blue mountain photos

here they are!

sydney photos!

a bunch of photos from sydney

a few more things i did

the day before i left shannon and i did a wine tour of the hunter valley, about 2 hours outside of sydney. we looked at a few boutique wineries, tasted a lot of good and mediocre wine, and overall enjoyed the lovely scenery!

on the way back stateside, my flight from sydney to fiji (which would meet a connection for LAX) was delayed 7 hours, so i was able to get them to put me on a different airline's direct flight to lax, which was much more desireable (at only 12.5 hours) and got me to LA in the morning, around 9/10am. i flew quantas from sydney to lax, and i would definitely recommend it! they have on demand tv, music, and movies-- over 60 movies to choose from, i hardly wanted to go to sleep at all! i watched four movies. the food wasn't all that, but the staff really thinks of everything, coming through with pitchers of water every hour or so, bringing snacks, friendly, and such things.

my flight to new york wasn't until 4pm and my lovely brother trekked out to the airport to meet up with me and we went and had lunch and tea. yay! it was good to see him again on the return trip and have a good non-airport-food lunch and see the sunshine and warmth before heading to cold, dark new york.

when i got back to the airpot i was able to get right onto my flight without waiting, and finally, fell promptly asleep (there was no one in the seat next to me, so i was able to sprawl a bit). i slept most of the flight. sweet, sleepy jonathan met me at the airport and we took a $45 cab ride home. and happily, i was able to sleep!

though melatonin and naps helped me the next few days to attempt to regulate my sleep schedule. i'm still a little off, but i'm keeping busy and it helps....

i'm not into hot beverages. well, i like tea. - 26 oct 06

i'm not a very accomplished coffee drinker-- or orderer for that matter.
having breakfast here at concrete, an italian influenced cafe in the pyrmont neighborhood-- i have previously decided i would order a small coffee with breakfast, as i'd read australia's coffee is generally quite good, and while it's not my avorite beverage, i've had good coffee in costa rica and generally bad coffee in the states so i figured it'd be good to give it a try.

the waiter comes over and asks if i'd like a coffee, etc.and i say yes, a regular small coffee. now either i said it too quietly or he simply misunderstood me and he smiled and repated in his thick european (italian?) accent "mocha?" and i nod, not realizing he'd actually said mocha until a few minutes later. a mocha is a bit more expensive here, and i'm not big on chocolate either, but i think i saw him grating some chocolate over at the counter and it seems this place is into making most everything from scratch, so i just decided to go with it. it'd probably be tasty. and though it comes in a bigger mug (i'm still drinking it, 40 minutes later, though it's kind of a regular sized mug you'd have at home), i am doing my best. when i took my first sip, i was pleasantly surprised-- it didn't taste awful and wasn't ridiculously hot (i usually have to allow a 5-10 miunte cool down period on hot drinks).

coffee really can't be good for you body in large or copious amounts, as many people i know are prone to consuming. i hadn't even drank half of it before my stomach was wondering what was going on. it felt all acidy and confused. granted, being that i consume maybe one coffee a year, i'm not accustomed, but seriously, this can't be good. i guess the milk in it isn't helping. no wonder people have so many ulcers and digestive problems.

i still have about 1/3 mug of tepid mocha left, but it's nice sitting here for now and the day is quite young. i'll try to finish it if i can, and see if i notice the caffiene kicking in (i usually find it doesn't really affect me).

note, later: i want to finish my $4 mug-o-mocha but i really think i'll feel ill if i do. my stomach has already put on a disgruntled and disapproving face and is quietly expressing its displeasure.

parrots! on the terrace!

these two birds flew onto shannon's balcony this morning, as i was typing up these blogs.
i took the photos through the window.

just like their money, australia's birds are prettier than ours.
(suplhur crested cockatoos are common sights as well).

basically, australia is just better than you.
...too bad about that hole in the ozone.

funny things.

a "sewing set." at the dollar store.


a snail in our salad package. very much alive and excited to escape. you've never seen a snail move so fast.
but not fast enough...the escargot was delicious.


i like my bourbon like my women.

quality time - 24 oct 06

shannon and i went out for lunch and pre-dinner drinks to celebrate her successful (she's moved on to the 2nd round!) interview at n.i.d.a.-- and the fact that she's done (for now) and won't have to spend the last few days i'm here stressing out and working on her project.

we went to this really cute cafe in newtown called buzzzbar cafe and shared a late lunch mezze plate. delicious. i really like that place-- it's the kind of place i'd like to work in, or own. they had a nice covered outdoor space, nice cushy couches inside, fresh baked cakes and muffins, gelato, coffee and full bar, and a good and varied menu.

then after a meeting shannon had at the uni, we headed to glebe and had a few drinks and chatted. and her fried aly came and joined us after awhile. and then jarred. we wound up staying at the bar until about 12, past time that any place would be open for dinner so we caught a cab, stopped to get falafels (does not compare to brooklyn falafels!) and headed back to the apartment.

good times!

journal - blue mountains - 23 oct 06

walking through a forest alone, quiet, you really sense who the whole place is alive and happy in its existence. it all works together. nature is mutually beneficial.the fragrant forest smell, sweet, with a faint scent of decaying brush, mixed with new leaves, moss, and damp.

vines, leaves, they glowed blue under the thick canopy. dark, but welcoming.

the glow of the sunlight beginning 300 meters of was incredible. jewels of warm light mixing with the greenery making it this ''light at the end of the tunnel'' vision, filtered through mossy rocks, bushes, young trees, and large trunks.


i felt very alone until i reached a bench and realized that i am on a well trodden path which i guess this particular day is not so popular. i see a bench and then a tree nearby with engravings like ''lucy + brad 95'' and i realize i'm not quite alone.

i try to source the bird songs i hear, the rustlings in the leaves, but i see very little other forest life, aside from the flies (which have not bothered me today), but there are signs of life everywhere.

i love going on hikes, walking quietly through 'nature'. i don't know why i don't do it more often.



----
notes: check out the 65º-70º inclines/declines on steps i had to climb. going down stairs CAN be hard. especially hand-cut limestone stairs (the grand staircase they call it) which are uneven and narrow, and if you don't get your footing right you very much feel like you're going to slide the rest of the way down. which would really not be fun. my legs were shaking when i finally reached the bottom. they are still recovering. these were not a part of the "grand staircase" but i climbed up them all the same.

royal botanic gardens - 18 oct 06

the royal botanic gardens are a public space, free to enter, and is a popular area for a picnic, jog, or a walk. it's really lovely and has a nice view of sydney harbour (opera hourse, bridge, etc.) and the succlent garden made me feel right at home! (cacti, aloe, agave plants, etc.) here are a couple of photos i took. more photos will be available in the upcoming snapfish album including all of my random sydney photos.


and this photo? (sorry it's sideways. just tilt your monitor) those are bats hanging in the tree! grey-headed fox bats, to be specific (though their head is more reddish). they live in a bunch of trees in one section of the park. apparently they used to come seasonally but now they live there, and are ruining the trees they roost in. the park had signs saying that they are using safe/humane/non-damaging methods of 'discouraging' them to leave. they are very noisy neighbors.

current obsessions

maybe you watched so you think you can dance? on tv this summer?
sarah and i sure did. way to go benji!

i was discussing it with shannon and explaining it to ashleigh and we have since been watching these two clips over and over, and can't get "ramalama bang bang" out of our head. so, if it has to be in my head, i figure you ought to take a listen.




and, to "sexy back".
all choreography by wade robson.