there's a cat in my yard

There are a lot of cats that roam the streets of Moonee Ponds.  They don't realize that if I just breathe in enough of their dander it can give me a massive asthma attack. They are cute too, just a hazard to my health.  I just had a little visitor in the yard but didn't grab the camera quickly enough.  He just came up to my door and checked out the place.  We weren't interesting enough I suppose since he turned around pretty quick and moved on.

Last Thursday, Phil, Lee and I went to check out a taping of the 7PM Project at the channel ten studios.  It's been a while since I'd seen a taping of anything and my first here.  Happens the same all around, only here, they feed the audience sugar!! I know the CBC is the nation's broadcaster and the candy budget would be outta whack, but it makes for a tasty experience! The 7PM Project, for those that don't know, is a 1/2 hour news program that makes news fun. It takes topics from the news (not the overly sad and depressing stuff), and puts a spin on it.  Their slogan - It's news, but not as you know it. It's a good show! Check it out: 7PM Project.

Our housewarming get together was on Saturday night and although it was a small, very small, gathering of people, we had good times! Baked some cookies for the event which went well with the rice krispie squares made by Chrystal (which included pink marshmallows - can't find a regular bag of marshmallows around here!)  and all the other goodies.  Can't forget the lovely punch which went over very well and quickly... tasty! It's home now.  Amazing what furniture does to a place!

Sorry. That's all I got.

no, not you, her...

I went out tonight to see the boys of Tic Toc Tokyo and Spiral Stairs with my new flatmate Chrystal.  As we got to the door we were greeted by security who asked for our I.D. Aw shucks, really?! Damn, I forgot it at home. I didn't even think of it. *start of panic attack*

Bouncer looking at me with a straight face: No, not you, her. *super quick end of panic attack*

Memories flood back from our trip to Melaka in Malaysia.  At one point, on our way home, somebody asked the taxi driver to guess our ages.  This is after he asked why we weren't married already. Don't get me started on that subject!!  Anyway, he turned to me and said, while pointing his finger at me - "Her, she's old..." WTF? How old did I look?! "Too hard to tell with white people." How rude is that?!

Anyway, I fully understand that I'm getting older. That still doesn't change the fact that I'd still like to be asked if the person I'm with is!! Sheesh. Grandma ain't ready to take out the knitting needles just yet!

End of rant.

by candlelight

This evening I come writing to you by candlelight. What could be any more romantic? Lemme tell you, I can think of a number of things.

It is night two of living with no power. It would appear that we were to have told somebody that we moved in to avoid the electricity being shut off. Funny that. The plan is for them to come flip the on switch tomorrow during the day.

** Blaring alarm interruption here **

Right... so it's just after midnight and I just had a mild heart attack. Not literally of course. The alarm system went off and scared the bejeezus outta me. Good thing we knew where the bloody number was written down because we were able to disarm if only for a moment. After a minute it went off again! Right, Loreto, call the number on the panel. Phil, take care of the alarm. Super nice guy picks up and I explain the situation as the alarm goes off again. He figures it's the battery since it hasn't received a charge. I need a screwdriver and a step ladder. Um, just moved in and don't have either of those things. After a little running up and down the stairs, got the trusty butter knife and chair. At this point, security guy said I could hang up since I'd need the use of both hands. Smart. I wish I had caught his name but I think the alarm went off just as he said it. Back to the battery. Shorty McShort here could barely reach and when she did, didn't know which cable to unplug. I then made reference to this being like a plug on a bomb and being too scared to pull one, so Phil finished it off.

** back the the regularly scheduled blog entry **

What was I saying...? Right, as proven by the incident, I have come to realize that I don't know jack about house related issues. I'm used to having a superintendent to call up or have had one of the men in my family around. I say I'm a self sufficient feminist. I think I need to work on that. I need to learn how things work, household or otherwise. What if there was no Google available when I needed to do something? *shudder at the thought* I have got to learn the basics. Put that on the list...

For now, laptop battery is dying along with the one in my brain. Time for bed. Bonne nuit!

friendly aussies

I have a tendency to fall asleep in anything that moves. Planes, trains, automobiles. It moves, I fall asleep like a baby. Maybe it's something I should get checked out.

Yesterday I was riding the tram on my way home and my head kept bobbing. I hadn't slept well at all the night before which may have explained things. Almost dropped my phone twice. I'm sure that I finally slept for a good 5 minutes until I heard "WAKE UP!" WTF?! Buddy who was sitting directly in front of me was laughing and I did laugh a little too but, who does that?! I think he was just jealous that I was able to do it while he was suffering through this ride. He started the conversation saying that he didn't know how I could fall asleep on a tram.

He was a truck driver who I pegged to be in his late 40's/early 50's with a shaved head and rugged Aussie look. You know the one. He had come down from Queensland, the state with permanent temps in the 30's and 40's year round. He had the day off and thought he'd go around town but it was too cold. He grew up here and didn't know why I'd want to live in Melbourne. He got out as soon as he was old enough. At this point I figured he'd been dropped as a child and didn't know what he was talking about. This city is amazing!! That aside, I told him that I was Canadian and 20C on a winter day wasn't something to complain about. His response - "I always wanted to go to Alaska". Um, yeah. That's not Canada. I told him that if he wanted cold, come visit in January when Toronto easily gets to -30C with the windchill. Forget about some other parts of the country!

Him: "What's that in Celsius?"
Me: "That is Celsius."
Him: "Why do the Americans still use the other system?"
Me: "I don't know, they like to be different."

He starts to tell me that he works with some freezer trucks where the temperature gets to -40F and "that's fuckin' cold". No shit.

Him: "Know what that is in Celsius?"
Me: "Yeah, -40C, that's when the conversion equals the same." Dumb stare. Why am I talking to him?

Asked if I skied. "Nope, I'm not an outdoor kinda girl."
"What's the point of living somewhere with snow if you aren't gonna ski?"

This is pretty much how most of the conversation went. Luckily at this stage a guy sat next to him and diverted the conversation. Trucker was lost and young guy was able to say where we were. At this point I was desperately wishing that the tram would either move faster or I was just gonna get off anyway. I took the opportunity to say adios and stood next to the door.

It's still hard to get used to how friendly they are here. I'm from the concrete jungle where you don't talk to people. Sheesh. All I wanted to do is sleep. Dang I sound bitchy.

oh happy day

It's been three nights since I moved in to the new house. First night in an empty house was a bit odd because it was the first time in I don't know how long there was no one sleeping nearby. I was alone. New noises to get used to. I've watched too many scary movies. Let's face it, I'm a wimp.

The roomies have now moved in and it's all good again!

I should say, as much as I hated living in a hostel long term, I will miss meeting people along the way...

New chapter in Melbourne begun!

there's always a first for someone

It was gonna be a quiet night at the Workshop. Just a few drinks with a few friends. It was a great little bar with great music and neat artwork. Atmosphere was very cool. I hate beer but had no problem having it last night. But the mood to dance was on for me at least... luckily, the boys were itching to go to Peel. A night out with the boys amongst the boys.

We talked Sarah into going to her first gay bar and even though she went kicking and screaming, once her headache was gone, she had a great time! For a straight girl, it's a good place to have fun dancing without needing to put on a show. Good tunes, a mini-workout on the dance floor, and in last nights instance, a drag show. Sarah had such a great time with it, she got a fab pic with one of the queens!

Good times.

oh laura

My safety blanket left last night... Laura has started her travels making her way home to Canada. Although I made the promise to myself to get out of my comfort zone this year and try new things, I wouldn't have made as good a transition with people here as I have. So thank you Laura and I'll see you somewhere on the planet again someday!

Laura and I went out for dinner on Tuesday night in hopes of finding a really good meal. Both craving red meat! Got harassed as we walked along Hardware Lane with almost every restaurant promising a round of wine on the house. Too bad I don't drink wine. The menus did look really good but not in the mood to pay with my left arm for the meal.

We decided to try out something in Chinatown. Arriving at Spicy Fish, we figured it was a good choice because it was so busy. As we waited to order, I noticed that no one really had food on their table so there was no way of picking something tasty based on looks alone. Staying on the safe side, we ordered Special Fried Rice and Beef with Vegetables. As soon as we ordered we saw the platter of boiled Chicken feet being carried out. Ew, no thanks. Then I saw it. The "beef". If it was from a cow, I do not know what part and I don't wanna know. What I do know is that as soon as I took that first bite, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to swallow it. The meat was boiled and covered in a coagulated sauce making it slimy. We made a go of it but didn't do too much damage to the plate. Thankfully the vegetables were fine and the rice was good. We decided we had had enough and Laura suggested we make a run for it. Funny idea but there's no way these legs were gonna get us out of there quick enough and not trip along the way! When we finally did get out of there, we were laughing so hard at how bad the meal was and how desperately we needed to get a really good dessert to make up for it! We walked to Degraves and found one place still open with a good dessert menu. Chocolate mud cake for Laura, strawberry cheesecake for me. Could it be any better?! The nasty memory of that meat will always stay with me, but it made for a fun time with my bud.

Yesterday, Laura, Phil and I took a quick walk around town for Laura's last day and Spring has finally sprung. It was the first day in...I don't remember how long...that there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. First stop, visiting our friend Lee who was working the 1930's era lift at David Jones. It was the old school ride up and down three floors. Loved it! Next stop, construction site worked by the company Hooker Cockram. So what, we were reduced to kid like jokes but that is a hilarious name! What better way to end the afternoon then to go to Treasury Gardens and have a sit down and take in the sun and sights?

Take a look at what we saw while were were there.... could they be any cuter?!?!