Yvonne invited me along with her group to a Xmas dinner held at college south of the river. The college has a restaurant management degree and has a small restaurant where the students get training, including the chefs. The benefit is a very good meal for very little money. Yvonne and her friends make reservations once a month.
Since I don't have a car she picked me up at work. She then drove me down to her house south of Perth. She is very proud of her house. It has pool, is high on a hill to catch the ocean breezes in the afternoon. It is a 5 bedroom house and she rents out a couple of the rooms to lodgers. She mentioned that she feels safe because in a few years when global warming raises the ocean to cover Australia her house will be dry. I think she is looking forward to having a beach front house some day, so keep driving them cars people.
When we walked in we were greeted by a naked and wet old man standing in the living room. Yvonne did not seem the least bit surprised and walked on past him to the back of the house to take care of something. She turned on the TV for me as she went by and invited me to watch TV for a while. No explanation or introduction was offered by either of them. The old man walked off somewhere else, so I sat down and started watching on of my favorite shows, the Simpsons.
The Simpsons, by the way, are enormously popular down here. Despite all of the American and local references hidden in the show, the Ozzies really get it.
After about 10 minutes the old man comes back into the living room, still naked and still wet. He seemed upset about something and walked over to the TV and switched it to the news. I protested that I was watching the Simpsons, but this seem to make him angrier. He gruffly told me that the Simpsons were for kids and to turn that crap off. Now I was pissed. I was watching the program, so I switched it back to the Simpsons. He switched it back to the news. I told him that I liked the Simpsons and no, it wasn't for kids. The show has a lot of jokes and material for adults too. He started arguing that I was wrong and that it is simply a bad American TV show. I had to defend the show, so we started getting into a heated argument over the issue.
The thought then struck me. Why on earth am I standing in a stranger's living room arguing the cultural merits of the Simpsons with a naked and wet old man? This is crazy. So I handed him the remote and went outside to walk around the neighborhood.
After about 30 minutes Yvonne came out looking for me. She was ready to leave for dinner. The old man was with her, dressed up this time. He was going too. We drove over the dinner, which was an Xmas dinner complete with paper hats and small fire crackers. My friend Fred was there (Mr. Toilet Paper from the Thanksgiving dinner), so I ended up sitting a table with him and his wife while Yvonne and old man Simpson Hater held hands and ate at a different table.
Ask asked a friend of Yvonne's who was sitting with us about the old man. She said that he was renting a room from her and had just moved in. I pointed out that they were holding hands and that he was walking about the house with no clothes on when we where there earlier. She agreed that was strange behavior for a tenant, and there most be something else going on.
Yvonne never bothered to explain anything to me. They dumped me at the train station after dinner. I have not seen them since.
Saturday, December 29, 2001
Wednesday, December 26, 2001
Boxing Day
Trish told me that boxing day, the holiday on the 26th of December, is an English holiday that was started when the upper classes used to take the day off after Christmas to go watch boxing matches. The lower classes used to have to go back to work. I am going to get a second opinion.
Modern Boxing Day is a party hearty day here in Australia where most people head to the beaches or pool parties with their mates and drink vast quantities of alcohol. This is when the police set up all their DUI roadblocks.
I might head out to Rotto Island to see what is going on there.
Modern Boxing Day is a party hearty day here in Australia where most people head to the beaches or pool parties with their mates and drink vast quantities of alcohol. This is when the police set up all their DUI roadblocks.
I might head out to Rotto Island to see what is going on there.
Road Trip!:
took a road trip this weekend along the coast south of Perth to the city of Albany. I rented a car and just took off Saturday morning. To summarize the scenery is to simply say "Wow!"
Trish offered to loan me some of their camping gear and to pack some food for me. When I got home Friday after work with the rental car I found lined up in the living room three coolers full of food plus everything I need for camping, plus about a dozen guide books and maps. Trish is so damn efficient. There was enough food for two for a week. Salads, sandwiches, breakfast already to eat, fruit, a whole roasted chicken, meatballs, pasta, deserts, and more. Of course there were also plenty of beverages and creature comforts such as dishes, silverware, and napkins. I would eat like a king on this trip. Needless to say, I was only able to eat a fraction of it and brought most of it back. It was very nice of her to go to such much trouble.
I kept as close to the coast as possible. I first headed down to Leeuwin-Naturaliste coast. The hills in the coast are riddled with over 350 caves ranging from small to enormous. I stopped at three of them and took the tours. The caves are spectacular, with many formations found nowhere else on earth. One of them named "Lake Cave" has a beautiful lake far underground that was so clean we were invited to drink from it. Mammoth cave was mind-blowing. You could park a couple of 747s inside of some of the chambers.
This coast is also home to some of the best world-class surfing spots in the world, and the best in Western Australia. I have to agree. I saw plenty of empty beaches with beautiful right-hand breaks going smoothly along for almost a mile.
There is a spot along this coast named "Canal Rocks". It is a strange formation of rocks that have a perfect natural channels of water in them. What was interesting is that there is reef on the south side where the waves would crash over from the ocean spilling their water into a small bay. That water has to go somewhere, right? It pours out this clear wide channel through the rocks, spitting out to the bay on the north side. Now what intrigued me was a second channel in the rocks perpendicular to the primary channel. That water is pushed out the primary cancel so fast that it creates a siphon in this secondary channel, pulling in water from a calm bay to the north.
Seeing this made me of course want to try to ride these rips through the channels. I studied it for a long time but the water was so clear that it was hard to gauge the speed it was moving. By watching the eddies I could tell that it ejected water in to the north bay quit a distance. What I wanted to do was jump into the water in the calm bay, and allow myself to get sucked into the siphon channel, which would dump me into the primary channel and then get ejected out into the north bay. It looked like it would be an awesome ride.
I wished I had a coconut that I could throw in to watch what would happen to it. I did observe that the offshore wind was blowing hard, the same force that drove the waves over the reef powering this whole natural Disneyland ride. I estimated that the rip would push me at least 1/4 to 1/2 a mile out to sea, but then it would an upwind swim back to shore and shelter from the ocean wind and waves. I also noticed that there was no one around for miles. If I miscalculated, or got slammed on a rock, then I would be dead.
So not wanting to be a chapter on the Darwin Awards web site I decided to wait until I had better information and equipment such as a surfboard or kayak. When I mentioned my idea to Trish and Martin after I got back they looked horrified. The told me that many tourists have died there from rouge waves. If a rouge wave hits the Canal Rocks it overflows the system and the water simple slams you into the rocks.
This part of of Australia gets the brunt of rouge waves from the Southern Ocean. The Southern Ocean is the body of water the surrounds the Antarctic south of Australia, Africa, and South America. It has the unique feature of not having any landmass for waves to run into. A wave pushed along by the prevailing winds can travel around the globe building in size for as long as it can sustain itself. I don't have the exact stats, but I recall that sometimes a wave can live for months down there. There is simply nothing to stop it. Sometimes these waves stack up on each other and create monster rogue waves. These are real waves full of real water that can cause as much damage at sea as on a coastline, unlike a Tsunami which is most dangerous in shallow water.
The coast along here can best be described as similar to the central California coast between Pt. Conception and Morro Bay (Pismo).
I ended up at the southwestern point of Australia, the lighthouse at Pt. Leeuwin where the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean meet. I thought this was pretty awesome until the next day when I went further east towards Albany.
This area of Australia, the Margaret River, is the heart of WA's wine country and forests. I drove hours through empty roads through beautiful forests. I camped out in Pemberton, the heart of the southern forests. The next morning I head to the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. There is a grove of giant trees in a valley here. The trees have shallow roots systems, so in order to protect the roots and still allow people to see these magnificent trees they built a catwalk through the treetops. It is about 130 feet off the ground up in the canopy. If you are afraid of heights, you can't do it. The catwalks sway in the wind and bounce around as people move across (not too much) and have grated flooring so you can see below you.
From there I visited the lovely town of Denmark and visited the beaches south of here. The beaches kept getting more and more awesome the further east I drove. The ocean down here is cooler than Perth, more central California style. You need a wetsuit when surfing here. The water itself was a remarkable cobalt blue and so remarkably clear. The beaches where some of the best I have ever seen. Totally empty with cliffs at your back and with perfect sand extended way into water. You could camp out on one of these beaches here for week and have it totally to yourself.
I finally ended up in Albany. Albany and the surrounding area remind me of Monterey and Santa Cruz. The forests and mountains come down to the sea along high cliffs and bluffs with perfect little beaches in coves. Albany is in a perfect natural harbor protected by large hills from the ocean. Albany was the home the Australia's whaling industry, but is now a prime whale watching area.
I've heard that the coast east of here between Albany and the South Australian border is even better. I will have to save that for another trip.
During this trip I took mostly back-roads. Often I would drive for 3 hours and not see another car or another human being. Sometimes the road was not even paved, or if it was, it was only one lane of asphalt. My rental car contract prohibited me from driving after dark outside of the Perth metro area. This is because of the danger of hitting a kangaroo. I had to keep very aware of this danger, especially at sunrise and sunset.
At one point late in the afternoon in the middle of nowhere I came around a corner and saw a strange sight. There in front of me in the middle of the road was a large man in rabbit suit bouncing up and down. "Now that is weird" I though to myself as I braked to avoid running into him. Then I remembered. "You're in Australia, you idiot. Therefore that must be a kangaroo." That is what it was! A roo was confused by my car and was bouncing right and left trying to guess which was was the safest route to avoid getting hit.
Adam told me later that many of the roos are now blind. A disease is attacking them that blinds them. He said it is very sad to watch some poor roo lost in the woods crashing into trees and injuring themselves.
Trish offered to loan me some of their camping gear and to pack some food for me. When I got home Friday after work with the rental car I found lined up in the living room three coolers full of food plus everything I need for camping, plus about a dozen guide books and maps. Trish is so damn efficient. There was enough food for two for a week. Salads, sandwiches, breakfast already to eat, fruit, a whole roasted chicken, meatballs, pasta, deserts, and more. Of course there were also plenty of beverages and creature comforts such as dishes, silverware, and napkins. I would eat like a king on this trip. Needless to say, I was only able to eat a fraction of it and brought most of it back. It was very nice of her to go to such much trouble.
I kept as close to the coast as possible. I first headed down to Leeuwin-Naturaliste coast. The hills in the coast are riddled with over 350 caves ranging from small to enormous. I stopped at three of them and took the tours. The caves are spectacular, with many formations found nowhere else on earth. One of them named "Lake Cave" has a beautiful lake far underground that was so clean we were invited to drink from it. Mammoth cave was mind-blowing. You could park a couple of 747s inside of some of the chambers.
This coast is also home to some of the best world-class surfing spots in the world, and the best in Western Australia. I have to agree. I saw plenty of empty beaches with beautiful right-hand breaks going smoothly along for almost a mile.
There is a spot along this coast named "Canal Rocks". It is a strange formation of rocks that have a perfect natural channels of water in them. What was interesting is that there is reef on the south side where the waves would crash over from the ocean spilling their water into a small bay. That water has to go somewhere, right? It pours out this clear wide channel through the rocks, spitting out to the bay on the north side. Now what intrigued me was a second channel in the rocks perpendicular to the primary channel. That water is pushed out the primary cancel so fast that it creates a siphon in this secondary channel, pulling in water from a calm bay to the north.
Seeing this made me of course want to try to ride these rips through the channels. I studied it for a long time but the water was so clear that it was hard to gauge the speed it was moving. By watching the eddies I could tell that it ejected water in to the north bay quit a distance. What I wanted to do was jump into the water in the calm bay, and allow myself to get sucked into the siphon channel, which would dump me into the primary channel and then get ejected out into the north bay. It looked like it would be an awesome ride.
I wished I had a coconut that I could throw in to watch what would happen to it. I did observe that the offshore wind was blowing hard, the same force that drove the waves over the reef powering this whole natural Disneyland ride. I estimated that the rip would push me at least 1/4 to 1/2 a mile out to sea, but then it would an upwind swim back to shore and shelter from the ocean wind and waves. I also noticed that there was no one around for miles. If I miscalculated, or got slammed on a rock, then I would be dead.
So not wanting to be a chapter on the Darwin Awards web site I decided to wait until I had better information and equipment such as a surfboard or kayak. When I mentioned my idea to Trish and Martin after I got back they looked horrified. The told me that many tourists have died there from rouge waves. If a rouge wave hits the Canal Rocks it overflows the system and the water simple slams you into the rocks.
This part of of Australia gets the brunt of rouge waves from the Southern Ocean. The Southern Ocean is the body of water the surrounds the Antarctic south of Australia, Africa, and South America. It has the unique feature of not having any landmass for waves to run into. A wave pushed along by the prevailing winds can travel around the globe building in size for as long as it can sustain itself. I don't have the exact stats, but I recall that sometimes a wave can live for months down there. There is simply nothing to stop it. Sometimes these waves stack up on each other and create monster rogue waves. These are real waves full of real water that can cause as much damage at sea as on a coastline, unlike a Tsunami which is most dangerous in shallow water.
The coast along here can best be described as similar to the central California coast between Pt. Conception and Morro Bay (Pismo).
I ended up at the southwestern point of Australia, the lighthouse at Pt. Leeuwin where the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean meet. I thought this was pretty awesome until the next day when I went further east towards Albany.
From there I visited the lovely town of Denmark and visited the beaches south of here. The beaches kept getting more and more awesome the further east I drove. The ocean down here is cooler than Perth, more central California style. You need a wetsuit when surfing here. The water itself was a remarkable cobalt blue and so remarkably clear. The beaches where some of the best I have ever seen. Totally empty with cliffs at your back and with perfect sand extended way into water. You could camp out on one of these beaches here for week and have it totally to yourself.
I finally ended up in Albany. Albany and the surrounding area remind me of Monterey and Santa Cruz. The forests and mountains come down to the sea along high cliffs and bluffs with perfect little beaches in coves. Albany is in a perfect natural harbor protected by large hills from the ocean. Albany was the home the Australia's whaling industry, but is now a prime whale watching area.
I've heard that the coast east of here between Albany and the South Australian border is even better. I will have to save that for another trip.
During this trip I took mostly back-roads. Often I would drive for 3 hours and not see another car or another human being. Sometimes the road was not even paved, or if it was, it was only one lane of asphalt. My rental car contract prohibited me from driving after dark outside of the Perth metro area. This is because of the danger of hitting a kangaroo. I had to keep very aware of this danger, especially at sunrise and sunset.
At one point late in the afternoon in the middle of nowhere I came around a corner and saw a strange sight. There in front of me in the middle of the road was a large man in rabbit suit bouncing up and down. "Now that is weird" I though to myself as I braked to avoid running into him. Then I remembered. "You're in Australia, you idiot. Therefore that must be a kangaroo." That is what it was! A roo was confused by my car and was bouncing right and left trying to guess which was was the safest route to avoid getting hit.
Adam told me later that many of the roos are now blind. A disease is attacking them that blinds them. He said it is very sad to watch some poor roo lost in the woods crashing into trees and injuring themselves.
Driving In Oz:
This weekend was my first experience driving a right hand drive car on the wrong side of the road. Boy was it fun! I didn't kill anyone and even managed to avoid wrecking the car. Those people at Budget Rent-a-Car are so trusting!
I rented a small Hundie (I can't even spell it!), a small Korean disposable car. It took me a day to get the hang of things. The car was a standard, and sometimes when I would go to shift gears I would instead roll down the window. The turn signals and wiper control stalks are reversed, so one slow pass with the wiper blades means I want to turn right, and a faster wiper blade meant I want to turn left. The clutch, brake, and gas pedal are the same as in the US.
The problem is remembering to think through every intersection before and during. You also have to remember to remember. For example, if you know you want to turn left up ahead you have to think it through so that you don't accidentally react automatically. The worst is pulling out of a parking lot. You naturally tend to pull out on the right side of a driveway, and cross over the lane to turn left. If takes a lot of concentration to prevent this. The first major intersection I hit was a double wide divided boulevard. I mistakenly crossed over to turn left. About half way across I noticed the guy behind me had turned left into the wrong lane. Nope. He was right, I was wrong. I slammed on my brakes before I had a head on crash with west-bound traffic.
Also they use roundabouts here instead of stop signs and traffic lights. I really like them. They are very efficient, but can scare the hell out of you if you don't know what you are doing (or more importantly, what the others are doing). At least with a round-about the collisions that do occur tend to be side to side, not head ons.
My weekend road trip was over 1500km (932 miles), so I had a lot of practice. I am going to be taking my drivers license test in a couple of weeks. I'll let you know how it goes.
I rented a small Hundie (I can't even spell it!), a small Korean disposable car. It took me a day to get the hang of things. The car was a standard, and sometimes when I would go to shift gears I would instead roll down the window. The turn signals and wiper control stalks are reversed, so one slow pass with the wiper blades means I want to turn right, and a faster wiper blade meant I want to turn left. The clutch, brake, and gas pedal are the same as in the US.
The problem is remembering to think through every intersection before and during. You also have to remember to remember. For example, if you know you want to turn left up ahead you have to think it through so that you don't accidentally react automatically. The worst is pulling out of a parking lot. You naturally tend to pull out on the right side of a driveway, and cross over the lane to turn left. If takes a lot of concentration to prevent this. The first major intersection I hit was a double wide divided boulevard. I mistakenly crossed over to turn left. About half way across I noticed the guy behind me had turned left into the wrong lane. Nope. He was right, I was wrong. I slammed on my brakes before I had a head on crash with west-bound traffic.
Also they use roundabouts here instead of stop signs and traffic lights. I really like them. They are very efficient, but can scare the hell out of you if you don't know what you are doing (or more importantly, what the others are doing). At least with a round-about the collisions that do occur tend to be side to side, not head ons.
My weekend road trip was over 1500km (932 miles), so I had a lot of practice. I am going to be taking my drivers license test in a couple of weeks. I'll let you know how it goes.
Tuesday, December 25, 2001
Photos:
I took lots of photos of my road trip to Albany and the south coast. I should have them up next week. I have to wait for the film to come back after Xmas.
Christmas Day
Here it is Christmas Day. I didn't do much except catch up on this newsletter. Sorry I've neglected it for so long. I've been rather busy.
The family went over Trish's daughter Nancy's house for Xmas dinner. It was a wonderful little dinner with ALL the kids and grandkids there running around like little monsters.
We drank quit a bit and I fell asleep from too much red wine and warm sun.
The family went over Trish's daughter Nancy's house for Xmas dinner. It was a wonderful little dinner with ALL the kids and grandkids there running around like little monsters.
We drank quit a bit and I fell asleep from too much red wine and warm sun.
Jingle Bells - Aussie Version
The Australians have their version of Jingle Bells. It goes like this:
Dashing through the bush, in a rusty Holden Ute
Kicking up the dust, esky in the boot
Kelpie by my side, singing Christmas songs
It's summer time
and I am in my singlet, shorts and thongs.
Chorus
Oh jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
Christmas in Australia on scorching summer's day
Oh jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.
Engine's getting hot, we dodge the kangaroos
The swaggie climbs aboard, he is welcome too
All the family is there, sitting by the pool
Christmas day in the Aussie way, by the barbeque.
Chorus
Come the afternoon, grandpa has a doze
The kids and uncle Bruce are swimming in their clothes
The time comes round to go, we take a family snap
And pack the car and all shoot through, before the washing up.
Chorus
=TRANSLATION=
Holden Ute: An Australian pick-up truck. Holden is Australia's only car company (I think it is owned by GM). Ute is short for "Utility", the Ozzy term for a pickup truck. Pronounced "Yoot"
Esky: Cooler, usually full of cold beer.
Boot: Car trunk or pickup bed.
Kelpie: Sheep dog.
Singlet: Tank top
Thongs: flip-flop sandals.
Beaut: slang for "beautiful" meaning "perfect".
Swaggie: A hobo, transient, hitchhiker.
Snap: Photograph, family photo in this case.
Dashing through the bush, in a rusty Holden Ute
Kicking up the dust, esky in the boot
Kelpie by my side, singing Christmas songs
It's summer time
and I am in my singlet, shorts and thongs.
Chorus
Oh jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
Christmas in Australia on scorching summer's day
Oh jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.
Engine's getting hot, we dodge the kangaroos
The swaggie climbs aboard, he is welcome too
All the family is there, sitting by the pool
Christmas day in the Aussie way, by the barbeque.
Chorus
Come the afternoon, grandpa has a doze
The kids and uncle Bruce are swimming in their clothes
The time comes round to go, we take a family snap
And pack the car and all shoot through, before the washing up.
Chorus
=TRANSLATION=
Holden Ute: An Australian pick-up truck. Holden is Australia's only car company (I think it is owned by GM). Ute is short for "Utility", the Ozzy term for a pickup truck. Pronounced "Yoot"
Esky: Cooler, usually full of cold beer.
Boot: Car trunk or pickup bed.
Kelpie: Sheep dog.
Singlet: Tank top
Thongs: flip-flop sandals.
Beaut: slang for "beautiful" meaning "perfect".
Swaggie: A hobo, transient, hitchhiker.
Snap: Photograph, family photo in this case.
Monday, December 24, 2001
Christmas Down Under
It is Christmas season here down under. It does not feel like it. Perhaps it is because each day is slighter warmer than the day before. Perhaps it is because I am so far from home and do not have any family nearby. I don't know.
In Australia this is called "The Silly Season", not "The Holidays" as we say in the US. I think calling it "The Silly Season" is silly. They call it the silly season because people go to lots of parties and get drunk, goof off, and generally act silly. It is also because they celebrate Christmas in an English style. To them, Christmas is a birthday party, not a commercial gift buying exercise or a religious holiday as in the States. For example, when you go to an Xmas dinner, people wear silly tissue paper crowns and toot little horns and exchange small gag gifts. It makes sense when you think about it. After all, it is supposed to be a birthday party.
They don't have as much commercialism of Christmas down here. Or at least to me the volume of Christmas seems much lower. It could be that I'm simply out of touch since I do not watch much television and I have no radio. You do not see images of Santa Claus or other icons. In fact, Santa is very rare.
However, I did get to witness an Australian Christmas event. Sunday morning I was swimming at the beach. All these kids were there at the life guard building. Santa showed up from out at sea in an outboard driven Avon inflatable boat, landed in the surf, and handed out hard candy ("lollies" as they are called here) to the kids.
One very odd thing. In early December I was downtown leaving work late one evening when the Christmas parade started . Every kid in the metro area must have been either in the parade or watching it. I noticed many of the kids where wearing lighted devil horns on their heads. They are a small pair or dark orange horns with a battery powered light inside. Somehow Halloween costumes have become Christmas decorations here.
Also, they get the day after Christmas off as another holiday called Boxing Day. I don't know what this has to do with boxing. Perhaps it is because by day 2 of Christmas the family members are now boxing each other. I'll find out.
I don't have any real plans for the two days of holiday. Trish has banned her family from coming over to her house. She said that she has hosted the family for 30 years and will not do it any more. She said it takes her a week to clean up afterwards. So instead the family is going to go over to her daughter Nancy's house and have a dinner there. I suspect everyone will end up at Holland House anyway because that is where the pool is.
I've been invited by a Canadian couple here at work to join them out on Rottnest Island. They have a boat and are going out there for the week. I can catch the ferry out and hook up with them. I think I shall do that.
In Australia this is called "The Silly Season", not "The Holidays" as we say in the US. I think calling it "The Silly Season" is silly. They call it the silly season because people go to lots of parties and get drunk, goof off, and generally act silly. It is also because they celebrate Christmas in an English style. To them, Christmas is a birthday party, not a commercial gift buying exercise or a religious holiday as in the States. For example, when you go to an Xmas dinner, people wear silly tissue paper crowns and toot little horns and exchange small gag gifts. It makes sense when you think about it. After all, it is supposed to be a birthday party.
They don't have as much commercialism of Christmas down here. Or at least to me the volume of Christmas seems much lower. It could be that I'm simply out of touch since I do not watch much television and I have no radio. You do not see images of Santa Claus or other icons. In fact, Santa is very rare.
However, I did get to witness an Australian Christmas event. Sunday morning I was swimming at the beach. All these kids were there at the life guard building. Santa showed up from out at sea in an outboard driven Avon inflatable boat, landed in the surf, and handed out hard candy ("lollies" as they are called here) to the kids.
One very odd thing. In early December I was downtown leaving work late one evening when the Christmas parade started . Every kid in the metro area must have been either in the parade or watching it. I noticed many of the kids where wearing lighted devil horns on their heads. They are a small pair or dark orange horns with a battery powered light inside. Somehow Halloween costumes have become Christmas decorations here.
Also, they get the day after Christmas off as another holiday called Boxing Day. I don't know what this has to do with boxing. Perhaps it is because by day 2 of Christmas the family members are now boxing each other. I'll find out.
I don't have any real plans for the two days of holiday. Trish has banned her family from coming over to her house. She said that she has hosted the family for 30 years and will not do it any more. She said it takes her a week to clean up afterwards. So instead the family is going to go over to her daughter Nancy's house and have a dinner there. I suspect everyone will end up at Holland House anyway because that is where the pool is.
I've been invited by a Canadian couple here at work to join them out on Rottnest Island. They have a boat and are going out there for the week. I can catch the ferry out and hook up with them. I think I shall do that.
Monday, December 17, 2001
Vices in WA
For those who don't know, gambling and brothels are legal in Australia. Perth has a huge casino just across the river from downtown. The lead news story last week was the revelation that numerous business reward their best employees, clients, and vendors by buying them an evening at the local high-end cat house. This is apparently a time-honored way of doing business around here and no on seems to mind except at Christmas. According to Trish, this uproar happens every Christmas as bonuses are handed out and the married men get ticked off about their gift (or perhaps it is their wives who get ticked). The big news this year was that the management of one large appliance company here hired a charter boat and an entire cathouse crew to have a year-end party off the coast. Wives were not invited. The press is having a field day making fun of them for that party.
It is funny how no one has mentioned what female employees get. I guess when there are none in upper management it doesn't matter.
When researching my Christmas road trip in the travel guides, I found this funny bit about Kalgoorie. West Australia, like the states in the US, have areas and features that interest tourist. The Margaret River area features wine tasting. Kalgoorlie-Boulder is the principal mining town east of here out in the desert. It has a wild-west reputation, a bit like old Virginia City in Nevada, except this goes on today. One tourist attraction of Kalgoorlie-Boulder are the brothels. The tour guides, even those issued by their chamber of commerce, proudly mention the red-light quarter of town. That guide mentions that the brothels offer a gaudy guided tour for $20. It sounds so funny. I can't image it is anything like the wine tasting tours offered further south. I promise if I am in the neighborhood I'll check the $20 tour out. It must be hilarious.
Another funny thing, the local casino decided to go upscale and require their patrons to wear better clothes. They will not allow people in who are barefoot, in cut offs, tank tops, and sandals any more. To me this is really stupid. They simple aren't going to get any business because most Aussies don't even own a jacket. And they sure has hell aren't going to put on a pair of long pants (if they can find some) just to be allowed to gamble. I expect this policy will last a month before the casino comes to their senses. Jeeze. They must think this place is Monte Carlo or something.
Needless to say, IBM took us to a wonderful Christmas lunch at a nice winery in the Avon River Valley. That is the extent of their vice.
It is funny how no one has mentioned what female employees get. I guess when there are none in upper management it doesn't matter.
When researching my Christmas road trip in the travel guides, I found this funny bit about Kalgoorie. West Australia, like the states in the US, have areas and features that interest tourist. The Margaret River area features wine tasting. Kalgoorlie-Boulder is the principal mining town east of here out in the desert. It has a wild-west reputation, a bit like old Virginia City in Nevada, except this goes on today. One tourist attraction of Kalgoorlie-Boulder are the brothels. The tour guides, even those issued by their chamber of commerce, proudly mention the red-light quarter of town. That guide mentions that the brothels offer a gaudy guided tour for $20. It sounds so funny. I can't image it is anything like the wine tasting tours offered further south. I promise if I am in the neighborhood I'll check the $20 tour out. It must be hilarious.
Another funny thing, the local casino decided to go upscale and require their patrons to wear better clothes. They will not allow people in who are barefoot, in cut offs, tank tops, and sandals any more. To me this is really stupid. They simple aren't going to get any business because most Aussies don't even own a jacket. And they sure has hell aren't going to put on a pair of long pants (if they can find some) just to be allowed to gamble. I expect this policy will last a month before the casino comes to their senses. Jeeze. They must think this place is Monte Carlo or something.
Needless to say, IBM took us to a wonderful Christmas lunch at a nice winery in the Avon River Valley. That is the extent of their vice.
Friday, December 14, 2001
Dinner
A couple of weeks a go I came home from work and Trish had grilled dinner outside on the grill. I was too tired to ask, but it was a tough and spicy piece of meat. After we finished Trish and Martin looked at me and asked me if I liked it. I said I did, but I wasn't that hungry that night.
Martin looked pleased as punch and was bouncing up and down in his seat. "Can I sing the song? Please? Please!" he asked Trish.
Trish studied me and my plate. "Ok", she said. "Go ahead."
Martin started singing a horrible children's song... "Skippy, oh Skippy..."
I sat there looking at them both. They were grinning ear to ear. I didn't get it. Finally Trish asked "Do you know what the meat was?".
Oh. Now it all made sense. The gamey mystery meat, the Skippy song. We had eaten kangaroo steaks for dinner. It wasn't bad. Trish had cooked the hell out of it and had smothered it in spices and sauces.
Still, they could had warned me. These people are really sick.
Martin looked pleased as punch and was bouncing up and down in his seat. "Can I sing the song? Please? Please!" he asked Trish.
Trish studied me and my plate. "Ok", she said. "Go ahead."
Martin started singing a horrible children's song... "Skippy, oh Skippy..."
I sat there looking at them both. They were grinning ear to ear. I didn't get it. Finally Trish asked "Do you know what the meat was?".
Oh. Now it all made sense. The gamey mystery meat, the Skippy song. We had eaten kangaroo steaks for dinner. It wasn't bad. Trish had cooked the hell out of it and had smothered it in spices and sauces.
Still, they could had warned me. These people are really sick.
Thursday, December 13, 2001
Divorce
A couple of weeks ago I received a letter from my attorney in Santa Barbara. It was the official divorce decree. It is now done.
A friend of mine asked me if I was happy. I honestly have to say no. I am relieved that it is all over, but happy is not the proper word. I hope Claire finds what ever it is she is looking for. At least now I can move on and build a new life for myself here on the opposite side of the planet.
A friend of mine asked me if I was happy. I honestly have to say no. I am relieved that it is all over, but happy is not the proper word. I hope Claire finds what ever it is she is looking for. At least now I can move on and build a new life for myself here on the opposite side of the planet.
Tuesday, December 11, 2001
Bike Problems
I've been having a strange problem with my bicycle that has the guys at the bike shop stumped. It is getting to be very irritating. If anyone can offer any ideas I would like hear them.
When I moved here I bought a good quality bike since that was going to be my primary transportation for a while. It is a mountain bike with a dual shock variable front suspension. It has good quality Shimano components and a well build aluminum composite frame. It is a nice bike.
However when I ride a medium to high speeds without my hands on the handle bars the wheel/handle assembly starts to vibrate and wobble every so slightly. This wobbling gets progressively worse with each oscillation until the front wheel is going left and right to quickly that it will pitch me over the handlebars.
They guys at the shop have tried everything. New tires, wheels, tighten the headset, check alignments and balance. The bike is perfect. They have never seen or heard of this before and they can't seem to re-produce the problem when they ride. It is just me.
What is odd to me is that it seems to me like the front forks seem to be acting like a tuning fork that you use to tune a piano. There seems to be a certain frequency when an every so slight vibration starts to build on it self and then compounds itself. Have you every seen the video of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge twisting itself to destruction in the wind back in the 60's? It feels just like that. When I ride, I can keep one finger lightly on the handle bar to absorb this vibration and will be ensure the front wheel tracks perfectly and the problem won't occur.
I hate having to keep part of my body on the handle bars at all times to keep this from happening. Sometime I want to simply sit up straight and ride hands free like I am used to.
When I moved here I bought a good quality bike since that was going to be my primary transportation for a while. It is a mountain bike with a dual shock variable front suspension. It has good quality Shimano components and a well build aluminum composite frame. It is a nice bike.
However when I ride a medium to high speeds without my hands on the handle bars the wheel/handle assembly starts to vibrate and wobble every so slightly. This wobbling gets progressively worse with each oscillation until the front wheel is going left and right to quickly that it will pitch me over the handlebars.
They guys at the shop have tried everything. New tires, wheels, tighten the headset, check alignments and balance. The bike is perfect. They have never seen or heard of this before and they can't seem to re-produce the problem when they ride. It is just me.
What is odd to me is that it seems to me like the front forks seem to be acting like a tuning fork that you use to tune a piano. There seems to be a certain frequency when an every so slight vibration starts to build on it self and then compounds itself. Have you every seen the video of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge twisting itself to destruction in the wind back in the 60's? It feels just like that. When I ride, I can keep one finger lightly on the handle bar to absorb this vibration and will be ensure the front wheel tracks perfectly and the problem won't occur.
I hate having to keep part of my body on the handle bars at all times to keep this from happening. Sometime I want to simply sit up straight and ride hands free like I am used to.
Thursday, December 06, 2001
Thinking of Moving
I am seriously considering moving out of Holland House in January and renting a room elsewhere in town. I like it here, but I think I can save money by moving elsewhere and making my own meals. I pay $300AU a week here ($150 US/week), and I get room, board, utilities, and healthy meals. It's actually not a bad a deal. But I think if I work very hard I can get my expenses down to $200AU a week ($100US), which would mean I could try to save a few hundred dollars a month more.
Now that I am learning more about the city and area, I find being limited to where I can go via a bike and public transport to be restrictive. There is a lot to this city. They even have an Ikea here. So I need to plan to buy a car. To do this, I need to save up some money and lowering my living expenses will allow me to save that much more. I don't need a car for work, but it would be nice to be able to drive somewhere from time to time as needed. Renting can get expensive.
For example, I need a file cabinet. My papers are getting too messy in my living room. I found a good one on sale at an office supply store. I have to pay them to deliver it to the house. I considered borrowing a dolly and taking the bus/train to the store and back home, but that would look very weird. Think about it. You are sitting on a bus when this guy gets on aboard carrying a 4 drawer file cabinet strapped to a furniture dolly. I thought about it. I think that I would buy a cake and put it in the file cabinet and when asked what I am doing I would simply explain that I'm on my way to visit my cousin in prison.
[OK... do I have to explain this one to you? I know it's obtuse, but think about it. Email me if you are totally stumped.]
Now that I am learning more about the city and area, I find being limited to where I can go via a bike and public transport to be restrictive. There is a lot to this city. They even have an Ikea here. So I need to plan to buy a car. To do this, I need to save up some money and lowering my living expenses will allow me to save that much more. I don't need a car for work, but it would be nice to be able to drive somewhere from time to time as needed. Renting can get expensive.
For example, I need a file cabinet. My papers are getting too messy in my living room. I found a good one on sale at an office supply store. I have to pay them to deliver it to the house. I considered borrowing a dolly and taking the bus/train to the store and back home, but that would look very weird. Think about it. You are sitting on a bus when this guy gets on aboard carrying a 4 drawer file cabinet strapped to a furniture dolly. I thought about it. I think that I would buy a cake and put it in the file cabinet and when asked what I am doing I would simply explain that I'm on my way to visit my cousin in prison.
[OK... do I have to explain this one to you? I know it's obtuse, but think about it. Email me if you are totally stumped.]
Perth
Perth is a very isolated city. It is the most isolated city you can drive to on earth. Only Honolulu is further from a major metropolitan area. The next city is equal or larger size is Adelaide, 2700km (1680 miles) east of here. However, Adelaide is the most boring city on earth. No one wants to go there. The next closest city actually worth going to is Melbourne, which is 3425km (over 2100 miles) from Perth. That is over 36 hours of driving with NOTHING in between except an occasional small town. To compare, imagine living in Los Angeles and having to drive to Atlanta to get to the next good sized town.
Most Australians have never been to Perth or their own west coast. It is simply too damn far away. For less money they can fly to New Zealand, Bali, or even Los Angeles.
From Perth, it is shorter and cheaper to fly to major cities in South East Asia (SEA) than it is to fly to the major Australian east coast cities of Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne. I can fly from here to Bangkok, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Saigon, Cambodia, and Indonesia cheaper and faster than going to Sydney. That is one of the reasons I took this contract. It can literally fly into Bangkok for the weekend.
Perth itself reminds me a lot of San Diego. It is very spread out. Most people live in 4 bedroom houses in the suburbs for 60 miles around Perth. The traffic is not bad. There are only two freeways. There is no smog to speak of.
Housing is a good deal, at least to a California boy. For example, you can buy a very nice 4/3 house in a good suburb within 10 minutes of the beach for less than $500k AU, which is $250k USD. You can get a nice house with a pool and everything else a few more minutes inland for as little as $120k USD.
The costs of everything else are not as bad as I expected. It depends on how you look at it. The prices of cars, gas, food, computers, clothes, etc are about the same as in Santa Barbara when you measure it in US dollars. However, I have learned that is a mistake to measure the price of things in this way. The reason is because most Australians don't make as much money as in the US. Just because the Australian dollar is half the US dollar does not mean the Australians make twice as much in Australian dollars as their US counterparts.
For example, a pair of new Levi jeans cost about $80 AU, which is about $40 US. About the same really. However, an Australian will have to work on average about 50 percent longer to buy that pair of jeans.
Medical care and insurance is much cheaper here. However, their medical care seems to be excellent. They do not have the high insurance and salary expenses here. For example, when you register your car, part of the registration is your annual liability insurance. In other words, the State insures the car, not the driver. If someone is hurt in an accident, they file a claim with the State Insurance Corp. The premium you pay is based on expected losses for cars of the similar weight and horsepower. If you want insurance to pay for property damage claims from an accident you cause, you can purchase that from any private insurance company just like in the States.
The weather here is warmer that Santa Barbara, but not much more. For a couple of weeks in February it gets up to 41 degrees centigrade (105 F). That is why being at the beach is nice because in the afternoon the sea breeze kicks in and lowers that temp to something tolerable. It does not freeze here. Lately in December the hottest is has been was about 32C (90F), and lows about 10C (50F). The air is very dry, much like Tucson.
The water temperature is warmer than California. You don't need a wetsuit here. What is nice is that it is not warm like in Florida or the tropics. It is still cool enough to make you catch your breath when you dive in, like a cool swimming pool. The beaches are very nice. The sand is very soft, white, and clean. To answer a question posed to me, yes the beaches are topless.
There is very little rain. Right now there is a daytime sprinkler ban, and you are only allowed to water you lawn at night one day a week. The reservoirs are very low because there was no rain in the eastern side of the mountains last winter.
Most Australians have never been to Perth or their own west coast. It is simply too damn far away. For less money they can fly to New Zealand, Bali, or even Los Angeles.
From Perth, it is shorter and cheaper to fly to major cities in South East Asia (SEA) than it is to fly to the major Australian east coast cities of Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne. I can fly from here to Bangkok, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Saigon, Cambodia, and Indonesia cheaper and faster than going to Sydney. That is one of the reasons I took this contract. It can literally fly into Bangkok for the weekend.
Perth itself reminds me a lot of San Diego. It is very spread out. Most people live in 4 bedroom houses in the suburbs for 60 miles around Perth. The traffic is not bad. There are only two freeways. There is no smog to speak of.
Housing is a good deal, at least to a California boy. For example, you can buy a very nice 4/3 house in a good suburb within 10 minutes of the beach for less than $500k AU, which is $250k USD. You can get a nice house with a pool and everything else a few more minutes inland for as little as $120k USD.
The costs of everything else are not as bad as I expected. It depends on how you look at it. The prices of cars, gas, food, computers, clothes, etc are about the same as in Santa Barbara when you measure it in US dollars. However, I have learned that is a mistake to measure the price of things in this way. The reason is because most Australians don't make as much money as in the US. Just because the Australian dollar is half the US dollar does not mean the Australians make twice as much in Australian dollars as their US counterparts.
For example, a pair of new Levi jeans cost about $80 AU, which is about $40 US. About the same really. However, an Australian will have to work on average about 50 percent longer to buy that pair of jeans.
Medical care and insurance is much cheaper here. However, their medical care seems to be excellent. They do not have the high insurance and salary expenses here. For example, when you register your car, part of the registration is your annual liability insurance. In other words, the State insures the car, not the driver. If someone is hurt in an accident, they file a claim with the State Insurance Corp. The premium you pay is based on expected losses for cars of the similar weight and horsepower. If you want insurance to pay for property damage claims from an accident you cause, you can purchase that from any private insurance company just like in the States.
The weather here is warmer that Santa Barbara, but not much more. For a couple of weeks in February it gets up to 41 degrees centigrade (105 F). That is why being at the beach is nice because in the afternoon the sea breeze kicks in and lowers that temp to something tolerable. It does not freeze here. Lately in December the hottest is has been was about 32C (90F), and lows about 10C (50F). The air is very dry, much like Tucson.
The water temperature is warmer than California. You don't need a wetsuit here. What is nice is that it is not warm like in Florida or the tropics. It is still cool enough to make you catch your breath when you dive in, like a cool swimming pool. The beaches are very nice. The sand is very soft, white, and clean. To answer a question posed to me, yes the beaches are topless.
There is very little rain. Right now there is a daytime sprinkler ban, and you are only allowed to water you lawn at night one day a week. The reservoirs are very low because there was no rain in the eastern side of the mountains last winter.
American Foreign Policy
Since I am one of the local yanks around, I am often looked to explain what the US is doing in reaction to the Sept. 11th attacks. I mentioned this before. Anyways, some of the discussions get rather heated, especially after a lot of drinks at the pub. At one Christmas party put on by my agency (held at a pub named "The Lucky Shag" [it was neither], one Australian from the east coast decided to tell me what he thought of the US bombing Afghanistan. Obviously he was against it.
"Where is the evidence!?!", he kept yelling at me. "You guys are just making this all up cause you want revenge!"
When I tried to explain the Taliban were hosting and supporting foreign terrorist, and that these terrorist had more than once made their intentions clear by demanding a war on the US and against US citizens. He is a rather large guy, plus he was piss drunk. He is under the impression that the Taliban and bin Laden were just a bunch of idiots that shoot their mouths off. To demonstrate his point, he started going after me screaming at me that he was going to kill me. Seriously. He started to startle the people around him. I could tell they were wondering if a fight was going to break out. After getting within two inches of my face with these threats he stepped back and asked me if I was going to kill him. "Of course not", I answered.
"See." he said. "I was threatening to kill you, but you didn't go after me. Why are the Taliban any different?"
It is difficult to explain to people like him who are naive enough to believe that everyone is good. I knew that explaining that these same terrorist had a track record of terrorism, murder, and plans to acquire weapons of mass destruction was wasting my breath.
History will show that many people felt that the Nazi's where good people, and good for Germany, even up to the end the WWII when the true extent of their evil became known at the concentration camps. Same for the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. These Taliban seem to be the same to me. They have created a twisted version of their idea of paradise, one aspect of which is to destroy all who don't fit their idea of a perfect citizen. And now they demand that the rest of the world follow their model.
I don't have all the answers. I can't explain why middle east is in such a screwed up state. Why the US condones Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, corruption and nepotism in Saudi, and so on except to explain the the US feels the alternative would be worse. Perhaps the answer is that we feel the place was, is, and will always be a screwed up place far beyond our powers to solve. The best we can hope for is to contain the insanity, get some oil out the place, and hope it doesn't blow.
"Where is the evidence!?!", he kept yelling at me. "You guys are just making this all up cause you want revenge!"
When I tried to explain the Taliban were hosting and supporting foreign terrorist, and that these terrorist had more than once made their intentions clear by demanding a war on the US and against US citizens. He is a rather large guy, plus he was piss drunk. He is under the impression that the Taliban and bin Laden were just a bunch of idiots that shoot their mouths off. To demonstrate his point, he started going after me screaming at me that he was going to kill me. Seriously. He started to startle the people around him. I could tell they were wondering if a fight was going to break out. After getting within two inches of my face with these threats he stepped back and asked me if I was going to kill him. "Of course not", I answered.
"See." he said. "I was threatening to kill you, but you didn't go after me. Why are the Taliban any different?"
It is difficult to explain to people like him who are naive enough to believe that everyone is good. I knew that explaining that these same terrorist had a track record of terrorism, murder, and plans to acquire weapons of mass destruction was wasting my breath.
History will show that many people felt that the Nazi's where good people, and good for Germany, even up to the end the WWII when the true extent of their evil became known at the concentration camps. Same for the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. These Taliban seem to be the same to me. They have created a twisted version of their idea of paradise, one aspect of which is to destroy all who don't fit their idea of a perfect citizen. And now they demand that the rest of the world follow their model.
I don't have all the answers. I can't explain why middle east is in such a screwed up state. Why the US condones Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, corruption and nepotism in Saudi, and so on except to explain the the US feels the alternative would be worse. Perhaps the answer is that we feel the place was, is, and will always be a screwed up place far beyond our powers to solve. The best we can hope for is to contain the insanity, get some oil out the place, and hope it doesn't blow.
People of Perth
Many of the people in Perth are from elsewhere. Like California, Perth and WA attracts people from all over Australia and the world who want to start a new life, away and different from their old lives. Most are self starters, independent minded, and very optimistic.
There are a large group of Italians and Yugoslavians here. They were World War II Allied prisoners of war who had been captured by Australian troops in North Africa. After the war, they stayed here and started families. The Australian government was pushing hard to get people to settle out here because the war made them aware of how vulnerable they were. The Japanese had attacked and landed in northern Australia. The whole north and west of Australia was wide open to invasion and occupation.
The rest of the Australians do not understand the Italians. One day I was in the car with Trish driving to the store when we drove through this neighborhood with unusually large two story red brick homes. All of the house had balconies and patios all lined with ornate white marble railings.
"See those houses?", asked Trish. "That them Italians and Yugoslavs. Can you believe their houses? Only they put those ugly railings on those oversize houses!"
She seemed genuinely upset. She continued; "Do you know why those houses are so bloody huge? 'Cause their kids never move out. The whole damn family lives in one house, from granny to the grandkids. There must be 10 bedrooms in some of those houses. And then to make it look Italian they put those ugly porches on them. No one around here likes those houses. And they let their kids stay, even bringing their wives in to live there.
It is not just her. I've verified from other sources that many in Perth consider the Italian mega-houses to be over-the-top and bad for property values.
"But," Trish added, "They have the best grocery stores. I can get the best of anything there."
I have yet to meet an Italian here yet. We have a 2nd generation local Yugoslavian-Australian at work. North of Perth I have ridden my bike through the Italian part of the town and have seen the large Australia Italian Society Club building. There always seems to be some large wedding going on. I have to be careful. I know I have a weakness for beautiful dark haired Italian women. Hell, I married one. I'm afraid of what would happen if I met one with that Australian accent. I'd melt.
In addition to the ex-POWs, more recently there are many white South Africans who are moving here fleeing the anarchy that South Africa has become in the last 5 years. SA is very dangerous place now because crime is out of control.
I meet a lot of Brits who moved here. They are pretty cool. Aussies call them "poms", which I think is slang for pompous, as in pompous bastard. Most moved here because they were sick of the English weather and lack of opportunities back home.
There are very few Yanks. Outside of those I met at the American Woman's Auxiliary for Thanksgiving, and the two at IBM, I have yet to see one. I haven't even see an American tourist. No one knows I am American until I open my mouth, and then they seem rather surprised.
There are a large group of Italians and Yugoslavians here. They were World War II Allied prisoners of war who had been captured by Australian troops in North Africa. After the war, they stayed here and started families. The Australian government was pushing hard to get people to settle out here because the war made them aware of how vulnerable they were. The Japanese had attacked and landed in northern Australia. The whole north and west of Australia was wide open to invasion and occupation.
The rest of the Australians do not understand the Italians. One day I was in the car with Trish driving to the store when we drove through this neighborhood with unusually large two story red brick homes. All of the house had balconies and patios all lined with ornate white marble railings.
"See those houses?", asked Trish. "That them Italians and Yugoslavs. Can you believe their houses? Only they put those ugly railings on those oversize houses!"
She seemed genuinely upset. She continued; "Do you know why those houses are so bloody huge? 'Cause their kids never move out. The whole damn family lives in one house, from granny to the grandkids. There must be 10 bedrooms in some of those houses. And then to make it look Italian they put those ugly porches on them. No one around here likes those houses. And they let their kids stay, even bringing their wives in to live there.
It is not just her. I've verified from other sources that many in Perth consider the Italian mega-houses to be over-the-top and bad for property values.
"But," Trish added, "They have the best grocery stores. I can get the best of anything there."
I have yet to meet an Italian here yet. We have a 2nd generation local Yugoslavian-Australian at work. North of Perth I have ridden my bike through the Italian part of the town and have seen the large Australia Italian Society Club building. There always seems to be some large wedding going on. I have to be careful. I know I have a weakness for beautiful dark haired Italian women. Hell, I married one. I'm afraid of what would happen if I met one with that Australian accent. I'd melt.
In addition to the ex-POWs, more recently there are many white South Africans who are moving here fleeing the anarchy that South Africa has become in the last 5 years. SA is very dangerous place now because crime is out of control.
I meet a lot of Brits who moved here. They are pretty cool. Aussies call them "poms", which I think is slang for pompous, as in pompous bastard. Most moved here because they were sick of the English weather and lack of opportunities back home.
There are very few Yanks. Outside of those I met at the American Woman's Auxiliary for Thanksgiving, and the two at IBM, I have yet to see one. I haven't even see an American tourist. No one knows I am American until I open my mouth, and then they seem rather surprised.
Wednesday, December 05, 2001
Country Life
If you recall last October Trish had found a large chunk of land out in the country to retire on. Martin did not like it (click here to read). They found a better place and have an offer in. They will know on Friday if they have the place. Although not as large as the property in Toodyay, this one is one a lake, has many more trees, is closer to town, and has a well and a house all ready built. They are going to rent it out for 5 years, then retire there. I have not seen it yet. If escrow opens up this week, then we will go for New Years. They are very excited about this.
Immigration
I've discovered that I may be able to get Australian citizenship in a few years if follow certain steps. I was not aware that this was a possibility, so I am going to look into it. If I do this, I can have dual US/AU citizenship with passports from both countries. The US recently allowed dual citizenship; they used not to. The benefit of my getting dual citizenship is that it would allow me to live and work in the US, Australia, and New Zealand whenever I wanted to for the rest of my life. In addition, since Oz is still part of the British Commonwealth, it would make it far easier for me to get a visa to work in England, Canada, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, or any of the Commonwealth countries.
At the Christmas party my pimp agency threw at a local pub I met a Canadian working here that filled me in with a lot of details. One of the catches is that you can not leave Australia for one year within a 4 year period. He doesn't understand why, but it might have something to do with the Aussie gov't wanting to see how serious you are. Unlike other countries, the Australians check and stamp your passport when you depart the country. They are so paranoid here.
At the Christmas party my pimp agency threw at a local pub I met a Canadian working here that filled me in with a lot of details. One of the catches is that you can not leave Australia for one year within a 4 year period. He doesn't understand why, but it might have something to do with the Aussie gov't wanting to see how serious you are. Unlike other countries, the Australians check and stamp your passport when you depart the country. They are so paranoid here.
Critters
Slowly I am getting used to the local critters. Except for the roos, most animals here are small and deadly. All snakes are poisonous, and most spiders are too. Once evening I was brushing my teeth for bed when I heard some munching sounds coming from my bathroom window. In the window, on the inside, and a few inches from my head was this large Huntsman spider eating a moth for dinner. The Huntsman spider is about the size of a golf ball with lots of fur and long legs. And they are fast. They can dart about like a jackrabbit. They are also poisonous. I found one in my closet when I moved in here back in October. I knew that I would not be able to sleep knowing there was a large Huntsman running about my room that night, so I used the trick Trish taught me and trapped him under a mason jar to transfer him to the garden.
You have to careful when you walk through the bush and grasses in the sand dunes at the beach because of the snakes. There are lots of snakes at the beach. When you ride down the coast bike trail every few meters or so is a sign reminding you to stay out of the vegetation because of snakes. I first though it was a ploy to keep people from trampling the dunes, but no. I've seen the snakes crossing the trails.
Last week I pulled out a pair of shorts from the closet and as I shook them out to put them on, a small black spider dropped out and ran over to the corner of the room. Upon a closer look I saw it was an Australian Redback, the most dangerous of the spiders. Redbacks are like Black Widows in the Americas, except more poisonous. If I had put those shorts on and the Redback had bitten me I would be writing this from the hospital now. So now I shake out all my clothes before putting them on. Redbacks like to hide in dark spots, so here Australia you never stick you hand under anything unless you look first. For example, in the back yard you can see the distinctive Redback spider webs under the pool furniture which means you should never just go pick up a chair with your hand.
There are plenty of wild parrots here. I see flocks on them down by the lake when I bike to work. There is also a type of raven here that is very aggressive and will attack if you walk under its nest. They mean business. They try to dive bomb your head and eyes. Trish feeds them in one corner of the yard, and the leave her and the family alone. It is blackmail and they have learned that the humans here at this house are not a threat.
There are no koala bears in this part of Australia. They are limited to the SE corner of Oz in Victoria State. As I mentioned before, the kangaroos here are not the huge Red Roos native to Queensland in the NE. Here in WA they only get to about 6 feet tall. There are Quokkas out on Rottnest and Wombats in the bush.
Out to sea the fishing is great. You can get lobsters, shrimp, crabs, and even fresh water crabs in the river deltas. In two weeks I'm going crabbing with then Lentz's down south.
You have to careful when you walk through the bush and grasses in the sand dunes at the beach because of the snakes. There are lots of snakes at the beach. When you ride down the coast bike trail every few meters or so is a sign reminding you to stay out of the vegetation because of snakes. I first though it was a ploy to keep people from trampling the dunes, but no. I've seen the snakes crossing the trails.
Last week I pulled out a pair of shorts from the closet and as I shook them out to put them on, a small black spider dropped out and ran over to the corner of the room. Upon a closer look I saw it was an Australian Redback, the most dangerous of the spiders. Redbacks are like Black Widows in the Americas, except more poisonous. If I had put those shorts on and the Redback had bitten me I would be writing this from the hospital now. So now I shake out all my clothes before putting them on. Redbacks like to hide in dark spots, so here Australia you never stick you hand under anything unless you look first. For example, in the back yard you can see the distinctive Redback spider webs under the pool furniture which means you should never just go pick up a chair with your hand.
There are plenty of wild parrots here. I see flocks on them down by the lake when I bike to work. There is also a type of raven here that is very aggressive and will attack if you walk under its nest. They mean business. They try to dive bomb your head and eyes. Trish feeds them in one corner of the yard, and the leave her and the family alone. It is blackmail and they have learned that the humans here at this house are not a threat.
There are no koala bears in this part of Australia. They are limited to the SE corner of Oz in Victoria State. As I mentioned before, the kangaroos here are not the huge Red Roos native to Queensland in the NE. Here in WA they only get to about 6 feet tall. There are Quokkas out on Rottnest and Wombats in the bush.
Out to sea the fishing is great. You can get lobsters, shrimp, crabs, and even fresh water crabs in the river deltas. In two weeks I'm going crabbing with then Lentz's down south.
Relaxing
I've been trying to relax and take some time off for myself over these last two months. I was so exhausted when I left the States. On the weekends I bike over Hillary's Harbor, pick up the weekend newspaper and enjoy a nice leisurely Australian breakfast at the Italian Cafe on the piers. Then I bike down the coast the North Beach and go for a nice long ocean swim followed by a nice nap in the warm sun in the sand. It is a cheap way to spend a day. The ocean water is warm and clear, with large white soft sand beaches to play on.
I've been seeing a chiropractor weekly since I moved here. Medical services are much, much cheaper here than in the States. My weekly visit costs about $18 USD, which means I can go frequently enough to make a difference. She has been make adjustments to my lower back on this strange torture machine and it is finally paying off. Last week was the first time in recent memory when I did not go to bed with lower back pain. I was able to actually sleep all night long without being waken by pain. It is so nice. I was worried that this weekend's road trip would damage my back, but it did not. She was not thrilled when I told her that I slept on the ground when camping, but I seem to be fine.
Trish is a very good cook and makes some very interesting dinners. Her first husband was Indonesian, and they lived in Spain, so she picked up some interesting recipes. She doesn't use any animal fats and uses plenty of veggies. At least I am eating healthier than in the last year. I usually take the leftovers to work the next day for lunch, and I'm on my own for making breakfast (thank God for 60 second nuked oatmeal).
I think that between trying to limit my working hours to something sane, getting the divorce over with, and simplifying my life, it has been very beneficial. Other than paying my bills in the States once a month, I don't have too much to worry about. I don't have a phone, a car, insurance, groceries, or that much to worry about. Trish does all the grocery shopping, cooking, and laundry. I simply have to pay rent every week, bike to work, and except what I set aside to send to the US what is left (not much, sad to say) is mine to go out to a nice breakfast on weekends.
Since Trish has been doing my laundry I've noticed that my clothes have never been cleaner. I actually had no idea the clothes where that color. I asked her about it and she showed me that the trick is simply finding a good quality soap. I didn't know it makes a difference, but it does. That and the fact that everything gets dried on the clothes line and then ironed probably makes all the difference in the world.
The Perth library gave me a card, so get to check out books. I just finished a book called "Sparring With Charlie" written by this American in 1996 who went over to Vietnam and rode a Russian motorbike down the Ho Chi Mien Trail. It was a very good book that I recommend for anyone.
I've been seeing a chiropractor weekly since I moved here. Medical services are much, much cheaper here than in the States. My weekly visit costs about $18 USD, which means I can go frequently enough to make a difference. She has been make adjustments to my lower back on this strange torture machine and it is finally paying off. Last week was the first time in recent memory when I did not go to bed with lower back pain. I was able to actually sleep all night long without being waken by pain. It is so nice. I was worried that this weekend's road trip would damage my back, but it did not. She was not thrilled when I told her that I slept on the ground when camping, but I seem to be fine.
Trish is a very good cook and makes some very interesting dinners. Her first husband was Indonesian, and they lived in Spain, so she picked up some interesting recipes. She doesn't use any animal fats and uses plenty of veggies. At least I am eating healthier than in the last year. I usually take the leftovers to work the next day for lunch, and I'm on my own for making breakfast (thank God for 60 second nuked oatmeal).
I think that between trying to limit my working hours to something sane, getting the divorce over with, and simplifying my life, it has been very beneficial. Other than paying my bills in the States once a month, I don't have too much to worry about. I don't have a phone, a car, insurance, groceries, or that much to worry about. Trish does all the grocery shopping, cooking, and laundry. I simply have to pay rent every week, bike to work, and except what I set aside to send to the US what is left (not much, sad to say) is mine to go out to a nice breakfast on weekends.
Since Trish has been doing my laundry I've noticed that my clothes have never been cleaner. I actually had no idea the clothes where that color. I asked her about it and she showed me that the trick is simply finding a good quality soap. I didn't know it makes a difference, but it does. That and the fact that everything gets dried on the clothes line and then ironed probably makes all the difference in the world.
The Perth library gave me a card, so get to check out books. I just finished a book called "Sparring With Charlie" written by this American in 1996 who went over to Vietnam and rode a Russian motorbike down the Ho Chi Mien Trail. It was a very good book that I recommend for anyone.
Tuesday, December 04, 2001
Leaving The Nest
Steven, Trish & Martin's 21 year old son, has moved out of the nest. Actually, he was pushed out. This has been interesting to watch. Trish & Martin have told me what is going on. They feel that he was getting too comfortable living here at home with mom and dad. He got his meals, laundry, roof over his head.
He works as a driver for Dominos Pizza. He doesn't go to school. He decided not go to college or join the service. He doesn't really know what he wants to do.
The straw the broke the camel's back was Stevens refusal to pay rent, or to pay rent in a timely manner. Last year the parents decided to charge him a token amount of rent for his room and board. Not much, but enough to make him notice. He would often pay very late because of other priorities, primarily nights out drinking with his friends, or new music CD's. Plus, he is a total slob. Trish & Martin are afraid to go in his room. It looks like a war zone. There are stale pizzas rotting under the bed. Half the house's dished are probably lost in there somewhere. No one has seen the floor in years.
So on Dec 1st they had him move out. Typical Trish style, she took care of all the details. She found him an apartment and paid the deposit. She got the utility services and telephone turned on. She got him a car loan and then found him a good deal on a used car. She co-signed the car loan ($5000). And she and Martin rounded up or bought furnishings.
A friend of Stevens moved into the apartment with him as a roommate to help pay rent. The roommate is this girl I've met here before when she has joined the family for dinner. I don't like her very much. She seems shifty and lazy. Adam confirmed this to me one day a couple of weeks later when he told me that the same girl stole $200 from Adam's grandmother. This girl doesn't work, lives on welfare right now, and according to Steven, just sits around and gets stoned on pot all day. Steven is getting tired of her. He said that she doesn't even go out to look for a job.
It's been three weeks now. Steven comes over here for dinner at least twice a week because he is broke and doesn't have any money for food at his apartment. Of course after dinner he goes home with lots of leftovers. He also brings his laundry home. He seems to be trying hard. Trish told me that he has managed to keep the apartment fairly clean, at least cleaner than his old room here. It is funny to see him get irritated at his roommate who is lazier than him.
I hope he succeeds. Next week the first rent check and car payments are due. Trish & Martin swear that he is not coming back if he gets kicked out.
He works as a driver for Dominos Pizza. He doesn't go to school. He decided not go to college or join the service. He doesn't really know what he wants to do.
The straw the broke the camel's back was Stevens refusal to pay rent, or to pay rent in a timely manner. Last year the parents decided to charge him a token amount of rent for his room and board. Not much, but enough to make him notice. He would often pay very late because of other priorities, primarily nights out drinking with his friends, or new music CD's. Plus, he is a total slob. Trish & Martin are afraid to go in his room. It looks like a war zone. There are stale pizzas rotting under the bed. Half the house's dished are probably lost in there somewhere. No one has seen the floor in years.
So on Dec 1st they had him move out. Typical Trish style, she took care of all the details. She found him an apartment and paid the deposit. She got the utility services and telephone turned on. She got him a car loan and then found him a good deal on a used car. She co-signed the car loan ($5000). And she and Martin rounded up or bought furnishings.
A friend of Stevens moved into the apartment with him as a roommate to help pay rent. The roommate is this girl I've met here before when she has joined the family for dinner. I don't like her very much. She seems shifty and lazy. Adam confirmed this to me one day a couple of weeks later when he told me that the same girl stole $200 from Adam's grandmother. This girl doesn't work, lives on welfare right now, and according to Steven, just sits around and gets stoned on pot all day. Steven is getting tired of her. He said that she doesn't even go out to look for a job.
It's been three weeks now. Steven comes over here for dinner at least twice a week because he is broke and doesn't have any money for food at his apartment. Of course after dinner he goes home with lots of leftovers. He also brings his laundry home. He seems to be trying hard. Trish told me that he has managed to keep the apartment fairly clean, at least cleaner than his old room here. It is funny to see him get irritated at his roommate who is lazier than him.
I hope he succeeds. Next week the first rent check and car payments are due. Trish & Martin swear that he is not coming back if he gets kicked out.
Sunday, December 02, 2001
Summer's Here
It is starting to get warm down here. Summer is coming. I had to turn on the AC in my room once. Yvonne said that summer seems to always hit on Christmas day and it is like someone flipped the oven switch on. The noon time summer temps here in Perth reach up to 110 before the ocean breeze kicks in and cools it down by the afternoon. Inland behind the mountains it gets up to 120-130 degrees.
They have a really neat summer evening picnic and movie/show series in King's Park in the summer starting in December. They show classic films on a giant outdoor screen in the park, or they have live bands playing blues and jazz. I plan to checking those out. I read the band line up and they sound awesome
They have a really neat summer evening picnic and movie/show series in King's Park in the summer starting in December. They show classic films on a giant outdoor screen in the park, or they have live bands playing blues and jazz. I plan to checking those out. I read the band line up and they sound awesome
Saturday, December 01, 2001
Explaining America
Since I'm one of only 3 American's at work, and one of a handful in Perth, I am often asked to explain America and especially America's motives, thoughts, reasons, and goals in this War in Afghanistan. Europeans who live here, and even some Australians are very leery of the US.
In general, I get two reactions to what the US is doing depending on if the person has ever been to the US. Those who have been there totally support the US's reaction to the terrorist attack, and those who have never been to the US condemn the actions of the US. It's odd. I can tell what their reaction is going to be by simply asking them if they have ever been to the States.
The reason is simple. Once they have been there, all the misconceptions that they grew up with are usually replaced with a genuine appreciation of the place. They do find it very overwhelming, but they like it. They feel that the US should not just stand there and do nothing while cowards like Bin Landen take pop shots at us. They see Australia being just as vulnerable. There should be consequences to the terrorist actions, and declaring war should be taken seriously. You can't go around declaring war then saying "Oh. I'm Sorry. I didn't really mean it" when a cruise missile is headed up your butt.
Those that stay here worry that the US is bulling it's way around like always and that American's will never understand the Middle East. They think that we don't have any evidence of the Taliban's involvement and that we should leave it to the UN to decide how to react.
Boy did that statement start an argument. I tried to explain to them that the US is not going to leave it to the UN to handle our problems. I tried to explain that it is far too late for that now and that nothing short of the destruction of the Taliban is the goal.
Funny, they are both right.
Speaking of the war in Afghanistan, I have an idea that would make it very easy to get it over with. We should go in there with B-52's full of old Playboy and Penthouse magazines and carpet bomb the countryside with them. These Tabliban fighters have been living with a bunch of smelly men with beards in caves for years and have never even seen a woman's ankle. What is going to happen when they pick up a porno mag? I guarantee you won't see a Taliban "
"Freedom Fighter" for month, leaving Afghanistan wide open for troops to run around looking for Bin Laden.
In general, I get two reactions to what the US is doing depending on if the person has ever been to the US. Those who have been there totally support the US's reaction to the terrorist attack, and those who have never been to the US condemn the actions of the US. It's odd. I can tell what their reaction is going to be by simply asking them if they have ever been to the States.
The reason is simple. Once they have been there, all the misconceptions that they grew up with are usually replaced with a genuine appreciation of the place. They do find it very overwhelming, but they like it. They feel that the US should not just stand there and do nothing while cowards like Bin Landen take pop shots at us. They see Australia being just as vulnerable. There should be consequences to the terrorist actions, and declaring war should be taken seriously. You can't go around declaring war then saying "Oh. I'm Sorry. I didn't really mean it" when a cruise missile is headed up your butt.
Those that stay here worry that the US is bulling it's way around like always and that American's will never understand the Middle East. They think that we don't have any evidence of the Taliban's involvement and that we should leave it to the UN to decide how to react.
Boy did that statement start an argument. I tried to explain to them that the US is not going to leave it to the UN to handle our problems. I tried to explain that it is far too late for that now and that nothing short of the destruction of the Taliban is the goal.
Funny, they are both right.
Speaking of the war in Afghanistan, I have an idea that would make it very easy to get it over with. We should go in there with B-52's full of old Playboy and Penthouse magazines and carpet bomb the countryside with them. These Tabliban fighters have been living with a bunch of smelly men with beards in caves for years and have never even seen a woman's ankle. What is going to happen when they pick up a porno mag? I guarantee you won't see a Taliban "
"Freedom Fighter" for month, leaving Afghanistan wide open for troops to run around looking for Bin Laden.
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