kangaroo sightings

Four months is the longest that I have ever spent out of the county. Definitely at any one time, quite possibly cumulatively as well. It's interesting the things that I miss in the US. Number one on my list is my family of course. I had a much needed visit with my Grandmother and I got to meet my new nephew for the first time. Cutest baby ever btw. Number two on my list is friends. I unfortunately am not going to make it to SF on this trip, but I will be spending a substantial bit of time in Raleigh. Hopefully I will be able to catch up with some friends while I'm there. Number three is burritos. I desperately want to pop down to the Mission for an authentic burrito, but will most likely be settling for some kind of Moe's in the near future. Number four is fast and cheap internet. While I'm here though, I do miss the weather in Australia (it is REALLY cold in Cincinnati, OH and Knoxville, TN) and driving on the left. I got rather used to it and now feel completely out o...

This post is long overdue... So first let me start off with Melbourne Cup Day, since that is what made our trip to New Zealand possible. This was the first time that I have gotten a paid holiday from work for a horse race. We heard that it was a sight to behold and were debating whether or not to travel on that day. We opted for NZ but luckily, on our trip home from the Melbourne airport, we got a little taste of what Melbourne Cup Day is all about. I have never seen so many well-dressed, sun burnt, drunk people stumbling home in all of my life. For those that were not drunk, it was obvious that either the sun or the previous drunkenness was already taking its toll and it was a bit like watching a massive walk of shame. I hope to join the masses next year (for the race, not the walk). I will wear sunscreen and a massive hat and perhaps maybe even drink a little bit of water! As for 'crossing the ditch,' which is slang for traveling to New Zealand, in one word... fantastic! We f...

I somehow managed to get tackled during my last TOUCH rugby match. Some guy though it would be a good idea to run straight towards me at speed while I thought it would be a good idea to hold my position on the tri line. The good news is that they didn't score on that possession (we still managed to lose the game), that I walked away from the incident, and that the guy apologized repeatedly. The bad news is I came away from that game with a jammed finger, a bruised knee, and a scratched shin. I'll spare everyone the pictures, but my finger is still probably twice the size it should be. So much for touch, eh? I do think that I gained a bit of respect from me team that night. It hurt, but there was no way I was not walking that one off...

Let me start out by asking how long you think it would take two otherwise intelligent engineers to realize that having a balcony means balcony furniture, which means cheap chairs from the hardware store ($15 AUD with beer holder!). This is what Brendan used to sit on (to work at the desk that he got off of the curb in front of our building). Yes, it is the hutch to the desk that he got off of the curb in front of our building. Thanks to our brilliant breakthrough though, we have not had to sit on the floor of our apartment or the deathtrap of a hutch for the last few days. And in case any of you are thinking about how silly we are, why did no one suggest this to us earlier?!? 6 weeks! That is how long it takes! In other news our stuff was delivered today! before after This is Brendan sitting at our table (actual table elevated above the floor) before eating dinner (chicken, rice, and vegetables that were cooked in cookware other than the infamous 3 pots). Brilliant! There were a few c...

Brendan and I decided to attempt to cook a Thanksgiving meal with our minimal cookware in Australia (no, we still have not gotten our furniture). It was one day late because we opted to go out for drinks with some friends on Thursday. So, on Friday in 3 pots and 1 pan, we managed to make a feast of chicken (turkeys are too expensive here!), stuffing, sweet potatoes, green beans, gravy, and apple pie. The source of some of the food was a bit dodgy, but dammit it tasted good (the secret was lots of butter and Sara Lee pie). Brendan carving the chicken, our serving platter, and our feast on our dining room table. We also used the good china.

How cool is that?!?

We got 'em! It only took 3 weeks...

The long awaited update to my blog - last updated 4 weeks ago! I suppose the saying is true that time flies when you are having fun. Some brief updates on my last 4 weeks (in order of how I think of them): I found an acceptable apartment in St Kilda (near the beach) and bought a refrigerator (two strange things: I own a refrigerator but not a house and I'm taller than my refrigerator - it's so cute and efficient though). I went back to SF for a week and got some much needed friend time. Brendan came back with me to Oz. We bought a washer, dryer, and futon (although the futon was purchased about 3 days ago, so there was a lot of floor sleeping time). We had our stuff packed and shipped from SF while I was back and the latest update is that it is to arrive to Oz customs 22 Nov (that's a long ways off still!). I've started playing rugby (crazy polite touch rugby, but still rugby - note that "tag" rugby means tackle but fortunately I did not learn that the hard wa...

I don't really know how to describe my last 2 weeks in Melbourne. I have had the craziest luck and I don't know whether I should be laughing or crying. There was the day that I set out on my apartment hunting adventure. I had a list of 22 apartments over a span of 7 hours. I got lost, agents didn't show up, apartments were already leased, I got lost some more, agents left early... it started raining... Then there was the day that I went to see one apartment, and then couldn't get back to work until 4 hours later. It was the Friday before the Grand Final and I honestly had to call my boss and say the words, "I'm sorry. I cannot make it back to work yet. I am currently stuck on the wrong side of a parade." No matter how far I walked, I couldn't get across, around, or under the parade. And then, while talking to my boss, my prepaid phone ran out. I tried to take advantage of being downtown and setting up my bank account... no, it was parade time. Or there...

Brendan and his parents came out to visit last weekend, which was fantastic! I love it when I have people to hang out with in this country!! Saturday, I attempted driving for my second time to go to the airport and pick them up. Crazy right-sided driving on the left side of the road. Still incredibly difficult! I must have let my guard down a bit though b/c I got honked at more this time than last. I also got a pretty good piece of a curb (I hope Mark doesn't read this...). It also didn't help that on the way back from the airport, we had 4 people and 8 suitcases in one car. Brendan decided to use his parents as luggage mules, so that we don't have to ship our toys via the boat. I have no idea how I am going to move out of my serviced apartment by myself now based on the amount of stuff in there... Saturday we went to a few house inspections (Fitzroy) and then wandered through QVM and the CBD. We saw Fed Square, the Yarra River, the Docklands... we had beer and coffee spora...

Stupid grill/oven thing that looks like a microwave! I have no idea how to use you and you have ruined so many of my meals! If anyone who is reading this has any idea how or what to cook in this contraption, please let me know. I thought I was going to set off the building smoke alarm tonight! So, despite my best efforts, it was cereal for dinner (b/c I am also not interested in eating out by myself again). In other news I went to some inspections (open houses) this weekend, which consist of apartments being opened for 15 minute windows (all of which overlap). It completely reminded me of SF (in a bad way) except that the agents were at least on time. They still rolled up in their incredibly expensive cars and put forth only enough effort to open the door. I'm honestly surprised that some of them bothered to put pants on. But, despite the complete lack of effort or care, the places were still packed, which is why I suppose that they don't have to care. Buildings in Melbourne ...

For those of you that know of my obsession with Thomas Voeckler, I have to add Buddy Franklin to my list. Hello semi-finals!

And by rock, I mean I'm awful. The good news is that this post will probably be a novel since I have bunches to report. For lack of better organization, I'll try and start from the beginning! FOOTY! I went to my first footy match two Sundays ago (Hawthorn Hawks vs. Richmond Tigers) and I loved it. I also now can officially call myself a Hawks fan as I feel like I have been "inducted" into aussie rules football. It all goes back several weeks when Brendan visited Melbourne and brought me a Hawks scarf back to San Francisco. For lack of other loyalties, I thought that I would become a Hawks fan, although based on what I heard and read about footy fans, I was being very careful with how I threw that piece of information around. And I definitely wasn't wearing my scarf. I could just imagine myself walking into the wrong bar at the wrong time with the wrong colors around my neck... But then I saw that the Hawks were playing the Tigers on a Sunday afternoon at the MCG (...

In 12 hours, I will have been in Australia for one week... First some updates on my last post. The office is a bit more lively now with 3 people and we all have working computer stations (with power). An Australian did say today though that things were "getting a bit squeezy." As for the right turn from the left thing, Mark informed me that it's called a hook turn, that it's only done in the CBD of Melbourne (downtown), and that it even confuses the locals. While that does make me feel better, it was crazy to be on a tram the other day that turned left directly in front of a car turning right (i.e., their turn lane was to the left of the tram). Yeah, it's that crazy. Today was my first day working out of our field office. It appears that I will be splitting my time between our downtown office and our field office about 50/50, which might just be perfect. Some days I will have quiet, sparsely occupied downtown office and other days I will have louder, livelier fiel...

Some notes about my first weekend in Australia: Friday I actually worked a full day. Mark, my coworker, picked me up and showed me the office where he then left me so that he could go to the jobsite. It turns out that transitioning from an office of 40 to an office of one is slightly difficult; I could not believe how quiet it was! Good thing Australian employee no. 3 will be starting in the office on Monday! Too bad we only have one power strip in the office (which is currently set-up for my desk/computer)... After fueling up with brekky juice on Saturday, I went sight-seeing! First, I walked to the Queen Victoria Market, which is a fantastic flea/farmer's market. It is also the place from which all of you will be receiving Christmas presents I'm sure. I only spent about an hour here but now know that it deserves an entire Saturday probably at least once a month. From there, I walked down William Street and saw Flagstaff Gardens, the Royal Mint, the courts, the Stock Exchange,...

it is possible to get a full night's rest on an airplane as long as you have at least 3 seats. corkscrews are considered deadly weapons in Sydney (as fantastically demonstrated by the security guard who took mine). exchange rates on traveler's cheques are awful - why do people use these? i'm still knockered at about 2pm despite getting a full night's rest. the action in cricket is not as confusing as i thought, but the scoring is impossible ("363 for 9"?!?). and of course (courtesy of the Sydney airport): BRILLIANT!