Confession: I have downloaded over fifty mp3s in the past week. Ninety nine percent of them were free on amazon's daily deal page, but one had to be obtained perhaps not legally? Only because it is so freaking awesome? I'll be playing it for my Title I students? Is that ok now? What if I volunteer in a hospital every week? Does that negate the stealing?
Anyhoo, this song was playing in the background of some online wedding photography website that my new friend Emily Shmemily was looking at, and it instantly transported me to a green shady meadow with popsicles and cloud pictures and colorful and slightly out of focus pictures taken on a Leica camera. I've been listening to it for the past fifteen minutes.
Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream
Saturday, August 29, 2009
the summer of michael jackson
That was the summer of 1963 - when everybody called me Baby, and it didn't occur to me to mind. That was before President Kennedy was shot, before the Beatles came, when I couldn't wait to join the Peace Corps, and I thought I'd never find a guy as great as my dad. That was the summer we went to Kellerman's.
This summer has felt a little bit Dirty Dancing to me. Radio stations have been playing Michael Jackson and Jackson 5 on frequent rotation, and the hot days of 2009 have melted a bit into the hot days of 1964 and 1971 and 1982 and 1991. Blasting oldies and disco out your car window has never been this cool. Michael has been re-embraced, with the nostalgia usually reserved for poodle skirts and letterman jackets. Gone is the creepy ghost who was not safe around kids. In his place is a cultural icon who broke down racial barriers and changed the history of music. This is the Michael Jackson of 1992, before the sexual abuse allegations, before he was more white than black, before he was reduced to a tabloid has-been. This is the Michael Jackson with stringy, shoulder length hair, with mocha skin, with shiny jackets and shortened black dancing pants, with contagious stage energy and a overwhelming desire to fix the world. You can see him on memorial and tribute pages around the internet and at newsstands. This is the Michael Jackson of 2009, remembered with reverence and humanity.
I have been a constant Michael Jackson fan, ever since my brother won the Dangerous album (cassette) at a Bar Mitvah party. (See here, here, here, here, and here.) I wasn't very depressed when he died or anything, because I don't know him personally and I was not holding my breath for another We Are The World or Thriller moment. His glory days are truly behind him.
I was just blasting my Jackson 5 CD while getting ready for a date, and my windows are wide open in the stuffy August heat. A neighbor I've never spoken to came by to introduce herself because she was sitting in her living room, rocking out to my tunes. She was so jazzed to hear "Mikey" that she just had to find out who was this other fan in the building!? We laughed, because it's cool to like him now.
I mean really, how can you not smile when you hear his sweet little boy voice confidently confiding, "I'll be there."
Friday, August 28, 2009
the most wonderful time
All of a sudden, I have ten thousand things on my to-do list. It's a big shock that la-la summerland is ending and it's back to work for me. I can barely concentrate because of how many tabs are open on my computer, but this is how I work best. I'll multitask the shit out of the weekend and then welcome, kids!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
The current administration is so fucking awesome:
A million followers – nice. What would you like to see more of from this feed? Photos? Quotes? Cowbell? Tell us @whitehouse
Sunday, August 23, 2009
I was so shocked I nearly dropped the Bible I was using to help me masturbate into my gun.Sometimes Huffington Post is hilarious.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
...aussie observations
Aussies don't chew a lot of gum. There are only about 4 flavor choices at any given convenience store. It does not get much better at grocery stores. A popular flavor here is blueberry, which I am eager to try.
Seriously, everyone is white. White with blue eyes and blondish hair. There are very few people with black hair, and even fewer black or brown people. In Sydney, there were many Asians, but up north not so much beyond the tourists.
They do not use paper towels here, unless you are in a really fancy establishment. Most bathrooms use air dryers. This is only useful if you don't want to waste paper or if your jeans and tennis shoes are soaked from the rain. Otherwise, it dries out your hands and takes a lot of time.
The canned tuna selection at the grocery store is incredible. They sell as much tuna here as we do chips in the US. Tuna comes already flavored in little pop top cans, so you can take a piece of bread and a can for lunch and be all set to go. Some flavors include: sun dried tomato and onion, lemon pepper, thai red curry, sweet corn and mayonnaise.
Seriously, everyone is white. White with blue eyes and blondish hair. There are very few people with black hair, and even fewer black or brown people. In Sydney, there were many Asians, but up north not so much beyond the tourists.
They do not use paper towels here, unless you are in a really fancy establishment. Most bathrooms use air dryers. This is only useful if you don't want to waste paper or if your jeans and tennis shoes are soaked from the rain. Otherwise, it dries out your hands and takes a lot of time.
The canned tuna selection at the grocery store is incredible. They sell as much tuna here as we do chips in the US. Tuna comes already flavored in little pop top cans, so you can take a piece of bread and a can for lunch and be all set to go. Some flavors include: sun dried tomato and onion, lemon pepper, thai red curry, sweet corn and mayonnaise.
team jacob
Thank god I am finally done with all of the Twilight books and can get on with my life. I am happy to report that the saga ended satisfyingly, with enough to give me warm thoughts as I fall into bed and no doubt stumble around half asleep tomorrow at work. I have put in about forty man hours with those babies and half of them were at night. I recommend them wholeheartedly to everyone, but just don't start reading until you have emptied your week of children or gainful employment.
I haven't read this much in ever, and I really feel like a better person. I'm talking about the ten books I read over the month plus I was in Australia, plus the four gargantuan vampire novels here in LA. I have overflowing bookcases at home and at work, but for some reason I end up watching movies more than reading. Let this be a sign!
I haven't read this much in ever, and I really feel like a better person. I'm talking about the ten books I read over the month plus I was in Australia, plus the four gargantuan vampire novels here in LA. I have overflowing bookcases at home and at work, but for some reason I end up watching movies more than reading. Let this be a sign!
Monday, August 17, 2009
This is the song that made me cry while walking through the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne. I heart Nickel Creek.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
a little late to 2008
I am not going to lie, I have spent the past few days holed up in my apartment reading the Twilight Saga books. The first day I started reading, I stayed up until five in the morning. The next day I stayed up until two, but the early bedtime was due to work the next morning and not because the sequel was any less riveting. Yesterday I lay in bed for five hours reading and the only reason I got up was because I was late to my friend's engagement party. Today was pretty much the same story, only more so. I had zero food in the house so was eating crackers and salsa for breakfast and lunch until luckily, I finished number three at sixish and allowed myself to go to the market. I've got the last book to read and I'm determined to finish it by Tuesday night, which will have been a week since I started the series. Thirty two hundred pages, not bad.
If I find any of my students sneaking this book under their desks during lessons, I'm just going to escort them out into the hallway with my blessing to skip class until they are done. It's not like you can concentrate on ANYTHING while your head is residing in Forks, Washington.
(True story: I went to a concert on Thursday night and brought the book with me to read before the show started. I did put it down during the performance, but felt my mind wandering to Bella and Jacob between songs.)
I can't believe I resisted for so long. People, if you are a teacher or have teenage kids or really if you want to remain relevant in society, JUST FUCKING READ THE BOOKS.
(Also: I have a mad girl crush on Kristen Stewart.)
If I find any of my students sneaking this book under their desks during lessons, I'm just going to escort them out into the hallway with my blessing to skip class until they are done. It's not like you can concentrate on ANYTHING while your head is residing in Forks, Washington.
(True story: I went to a concert on Thursday night and brought the book with me to read before the show started. I did put it down during the performance, but felt my mind wandering to Bella and Jacob between songs.)
I can't believe I resisted for so long. People, if you are a teacher or have teenage kids or really if you want to remain relevant in society, JUST FUCKING READ THE BOOKS.
(Also: I have a mad girl crush on Kristen Stewart.)
Monday, August 10, 2009
new years resolutions
- See more movies. At the movie theater. Go alone, if you need to. (You love going to movies alone.) See double features. (It's easy to sneak into the theater when you're alone.) Bring snacks.
- Keep running. Those podcasts aren't listening to themselves.
- Make sure that you travel again this year. If not winter break, then absolutely for sure summer break. Take a trip in the spring, too. (It can be a short one.)
- Finish all those freaking photo books. For reals, this time.
- Keep the fridge clean. Empty it regularly. The shit that came out of it this summer was disgusting. Let's be classy, now.
Saturday, August 08, 2009
states I've been to
and I'm not counting the ones in which I had airplane layovers or drove through on the Greyhound without getting off.
from visited map of The United States
from visited map of The United States
Friday, August 07, 2009
letter to Chatz
Anna,
One of the reasons I like you so much is the way that you are able to verbalize and rationalize how it's OK that sometimes life sucks. My friend Sierra once called me up and was complaining that she feels like college was a waste, that she didn't learn anything, that she wasted four years of her life and her parents' money, that she has learned so much more in the "real world" than at UCSD, etc. I found myself channeling ANNA KATZ and talking about how sometimes it's not the actual product that counts, but the experiences that came along with it.
I remember all the times when I was at school (and oh, in my apartment last month) and feeling bad about not fitting in, or feeling like I was missing something, or that the grass was greener on some other campus, or that I had no idea what I wanted to become. And I would call you up, and you would give me sage advice because you had gone through that phase just days prior, and had already figured out the answer. Not the solution, but how to understand that being confused was the first step towards figuring stuff out. Because now that I knew what was bothering me, I could realize that everyone else deals with the same problems and insecurities, and that's OK.
Could this letter be any sappier? Recently, I was thinking about Thanksgiving, and how instead of putting up a post about what I am thankful for, I thought I would make a list of all my friends and put what they should be thankful for, stuff that maybe they don't realize or value about themselves. So Anna, this Thanksgiving, be thankful that you helped me through my teens and over the hump into my early twenties.
I love you,
me
One of the reasons I like you so much is the way that you are able to verbalize and rationalize how it's OK that sometimes life sucks. My friend Sierra once called me up and was complaining that she feels like college was a waste, that she didn't learn anything, that she wasted four years of her life and her parents' money, that she has learned so much more in the "real world" than at UCSD, etc. I found myself channeling ANNA KATZ and talking about how sometimes it's not the actual product that counts, but the experiences that came along with it.
I remember all the times when I was at school (and oh, in my apartment last month) and feeling bad about not fitting in, or feeling like I was missing something, or that the grass was greener on some other campus, or that I had no idea what I wanted to become. And I would call you up, and you would give me sage advice because you had gone through that phase just days prior, and had already figured out the answer. Not the solution, but how to understand that being confused was the first step towards figuring stuff out. Because now that I knew what was bothering me, I could realize that everyone else deals with the same problems and insecurities, and that's OK.
Could this letter be any sappier? Recently, I was thinking about Thanksgiving, and how instead of putting up a post about what I am thankful for, I thought I would make a list of all my friends and put what they should be thankful for, stuff that maybe they don't realize or value about themselves. So Anna, this Thanksgiving, be thankful that you helped me through my teens and over the hump into my early twenties.
I love you,
me
things I appreciate...
...now that I am in the land of plenty. A list:
- My big, fluffy towel. No more crap, scratchy, throwaway towel or skinny, microfiber, quick drying towel. This is the real deal. My home towels weigh in the POUNDS.
- My shower which emits water with pressure!
- Toilet paper that is not translucent. I'm not kidding, or exaggerating, because I actually use quite cheap and simple toilet paper at home, but compared to Australia's half ply, mine is like cloth.
- Snoozing my alarm clock. You can't do that in a dorm full of sleeping travelers. In the hostel, I felt guilty that my alarm went off in the first place!
- Netflix Watch Instantly.
- Using my credit card and debit card! Without incurring monstrous foreign finance charges or transaction fees!
- Using my planner.
- Leaving my toiletries in the bathroom, especially my contact container. It seems like a total luxury to let it sit on a counter, instead of next to my bed where it might tip over at night.
- Walking around my apartment barefoot.
- Talking on the phone.
popsicles!
Since I have about seven loads of laundry sitting on my living room floor, I have been incredibly industrious doing everything BUT. Just this afternoon, I went through a month's worth of mail, signed up for online billpay for all my utilities, cleaned and reorganized my freezer, and applied for several student volunteer organizations. Now I am ready to make popsicles.
Is your apartment as hot and stuffy as mine? I considered eating ice for dinner. Thus:
BREAKFAST POPSICLES
SNACK POPSICLES
CAMPFIRE POPSICLES
DESSERT POPSICLES
These popsicles are all incredibly tasty and nutritious and I dare you to eat less than three every day. My friend Haley's kids stopped eating Otter Pops and requested the banana apple pops first thing in the morning for days. You can buy popsicle sets at the grocery store or the 99cent store or even Ikea. If you're desperate, then just pour the ingredients into a cup, dump in a spoon, and freeze. If the cup is paper, tear the cup when you're ready to eat. If it's plastic, run it under hot water for a minute to get it loose.
Is your apartment as hot and stuffy as mine? I considered eating ice for dinner. Thus:
BREAKFAST POPSICLES
- mush up a banana
- mix it with apple juice (about half/half)
SNACK POPSICLES
- cut/mush up some strawberries or rasberries or blueberries, or all three
- mix with Greek or Lebni yogurt (the thick kind)
- mix in some honey or fruit syrup (I use a blackberry kind that you are supposed to mix with water to make punch)
- if you don't have syrup, you can use jelly and some water
CAMPFIRE POPSICLES
- mix Greek or Lebni yogurt with apple juice or apple sauce
- mix in some honey
- add cinnamon
DESSERT POPSICLES
- make Ovaltine
- mix with vanilla yogurt
These popsicles are all incredibly tasty and nutritious and I dare you to eat less than three every day. My friend Haley's kids stopped eating Otter Pops and requested the banana apple pops first thing in the morning for days. You can buy popsicle sets at the grocery store or the 99cent store or even Ikea. If you're desperate, then just pour the ingredients into a cup, dump in a spoon, and freeze. If the cup is paper, tear the cup when you're ready to eat. If it's plastic, run it under hot water for a minute to get it loose.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
last day!
I'm pretty ready to leave. I can't wait to take a looooong shower, to hang out in my apartment naked, to leave dishes in the sink, to put food in the fridge without labeling it name/room/date of departure, and to freaking BRUSH MY TEETH AND LEAVE MY TOOTHBRUSH IN THE BATHROOM.
I've already done all the shopping I need to -- and "need" is pretty liberal here since what I purchased was $50 worth of junk food -- but I have a few extra hours to wander around and maybe buy some real souvenirs. But really the best stuff is at the grocery store, so this time I go to Woolworths and buy stuff. Exciting.
I'm already packed, all my food is hidden away, my airport shuttle is booked, and I'm ready to go! See you on the other side!
I've already done all the shopping I need to -- and "need" is pretty liberal here since what I purchased was $50 worth of junk food -- but I have a few extra hours to wander around and maybe buy some real souvenirs. But really the best stuff is at the grocery store, so this time I go to Woolworths and buy stuff. Exciting.
I'm already packed, all my food is hidden away, my airport shuttle is booked, and I'm ready to go! See you on the other side!
blue mountains
Today I wake up at an ungodly hour so that I can get an early train to Katoomba. I am going to spend the day in the Heritage listed Blue Mountains. At this point, I have been to more UNESCO sites in Australia than I have been to at home.
I'm not sure what to expect in Katoomba, since I didn't book a tour or a bus, but it turns out to be surprisingly easy. I tear a map out of one of those free regional magazines next to the train station, and walk into town. At the tourist information office at The Echo Point, the guide tells me I can do the cliff walk from Katoomba to Leura and it will take a few hours. I hadn't planned on hiking because my legs were so knackered yesterday on my walk, but I'm feeling good now, and plus, I have a nice size food bag that is filled with bread and peas and chocolate.
The Blue Mountains are spectacular. The cliff walk follows the edge of one mountain as it curls around and winds its way to the other side of a huge valley. Every lookout is stunning and it reminds me of the Grand Canyon. The mountains are heavily forested and looking down is like looking at a thick, green, carpet. Several faces of the surrounding cliffs are free of vegetation and the exposed red, striped rock shines in the sun. I take about seven hundred pictures. There are waterfalls, and eroded rocks, and dripping vines, and hollowed out cave-like curves. The mountains are steep and the lookouts are scarily perched on overhanging rocks. On my last hurrah, I climb 388 steps from Siloam's Pool to the cliff top in Leura. Yes, I counted.
I walk from 10am to 4pm and am utterly exhausted by the end. I sleep the whole train ride back.
On my last Australian evening, I shower, pack, make noodles, and read Seven Years in Tibet, which is FANTASTIC. It is the first real book I have read in a month (the rest have been total crap writing), and I can't put it down.
This is when I notice that my watch has broken. On my LAST NIGHT, the screen is mysteriously blank. Not so mysterious when I consider that I accidently showered with it earlier, but it claims to be water resistant up to 30 meters, and a few minutes of shower sprinkle is less than 30 meters, right? WRONG. I can't bring myself to buy another one for bucks for just one fucking morning. I walk around the neighborhood checking the 7-11s, but non of them sell cheapo alarm clocks. I ask two separate roommates to wake me up in the morning and go to sleep.
(I woke up at 5:45, in case you were wondering.)
Australian thing of the day: Nothing. There is nothing left in Australia that I haven't eaten. It is time to go home.
I'm not sure what to expect in Katoomba, since I didn't book a tour or a bus, but it turns out to be surprisingly easy. I tear a map out of one of those free regional magazines next to the train station, and walk into town. At the tourist information office at The Echo Point, the guide tells me I can do the cliff walk from Katoomba to Leura and it will take a few hours. I hadn't planned on hiking because my legs were so knackered yesterday on my walk, but I'm feeling good now, and plus, I have a nice size food bag that is filled with bread and peas and chocolate.
The Blue Mountains are spectacular. The cliff walk follows the edge of one mountain as it curls around and winds its way to the other side of a huge valley. Every lookout is stunning and it reminds me of the Grand Canyon. The mountains are heavily forested and looking down is like looking at a thick, green, carpet. Several faces of the surrounding cliffs are free of vegetation and the exposed red, striped rock shines in the sun. I take about seven hundred pictures. There are waterfalls, and eroded rocks, and dripping vines, and hollowed out cave-like curves. The mountains are steep and the lookouts are scarily perched on overhanging rocks. On my last hurrah, I climb 388 steps from Siloam's Pool to the cliff top in Leura. Yes, I counted.
I walk from 10am to 4pm and am utterly exhausted by the end. I sleep the whole train ride back.
On my last Australian evening, I shower, pack, make noodles, and read Seven Years in Tibet, which is FANTASTIC. It is the first real book I have read in a month (the rest have been total crap writing), and I can't put it down.
This is when I notice that my watch has broken. On my LAST NIGHT, the screen is mysteriously blank. Not so mysterious when I consider that I accidently showered with it earlier, but it claims to be water resistant up to 30 meters, and a few minutes of shower sprinkle is less than 30 meters, right? WRONG. I can't bring myself to buy another one for bucks for just one fucking morning. I walk around the neighborhood checking the 7-11s, but non of them sell cheapo alarm clocks. I ask two separate roommates to wake me up in the morning and go to sleep.
(I woke up at 5:45, in case you were wondering.)
Australian thing of the day: Nothing. There is nothing left in Australia that I haven't eaten. It is time to go home.
bron-tee, bon-dee, coo-gee
So my mom does this Kabbalah stuff and met this Australian woman who also does Kabbalah stuff and then they emailed each other and my mom told her that I would be in Australia and she emailed me back and invited me over for lunch. Only it was really difficult to arrange the actual lunch, because I don't have a cell phone here, and my schedule has never been totally set, and she only checks her email once a day. So finally, in my final days, we agree to meet at a cafe in Bronte under her flat.
The bus ride is uneventful until the bus rounds a curve and tops over a hill to give a glorious view of Bronte, a little beachside suburb of colored buildings and a rocky peninsula and white sand, and it is just PERFECT. I'm early for our lunch, so I actually walk back up the hill to where the bus turned so I can take some pictures of the picturesque area. I can't believe I haven't been here sooner.
I meet Orna, and she tells me that we are having lunch with a visiting Kabbalah scholar, which I find weird. I'm pretty sure that she knows that I don't study Kabbalah and I would hope that she knows that I didn't come to Australia to meet any visiting scholars of anything, but I don't say anything. We take a gorgeous walk along the beach to get to Bondi, and meet Zohar. He is actually quite funny and I'm glad he's there. When we get to the cafe, his friend Shuli meets us, and she is even cooler. We talk about crazy southern Christian Fundamentalists, and Aboriginal cultures, and the ultra orthodox guy that was just caught selling body parts on the black market. Shuli and Zohar are quite interesting and I'm actually enjoying myself. The highlight of the month comes when Zohar asks me where I'm from because HE THOUGHT I WAS AUSTRALIAN. AN AMERICAN GUY THOUGHT I WAS AUSTRALIAN. I can't help but adopt the accent when I hear it all around me, and I'm THAT GOOD. He doesn't believe me when I say I'm from LA until I list some streets in Beverlywood that he is familiar with.
After lunch – a very delicious spinach/pumpkin/feta/tomato/pine nut salad, we part ways and I take the cliff walk all the way to Coogee. It starts out well, with the brilliant ocean on one side and the eroded sandstone ledges on the other – all of Australia is made of sandstone, basically – but I get tired quickly and Coogee turns out to be MUCH farther than the 5k that Lonely Planet promised. By the time I get there I have only the strength to buy a frozen coke and plunk my tired butt onto a bus.
Back in Sydney, I have a long time with the check in guy about the best junk foods here. He has some very strong opinions. He also has a routine in which he eats strictly healthy 6 days a week and then on his day off from work he pigs out on junk food. The other workers sitting at check-in nod and shake their heads to let me know that he actually DOES consume junk food all day long Sunday. He shows me some of his favorites online. We agree that Tim Tams are amazing and then I go off to Coles to buy about 15 packs of them. For you. All of you. (And some for me.)
I meet Georgina the Irish and Hannah the Finnish back in my room, eat dinner, and finish my ninth book of the trip. Luckily, this YHA is stocked and so I load up on 5 more books, just in case.
Australian thing of the day: ME. (almost)
The bus ride is uneventful until the bus rounds a curve and tops over a hill to give a glorious view of Bronte, a little beachside suburb of colored buildings and a rocky peninsula and white sand, and it is just PERFECT. I'm early for our lunch, so I actually walk back up the hill to where the bus turned so I can take some pictures of the picturesque area. I can't believe I haven't been here sooner.
I meet Orna, and she tells me that we are having lunch with a visiting Kabbalah scholar, which I find weird. I'm pretty sure that she knows that I don't study Kabbalah and I would hope that she knows that I didn't come to Australia to meet any visiting scholars of anything, but I don't say anything. We take a gorgeous walk along the beach to get to Bondi, and meet Zohar. He is actually quite funny and I'm glad he's there. When we get to the cafe, his friend Shuli meets us, and she is even cooler. We talk about crazy southern Christian Fundamentalists, and Aboriginal cultures, and the ultra orthodox guy that was just caught selling body parts on the black market. Shuli and Zohar are quite interesting and I'm actually enjoying myself. The highlight of the month comes when Zohar asks me where I'm from because HE THOUGHT I WAS AUSTRALIAN. AN AMERICAN GUY THOUGHT I WAS AUSTRALIAN. I can't help but adopt the accent when I hear it all around me, and I'm THAT GOOD. He doesn't believe me when I say I'm from LA until I list some streets in Beverlywood that he is familiar with.
After lunch – a very delicious spinach/pumpkin/feta/tomato/pine nut salad, we part ways and I take the cliff walk all the way to Coogee. It starts out well, with the brilliant ocean on one side and the eroded sandstone ledges on the other – all of Australia is made of sandstone, basically – but I get tired quickly and Coogee turns out to be MUCH farther than the 5k that Lonely Planet promised. By the time I get there I have only the strength to buy a frozen coke and plunk my tired butt onto a bus.
Back in Sydney, I have a long time with the check in guy about the best junk foods here. He has some very strong opinions. He also has a routine in which he eats strictly healthy 6 days a week and then on his day off from work he pigs out on junk food. The other workers sitting at check-in nod and shake their heads to let me know that he actually DOES consume junk food all day long Sunday. He shows me some of his favorites online. We agree that Tim Tams are amazing and then I go off to Coles to buy about 15 packs of them. For you. All of you. (And some for me.)
I meet Georgina the Irish and Hannah the Finnish back in my room, eat dinner, and finish my ninth book of the trip. Luckily, this YHA is stocked and so I load up on 5 more books, just in case.
Australian thing of the day: ME. (almost)
back to sid-nee
My overnight bus landed in Sydney at 8 in the morning and I was ZONKED. The YHA didn't check in people until noon, so I took all my crap up to the lounge and had a nap. When I could finally check in, I had a much needed shower. THEN I WENT SHOPPING!!!!!!!
Well, I kind of walked around the historically important Rocks area, but mostly I was shopping. I bought a big, cozy, gray sweatshirt/sweater that I will not wear for several months in LA. I walked across the Harbor Bridge and it was cool to see the whole city of Sydney below me. I went shopping at Coles supermarket and bought what I thought was enough food to last for the next few days.
In the evening, I watched Milk at the hostel. It was incredibly moving and reminded me of all the protests that went on this year against Prop 8 and the gay marriage ban. I felt like I really had to discuss that with someone but absolutely no one in the room (or in my hostel room) was American. It was pretty frustrating.
Australian thing of the day: My new fleece sweatshirt! Or the eighth McDonalds soft serve of the month!
Well, I kind of walked around the historically important Rocks area, but mostly I was shopping. I bought a big, cozy, gray sweatshirt/sweater that I will not wear for several months in LA. I walked across the Harbor Bridge and it was cool to see the whole city of Sydney below me. I went shopping at Coles supermarket and bought what I thought was enough food to last for the next few days.
In the evening, I watched Milk at the hostel. It was incredibly moving and reminded me of all the protests that went on this year against Prop 8 and the gay marriage ban. I felt like I really had to discuss that with someone but absolutely no one in the room (or in my hostel room) was American. It was pretty frustrating.
Australian thing of the day: My new fleece sweatshirt! Or the eighth McDonalds soft serve of the month!
Saturday, August 01, 2009
last day in mel-bin
Other than some random shit like going to Coles several times and wandering around the CBD again, today is movie and shopping day. First I go to acmi, the Australian Center for the Moving Image. They only had one exhibit open on a guy I've never heard of (Len Lyons), but it was entertaining enough.
Then I saw a movie in the Melbourne International Film Festival! Rough Aunties tells the story about this organization in South Africa that helps women and children who are victims of abuse. There is a lot of raping and beating and sadness going on, and I cried nearly the whole time. It was very moving. Information about the organization, Bobbi Bear, can be found at http://www.roughaunties.com
I think the most touching part of the film was when one lady's son drowned in the river, and everyone is attending the Zulu funeral, and the main Bobbi Bear woman stands up to do a eulogy. She calls out, gesticulating wildly, “Over here, we are all waving to him and saying 'Goodbye, we will miss you,' but on the other side, there are crowds of people clapping and shouting, 'Come! Come to us! Welcome!”
After that I wandered around some more and went shopping and finally made my way to the State Library just as its exhibitions were closing. Oh well. Back to the hostel to eat dinner, collect my things, and get to Southern Cross station for my overnight bus to Sydney.
Australian thing of the day: Fleece sweatpants from Supre. Australian sweatpants which I plan on wearing daily in several months when it gets this chilly in Los Angeles. Before that, I'll probably wear them straight through from now until I land in Los Angeles.
Then I saw a movie in the Melbourne International Film Festival! Rough Aunties tells the story about this organization in South Africa that helps women and children who are victims of abuse. There is a lot of raping and beating and sadness going on, and I cried nearly the whole time. It was very moving. Information about the organization, Bobbi Bear, can be found at http://www.roughaunties.com
I think the most touching part of the film was when one lady's son drowned in the river, and everyone is attending the Zulu funeral, and the main Bobbi Bear woman stands up to do a eulogy. She calls out, gesticulating wildly, “Over here, we are all waving to him and saying 'Goodbye, we will miss you,' but on the other side, there are crowds of people clapping and shouting, 'Come! Come to us! Welcome!”
After that I wandered around some more and went shopping and finally made my way to the State Library just as its exhibitions were closing. Oh well. Back to the hostel to eat dinner, collect my things, and get to Southern Cross station for my overnight bus to Sydney.
Australian thing of the day: Fleece sweatpants from Supre. Australian sweatpants which I plan on wearing daily in several months when it gets this chilly in Los Angeles. Before that, I'll probably wear them straight through from now until I land in Los Angeles.
real people day
It's real people day! I meet Gavi, long time family friend, and we walk to Queen Victoria Market together. Gavi was traveling in China for a month and stopped over in Australia to visit some friends from college who live here. It's a total coincidence that we're here at the same time, and we wouldn't even know it if our parents didn't blab about us so much! I haven't talked to Gavi for years, and we catch up on the walk and while swiping fruit samples at the market.
She is an experimentor just like me, so we buy a bunch of foreign fruits and have a tasting! The quince is large a yellow, and feels and tastes like a really dry apple. It is clearly not meant to be eaten plain. Next is a passion fruit, which is so pretty and round and purple/green on the outside, and then crazy orange and goopy on the inside. This particular passion fruit is really sour, so we pour sugar over it (quite liberally) and then it's really tasty. Too many seeds for me, and also, I'm not into fruits that require utensils to eat. Third is the golden kiwi, which looks like a normal kiwi from the outside, and then a little duller on the inside, but tastes very little like kiwi and very much like banana. I like it, and it doesn't make my mouth pucker. Last is the mangosteen, which I have gobbled down freeze-dried from Trader Joes, but never had fresh. From the outside, it looks like a plum, but the part you eat inside is white and soft and comes apart in chunks like a head of garlic. It is wonderfully delicious, like a mango/bananaish berry flavor. I will get more of these in Sydney.
After the market, we half walk, half tram to St. Kilda by the beach, walk along the pier as the sun is setting, and see a mini penguin nesting in the rocks! There are many picture attempts, but we are not allowed to use flash because the area is protected, so instead we and a bunch of people silently huddle around a clump of rocks and whisper to each other when the penguin moves. Everybody is very respectful of the animal and no one wants to disturb the peace. It feels very sacred and special and it's nice to share the experience with this small group of strangers.
In the evening, we go to dinner and party with Gavi's friends, Claire and Cameron. And thirty of their closest friends and relatives. It is Claire and sister Bridget's birthday. I eat dinner in a real pub! Which is called a Hotel! And I know I'm not entirely objective because I haven't had a restaurant meal in over a month, but my sun-dried tomato grilled onion cream and tomato sauce pasta is SO FUCKING GOOD. We talk to Claire's friends and it's nice to have a conversation other than how long were you in Cairnes or did you do self guided or tour group on Fraser Island. Gavi and I are the youngest by 10 years and I'm definitely the scruffiest in my jeans and t shirt, but it's still fun. After dinner, the party moves back to Claire and Cameron's flat and we drink long island ice teas and eat delicious rasberry birthday cake and I'm social some more before I have to leave and catch a tram home. I tell one fellow who we talked to all evening that I was happy to hang out with “real Australians,” and he responded that he was voted Most Australian in his class in high school. (He grew up here in Melbourne, in Australia.)
Australian thing of the day: Real Australians.
She is an experimentor just like me, so we buy a bunch of foreign fruits and have a tasting! The quince is large a yellow, and feels and tastes like a really dry apple. It is clearly not meant to be eaten plain. Next is a passion fruit, which is so pretty and round and purple/green on the outside, and then crazy orange and goopy on the inside. This particular passion fruit is really sour, so we pour sugar over it (quite liberally) and then it's really tasty. Too many seeds for me, and also, I'm not into fruits that require utensils to eat. Third is the golden kiwi, which looks like a normal kiwi from the outside, and then a little duller on the inside, but tastes very little like kiwi and very much like banana. I like it, and it doesn't make my mouth pucker. Last is the mangosteen, which I have gobbled down freeze-dried from Trader Joes, but never had fresh. From the outside, it looks like a plum, but the part you eat inside is white and soft and comes apart in chunks like a head of garlic. It is wonderfully delicious, like a mango/bananaish berry flavor. I will get more of these in Sydney.
After the market, we half walk, half tram to St. Kilda by the beach, walk along the pier as the sun is setting, and see a mini penguin nesting in the rocks! There are many picture attempts, but we are not allowed to use flash because the area is protected, so instead we and a bunch of people silently huddle around a clump of rocks and whisper to each other when the penguin moves. Everybody is very respectful of the animal and no one wants to disturb the peace. It feels very sacred and special and it's nice to share the experience with this small group of strangers.
In the evening, we go to dinner and party with Gavi's friends, Claire and Cameron. And thirty of their closest friends and relatives. It is Claire and sister Bridget's birthday. I eat dinner in a real pub! Which is called a Hotel! And I know I'm not entirely objective because I haven't had a restaurant meal in over a month, but my sun-dried tomato grilled onion cream and tomato sauce pasta is SO FUCKING GOOD. We talk to Claire's friends and it's nice to have a conversation other than how long were you in Cairnes or did you do self guided or tour group on Fraser Island. Gavi and I are the youngest by 10 years and I'm definitely the scruffiest in my jeans and t shirt, but it's still fun. After dinner, the party moves back to Claire and Cameron's flat and we drink long island ice teas and eat delicious rasberry birthday cake and I'm social some more before I have to leave and catch a tram home. I tell one fellow who we talked to all evening that I was happy to hang out with “real Australians,” and he responded that he was voted Most Australian in his class in high school. (He grew up here in Melbourne, in Australia.)
Australian thing of the day: Real Australians.
I heart mel-bin, day II
When I wake up, I notice that there are two people sleeping in the bed opposite from me! Freaky, since I am the only other person in the room! Gross, stop it!
Today is arts and museum day. First I go to the Victoria National Gallery and see several exhibitions-- Indiginous art, clothing from Jane Austin's period, Chinese Imperial robes, chairs from the 1960s, and a bunch of Rembrandts. I also see a lot of school groups and their INCREDIBLE UNIFORMS. Teenagers are wearing matching skirts, shirts, ties, sweaters, tights, shoes. Many of the school groups have girls wearing ties. Most also have all students wearing suit jackets. Like, EVERYTHING they wear is uniform. Without exception, every girl has unkempt hair.
At the Ian Potter Center, I see more indiginous art and more hippie chairs and some Australian painting which I think is incredibly uninteresting.
I take a walk through Melbourne's botanical gardens, which are a little like Sydney's in that they are arranged in a sprawling park, but there are no signs whatsoever, and it is chilly and overcast and I'm not feeling it. I stop in at the ANZAC memorial and learn FINALLY that ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. So ANZAC day is their remembrance day. An old lady gives a boring tour of the building, and I'm not terribly impressed, maybe I would have been at the beginning of my trip but I just can't be bothered to care that on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the sun shines in a line EXACTLY at this spot and lights up the symbolic gravestone just so. The view from the top of the memorial is stunning, though. You can see the Yarra river and north suburbs from one side, and central Melbourne and the bay on the other. Here's where it starts drizzling.
What else do I do in Melbourne..... oh yeah, I go to church. The big cathedral near my hostel has an afternoon prayer service every weekday with a choir, and I can't resist a choir! Thankfully, the praying part is minimal, and the singing part takes up most of it, and it is just lovely, with all the young boys and their contra-alto voices (I think that's what it's called) and the echoing in the stone hall.
Back at the ranch, I had some veggie nugget from Lord of the Fries and watched The Notebook on the hostel telly. One point for me since this movie stars Rachel McAdams. God, I love this movie. It is a total chick cry-fest, but it's awesome. Then I hang out at McDonalds and do internet.
Australian thing of the day: Fake birkenstock sandals that I bought at Big W for $12.99. I have been looking for ones just like it at home to no avail. Yay Australia!
Today is arts and museum day. First I go to the Victoria National Gallery and see several exhibitions-- Indiginous art, clothing from Jane Austin's period, Chinese Imperial robes, chairs from the 1960s, and a bunch of Rembrandts. I also see a lot of school groups and their INCREDIBLE UNIFORMS. Teenagers are wearing matching skirts, shirts, ties, sweaters, tights, shoes. Many of the school groups have girls wearing ties. Most also have all students wearing suit jackets. Like, EVERYTHING they wear is uniform. Without exception, every girl has unkempt hair.
At the Ian Potter Center, I see more indiginous art and more hippie chairs and some Australian painting which I think is incredibly uninteresting.
I take a walk through Melbourne's botanical gardens, which are a little like Sydney's in that they are arranged in a sprawling park, but there are no signs whatsoever, and it is chilly and overcast and I'm not feeling it. I stop in at the ANZAC memorial and learn FINALLY that ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. So ANZAC day is their remembrance day. An old lady gives a boring tour of the building, and I'm not terribly impressed, maybe I would have been at the beginning of my trip but I just can't be bothered to care that on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the sun shines in a line EXACTLY at this spot and lights up the symbolic gravestone just so. The view from the top of the memorial is stunning, though. You can see the Yarra river and north suburbs from one side, and central Melbourne and the bay on the other. Here's where it starts drizzling.
What else do I do in Melbourne..... oh yeah, I go to church. The big cathedral near my hostel has an afternoon prayer service every weekday with a choir, and I can't resist a choir! Thankfully, the praying part is minimal, and the singing part takes up most of it, and it is just lovely, with all the young boys and their contra-alto voices (I think that's what it's called) and the echoing in the stone hall.
Back at the ranch, I had some veggie nugget from Lord of the Fries and watched The Notebook on the hostel telly. One point for me since this movie stars Rachel McAdams. God, I love this movie. It is a total chick cry-fest, but it's awesome. Then I hang out at McDonalds and do internet.
Australian thing of the day: Fake birkenstock sandals that I bought at Big W for $12.99. I have been looking for ones just like it at home to no avail. Yay Australia!
alice to mel-bin
Crazy busy morning! Transport! Getting food for the flight! Saying goodbye to Marjolein :( !!! We all sort of race around to shower and do laundry and buy snacks and be packed in time for our airport shuttle, which drops us off with about ten minutes to spare in the airport. Aline and I write up our Uluru trip on the plane, all while stuffing our faces with TimTams and sandwiches. We talk a lot about our guide, fucking awesome Glenno. As we circle over Melbourne, we are mesmorized by the green and the water and the skyscrapers and the urban sprawl. It is gorgeous! I haven't been around green in a week, and I haven't been amongst buildings higher than two stories since Brisbane, almost a month ago.
It is sad to say goodbye to Aline, because I could see myself being real good friends with her. I want to keep traveling together, but she has booked a jillaroo (cowgirl) course in Sydney for the next two weeks. I do french braids on her in the airport.
The airport bus driver drops me off at a random hostel right next to Flinders Station, in the middle of the CBD, and it's heaven. The hostel has a huge kitchen, lots of couches, a TV room, thick duvees, and very tight security. There are huge lockers in my room, which means I can leave practically everything every day, which is awesome for my back.
I wander around Melbourne central for the whole afternoon, marveling at the crowds and at the architecture. Several buildings on every block are built in the Victorian style, with ornate window carvings and arched doorways. These churches and government buildings and shops sit right next to other buildings with modern cement and glass construction. There are tram wires suspended overhead, and traffic lights, and traffic. The combination of old and new is charming. It feels very European. And it is not even that cold! I would say that it's the same, if not warmer, than Alice. I was expecting below freezing, given the latitude and the season.
Since the city is so far south (look it up on a map, I am right above Antarctica), the sun starts to set at 5pm, and shops all close up. I find a discount bookstore which is open and almost buy a book about Mesopotamia for my class, but think better of it. There is no shopping for work on this vacation!
For dinner, I have hot chips from Lord of the Fries with Indian sauce of creamy mango chutney. Decent. I like ketchup better. Back at the hostel, I watch a little Secret Life of an American Teenager and then get to bed at 9ish. I am EXHAUSTED from the Uluru trip.
Australian thing of the day: Vanilla malt Brekka, marketed as breakfast on the go. Ingredients include and are limited to: milk, sugar, malt, vanilla. Not a terribly good breakfast, but a nice way to drink milk. Also: Tim Tams. These are like a gift from God. Emma, from the office, says they are, “impossible to resist.” I've never met Emma, or been in her office, but she is quoted on the front of the package. I will be filling my extra duffel with Tim Tams for everyone to eat at home, they are that good.
It is sad to say goodbye to Aline, because I could see myself being real good friends with her. I want to keep traveling together, but she has booked a jillaroo (cowgirl) course in Sydney for the next two weeks. I do french braids on her in the airport.
The airport bus driver drops me off at a random hostel right next to Flinders Station, in the middle of the CBD, and it's heaven. The hostel has a huge kitchen, lots of couches, a TV room, thick duvees, and very tight security. There are huge lockers in my room, which means I can leave practically everything every day, which is awesome for my back.
I wander around Melbourne central for the whole afternoon, marveling at the crowds and at the architecture. Several buildings on every block are built in the Victorian style, with ornate window carvings and arched doorways. These churches and government buildings and shops sit right next to other buildings with modern cement and glass construction. There are tram wires suspended overhead, and traffic lights, and traffic. The combination of old and new is charming. It feels very European. And it is not even that cold! I would say that it's the same, if not warmer, than Alice. I was expecting below freezing, given the latitude and the season.
Since the city is so far south (look it up on a map, I am right above Antarctica), the sun starts to set at 5pm, and shops all close up. I find a discount bookstore which is open and almost buy a book about Mesopotamia for my class, but think better of it. There is no shopping for work on this vacation!
For dinner, I have hot chips from Lord of the Fries with Indian sauce of creamy mango chutney. Decent. I like ketchup better. Back at the hostel, I watch a little Secret Life of an American Teenager and then get to bed at 9ish. I am EXHAUSTED from the Uluru trip.
Australian thing of the day: Vanilla malt Brekka, marketed as breakfast on the go. Ingredients include and are limited to: milk, sugar, malt, vanilla. Not a terribly good breakfast, but a nice way to drink milk. Also: Tim Tams. These are like a gift from God. Emma, from the office, says they are, “impossible to resist.” I've never met Emma, or been in her office, but she is quoted on the front of the package. I will be filling my extra duffel with Tim Tams for everyone to eat at home, they are that good.
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