I had another trial at Extra Cool Juice on Friday - a double restaurant like Double Daughters/Two Fisted Marios. Next door is a gourmet deli that caters. They need a guy that can go between and split shifts between places. The trial went really well, and I’m waiting to hear if I have a job. It’s the best lead I’ve had so far, and the partner/half-owner was really excited about me… We shall see.

Also celebrated national turkey slaughter day with Ariel and her mom. Dyan made me carve the turkey because I was the only American male there. Why are so many anglo holidays celebrations of death and exploitation? Thanksgiving and Columbus Day are atrocities against the Native Americans, and Australia Day is a social attack on the Aboriginals (the day that Capt Cook landed on Australia).

Yesterday was bowling with the swing crowd. It was fun, but safe. How do I pick something new? Where do I start to look? Must learn to become an explorer….

So I’ve perfectly reconstructed my life in Colorado:

unemployed
staying at a house with friends
swing dancing
Japanese language exchange partner

Did I really need to go to Oz for that? When is my ‘new’ life going to start? Should I even expect something different? hrm…

So days have settled into a routine more or less… I’m still looking for work, and average an interview every day or so. I still go dancing; went last night and it was good.

I’m beginning to think I should get a job as a kitchen hand, wash dishes, prep chef, basic stuff like that. The job market here is very tough right now.

Ken Burns Jazz is on TV right now, Sunday evenings!

The trees here are very different - their foilage stretches up, like half-exploded fire works. I guess not having snow really changes a plant’s view of life and getting sun. Parrots are here, too! I saw some in a tree at a cricket match - I went to two this weekend, and now I know how that silly game works.

Also, went with Garry (host father for Ariel) to a pub on Saturday night to watch the Rugby World Cup final between Australia and England. ‘We’ lost by 3 points in overtime. It was fun, warm and dark pub, lots of beer drinking in the place, lots of cheering and booing, it was good.

Oy, Kobe Bryant is in the papers here as well. As well as Jacko, and Mr. Cali hisself: Awhnohld.

If you ask for lemonade, they’ll give you a sprite equivalent. Uf.

A few random things today:

Tax is included in EVERY price. Just add it up, and that’s what you have to pay. The smallest coin is a nickel, so buying things is easier.

New pototo flavor chips are here! The best one so far is lime and black pepper.

Drinking age = 18. Driving age = 18. Learner’s permit at 16. It’s interesting. There are ‘L’ plates (stickers you put in your window) for when you’re 16-18, the ‘P’ plates are for when you’re 18-21. When using P plates, your liscence is taken away if you have ANY trace of alcohol in your blood.

So the seat of my bike fell off yesterday while I was riding to the train station, in the rain. It was a good bad-day-in-a-movie situation. It’s been fixed now, the bolt that held the seat to the post got loose and fell off.

And I picked my name in kanji during my Japanese culture class. We covered calligraphy, using the large traditional brushes. The teacher let me pick from a list of kanji, each with the reading ‘jyo’. I picked one that looked nice, and used it. Then, yesterday, when I met with Fumie for more Japanese practice, I learned it’s meaning: growth, maturing. It’s sweet! And how nice that I’d pick that specific kanji, not knowing it’s meaning. I feel it’s very appropriate for my situation right now.

Orion has migrated into the night sky here. He likes summer only I guess, and chases it around the globe.

Gary, Ariels’ host father, likes and owns Calexico and the Eels. I’m surprised at his grasp on good American and indie music. But, the Aussies know how to pick things, and many don’t like corporations here, so it makes sense in the end.

Power outlets are called power points here. And each one is switched. Next to the plug-ing, there’s a small swith you use to turn the power point on or off. I like that idea, and I think it’s safer. And the family uses a clothes line, which is better for the environment than a dryer. What’s more, I get a chance to relax and reflect while I hang my clothes to dry. It brings back happy memories of Mer and I hanging clothes out in Portland on our Canadian road trip.

The kitchen sink in the house faces the family room (instead of a window, as is comon in American homes). I feel that this allows families to interact more with each other after a meal. When you’re facing the window, dish-washing becomes a chore because you’re alone when doing it. But facing your family let’s you talk and joke while washing. This is better.

Technology has a way to rob families of quality time. Dryers and kitchen layouts must be rethot in the US. Or something.

Hung out with a dancer from CT yesterday. She’s studying nursing in Sydney, but came down for the exchange. She talked about some cool things she’s learned while in school - a lot about contreceptives. Apparetly, there’s a pill for men coming out, which eliminates the sperm in semen. The sperm count is restored after 6 weeks once you stop taking the pills. She’s gonna try and get her boyfriend to take them once they’re out.

I’m sleeping the guest room of the guest house now: Ariel’s mom Diane is out for a week. She’s making thanksgiving dinner (which isn’t celebrated here) on Friday next week - so it will be Thursday US time. This week will be interesting with such a high strung house mate. Oh well.

So the trial was fine, I didn’t collapse or anything. I washed some buckets, and did prep-chef things. It was fun, fast-paced, and free juice! I’m not sure if I can get enuf hours, so I may not take it. Who knows. I’m not freaked out now. I can do this.

Tonight, I have my first trial run at a job: a kitchen worker for Veggie Bar, Melbourne’s top vegetarian restaurant (supposedly). I will make pizza and other things starting at 6 (in one hour). I’m nervous and excited and about to fall apart. Hopefully, it won’t be too stressful.

Picked up the junk bike from one of the dancers today (the bike’s not too bad). Had to go to the bike store for helmet, lights, and lock (the first two are required by law - huge fines if you don’t have them). Now, I’ll be a little more independent. No more 2km walks! The bike is just a standand mountain bike with 15 speeds, I think. It’s the Aussie equivalent of Huffy, or something.

Now for a critique:

Victoria drivers are the most aggressive I’ve ever seen. Worse than WY, CA, and NYC. They drive where ever it’s flat, park on the sidewalk, honk like everywhere they have to be is important. But, the paper said today that the drivers are getting safer: speeding ticket revenues are down by tens of millions. I can’t believe it. Last year must’ve been chaotic.

Alas, I will succumb to brain cancer: I bought a mobile phone. It’s crippling not to have one in this city/country. But the phone system is very different: the caller is the one that pays (so that part is like the US). But here’s what’s different: to call a mobile phone, you have to pay 37 cents each half minute. Ouch. So text messaging is very popular - a message is only 25 cents. And the phones are smart: it guesses the word you are typing as you type it (you don’t have to sequentially go thru d and e to get to f — pusing the 3 key three time). Just hit the number that has the letter you want and move on. As you type the word, the phone is able to determine which word you want. If there’s more than one spelling for a certain sequence, you hit the up/down button to change possible spellings. Genious, really.

So it wasn’t all swing dancing, I went to beaches as well. St. Kilda, Chelsea, and Mt. Martha (there are many here). St. Kilda is kinda trashy - dirty and cheap with coarse sand, Chelsea has the nicest sand (it’s like powder) but the neighborhood is crazy (think Colfax & Broadway), Mt. Martha is accessible by car only and even then it’s an hour drive (I got there by Ariel’s host family - read on below). It has the nicest neighborhood, feels like CA beaches, but the sand is grainier (between Chelsea and St. Kilda). BUT, regardless of the quality, it’s beach, and to a land-locked Coloradan, it’s amazing and sunny and ocean. I’ve been to both sides of the Pacific now. Huttah! to skinny dipping madness.

So, Mt. Martha - it was my first Aussia BBQ, a family function for Ariel’s host family. They invited me along, and we drove and drove and drove to a great view: a mountian overlooking the bay, with the city on the horizon. )When I get to the Kinko’s, I may do some internet/gallery work.) The BBQ was full on: steak, chiken, hot dogs, salad, bread, dessert. It was fantastic. A great meal with more friendly people. Folks are saying I should go and stay with them a few days!

On the highway, I noticed that the colors of the lines on the roads are reversed, too: yellow separates lanes, and white separates directions. Yet it’s not consistant, sometimes you’ll only see white lines on the road (which adds to confusion). The road took us past the outer suburbs, which are great recreations of Highlands Ranch: bix box stores, many cars and parking spaces, and houses and houses and houses.

When I served lunch at the exchange, the chef told me about kitchen jobs available, mainly dishwashing. If I can’t find a job, I can call her and start working.

People keep thinking I’m from Europe here. They say my accent isn’t very strong (they’re expecting Valley Girl). And I must look like a Melbournian because I keep getting asked for directions. It’s fun to see their face change when they hear my voice tell them I don’t know so well, but I will guess.

And the radio here is great: Aussie artists mixed with the better American music: Outkast, RjD2, Flaming Lips, Eels, all the stuff I like. It’s sweet.

k that’s enuf

Nothing but dancing madness this weekend. So many people at the Melbourne Lindy Exhange.

I met a cool crew from Perth (and now I want to visit). They rented a condo, and had a pre-party. And a took a 3 hour power nap there one night while i was waiting for the trains to start (it’s like RTD - no service between 1a and 5a). I like the NYC transport best.

I met at least 30 people, and remember half of the names. The colorado style is different, and my lead has become a temporary novelty.

And what’s cool: they let me volunteer for admittance to a few social dances. I helped rotate the DJs, served lunch, and did box office stuff.

Now it’s time to buckle down and commense with the job searching.

Tidbits of trivia:
“How are you going” = “How are you doing”
pissed = drunk
thong = flip flop
taking the piss out of him = making fun of him