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We’ve come to Australia during an interesting time, weather-wise. There have been massive hailstorms and super-cell thunderstorms in the province above ours ( Queensland ), but here in New South Wales, we’re enjoying cool spring days ( lower 70’s ) with brisk, windy evenings ( lower 60’s ). Imagine if San Francisco’s weather pattern came to San Clemente’s beach and you have the right idea.

Manly village is a charming and walkable area. We make frequent trips down to the ferry building to the supermarket, or to the chemist’s. Visits down via the Corso to the basic shoppes seems to anchor our lives in a calm rhythm which seems to match the soft lilting waves.

This morning after an errand run I stopped for a tasty espresso while Lauren went upstairs. The friendliness of the Australians is really something that can’t be emphasized enough. It’s such a warm environment. I’m sure that through the tourist season, one could get a bit jaded by it all, but thus far everyone has been very charming and mate-like.

Today the wind was really aggressive, but we braved it to attend a surfing class at Manly Surf School. It was a very solid two hours of work. Lauren said that, despite her years surfing in SoCal, the lesson and the pointers today helped her pull things together today. Myself, I had a great time back out on a mini-mal in the Australian Pacific shores. It was a great deal of fun and the ocean was largely cooperative.

We’ve come to appreciate the 24-hour news cycle of a fairly small country. It’s amazing that here small “human interest” stories become permanent fixtures of all the networks’ news programs. Teaching children to pole dance, end of the world or no? Death of Princess Diana inquest makes field trip to Paris, Cricket Skipper Ponting angry with call. It really loops frequently in this small and tight gyre.

I was struck because yesterday an Australian soldier was killed in Afghanistan. Today the prime minister, for one soul, mind you, came out and gave an appropriate and sensitive statement about the dangers of protecting the homeland. How many half dozens and scores do we lose every day and our president issues banal and vacuous platitudes about some ideal that no one is sure he can define, let alone truly support.

The news is also all astir about recent green initiatives being paid for and subsidized by the government: solar cell implementation, gray-water recycling, high water efficiency equipment. The virtues of an involved government in a small country seem to provide opportunity for forward-thinking policy to turn into reality in very short order. I can only imagine what the leaders of my own country would do with such a proposal: figure out how to give it to Halliburton, deny that the climate is changing, insist that private business ( preferably owned by cronies ) be the ones to implement the policy.

It saddens me that my own land, for all its inventiveness, lacks the gumption or moral clarity and resolve to make forward thinking dreams a reality. Hats off Australia: you have an old boys system and occasionally let a laconic attitude of “she’ll be right, boss” undermine your entrepreneurial drive, but your coasts are beautiful, your people decent, and your policy informed.

Come to think of it, watching the Australian parliamentary system is also inspiring. Party 1 has minister of X, party 2 has shadow minister of X. The shadow minister, in theory, is every bit as informed as the real minister is on the topic of X, and can offer counter suggestions from a position of expertise. So, for example, when chairman Ted Stevens is comparing the internet to a series of tubes, no one is there calling him a clueless dolt. I severely doubt that such ignorance would stand long un-attacked in a parliamentary system.

In any case, these are the thoughts that I’m able to compose based on a few days here.

We made it across the ocean fine, barring the spirit debilitating flight of 13 hours.

Upon arrival we waited 1 hour for our bags ( a certain local or two unleashed some colorful vitriol at the coordinators ). Thereafter we took the underground to circular quay and the ferry thence to manly. The apartment was ready upon arrival and has been a nice home base for operations thus far.

The surf was good yesterday and the day before and we made great use of it, taking some mini-mals out for the day.

We’ve found a great Indian food restaurant up the way, but have enjoyed the kitchen in our place a great deal. It’s nice to not to have to depend on strangers for all your meals.

We’re taking today off from surfing — which is good because it will give unaccuustomed arms a day to rest. Also, the waves suck today.

Something truly amazing happened today. At coffee, i looked out on the water and saw a nascent funnel cloud hanging down. Any Texas boy would know. A few minutes later it touched the water and was a full waterspout! The locals were amazed and it moved closer and closer until suddenly it dissapated and returned skyward. Amazing.

From Manly Daily

OZ is beautiful and friendly and fun, as i remember it. More pics and prose later.

Lauren and I have arrived safe and sound in LAX and are ready to make the 13-hour hop across to Sydney. We’ve made notes on where to retrieve our keys, we have our melatonin ready, and we just enjoyed a Wolfgang Puck pizza / salad combination. With the other bleary eyed passengers, made harshly garish by the unfriendly fluorescent lighting, we are awayting the entry into the time and space warping tube that is carrying us to a new continent, and the antipodal season.

I wonder, will I find my way back to that dingy internet cafe on George street where so long ago I wrote..

Hey all.

Wednesday we leave for Sydney. In efforts to try to sync up school and work, I’m to take the 2nd math exam tomorrow ( yes scarcely a week since my last ), so I’ve been cramming that material into my gray matter as quickly as possible ( thus the light presence the last few days ). My Latin prof and I have arranged to take any exams upcoming post-return.

We’re both very excited about heading ( in my case, back ) to Sydney. It should be a good break from balmy Austin. Sydney appears to be cool and breezy, nevertheless we hope to enjoy a bit of sun and sand whilst there.

It’s hard to believe that my first trip was within the first 6 months of my starting this weblog. To think of the strange orbit that impelled be thence, and back, and into a twilight realm, and pulled Lauren into my life, and then flung us to Texas, and now sends me back to that place where so many of the questions that had bothered me so long came to bear a heavy weight upon me under vastly better conditions seems a chance to close another cycle.

In any case, I’ve got a few funny posts under development, but I’ve not had the time to put them together. Perhaps I’ll find time before I leave, or on the plane.

…or perhaps not.

In any case, pictures and updates should be coming soon from New Holland.

I’m going to Australia again in October, this time with my beautiful Californienne.

I’ve gotta start running and working out arms and lats. It’s going to be some serious bicep burn once I’m upside down again.

My work is having a meeting there so I figured why not go a week early with my girl and let her show me how she tears up a curl on a wicked short-board.

What a party city!

Now I see why Bostonians are always going on about what a great place Boston is to go out in.

Last night after the conference my boss and I and another colleague headed to Fanueil Hall area of Boston.

It was kinda like an outdoor mall ( see Stanford Mall ) but set among old colonial buildings ( Ye Olde Brookstone: Thy Pillowtoir since 1668 ). After being given several opportunities to buy tourist schwag we went in hunt of a place to eat.

After walking around in the area we settled on the Bell In Hand tavern on Union Street.

I sampled the local draught, Bell In Hand Ale. It was dark and strong and tasty. The Bell in Hand has the distinction of being the oldest pub in the colonies as well.

Funny to think that bastards in redcoats breeches had tromped about in the alleyways where I stood. Lining Hennessey street were several other pubs.

In this area the pubs generally have glass-front panels which are folded and pushed to the side creating a large, open breezeway that keeps the bar cool and lets the din of music, bottles, and singing waft out into the street.

After a bit of a walk around this area we settled on visiting “The Tap”, which Yelp! seems to regard as an “OK bar for out of towners to get a bit of the Boston bar experience”. Lured to it by the sound of live, acoustic music, we went in and grabbed seats at the bar.

Now, if you read the Yelp! reviews, many of them make reference to a guy with an acoustic guitar….well he was there and this gentleman is known by the monniker of Bruce Jacques. Bruce is a rubber-faced, frenetic, comedian-musician who plays covers often with props or costumes that gets the crowd laughing.

A few songs in, plain musician Bruce changed into the ringleader / circus show that was to dominate the rest of the evening. Noting some men coming down the street with a bundle from Mike’s Bakery, he jumped through the window portal, microphone-in-hand and, still singing, worked in a request for cannoli which – to my surprise – he got!

Shirtless, Bruce bit the cannoli, and then proceeded to paint his nipples in cream filling much to the bar’s amusement and the young cuties’ embarrassment. After teasing them ( what young studentette can resist a bald hairy man with filling on his chest? ) he stepped on their table, stole one of the girls’ beer, and proceeded to gulp it down, and then ran back to the stage.

With these antics a few passers-by were ready to come in for a drink and see some more antics. Within 30 minutes Bruce turned the pub from a few dozen people idly watching the Sox close in on victory ( Spanked Atlanta, horribly ) to a body-packed bar of chaos. The virtuous crowd-attraction cycle continued until tons of young girls, salryguys, tourists, some locals started to fill the space.

Bruce channels Eddie Vedder

I love Bostonians. They were so fun and so relaxed. The singing was loud and raucous, unrestrained and blissful. These were people out to have a good time.

And I learnt an Irish tune: “Wild Rover” whose chorus involves clapping and involvement from the audience.

And it’s no, nay, never, (4 × clap) No nay never no more, Will I play the wild rover No never no more.

And I swear the bar was literally moving side to side during this tune.

From this point on the night falls hazily into trading gifts of Jägermeister, beers, talking about where we were from and what the “good bahs ahh” in San Francisco. This friendliness makes me think that this is how “everyone’s Irish on St. Patty’s day” – there’s a friendliness and an openness that everyone is entitled to the right to sing, drink, and have a good time with good friends.

If you’re interested in my un-scientific theory on happiness and the fuller-figure of Boston girls, you may want to see more below.

We left before closing time, but it was an excellent evening. There is but only a certain amount of sloshed beer that one can take in a given night.

Thanks for making Boston feel like home for one night for this tourist.

(more…)

I’ve arrived and checked into the beautiful Westin Boston Waterfront.

I’m still on California time, so it’s almost 2am and the conference starts at 9. Ugh.

I’m going to head to bed now, after I brush my teeth.

Hey party people, I’ve been out here in Irvine, CA since Thursday morning. I’ll be headed from here, tomorrow, straight to Boston where I’ll be until the end of next week.

I’ll share some of the adventures here when I get some typing time ( planes and airport lobbies generally offer a fair amount of that ).

Good golly, I love the East Coast ( especially the Old English dominions ), but dear lord I’m so very glad to be back under the big, wide, blue sky of the Lone Star State in lovely Austin.

I like what’s in NC: The Sweetest of the Teas, the friendly of the people, and the vinegary of the bar-b-q.

But I miss the cheesy of the queso, the dry of the bar-b-q, and the girliest of my friends.

So tonight, in but a few short moments, I’ll put my head back to rest.

Although it may be worth saying I was not a fan of the smoking indoors near where I’m eating that’s present in NC. Winston-Salem country it is.

Well yesterday was a brief morning session where we covered profiling, how to get help, and took a look at some of the student generated work that had been created during the week.

After that we were shuttled back to Atlanta where we all dispersed, catching our flights to the various parts of the map.

My plane was delayed by an hour ( mechanical ) so I arrived in houston about 7:30. After getting to the park and ride I proceeded to drive back to Austin, getting home about midnight.

While I was flying I had a chance to post a wrap up and advice page which will be next in the posting list.

I’m glad to have gone, but right now, in my comfy chair, I’m sure glad to be back home!