Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tardy
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Company and Rediscovery
(just incase you're really bored). But for now:
Moving far from loved ones is often hard and stressful. You miss them, they sometimes resent you, you miss them, they occasionally miss you, you miss them, they finally admit they miss you a bit, you find out your new town doesn't carry your quirky favorite snacks (like Kraft mac and cheese spirals), and guess what, you then also miss Kraft mac and cheese spirals and strawberry frosted poptarts.
The upside is that your loved ones have a cool new place to visit. Bob and I have a month ahead with visitors a plenty. After having nary a soul for months, we are to be swamped with 5 guests in a month. April shall be the month of craziness and fun!
Dennis, my sister-in-law's boyfriend arrived on Saturday. As Bob and I have been in Sydney for eight months, many of the daily sights and sounds have become normal, and unfortunately overlooked.
It's been great having Dennis around. Not only can he whip up an awesome pizza, but he gives a new sense of appreciation for where we are.
On his first day, we did what we do to any new arrival - walk their ass off. If you land after your 14.5 hr flight and go to sleep - you are in a world of trouble as jetlag will hit you like the fist of a boxing kangaroo. Walking through the Royal Botanic Gardens, Bob and I got a fresh appreciation for Australia's great plants, the glistening Opera House, massive Harbour Bridge, the local pubs, and even the haunting bird call of a currawong.
So we're looking forward to the month ahead, with many days of great rediscoveries, of why we moved here in the first place.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Of Pawns and Kings
In Hyde Park, massive fig trees rustle their leaves to a silent melody, ibises patrol the lush grounds on silent feet, and, on the northwest corner, grizzled immigrants duel on a concrete battlefield.
These men conduct daily war against each other on a giant chessboard. There's a grey-haired tyrant, who shouts profanities in some European language as he proudly knocks over his opponent's pawns. His opponents are a mix of old and young allied forces. They pool at the edge of the board like a collective think-tank, encouraging their lead solider to defeat the "tyrant." On rare occasions of victory, the allied forces crow in triumph like roosters at dawn. It's an amusing scene.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Expectorating walk
Bob and I hiked The Spit to Manly Walk over the weekend. I felt from the name we should be embarking on a mission down a giant's digestive tract. Rather, the path led us through diverse habitats, past multitudes of basking lizards (Bob's very proud of his picture of this Eastern Water Dragon),
past the most pathetic lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere, and left us with a great craving for ice cream.
Cliffs thrust their limbs to the Pacific Ocean with rocky abandonment (see attached warning below).
And those nautically endowed flooded the waters with sailboats and high flying acts.
At the end of our hike we met our friend Fiona for a drink and to admire the crowds at the surf beach of Manly.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
"I get around"
Out of curiosity, I turned to a guy on my right to see if he was wearing a sports jersey. He was wearing lingerie. I turned to my left, that guy was wearing pink fairy wings. Turns out Sydney's Mardi Gras parade, is the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.
Once Bob and I finally found a spot in the flashy crowd, we were entertained by drag-queens, co-ed lifeguards singing to the Beach Boys 'I get around, ' and lesbian's on motorcycles, and so on. The crowd was crazy with enthusiasm and with over 300,000 spectators, it was quite a show.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Politically incorrect
Breast cancer fundraising banner at the mall. "Every mouthful helps."

Ad for a job website at the train station. The disclaimer reads, "Results may vary."
It may not be p.c., but I can't help but laugh.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Slip, Slop, Slap
Bob and I went north to the lovely Balmoral Beach on saturday. Our plan was to spend a few hours on the beach to soak up some sun and go for a swim - not a bad itinerary for a February day.
As summer started, I heard a lot of radio ads for, "Slip, Slop, Slap." Without any further information, I came to the conclusion that "Slip, Slop, Slap," must be a slogan for some dodgy brothel. However, one day at the beach, I head a little girl yell out to her brother,"DON'T FORGET TO SLIP, SLOP, SLAP!" And I thought, "That's just not right."
Turns out "Slip, Slop, Slap" is a slogan for the Cancer Council of Australia. "Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat." That makes more sense.
Australia has a very aggressive skin cancer awareness campaign. Which makes sense for a country with the world's highest incidence of skin cancer.
So while Bob and I were at the beach we were careful to protect our skin. Due to a rather grotesque commercial by Al Bino that is aired rather frequently, I can't seem to apply sunscreen without thinking of a cheese-head version of a mole singing, "It's a beautiful day for cancer." No words can accurately describe it. Be happy the commercial isn't playing in the States, it's gross, but effective.
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