America

I was just grabbing the photos off my phone and I thought I'd share a few images with you, all acquired during my time in the valley.

So without further ado:

It's a common misconception that everyone in America drinks watered-down-entirely-unpleasant beers. Scenes like this in Fry's certainly don't do well to dispel the myth. However just to the side of this monstrosity was a wonderful selection of pick-and-mix beers. The drinking culture (with the company I keep) is more or less exactly at it is in England. A crate of cheap beers for a night in, and perhaps something more special when the opportunity (or money) arises.

The status with food is surprisingly similar. Whilst there are exemplary this is why you're fat images such as this one, it's not entirely an obeseopolis. Again I can only speak for the company I keep, but most people seem at least half sensible, and certainly no more guilty than some of the horrors I've seen in England. One of my favourite places for a quick snack is called Pita Jungle (I had no idea their site was so hideous, how disappointing), and they have a very cool happy hour¹.

I'd like to present this tastefully Gimped² picture I took of the sunset. I really do adore the environment out here, there is something magical about being out in the desert. Perhaps it's just grass-greener-on-the-other-side, in fact it almost certainly is, but I'm very glad to have the opportunity to experience it. On the face of it being out here must look like a very bleak affair consisting of dust and nothing (perhaps the odd cactus), but that's not my experience.

I can't take credit for this, but Jenna found it and somehow it seemed very appropriate for this post. It really is taking things to a new level.

¹ Incidentally, if you weren't aware, happy hour is an entirely different and larger affair than it is in England. Whilst we have happy hours, there are extremely rare by comparison (almost every bar and restaurant out here has one) and last considerably longer. The notion of being amused by a happy hour which lasts two is non-existent out here where happy hour seems to last for the entire day.
On top of this there is then reverse happy hour, a term which entirely confused me at first, and is very prevalent; it is simply a period of happy hour which takes place at the end of the night. This really highlights the difference in drinking culture, apparently American bar owners need to encourage people to stay drinking late. Ha!

² For the sake of comparison, here is the original. I feel the scene as witnessed through my own eyes was somewhere in between. However I refused to get sucked into editing it for ages. The most striking thing is the range of colours in the sky, considering the sky over England is predominantly overcast and grey. As posted from my phone (I refused to miss the experience whilst typing out a post) I experienced my first monsoon. It was ridiculous. More rain, thunder and lightening in one night than I could experience in ten storms back home!