A Few Additional Observations

I hit the grocery store early today, Monday morning, because the Oscars are on at noontime here.  That's one of the first observations of the day:  watching award shows over lunch instead of late at night.  On the plus side, I don't fall asleep mid-way through.  On the down side, if I get dressed up in my own living room, it's not as much fun.  And there's no one to compare ballots with.

Second observation is about shopping carts, or trolleys, as they are known here.  I don't know how they do it, but Australian trolleys are like hovercrafts.  They not only go forward and reverse, they can go sideways and diagonally.  Makes controlling them around corners an interesting type of exercise.

The grocery store I go to is in Lindfield and not tucked in a huge shopping centre.  It's not the greatest store, but it's conveniently close, and I don't have to fight the shopping crowds.  It has its own small carpark with its own narrow parking spaces.  That's observation three.  Even though the cars are more or less the same size, parking spaces are smaller.  And the poles that hold up the carparks are often part of the spaces.

I've finally gotten used to driving on the other side of the road, although I do still get in on the passenger side of the car instead of the driver's side.  Just every once in a while.  I've also started to build the "mental map" of how the roads connect to each other.  Hurray!

Our ship has finally come in, and all our personal goods will be delivered on Wednesday.  It's feeling a bit like Christmas!  I have no idea how the truck with the freighter crate is going to fit in our driveway or even on the street.  People in Australia park along both sides of the street so that driving can become a bit like playing chicken as you dodge into gaps to avoid oncoming cars.

Larry displays his parallel parking on a regular basis - going out for dinner, going to church, going to the beach.  I only parallel park if I can pull in front first.

When next I write, I will be sitting on my own couch with my feet up on my own coffee table.  And just maybe I'll be sitting in one of the rooms currently unfurnished and uninhabited until this week!

New Mums

Friday was a great day here.  I headed off to the New Mum lunch at Pymble.  What a fantastic event!  Within minutes, I'd met a woman from San Francisco who's been living here 6 years (married an Aussie).  Then we started chatting with a woman from Capetown, South Africa who'd just arrived.  We must have been giving out vibes, because we attracted the attention of a lady from Oxford, England who had also just arrived and whose husband works for Microsoft.  When we sat down to lunch, we sat next to a recent arrival from Hong Kong, originally from England as well.  After a flurry of comparing our experiences in house hunting (expensive) and school selection (many of the same considered), we settled down to a really delicious lunch.

Long story short, from noon to 3:15, I had a great time with a great bunch of women, many of whom are in the same situation.  And now I have a birthday lunch to look forward to in just a couple of weeks!

Weekend in Review

We had a very busy weekend.  Friday night, Nicole attended a Full Moon Party at the home of her youth group leader.  Since it was her first party, regardless of the agony caused, Larry walked her into the house and scoped out the goings on.  As she left the car, Nicole whispered to me, "You're my new favorite," before stomping along behind Larry.  She had a great time from start to finish and has made some nice friendships with the young men and women in the youth program.

Saturday dawned bright, sunny, and HOT.  Nicole prepped for and took her US Latin Mid-Term for most of the morning.  Once she was done, we headed off to the beach at North Curl Curl.  It was a perfect beach day.  The breeze kept the heat manageable. The beach wasn't too crowded. The water is crystal clear in Australia, and it is warmer than it ever gets in CT.  We lounged around in the sand and waded in the water to cool off.

Nicole picked out a movie Saturday evening, so we headed into Chatswood for a sushi dinner, a visit to Borders, and the movie. At Borders, we had one of the WORST customer service encounters of all time.  A few days ago, Larry had purchased a gift card for Nicole for Valentine's Day, and she was excited to use it. Turns out, they are selling gift cards but not telling the purchaser that they can only be redeemed when the total sale is twice the gift card amount. In other words, to use a $40 gift card, your sale has to be at least $80.  Nicole ended up paying cash for her books before we learned about this, and when we tried to return the books she's JUST BOUGHT, they refused to issue a refund.  We hadn't even left the store!  ARGH.  Australian Borders is OFF the list for us. 

As the situation was escalating, because even Larry was getting irate, Nicole hissed, "Don't make a scene."  And she left the store.  So we went to the movie, I am Number Four.  Very good, recommend it.

Sunday morning was HOT HOT HOT and Humid.  We headed off to brunch at Echo on the Marina.  Here is where we had brunch with new friends from St. Andrews Church:

Monday morning is cool and a bit rainy here.  Larry and Nicole have left for work and school, respectively.  I am blogging and listening to the news, which is a bit scary, to tell you the truth. What's going on in the Gulf and Wisconsin???

Why We Don't Open our Doors at Night



There's not much more to be said about this...



Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is an international holiday, and Larry and I enjoyed a dinner out.  It took a bit to find a restaurant.  Not because there is any lack of dining establishments but because most of the really fine restaurants were serving special Valentine's Day menus that feature things Larry won't eat and charge $100 per person for the pleasure.  After much research of websites and phone calls, we settled on a sustainable steakhouse featuring Australian grass-fed beef:  the Mumu Grill.  It's in Crows Nest, maybe 15 minutes away, but we took a wrong turn and ended up driving past the Sydney Opera House.  (Yes, that means we inadvertently went over the bridge.)

Amazingly, we arrived just shortly after our booking time and were seated immediately.  The steaks ranged from prime rib to sirloin and filet.  Larry went with the sirloin and I ordered the Victorian Fillet, which I imagined was filet mignon, wrapped in prosciutto and sage. It was one of the best steaks I've ever had.  Served perfectly medium-rare.  Mmmmmm.

For those of you wondering how the chocolate tastes over here, well, we've found a chocolate shop in Chatswood that has the most remarkable rose-infused dark chocolate bits.  Larry bought me a box of 9 - 2 rose infused, 2 orange, 2 banana, 2 raspberry, and 1 hazelnut.  All dark chocolate, all delicious!

Monday Morning

Well, it's Monday morning over here, and the week has begun with not one but TWO box deliveries at the front door.  The first contained our monthly mail delivery from our UPS box in Farmington.  Mostly tax documents and financial statements with a handful of college postcards addressed to Nicole.  An hour later, my delivery from US Food, containing a box of Cheerios, Cheez-Its, and Toast 'Ems.  I think there will be happiness tomorrow at breakfast!

If only all our furniture and stuff could arrive so promptly.

The Icebreaker

The school held a parent Icebreaker on Friday night.  We knew this was a large school but we were not expecting such a beautiful evening! As we walked onto the campus from the parking area, we heard wonderful music - band and soloist - and saw lights and umbrellas spread across the lawn.  The band turned out to be the school band.  The soloist, also one of the girls.  The young ladies passing canapes were self-possessed and lovely.  We ended up chatting with two other Year 11 couples, both of whom couldn't praise the school enough.  So I guess we got the affirmation we were looking for, in case we were looking for it.  At the open bar, I enjoyed a couple of glasses of Australian bubbly, which turned out to be not bad at all.

A Little Culture, Anyone?

After last weekend's massive shopping expedition, when we ordered a washer, dryer, and refrigerator, we were looking forward to doing something fun this weekend.  Sadly, the weather was not conducive to the beach as it was drizzly and overcast.  So it was off to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and Larry couldn't have been more excited!

The line to see the Emperor's Entombed Warriors was out the door and around the block (figuratively speaking), so we contented ourselves with touring the permanent collection of Aboriginal, Asian, and Western art.  Larry and I agreed that the coolest thing we saw was a sculpture by Antony Gormley.  From across the room, it looks like a "blurry" figure, and as you get closer, you realize it is deliberately pixilated.  And then you start to wonder what, exactly, the figure is doing - praying? bowing? or something else altogether?

The Praying Mantis also intrigued me. It reminded me of Hopper from A Bug's Life. (Yes, I know Hopper was a grasshopper and this is a praying mantis.)





If you find yourself in Sydney, the Art Gallery is a great way to spend an afternoon!

Alone

It's been a quiet week down under.  Nicole left Monday for a 3-day school leadership camp, and the house is incredibly quiet without her.  You wouldn't think one teenager would be all that noisy, but I find the hours after 4pm very long when I know she's not on her way home. Larry left Tuesday for a quick hop to Melbourne, returning Wednesday evening.  So, I've effectively been solo all week.

It's amazing how neat/clean the house remains when there is just one person.  I also get to watch whatever I want on TV - I've watched Wuthering Heights (the one with Ralph Fiennes) and Nine.  Plus a lot of British sit-coms like As Time Goes By.  I caught Piers Morgan's new show - not bad.  And on Tuesday evening, I went out with Melissa for Thai Food.  My first real Thai dinner.

Because of Nicole's peanut allergy, I've not ever gone for a lot of Thai food.  Firstly, she can't even step foot in a Thai restaurant. Secondly, if I eat a lot of peanut, I have to decontaminate before I can even breathe on her.  So, with her away, it's the perfect opportunity to go "food exploring."

We started with Garlic Prawns in Betel Leaves.  The prawns arrive on a nest of toasted coconut drizzled with sugar and nuts.  You wrap up the leaves like a taco and eat.  MMMMM.  Then we ate Pad Thai noodles.  Again, MMMMM.  And finally, we ordered Volcanic Chicken.  Chicken thighs with lemon grass, dark soy sauce, and baby bok choy.  It arrived looking like this (the plate was flaming):

Everything was really yummy, and I can't wait to go back!

I stocked up the kitchen again and managed to even get some work done.  Looking forward to having Larry and Nicole back at home again, though.  Time to make weekend plans.

Tidbits and Oscar Nominees

It was a busy week as Nicole headed off to school each morning dressed in her new uniform.  The hat arrived on Thursday, and it really completes the look!  We are more or less settling into a morning routine that includes me buzzing her up to the train station because it's just so hot in the mornings.  She does walk home and arrives bedraggled and ready for a icy-pop.  Apparently the school building is air conditioned, so she doesn't suffer too much during the day.

Air conditioning is not standard here, though.  A few girls have been sharing how they sleep with their doors and windows open to let the cooler night air in.  Larry mentioned that a few people have come to work looking a bit on the weary side after a night of little sleep.  I'm so glad our rental has central air.  What on earth would I do otherwise???

This was my first week of spending a lot of time alone. I spaced out some housework, produced some actual work deliverables, and went to see The King's Speech.  Very enjoyable, and Colin Firth was terrific as King George VI.  It was painful to watch him stammer and stutter his way through the movie.  Helen Bonham-Carter is always interesting to watch, especially since she usually plays such nutty characters (Bellatrix Lestrange, The Red Queen, Mrs. Lovett).  How odd to see her playing the woman we came to know as The Queen Mum.

Larry and I went to see True Grit, in my quest to see as many Oscar Nominees as possible.  The 10 nominees for best picture are:

• 127 Hours – Danny Boyle and Christian Colson
• Black Swan – Scott Franklin, Mike Medavoy, and Brian Oliver
• The Fighter – David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, and Mark Wahlberg
• Inception – Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas
• The Kids Are All Right – Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, and Celine Rattray
• The King's Speech – Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, and Gareth Unwin
• The Social Network – Dana Brunetti, Ceán Chaffin, Michael De Luca, and Scott Rudin
• Toy Story 3 – Darla K. Anderson
• True Grit – Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
• Winter's Bone – Alix Madigan and Anne Rosellini

I've seen 4 of the 10, so it's doubtful I'll make it since a few of them are no longer playing.  I'll have to check On Demand.  Of the ones I've seen, I'd have to say True Grit has been my favorite and the one I'd be most likely to watch again. Not for nuthin', I think they are missing The Town from this list.

I tried a new Australian recipe this week - home made sausage rolls.  I adjusted to leave out the fennel (not a favorite here) and replaced it with Italian Seasoning.  I used a pork/veal mince and puff pastry.  They smelled great while cooking and tasted fantastic! I also satisfied my craving for a really good burger by making my own.  Nicole and I feasted on burgers the night Larry was away for his offsite.

At this moment on Saturday morning, Larry and Nicole are making muffins and planning their afternoon at the beach.  I am heading out with a new friend to a local mall to do some wandering.  Tomorrow, we buy a dryer - MAJOR excitement.