Day 1
Day 1 was a very very very long day. It started for me at 6am GMT, 5 hours later I was on a flight that lasted 11.5 hours and found myself on Pacific Time (ie feeling like it was midnight, but the clock saying it was 4pm).
My body ached pretty much throughout the trip. I think I've been carrying a lot of tension in the run up to leaving. I've only partly let that go so far, but my shoulders, neck and head ache, though it's getting better.
I watched 3 movies: The Arbor, about Andrea Dunbar's family's experience after her death (message: life's a bitch and then you die), Middle Men, about the creation of online payments for the porn industry (message: family's more important than business), and Scott Pilgrim vs The World, comic-book/video game indie-style romantic comedy/kung-fu/coming of age with Michael Cer(message: love is really, really tricky)
I tried to drink lots and lots of water.
I arrived in San Francisco – the line for immigration felt about 3 miles long, especially as it was full of screaming children – I would have loved to have been able to join in. The only sticky bit was when I told the immigration guy I was an Artist and Musician (it just came out that way – thank god I didn't say 'social artist') . "How much money do you have on you?" He was happy when I showed him my walletful of cash and cards and waved me on.
I managed to capture a few minutes of my state of mind on camera before I headed for the BART station.
I didn't take in much of the ride on the BART but it certainly felt rapid – I hope to experience it again today.
Then through the wonders of mobile technology, I was able to pick up the details of where I was staying from my hosts and how to walk there from the station. I arrived and relaxed. I will write a proper review, but I'd found this place on airbnb.com and it looked a bit too good to be true. It wasn't. It was the perfect start to my journey – not as anonymous and lonely as checking into a hotel, not as socially demanding as being with friends – I felt fine just shutting myself in my room, tweeting a bit and then finding myself falling asleep… at 5.30pm.