Life in Oz

I sold the Bed!

2010-05-12T13:49:00.006+10:00

It happened yesterday. I posted an ad on Gumtree, which is like Craigslist. Within 24hrs, I got a phone call and within 48 hrs I got 3 phone calls, but the bed went to the first person.
We decided to sell the bed first so we could move our futon into the bedroom and make the lounge room our moving/packing area.
This was all amazing until bedtime last night when we discovered that the futon isn't very comfortable.
Is it possible to wake up more tired than when you went to bed?

I was able to put some puzzle pieces together today as well. When I started crying last night because the prawns (shrimp) I got at the market were rotten (after only 1 day!) and that was the main ingredient in our dinner..."Dinner's ruined" wah wah wah. Yeah, that prolly wasn't over the prawns. It was over the selling the bed and taking
our first step toward actually leaving our Aussie home. I noticed I was missing the bed last night when tried to rest my hand and lean on the spot that foot-board normally is/was. I was brushing my teeth and I nearly fell backward.

By the way, I did ring the market and I can get my $11 back for the prawns.

Yoga Envy

2010-05-12T12:55:00.005+10:00

I'm almost done with my 30 day yoga program. The price included 5 classes per week. I have done pretty well with hitting that mark.
I have been practicing mainly 1 form of yoga for about 3 yrs. This was mostly because of money. It was a great deal, they let me clean the studio in return for free yoga. When I could no longer do that, I would just attend the classes when my friend was teaching and she didn't seem to mind letting me slide in gratis.

Here in OZ, I have discovery several veins of yoga. I have been fully taking advantage of the discounts and deals offered to a newcomer at a studio. It's usually "pay for one class and get 7-10 for free". Making the rounds with this, I have seen lots of yogis.

I also use my gym membership to attend our gym yoga. Just to say this, there IS a difference between gym yoga and studio yoga. You only know this if you have done both. Due to our normal gym instructor, Jerrod, taking holiday, we have had the pleasure and boredom of having substitutes. Some of them suck (boredom), but a few are really good and bring a kind twist to our normal routine. While we love the diversity, we welcome the return our long time teacher and his soothing voice. Recently coming from a NY holiday, I think he realized he is far too kind to us and is pulling out some new poses to challenge our practice.

Back to the studio...I am normally pretty comfortable in class. I can do a lot, but that has come with work and practice. Sometimes though, just sometimes there is a crazy yogi - like a human pretzel- that shows up. The last 2 days, Miss Bendy has come to class. It's not so much that I want to be like her (yes it is), but I really just want to watch. Like in most situations, staring is not allowed in yoga class. It's not the normal poses she does that I want to see, it's the ones I'm not good at...like I'm not able to do a headstand, tripod or crow. Somewhere between kindergarten and turning 31, I have unlearnt tripod. Crow is the same thing, only your head isn't touching the ground.

This is me attempting to do crow. The second the flash went off, I toppled over.

So, Miss Bendy can do tripod into headstand. It's pretty fucking amazing. A few others can do it too, it's just that she does it like an acrobat. Now, not to be funny, but there just happens to be an acrobatic school in my neighborhood so in all probability, she could be circus folk.

While in class with her yesterday, I thought up yoga envy. Then we both returned to class today. During class the teacher said something along the lines of "doing what your body can and not pushing it just so the pose looks good." This was an excellent reminder that yoga comes with time. Then I thought of golf. Golf comes with time. Then I thought of parenting. Then keeping up with the Joneses. And it just came back to me. About everything. I have to be reminded not to compare myself to others. My yoga practice is great and I discover new limits every time I try. It's like that with everything. I have to work with what I have. I have to work within my limits, but it's okay to push and challenge and hopefully grow.

This is bridge (or full back bend), it's the hardest thing I can do. My friend Nan helped me with it when she was here in Feb. When I say help, that means my ass was the same height as my knees and she wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled up. See...that's how it's supposed to feel. Ugh.

I only took the photos, because I've spoilt you with this format forever! Using self timer and then getting into the poses was a challenge! If I could have swung a golf club instead, I would have. Muahh!

Stuff for Sale!

2010-05-10T12:05:00.009+10:00

We are leaving Melbourne on June 3rd. We need to clean out our things by the end of May.
Here are some photos. You can view the entire contents list & pricing by clicking here.
This is pick up only. We are located in South Yarra.

Please call or email with questions:
Lisa 04 3499 2791, Ldecaire@gmail

BIG DEAL-the lot! All apartment contents on list - NOT including the bed - for $300. Great if you are just starting out!

Let's Make a Deal! If your are interested in more than a few things, please let me know what items you are want and we can make a deal. Also, if you would like to see a specific item, I can email you a photo.

File cabinet, fair condition $25

Wine rack (9 bottles) -$10, assorted lamps, square table with fixed legs -$15, small wood table/shelf -$5

Wood cart with wheels and sliding center shelf $10

Queen size bed with black metal head and foot board + sheets and pillows $100

Holiday!

2010-05-04T08:47:00.006+10:00

One thing most other countries better than the US is VACATION! Aussie employees get a mandatory 4 weeks of holiday leave at minimum! There is a campaign called "No Leave, No Life" to promote holidaying in Australia. Their catch phrase is "Win the work/life battle with an Aussie holiday."
There are billboards for this campaign all over. We first saw them in the train station in Sydney, now they have made their way to South Yarra as well. They are great!

No, sadly my train is not made of camels :(

So, even though the Aussies get 4 weeks, they feel like they should get more. You know, the whole "work hard, play hard" deal. According to this article, the US is doing okay, but we are more in line with the all work Asia market than the laid back Europeans. I have met several people here who take their 4 weeks all at once and do an African safari, tour the US or trek through Europe. These month long vacations do sound enticing. What do you think?

And today I acquired boxes

2010-04-28T18:03:00.003+10:00

We are leaving Oz in 34 days. 10 of those days we will be on holiday. I am trying to keep it all together and not get too flustered with the huge amount of items that need to be sold or given away. With only one proper closet, our house seems a bit cluttered an it's starting to make me antsy. But I would like for our house to remain homey and not sell too much stuff too soon.
In an attempt to enjoy my last few weeks of living abroad, I joined a 30 day yoga program. I am 12 days into it and have done yoga 10 of those days. It is helping me get out of the house, stay active, eat better and calm the fuck down.
In class the other day, I had a thought pass through my mind: I need boxes. I said to myself, "Yes, that is a good idea. I will organize that today. Now, shut up."
Later I went to Safeway and asked for boxes. They were more than happy to provide me this service. They keep banana boxes for people. You ask for them, they save them after the nightly unpacking and you pick them up in the morning. Easy.
This morning, I knew I had to pick up the boxes. I realized that having this one simple item would put my mind at ease. What I did not realize was I would have to put them somewhere until I really needed them. Fortunately, we are borrowing our friends' car whilst they are traveling on holiday. It's an SUV. Now it has become the perfect mobile storage unit. Awesome.
I stated thinking more about this banana box thing. My Dad always said to get banana boxes for moving. They are very sturdy and have lids. No need to tape the bottoms or do the funky one flap-in, other-flap-out tapeless style and they are stackable. He would always acquire an embarrassing amount of boxes for me before I moved. I bet if I was to ask my Mom, right this very moment, if they have any banana boxes, they would probably have one or two empty ones laying in the garage, for just in case.
So it seems, now I have these boxes and just knowing they are there is comforting.

More Lingo

2010-04-23T10:38:00.006+10:00

In The States, sometimes you are know by your job. He's a plumber or she's an electrician. As a group, they can all be know as tradesmen/people. However, that sounds a bit stuffy. So in true Australian custom, they have nicknamed these people "tradies." As in, "ladies love the tradies." By the way, an electrician is called a sparky. This is a favorite of mine, isn't it brilliant!
So now you know about tradies. The next thing, is their apparel. We thought it was strange to walk down the street and see an entire shop dedicated to neon orange and yellow clothing. Apparently it's like a law or something for tradies to wear highly noticeable apparel. You know, for safety. So the clothes are referred to as "hi vis gear". You know, for high visibility.

Here is my mate, Patrick, sporting the outfit he wears for his new job. The matching socks are a new requirement. Hats off to Pat; he just secured an apprenticeship for a glazing and aluminium company. It is so refreshing to see someone really excited about their job. He is psyched. He is making custom windows with aluminium frames. And, NO, I didn't spell it wrong! They say allu mini um here. It's British.

Cat Sitting

2010-04-23T09:18:00.009+10:00

Our German friends planned a long holiday away. To our pleasure, they took us up on our offer to house their cat for 4.5 weeks while they tour various countries.

Buster is a Manx cat. Essentially, this means he doesn't have a tail. He kind of has a "nubbin". It is a bit weird, as it moves around, like a normal tail wagging. Coincidentally, Jim has taken to calling him "Nubbins."

As of today, his new fave lounge spot is some prime real estate on the counter. I think maybe he feels camouflaged there.

Getting used to having a borrowed animal takes some getting used to. We loved the idea of having a furry little beast running around. We assumed that he would sleep with us and love to be pet. To the contrary, Buster likes being pet for a while. At 9pm he turns into a demon, running all over the place. He has an internal alarm clock that didn't get the message about Daylight Savings Time. He was waking and mewing at our door (demon mode prohibits allowance into the bedroom) 5 am instead of 6. We had a little chat about it. It seems to be sorted out now.

The calm before the storm

After two weeks, we now have all grown accustom to, and acceptant of one another. Buster is up in my bidness all day. He sleeps on the desk, curled up right in front of my laptop. If I am in the kitchen, he is standing right there, curiously waiting to see what I am doing or if I will put a round object on the counter for him to knock off. He has created a running track from one end of our lounge room to the other. It goes right through my keyboard.

Desk Kitteh

I have accepted that I can't control him. If our house was bigger, I would see him less. But our house is tiny. If he isn't near me, I know he is under the bed. (This is me turning into a big softy) Buster is waiting in the middle of the room when I come in the front door. He greets me with his special dolphin speak, as he doesn't meow in the normal sense. He is so cute and soft and makes me laugh. When he does make me mad, I have to remember that he doesn't know any better. Sometimes though, I wonder if that's just what he wants me think.

An unflattering rear shot of a skillful escape. Mr Kitteh No Tail.

Lisa explains it all...Sydney Wedding

2010-04-16T09:43:00.011+10:00

Sorry ya'll...photo release SOON!

Many of you may be wondering how this wedding business all came about. I will share now.
We had been planning a wedding something for back in the US of A. However, sometime around the end of Feb and beginning of March, the plan changed. We miss CO and in order for us to return there, Jim needed to accept a recently opened position at his old office. Reluctantly, we decided that one year was good enough for living away, instead of our intended 18 months. During March, I looked into getting married in Sydney, but had shelved the idea. You needed to lodge your notice 28days in advance with your celebrant. I missed that window.
Meanwhile, Lahna and Kevin Ward had booked their trip to AU. They were coming to Melbourne, going up to the Great Barrier Reef, then to going to Sydney. Since our time here was shortened, we pushed our Sydney trip up to April; coordinating it with the Ward's holiday plan. During March, I looked into getting married in Sydney, but had shelved the idea. You needed to lodge your notice 28days in advance with your celebrant. I missed that window.

I hadn't mentioned anything Jim about checking on a Sydney wedding. Then, about March 25th, he comes home from work and asks, "what about getting married in Sydney?" That pretty much sealed the deal. All we had to do was a lot of leg work.
Lahna & Kevin arrived on Monday the 31st. We shared our plans with them, Lahna agreed to be a witness. Tuesday, I contacted celebrant Helen Wyld. She was SO flexible, encouraging and helpful. We had to lodge the paperwork with her. Did I mention Easter was coming? Australian have holiday on Good Friday and the following Monday. On Tuesday, we had to go to the Marriage Registry of Victoria and plead our case to have a shortening of time on our the lodgement of our paperwork. We provided the woman with our witness' airline itinerary, an email from Jim's boss about moving early, and Jim's plane ticket. She granted approval.

Yay!! Here is what the rest of the week looked like.ta dah!

Tuesday: Marriage Registry approval. Found $80 dress.

Wednesday: Shopped with Susi, but didn't buy anything. Didn't find green shoes, but found fab pink one. Had to have a think about it. Later, succumbed to the pink shoes. Started looking for pink accessories.

This is Susi...she's a goddess.

Thursday: Returned to the factory outlets with Susi. Bought pink shoes. Bought shirt, tie, pants, belt and shoes for Jim. Based on some stuff Helen had sent, Jim and I wrote our wedding ceremony.

Really, how could I not?

Friday: Off to Sydney. Met with Helen. Had dinner and sightseeing with Kev and Lahna.

Tripod proved useful!

Saturday: Purchased bridal bouquet on the fly at a florist by our hotel. Bought Jim better pants. Walked around The Rocks area of Sydney. Toured the street market. Got Lahna a dress and found perfect wedding jewelry. Early dinner and then Bridge Climb! Late dinner.

Take away bridal bouquet, coming right up.

Just having a pash on the largest single arch span bridge in the world, no big whoop.

Sunday: Check out of hotel and head to Kev and Lahna's hotel. Dress. From Darling Harbor, catch a ferry to McMahon's Point. Meet up with Mel, Gus and Helen. Get married! Take lots of photos. Go back to Darling Harbor and eat the best steak ever! Take the shoes off and go back to Kev and Lahna's. Change clothes and watch TV for an hour before going to the airport to head home.

You know, just got hitched, now waiting for the train.

So, there it is. Yes, I am amazing. I only went crazy one time, right before we left for Sydney. And it was over the dishes not being done.
Of course, I am SO appreciative: Susi dedicated her 2 days off to my cause! She was helpful, pragmatic, patient and at all times, genuinely excited and enthusiastic. Lahna and Kevin took excellent care of us, as only family can. Kevin recorded our ceremony. Gus took fancy photos. Lahna and Melissa were great emotional support and provided pretty signatures as our witnesses. Helen was amazing with her "fly by the seat of your pants," yet very organized approach...exactly what I needed! Jim was amazing. Thank you for wearing pink and red for the day! Oh, and marrying me :)
Although we couldn't share our day with everyone, we had the best time! Lots of laughs, emotion and love. A truly perfect day.This post is brought to you by Coffee.

The Magical French Island Park Tour Day

2010-04-08T08:13:00.010+10:00

Some things I can not make up. There have been a few occasions when stuff is happening and I say to myself "what the fuck is going on?" or "is this for real?" Last weekend was one of those times.

Kind of on the fly we decided to go to French Island National Park. We had made this attempt before. It involved a 2hr train ride with a negative outcome. We went to purchase tickets for the ferry to cross over to the island. Due to a possible afternoon storm, they couldn't guarantee us a return trip back to the mainland. This was a serious disappointment as you could see the island just across the channel. It was only a 15min boat ride. However, for this attempt we had a car and a positive forecast, so we decided to go for it.

All went smoothly except, upon arrival we realized we might have made a mistake by not booking some sort of tour. The island was small, but the general store was 3k from the docks and all the other stuff was passed that so...we were in for a long day of walking in a short period of time. We only had about 4hrs to tour. As we made our way to the general store, van passed. We got a little further and the van was coming back our way. We joked about getting a lift. Miraculously, the van stopped. A small, weather-worn, oldish woman jumped out.

Mumbling and barely audible, she said she could take us to her farm. She promised koalas (koalas!!) and a tour. She never looked us in the eye; she just organized the back seat of her van and gave us the gesture to get in. We all looked at each other with bewilderment. What do we do? Considering the population of the island in approximately 60. We figured it was safe to proceed with her plans for us. We hopped in and buckled up. Lois, was 4th generation islander and lived on the family farm, which housed a chicory kiln.

We drove by the general store. She took us by the school for primary aged children. It has 3 students. She stopped and dropped us off for a short nature hike that ended at her farm. There, we stopped for lunch. We saw heaps of chickens, a few sheep, 2 horses, cows, a pretty rainbow colored bird, and a ferret.Jim and Kevin performed some minor manual labor, like moving a log and relocating a huge saw. Lois showed us the koalas on the trees around her farm. She gave us the lowdown on the chicory kiln (Chicory was a coffee substitute. You can still find it in some coffees and teas). She recommended we head down the road and see more koalas and offered to give us a lift back to the docks in time for our boat. You see, a camper that she was picking up, missed our 12pm boat and was now coming on the 4pm boat. Thank you for missing your boat, Miss!

Once we left the farm on pursuit of koalas, we looked at the park flier and realized that our Lois, was actually the Lois Airs, who pretty much is the voice of the island. Her name was all over this piece of paper. If you have and questions, it's her mobile number that is listed. Lois is one of 3 people to do island tours. If Lois hadn't picked us up, we wouldn't have seen anything worth while that day. We totally lucked out. a short ferry/boat ride

The Historic Chicory Kiln Farm

The rainbow, fruit eating bird

Lois schooling us on what chicory is all about

a horse

a sign

a tense moment. we thought he was going to jump on Jim's face

trying to hurry and get a photo before he gets to aggravated

Milford Track: Day 2

2010-03-24T10:01:00.006+11:00

This day was gorgeous! We awoke to clouds, but they burned off early. We started walking through Mackinnon Pass, working our way toward the summit. The day was looooooong. We hiked 10miles. It took us about 7 hours. We proceeded at a medium pace and took heaps of photos. It was magical fairy land. The rain the day before had swollen all the mosses. Everything was green and lush.

Soft and fluffy moss.

Seriously.
Water so clear and trout so big.

More of the pass
Waterfalls abound; they were everywhere. When you couldn't hear the creek, you would hear the birds, when there were no birds, you could hear a waterfall.

Success!
A great day, but we were a bit out of practice and we couldn't wait to get our boots off.

Milford Track, Day 1

2010-03-23T10:36:00.007+11:00

The seed of an idea for hiking Milford Track, on the south island of New Zealand, was planted with a pretty picture and brief trail description that Jim read in Backpacker Magazine. The article consisted of the top 10 "classic" hikes in the world, which included Milford. After we learned we would be moving to Australia, he went back and clipped cut out the small blurp about the vague wheres, whens and hows. See the lure h ere.
The Logistics:
Milford Track consists of a 33.5 mile hike spread out over 4 days and 3 nights. As one of the best hikes in the world, it is very popular. About 14,000 people complete the track every year. To accommodate that many folks, it has to be regulated and organized.
For summer season, (Nov-April) you must register for your space. Only 40-44 trampers (the NZ term for hiker, bushwalker etc.) start off every day. You take a boat from Te Anau Downs to Glad Warf, the start of the track. You tramp a specified amount of miles every day to to a Hut Camp. You stay at 3 different huts, costing a total of $135 per person. The Track is one-way, so at the end you are picked up by boat at Sandfly Point, you cross Milford Sound to Milford and hop on a bus back to where you came from. Thanks for visiting, come again.
At the end of the day, having a flushing toilet is awesome:
Now this might sound a little cushy, but this hut thing is a fabulous idea. 14,000 people would have quite an impact on the pristine environment. By supplying the trampers with a place to sleep, a place to cook, and a place to do their business, the Department of Conservation is helping to do just that; conserve. And making some good money. Your other option is a guided tour. This tour costs WAY more. Guests stay in better lodging, do not have to carry food, and have their meals prepared for them. That's cushy.

We took a 2hr bus ride from Queenstown to Te Anau Downs. Then a 1 hr boat ride to the start of the Track.

Even though we picked the month with the least days of rain, typically only 12, it rained 2 of our 4 days of hiking. Day 1 no biggie, only 2hrs of walking.

First glimpse of the Clinton River.The soggy trampers arrive at the first hut, Clinton Hut.
It's just like summer camp, only unisex.

The rain stopped, yeah! This is the beautiful view of the valley from the helicopter pad.
Hut entertainment: Warden Ross leads us on a nature walk. His bird call skills were impressive.
The sun on the river.

New Zealand, Arrival

2010-03-22T08:02:00.004+11:00

We just had the pleasure of spending 6 days on the south island of New Zealand. 2 days were travel days and 4 days were hiking the Milford Track. This year has definitely been an experience and I am thankful for every minute of it.

New Zealand, south island, from the air. For real, this body of water (I think Lake Waitaki) and several surrounding it are turquoise.

We arrived Queenstown, NZ at 3pm on Monday. Surprisingly, it looks like Colorado. I love mountains!
Our hotel is on Marine Parade in Queenstown. The end of the street runs into this:
Mountains AND water...it really doesn't get any better.

Queenstown is small. Tiny even. The town isn't even a grid, as the there are only 2 main streets with 4 or so perpendicular streets between. These streets house the restaurants, shops and adventure tours. They are only one block long. It felt like Beaver Creek, CO or some similar small and upscale ski town.

Like someone I already know

2010-03-10T11:13:00.009+11:00

Have you ever have this feeling...the one where you see someone and they remind you of someone else; someone who is already in your life?
It's so strange when this happens. Sometimes it's good. You meet the person and they have similar traits to another one of your friends. This happened when I arrived in AU. My new friend Melissa says some things quite similar to my friend Rosemary. They remind me of each other. Maybe that helped Melissa and I become friends faster, as if we already had something in common. Or my mind might have just likened it that way.
When Nan and I went on our wine tour, there was a gentleman in his mid to late 50's, (I was going to say "older" gentleman, but 50 hardly seems older now. Older is 70.) who joined our group a little late. He had taken a hot air balloon ride early in the morning and met up with our group at our first vineyard site. At first he totally creeped me out. Everyone in the group was a couple and he was the only solo person. He kept trying to talk to me but he had a "stare-y" type demeanor. Like when someone looks you in the eyes TOO much while standing way TOO close to you; a total space invader. Of course he sat next to me at lunch.
It would have been harder to avoid him, and I hate being an intentional bitch, so I sucked it up and started a conversation with him. Elgin is from Vancouver. He is here setting his daughter up for a semester abroad in Adelaide. He is traveling all over AU for 3-4 weeks. He goes on wine tours in every city he visits.
Once Elgin got some attention, he became less creepy. He started being amazingly sarcastic and making, sometimes inappropriately forthright, interjections in people's conversations. (It takes one to know one, right?) He totally called out the tiny Indian woman who had only had one glass of wine at the 2 vineyards we had been to. I thought she was a lightweight, as she was half my size. But she confessed to this complete stranger that she was instead, pregnant. He started to amuse me.
Beyond all this, when I first saw him, he looked like someone to me. Some one familiar...who? I might have thought this all along, but it wasn't until he said "Holy Mackerel!" that I could see him as a slightly younger version of my Uncle Charlie. Now, my Uncle DOESN'T in any way creep me out. He is a very kind and polite man. And not irritating in the slightest. But the similarities in there speech patterns and facial resemblance was uncanny. See...

Elgin from Vancouver vs. Uncle Charlie from Michigan

Back to our regularly scheduled programming...for now

2010-03-09T13:24:00.015+11:00

Well, hello! I disappeared again. During my blogging absence, I had a lovely visit with my friend, Nan, who came all the way from CO to visit. She was here for 10 wonderful days.
At first, I was uncertain of 10 days with someone, but we ended up have heaps of fun. She was the perfect couch surfing companion.
Nan saw lots of the city and did a bunch of shopping. During the week, we attended a Jane's Addiction show and she went to yoga and the beach. Over the weekend she was here, all three of us hired a car and went to Wilsons Promontory National Park, about 3 hrs from Melbourne. We stayed at in a nice-but-low budget cabin (Promhills Cabin s, click here for my review) The owners had alpacas on the property. They were pretty cute.
It has turned out to be great to rent a cabin or a "self contained" unit. They typically come with a kitchenette. In the beyond dinky town of Yanakie, just outside the park, having our own kitchen was mandatory. There wasn't a restaurant in site. We picked up groceries in a larger town along the way and cooked all our meals at our cabin.
At the park, we viewed some great beaches. Squeaky Beach, named so because the uniformity of the sand grains causes them to squeak underfoot as you walk. Whisky Beach was simply gorgeous. I think a crate of whiskey washed up on shore a long time ago, hence that name.
After about 3hrs of hiking, we got to see the beach at Sealers Cove. This hike wasn't terribly difficult, but we nearly killed Nan with a 6hr hike on her recently healed sprained ankle. Sorry, hun! See more Wilsons Prom pics at Jim's blog
On our way back to Melbourne, we stopped at a petting zoo of sorts so Nan could see some Aussie wildlife. We got to see roos (even an "albeeno" one), wallabies, koalas and more. Because of the conditions, it was a little sad.

As the dynamic diva duo, we went on a wine tour of the Yarra Valley. It was a day trip. We paid $98/person. Simon, our guide, picked up in the city center and drove us around to 4 wineries with about 16 other people. We were even provided with a gourmet lunch at one of the vineyards. From the selection of 4 lunch items, Nan and I both chose the lamb. It was divine! We could have paid about $50 more to go on our own private tour, but we ended up have a great time socializing with the other international passengers.
Wine day was followed by surf day, in the "Surf City" of Torquay (pronounced Tor-key). Apparently this is where Quicksilver and Rip Curl, popular names in surfing, got their start. For this day trip, we were also picked up in the city. Our group was small, only 7 of us in total. For this day, we paid $148 for the 1.25 hr drive to Torquay, wetsuits, board, and lunch (a 6" sub from subway, juice box and cookie). It turned out to be a great day for surfing. We practiced our moves in the sand before going out into the waves. Alistair, was our instructor. He also owns Great Ocean Road Surf Tours. All in all, it was a good day. Having never surfed before, I thought I got a good idea of how it's done. I was able to stand up a few times. My form definitely needs some improvement, but I would do it again. Nan accurately compared getting beat up in the waves to "being in a washing machine." We were exhausted at the end of the day.
The last day :( Nan was here, we did a speed tour of the city and she was able to get rid of the remainder of her Aussie cash. We went to the famous Degraves Laneway, where saw the last seconds of a gypsy band playing. Then we had a quick tour of the free part of the Ian Potter art museum. Whew.

Meet the Aussies

2010-02-22T14:02:00.000+11:00

Frequently I am asked if I have any Aussie friends. I feel like that is kind of a bold question, as I could just as well not have any friends!
Mostly because of my catering gig, I have been fortunate to have many Australian acquaintances, as well as others representing Israel, France, Germany, Ireland and Mauritius (a tiny island off the coast of Madagascar).
It is most helpful though, to know some locals on a personal basis. They are handy for general knowledge of the area, history of the country, stuff to do, appropriate cultural translations and in general, just finding out what shit means.
I am am thankful for their patience, willingness to help and honesty. When I say honesty, I mean not fucking with us when we ask dumb questions about Australia and Aussies.

LIZ is great with girlie stuff, other advice and Melbourne culture and happenings. We live near each other & frequently create mischief. Great company & partner in crime. At one of our catch-ups...as you can see, we will enjoy sticky date pudding and wine

GUS is a general know-it-all. The kind of person you want to have on your trivia team. I have nicknamed him Gusipedia. He's funny, too. He always keeps us laughing. The happy family. Our BFs: Aussie Gus, Coloradan Melissa and new-ish pup Charlie

Speaking English, kind of

2010-02-17T12:51:00.005+11:00

The ultimate in lazy is referring my dear readers to a fellow blogger's site. And I'm going for it.
I don't always read this guy's blog but I happened upon it today and thought it was interesting. Aussie speak/slang is it's own language. Don't even get me started with the rhyming slang. Not everyone uses it. You probably wouldn't be able to decipher it if you heard it. You would just hear it and think the person was loony. My favorite (and only known) example of this is "time to hit the frog and toad." Decoded, this means "time to hit the road." Yeah. Exactly.
Click to check out some Aussie words that this guy feels are dying out.

And here is a picture for the day:

Nothing says Love, like graffiti. Happy belated Valentine's Day

Scenes from the Weekend: Saturday

2010-02-08T17:20:00.009+11:00

While on an A.M. walk through my hood, I spied this vandalism:

And this note:
Since it said "Reward," I'm keeping an eye out for Mr Biggins.

It's happened. We spend so much time together that we read the paper or play on our iphones to take up time when we go out to eat.
After lunch we stroll down the exciting Chapel Street and see a pig. He's creating awareness for cruelty to animals. That's why he has a band-aid on his pork belly.

Then I helped cater a wedding on the boat and got to see a pretty sunset.

Australia Day

2010-02-05T15:00:00.008+11:00

Officially, Australia Day was January, 26th so I apologize for the delay in this post. It is a public holiday, similar to the American 4th of July. Australia Day, in early Australian history, used to commemorate the landing of Captain Arthur Phillip at the present-day Jackson Port in Sydney. By doing so, Capt. Phillip claimed the new land for the British Empire. "Though it has often been criticised, it remains the most inclusive celebration of a national day in Australia, expressing the national diversity which has become such an important part of the Australian national character. Australia Day today celebrates diversity and tolerance in Australian society. Whereas once it celebrated the staunchly British nature of Australian society (or was disparaged for this approach), it now embraces multicultural Australia, including all ethnic backgrounds, racial differences and political viewpoints." http://www.australiaday.com.au
It is a big holiday, with picnics, drinking and an airplane acrobatics.
We celebrated the day by visiting The Shrine of Remembrance. The Shrine is a memorial built to honor fallen Victorian soldiers from WWI. It was completed in 1934. That is also where we saw the plane flying through the city.

I think this pic might prove that Aussies love Australia more than Americans love the US. I have never seen burgers shaped like MI or CO or the USA.

We enjoyed some of these bad boys. We added cheese, but I put a tomato sauce (ketchup) spot where Melbourne is located.

Our Pretty Money

2010-02-05T12:03:00.007+11:00

My Mom ordered some Aussie currency before her recent trip here. When she showed people, they all commented on how pretty it was. Gusipedia recently told me (and I verified via the internet) that the money is actually plastic or specifically polymer.

Here, Jim is peaking through the clear plastic window of the $10

According to The Australian Gov website: "These notes provide much greater security against counterfeiting. They also last four times as long as conventional paper (fibrous) notes. At the same time, the polymer notes are cleaner than paper notes and easily recyclable." That explains the always pristine condition the money is in. If it got soiled, you could simply clean it with Windex. Under normal circumstances, they can't be torn either.

What about $1, you might ask? Well, that is a gold coin. Similar to the Sacagawea gold dollar.
We also have a $2 coin. Even more brilliant is that we don't have ANY pennies!! The smallest denomination of coin is 5cents. All prices are rounded, up or down, to the nearest 5cents. For as great as that is, I my loathing of the small coins continues. Now it's just worth more, 5cents instead of 1.
Big to little: fifty cent, twenty cent, ten cent, one dollar, 2 dollar and 5 cent coins

When Mum and Auntie were here, they started off really confused because the $2 coin is smaller than the $1 coin. "It's smaller, but worth more?" How could this be??
Our 50 cent piece is the biggest and quite an odd shape. I would show them the tiny 5cent coin...and it would be baffling. Just not quite coming together for them. Then, one time my Aunt asked, "So this is a nickel?" I was a little dumbfounded. To be quite honest, I never looked at it that way. We don't say nickel or dime. She then got smart, saying, "They five and ten cent you to death here." So cleaver, that one ;)

36hrs

2010-01-24T22:51:00.013+11:00

After 6 months of being in Oz, we finally had our first visitors arrive safe and sound at mid-day on Saturday! With ease in our hired car, we whisked Kay and Pat (mom & aunt) from the passenger pick-up at the Melbourne Airport. The Ladies must have had that "vacation high" going on, as they were jovial and high spirited even after flying 15hrs, sleeping very little and having minor connection/luggage drama. I was impressed.

Jim, Mom, Aunt Pat and I all returned back to our one bedroom palace. They got settled in a bit. And when I say "settled in," I mean they unloaded about 10kg (25lbs) of candy, baked goods and general naughtiness our of their suitcases (Thank you Mary Pat!). While I silently studied the 5lbs I would gain during their visit, Jim and I discuss aloud the miraculous feat that just occurred. How did they get all this home-packaged food into the country? Including nuts?! SO MUCH STUFF! A few months back, Jim had brought over some freeze dried camp dinners. The customs lady held him up for 10min reading all the ingredients of the sealed bag. If you even have an apple, they tell you not to bother and just throw it away. Again, I'm impressed.
After the the unloading, we made a grocery list and headed out. We took full advantage of our car, filling up our little hatch back with goodies from the farmers market, super market and liquor store. If you're gonna play some cards, ya gotta stay properly nourished. That, and Jim and I drink soy, not cow milk.
Later, we had an engagement celebration dinner at Little India. This was Kay and Pat's first Indian food experience. They handled it like pros.
Unfortunately, (and fortunately) this was Jim's only time to spend with us all. He is visiting Texas and Colorado during the duration of The Ladies' trip. The only really beneficial thing of his absence is the extra space that his body won't occupy in the house.
Sunday morning, I chauffeured Jim to the airport, returned the rental car and headed to yoga class. Whilst I did these things, The Ladies attended mass at a church in the neighborhood. I gave them a map and the "sneaky way" directions. They were able to navigate the hood quite well.
I returned home to find them sitting on a wall inside of our locked gate, but not in the apartment. Hmmm. I had left them a spare set of keys. What I hadn't done is told them that the door locks by itself, like a hotel door, and there is no need to turn the lock on the handle lock. I know this, but for me leaving the house is a reflex. I just don't think about it. We don't have a key for this second lock.
When they left for church, Mom wasn't sure, so turned the handle lock (just like at home in MI) and found out later that the key didn't work. Luckily, the kitchen window was open, so I only had to acrobat in through it to get us all in the house. Prior to my arrival, they had planned that I would be able to do this. Good thing I could deliver.
Following that adventure, the rest of the day was low key; with naps, reading, a movie and dinner. The Ladies were coming down from their high and we all enjoyed a rest day.
Tomorrow, we might tackle the beach.

Amazing

2010-01-17T09:34:00.003+11:00

It's a flower inside a flower!

With Attitude

2010-01-12T16:30:00.011+11:00

My initial sighting was probably about 2 months ago, as I was walking home from the park. One of the pubs I pass to get home has a recess in its facade. The bench for the tram stop occupies this space. As I approached the tram stop, I could see a crazy shoe ensemble popping out from the recess where the waiting bench is. It was one of my all time favorite combos, the curious sock/sandal phenomena. The sock was bobby style, but instead of being folded over, it was rolled down. The shoe on the foot was a hybrid shoe sandal, with a dab of the pale blue sock peeking out of the open toe. "This is going to be good," I thought.
When I got to the recess in the building I saw THE MOST fabulous sight. It was an astonishingly old woman waiting for the tram. She had white curls brimming from underneath a small woven hat. Her skin was powdery, with smooth wrinkles, and she had on large, light blue "Sally Jesse Raphael" prescription glasses. She wore a pale blue sweater, with the cuffs of the sleeves rolled up; as to not interfere with the paper coffee cup in her left hand and the cigarette in her right. As I walked by, I had to slow down so I could drink her up. I pretended to read the tram schedule just so I could take her in. I could only think of one thing: Bad Ass.
I really wanted to take her picture but I was just too shy to ask. I got home and tried to make a sketch, but it just came out all wrong. So, I have engraved her in my memory.
The other day, I was taken aback to exit the train station, and find her before me again. She was sitting on a different tram bench, but she had the ciggie in hand, and the same glasses and hat. Her socks were different socks, but still with sandals. Again, I was paralyzed with awe. I wanted to take her picture again, but it would have just been too weird. Instead, I took a picture of her back, from across the street. She looks like she might be able to kick my ass, so I wanted to be careful. After, I was walking toward my house. I turned around and watched her cross the street and shuffle the opposite direction from me. I'm pretty sure the sit on the bench was just a cigarette break.
It occurred to me over the weekend that this lady is like someone I know; like someone I've seen before. I was finally able to put my finger on it.Just like Maxine! That might also explain the predisposed intimidation I was feeling.

Not in their DNA

2010-01-10T18:11:00.004+11:00

Today, following a delicious breakfast, I did a little primping before my yoga class at the gym. Nothing special, just deodorant, moisturizer and mascara. After the class, Jim and I went to the beach. We swam in the ocean and basked in the sun (with SPF). On our way back to the train station, we stopped at a cafe. A casual friend, from my catering job, happened to be working there. I had a brief conversation with her about NYE plans. We sat and waited for the coffee. Once it was ready, I said bye to the friend and we rode the train for 20 minutes to our stop. We walked in the door at home and Jim suggested I make an early dinner; we were both starving. I prepped the meal (mini pizzas made with english muffins and side salad) and put it in the oven. Having a free moment, I went in the bathroom. Glancing in the mirror, I was horrified to see that the normal "dim" circles under my eyes looked more black paint smears. I thought, WTF? Then remembered the mascara...and the swimming. And the convo I had with my friend. I had a baseball cap on and it was dark in the cafe, but I was still conversing with her with like 18" between us. Sigh. She probably thinks I'm abused.
I tidied up the situation and went on with my dinner business. Later, after showering, the remainder of the mascara was deposited in the same location. I went out to Jim and explained all the things we had done during the day with my eyes looking like this. I asked, "didn't you notice?" He replied, "you had sunglasses on." "Not the whole time," I retorted. I got inches from his face, and asked, "is this something you would notice?" For effect, I was eying ceiling and pointing with my finger. To this he replied, "probably not."

A word about temporary living

2010-01-04T16:43:00.007+11:00

You will take what you can get, wherever or however you can get it.

Dear Universe,
Thank you for the file cabinet we found on the sidewalk. It is just what we needed for more storage in our single-closet house.

Background:
1 closet (that is not even 1 meter x 1 meter) x 2 people = :(

For weeks, I've been eying some Ikea shelf/cabinet/with doors type things for additional storage. Under the bed is getting kind of full and under the futon in the lounge room looks messy. I was ready to throw down $150 or so on one of these nice looking pieces of knock-down furniture.
While walking home from the train station at 930 last night, Jim and encountered this beauty. It was on the sidewalk just a few houses down from ours. It is a bit rusty, but it was fairly clean, and it is fully functioning. I'll take 4 drawers over shelves any day.Also by luck, we were able to quietly relocate it to its new home with a mini dolly/hand truck that I inherited from the Americans.
The dolly that I wondered "what I will use this for?" came in handy and I still have my $150. Perfect.

Merry Christmas, Christmas Christmas!!!

2009-12-22T10:00:00.005+11:00

No beating around the bush here. I'm not even sure the locals know what "Happy Holidays" means.
When were in downtown Melbourne the other day, I was overwhelmed with the use of the word Christmas. It was everywhere. There was even a nativity scene in the window of a popular department store. Next to the window, was a queue of parents and eager children waiting to see Santa. Here is the store front with the Holy Family. You can sort of make out Baby J.

Locally, the theme is "Shine at Christmas!" There are large stickers across store front windows in our local shopping district and big signs attached to handrails near sidewalks. The office of our nearest train stop has a mini nativity scene as well; right on their front counter. I love the lack of care about what is "proper" and PC!

A Little Bit of Lingo

2009-12-06T10:10:00.008+11:00

Sometimes, it's the small things that make the biggest difference.

Trivia night at our local pub boasts a round called "Sink or Swim." The MC displays a tin can announces what we will be testing that evening, for example: fried clams in garlic marinade, barf, i mean beef-a-roni, sardines. We note on our play sheet if we think the contents of the tin will sink or swim(float) when dumped/poured into a pitcher of water. We later test that theory and partake in another great phenomena; that some people will do anything to get their team an extra point for pub trivia. After our curiosity is satisfied (everything always sinks), 3 people voluntarily gather around the MC. He asks if they will accept 2 points to scull (chug) the party punch/science experiment mixture. If they say no, he will go up in points. They always say "yes" so he then moves down in points. The girls are usually uncooperative after this, as the next question is "will you scull it with your pants off?" Typically, there is one guy that always accepts the 1 point. I have seen him scull the juice in only his boxers. Here he is just pantless. It's always an impressive show.
Before I joined the trivia team, they had really boing team names. They would change it every week. Usually, it described what all of them had ordered for dinner: 2 Pizzas, 2 Parmas. We have been using the best name for the last 2 weeks and the MC did a double take when announcing the scores and seeing our team of plain janes cheer. We are in ranks with "nothing says f*ck you like a punch in the dick", "Trivia Newton John", and my favorite, the group of gay men + 1 lesbian +1 cross dresser as "Twisted Sisters".
History of the name: My friend, Liz, was the first to save my ass when I used the seemingly meanless American phrase of "double fisting." She was drinking wine and champagne when we were watching a footy match at the pub. I called her out on her "double fisting" and her eyes got really wide. She then schooled me on the meaning of that phrase here in Oz and it is quite different. Is the literal act, a hem, sexually. You can see, quite inapporiate here. We shared the story at trivia because I accidentally let it slip again when one of our team mates poured himself 2 glasses of water. It is the perfect team name.

Here is another quick tale of wordage. At work, I noticed everyone says "chuck it in the bin" to mean, "throw it away". I have been saying "toss it in the bin," as it comes more natural to me. I learnt (the Aussie past tense for learned) the other day that "toss it" can sound too close to "tosser". Tosser is like wanker. It was described to me like this, "Men are wankers cause they wank."
Time to start chucking.

All work and no play...

2009-12-01T09:30:00.020+11:00

I'm sorry if you have felt abandoned! I have been working SO much in the last 2 weeks...about 45hrs in 4 days!! When I wasn't working I was sleeping or not doing much of anything.
This week is a little more manageable. I'm only working the weekend. This gives me time to catch up on the never ending laundry, meet up with friends and make dinners (yay!).

Working has been pretty fun though. A few days, I helped prep food in the kitchen...then went to a job and served it. The double shifts are long. You are damaged, but you get kind of used to it. Doing prep work in the kitchen was a nice change of pace.

In the past week, I worked in a greenhouse nursery, car museum and on a boat. Here is my photo recap.

We set the tables at the nursery, but the staff placed the plants for the function. People got to take them home.

Sometimes, we don't even have a kitchen to cook in. We bring our own propane hot boxes and propane burners. The burners go on the floor and we do all the prep and serving on tables. Here we are heating the pumpkin soup. The chefs are pretty fabulous. Sometimes they perform miracles. Here is the kitchen from the front and back.

In our Nursery (makeshift) kitchen, we fed about 70 people. Meals were on real plates with real cutlery! The night before, they served 150.
Here are about 40 lemon tarts.

We served finger food appetizers at a corporate holiday party held at Fox's Classic Car Collection Museum. Lindsay Fox, a prosperous local, has over 35 cars in this collection. It was awesome!The Jags were my favorite.

Then there was the boat, the Victoria Star. I am scheduled on here pretty regularly. The kitchen is small and tight but the guests seem to be happier and it's fun to work this way.

At sunset, the city is gorgeous and the night skyline in brilliant.

Loiterer

2009-11-18T18:19:00.005+11:00

I have nicknamed this cat "Boris."
For the last 2 weeks, he has frequently situated himself outside of our apartment. He has also appeared upon our arrival home when he hears our keys jingle. He has gotten in a few times. Sometimes, you just open the door and he's there, ready to invade.
We never let him stay. We don't feed him either, at least I don't. He has a collar but no tags.
Even if he was a stray, I'm not sure our house is big enough for three. The attention is nice though.

Jobbie Job

2009-11-12T09:13:00.009+11:00

In lieu of all that is going on economically, I am pleased to have some paying work to do. There are cafes, but where I have enquired, you need to know how to make espresso based coffee and unfortunately, I am not a barista. Also, with our scheduled holidays, finding a "real job" could be difficult. Luckily, a friend turned me on to a catering company that she had worked for in the past (thanks Melanie!). To date, I have worked four 8-hours shifts and seen some pretty amazing things.

My first shift was on a boat (but the captain prefers ship) serving finger food to drunk first and second year uni (college) student. That may sound appalling, but it was actually quite fun. We cruised around the bay. The sunset was gorgeous and the skyline of Melbourne was beautiful. I completely developed a new appreciation for city life and especially that of one on the ocean. I will work on the boat again soon and post some pics.

Recently, there was Tongan/Samoan wedding at The Dome. The Dome itself is a historic building in the heart of central Melbourne that was constructed during the land boom of the 1890's. A modern office building was erected around the site and The Dome now serves as a grand entrance and foyer. It reminds me of the interior of some state capital buildings I have visited. The floor is an impressive and elaborate tile mosaic. There are granite columns with arches that draw the eye up toward another level with balconies. Above that is an ornate criss-cross of arches embellished with gold. Ultimately your eye reaches the top, where the ceiling extends up into an octagon of windows.

There have been two sit down, plated, business dinners. Both were fabulous. The one last night featured an Aussie comedian, Julia Morris. How great is that? The wait staff got to watch her act. She is quite funny.

I LOVE my friendly coworkers, the work is fairly easy, the food is delicious, I am paid well and the venues are fabulous. All of that makes up for my sore feet.

The Great Ocean Road

2009-11-09T13:09:00.026+11:00

Jim had vacation last week, so we took the opportunity to do the scenic drive along The Great Ocean Road. You could probably make this drive comfortably in 2 days, however we took our time and did it in 3.
The Great Ocean Road is 243 kilometers (150 miles) of curvy and climbing highway that runs mostly parallel with the Bass Straight, better known as "the ocean."
It was constructed between 1919 and 1932 as a means of work for servicemen returning from war and as a memorial to those that gave their lives in WWI. (I learned this while on The Road and on Wikipedia, but there is no history tab on the "Official" Great Ocean Road website. This saddens me.)
It begins just southwest of Melbourne, in Torquay, and finishes northwest in Portland. Along the way there are picturesque beaches with stunning rock formations and heaps of port towns with excellent food. There also many shipwreck locations (circa 1800-1900's) along this particular part of coastline, giving it the appropriate nickname of "Shipwreck Coast".
You are eased into the scenery with a Morse code of sandy beach separated by kilometers of trees. After a while, the road more frequently runs parallel with kilometers beaches varying between rock and sand. Surfers are sprinkled in the waves.
The first lighthouse we see resides at Split Point in Aireys Inlet.
The road winds in and out of Otway National Park. We stop for a peek at Sheoak Fall, one of the many waterfalls you can take time out to walk to.
Our destination for the evening is the Best Western in Apollo Bay. The hotel is almost as fun as the drive because we are able to watch TV, with remote! (We don't have either at home.)
We order a big pot of paella at La Bimba. This was Jim's first experience shelling some seafood. He wasn't expecting to work so hard for his meal.

Having ample time for the drive, the next day we headed off track a bit to see more of the waterfalls in the national park. The first was an easy 10min walk to Hopetoun Falls. All of the trails are well maintained and most of them are elevated so you are walking on a metal grid. Next was walking loop to Triplet Falls. Triplet Falls is exactly that; 3 waterfalls next to each other. This was the destination of many of the tourists. This walk only took about an hour, so we decided to do the other water fall at this location. The third walk was considered "difficult." I think that was due more to the time and length, like 3/4 of a mile 1 way and a return time of 1.5-2hrs, than the actual difficulty of the terrain. Either way, we headed down the trail to Little Aire Falls. At one point, we heard the rant of what sounded like a monkey. Are there monkeys in Australia? We exchanged glances and kept going.
We didn't know exactly how long it would take. We kept seeing signs that just said "Little Aire Falls" and an arrow; no distance remaining. We finally came to the scenic overlook; a raised metal balcony adjacent to the narrow creek and falls. This place was beautiful and it was also the place that Jim proposed to me. I said yes. Yay! Engaged!
As much fun as this was, we had more driving to do so we began the trek back to the car. It didn't take long at all:)
So, newly engaged, we drove on to Lavers Hill where we stopped for petrol, lunch and cake. To our astonishment, out in this middle of nowhere town, the shop served cake by Mark! Mark makes our favorite TimTam cheesecake here in town. You can't go wrong with a Mark cake. We ate some curried chicken pies and anxiously awaited our dessert; Death by Chocolate and another slice simply called "Mark Cake". The death by chocolate had, at one stage, been a piece of an entire cake. The owner nuked it in the microwave and it became a chocolate moat. It was still delicious. Enough about that.
We stayed the night at a lovely B & B called The Butterfly Farm, in Nirranda. We had our own own apartment; bath en suite, 4 poster bed, and attached lounge room (with TV!). Grabbing some stuff from the car that night, we heard what sounded like a pig in a tree. Again, we just kind of exchanged glances and hurried about our business. John, one of the owners, made us a huge and delicious brekky in the morning. He also informed us the grunt noise was probably a koala mating call...hmm interesting.
Because of the waterfall viewing, we had skipped part of the Ocean Rd. This allowed us to see some new things on the return drive toward Melbourne.
Scenic viewing areas include:

Cape Otway Lighthouse Station...had to pay for this one. It was just okay. We did go up into the light house and see the light. The best part was spotting koalas in the trees on the road to the light house.
Gibson Steps
London Arch, which actually used to be 2 arches (previously London Bridge) but the one closest to the shore collapsed in 1990.
The Grotto
AND...the iconic Twelve Apostles

12 Apostles is the most photographed site along the road. Due to erosion, there are fewer than 12 stacks remaining. You can't see all all of them from any one location, except from air.

The Great Ocean Road is just that. It's a must do drive to make when you are in Victoria. It's an easy and affordable little adventure.

Tassie: Part II

2009-11-01T17:42:00.023+11:00

Thursday: I had a big day planned for Thursday. Along the way, we met another couple who had visited the iconic Cradle Mountain National Park and not been terribly satisfied. You can hike the mountain in a day, but there is also a shorter trek around Dove Lake, which is what they had done. They told us it wasn't that big of a deal. Hearing that news, I felt relieved. It reinforced my idea. I had planned for us to hike the less popular Walls of Jerusalem Park. This park is less documented and to be honest, I was worried. "Well experienced bushwalkers only," was on everything I had read. Yikes. Other people had told me you need at least 12hrs or a few days to really enjoy the park. Nonetheless, I was wanting to check it out.
We drove and drove and drove until we found the hidden trailhead and parking lot. We slept in the parking lot so we could get an early 7am start. It was a little eerie being all alone in the woods, but this was also the first night that we were able to see a million stars. Wow.
The morning was cold. The trail had ice crystals on it. There were tiny pebbles and pieces of dirt suspended from the ground. It looked like the ice had made little bridges up to meet them. It even snowed on us a bit. Along the way there were ponds, lakes and trees. This part was known as King Solomon’s Jewels. Upon reaching the "Walls" you enter between 2 towering cliff's known as Herrod's Gate. The sun had started to pop out and it got a bit warmer...4 seasons in one day. Seeing all this, I could now appreciate spending a few days in the walls part of the park. There were lots of tall mesas and cliffs to climb and explore.
Two raised planks of wood side by side, created the trail through the valley of the park. The valley was grassy with huge mounds of thick hard moss, and heaps of little ponds created from bubbling fresh water springs. We walked through the valley and through a snow patch to an upper ridge where we could take in the view. It was so beautiful. I love mountains so much. We only encountered one other couple this whole time, so we felt like we had the entire place to ourselves.
On the way back, we chatted with a guy dressed strictly in a black long-underwear outfit and boots. He tried to convince us he had been hiking for days, and then said, "just kidding." Odd.
In the end, everything was fine. We had an impressive 9hr day of hiking and exploring. The hike was shorter than I imagined, so we drove on. We coasted into at a place called Sheffield. Sheffield is 'The Town of Murals' and it isn't hard to see how it gets that rep. Even though were only there for a minute, we fell in love with it and, at present, want to retire there. We got some petrol and of course some fish and chips and were on our way again.
We arrived at the Cradle Mountain Caravan Park at 6:30. To our amazement, it was closed. This was the most corporate of places we had seen in oh, forever. Closed was closed, no bell to ring; the drives were gated. We drove closer to the park entrance only to find that you aren't allowed to drive into the park. As an option, we hoped to set up camp in the huge parking lot for the shuttle bus stop, but found signs stating: No over night parking! Hmmm, where to sleep? Returning to the camper park, we used the payphone to call an 800 number to see if there was any room available for the night, even though they were closed. The only thing they had was a non-powered site for $26. The most we had paid this entire time was $18, which included an electric hook up. Frustrated and tired, we decided to bag this place and kept driving. So long Cradle Mountain.
The beauty of a campervan is you can stop anywhere and have a bed to sleep on, water to drink, and gas to cook food. We drove a bit further, but it was getting dark and it had been a long day, so we just stopped along the road at a pull off/turn around area. Not really pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but literally in the middle of nowhere. Again, the stars were amazing. I loved that simply, with the draw of all the curtains in the van, you can take some weird location and make it feel safe. It didn't matter what was on the outside because you are in your safe little cocoon.
Friday: We awoke to find we were no longer alone. There was road construction being done just a few meters from out spot. For brekky, I made us some eggs, oatmeal and coffee. Soon after, we were on the road again. Having been without a power source for 2 days, we were unable to charge our cameras. A vacation nightmare. Luckily, we were able to plug the cameras in at a cafe in Tullah, on the west side of the state.
We were on our way to the "Mother of all waterfalls," Montezuma Falls in Rosebury. It was a bit off the beaten path, but well worth it. Falling 104m (341 ft) it is most impressive. Again, we were the only ones there. You are able to get so close; you can stand under it if you wish. There is a crazy, but quite safe, suspension bridge crossing the river, which is about 50m below. Of course we had to walk on it. Before heading back, we snacked on some PB & J, which have been the staple item of nourishment during day outings.
Later, we passed through a mining town called Queenstown. It is surrounded by mine waste and looks desolate. To be fair, the main street of town is charming, similar to Georgetown, CO. We quickly changed landscapes and entered Franklin-Gordon National Park. Here we stopped for a quick view of Nelson Falls and continued on. We really wanted to stay at a caravan park this night. We wanted to charge the cameras and also be clean for our plane ride the next day. We ended up in Tarraleigh, a town that only seems to exist because of the caravan park and a hydro electric plant. (The Tasmanians love hydro power. It's everywhere.) After settling in and having a much needed (free!) hot shower, we took a stroll through Tarraleigh. This was short of course. You could see from one end to the other. The place seemed kind of creepy, like where The Others lived on Lost. The houses are fairly new, with trees and shrubs that are still infants. Even though was after 5pm, no one seemed to be home. Garages were shut and lights were off...weird. Before we ate at the pub, we enjoyed chatting with some camping neighbors who mention that this was their return visit to Tarraleigh Campground. It was good to know we would survive the night. Despite the odd surrounds, the campground has everything, including two deer in a pen. They pounced away from us as we drew closer to them.
Saturday: This day was a whirlwind, as we had a lot to see before catching our flight home. We awoke early and headed to Mt. Field National Park, outside of Hobart. We were a well oiled machine at this point. We parked and walked to Russell Falls and Horseshoe Falls. You could tell we were a bit closer to civilization, as every stop got a little more crowded. We spent a satisfying amount of time viewing the falls and head back to the van.
I wanted to see Salamanca Market, which is a street market in Hobart that is only open until 3pm on Saturdays. Jim got us there with about an hour until close. We browsed and ate sausages. After getting back in the car, we drove up to Mt. Wellington, which has a famous view of the city. This windy road is steep and busy. At this point, we have seen so much. We made a quick stop and snapped a pic. It was time to go.
I wasn't quite sure of our flight, but we got to the airport with an hour to spare. We were sad to leave the living quarters of our mobile command unit, but also glad to go back to our slightly bigger apartment. It's hard to believe that Jim and I spent every waking and sleeping moment together for 8 days. It was great.
When vacations are over they seem like dreams. This one was hard to wake up from.

Tasmania: Part I

2009-10-30T20:31:00.028+11:00

I didn't really share how amazing our Tasmania trip was. Sorry about that. While I'm at it, I will recommit myself to this blog. Maybe I've been feeling down, but things are actually going really well. Any who, how about some Tassie Tales, eh?
We chose a campervan because there was so much we wanted to see. We had to squeeze it all into 8 days. The van was an incredibly cost efficient choice for transport, lodging and even food, as we could grocery shop and prepare real meals.
Saturday: I've learned you can't expect much from an airline when the ticket costs $84 round trip and that includes flying over some ocean. Not having flown out of Australia yet, this was an adventure for me. We have to take a train and then a bus to the airport. Instead of walking right toward the main terminals, we walk left to the Tiger Airways warehouse. Yeah. The lines are crazy long and it's a bit confusing. They only check in one flight at a time. This is great if you’re a perpetually late person, but for the average Joe, there is no advantage to arriving early. Sure, there were coffee and food shops and one large magazine store, but I just had the feeling that I was hanging out in someone's pole barn. We walked to our plane on the tarmac. Our flight was great. It is a byo airline in the regard that even water during the flight is $3; sandwiches $8.
Australia is made of states, Tasmania is one of them. It is a small island that you can traverse north - south or east - west in less than 6 hrs. From the air and the land, Tasmania looks like a mini Ireland. It is green, lush and beautiful. We are picked up by Tasmania Campervan Rentals and we are off and running. Upon arriving at the office, we hop out of the van and Malcolm ushers us inside to watch a video about the ins and outs of a campervan similar to ours. He shows us the van, we fill out all the paperwork and away we go! Yay! I am navigating; the scenery is foreign and fun, woohoo vacation! We get about 2 hours from the office and about 1 hr from our destination and I realize we don't have our bag. OUR BAG!!! We each have a small backpack with snacks and books and that is it. Neither Jim nor I went back to the transport van to get it, and Malcolm didn't unload it...so there is sat, in the back of the van in the office parking lot. Luckily, we needed to go back that direction the next day and it was only about a 1/2 hour out of our way. We found a payphone and I called to make sure someone would be there tomorrow. We decided we could rough it for one night and the next day, wearing our same clothes that were supposed to remain our clean change of clothes for the way home. “The best laid plans...”
We enjoy our first evening. We console our minor setback with white chocolate TimTams. (By the way, not as good as the regular, milk chocolate variety.) It's easy to convert the dining area to a bed and back. We were provided with a portable heater, which came in quite handy. The Port Arthur Caravan Park, on the Tasman Peninsula, was clean and reminded us of summer camp. It had community kitchens and grilling areas; bathrooms with plumbing, where you could shower if you wished. It was also were we first got to see a beach up close and personal.
Sunday: We did a hike out to some rocky cliffs in Tasman National Park. The day was hot and the sun was out. Jim had started not feeling well a few days prior, and I think this was the peak of his sickness. He was a trooper for being hot and sick and wearing the same clothes that he had slept in. Our trek was about 4 hours. We also had some delicious fish and chips out of a van at Eaglehawk Neck, more specifically Doo Town. Doo Town is tiny, like a neighborhood. All the houses have a sign posted naming that house, similar to cottages around a lake. Doo-wah-ditty, Love me doo, Doo f%$# off, yeah for real. We enjoyed as much fish as possible during our Tassie trip. The fish was great and the scallops were like butter. It was the best. Surrounding this area, was the scenic (and not very exciting) Blowhole, Tasman Arch and Devil's Kitchen. All three were rock formations created by collapsed sea caves. Our favorite site here was the Tessellated Pavement. It is rock formations of sunken or raised squares of all different sizes. During low tide, the pools that are created have heaps of sea life in them...sea stars, with more legs than I have seen before, muscles the color of grapes, and anemones, which contract into a jelly blob outside of the water.
Upon picking up our stuff at the campervan office, I am relieved. That day was easy but some of the others will be a bit more active and it will be necessary to dress in layers.
The country side is gorgeous, as we make our way to Triabunna for the night. There is an amazing sunset. Jim is the designated driver. As I was certain I got an automatic van, we didn't. Maybe if the roads weren't SO narrow, I might have attempted to drive, but it was more comfortable for both of us that Jim drive. Being the perpetual passenger, I became an expert at photography in motion.
I have picked us out a caravan park that is minutes from where we have to board a boat in the morning for our next adventure. Although Triabunna Caravan Park turns out to be great, we were hesitant upon arriving as most of the patrons seem to be permanent residents. However, it was quiet and had the cleanest bathrooms. They were fully equipped with my favorite, the truly free, truly hot shower. At a few other places, you have to pay for the hot water, which translates to: don’t be the first person to take a shower.
Monday: This morning we take a 45min boat ride to Maria (mah-rye-ah) Island National Park. This island started out as penal colony but wasn't that for long. It was neat to be on an island and know there are less than 25 people there with you. Here, we see the picturesque Painted Cliffs formed of sandstone, the cliffs of Fossil Bay formed of millions of mollusk shells, and other ruins remaining from residents of the 1800 and 1900s. We tramped along thru green grassy pastures that seemed to have recently been aerated, but we learned this was not the case, taking notice of all of the roaming animals. We saw wallabies, wombats and a mob of lively kangaroos. This day is peaceful and perfect.
As we drive on, it’s late in the afternoon and it starts to rain. It rains all the way to our next destination, Freycinet National Park. Jim had been driving for 4 hrs in the pouring rain. As if that is not challenging enough, there is a distracting wire basket that goes a quarter of the way up and out from the windshield to act as a rock guard. It's also not great to drive in the dark either, as most of the animals are nocturnal. Happily, we arrive there late, 8:30pm. We are the only people in the campervan park; nice. Typically, reception at parks closes at 8pm. This night it happened to be useful, as the park service had closed the campervan area due to a water leak in the restrooms. We didn't know until we were hassled in the morning. We can't see it well, but the beach and ocean is just beyond a wall of bushes behind us. We are glad to be settled in for the night and looking forward to a peaceful night's sleep.

Tuesday: Freycinet is known for its pristine beaches and spectacular views. One of the most famous is Wine Glass Bay. It is a short hike to the scenic vantage point and a bit further to the beach. It was in the parking lot that Jim made friends with a wallaby. This one was definitely used to people. Even with her joey in her pouch, she would let people pet her and pose for photos. We hike about 600 stairs to the view of Wine Glass Bay. One guy did point out that it was more of a "mushroom" than a "wine glass". But I guess mushroom is not a selling word. We hike down to the beach and spend some time on the white sand. This place would be great in the summer. We are here in hiking boots and wind breakers; however, there are only a handful of visitors to share the beach with. We eat lunch on some rocks. The seagulls try to be sneaky, but to no avail. Their beaks and feet are a vibrant red/orange, like I have never seen before.
After this, we move interstate. We drive for about 4 hrs to a place called Mole Creek. All the while, I have been falling in love with sheep. I get annoyingly excited when we see them in the pasture. I don't like the looks of them shorn, but when they are bulky and fuzzy with a little fat lamb trotting near, they are just the cutest! Jim pulls over so I can finally get a proper picture.

Mole Creek is one of those places you will miss if you blink. This is funny because it is one of the larger towns along the road. The Mole Creek Caravan Park is like camping in someone's grassy backyard. True to its name, there is a rushing creek on one side, providing a relaxing ambiance.
Wednesday: This day was kind of a flex day. We ended up doing a lot though. We took a tour of a wet cave, Marakoopa Cave, meaning there is a creek or river running through it, and a dry cave, King Solomon's Cave. No matter how dumb I think a cave tour is going to be, I end up eating my words. I have seen 2 caves in South Dakota, and as different from each other as those were, these 2 were equally as different and amazing. I love the story of how a cave was discovered. In King Solomon’s case, a man and his dog were chasing a wallaby and the wallaby fell down a hole. The bones were still on a ledge of the cave. You have to imagine someone in the 1800's or early 1900's climbing down a hole in the earth with only a candle or an oil lamp. Truly brave.
We visited a Honey Farm and sampled a gazillion different kinds of honey. We continued on and hiked to Liffey waterfall, so Jim could get a fix of his favorite thing.

Day

2009-10-16T16:21:00.013+11:00

What a strange day. The weather started out in the farmers' favor, but then it (thankfully) turned sunny. On my way the gym I passed this weird shrub I have been seeing frequently. Its flower is like a huge bristle brush or jumbo pipe cleaner.

Later, needing a caffeine fix, I opted for the $2.50 coffee place near the gym. That is pretty reasonable around here. [Note: I will have to blog about coffee in the future.] I have the buy 5 get one free card and only need 2 more punches. To my disappointment, I found this sign on the door.

While absolutely crazy in the States, this type of thing is pretty common around here. A while ago, we passed a gelato shop with a note similar to this one on the window. It stated that the shop was closed for 3 weeks because the owners went on holiday.

I guess my inconvenience turned out for the best.
I went down the street to Heritage coffee instead. I have been here a few times. They have great coffee and delicious chocolate. The shop keeper, Jason, if very friendly and on a good day, gives you a price break. Another other very notable thing, he is always giving out "samples" of the chocolate bars. I went in one time and he gave me nearly half the bar. He said anything smaller would be a "taste." As I arrived, it had stated to rain outside so the place was filling up. My seat selection was completely out of availability, but it ended up being a jackpot. He not only upped my coffee size, but in lieu of a chocolate bar sample, said I could help myself to the wrapped candy as I was sitting right next to them. Yum.

After getting some reading done and finishing my coffee, I left to find the sun was out and it was an amazing day. I had just been complaining to Jim how the rain and clouds were aggravating my SAD. At this stage, I am a girl yet to have a summer. To enjoy the beauty and warmth, I went to the park near our house, plopped down on a bench and listened to some tunes on the ipod for a bit before returning home.

Now I'm a real girl!

2009-10-15T18:31:00.004+11:00

After A LOT of footwork and info gathering, I am happy to report I have secured a 457 Visa which allows me to just about anything a citizen can do! Yay!
To come here, I secured a 462 Working Holiday Visa. The only problem with this is you are only "allowed" to work for up to 6 months for any single person/company. Technically, I could have had 2 6mo jobs. At the end of my year (June) I would have to leave the country and apply for a travel visa for the remainder of our time here. With that visa you are not allowed to work. However, with a sponsor letter from Jim's company, health insurance, proof of defacto relationship in the form of our previous lease, a photo copy of my passport and $260 I am able to stay here as long as Jim (up to 4 yrs) and have full work rights. That is much better for potential employers. Now they just need to hire me.

Words

2009-10-02T14:45:00.002+10:00

green, yellow and red peppers are Capsicum

aluminum is al-lu-mini-um and is even spelled aluminium. After doing some research on this one, the Brits started aluminium and the Americans modified it around 1890-1900, when the metal grew in popularity.

God's crying

2009-10-01T08:41:00.007+10:00

After about 7 straight days of rain or scattered showers, there is more in the forecast. There was a 2 day break of beautiful weather, but now dun dun dun...return of the rain!

Fri

56° | 48°

Sat

60° | 47°

Sun

63° | 47°

Winter is supposed to be the rainy season. Winter was pretty dry so we are making up for it with October showers. You know the saying, October showers bring November flowers.

Footy Grand Final

2009-09-29T20:30:00.005+10:00

This weekend I observed my first footy Grand Final. The Grand Final is similar in importance to the Super Bowl. Australian Rules football or "footy" is best described as a cross between rugby and soccer. Here is what I understand so far:
Two teams play on a gigantic oval field. In Melbourne, they play at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, better known as the MCG. The stadium is huge. The playing field is: 160m x 139m. In American football, the field is 109.7m × 48.8m.
The game is played during 4 quarters of 20 minutes each, with 18 players from each team on the field. The ball is similar to an American football, only it is just a little more plump and the ends are more rounded. When a player is in possession of the ball, he needs to bounce or pass it about every 15 meters (49ft or 16 yards). The main two types of passes are kicking or handballing, which is like an under-hand volleyball serve.
A goal can only be scored with a kick. The goal posts configuration is similar to this "I I I I". A goal through the center posts is worth 6 points. If it is kicked through the outer posts on either side, it is worth 1 point.
If a player catches a kick that is more than 15m, that is considered a "mark" and the player can kick for a goal.
It is not unusual for scores to get into the high double digits. This year the 2 teams were St. Kilda Football Club and the Geelong Cats (ja-long). Geelong pulled it out in the last 2 quarters winning 80-68.
The final notable element is the player uniform. There are no pads to hide behind. These guys are in tip top shape. The jerseys are sleeveless and the shorts are, well, short. This is a perfect sport for the sport-less crowd, as the view is always nice.

Thank you: http://www.afana.com/af_faq_sec2.shtml and wikipedia

In too deep

2009-09-15T09:19:00.012+10:00

Tim Tam is a cute black chihuahua that resides near the lakeside in Chicago. That was my first experience with a Tim Tam. I met him, and his owner, right before I moved to Melbourne. She had spent a semester or two in Australia and loved the chocolate covered biscuit cookies. She loved them so much, that is what she named her dog. The cookies are good, I get it. But Tim Tam is a weird name and c'mon, how good can these cookies be?
I bought my first package of Tim Tams at the 7-11 (yes, amazing to have those here, slurpees and all!) at the corner of Bourke and Spencer, right near Southern Cross Station in the city. I had been here about a month. We were outside the store and I asked Jim if he had tried them already. He said yes, and that they were okay.
If I knew then what I know now, I shouldn't have gone into the 7-11. We have been on Tim Tams for the last 6 weeks. Within 2 weeks after purchasing regular Tim Tams, we had dabbled in the all the other varieties; Chewy Centered Caramel, Dark Chocolate and Choc-Hazelnut. We were most delighted (understatement) with the Double Coat. You can not believe how much better a second layer of chocolate can be! The Double Coat is simply the way to go.
Let's pause here and I will describe the heaven that is a Tim Tam so you can better appreciate our "situation". One rectangular chocolate cookie-biscuit on the bottom, middle layer of creamy light, whipped chocolate love, and another chocolate biscuit on top. Dip the entire cookie sandwich in milk chocolate (in our case twice) and you have a Tim Tam.
Needless to say, Tim Tams are no longer allowed in the house Monday through Friday. Jim thought the refrigerator would be a good deterrent; having to let them sit out to warm. I saw past the temperature.
We looked forward to weekends. Weekends were free. No work, no gym, freedom to enjoy Tim Tams. Tim Tams were like a band-aid. If our weekend outing didn't pan out or started to be less than satisfying, Tim Tams bridged the gap. We always keep a pack on hand on weekends. It's safer that way, like a fire extinguisher in the kitchen.
Seriously, you have never seen two people eat 9 cookies faster than Jim and I. We see one 9-biscuit pack of Tim Tams as a serving. (Note: Regular Tim Tams packages contain 11 biscuits, Double Coat packs have 9 to allow for thicker chocolate.)
On a recent trip, the Tim Tams were in the front window of the car. The day was sunny so the cookies got a bit warm. Oh. My. God. Melty and delicious. We just took it to the next level. Bring on summer! I can't wait for Tim Tams at the beach!
If you're lucky, you will get a package for Christmas :)

Millinery Lesson

2009-09-10T17:53:00.003+10:00

Millinery is the art of hat making. Australians take hats very seriously. Especially around the Melbourne Cup Carnival, which is four days of racing at the beginning of November. The biggest day is on the first Tuesday (Melbourne Cup Day) and is a holiday for most people. It's "the race that stops the nation." It's like the Kentucky Derby. I can't wait to see all the outfits!
I took a one day course with the renowned Milliner, Waltraud Reiner, of Torb and Reiner Millinery. She is fascinating. Waltraud is from Austria and mainly studied millinery under Rose Cory, who made hats for the Queen.
Our group made all sorts of amazing concoctions. It was a great creative day. http://www.torbandreiner.com/index.htm

The washer is the dryer

2009-09-08T16:04:00.004+10:00

Here is a brief post on the nature of our appliances. We were very fortunate to have gotten an apartment that came fully equip with a washer/dryer, refrigerator, and freezer. Several of my new friends have had to make these big purchases upon taking ownership of their new places. Luckily, we also have a mini dishwasher, a very nice gas cooktop and convection oven.
The humor comes in the size of the appliances. Our fridge is dorm style and so is the freezer. They sit side by side. I have grown quite accustom to our mini kitchen. It was almost overwhelming to visit our friend's townhouse and see a mammoth side-by-side stainless steel refrigerator. It was even crazier to open it and see all the things you could stuff inside it.
The thing I was most impressed with upon arriving was the front loading washer/dryer. And I don't mean washer and dryer. The washer is the dryer. It washes the clothes, spins them, and then it becomes a dryer and drys them. Crazy, I know.

Expect the Unexpected

2009-09-03T08:42:00.017+10:00

Two weekends ago we had the opportunity to stay at a ski resort. Being "from" Colorado, I thought I knew what this entailed. I was wrong.
Jim's company was sponsoring this little weekend on the account of a client having a cross country ski race (Kangaroo Hoppet) and Jim and his coworker doing a little PR and support. His coworker was going to be our chauffeur, chaperone and tour guide. Yay! We were excited.

We were excited with nothing to worry about until she called us at 8am on the day we were to leave to say she was sick. Of course. She had been up all night, blah blah blah. Great. Now what? Everyone thought is was still a terrific idear for us to go. The accommodations had been paid for, we need only rent a car, the rest would be a piece of cake.
Right.
The logistics were a bit detailed. We needed a 4 wheel drive vehicle, as the road could be dodgy. All the regulars (Avis & Budget) were sold out. We went with a little hole in the ground, literally, rental place.*
We were told we also needed to hire "chains." Chains, like what truckers use on I70 for really serious weather?? Where do you get them? And what were we getting ourselves into? We found out chains could be hired closer to the mountain. It was actually illegal for you not to have them in your vehicle once you got up to a certain point on the road. Pat, at the ski and chain hire place, said we probably wouldn't need them (he was right). Pat had also been to Aspen, stating "it's amazing how much better those mountains are." Jim and I exchanged glances.
We had to stop at the Hoppet headquarters in Mt. Beauty (at the base of the mountain) to assist with some last minute software questions. We also decided to eat there as it was getting dark and we didn't know what to expect at the "resort".
We arrived at Falls Creek, not seeing much in the way of snow on the entire journey, except for on the roadway to get to our condo. Turns out, if there is snow on the road to the accommodations, you can not drive on it. How does this all work?? What do we do?
All cars stopped for an attendant standing in the road. We were informed that we should have stopped at what looked like a tollgate to get our parking pass. Having come many windy miles in the dark and not eager to turn around, the semi-helpful woman told us we could come back to the Info Desk in the morning and get it sorted then. Mind you, we are completely baffled at this point. We can't drive to our condo. We have to park the car & carry all of our stuff? In the dark? To god knows where??
Well, they had a solution for that...you see, they had a snow-cat. You pay $15/person and the snow-cat will take you and your belongings to your accommodations. Oh, I get it. I need to mention, the address of the condo was useless, or that is what the snow-cat money taker implied. "We don't know streets around here, we know names of accommodations." Jim had had the location under control, but had to search to find Mini Flats so we could get the proper destination.
Jim dropped me and the bags off. He had to pull up to an orange sign, wait for a minivan with a flashing light to come along, follow the mini van to a parking spot and get a ride back to the snow-cat hub. This all makes sense, right? Are you still with me?
The room in which I waited for Jim's return, reminded me of travel hockey team arenas; small and cold with seating. We had to wait about 30 minutes for a snow-cat to take us. We were waiting on this very chilly dock on the back of the building. We had to wait a long time because the group of 6 before us decided they needed to bring the entire grocery store with them for their stay. They took up an entire snow-cat just them and their belongings.
Once we got our ride, I wondered how the young operator had not yet died of asphyxiation, as the exhaust smell overtook the cabin. When he opened the door to let us out, I conveniently stepped in a huge watery puddle of slush. He pointed up a snow covered embankment and bid us good night. There was hardly any light, no path was shoveled. We climb our way up to our cabin, which had a light on. An envelope was taped to the door. It included a welcome sentence and the code we needed to punch into the keypad to get through the door to which it was taped.
Even though the electric heater was on, it was still really cold in the condo. For some reason, I have this quaint assumption of a cabin being warm and inviting. I should totally know better. The cabin/condo was in nice condition. TV, kitchen stocked with dished and cookware. Good. The one weird thing about this place was, we had to bring our own sheets, towels and toilet paper. Strange, I know.
We were very excited to wake up in the morning and see what we could not in the dark.
Around 7:30, we pulled back the curtain in the bedroom to see...white. Not white as in snow, white as in fog. Our mountain was smack dab in the middle of a cloud. It was also raining. That would explain why it sounded like we were on a ship. What was happening?
We geared up to go out and get breakfast. The snow road was melting. The ski resort looked sad. Had it been a nice day, the place would have been buzzing. You could ski directly from your door to a chairlift. We walked down the street a bit and found the Feathertop Inn, a quaint and cozy dining room and lodge. We had eggs and continental breakfast. We were so please to find peanut butter among the options for spreads. The patrons complained of the rain and crappy ski conditions, having to wait it out until tomorrow or Monday.
Following, we need to take care of the car-parking pass drama. We were amazed to find that the hike to the snow-cat building was not that far from our residence. A completely doable walk, even with luggage. The car wasn't even parked that far away. From the way everyone acted, I was picturing the mall lot at Christmas time.
Needless to say, it rained all day Saturday. The rain turned into about 3inches of snow by Sunday morning. It gave us a better view of the surrounding hills and made the skiers happy. But we had already been told what we needed to know.

Author's Note:
I know the tone of this could be interpreted as a bit bitchy. It is not my intent to complain. It is more to be taken in the context of utter astonishment. Maybe I don't do well with change. Or maybe I don't do well with my imagined perception of an event being completely wrong. We're not in a 3rd world country, but we are definitely not in Kansas anymore.

*Thanks Mark, for the M2000 recommendation!

Outing with Car

2009-08-25T09:08:00.013+10:00

We had an adventurous and wonderful Saturday. We hired a car and escaped the city. Jim and I walked down to the local Avis to pick up our new wheels. At first, I didn't think Jim would like a second driver in the car for the first time he drove on the opposite side of the car and the street. He surprised me by saying I should come along.
Unfortunately, (or fortunately) all of the manuals were gone and we had to get an automatic. Maybe this was good for the first attempt at so many things at once. We found the little dear and got in. Cozy. This is where I had a taste of being the parent of a child with their learners permit. We were parked in the parking structure of a hotel and had to find our way out. Our home is only about 3/4 of a mile and 3 turns away but my leg was locked in the brake position the entire time. Thank god it was 9am and the city is full of late sleepers.

After loading up the vehicle with lunches, a change of clothing, 2 backpacks, and water bottles, Jim came in and proclaimed that the JLMCU was ready to go. This stands for Jim and Lisa Mobile Command Unit. You see, life without a car is best compared to that of a turtle. You are constantly carrying your belongings around with you in your backpack. I don't carry a purse, I use a backpack. I need an umbrella, a book, maybe a raincoat, water, and usually a snack. When you own a car, you can easily stow all that and more. When you are depending on public transportation, you never know what is going to happen or how long it is going to take, so you must prepare.
After the JLMCU was sufficiently supplied, we hopped in and headed east to the Dandenong Ranges National Park. Jim quickly became used to driving opposite in no time. The biggest challenge was remembering that the turn signal was on the right and the windshield wipers were on the left.
In 40 minutes, we were in the mountains. We stopped at the Dandenong Ranges Look Out, which is a tourist trap at the top of the highest peak. They charge $5 per car. We were promised a hedge maze, but later found out that it was an additional $6. The Secret Garden was also unavailable. We made a wish and the Wish Tree and got back in the car. We took 2 very beautiful, short hikes to see waterfalls and saw the little drive-by tourist towns that are along the appropriately named, Dandenong Tourist Rd.

We were amazed at how quickly we got back to our neighborhood and even more amazed at how tired we were. Tired but satisfied.

Roll On

2009-08-18T19:05:00.006+10:00

Well, it has finally happened. I was dreading it, as I knew I would have to revisit some old abandoned territory. My favorite and only stick of deodorant has run out. It is that death stage, where it falls off the plastic screw of the container, totally useless. I would have to hand apply it, but I am not that desperate.
Before my departure, I was questioning if I should bring more than one of some of my favorite toiletries. Mom was hesitant, something to the tune of "it will be fun to sample new options...". Not in this department. Imagine looking at five store shelves about 2-3ft wide, with ONLY roll-on deodorant! This is not a joke. Any 'ol regular brand in any flavor but solely in roll-on form. BOO! That wetness, ugh. I haven't had to use the stuff since grade school. You know, when you're old enough to start to stink and your mom just gives you something, like "here, use this" and you don't know any better.

Maybe the best day ever.

2009-08-12T12:30:00.006+10:00

Lots of days, the weather reminds me of Michigan. Michigan in the fall after all the leaves have fallen off the trees and the sky is grey. Michigan in the spring before all the leaves bloom on the trees and the sky is grey. Here, there is probably about 1 day a week that it looks completely gorgeous out. You get all ready to leave the house, and out of no where, it might start to rain. Or you do make it out and it's sunny, but it's windy and cold. Sometimes, outside is a facade.
Afternoon is my best time of day. To be perfectly honest, on the grey days, I can sit in my jammies until 1pm. I explore the internet, play on Facebook, Skype and IM. Then, after a while, I start to feel guilty. Like, what the fuck am I doing? I'm in Australia. I need to go out...I have to. I have to for everyone that thinks living here is the shit.
So, after one of these pretty typical lazy mornings, I start to feel guilty. I get mad that I'm lazy. (Seriously though, I am in A City. I live here. I'm not here for month, I'm here for months. I pay to go places on the train. Doing something everyday would be expensive, and to be blunt, when my money goes out, it doesn't come back in.) For some reason, I just can't bring myself to go lift weights at the gym. It seems impossible. With all my clickety clacking on the internet, I discover that the John Brack art exhibit is on it's last weekend and today is Friday. I make a decision. I want coffee. I want cake. Screw Body for Life for today. I'm going out.
It's sunny. I get ready and go outside. All these clouds seemed to have rolled in from somewhere and the wind is gusty. Facade. I'm gonna sit and have a coffee and a super yummy treat, then catch a tram and head to the art exhibit. A higher power seemed to be spoiling my plans, like "No, you will not cheat on your diet." The normal place I get coffee was in the shade, I wanted a place in the sun. The second place I walked into didn't have any fabulous looking treats. I hear the tram and decide to postpone the cheating and get to the city. Besides, the museum has an indoor cafe.
The is a scrumptious looking flourless brownie in the dessert case. Table service: have a seat! As I sit at a deli-type bar seat, I watch 6 people leave in spite for not being waited on in sufficient time. This system seems broken, the server has to notice you for you to be waited on. I flag someone and she gives me the "2 minutes" hand signal. I will evacuate in 1o, 9, 8...really is this really happening, can I really not get a naughty treat? She comes over, I order. It's delicious enough.
I go to get my admission ticket, and I am told the John Brack exhibit is at the National Gallery Ian Potter Center, I am at the regular gallery. No worries, it's just down the street at Federation Square. When I walk outside, I notice that the weather has amazingly improved. The clouds have disappeared, the sun it out. Gorgeous.
I walk down to the other museum. It is at this big public space with restaurants with outdoor seating, a beer garden, it's lovely. I walk into this restaurant and survey the dessert case. The brownie wasn't what I was hoping, it was good, but not satisfying. I take a seat outside and order an ooy-gooey piece of sticky date pudding cake and a flat white coffee. Why the fuck not?! I read a book. My delight comes and I am overwhelmed with satisfaction, even before I taste it. As I indulge, a group of women aged in their 40s walk behind me. I hear one of them say, "look at that cake!" I almost ask them to join me. I could sense their involuntary salivation.
Like it or not, I would probably never eat something like this for no reason at home. Here though, even though I live here, I am on a vacation. And today, I am indulging in guiltless pleasure. Today, I'm gonna enjoy eating cake on a gorgeous day in downtown Melbourne, Australia.
The art exhibit was sweet too.

The good, the bad and the ugly

2009-08-12T11:57:00.004+10:00

I've been thinking about this blog. I've been thinking about it a lot. I've been considering just how much I want to share. There are a lot of feelings and thoughts going through my crazy head. Do I only share the fun sights, the joys of being jobless? Do I tell you how hard some days are? Eh, what do I have to lose? Here we go...
Isolation:
Most days are pretty good here. The days are good depending on how I decide to treat myself. This is something I have learned. Each day is exactly what I will make of it. I am my own best friend here. That is just the way it is. There is a lot of isolation. Imagine only hearing your phone ring 10 times in 30 days. Really, imagine only hearing your phone ring 10 times in 30 days. You probably can't. First, imagine your phone not ringing for a day, three days, a week. Imagine when you hear a noise coming from your jacket laying on the couch and not knowing what it is. Then, "Oh fuck, it's the cell phone." The phone rings SO infrequently, that you forget what the jingle sounds like. I fumble around looking for it somewhere in the 4 jacket pockets and end up missing the call.
Fabian, the front desk clerk at the gym, doesn't know he's my best friend. That I actually look forward to hearing all about his Personal Training class homework that he lost on the computer and it took 6hrs to redo or the boring weekend he had or how he would rather be poor in Miami with the hot sunny days, than poor in a place with crappy weather. Some days, he is enlightening. I enjoy these seemingly one sided chats.
Sure, there is Jim, and thank the universe for that. We get along amazingly. For real. We might as well start our own language, like twins, we spend so much time together.

So the isolation is temporary. It's something you get used to. I made the decision to come here. And more days than not, it IS the best thing ever.

Somebuddy got a Library Card

2009-08-06T15:37:00.003+10:00

Yes, it was SO easy! Just used that trusty insurance letter with my current address and my passport...awe yeah. Up to 50 check outs at one time and a 3 week time allowance. One of the local libraries (Prahran) is conveniently located right near our gym. Personally, I have never been a huge library user, but the convenience makes it a winning situation. Don't get too excited about this though. This library is about at big as the main floor of someone's house. My new goal is to read every book in it before I go back to The States.

Mail!

2009-07-31T18:44:00.004+10:00

I was having a good day; worked out, talked to mom & dad, shopped at the Queen Vic Market, had lots of coffee AND THEN...
I got my first official piece of mail! Yay! It was my insurance confirmation, sent on July 15th from Ohio. Until now, I had only gotten a newsletter from the wine club I joined.
Maybe now I can get a library card!

Webcam!

2009-07-31T18:17:00.004+10:00

Best thing ever! Makes it seem like I am not on the other side of the world!

Left Is Right

2009-07-25T21:50:00.005+10:00

People drive on the left here. The driver's side of the vehicle is on the right hand side. Someone told me when they first got here they kept thinking the cars looked like no one was driving them.
It's critical to know left is right, especially when crossing the road.
At first, I kept walking on the right side of the sidewalk and I was like a fish going upstream. Even when on escalators, the waiters stand on the left and let the walkers pass on the right.

Public Ablution Rooms...ahhh.

2009-07-24T14:41:00.004+10:00

One thing I find extremely helpful, is the frequency and convenience of public restrooms. Almost any city park will have a flushing toilet.
In downtown Melbourne, there are still many above ground loos, which was how it all started back in 1859. That was when the first one was erected on a corner near a post office. It would be another 40-50 years before the women could enjoy the convenience of the public restroom. Now, most of the above ground facilities have been modified to cater to either sex.
Until the 80's, the city subscribed to the underground restroom system, as you would have seen in the UK. I have noticed several of those once upon a time staircases completely sealed off with only the sign and wrought iron railing remaining. Upkeep was the main issue for their closure, as the traffic of the city grew in volume.
Don't forget the hand sanitizer!

Stuff makes me happy

2009-07-20T19:34:00.005+10:00

It happened so conveniently. Americans move home, leaving things they no longer need, I pay them for these things, and wah-la, we now have an *awesome* apartment!
Sort of by happenstance, I met Mark and Nikki on a meet up group for Expats. The sad thing was that I met them at the tail end of their Aussie stint. I spent their last day with them out and about it Melbourne. They are great people, so much fun!
Anyway, for a small investment, I practically got a complete kitchen, minus the major appliances, and all of the creature comforts girls like and boys don't care about!
I love throw pillows for the couch! Every sofa should have them. And a blanky. Every couch should have a blanky! Lamps, geez, you totally need a lamp or two. Let's not forget the vacuum! I don't love to vacuum, but I love the outcome. They were getting rid of everything that I couldn't easily find it the thrift stores. It was brilliant.
I spent all day Thursday unpacking bags of the stuff and putting it in it's new home. It felt like Christmas!
Last week was a great example of "if you're patient, you just might get what you want"...After the stuff arrived on Wednesday, Jim later scored a rolling car with shelves out by our rubbish area. It wasn't in the garbage, just rolled next to it; great condition and free. Exactly what we needed too, along with all the other stuff. There's no place like (Australian) home.

Queen Victoria Market

2009-07-14T17:15:00.000+10:00

Jim commented about this on his blog, but I was there again today.
It is also somewhat of a flea market too. I scored a wristwatch with a stop watch for $15.
According to our new German friends, the market is apparently mad busy with rock bottom prices at the end of close on Saturday. Sunday is good. But not as good as Saturday.
I was on the 1/2 price 2 hr train ticket so I had to get down to business. The fruit and veggie market is like the biggest farmer's market you have seen. Inside is the meat/seafood and deli section. I think I spent about $70 (including the watch) but got chicken, fresh orange roughy, deli ham, minced chicken (eh?), and a ton of fruits and veggies. I guess my hand cart is a trolley, so I loaded up the trolley and was back on the train in an hour and 1/2.

Shrine of Remebrance

2009-07-14T17:09:00.005+10:00

I was out exploring last Thursday and ended up making an accidental find. I was meandering through the Royal Botanical Gardens and saw this big granite building. When I went to check it out. It had stairs, so I climbed those and walked around on it. As I came to the back, I noticed you could actually go under or inside it.
It was free! That was the first thing I liked, but it was also educational and that was nice too. It was the Shrine of Remembrance, erected in 1934 for the soldier of Victoria who fought in WWI. There is an eternal flame and monument on the premises for the WWII veterans as well. After watching a short video, I was guided on a private tour by Keith, a volunteer. He showed me everything there was to see. Awesome.

Geting the "In"

2009-07-08T16:03:00.011+10:00

Although is is not hard to find places to shop, it is hard to find placed that give good deals. At present, I am on a shopping mission. Don't read: fun, trendy shopping. More like household necessity shopping. Stuff is expensive here. There is rarely a day that goes by that I can go out and not spend money. Getting somewhere on the train costs at least $6.80.
Before I arrived, Jim had purchased a pot, fry pan and silverware at Target. Oh, and a spatula (...and a bed, desk and futon, to be totally honest). All of those things were handy. But, being a girl, I needed more stuff. I found my way to the Salvation Army store, or "Salvo" as they call it here, hoping to score some deals. To my disappointment, it was similar to the trendy boutiques surrounding it, not the dependable "thrift" store I was used to at home. I would have a hard time paying $15 for someone's used afghan. They did have some plates that I reluctantly paid $1 each for.
Over the weekend, we met up with some Americans, or similar; from Germany, lived in DC for 7yrs, so Americanized at the least. They have been here for about 2-3 months and gave us the scoop on some shopping.
The Reject Shop. In a word, awesome. Jim and I each spent about $40 and go the following:
Clothes wardrobe hanger $15, 3pk hangers, a bamboo cutting board $8, umbrella $4, french press $8, baggies $2.5, gladware $3, toaster $12, bucket $1, kitchen cleanser $2, and a $15 backpack....anyway, you get the point. I think its so cheap because it's made in China. And from here, that's not too far.
Dan Murphy's. This is a discount liquor mart, similar to Applejacks. The in here is the wine. There are heaps of vineyards here. Most small vineyard sell their grapes to larger brands. If the small place has a surplus of grapes, they bottle the wine but can not label it as it will be in competition with their counterpart. So, they produce "Clean Skins" which are generic label wines that cost $2-$12. It's essentially the popular label brand at a fraction of the cost. Yellow Tail is apparently more here ($5-7US vs $7-12here) because of the high tax on alcohol. Yeah, Clear Skins! I got a generic cab-merlot for $1.99.

the answer to the question you all have...

2009-07-08T15:52:00.003+10:00

Jet Lag

2009-07-02T14:29:00.004+10:00

A wise man once told me, "It usually takes about one day for each time zone you cross to fully feel normal again." I'm not certain how many timezones I crossed. For those of you with no idea, Melbourne is +14 hrs for MI and +16 for CO. That's right, I'm in the future.
Everyone and their dog has advice on how to get normal faster. The Footy game kept me up pretty late, 11pm, on my first day. However, I was still wide awake at 3 am. Hmm. The next night was worse. My dinner didn't sit well, so my stomach was upset and I was a raging mean girl by 830pm. To bed by 9, and up at 3 again!
Over the last few days, things have gotten better. I can stay up until 9-930 and sometimes 10pm. I still wake up at 6am, which is totally unnecessary, but at least I am sleeping for 8hours. Today, however, I might try a nap.

Grocery Cart

2009-07-02T14:19:00.003+10:00

From the time we went to the market on Friday, I was very envious of everyone's rolling satchel for groceries! I had to find one! Target didn't have them, the grocery store didn't...everywhere we went where you would actually need one, they didn't carry them.
However, when I was exploring a main street near our house, there they were chained up on the sidewalk outside a Chinese odds and ends store "Uncle Buck's". YES!!! The lady walked out and asked me what color I would like. I spent some time in the store and bought some other stuff and was so excited to put my purchases in my new wheeled cart! It was $24 of pure pleasure. I was so happy. A while later, I was on the other side of the street and there was another Chinese treasure store with carts...in flower patterns...theirs were $22 (boo). Anyway, I still like my cart. Isn't it cute?

Downtown Melbourne

2009-07-01T08:36:00.005+10:00

During the weekend we visited the downtown area. It is HUGE. Denver is a shadow compared to Melbourne. The population is 4 million, the whole state of CO is 4mill. Chicago's population is 2million and the state of IL is about 12mil.
We went to the 88th floor of the largest residential building in the world, the Eureka Tower. It is a total of 92 stories high. It uses a neat water balancing system to stabilize it during high winds. The last 10 stories have gold plated windows. When it was completed in 2006, the mid-level (floors 82-87) pent houses sold for 7mil. null, it was neat. Not quite as tall as the Sears Tower, Sears is 443m and the Eureka is 300m.
Melbourne is like NYC in a way. There are the cluster ethnic areas. The Target Centre, for example is in "china town".
Target was crazy, more like a department store. It had 3 floors with escalators. As far as product selection, not nearly as accommodating as what Americans are used to. We are so spoiled. I have to say, it is a luxury to be able to purchase food, cleansers, clothing, plants and washer fluid in one tidy and convenient location.

Halloween

2009-07-01T08:16:00.005+10:00

I must say, sometimes I feel like I am in the 80's and 90's here. Skinny jeans abound. Skinny jeans are worn with either flats or tucked into mid calf height boots. Big girls, little girls, skinny jeans are not weight specific.
However, the most fascinating trend, at least to me, is the use of tights. Yes, tight! They are everywhere; under skirts, shorts, and even (gasp) alone! I feel as if it is Halloween all the time. I have even seen stirrup pants. For real.
It is winter here, so scarves are all over the place too. That is a trend that makes sense to me, so I participate.

De Plane, De Plane

2009-06-29T15:10:00.000+10:00

The 15 hr plane ride wasn't so bad! They give you a blankie and pillow. The lights are off. There are lots of movies and TV shows throughout the entire flight. The food was even good!
I flew from Chicago to San Fran and ended up sitting with a couple from Westminster, CO. Not much chatting, bits of sleep. Turns out the husband's family moved to Australia when he was 19 and he lived here for 2 yrs of so. His mom and siblings still live here. He gave me some good info on things to see and do.
After a brief layover in Sydney, I was back in the air at 8am. The very best part was the sun was finally coming up and from the air I saw the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge. That was awesome and made it really sink in.
I was so excited to see Jim! He was holding a "DeCaire" sign at the exit and had a hug waiting. It was the best.

Chicago; Autonomous but Together

2009-06-29T14:36:00.001+10:00

Visiting home, in Michigan, was very nice. Chicago was the last stop of my family and friends tour. I was flying out of O'Hare, so it was a good reason to spend some time with Kyla and check out her new digs and dog, Tucker.
It actually worked out perfectly, as she had work to do and so did I. She would work at her desk in the kitchen and I would use the inflatable mattress in the living room as my desk. I also had errands to run and babies to see, so it worked out perfectly.
Chicago was a great transition from suburbia to city life. We walked or rode the bus or train to get around. The weather was gorgeous, and she only lives 3 blocks from Lake Michigan. We would take Tucker to the beach ever night.
It was also the last time I had to pack my suitcase!! The Behemoth empty, weighed 20lbs. So I carefully packed that in MI so it would not have to be disturbed again. The second duffel was a little trickier. I had to create a "toss" bag of heavy items like conditioner, lotion, etc. that I could get rid of if the weight was over 50lbs.
There was traffic on the way to the airport so I was a little thrown from my schedule. I was totally anxious. I knew once I got to the airport and the bags checked everything would be good. But I was anxious to have all of that happen. I couldn't wait!
Praise Jesus, the bags remarkably weighed 49.5lbs and 50lbs!! I didn't have to move or toss anything! I had won the battle of the bags!
The staff at O'Hare was much more organized than DIA, so the airport experience was pretty painless. Can't wait for that 15 hr flight!

The Behemoth

2009-06-19T01:20:00.000+10:00

Ah, packing. The final frontier.
This is how it went down. Imagine a super clean, empty apartment and in one corner, a 3 x 5 heap of clothing, accessories and stuff. Ladies, this is your life. This is your entertainment, wardrobe and life as you know it for the next 18 months. This is the bar night out with new girlfriends, the day hikes with Jim, the loungy stay in and watch movies days. Not to mention the everyday apparel. A girl can't wear the same shirt everyday. I was already only bringing 4 pairs of shoes. Okay 5. All of this, it all must fit into 2 bags. However, one is already neatly packed weighing in at 47lbs. I mean, I will go shopping, I will explore, but how do you decide what you need? Part of me wants to just get new stuff, but money would be better spent on adventures. So, all of this, the remainder of the "deemed important" stuff, must go into one suitcase that is 29 x 20 x 10. No time for order either, as My Ride was standing over me waiting for me to do something so we could have dinner.

Airlines charge if your bag is over 50lbs. So, with My Ride waiting, I shoved it all in. I unzipped all expandable parts, we pushed down on the top and zipped it up. Done.
Except that you needed 2 people to carry it! I repacked the Behemoth later that evening. Saying, "screw it, I will just pay the weight fee." At this point, I am only going to Michigan. I realize there will have to be some sort of stuff intervention before the "big flight".

The airport was exciting. One girl, 2 arms, a backpack and 3 pieces of luggage that need to be rolled...? Luckily, I didn't have to go too far. But I did face a hiccup. The Behemoth weighed 74lbs! That's like a 7 year old! Ahhh! And the airline doesn't take anything over 70lbs, even with the fee. So, I become "that person". My suitcase is on the floor at the check-in counter, unzipped and I am shoving clothing, books, and whatever into my carry on and perfectly packed 47lb bag. Suddenly, something divine intervened. It came in the form of a tall, skinny, bitchy blond with oodles of frequent flier miles. "Why is there NO ONE checking in first class?" She asked the clerk. "You've got all your best customers down there, and NO ONE is helping them!"

At first, I was like, "are you for real?" But, after she was handled, I reweighed my bags. The flustered clerk only asked to see my ID and didn't bother to charge me a weight fee. Score! I thought it was all good.

HELP

2009-06-19T00:55:00.000+10:00

I used to think that help was overrated, until I actually needed it. But I didn't really know I needed it...but isn't that how it goes?
Help was forced upon me by means of someone simply showing up and insisting on doing work. When I refused, like "I'm not sure what you can do." The helper recommended simple tasks such as piling up wall art for her to wrap. AH -HA. That day paved the way for 8 days of apartment packing...Thanks, Sam!

The other interesting thing about help is that it comes from those whom you least expect. I mean, sometimes your best friend isn't necessarily jumping up and down hoping you pick them. A lovely woman named Nicole, who I've known for months but not really hung out with, cleaned my kitchen and Windexed my windows. Someone let me borrow their car. The comment, "you would do the same for me," was made and I was like, "hmm, not sure, this experience is enough for me." Maybe I would lend the car, that's painless.

My favorite part was Sam and Liz over at 11:30 at night packing packing up the electronics. 3 girls, many cords, and Jim's most favorite items...don't worry, baby. The best part was the sub woofer protected in garbage bags and labeled "receiver". I love that kind of help!

Movers were the best $300 investment! After 4 hours of labor, Jeff and Andy (an Englishman) left me with an empty apartment and a storage unit filled from floor to ceiling, back to front. There was only 1 square foot of space remaining and that perfectly housed the vacuum. Andy must be really good at Tetris.

bye job...bye car

2009-06-02T14:20:00.001+10:00

Friday was a tough day at the office. Saying goodbye to people you see more than your family was rough. I think it might be easier to be the leaver than the leavee. Today was my first job-free day. Not too bad, but didn't seem all that productive either. It's hard to get a sense of accomplishment when you are creating a mess. I threw away about 3 trash bags of paper from my office.
Packing to put stuff in storage for 547 days is a lot different that packing to move 40 miles away.

I also was lucky to pass along my Subaru today. That experience was CRAZEE. I practically feel like I have a new aunt and cousin from the deal. A high strung 24 yr old tree hugger and her mom. The girl was SO happy. I had to meet them at the bank to sign off on stuff. The bank is a 1mi walk, if that. But Chelsea insisted on dropping me off. I joked that she might not have enough gas, but it was kind of the truth.
She even asked if I wanted to drive to my house one last time. I said no and instead, was her first passenger. She gave me a serious hug before I got out. The experience was strange but painless and safe.

Learning to embrace disaster

2009-05-23T06:18:00.000+10:00

Here it is, my blog!
Perhaps, I should have started with Jim's departure day last week, but today will work too.

Jim left last Wednesday. In that time (9 days), I have:
Had a garage sale and made +$150
Resigned from my job (4 days left!)
Watched the Nuggets lose one and win one against LA
Eaten at Casa Bonita for the first and last time
Successfully driven his MANUAL car from the parking lot to the street- they are resurfacing the parking lot- with the help of a friend on the phone and E-How.com

I noticed how my boyfriend had posted a photo with some of the more in depth posts. I like that. This first photo post will be a bit embarrassing, but true.
With the onset of my garage sale, I proceeded to destroy my apartment in the pursuit of items to sell. All books were removed from a bookcase and placed on the dining table. All paper products neatly arranged in a utility cabinet are now strewn about my office. Clothing once organized lay in disarray on the floor, as if my closet got sick. Even more clothes, once dirty and now clean, lay unfolded on the futon. (I'm moving, why bother?)

And then today, the inevitable happens...the landlady wants to show the apartment!
OF COURSE, she does! She laughed heartily when I told her that would be impossible, at least until Tuesday. I think she might be a fellow clutterbug and can totally relate. So now I am off to straighten up before my Friday night begins.