The washer is the dryer

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.