Adieu, Adeiu, to You and You and You

As of two weeks ago we returned to the United States permanently. After our visit to the US at Christmas we decided that we would return to live in the US at some point, but it was just talk and we really didn't have an exit strategy planned. However, after some life altering events we decided that the best place for us, at this time, is in the US where we are closer to our family. So, much as "The Australian Years" chapter of our life has come to a close, so will this blog.

We'd like to return to Australia in the future, we just aren't sure in what capacity. So stay turned, Part II may yet be forthcoming....

Thanks for following along on our adventure.

Winnererremy Bay

We visited Winnererremy Bay a few weeks ago, and I think it may be one of our new favourite places. It has a little something for everyone - a beach, a park, bike paths, hiking trails and the Flying Fox Cafe. I had read great reviews so we decided to grab lunch at the Cafe before exploring. The reviews were right on; it was delicious. I ordered a typical Aussie style burger, complete with a fried egg on top, that really required eating with a knife and fork, while Don ordered the Big Breakfast. Mitch had a ham and cheese sandwich but ended up eating most of Don's meal, which meant that Don ate what I couldn't finish, lol. The green you see on the bottom bun is arugula; they call it rocket and it seems like they throw it on everything here. What happened to iceberg?

After lunch we went to an awesome park located adjacent to the Cafe. It's a great setup, completely fenced and secure so the kids can play on the equipment while waiting for the food to arrive. Mitch climbed the spider web, which rivaled the one at the Powerhouse Museum. Hint, he's wearing a yellow shirt.

We did a bit of exploring...

Here's Mitch doing his best crab impersonation

We had great weather and beautiful scenery - just another wonderful day. I wish I had taken more photos of the beach, the bay and the hiking trails. I guess that just means we'll need to go back soon!

Pottery Class

When Mitch was a toddler we thought we had him figured out. Strong as a horse, active as can be and absolutely fearless. He walked at nine months, and started to run soon after. We assumed that he would be that totally extreme skateboarding / mountainbike guy, full on contact Sporty McSport Sport. However, it's become fairly evident over the years that Mitch has absolutely no desire to play by the rules. We've enrolled him in a few sports camps, but he'd much rather run away with the ball and make his own game out of it, then play with the team. And after a few frustrating tries, we decided that maybe it's not the right time. Or, maybe he's just not that into it.

A few months ago we got Mitch a guitar, and he took to like a duck in water. He absolutely loves it. And even after realizing that learning to play is hard work, and requires LOTS of practice, he's still crazy interested in it! So recently, Don and I realized that maybe it's Mitch's creative side that needs some nurturing.

We decided that an art class might be in order. I was fortunate to come across a local pottery class, with one spot left. Mitch has been to two sessions, and he can't wait for Saturday mornings so that he can play with clay. I'm sure his teacher has a lot to do with it. Teacher Julianne is fantastic, so incredibly nurturing and encouraging. She guides the kids, and praises them when they come up with a concept on their own. He loves it - and we're SO there next term!

Trick and Treat

We've now spent two Halloweens in Sydney, and both have been a letdown. Granted, this is coming from a true blue American, who has years and years of wonderful memories of trick or treating on cool Fall nights, while wearing elaborate costumes. Wonderful Halloween parties on the nights leading up to the big day, and actually being encouraged to wear our costumes to school. Thinking and dreaming of the day for months, almost bursting with anticipation of the thought of gorging ourselves with chocolate and liquid filled wax lips for the next month. But, alas, this is not the case in Australia. Although I think this year it was more popular than last year (thanks to the Disney channel), it still comes no where close to the US, or other countries that embrace the holiday. I had heard that there was a US /Canadian party in the City, so we hit that for a little while earlier in the day. Turns out that it was in a bar, and mainly seemed like a reason to get the parents together to drink. We stayed long enough to grab a bite to eat and for Mitch to break out some killer Jedi moves. Costume decision was easy this year. Star Wars is huge with the kids at Mitch's school, so naturally he wanted to be Obi Wan Kenobe for Halloween. No problem, except that there are no licensed Star Wars patterns. So I winged it. I was a little worried about a wonky seam and the sleeves not being wide enough. All that worry for nothing. Most kids were wearing a plastic cape, or a funny hat, or gel in their hair. Not any type of theme or anything that you might recognize. No one seemed to scrutinize anyone else's costume, or give Kudos. No, "Hey, Obi Wan" or "Is the force with you?"

On the way home we drove around and located a few neighborhoods that had balloons on the fences, indicating that they were passing out candy. Most people handing out candy also asked Mitchell was his trick was. The poor kid had no idea what was going on. One person wouldn't give him candy until he did a trick. When he said he didn't have one, she asked if he had a song or a dance for her. Mitch offered up a knock knock joke, which seemed to appease her, thankfully. We hit about twenty houses and decided to call it a night. We decided to stop at one more house on a corner that had some decorations outside. We walked up and Mitch rang the bell. Three girls came to the door ranging in age from about 8 to 12. One girl gave him candy, and another pulled out a squirt bottle and nailed him straight in the face with a stream of water. The girls laughed and shut the door. My poor little boy, turned around with a smile pasted on his face, but with a look of terrible confusion. I was so shocked I just shuttled him back to the car. At this point I had no idea what was in the bottle, so I was a little concerned. I ended up going back to the house on my own, to make sure it was just water in the bottle. I had originally posted the whole conversation, but suffice to say that the mother was completely apathetic and didn't understand why I was miffed, after all, her kids were just playing "a little trick" on him. * sigh * Someone needs to take Halloween 101. Not a great ending to the night; kind of a buzzkill. It really bothered me, I guess I took it personal. That was until Mitch went to a birthday party this morning and the parents were talking about Halloween. I mentioned the spray bottle incident, and one of the parents sheepishly mentioned that they were thinking of filling some spray bottles to squirt the kids but got busy and forgot about it. They were honestly under the impression that they were supposed to play a trick when kids came to the door. I ended up giving everyone an education on Trick or Trick etiquette. They were totally clueless, and genuinely appreciative for the info. Unfortunately the party ended, so I didn't get to go over wrapped versus non wrapped candy. Fun size Kit Kats = good. Marshmallows = not so much. And yes, someone actually dropped this piece of carrot in Mitch's bucket.

Looking back and putting all that other stuff aside, Mitch had a good time. And that's what really matters. I have more photos on another camera, but I just don't have time to download them. I'll have to add more later. I hope everyone back home had a Happy Halloween!

Cupcakes !!!

Wow - has it been almost six weeks since my last post? I must be so excited about our upcoming trip to the States I guess I figured I'd just tell everyone what we've been up to in person. Anyways, back to the subject at hand - cupcakes. I've always been pretty crafty, but since I've had Mitch and gone back to work full time I just haven't had time to really sink my teeth into anything. I used to cross stitch, but man that takes a long time. Plus, my self diagnosed ADD prevented me from ever actually finishing a complete piece. I must have had 20 different Samplers started (but never finished) lying around the house. I also love scrapbooking, and even brought all of my scrapbooking goodies to Sydney. But without a large space to lay everything out on, it's just too much work to take it out and put it all back at the end of a night. And let's be real, It's all I can do to stay awake after making dinner, playing games, bathtime and home readers. Anyways, while surfing the net a few weeks ago I found a cupcake decorating class in Sydney, and all of a sudden I HAD TO TAKE THAT CLASS. So I signed up with my friend Laura and we took the class on Saturday. I can't even describe how much I enjoyed taking this class. I got to be creative, and learned something in the process. I think the decorating bug has definitely bitten. I'm already planning all the occasions I can make cupcakes for. I think I have a new career aspiration. It's always good to dream....

Pirate Mini Golf

A few weeks ago we went to Pirates Mini Golf in Narrabeen, about 30 minutes up the coast. There were two courses, caves and a pirate ship. Of course, Mitch wanted to go on the ship. About half way through he was visibly disappointed, I think he thought we would be going out on a real pirate ship. Given his expectations, I can understand his disappointment when he boarded the S.S. DryRot pictured below.


But, even though it wasn't a real pirate ship, we had a lot of fun and I think it was the perfect age for Mitch to give it a go.

Max Brenners

Don and I celebrated our ten year anniversary a few weeks ago. It sort of snuck up on us. I know, I know, we only had ten years to plan, right? We had talked about going out, but then all of a sudden the day was upon us, and we didn't have a sitter. So instead of a big romantic night out, the three of us went to dinner, and visited Max Brenner for dessert. We're good friends with Max. Although we don't get together often, when we do it's like we were never apart. Mitch ordered the ice cream dipper and Don and I shared the fondue. Absolutely sinful!

Who can resist 100s and 1000s (aka nonpareils)??

The anticipation....

Fondue - milk chocolate and dark chocolate

Music Man

Mitch has been wanting to play an instrument for over a year. He's changed his mind every few weeks from trumpet to trombone, to drums to violin, but most recently he decided that he definitely wants to play guitar. Specifically a red electric guitar that has a big amp.

We're hoping the apple doesn't fall far from the musical tree. Don's father played trumpet in the USMC band, his mother sang in numerous choirs, his sister is an accomplished keyboardist, singer and songwriter, his brother played trombone in the Purdue marching band and Don played French Horn. Me - I can operate a six disc CD player.

A few days ago Mitch started a list for Santa, and a guitar was at the top of the list, along with a book so that he can learn to read music. Rather than making Mitch wait until Christmas we decided to jump on his latest burst of inspiration and gift him with a simple guitar and some lessons. Tonight we bought him a 1/2 size acoustic guitar. His first lesson is tomorrow - he's very excited!

Parkes NSW

Monday I traveled to Parkes on an assignment. I'm really fortunate to have a job that allows me to visit parts of Australia that I might not see otherwise. I mean, I'm sure we would get around to them at some point. But being able to scope them out on someone else dime is pretty sweet!

As I flew out of Sydney I thought I'd take a picture of the harbor. Great shot, if that darn propeller wouldn't have been in that way. The new airbus 380 has nothing on this baby (yes, that's sarcasm).

I had reserved a rental car with Avis. However, upon arriving at the Parkes Regional airport it didn't look promising.

I called the number listed. The reservation agent advised me that they had only pulled out two cars for the day (seriously), and none were for me. Some sort of glitch in the computer system hadn't forwarded my online reservation to the regional office. Fortunately the airport reservations agent / baggage handler (who also contracts for Budget) overheard my telephone conversation and hooked me up.

My assignment basically entailed me visiting a huge property and looking at a wellbore casing in a field. The property is technically a farm, but it was huge - thousands and thousands of acres huge. Fields of grain and grass crops as far as the eye could see, 3,000 head of beef, stud farming, etc.

The manager of the property was so gracious, and just a very down to earth guy. After our meeting he even had his kitchen prepare us lunch. He was genuinely interested in why our family was in Australia, and what I thought of living here. Then he asked me if I had seen any wild emu. Would I like to? So off we hopped to his ute and went on a wild 4 x 4 ride across several fields, until we spotted these in a canola field. Apparently emu love canola, who knew?
As soon as they saw the truck they knew the routine and took off. Emus are not the smartest birds, and watching them run really brought that home. They are super fast and agile, but they have no idea where they're going. They were jumping over fences then back, then over again - galloping and looking like they were going to end up head over heels at any moment. All the while that huge feather rearend shaking up and down behind them.
The photos aren't that great, you can click on them to enlarge them. We also came across a mob of kangaroos but they were further away so the photos didn't really come out. I've seen kangaroos in reserves, but they are usually walk hopping or lying down. It's an incredible sight to see a group of them hopping in giant strides across a field, with no sign of slowing down. Just incredible! It was soon time for me to head to the airport for my flight back to Sydney. As I left, Ned Kelly saw me off. Ned Kelly is an icon as far as Australian folk lore goes. You can read about him here . I think this Ned SO cool - he is made entirely of car parts!

Overall I loved this trip and I think we're planning a family trip to the region in the next few months. Don is really keen to travel a bit, so Parkes is a good option. We'd like to take a look at the Dish, and the The Western Plains Zoo is in nearby Dubbo . Plus, this was closed on Monday, and I really wanted to go....

NRA Home Readers

Mitch's school sends the kids a Home Reader every night to help reinforce their phonics and reading skills. The Readers are small paperback books, usually about eight to ten pages in length. Some are quite charming, especially since they use Aussie words and reflect the culture. Mitch brought home this Reader last week, which showed great promise.


Hmmm - what could this one be about? Bang - A Traditional Rhyme. Well, it can't be about the Fourth of July. Maybe New Years Eve and fireworks?

Awwww bunnies. I bet the bunnies are holding those little sparklers. Or, maybe those black things that you light on fire - that turn into snakes and stain the driveway. Wait, those don't bang. Back to fireworks - definitely fireworks. Bunnies watching fireworks.

Or not.


I'm thinking the third bunny has the right idea. I mean, we are talking about firearms. This really isn't the time for machismo or boastful pride.


Well, it did rhyme. And really, what says Happy Ending more than a narrow escape?

Jenolan Caves

The weekend before Kevin left for Florida we visited the Jenolan Caves in the Blue Mountains. Our last trip to the Blue Mountains was right after we arrived in Sydney. We went to see Thomas at the ZigZag Railroad. And although Mitchell would have been quite happy to spend another day with Sir Topham Hat, we figured Kevin might not be as enthralled with the Island of Sodor. So off to the Caves. It was about a 2.5 hour trip one way; a perfect day trip. It was Sunday, the last day of school holidays. We didn't make a reservation, and all I can say is thank goodness we didn't try going the weekend before. I would definitely pre-book tickets for our next trip. We got into line to buy tickets for the next tour, starting in about 15 minutes. The tours start about every 40 minutes or so. So, even if you don't pre-book you can buy tickets, you might just have to wait a bit. I was a little disappointed when I heard the cashier tell the two people in front of us that they had purchased the last two tickets for the 2:30 tour. However, it was all good because the tour we missed was deemed, "strenuous". Jenolan has about 15 different tours, of varying difficulty. The tour we ended up purchasing tickets for was called the Imperial Cave, which had a total of 358 steps. In comparison, the River Cave has 1,298 steps. So, with a five year old I'd say turning up in line five minutes late was definitely a blessing in disguise. The cave we went in didn't have the gigantic stalactites, but it was a nice intro to the caves, and I'd definitely go again.




It was really cold outside, and I'm glad we packed coats and hats. It reminded me of being in Seattle, low lying clouds and misty rain. Walking back to our car after the tour, we passed the Inn which looked like a really fun place to stay the night. Maybe next time we'll get a family suite and do a few different tours. One thing that did catch my eye as we passed by....

This is actually representative of Christmas in July, a popular celebration in the colder areas. I had read about this on Julie's blog so I wasn't too surprised. Which means that I got to explain Christmas in July to Kevin - who was thoroughly perplexed with the whole thing. I can't say that I totally buy into it either, but walking in the cold and seeing this tree did give me the warm fuzzies.

Baby Lamb

I was shopping at Peters Meats the other day, the butcher right outside our Woolies. Not to get off the topic, but I really enjoy shopping here. Woolies has everything you need, but the grocery stores in malls are usually flanked by butchers, bakers, candlestick makers...along with chicken, cheese, specialty delis and pastry shops. One of my dream days would be to browse around all the specialty ships and hand pick my groceries ( what can I say, I'm easy to please). Whereas my typical shopping trips usually resemble something closer to say, an episode of Supermarket Sweep. But, back to the butcher... While deciding if we were going to have t-Bone steaks or fillets (which rhyme with "millets" here), my eyes caught a plate of little round lumps of meat, tied up with rosemary labeled, "Baby Lamb Rumps". I was amused. I mean, really, is it necessary to make people feel any worse for eating lamb? For God's sake, lamb = baby, right? Well, as far as lamb is concerned, there is apparently a whole hierarchy of baby-ness. After doing some research I found out that standard Lamb is anything less than a year old, usually around eight months. Then you have Spring Lamb, which is slaughtered at five months. Baby Lamb is just four to six weeks old when it meets its maker. And just when I thought that was as sad as it gets, I discovered that Hothouse Lamb is slaughtered at two to four weeks old, after being raised entirely on mother's milk.

Just writing that is depressing.

I read FastFood Nation in 2001. Or maybe it was 2002. I bought it in an airport during a business trip, and I had a hard time putting it down. After reading it I went on a serious organic beef and chicken kick for about two years. I remember visiting Don's uncle in Oregon that Summer and he told us stories about cows going to auction and the farmers putting cement in the feed to weigh them down. I stayed the path, but after a few years I slipped and started buying chicken sandwiches at Carls Jr, then a burger at Mortons, and then it all went to Hell. Eating out certainly became easier, and my pocketbook appreciated the savings. In fact, I never really thought much about meat at all until last week. I really have no idea what bothered me so much about the lamb. To be perfectly honest, I don't even really like lamb (Which is almost blasphemous to admit here). Maybe because buying meat is usually so removed. You order a pound of something and there it is. And seeing this really made me envision where the lamb came from. I mean, I love a good steak as much as any other self proclaimed carnivore. But at six weeks, shouldn't a lamb be kicking it's heels up in the pasture and nibbling on dandelions? I know this post is all over the place. It's been a long week....and it's only Tuesday.

VB Beer Commercial

This clever new commercial from VB is making the rounds. Every time I see it I notice something new. And the commentary is pretty funny. For the non Aussies, here is a translation guide:

1 - Blokes punching above their weight - Guys dating out of their league
2 - Chucking it all in - Giving up
3 - Chucked a sickie - took a sick day
4 - Cashed up Bogan - white trash with money
5 - Azzas - Aussies add this to names, ie Sharon=Shazza, Derek=Dazza. Not sure why.

It takes about 20 seconds to load....I think it's worth the wait.

First Term Report Card

Schools have four terms here in AU. The terms are usually 8-10 weeks long, with breaks of two to three weeks in between. It sort of sucks. Since we are a two parent working family, these breaks are killing us. I'm sure when kids get older, it's fine to send them to a sports camp or what ever they're interested in. But right now, at five, we both think that Mitch is just too young to be sent to a camp at an unfamiliar place, run by people that we don't know. His campus only has 160 boys so it's not the type of school that has on site Holiday programs. So I guess right before the term ends, the schools usually mail out report cards or evaluations. We just got Mitch's first term evaluation, and I'm less than pleased. Let's start with the categories. In addition to breaking the report down by subjects, there are like 100 specific applications. My gripe is that most of these aren't even applicable to his grade level. Is it really necessary to grade a five year old on "demonstrates understanding of addition process using concrete materials" or "recognizes that text can be produced using word processors". Obviously the report is used for up to 6th grade. It just seems like a one size fits all, which I'm not sure is the best approach. The grades, er, "achievements" are A B, C, D and E. A is "Working beyond, and E is "Working below". Pretty standard, much like the US. There's nothing lower than E, so I figure E is the equivalent of F. Except, "working below" sounds much better than "fail". But my main gripe has to do with the grading that Mitch received in two applications. He got a "D" in "Pencil holding technique". He holds the pencil with the tripod grip, and can color in the lines. So I ask you, isn't that worth at least a "C"? To make it worse I brought it up to the teacher yesterday thinking that she would look at me with astonishment and say something like, "I gave him a D, really? I must have made a mistake". Instead, she suggested that we might want to consider occupational therapy if his writing doesn't improve by next term. I was gobsmacked. I'm a fan of high standards like most parents, but there is no way that we are enrolling him in OT to improve his pencil grip technique. In fact that's another gripe - I just don't consider OT an extracurricular activity. My next complaint is his PE grading. He got "D"s for almost all PE achievements - in particular - "Basic Body Movement". Does the PE teacher have him confused with another kid? Anyone who knows my kid, will agree that he has absolutely no problem with basic body movement. In particular, the comments section states "some trouble with hopping". Overall the grading was "C", which I'm fine with. I just wonder if the expectations are a little high? One thing I can't dispute was the recurring theme throughout the comments sections, "chatty, needs to learn to listen to others, a little talkative, needs to resist the urge to talk, likes to talk"... I get it - he's a chatty Cathy. Look at his parents, what do you expect? Don and I didn't even talk about the report with Mitch. He'll catch up if need be in the next few years. We're totally not sweating it either. After all, doctors have terrible hand writing. Am I right, or am I right?

I was volunteering at the prep shop at Mitch's school on Friday morning when I received a call from Don. He wanted to let me know that TMZ was reporting that Michael Jackson had died. I'm addicted to TMZ. I usually check it once a day, and although Perez and the Superificial are entertaining I find TMZ to be the most up to date and accurate. I was on the road most of Friday so I listened to AM radio, where they were piping in US news programs and tributes.

That evening Don and I were talking about it, and even Mitch seemed to know who MJ was. Well, at least he thought he knew, according to what he had heard at school that day. He was very curious that evening, and so Saturday morning we tried to explain to him exactly who MJ was, and why he was so famous. We tried to pull up some videos for him to watch and of course the internet had slowed to a crawl. Suddenly a lighbulb, MTV! Turned out that VH1 was having a top 30 countdown of MJ videos. Both Don and I thought that Thriller would be a great video for Mitch to see. It's got music, flair, and dancing zombies. How could we go wrong? Hmmmmmm....maybe not such a great idea. Mitch seemed to be into it, until MJ transformed into a yellow eyed people eater. He started shrieking, covering his eyes and attempted to tunnel through the sofa, via my armpit. Don came running into the room, scrambling for the remote. He found it just as Mitch started to calm down. Don turned off the TV, and immediately Mitch popped his head up wanting to know why we turned it off. He started to cry saying he wanted to watch it. So, I uh, I turned it back on. Yeah, I know. He was really into it, said he liked it. So here we are Sunday night. Mitch has called us in three times because he keeps "seeing bad things" and can't sleep. Coincidence? Stall tactic? Bad mommy? Who knows.

On Saturday morning (pre Thriller) I had planned on turning the TV off after one or two videos. but I actually found myself wanting to watch as many as I could. I hadn't really listened to MJ since the early 90s, and I certainly hadn't purchased an album since Bad. but watching the videos really took me back. Last week, if you had asked my opinion of him I wouldn't have been very kind. But one thing that cannot be dismissed is that he had an immense and immeasurable talent. Hopefully he now finds the peace that he was unable to attain during his life.

Karma

First off, the photo has absolutely nothing to do with the post. Just my way of making the grandparents smile :)

Last night Don and I went to dinner with some friends at the Orient Hotel in the Rocks. Wow - a real night out. We got some drinks and got a standing table by the entrance. No chairs, just a table with a little shelf underneath for your purse, etc. About ten minutes in we decided to move upstairs where it was a bit warmer. About twenty minutes after that we were sitting upstairs enjoying our drinks and conversation when I realized that I should probably check my phone, just in case the babysitter had called. What did parents do thirty years ago? I would say that they probably went out and enjoyed themselves, instead of having the luxury to check their cell phone neurotically every half hour (or is that just me?). Well, I looked to the left, to the right, behind me, then jumped up like a bee had stung me, realizing that I couldn't find my purse. I realized that I had left it downstairs, in the crowded bar area. Don went flying down the stairs, I was five steps behind him. The table was now occupied by a group of twenty something guys....and my purse was gone. Now, the story could sadly end there. However, one of the twenty something guys pointed out front and said to my husband, "the bag is over there". The front door guy walked in at that moment, with my purse in hand. The guys at the table had handed it in to security. You cannot believe the feeling of absolute relief that washed over me in that five seconds. I have never lost a purse or had one stolen. I've never even misplaced my wallet (my glasses are a another story). However, I have found a few wallets over the years. Probably the most memorable one is when I was thirteen. I had just walked outside Sav-on when I saw a wallet sitting on the ledge of the pay phones. I looked around and there was no one close by. I stood by it for a few minutes but no one came for it. So I covertly put in under my shirt, which was not an easy thing to do given the size of the thing. This was one of those wallets where the guy had his life stuffed in it. The kind that throws hips out and causes sciatica. It was chockablock full of credit cards, business cards, the pink slip to his vehicle, and a wad of cash. I think it was like $160, which to a thirteen year old in the early 80s was a lot of moolah. I showed my mom and stepfather. My stepfather gave me the sage advice of taking the cash out and tossing the wallet in a mailbox (nice, huh?) where he assured me that the postman would deliver it to the rightful owner. My grandmother, who lived with us, quickly pulled me aside and sat me down. She said that basically I had found the wallet, and it was my decision to do what I wanted. But, I also knew what would be the right decision. I thought about it for about an hour, and decided that I would call the owner. I still remember how nervous I was. I uttered, "I uh, I have your wallet" or something eloquent like that. The guy put the phone down and I could hear him yelling to someone in the background. He got my address, and said he'd be right over. He showed up about twenty minutes later. I gave him the wallet, he opened it up, thumbed through the money - twice - put the wallet in his back pocket, uttered "thanks", then turned around and left. I was disappointed, I really thought I might get a reward. My grandmother said she was proud of me, my stepfather laughed, and I felt like the world's biggest fool. I what-if'd the situation for days. What if I had just taken twenty from the wallet? For a few days I even lived on hope, half expecting him to return and present me with a reward so I could blow it on Chu-Bops and rainbow unicorn stickers. Eventually I came to realize that my reward (and I know this sounds really cheesy) is being able to look back and know that I did the right thing. I hope at the time it gave my grandmother some comfort, knowing that her years of hard work and diligence of instilling values, actually took. So fast forward twenty eight years and here we are. When things like this happen, I think it just verifies that life is full of cause and effect and that our daily actions do shape our present and future experiences in life. Call it Karma, the Golden Rule, or just doing the right thing. By the way, after my knees stopped shaking we bought the group of guys a round of drinks to show our appreciation. And guys - if you're out there - your mums would be proud!

Music Part II

Yes, I realize that I just wrote a post on music. Looking back, it was a bit harsh. I guess that's what a working road trip over a Holiday weekend does. Ultimately, I've realized over the last week that pop and rock are all fine, as long as it's something I like to hear. OK, so I'm a hypocrite, whatever. This song has been getting alot of airplay here. I just heard a few days ago that Australian stations are mandated to play a certain percentage of Aussie music, as opposed to US or UK artists. Interesting. So, I'm not sure if this song is really good, or if I've just grown fond of it as a result of hearing it XX amount of times per hour as mandated by the Australian Government. I actually think the artist might be a Kiwi now living here, or the other way around. Anyways, here's something a little different. Or, maybe it's already hit the States?

Medicare Monday

It's Monday morning. I would usually be at work, but I have an ear infection if you can believe that. Hopefully my boss did. I woke up with the feeling of some pressure on the right side of my face, and a headache. Over the next few hours it developed into something akin to an icepick being driven through my right ear. I now know why babies scream and tug on their ears when they get an ear infection. I got some antibiotics and ear drops, so I'll probably be back to work later today, or tomorrow. I also got the opportunity to use my Medicare card for the first time. Coming over on a 457 we weren't eligible for Medicare so we had to get private health insurance. We paid the bills and then sent them in for reimbursement. But when I got citizenship I became eligible for Medicare (it was a nightmare getting it - but that's a different story for another day). I went to the clinic, gave them my card, saw the doctor, signed some papers and that was that. I had the good fortune to pick a clinic that has bulk billing so I wasn't out of pocket. Bulk billing is an agreement with Medicare where the doctors accept whatever the scheduled fee is that Medicare is willing to pay for XX visit. Even with Medicare here, doctors can charge what they want (like in the States). So if what Medicare pays is less than what the doctor charges for a visit, you end up with a "gap" payment. They can't call it a co-payment here, even though that's essentially what it is. Next I went to get my prescriptions. I thought they might be free here, but Medicare pays anything over $32. My Amoxicillan was $16 so I paid for that, the ear drops must have been more because I paid $32 for those. What, no painkillers? Well that's not a problem since you can pick up codeine over the counter in Australia. All in all, Medicare is not a bad plan, just not as good as the States where our prescription plan was a $10 copay for generics, and $20 for anything else. It will be interesting when I choose a general practitioner for my "regular doctor" as opposed to a clinic, and find out what my gap payment will be. Our insurance plan in the States was exceptional, like the AMEX platinum of insurance. We could pretty much choose any doctor we wanted (and it seemed that every doctor accepted our plan) and we could self refer to specialists, and had only a $10 copayment. I have a feeling that isn't going to happen here.

I'm Old....er

I was going to title this post "I'm Old", then I realized that it would be much like the 120 lb waif that pats her rear and exclaims that she's getting fat. You just want to groan and roll your eyes. Then beat her. But, you see, I'm turning 42 in a few months. The good thing is that I certainly don't feel 42 (I don't feel tardy...hello 1984). On the flip side, I haven't aged or developed into one of those distinguished mature woman that I see around me on a daily basis either. I can be cluelessly inappropriate (usually realized hours after the fact), and I still haven't seemed to learn the basic lesson that my Nana tried to instill in me from a very early age - keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut. I know that sounds harsh, but don't judge her. Unlike her, you didn't have to put up with me as a child. Last week I received another assignment to go to Batemans Bay. We decided to make it a family trip over the long weekend. I booked a great little two bedroom bungalow with a balcony and a spa over the bay. We even planned to stop in Canberra on the way down. I was going to Questacon with Mitch and Don was going to the Australian War Memorial. However, this was not to be. Don got two calls Friday afternoon. One was telling him that the system that he is working on was starting to crash. The second was from his boss in the U.S. telling him that he had decided to fly into Australia...on Monday. So, scratch the family trip. I was disappointed. It was a long weekend, and I was going to end up by myself, working. It was a five hour trip, and due to poor planning I left a little late on Monday. Abut half way there it started to get dark, and that is when I realized that I drive painfully s-l-o-w in the dark. I think the speed limit was 110, which is basically 68 MPH. I was going 100 at the fastest, or 62 mph. I know I was going really slow because every time a pass zone came up, five or six cars would just blow by me, going a lot faster than 62. When I finally arrived the lodge was gracious enough to downgrade me to a small cabin. I think that even they realized that a single woman staying in a deluxe bungalow with a spa on the balcony was just sad. So, I grabbed a quick dinner, got a bottle of shiraz, read a bit and went to bed. In the morning I completed my assignment and headed back home. On the way down I listened to some CDs but on the way back I listened to the radio. Somewhere in between AC/DC, the Black Eyes Peas and Lady GaGa singing about taking a ride on a disco stick my ears started to bleed and I realized that I seriously needed to update my CD collection. I formulated a mental list. Chicago, Elton John, Neil Diamond, James Taylor, and some books on CD. I was craving music that although I found enjoyable enough to listen to over the years, I was now actually looking forward to purchasing. And Books on CD - really? (EDIT - I just had to change this from books on tape to books on CD) I think in general that I am starting to slow down, and not just with the driving. One good thing about the drive back is that I discovered ABC Radio. It's like a poor man's NPR. They were featuring the author of the book Six Months in Sudan. He was absolutely fascinating to listen to, and I was hooked. I think I know what I'm ordering from Amazon for my birthday.... well, that and Billy Joel's Greatest Hits.

Sinkhole in Baulkham Hills

Today I got a new assignment. Figure out how this happened.



Sand, sand, and more sand.



Should I get a little closer?


Wow - that's a big hole.

I figure this should keep me busy for the next week or so. And because it's Friday, I thought I'd add something really shocking....