Meet the Tourists

My parents have been keeping themselves busy the past few days by exploring the city. On Tuesday they participated in the Foodies Tour at the Queen Victoria Market. The two hour tour included samples from the booths in the meat and fish hall, fruit and vegetables aisles, and dairy hall. My dad was blown away by the wide selection of items available and wished he had a market like that back home. After the tour they walked through the rest of the stalls, which sell clothes and touristy items.

On Wednesday it was off to the Yarra Valley for a winery tour by the Australian Wine Tour Company. They visited four wineries- Yerling Station, Rochford Wines, St Hubert's, and Domain Chandon. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day, so they didn't get to wander around outside too much. When they returned to the city they came and met me at work, and then we headed off to Brunswick Street for dinner. I decided to take them to The Fitz Cafe, since they weren't too hungry after their day of wine and cheese.

On Thursday, my parents went up to the Melbourne Observation Deck on the 55th floor of the Rialto Tower to get a 360 degree view of Melbourne. They really enjoyed it because it gave them a feel for how big Melbourne is and what the city looks like. After that they headed to the Melbourne Aquarium, and got there in time to catch the shark and sting ray feeding. My Dad's other mission of the day was to get a shirt for my brother from a Melbourne Fire Station. They went up the road to the local Brunswick station and got lucky- 1 shirt down, 2 more to go. That evening we had dinner at Michelle and Ruth's house along with Michelle's parents and sister. It was a fun evening, and Michelle's parents got some tips of what to visit when they are in San Francisco in October.

Today they headed out on the Yarra River for a sightseeing cruise with Melbourne River Cruises. They went past the Arts Centre, Royal Botanical Gardens, and Melbourne Olympic Park. After the cruise they explored the stores and wandered through Myer and Melbourne Central.

The weather is not looking too good for tomorrow, so it may just be a relaxing day in front of the tv watching the footy. On Sunday I plan to take them to St. Kilda.

Touring Melbourne with My Parents

On Sunday my parents arrived in town from San Francisco. They survived the long flight in one piece and it was great to see them outside my front door. After they had a shower we headed out into the city. My parents experienced the same weird sensations I did when I first arrived in Australia about the traffic going the opposite direction. We got on the tram and headed to Flinders Street and then got on the free City Circle Tram so that I could orient them to the city grid and different things to see. After completing the loop we headed back for my place since they were getting tired. I was impressed they stayed up as long as they did, although 7:30 pm is the earliest my Mom has ever gone to bed.

Today I took the day off work so that I could show them around Carlton. We started at Melbourne University and stopped in to say hello to Suzie and Rosemary in the Economics Office. Then we wandered around the campus, admiring the older architecture of the buildings in the center of campus. My parents really liked the atmosphere of Lygon Street, and we had lunch at Nyonya's Malaysian Restaurant. My Dad finally got to try the curry laksa that I have been raving about for years. After lunch we headed down to Medley Hall on Drummond Street, where I lived when I was studying here 10 years ago. It still looks the same as it always has.

Our next stop was the Carlton Gardens and Royal Exhibition Building. It was built for the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880-1881. We had a great tour of the inside of the building, and our tour guide gave us lots of fun facts about the history of events that have taken place there. The hall is huge and full of intricate murals and stencils on the walls. It is painted in Federation colors and looks as it did in 1901 when it hosted the opening of the first Australian Federal Parliament. I was really glad we got to go inside and explore the building- it would be great to hold an event in there.

After our tour we went into the Melbourne Museum and looked at the two floors of Australian exhibits. There's lots of great stuff there, including Phar Lap, the champion racing horse from the Great Depression. We learned he actually died in Menlo Park, which is in the Bay Area. How's that for a strange connection? Before leaving my Mom got a few things at the gift shop, and then we traveled back to my place.

While I am working the rest of the week my parents are going to continue to explore the city on their own. Tomorrow they will be doing a Foodies Tour of the Queen Victoria Market, and then on Wednesday they have an all day wine tour in the Yarra Valley. I wish I could join them!

Dinner with the Girls

Tonight I had a very entertaining night with Suzie and Rosemary, who I used to work with at Melbourne Uni. I met them at Suzie's house, which is just around the block from my apartment. It was great to catch up with them and hear what is going on in the Economics Department. While Suzie cooked dinner Rosemary was telling me lots of eye-opening stories about all the scandalous things that have been going on in the department that I had no clue about. It would make the most insane soap opera. We had pasta with eggplant and other veggies, which was very yummy. For dessert it was tea and chocolate. I laughed and smiled so much that my face hurt by the end of the night. We are hoping to make these dinners a regular occurrence.

My Ceiling of Woe

I thought my leaking ceiling issues were over but last week I heard that dreaded sound of dripping again. I couldn't find where the water was coming from until I looked up at my kitchen light and saw that the fixture was full of water. This happened on a Friday night, so of course I had to wait until Monday to speak with anyone at Body Corporate. On Tuesday the plumber came out and checked Unit 23, but there were no obvious signs of leaks, so he figured it must be coming from Unit 24. Unfortunately, we didn't have access to the unit, so the plumber returned the following morning to check Unit 24. After running water from all the taps, it was determined that the leak wasn't coming from there, but from Unit 23 after all. We didn't have access to the unit that morning, so the plumber decided to cut a couple holes into my ceiling to see if he could find the leak. However, he couldn't figure out where the leak was coming from so I had to wait until Friday when everyone's schedules were finally coordinated to get things fixed. It turns out the water was coming from the kitchen sink area of Unit 23 and after putting 3 more holes into my ceiling, the leak was finally found near my ceiling beams! The cause was two segments of pipe that had completely separated from each other because someone forgot to blue-glue the two pipe segments together when the building was constructed. The plumber glued the pipe back together and also anchored it to a beam in the ceiling (they had forgotten to do that too). Now the problem is getting all these holes in my ceiling repaired. I'm waiting to hear from Body Corporate when the plasterers will be coming out (better be early next week) and then once that dries the ceiling will be painted. I am hoping to get this all fixed before my parents arrive on September 3rd.

Essendon vs. Hawthorn

Tonight's Essendon game was a tribute to James Hird, so Michelle and I headed to the Telstra Dome for this week's match against Hawthorn. I was hopeful that last week's win against Collingwood meant that Essendon were finally back on track and getting it together (it's been a bad season). However, the first half was a total nightmare, and Hawthorn dominated every aspect of the game. Their lead at halftime was 61 points!

Thankfully the second half was a bit better. Essendon finally found some defense and offence, although we had a lot of shots at goal that were behinds (1 point) instead of goals (6 points). It was a frustrating match, and if we had made more goals we could have won. However, even though we got close in the last quarter, we ended up losing by 18 points. It wasn't the best way to celebrate James Hird's career, but Hawthorn deserved the win.

Final Score:
Essendon- 15.16 (106)
Hawthorn- 19.10 (124)

Marvelous Melbourne

This is a funny 10 minute short film on the history of Melbourne by Shane and Chris Northey. Enjoy!

Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument

This week at work we had a professional learning forum in our branch around the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI), which measures the way you prefer to think, learn, communicate and make decisions. The Whole Brain Model was developed by Ned Herrmann, who discovered that there were four patterns that emerged in terms of how the brain perceives and processes information. A Quadrant is rational, B Quadrant practical, C Quadrant visceral, and D Quadrant cognitive. Our profiles were compiled from a series of questions we answered on an online survey, and it was really interesting to get my results. The HBDI profile shows you which of the four quadrants of the brain you have a preference for- looking not just at left/right brain but also cerebral (upper) and limbic (lower) modes.

Here is a scan of my results. As you can see, my preferences are for the B and C quadrants. Here is what they say my profile means: "The profile is characterized by very strong preferences in conservative thinking and controlled behavior with a desire for organisation and structure as well as detail and accuracy from the Lower Left B quadrant. Persons with this profile tend to worry about details. The primary in the Lower Right C quadrant would show itself equally strongly by interpersonal skills and sensitivity to feelings. It may indicate emotion, and perhaps interest in music and a sense of spirituality. It would also be likely to demonstrate sensory intuition or 'gut feelings.' The two limbic primaries could represent an important duality for the person to resolve within themselves. The opposing qualities of control and structure, constrasting with the emotional and interpersonal feelings can cause internal conflict." Interesting and fairly accurate, don't you think? The dotted line shows how I scored on an adjective pairs exercise, and this is supposed to demonstrate how you react when under pressure. Notice how I withdraw almost completely from D quadrant and have more preference in C quadrant.

In our branch, there are a lot of people who place in the C and D quadrants- and almost no one in A quadrant. Knowing how your co-workers think can help you to understand each other and work together better. The ultimate goal though is to become more whole-brained in your thinking, which means you are able to utilize the thinking preferences for each of the four quadrants. It enables you to take a comprehensive view of any situation and look at it from a variety of perspectives.

Why Is My Ceiling Leaking?

On Tuesday night I was starting to make my dinner when I heard the sound of water. I turned around to see a stream of water pouring down from my ceiling off the support beam and onto the carpet. I quickly grabbed a pot to catch the water and rang my real estate agent to ask what to do. Thankfully the water stopped after a few minutes, but I ventured upstairs to chat with my neighbors to see if they had any leaking water. There was nothing evident happening in either of their apartments, and thankfully they were nice and sympathetic to my situation. I woke up the next morning and everything was still dry. It was a good thing that I left the pot on the floor though because when I got home it was half full with water. After chatting with Body Corporate I ventured upstairs again to chat with my neighbors. We suspected that the problem could be with a shower leak that one unit had had repaired earlier in the week. They got the plumber to come back out, and there hasn't been any water since, so I'm hoping that the problem has been fixed for good.

If that wasn't enough apartment drama for me, I've also just gotten notice that my rent will be going up $44 a month when my lease is up in October. I'm not too thrilled about that, but there's not much I can do. Good thing I have a 3% raise going into effect that month as well.

Census Night

Tonight is Census Night in Australia. There was a whole advertising campaign here around the census, which is done every five years and considered a mandatory activity. I filled out my form online, and it was pretty quick and painless. There are the usual questions that you would expect: age, ethnicity, education, religion, etc. They do focus on country of origin and where your parents were born (probably because a large part of the population are migrants). A couple of the more interesting questions asked were about unpaid hours of work (as a care giver or just plain domestic work), and for females how many babies you have ever given birth to (they do have a baby bonus payment here). The last question asks if you agree to have the information on your census form kept by the National Archives of Australia and then made available to the public in 99 years. I figured why not- after all, I don't think I'll be around in 2105.

Bic Runga

Last night I got to see Bic Runga in concert at Manchester Lane. Peter was kind enough to let me tag along with him as her shows in Melbourne are sold out. We met up for dinner after I finished work and went to Italy 1 on George Parade off Collins Street. I had the best Ravioli di Zucca I have ever tasted- the sage butter, toasted walnuts, and pumpkin were delicious. After dinner we walked along Swanston Street and stopped at a cafe for dessert. We got the biggest piece of cheesecake (thankfully to share) and hot drinks.

Around 8pm we headed over to Manchester Lane. Since Peter does work for Bic we were on the guest list and got excellent treatment inside the venue. We were given a table in the middle section, which was cordoned off from the rest of the crowd. After about 10 minutes Bic came walking over to say hello to Peter. She sat down at the table next to us for a chat while she ate her dinner. It was kind of funny to have Bic sitting there eating while all the people standing above in the next level were able to look down and watch- they had come to see her perform, after all.

The show itself was great. Bic played material from all three of her albums in the set. I loved hearing all the new songs off her latest release "Birds." Bic has the most amazing voice, and this was definitely the most relaxed I've ever seen her on stage (perhaps because of her trip to the day spa?). She played mostly acoustic guitar, but did a few songs on electric. John Walsh, the guitar tech, came out and played keyboard on the song "Birds." I wish the show had gone on longer than an hour, but she did finish around 11 pm. Peter and I quickly went backstage to say goodbye, and then headed back to his car. Peter was nice enough to drive me home, which was great since it had started raining by the time we left the venue.

Impro Melbourne: The Cave

Tonight a group of us headed up to ...don't tell tom for some improv comedy. The improvisation troupe Impro Melbourne put on the show, and it was quite funny. In the first act they played the game "More or Less." One person was the director of the scene, and as the scene progressed he/she asked the audience if they would like it to continue (more) or stop (less). In the second act a different set of members performed a longer improv piece based off of ideas from the audience. The suggestions were a marriage based on immigration, romance, a road trip, documentary, and sci-fi. Members would "tap" in and out of scenes, which would shift the location of things and characters abruptly at some points. At the beginning it was a bit disjointed as they introduced everything, but they actually managed sew their stories together by the end of the piece. It was really well done.

Unfortunately while we were in the comfy warm environment of ...don't tell tom, the heavens finally opened up (the forecasters had been predicting rain all weekend) and we had to deal with pouring rain and wind on the walk back home. The bottom half of my jeans were soaked, but at least my umbrella didn't turn inside out.

I'll Be Home For Christmas

Forget having to celebrate Christmas in July here in Australia to get the wintry experience. I've just booked my flights to the States so that I can have a proper, cold weather Christmas and New Year's with my family and friends. I won't be missing out on the mulled cider this year. I'll be back in the Bay Area from December 21st - January 8th, so if you are in town, I hope to catch up with you. Who knows- I may even make a trip down to Southern California as well.

BB7: All-Stars

It's summertime in the USA, so that means only one thing- Big Brother is back on the air! I'm so disappointed I am not there to watch it because this summer is all about the BB All-Stars. The public voted for 6 people from seasons 1 - 6 to go back in the house, with producers picking the remaining 8 people.

Even though I can't watch the show on tv here, I am following along on the internet. Having YouTube around this year has completely transformed the viewing of this show because so many people are throwing up bits from the live feeds. And thankfully for me, people are also putting the broadcast episodes up online because even though CBS has the episodes available for free on their website, I can't watch them because I'm outside the US.

Many of my favorites have made it back into the house, including Kaysar, Janelle, and evil Dr. Will. The game play is going to be so full-on this summer it will be interesting to see who makes it to the end. Allison has already be voted out of the house, and everyone seems to be gunning for the BB6 cast. Thankfully Kaysar won Head of Household this week, so at least they are all safe (for the moment).

I wish the Australian Big Brother was more like the US version- I find the game play and strategy so much more interesting to watch. Here they can't even discuss nominations and "playing the game" seems to be frowned upon in the house. The US version also seems to have a much more diverse group of people- differing ethnicities, ages, sexual orientations and religious backgrounds have been represented throughout the seasons. Diversity in casting makes a more watchable show. I wonder, considering all the controversy from this year, if the Australian producers will make some big changes for their next season. I sure hope they do.

Farewell Adrian

Tonight Michelle and I headed over to North Melbourne to wish Adrian farewell as he moves to Los Angeles for his new job in the physics department at UCLA in a week. We started the evening with dinner at Rubicon. Donna and Brenton were there when we arrived, so it was nice to catch up with them. I had the roasted pumpkin pizza with fetta cheese, spinach and pine nuts. For dessert I ate the crepes filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce and peanuts. Adrian's friend had a book for everyone to sign, so I wrote about 4 pages of tips for him when he arrives in LA. After dinner we moved down the street to Rrose Bar for drinks and conversation. There was quite the turnout to send Adrian off. We said our goodbyes and headed for home around 11:30 pm. If any of you LA people would like to show Adrian around or have some tips I can pass on to him, please get in touch with me.

Myer "History Making Clearance" Sale

The lure to Myer was hard to resist- ads for a "History Making Clearance" beyond anything they have ever done before. Myer has been bought by someone else, so they are clearing out lots of their stock. Michelle and I decided to meet at the city store in Bourke Street Mall after work and see what bargains could be had. It was an absolute zoo in the store as many other people had the same idea. We started in fragrances, then worked our way through the accessories, shoes, clothes, kitchen and bath departments. Michelle found some good stuff to buy, but I didn't see anything that screamed "buy me" so my wallet stayed in my bag. It was like a feeding frenzy in some of the departments, which was a bit overwhelming (this was the first day of the sale). After a while we decided to escape the madness and headed to Mekong on Swanston Street for Vietnamese pho and spring rolls. It was nice to sit down and enjoy a yummy dinner before heading home.

Happy Fourth!

Happy 4th of July to all my American friends and family. While you get to enjoy fireworks, yummy barbeques, and the warm glow of summer, I worked today in chilly Melbourne. It's interesting being in another country for the 4th, especially one that is populated with monarchists. Can't get overly excited or you might offend them. I also think that being overseas is when you really start to identify with your home country. I can't escape being "American" here. It's funny because in the States you identify with the ethnic background of your ancestors, but here being American is its own ethnicity. I get this odd sense of patriotism that I definitely don't have when I'm home. Who knew it would take being half way around the world to have some pride in where you're from?


A fogless Fourth in San Francisco (very rare!)

Dinner and Big Brother

Ben is back in town for a few days doing rehearsals with Rogue Traders before they head off to the UK and US for some shows, so we decided to meet up for dinner. I walked down to his hotel after work and as I got there he was getting his room upgraded to one of the penthouse suite apartments. The place was huge- probably three times the size of my apartment. It was kind of funny. We decided to have dinner at il Solito Posto, an Italian restaurant in an alley off Collins Street. The food was delicious. I had linguine with calamari and napoli sauce, and Ben had spaghetti bolognese.

After eating we rushed back to the hotel to catch Big Brother. As many of you know, I find Big Brother to be very addictive, and the Australian edition has been no exception. The rules are a lot different to the US version, and it's on tv here every night so I don't have to spend as much time online reading about what's going on in the house. This past weekend has been a very controversial one as John and Ashley were kicked out of the house by Big Brother for sexual misconduct (and rightly so). It's been all over the news here and overseas, with calls from politicians to yank the show off the air. However, I think the real issues are more societal and symptomatic of the laddish culture that exists in Australia. Of course, the politicians are choosing to ignore the bigger picture.

What is amusing though is that Ben was actually in the Big Brother house when John and Ashley got kicked out because Rogue Traders played a mini-concert for the housemates on Saturday night. This was before the housemates knew that the boys had been removed and would not be returning. John and Ashley are supposed to appear with Gretel Killeen (BB host) later tonight, so we'll see how apologetic they are about what happened. I'm not getting my hopes up.

My Apartment

I have been meaning to post pictures of the inside of my apartment. I still have a few more little things to buy (mainly poster frames for my posters- ignore the white walls) but otherwise it is pretty much decorated. Enjoy!

I Survived My First Week

I have made it through my first week at the new job. Actually, it was only 3 days as I started officially on Wednesday. Everyone has been very nice to me and they are easing me into everything slowly. It's going to take me a bit of time to learn who everyone is and what policy areas they are working on. This office has more meetings than I have ever seen in my life- it's amazing that people get any work done! I am still waiting for my email account to be created (which I need so I can deal with the calendar on Outlook), and I should finally get my security pass on Monday. You can't travel through the buildings without one.

My main job is as executive assistant to the learning policies branch manager. I will be maintaining her calendar, organizing various meetings and doing minutes and other things as needed. I get to sit in on the meetings of all the group leaders in the branch, so I will get a good sense of what is going on. I also hope to get involved with various projects that the branch is doing and not get locked into being seen as just an administrative person. There is going to be a bit of a restructure of the branch, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out (don't worry- my job is safe). The biggest concern seems to be people losing their expertise areas and there being more "breadth than depth." We'll see what happens.

I Have A Full-Time Job!

It's a miracle! On Monday I interviewed for a job at the Department of Education and Training for Victoria as a policy and project officer for the Office of Learning and Teaching. The interview went well, but I got nervous when they said I was overqualified for the job. After worrying and being a bit pessimistic about my chances, I got a call today and was offered the job. It's all very exciting and such a relief! I will be working as an assistant to the student learning policies manager and across the branch to help out with various projects, both policy and curriculum related.

I never thought I'd actually get to utilize both of my degrees. This job will also be a great entry point for me in the DE&T as it is a fixed term position (through to the end of December 2007) and will allow me to get to know a wide variety of people in the department. There will definitely be a career path and advancement options available to me. I did want to get into working on education policy eventually, so this is the perfect place. I just finished up my job at the University of Melbourne, so the timing couldn't have been better. I start work on Monday.

Why Is Everyone Leaving?

My exodus of friends out of Melbourne continues, which is sad. Will and Helen headed off to Cambridge in the UK a couple weeks ago as Will embarks on his new job working as an energy engineer for the British Antarctic Survey. He will even get to live in Antarctica two months out of the year! This week I have been helping Ben pack and clean his house as he is moving to Brisbane this weekend. And in a few weeks Adrian will be jetting off to the US to work at UCLA in the physics department. I guess I can't blame everyone for leaving as I am guilty of doing the same. Perhaps some of my Aussie overseas friends will return to Melbourne to stay.

Jump, Jive, and Wail

Tonight I went to my first swing dancing lesson put on by Swing Patrol Brunswick at Bridie O'Reilly's. I was there with Ruth, her friend Katie, and Michelle and her sister Emma. It was a lot of fun and the instructors taught us some Lindy Hop steps. You rotate partners throughout the hour class, so you also get to meet people. I would love to go regularly, but at $14 a class, I think I need a full time job first.

The Return of Split Enz

On June 11th and 12th I attended the Split Enz concerts at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. This short reunion tour around Australia was inspired by their induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame last year. I last saw the Enz in Auckland at the Millennium shows as we welcomed in the year 2000. I never thought I'd get the chance to see them perform live again, so I took advantage of having them play two shows in town and bought tickets for both (and they weren't cheap). The band for this tour was the "True Colours" album line-up of Neil Finn, Tim Finn, Eddie Rayner, Noel Crombie, Nigel Griggs, and Malcolm Green.

The first night I was on the floor in the center section, row G. The seats were amazing, and it was lots of fun to be with Fran, Sonia, and Lara. The band has been playing pretty much the same set list at each show, which was as follows:
Shark Attack
Poor Boy
One Step Ahead
Give It A Whirl
Nobody Takes Me Seriously
Jamboree
Double Happy
I Hope I Never
Message to My Girl
Dirty Creature
Stuff & Nonsense
Devil You Know
129 (Matinee Idyll)
Strait Old Line
Pioneer/Six Months in a Leaky Boat
I Got You
What's the Matter with You
I See Red

Encore 1
Talk a Walk
Charlie
My Mistake

Encore 2
Bold as Brass
History Never Repeats

All of us girls were up and standing for the start of "Shark Attack." Unfortunately, the majority of the crowd didn't seem to understand the concept of a rock concert, and remained seated for two-thirds of the show (It was even worse on the second night where some people sat for the whole thing). You could tell which side of the arena bought tickets from the pre-sale because they were the ones standing and dancing throughout the night. I was right at the boarder of those pre-sale seats. At least the band could see us enjoying the show, since everyone else in front of us was sitting. We compromised for those behind us and sat down for the slower songs, but got up and danced for the faster numbers. Thankfully, once they played "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" the entire audience on the floor stood up and stayed that way for the rest of the night. It made the show that much better.

I was really impressed that they did "Jamboree" and segued into the intrumental "Double Happy." I always love hearing the 70s songs. Neil did "Devil You Know" acoustic on guitar and was sounding a bit horse towards the end of it. "Message to My Girl" got a funny intro as Neil talked about walking past his old house in South Yarra (he said they brought tissues along "just in case"). Tim gave a shout out to Caulfield and his "Hasidic Brothers" and then Neil started calling it "Cornfield" for some reason. The other funny/bizarre moment of the night was Eddie and his towel flicking of a female audience member. When Tim called out "Who would like their buttocks flicked by Eddie?" I guess some people just couldn't resist.

The sound of the shows was excellent, and it's easy to forget what great musicians they all are still. Eddie is just a genius on the keyboards, and Nigel plays such strong bass lines. Crombie was his usual self and besides the infamous spoon solo he has added electric guitar to his musical repertoire. They ended the first encore by dragging "Hendrix Crombie" away from the guitar and off the stage. Mal Green traded off with Noel on the drum kits (they have two set up) and percussion. The costumes and backdrops were great and full of typical Enz flare. I think Noel likes texture in his backdrops as they were similar styles to the sheep clouds of the Millennium shows.

For the second show I was on my own- this time in the center section, row D. It was pretty much the same set list as the previous night except for a couple glorious additions. Phil Judd (founding member) seemed to be on Neil's mind because he threw in both "Sweet Dreams" and "Titus." It was fantastic! Tim paid tribute to Phil and said (to paraphrase) that despite their very dysfunctional relationship, they created some great songs together and that the boys will continue to sing them until they're dead.

The other highlight of the night was the frisbee battle between Neil and Eddie. They each had three frisbees to throw across the arena and see who could get them the farthest. Eddie went first, because Neil said "Age before beauty." Each toss got further and further back into the crowd, with both of them eventually sailing their frisbees across the entire floor section to the back of the arena. I think Neil ended up winning by getting his frisbee a few rows further up than Eddie. It was very entertaining.

I had such a great time both nights. Peter let me hang around with him backstage on the second night while he was working. I got a brief glimpse of the band before they changed into their costumes but didn't get to chat with them. I even had a pass to the after show party, but because of public transport issues, I had to leave so that I could get home. I didn't want to get stuck in the city with all those crazy Socceroo fans when I had work the next morning.

Work Life

I am enjoying my time working at the University of Melbourne. I have been averaging four days a week- three with the EDN and one doing random stuff for the Department of Economics. Last week I scanned working papers into PDF files, and yesterday I helped to proofread the annual report. I'm learning all sorts of economic terms like "econometrics" (my word of the week). The people in the department are all very nice, and one of the girls in the front office lives a couple streets down from me (we keep ending up on the same tram in the mornings). I also have a couple of friends who work at the University, so it's nice to pop in and see them from time to time.

The main thing I've been working on with the EDN is helping to coordinate an upcoming conference at the end of June. I've been booking flights, dealing with immigration, and coordinating venues, catering, accommodation, etc. There are about 45 people coming to this workshop from all over the world. I guess I am doing a good job because the head of the EDN has twice commented to me that he wishes I would stay on permanently. If only it was a full time position. I've probably got a few more weeks of working there, since they just got all the applications in to hire for my job. I have a feeling they will also want me around to help with the workshop since I've been dealing with all the participants.

On the teaching front, I didn't get a second interview with Caulfield Grammar, but I do have an interview next week with Alphington Primary School for a grade 4/5 opening. We'll see what happens. I'm still applying to schools, and also for a couple policy officer positions at the Department of Education and Training. I'd even love to work at the University if anything good comes up.

Update: As you can probably guess, I didn't get the job with Alphington Primary School. I sense that these Aussie schools are very hesitant to bring in someone from the "outside." The education system here is so decentralized I don't understand how they operate- where is the collaboration and sharing of ideas? Every single school creates their own curriculum. Why keep creating what already exists?

Peter's Birthday Dinner

On Thursday it was Peter's birthday, so tonight he organized a dinner with his friends. Rosemaree was nice enough to give me a lift to Kalorama. We met up at Peter and Mark's place, and then headed over to the Snooty Fox restaurant in Olinda. We got a table next to the fire, which was nice although a bit warm. Tanya was running late, and Peter joked that she better have a good excuse like being stuck in a ditch. A half hour after we arrived Fran spotted Tanya through the window waving both arms at us. Fran waved back at her. When she didn't enter the restaurant after a few minutes, we wondered where she had gone. Turns out she managed to get her car stuck in a ditch at the entrance to the restaurant parking lot! Peter, feeling a bit guilty for his previous comments, went outside to help. It took a while to get her car out (I guess the locals are used to this happening), and we were nearly finished with our dinners by the time they came back inside the restaurant. The food was pretty good. I had the chicken breast stuffed with spinach and feta cheese and vegetables. For dessert I had the orange creme brulee. It was a long night as the service was very slow, but I'd probably go back there to eat again. We said our goodbyes in the parking lot, and carefully headed for home. Jen and Fran kindly gave me a ride back to my place.

An Interview!

I was shocked on Thursday morning when I received a phone call from Caulfield Grammar School requesting an interview for their second grade opening. Caulfield Grammar is one of the elite private schools in the state. This morning I headed out to their Malvern campus and met with the principal. We had a really good chat for half an hour about a wide variety of topics, and she and I seem to have similar views on education policies. Hopefully I will get a second round interview next week, and maybe even offered the job. At this point I'm just happy to have gotten an interview.

MICF: Helen Thorn Is Arty Farty

Tonight I met up with Julie and headed back to the Comedy Festival to check out Helen Thorn's show "Arty Farty." Helen wrote the show and it involves her experiences in the arts throughout her life. It started with ballet in preschool, then jazz dance, her cello years in high school, university art life, and finally today as an arts worker. In between the monologues about each period of her life, she did characters that reflected the arty influences of that time. I thought Helen did a great job, and there were some funny stories from her childhood. The characters were over the top and fantastic. I was very proud of the effort she put in, and I hope this run of shows has gone well for her (tonight's performance was sold out).

After the show Julie and I headed over to The Westin for some food and conversation. I hadn't seen her since I got back from the States, so it was nice to catch up. Julie has been good about letting me know about any job listings for the private schools in The Age that don't get listed online, so I had to thank her in person for that. Once we finished eating we said goodbye and headed to our respective trams for the ride home.

Tales of (Un)Employment

For some strange reason which I can't fully explain, trying to find a teaching job here in Australia has been nearly impossible. I mean, it's not like I'm unqualified for the position- I have been a classroom teacher for over four years and have a master's degree. I have applied to numerous schools over the past few months, and have gotten no response. I suspect I may be encountering some nationality issues, which I obviously can't control. Meanwhile, doing substitute teaching isn't paying the bills either, as work has been very erratic (a short first term and numerous holidays in the last few weeks). If I could get work every day I would be fine, but that hasn't been the case.

So what is a girl to do? I have given myself a July deadline to find full-time teaching work. If that doesn't happen, then I will be looking for a new career. In the meantime, thanks to my friend Fran I have gotten myself a part-time job at the University of Melbourne. I am working three days a week as an administrative assistant for the Economic Design Network (EDN) in the Department of Economics. The EDN is kind of an economic think tank with participating members from universities throughout the world. I am helping to maintain their website and organize conferences and workshops. I should be working there for the next 4 - 6 weeks, depending on when they hire a permanent person for the position (if the job was full time I would probably apply for it). Since I only work part-time it allows me to be available for substitute teaching jobs at the end of the week. And I continue to apply to schools in the hope that someone will snatch me up.

ANZAC Day

Today was ANZAC Day, which honors the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who landed and fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. There was the dawn service at the Shrine of Remembrance, and then a parade for all past members of the armed services on Swanston Street. I spent my ANZAC Day with Michelle at the MCG for the annual clash between Essendon and Collingwood. Before the game started they had planes fly over the stadium as well as a ceremony to honor those who have died in war.

Over 91,000 people turned out for the game, which was the first footy match of the season at the MCG since it was used for the Commonwealth Games. The match itself was close and somewhat frustrating to watch with all the mistakes on both sides. It was good to see James Hird play again in person, although even he missed a kick for goal. Essendon was in the lead at half time, but Collingwood came back in the third quarter and took the lead, keeping ahead until the end of the match. We left as soon as we heard the strains of the Collingwood club song starting to play over the speakers.

Final Score:
Collingwood- 15.16 (106)
Essendon- 12.17 (89)

1906 San Francisco Earthquake

Today is the 100th anniversary of the 1906 earthquake and fire in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 7.8 - 7.9 quake shook the Bay Area for 40 seconds, but it was the fire that raged for three days that did the most damage to San Francisco. This website on The Great Quake has tons of fantastic information, photos, and multimedia about the quake and rebuilding.

Happy Easter!

I hope you had a very happy Easter/Passover weekend. Here in Australia, Easter Sunday just isn't enough, so both Good Friday and Monday are public holidays. They would never get away with that in the States. I think Good Friday was considered more "holy" than Easter in some eyes just based on the open hours at my gym. In Victoria they have the Good Friday Appeal for the Royal Children's Hospital- sort of like the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. They raised over $10 million this year. Chocolate is big here, but hot cross buns seem to be the food of choice. I didn't see any Peeps in the stores- they may just be an American phenomenon.

As for my weekend, it was pretty relaxed. I went to mass at St. Ambrose's Church on Easter Sunday, and have been enjoying marathons on tv for Australia's Next Top Model (first season) and The O.C. (first and second seasons). There's not much else to do when most things are closed. Thank goodness I have Foxtel digital cable. Hopefully my Easter package from the family will arrive this week- a casualty of the four day weekend.

Thanks for my See's Candies Mom!

MICF: Tom Gleeson and Justin Kennedy

Tonight was the first night of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Michelle and I headed to the Melbourne Town Hall to catch some of the local talent this evening. The first comic was Tom Gleeson in his stand-up show "Non Stop Tom." He did bits about different things in his life, and used some of the audience members to help with the transitions between stories. My favorite part was at the end when he played the James Blunt song "You're Beautiful" but was pretending he and his girlfriend were on the train looking and commenting back to James after he sang each line. It was very funny as Tom got more pissed off at James for staring at his girlfriend and being a perv. I'll never listen to that song in the same way again.

The other comedian we saw was Justin Kennedy in his one-man show "Beelzebuzz." In the show Justin plays multiple characters who are stuck on a party boat that descends into chaos. The show was inspired by "Lord of the Flies" (yes, there was a character named Piggy who ends up dying) and contained flashback scenes for each character like those done on the tv show "Lost." Justin is very talented and each character had their own voice, mannerisms, and personality. It was amazing to watch Justin transition from one character to the next. There were a few technical glitches with music cues (it was the first night), but the show really hit its stride towards the end. It's probably one of the most unique shows in the whole festival. I really enjoyed it.

Happy Birthday Will!

Tonight Helen helped to orchestrate a surprise 30th birthday party for Will at The Butterfly Club in South Melbourne. Will was completely shocked and had no idea what was going on as he walked upstairs and saw everyone. Helen had brought together family and friends from throughout Will's life. James gave a speech on the early Melbourne Grammar years, and Cameron covered Uni and beyond. We had free drinks, food (from both the venue and Will's mom, Beth), and good conversation. Welcome to your 30's Will- it's not as bad as some people make it out to be.

AFL Round 1: Essendon v. Sydney

Last night Michelle and I headed to the Telstra Dome for the opening round of the Australian Rules Football season. Even though we had seats up in the third level, it was still a good view of the field. There was a good turnout of over 45,000 people for the game. Unfortunately, James Hird hurt his calf during the week, so he did not play for the Essendon side. I'm convinced I am some sort of curse on Hird because he's always injured when I go to a match.

Since the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix is this weekend, they had Toyota driver Ralf Schumacher there to do the coin toss. Essendon won and started off with a very strong first quarter. Matthew Lloyd kicked 6 goals and put the Bombers well ahead of the Swans. Sydney played better the rest of the match, but never came closer than within 3 goals. Thankfully Essendon triumphed with a 27-point victory. Final score:
Essendon- 17.6 (108)
Sydney- 12.9 (81)

Dave Graney 'N' The Lurid Yellow Mist

The Brunswick Music Festival is currently happening around town, so Ruth and I headed out to Don't Tell Tom on Sydney Road last night to catch a show by Dave Graney. I first discovered Dave ten years ago when I was living in Melbourne, and have been a fan ever since. He is a very interesting and entertaining fellow with a soothing voice and many stories to tell. His current band, which includes his wife Clare Moore, is The Lurid Yellow Mist. The band played selections from throughout Dave's career, so it was great to hear some of my old favorites reworked live. Dave is such a unique musician, and I was glad to finally get to see him perform in person. You can check out one of Dave's newest songs here: "My Schtick Weighs A Ton"

The opening band was Sand Pebbles. They sounded okay, but the most interesting part of their set occurred towards the end. During an extended distorted guitar feedback section of a song, Ruth and I noticed that the drummer was taking his cymbals off the drum kit. Then Clare Moore appeared and took over drumming duties as we watched the drummer walk out the front door with his equipment! It was hilarious and shocking at the same time- I guess he had to be somewhere. I've never seen anything like that happen before at a live show.

Jet Lag

The journey back to Melbourne was relatively painless. My parents and I had dinner at Willow Street in SFO, and then I bid them farewell as I headed into customs. I was very happy to have a direct flight to Australia, as well as an aisle seat. There were more good films this time: Pride and Prejudice, Fever Pitch, Elizabethtown, and Aeon Flux. I dozed on and off throughout the flight. After about an hour and a half layover in Sydney, I boarded my flight to Melbourne. I was amazed at how quickly I cleared customs- I think I was out of there in about 15 minutes.

By the time I returned to my apartment I was starting to feel the effects of the flights. It was like I had been hit by a truck, and I was in bed by 7:30 p.m. that night. Today I was up at 4:30 am (still on California time), and finally felt the fog lifting about half-way through my RPM (spin) class this morning. It's good to be back in Melbourne, and hopefully my work opportunities will pick up this school term. I've already got 5 days of substitute teaching work booked, so that's a good start.

Farewell Homeland

It's time to head to the airport for the long trip back to Australia. I have had such a great time being back in the Bay Area and visiting with family and friends. The last couple of days have been spent saying goodbye to people and eating some good home-cooked meals. Thankfully all my belongings have fit in my luggage- with a slight bit of effort. My parents are actually driving me to SFO (no airporter- yay), where we will have dinner in the international terminal after I check in for my flight. At least this time I get to avoid LAX, as I have a direct flight to Sydney tonight, and then a quick hop to Melbourne on Monday morning (I lose a day this time). See you in OZ!

Visiting

My tour of Marin continues. On Monday I spent the day in Novato. First stop was Rancho Elementary School, where I taught third grade for two years. I joined the faculty for lunch in the staff lounge, which had been renovated since I was last there. It was great to catch up with people, some of whom I hadn't seen in almost 3 years. Most of the staff is still there from when I was teaching, but all of my old students have moved on to middle school. All the classrooms have also been renovated, and I spent some time with Debbie's class listening to solar system reports before leaving. That afternoon I met up with the Klinkmans at Starbucks in San Marin. Cindy and I went through the teacher credential program together at Dominican, and Monika was one of my students at Rancho. I'm not sure if I still hold the title of Monica's favorite teacher, but it was great to chat with them and find out all their latest news.

Tuesday evening I met up for drinks with Leslie at Marin Brewing Company in Larkspur. We lucked out because it was $2.50 pint Tuesday. I didn't really get a chance to catch up with Leslie when I was at Wilson last week, so it was nice to chat without kids around. Leslie is another person that I know through my credential program, and we also taught together. It was a quick drink as she had to meet up with her parents for dinner.

Today I spent the afternoon with Angie and Katie in Terra Linda. I met them at the coffee shop and then we went and had lunch at the Japanese restaurant King of the Roll II. It was very tasty and this was Katie's first time eating some Japanese food (she liked the tofu in the miso soup). After lunch we headed over to Three Twins Ice Cream for dessert. We had been promising Neil that we would stop by his shop to taste the organic ice cream and today we finally made it. It's very good stuff, and Neil even makes his own waffle cones. If you are ever in the Scotty's Market Shopping Center, stop by and get a cone (after you visit Angie for a coffee, of course).

Out and About

I am happy to report that the weather has gotten a bit warmer, and it's been dry for the last few days. I continue to catch up with people and hit some of my favorite restaurants around the area. On Thursday I met up with Angie at her coffee shop (Espresso Express in Terra Linda if you are ever in the area) and we headed out for a late lunch at Chevy's. It is so great to eat decent Mexican food, because Australia really does not do good Mexican. I enjoyed my chips and salsa, salmon soft tacos, and the very yummy strawberry and raspberry margarita. After eating we shopped at Old Navy and Target. I was good and didn't get too many things. That night I met Joanne at Broken Drum Brewery in San Rafael. Since I had eaten so late in the day I just had a bowl of chips for dinner. It was good to catch up and hear all the latest news about Wilson Elementary School.

On Friday I decided to head over to Richmond and visit Wilson since the weather was decent. I walked onto campus during recess and was immediately greeted by a chorus of "MISS ELLIS!!!" and children running toward me. My ex-students are so sweet and cute, and getting very big. They were all excited to see me and asked me lots of questions about Australia and if I would come back. I stuck around for the upper grade recess to catch my other class, who are now fourth graders. It was great to visit with everyone and see all my former colleagues. I tried to explain the differences between the Australian and American education systems- and they are different in many ways. I had only planned to stay a short time, but ended up there for the rest of the school day as I popped into classes and said hello. When I got home I had a message from Lynne, so I headed into San Francisco for the evening. We avoided the drunken St. Patrick's Day celebrations and had dinner at Lettus Cafe Organic on Steiner Street and dessert at Emporio Rulli Gran Caffe on Chestnut Street. Lynne's husband Jeremy and his brother Josh were busy watching the NCAA Basketball Tournament. They had the tv and computer broadcasts going at the same time. Since I went to a non-sports focused university, I'm not as into "March Madness" as everyone else.

On Saturday my aunt Chrissie and cousin Leilani came up to the house for lunch. Mom made her chicken and apple salad, and we had cake for dessert to celebrate all the family birthdays in February and March. It was great to see them again and catch up on all the latest news. Leilani's face is healing nicely after her car accident last week. We laughed a lot throughout the afternoon, and hopefully I'll see them again at Christmas. That evening my parents and I met up with my brother, his girlfriend Simi and her parents at Insalata's in San Anselmo for dinner. They serve great Mediterranean food that is fresh and flavorful. We left very full and satisfied.

Today Lynne and I had brunch in Larkspur at Left Bank and then did some shopping at Vintage Oaks in Novato. It was a pleasant day, but we didn't find any good bargains out there. I guess it's a good thing that I haven't found a lot of stuff in the stores that is appealing to me- I would have trouble getting it all in my suitcase if I went overboard. I have one more week to go until I head back to Melbourne.

Meeting Up With People

It has been so great to catch up with people while I have been home. Today I had lunch with June at Comforts in San Anselmo. We took a walk around downtown after we finished eating. I got to see some photos in a shop window from New Year's when there was about 5 feet of water racing through the streets. It's amazing that most of the businesses are back open again after such damage.

Last night I went to the Glisson's house in San Rafael. Lucille cooked up a yummy dinner for us, and then we watched American Idol. I haven't seen any of this season, but it was the first show with the final 12 contestants on the big stage. Lynne already had nicknames for all of them, and we heaped abuse at the tv screen as they butchered the songs of Stevie Wonder. No one really stood out to me- definitely not a Constantine in the bunch this year. I have no idea who will win. My favorite Simon Cowell comment of the night was when he told Bucky to get rid of his "Jessica Simpson hair." I have to agree with Simon- the hair was distracting!

On Monday I got to visit Angie and baby Katie at the coffee shop. Katie has gotten so big- she's the tallest baby ever (9 months old and 30 inches long). It was nice to hang out with Angie for a couple hours and catch up. We are having a late lunch and doing a bit of shopping tomorrow while Katie is with her grandparents. Should be fun.

Oh, and I have to wish my dad a very Happy Birthday today! I'm so glad I am home to celebrate it.

Shopping in San Francisco

Lynne was supposed to come to Marin today, but my mother woke me up with the news that northbound Highway 101 was shut down due to a deadly 28 car pile-up north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The cause, which you can see in the photo, was snow and bad driving. The highway was shut for 11 hours while the police investigated what happened.

Since my mom was going into work anyway, I hitched a ride with her to Lynne's apartment in San Francisco. It was so great to hang out with my buddy. We headed out for brunch and while we were walking we caught a brief glimpse of Mayor Gavin Newsom as he went to get coffee. Lynne and I were good and refrained from stalking him. Once we arrived at La Cucina on Union Street we decided to sit outside in the sunshine even though it was cold out. After eating we headed back to her place, where we met up with her mom and brother.

Then we all drove to Union Square for a little shopping excursion. I had been wanting to check out the H&M store, which opened after I left for Australia. It wasn't as trendy and fashion forward as I expected it to be. Lynne had warned me that I would be underwhelmed with the place. I did manage to get a couple of tops, a pair of pants, and a jacket though. Next we went to Urban Outfitters and the Levi's Store, but didn't find anything to buy there. After a quick stop for coffees and chai at Starbucks, we headed back to Lynne's to relax until my mom came to pick me up. The temperature is dropping again, so we'll have to see if there is any snow tonight.

The Longest Day Ever

It was travel day today, and I have made it to the States in one piece. My flight up to Sydney was not full, but when we reboarded for Los Angeles it was packed. I was unfortunate enough to have a middle seat, and although we had some good movies (The Family Stone, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Good Night and Good Luck (was trying to sleep then and missed most of it), and An Unfinished Life), long haul flights are a real pain. I was very happy to get off at LAX, but it just meant there was one more flight to go. For some reason, the United Airlines Gods allowed me to sit in Economy Plus for the last quick flight to San Francisco. I wish I had that seat coming from Sydney! Due to the magic of the international date line, I arrived in the States before I left Melbourne.

I took the airporter to Marin and my dad picked me up. It is so cold here right now! I may see snow or at least hail- we'll see what happens. Don't get me wrong, I love cold weather, but it's a bit of an adjustment when you have been experiencing summer for the past few months. I had a lovely home-cooked dinner with my family tonight. It's strange, but it does not feel like I have been gone for over 5 months. Tomorrow Lynne is coming over and I'm sure we will be shopping.

Sydney Road Street Party

Today I spent the afternoon at the Sydney Road Street Party with Michelle and Ruth. It's an annual celebration for the Brunswick community. We started off by watching a fashion show done by local stores and designers. There were some good clothes, and I now have a couple new stores to check out. We spent the next hour walking down Sydney Road checking out the various booths and sampling the local cuisine. There were also lots of different music acts on the various stages spread throughout the street. Sounds of Polynesia, who perform music from the Cook Islands, were excellent. There was also a very amusing Chinese heavy metal band called The Five Venoms. Their lead singer has the biggest hair I've ever seen.

Ruth and I headed over to The Brunswick Green at 4:00 p.m. to catch a set by Charles Jenkins, who was the lead singer of the band Icecream Hands. The place was packed, but we found a nice spot of grass to sit on out in the beer garden. Ruth's boyfriend Danny joined us there later. For dinner we went to Piazza 51 and had some good pizzas. Unfortunately, someone stole Michelle's wallet out of her purse while we were eating. Not the best ending to an otherwise good day.

A Day In The Mountains

Today Fran, Rosemaree, and I headed up to Mt. Dandenong to visit Peter and Mark. We met up with Peter at Ripe in Sassafras. It was a good thing that Peter told us where the restaurant was because there is no sign to indicate its location. We ate a very yummy brunch- I had scrambled eggs on toast with bacon, spinach, and mushrooms. Ripe is famous for its hot chocolates made with Lindt chocolate balls, so we all had to order one. It was good. Thanks to Peter for treating us.

On our way back to Peter and Mark's place we went up to the lookout at SkyHigh on the mountain. It has a great view towards Melbourne. Since the weather has been hot it was a bit hazy and smoggy- sort of an L.A. view of things, unfortunately. Back at the house we sat outside on the deck and finally got to chat with Mark. The boys gave me a lovely little wooden jewelry box for my birthday, and I also picked up Peter's US mobile phone to use on my trip. We left Kalorama mid-afternoon and headed for home.

The Footy Is Back!

It's preseason time for the Australian Football League, so this afternoon I went to watch the Essendon Bombers vs. Sydney Swans match at Optus Oval in Princes Park. It was a practice match so a lot of the senior players didn't play, but the game was still entertaining, and it was nice to see my Bombers in action in person for a change.

I met up with Adrian and his girlfriend Helen and we caught the last ten minutes of the second quarter before halftime began. One of the great things about Aussie Rules is how accessible the players and grounds are for fans. You are allowed to go onto the field and kick around the footy ball between quarters and after the match. At today's game fans were also allowed to come onto the field and gather around to listen to the coach's comments to the players. After the match players will sign autographs as they leave the field, and are very approachable. These things would never happen at a NFL game! It's just a relaxed atmosphere with people from all walks of life in attendance.

As for the game, the Bombers really took control in the second half and won the match by over 30 points (Sydney didn't even score in the third quarter). The weather was hot, so they shortened the time of the quarters at the end. It was a good start to the season, and I hope to catch many more matches in the upcoming months.