10th May

Managed to get a good nights sleep thanks to booze and valium. I set off alone for a game of football (English) which i was very excited about. Turned out to be something of an anti-climax as it was the hottest day in Seattle since records began (admittedly not long ago but still...) and I wasn't exactly in peak condition and couldn't run as much as usual. They really don't do football out here. It was really disorganised and a lot of them, whilst being in great physical shape, haven't got a clue and it was one of the weirdest games I've ever played in. Having said all that it was worth doing and there were one or two players who were really really good - I also managed to stud someone an all-American jock called Todd right in the knee and he didn't love that at all.
For the afternoon the other two got a cab down to the pitches and we headed for North-Bend armed with our new GPS and a list of filming locations used in Twin Peaks.
We crammed a lot into this very enjoyable afternoon starting with the Twin Peaks cafe for some ridiculously big burgers which meant we had to forcefeed ourselves the obligatory cherry pie and coffee.Had a look at some of the fascinating memorabilia on the walls and bought a map of the area that was literally drawn by a child and commanded the Full Authority of such a document....F.A.

I won't bore you with all the details but it was a great day driving around the woods and backwaters of this very picturesque place and we even managed to find the corner where the sign from the opening titles was filmed.


We finished the pilgrimage off with a trip to Snoqualmie Falls and the Great Northern hotel. Jaw-dropping scenery here. Owen saw the actor Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon, The Damned United amongst others) but neglected to mention this as he thought I might cause a scene somehow - a good photo op missed there I feel.

We feebly minced through the exceedingly swanky hotel and managed to have a refreshing pineapple juice in top notch bar overlooking the falls. Upon leaving Ian was HIV POSITIVE that to exit this Labyrinthine den of rooms, spas and bars we had to go through "THIS door", authoratatively swinging the door open and proceeding straight into the kitchens. We laughed a lot at this.
Owen's onrushing powerful cold procluded him from partaking in the night of death and the most drunken I have been in many a year.
We'd arranged to go out with Steve who is a rock star in the band These Arms Are Snakes, Erin who is also a rock star with Minus The Bear, his girlfriend, a lovely chap called Michael and A Guy Called Gerald who makes videos for Nike. After meeting in Sun Liquor we went to Erin's nice apartment and encountered something called the Volcano. This worked out well for Ian. Then to the Bus Stop, a gay karaoke bar where i was forced to drink a shot of whiskey and listen to screeching queens.
Things improved when we went to another karaoke bar called the crescent for a couple of Jagers, for some reason we were only drinking shots with the odd bit of beer to douse the stomach pain. When we hit Dunnes I thought it was a tremendous achievement of them to serve Boddingtons and paid tribute to this by drinking lots of it. It was getting wonky and we were talking mountains of shit to each other as the drinks were mixing in our tummys.
We went back to Redwood and by now I was telling anyone within earshot how much i loved the city. Unfortunately in the last half hour of the evening Steve did one of those things where the person you're out with just realises how scrambled they are and fucks off! This coincided with a very strange guy trying to speak to me at the bar in a way I didn't understand and was not comfortable with - fortunately i was drunk and had no qualms about simply walking away from him mid-sentence.
Being in a taxi careering up and down hills in a city centre with lights fair whizzing past your eyes makes you sick. So I did a sick. Great day great night.

JESSE WHERE ARE YOU WHEN I NEEEEED YOU TO HOLD MY HAIR BACK?!?!?