving aside the onlookers. bent down and tried to revive him. lips locked in an attempt to restore life. horrified stares. focussed and refusing to give up hope. but it was too late.

haifa, israel:
you sat on the end of my bed. heard the drama that had played out. as the tears dried on my cheeks. you sang to me. and i didn't ever want you to stop.

geelong, australia:
a train ride. henry next to me illegally (no dogs allowed). hearing the grief in your voice as you responded to my pain. the first time i felt really close to you in 26 years.

melbourne, australia:
your bed. always large enough to fit whoever was around. a safe place to land. looking at pictures. laughing. watching the gas flame bursts out of your window.

the girl who introduced me to two of my favorite things: marc broussard and giffords black raspberry buggaboo icecream

i could take a plane right to you, if i could just stop running

1. i'm so glad you sent that email Q
2. i'm listening to the damnwells 'i will keep the bad things from you'
3. i bought a loaf of cranberry walnut wholewheat bread from the bakery and it is delicious
4. i really need to organize my itunes/ipod
5. i've named my ipod estella (from great expectations)
6. i once wholeheartedly recommended a book i hadn't read. just because i'd heard it was a great read.
7. i realize this sounds selfish with all the 'i' statements
8. i watched 'the last kiss' last night
9. i asked a stranger today to give me advice when i was buying a hat
10. i made a friend
11. i think the simple line 'i will keep the bad things from you' is what everyone wants to hear at least once in their lives
12. i received a track today that i listened to lying on my back on plush carpet - as instructed
13. i think it is funny how every time my mum calls me she asks me what time it is here and tells me what time it is there
14. i am going to listen to a friend perform tonight
15. i feel like i have some of the most amazing friends in the world and one day i'd love to experience having all of them in one place
16. i love saturdays
17. i think it is sweet that you bought a kettle just for my visit so i can make tea
18. i really hope to visit NZ in december
19. i hope you have a wonderful day also

x

which wich?

i've been spoiled with lunch dates recently.

yesterday i had my first S.A.T.CO experience avec j-i-m and angela. it was delicious. both the great mexican food and sitting outside on a summer day with two people who make me laugh and share their queso with me. there was also a fantastic blue wall that i made everyone pose against. resulting in the magic you see here.







and then today i had a lovely last day at CAA lunch with m2. at our favorite joint - which wich. where you get to mark up on a paper bag EXACTLY how you want your sandwich to be made...so simple & so effective. getting there was half the fun as i 'created' a parking space on the footpath and caused m2 to have digestion pre-eating due to my treating my car like a hovercraft and forgetting it has an undercarriage that probably doesn't like being scraped along a curb.

i also was treated to dilly bars at work which totally made my day. these bad boys are from dairy queen which offers cool treats...hot eats. obviously dilly's belong to the 'cool treats' family of foods. yum. for those of you in far flung australia/nz you are missing out. if not for me, then you should totally come visit for a dilly bar. my shout.

infomercial time

okay so if you have spent more than two minutes with me in the past few months you will have heard me rave about the 'magic bullet'. this little contraption enables me to start off every day with a fresh smoothie. you know how breakfast is the most important meal of the day? well with 7 seconds and a frozen banana i can whip up the most delicious breakfast to go. and i do. almost every morning. it even makes pesto. are you sold yet? if you want a demo, come over. just be warned that if you take one of the magic bullet mugs with you i might have heart palpitations about you losing it. just ask M2.

so tomorrow is my last day at CAA and as excited as i am about the new job, i am really grateful for my experience here. working at CAA kept me sane when all else around me was close to chaos. it ensured that every day i got out of bed (well, weekdays)and faced the world smiling. i have made some amazing friends there and i learned a lot about the fascinating world and inner workings of the music industry. i also learned that i can survive on only 4 hours of sleep a night, that you can make friends with people over the phone (hi, Phebes!)and that dilly bars are delicious. i haven't learned how to say no to awkward invitations. or how to burn CDs in itunes that include the track title info (btw, if you know how to do this, call me).

on thursday i start my position as marketing manager for the tennessee performing arts center broadway series (yes, a mouthful, i know). i'm thrilled! i'll be training for a week, then heading to london for a weeks vacation, then back to start on my own! i'm so excited! in case you couldn't tell with the overuse of exclamation ! points !

the perfect 'to do' list

missing messy panda

today i saw a photograph of myself that i had never seen before. it was taken in lahore, pakistan by jacob simkin. if you want to meet creativity, sincerity, adventure and talent all rolled into one, then you should make it a point to meet jake. he continues to amaze me with his journey through life - and i am so grateful to have spent those weeks in pakistan and india with him. he was a tangible lesson of what it means to walk forward trusting that it will all work out however it needs to. he showed compassion and generosity that is rare to find in a world full of 'me, me, me'. his ability to put anyone at ease and make instant friends was uncanny and he. never. once. complained. not in all that heat. not when our meagre budget meant that for two weeks we had a breakfast of one vegemite sandwich. not when he, time and time again, had to sit with 75% of his body out of the rickshaw so we could all fit in one moving tin can as opposed to spending money on two. he also had to put up with being the only male in our crew and this in itself is worthy of mention because a weaker man would have probably abandoned us after day three.

seeing this photo instantly took me back to pakistan. to that particular entrance way. that exact night. it struck me again how grateful i was to have had this experience. one that i was tempted to cancel right up to the point that i got on the plane. it reminded me how the most challenging times can ultimately be an amazing source of reward.

my week in pictures

fireworks festivities for the fourth (oh alliteration how i adore thee)
birthday girl looking radient
how to charm me, part two
brunch with the butlers
lived with me in haifa israel and survived. back for more!

a much needed day off.

my apartment has a screened in sunroom that i like to call the 'treehouse' because when i'm sitting there i feel like i'm nestled in the branches of a tree. trees are wonderful. if you need convincing about this (which i hope you don't) you should read the children's book 'the giving tree' by shel silverstein. it's actually a book that everyone should read. not just children. afterall, we probably all need a reminder of how to give more. and want less.

nashville has been heating up so i don't get to use my treehouse as much as i would have liked to. last night leanna and i had dinner there and it was so nice to sit in a tranquil quiet spot with a girl who is quite possibly one of the most honest and caring people i know. sharing a dinner. and our thoughts.

today is 'independence day' in the us of a.

this means fireworks and a massive street party by the river. i'm not able to handle crowds lately. but the romantic in me loves a good fireworks display. so i'll be there rolling my eyes at all the red, white and blue ;-)

i watched michael moore's movie 'sicko' the other day. it really affected me. i know that Moore has his agenda and is a master of taking things out of context, pulling on heart strings and exposing only one side of an argument...but i still applaud any film that makes me think and inspires me to want to improve a situation. or at least opens my eyes up to the 'broken bits' of our world that could be repaired. i had a lot of prejudices about the states before i moved here. i had 'decided' what the people were like, what life here was all about...and i had misjudged and stereotyped and generalized to my little heart's content. now living in america for three years, moving to australia and coming back to this part of the world...i've realized that i really love this country with all its imperfections and struggles. there are so many people here doing their part. caring for the world. taking stand for what they believe in. and right or wrong it makes for a fascinating blend of ideas and cultures and religions and thoughts and all of this forms a catalyst for generating amazing dialogue. which people here are not scared to have.

and perhaps that ability to speak openly and without apology is what i love most.

i start my new job in a week.

i'm very excited about this.

lots of transitions and adventures happening. just need to take a few minutes each day to sit and have tea in the trees.

xg

advertising at its best. and messiest.

i don't have a tv anymore. which is brilliant. but i will always enjoy a clever ad: bravia ad

how saturdays should be

got up whenever. no alarm. no rush.

marabeth came over laden with delicious food she'd prepared for dinner and a couple of 'floaties'. or 'lilo's' if you come from NZ.

it doesn't matter what marabeth and i are doing, we are usually laughing about it. it's just always an adventure of some sort. me getting into the pool to lie on my floatie without getting wet was the first mission impossible. of course i got wet. but it was gorgeous to lie in a cool pool. under the hot sun. with my best friend. bliss.




after the divine dinner of organic grilled vegetables, steak and salad goodness (the first home cooked meal i've had in months), we got glammed up and went to mercy loung to see the cat empire. the show was AMAZING. they are such high energy. non stop incredible music for about 2 hours. i was first introduced to them in melbourne and i'm pretty certain they are going to blow up in the states. they've already got a huge fan base in europe and the motherland (australia). if you get a chance to see them you totally should. i'll give you a refund if you end up being dissapointed. well maybe not a refund, but we would have to have a serious talk about our friendship and whether it could be sustained over such a difference of opinion.



we also got to meet the band and tried not do the 'groupie' thing. but probably failed miserably.

anyway. a great day. such a fun evening. finished off the night talking to someone who makes me smile way too much.

it's pouring down with rain so we're going to see michael moore's 'sicko' at the movies today, then i'll hit a yoga class. perfection really.