Stranger in a strange land

R and I have arrived on airplanes and to a hotel so expensive that the staff treat you like shit and charge for every small service (e.g. drink of water, using the pool, internet, gym). First of all, it's assumed that all air travellers will know telepathically that shoes with heels wider than one inch (yes, still imperial here) should be removed at security, and laptops removed from hand luggage. I suggested that they present notices if this is their practice, as we weren't Murrcan. The security staff (all chicano or african-american) were quite sympathetic about this, and explained that they used to have a staff member to organise this, but they'd been cut back. What a job.

At the hotel, they sent us up to a non-smoking room despite pre-booking smoking (R is very kind to me), and then the receptionist insists he'd asked us about this on checking in- errr no. Then when there's no local directory in the room the service-line tells us it must be there, which it's not. It's hard being wrong all the time, but maybe I can learn.

The spoken English of both the taxi-driver and the receptionist here in San Diego share a neglect of the definite article, missing 'the' from their syntax, though one is Arab and the other Russian. The taxi-driver tells us the naval base here is empty, since all the military are in Eye-rack, and that the Mexicans here are a problem community. Even if you're a pariah, there's always someone more untouchable to label, I gather.

On a Saturday morning, it's conspicuous that the only pedestrians in downtown San Diego are dog-walkers, manual labourers, tourists or homeless. The skyline here is otherworldly with mirror-glassed high rise hotels and big ships in the naval harbour. A lot of homeless here, who R would've photographed for this blog, but I declined because this seemed disrespectful. The climate is good if you're sleeping rough, and Santa Barbara has a civic campaign to clear homeless out, hence a fairly high density. At 10 am, a homeless veteran in leg callipers and a wheelchair dozes at his crossroads 'pitch' in the morning sun with his McDonald's cup for alms at his feet.

Meanwhile, though I only took 9 kg of luggage (R's was 18 kg) I have only an unseasonably heavy coat, insufficient basic clothing, unsuitable make-up and no antiperspirant. That's what you get for packing at 5 am in 20 mins flat. Luckily I can borrow from R :). What would I do without her.

I slept a lot on the planes over, thanks to the gift of temazepam, and arrived relatively refreshed. When awake, I'm reading Keith Thomas' 'Religion and the Decline of Magic'. I read this some years ago but returned to find I'm getting much more out of it this time around. The examples of magical/pagan thinking in the pre-Reformation Catholic church are fascinating, addressing how religious people accomomdate disasters/sickness/ill-fortune to God's intentions. I wonder what the homeless think about this, and accommodating their ?predestined ?deserved fate. Lots in there also about Diggers, Lollards and Quakers, which I find interesting. Maybe SueS can tell me a bit more about this time and its philosophy.

Had a nice comment from partner SW (Marty) on arrival, and am hoping the kids are surviving intact in his tender care. I gather he took them to see the premiere of 'Revenge of the Sith' today, since Dodo wished by telephone that the 'force be with me'. Thanks Dodo- but I'm worried M is a bad influence on you, dearie. M- given that you'dd altered your neurochemistry in anticipation of the film, I do hope you took a taxi to the flicks and didn't drive, and please just lie to me if it's otherwise. Some things should be on a 'need to know' basis.

PS Marts- have you shown the kids Antony's excellent spoof website?

http://www.storewars.org/flash/index.html

I know Joe will adore this.

PPS Kebz commented on the difficulties of entering the Land of Freem and Moxy with an Al-Qaeda name, and I can confirm this. I shall be presenting at this conference the work of a respectable, able Omani research fellow from my unit who simply couldn't face the expense, travel and interrogation involved in a simple 5 day trip to the USA.