Short and Sweet

The other night Todd calls me on the way home from work and asks if I need anything from the supermarket. I responded that we needed rice and then he asked if he could get a “Whitman's Sample Pack” from the store. “It is all gluten free!,” he explained excitedly. Of course, I am a very silly girl and so I was thinking it was going to be one of those small little sample packs… because samples equals small. Right?

Well instead, Todd came home with the hugest box of candy I have ever seen. He explained that it was a “present” for me. I swear, that boy has all his excuses down pat. He also protested that he is just trying to bring me interesting things that I can blog about so I don’t bore you, my poor chocolate-less readers. Believe me, I would share but Todd might make up another excuse about how the chocolate might melt/get detained/ not get through quarantine… whatever. J Man, he sure does keep me on my toes. My life will never be boring with him! J  

Chinchilla is nothing like Gilmore Girls

One of my favorite shows as a kid, actually one of my favorite shows to date, is Gilmore Girls. I love the dialogue, the wit, and most importantly, the small town feel. I have something to tell you all. Maybe that sort of small town exists in Connecticut, but they sure breed ‘em different down under.

What they are known for... they raise 25% of
Australia's watermelons! 

Todd and I went to Chinchilla last weekend to look at the construction site and small town where he will probably be working his next job. His old boss from the dam is working on the Chinchilla job and he is in desperate need of more surveyors. The logistics are fuzzy at best at the moment so I will leave that out until contracts are signed and dated, but I can give my impressions of the town itself. 

Downtown area

Turns out that middle America and slightly middle Australia (3 hours from the coast) are almost exactly the same. I would have sworn I stepped into Kansas if it wasn’t for the accents and the distinctive weathered brick architecture that is common throughout Australia. We were only there for 20 hours or so but our impressions were good. Apparently it is astronomically better than most towns that are flanked by a construction site. The town has all the basic amenities along with 4WD tracks and a weir that permits water sports; although only 4 boats are allowed at a time, which tells you something about its size.

The pub

The most memorable experience was when we went out to the local pub, one of two. When we walked in, the room seemed to go silent for a few seconds while everyone looked up to see who was entering. I am sure if we were locals, we would have been greeted by some words and backslaps, but instead, everyone returned to their beers. The feeling that we were actually in a movie scene only grew, as I felt several eyes follow our movements throughout the room. The food was overpriced and “meh” but typical bar food. Definitely not a place I would frequent for their cuisine.

It was really good for Todd and I to go and get a feel for the place, and I told my mom she should be really happy because it is definitely not some place I would want to settle down in forever!

The camps where the construction workers live...
definitely not a place I would want to live!

My plans for global domination are going well. In actuality, I have been looking a lot into doing freelance work and telecommuting work that could supplement a business idea that I have had for some time. I am working incessantly with Adobe Photoshop and Dreamweaver to get to know the programs and once my plans are complete, you all will be the first to know.

PS. And most importantly: Happy Birthday Jan and Mark! J Sep 23 babies! xox

Fishing and some etc...s

My ability to stay on task at the moment is, to put it frankly, pathetic. I should be writing so many blogs that you all should be screaming (via email, phone, carrier pigeon, whatever it takes) to tell me to desist. In any case, my point, is that I have enough free time that I should be talking your ear off.

Some of the things I should have mentioned:

• -       Todd showed up to the airport to pick me up in a dress shirt, nice slacks and formal shoes. I looked pretty nice myself but he really outdid himself (loved it) J.
• -      I LOVE my herb garden. It is quite small, and yes I know it is probably not good farming etiquette because the plants will probably grow into each other, but for now, for my purposes… perfection! 
• -       Todd took Al, Caitlin (Al’s gf) and myself to the dam last weekend to show the progress that has been made. It was so amazing to see and I am so incredibly proud of him that I promise I will write a detailed description in a blog to follow. I just want to fact check some things with him so it sounds as impressive as possible J
• -       While Al was in town we went to Montezuma’s, the only “Mexican” restaurant in town and I was once again blown away by the expensiveness and inauthenticity of the food. Sorta led me to think that I should open a restaurant here because most Australians need a serious education in good food.

Ok, now that the little things are covered, on to the main event: deep sea fishing! Todd had a cousin in town last weekend who loves to fish and as a result, Todd, Danny (the cousin), Roman, Pete, and I went deep sea fishing on Sunday. We rolled out of bed at 5:30am and headed to the docks passing Surfers where there were many a group stumbling home after a long night out. The captain of the boat is a one-man show. He is the owner/receptionist/captain/supervisor of the small fishing company and as Todd put it “a real fisherman.” He certainly wasn’t kidding as this gnarled toothed, wizened, wrinkled man was probably in his fifties but looked like he was pushing 70. Not that his age detracted from his fishing ability AT ALL. We went four miles off shore, stopped at several places, and each time, he would lower his bait and lure into the water and within 3 minutes, would pull out the largest fish that anyone was catching by far.

Pete and Danny

The group of us kept watching him closely and joked several times that he must be putting a large fish on the end of his line and then pulling it in for show, but in truth, he was just showing how experience really does matter.

I did fairly well myself managing to pull in four fish, of which two were keepers and quite tasty later on in the day when we had a big feed with Danny’s wife and kids. While Todd and Roman were quite bored with the sport after a few hours, I definitely enjoyed myself and found that this contemplative, yet communal, activity is definitely something that is in my blood (thanks Dad.) 

They look dinky but they sure were tasty :)

Just when you think you know a place…

Returning to Australia has been a wonderfully comfortable and familiar experience with more than a dash of new surprises. Living here for 13 months previously, I thought that nothing would surprise me on my return. Turns out I was wrong. Shops have closed and new ones have replaced them, bathrooms have been remodeled (yes, I notice this stuff), friends have gone and it turns out that I still have a great deal to learn about the Australian culture. Todd has a whole new group of friends that I must introduce you all to  - sorry Mom for the new names. 

-      Vivi - Todd’s last housemate; an engineer from Columbia

-      Sonja- Vivi’s friend; from Germany

-      Pete – Sonja’s housemate; electrician from England

-      Jason – Todd’s new housemate

They are all incredibly nice people and I am looking forward to getting to know them, although I can’t help but get a bit nostalgic.

On the new experiences front: I went to the doctor with Todd the other day and it was so incredibly different.  We sat in a waiting room with doors all around.  There were names and numbers on each door and Todd was told to wait for door number three. We waiting for around thirty minutes before he was hurried in… and hurried out 3.5 min later, prescription and referral documentation in his hand. I felt like Todd just went to a vending machine, put in some money, and out popped a prescription. I don’t know why it was so unsettling; maybe because this rushed atmosphere seems out of place in laid-back Australia.

Of course the important things are still the same: the beach is even more beautiful than I remember and Todd and I are having a blast together J

In other news, I have a little herb garden out on the patio, I am cooking up a storm again, and I already feel like these months are going to fly by.

This weekend Al (old friend- yay!) is coming to visit the Goldie and we are going deep sea fishing on Sunday so I will definitely have lots to jabber on about. Till then… xox.