Just because I find the international dateline a thing of hilarity and/or absurdity (and, oh alright, usefulness as well), I thought I would share my flight itinerary with you:
Melbourne to Sydney
Departure: Oct 21, 12:20 PM EST (afternoon)
Arrival: Oct 21, 1:45 PM EST (afternoon)
Sydney to San Francisco
Departure: Oct 21, 3:45 PM EST (afternoon)
Arrival: Oct 21, 11:11 AM PDT (morning)
Yes, that's right. I'm arriving in San Francisco 4 hours BEFORE I left Sydney. HOW CAN IT BE?????
San Francisco to Newark
Departure: Oct 21, 1:32 PM (afternoon)
Arrival: Oct 21, 9:59 PM (evening)
It's seriously like Groundhog Day. Should be interesting. At least I have two books, my iPod, and sleeping pills to keep me company.
By the way, Darcy has been inordinately lazy with her blog post about house sitting, but I told her she could have free reign of the blog while I'm gone, so maybe she can put something together for us. You should hassle Will about that!
Alright, friends-- I'm off!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Off to the Races!
With spring in Victoria comes inconsistent weather, floral dresses in shop windows that no one can wear without leggings and jumpers, and a plethora of horse races. That's right, it's racing season in Australia!
Being the Australian adventurers that we are, Will and I made our way to the Caulfield Racecourse on Saturday for a day of horse racing. The races in Victoria are huge events and are the height of fashion, gambling and champagne consumption. The Caulfield Cup is one of the biggest racing days of the season, perhaps second only to Melbourne Cup Day, which falls on the first Tuesday in November and is a public holiday in Victoria. That's right, the entire state gets the day off on behalf of a congregation of really fast four-legged animals.
As I mentioned, racing is all about the fashion. So before you ask what that giant thing in my hair is, let me introduce you to the concept of "the Fascinator." What the Terminator is to termination, the Fascinator is to fascination. Actually it's simply a hair accessory, like a scaled back version of a hat. Everyone wears them. I swear.
Up close and personal with the Fascinator
Requisite animal cruelty picture
Proof of the Fascinator's vast influence - even the Cup Girl wears them!The races themselves were a good time as well, although they may have taken a back seat to the people watching. Our friends got there early and staked out a really good spot right next to the course. We had an amazing view of the final stretch, the better to see our horses lose.
Absolute Joy - I picked her because she shares my middle name, but she was unable to return my $5 investment.
Lining up for the start of the big race
And down the stretch they come!The worst part of the day was possibly the weather. It started off cold and rainy, then warmed up for a few minutes, then got cold and rainy again, then warmed up and ... well, you get the picture. Even though we were chilly half the time, Will still managed to acquire quite the rosy shade of burned. Only in Melbourne can you freeze and fry at the same time.
Our first racing experience proved to be a success, despite our $10 gambling loss. Although we get the day off for the Melbourne Cup, we may forgo the races in favor of a more subdued viewing experience. I'm not sure the Fascinator is ready for another go just yet.
Our first racing experience proved to be a success, despite our $10 gambling loss. Although we get the day off for the Melbourne Cup, we may forgo the races in favor of a more subdued viewing experience. I'm not sure the Fascinator is ready for another go just yet.
Speaking of Interruptions...
In my last post I discussed the interruption that house-sitting provided to our "Australian dream." Well, looming on the near horizon is yet another, more momentous interruption: my return to the Homeland.
This Wednesday I embark on my 25-hour-long journey to New York City for Carissa's wedding. I can't believe the time for my trip is already here. When I bought the ticket it seemed like such a distant, quasi-imaginary dream that I would ever actually be making my way back to the States, yet here I am, packing my bags, preparing for my one-and-a-half weeks in North America.
I'm not exactly sure what I want to say about this... there's such a mixture of thoughts and emotions that come with returning home. Will I survive the twenty-five hours on multiple planes without Will to keep me entertained? More importantly, will I be able to get back on a plane just 1.5 weeks later? Will my friends think I look the same? Will they remark on my charming new Australian accent? Will I max out my credit cards buying things I haven't seen in nine months? Will I be able to say goodbye to friends and family, not knowing when I'll see them again? Will I be able to be as happy with life in Australia upon my return after having been "awakened" from the dream before we're even halfway through?
Who knows? I'm not trying to sound over-dramatic here, but Lord knows that as great as Australia is, the US--even New York City--will always be home. And home is not something that's ever easy to leave behind.
This Wednesday I embark on my 25-hour-long journey to New York City for Carissa's wedding. I can't believe the time for my trip is already here. When I bought the ticket it seemed like such a distant, quasi-imaginary dream that I would ever actually be making my way back to the States, yet here I am, packing my bags, preparing for my one-and-a-half weeks in North America.
I'm not exactly sure what I want to say about this... there's such a mixture of thoughts and emotions that come with returning home. Will I survive the twenty-five hours on multiple planes without Will to keep me entertained? More importantly, will I be able to get back on a plane just 1.5 weeks later? Will my friends think I look the same? Will they remark on my charming new Australian accent? Will I max out my credit cards buying things I haven't seen in nine months? Will I be able to say goodbye to friends and family, not knowing when I'll see them again? Will I be able to be as happy with life in Australia upon my return after having been "awakened" from the dream before we're even halfway through?
Who knows? I'm not trying to sound over-dramatic here, but Lord knows that as great as Australia is, the US--even New York City--will always be home. And home is not something that's ever easy to leave behind.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Back to Reality
Is it seriously October already? Have three weeks really gone by since I've last blogged? I swear that the house we were sitting was really some type of time warp, sucking the present-tense into an infinite black hole of doom and despair.
Really.
But now we're back to reality, and though reality is not quite as luxurious and comfortable as the time-warp days were (Oh! Audi convertible, how I miss thee and thy opulence!), it is nice to be back to our tiny apartment in our little corner of South Yarra. I really missed being able to step out my door and find hundreds of cafes, restaurants, parks, and shops within a five-minute walk--a perk that the suburbs just can't give you.
Not that living in the suburbs wasn't a nice break from the "Australian dream," a term I coined to describe the scaled-back, minimalist lifestyle that we have adopted since moving to this fair continent (contrary to how it may sound, it has nothing to do with the real Australian dream, which I imagine would be quite different). These past few weeks Will and I spent many an evening eating dinner on our [borrowed] deck, reminiscing about our own townhome so many thousands of miles away, recalling the good memories of dinners with friends, neighbors that yelled at us (and had our gas turned off), and the overall feeling of permanence and stability that it gave us (goes to show you that feelings of permanence and stability shouldn't always be believed!). And don't get me started on the cars-- it was so nice to be able to drive everywhere we wanted to go again, and leave the city on weekends, and have a way to transport your dog that doesn't involve her clawing your eyes out because she happens to be scared of trains.
It was a well-deserved time out.
But I'm also glad that this is not how we decided to experience Australia. I love the nitty-grittiness of roaming the streets of Melbourne by foot, which sometimes leads to the discovery of a funky new cafe or a second-hand bookshop, and riding the train, which gives you an insight into all sorts of lifestyles. Cars can be rented, houses are waiting for us upon our trip home, but our current corner of the world, and the lifestyle we have adopted, still has much more to offer us.
And that's my take on house-sitting.
P.S. Darcy is working on her own version of her Pascoe Vale experience with her friend Tofu. She'll be able to give you a better account than I ever could.
Really.
But now we're back to reality, and though reality is not quite as luxurious and comfortable as the time-warp days were (Oh! Audi convertible, how I miss thee and thy opulence!), it is nice to be back to our tiny apartment in our little corner of South Yarra. I really missed being able to step out my door and find hundreds of cafes, restaurants, parks, and shops within a five-minute walk--a perk that the suburbs just can't give you.
Not that living in the suburbs wasn't a nice break from the "Australian dream," a term I coined to describe the scaled-back, minimalist lifestyle that we have adopted since moving to this fair continent (contrary to how it may sound, it has nothing to do with the real Australian dream, which I imagine would be quite different). These past few weeks Will and I spent many an evening eating dinner on our [borrowed] deck, reminiscing about our own townhome so many thousands of miles away, recalling the good memories of dinners with friends, neighbors that yelled at us (and had our gas turned off), and the overall feeling of permanence and stability that it gave us (goes to show you that feelings of permanence and stability shouldn't always be believed!). And don't get me started on the cars-- it was so nice to be able to drive everywhere we wanted to go again, and leave the city on weekends, and have a way to transport your dog that doesn't involve her clawing your eyes out because she happens to be scared of trains.
It was a well-deserved time out.
But I'm also glad that this is not how we decided to experience Australia. I love the nitty-grittiness of roaming the streets of Melbourne by foot, which sometimes leads to the discovery of a funky new cafe or a second-hand bookshop, and riding the train, which gives you an insight into all sorts of lifestyles. Cars can be rented, houses are waiting for us upon our trip home, but our current corner of the world, and the lifestyle we have adopted, still has much more to offer us.
And that's my take on house-sitting.
P.S. Darcy is working on her own version of her Pascoe Vale experience with her friend Tofu. She'll be able to give you a better account than I ever could.
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