Pictures

Just a few pictures to keep you entertained until we have something fun to report...
FOOTY! Yes, this is a picture of the pre-season footy game we attended a few weeks ago.

Telstra Dome from the outside.

And Swanston Street downtown, with a glimpse of a tram. We're about 1.5km from downtown - maybe less, but the character of the street changes dramatically up by the university. It's much more quiet and few tourists.


Luckily Billy didn't recognize me :) I think that's a good sign. In any case, my mother looks like she's never been more proud of her charming daughter.

Billy's Fairy Godmother Strikes Again!

I think it is fair to say that it is commonly known that Billy has some special higher power looking after him at all times. I have a recent example of this that I must share....

One Sunday afternoon, Billy couldn't find his keys. His key chain contains several items of note: our apartment key, our only mailbox key, a key to La Trobe university, and his tennis club membership card. So nothing too terrible to replace, but certainly an annoyance and maybe a large handful of change to replace. He thought he last had them the Friday before. He looked through all his pants pockets and was thoroughly stumped as to where they could be. After a good while of searching (~10 minutes) he gave up in a huff.

So a few days go by and still no keys. I suggested he ask at the gym because his keys/phone/change usually fall out of his slippery athletic pants. I don't think this happened for reasons to follow. So a few more days go by and still no keys. At this point I'm getting a little agitated. I'm not worried about leaving our door unlocked all the time, but I'm getting increasingly nervous about having to replace everything. (Yes, I internalize some of billy's responsibilities even though I don't take care of them. I don't know why... please help.) So the following Sunday (10 days after keys were lost) we played tennis. When we returned the court key to the reception desk I leaned over and asked if they have a lost and found. As I say this, Billy mumbles something like, "no, don't ask her...it would be at the other gym". Low and behoooooold... there they were! Some good samaritan (no doubt directly related to his fairy godmother) had picked them up somewhere and handed them in!

Good luck strikes Billy again!

Meeeelbun, the liiiving ciiity

Yes, the actual words of a not-so-catchy theme song to a touristy Melbourne video we watched inside the Rialto Towers. It was a cheesy song that included lyrics like, "Meeeel-bun, a great place to be, Meeeel-bun, where I want to be, Meeeel-bun, the living city, Meeeeel-bun, my home.."

Sophie, Elizabeth, Billy and I took the elevator to the top of the Rialto Towers over the weekend. 55 flights up! Apparently it's not the tallest building in Melbourne, but the taller one doesn't have an observation deck. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon--not a cloud in the sky--a perfect time to take the $10 ride! It was fun to see the city from above. It reminds you how close we really are to the bay. Since the city is relatively flat, you tend to forget sometimes. I certainly miss the hills of the bay area. When I have a "good view" nowadays, I can see more than 2 blocks ahead!

Here are some pictures that Sophie took atop the tower:

Looking north-east towards the Yarra River ... Flinders train station on the bottom right, part of a lovely big park on the right, and the cricket ground at the top. The festivals we've been to lately were along the river - on the park side and opposite it.



Looking East... Crown Casino is just across the river - the light greenish building. We have yet to go, but here it's a mini-vegas inside. St. Kilda is past the upper right of the picture, for those of you who care :)



Looking South at an enormous convention center and Port Phillip Bay

And finally looking southwest... don't know what anything is.

The sun was coming in so I think the northern shots, where I could point out the university and our apartment building, are no good. I'll just have to wake up early and go again! We could easily make-out our apartment building from the tower, which was fun.

Dorky picture of us at top! (Me, Billy and Sophie)

Vegemite - The power of B

I first tried vegemite at breakfast in Bateman's Bay... and I nearly gagged. I thought it was just awful. So strong, and reminded me of stomach acid. When we were at a party on St. Patrick's Day, vegemite came up in the conversation. There was an Australian woman that said she really liked it and that it really required an acquired taste. Her boyfriend, an American, said that he grew to it even though he at first shared my reaction. She recommended that I try it with certain combinations.... So, feeling inspired, I picked up a jar at Safeway. When I put it in the cart, Billy made it quite clear to me that I was "on my own" with the vegemite!

So I must admit... after two tastings... I now really like it! It's power over me is overwhelming. In fact, I'm going to have it for breakfast this morning. It's all in the toppings... I took some wheat bread, put on some unsalted butter, spread on the vegemite (in a generous quantity - which really means a slightly less than thin layer).. added a slice of white cheddar cheese... Mmm, mmm, mmmm!! It is really, really good (though a wee bit salty)... And think of all the benefits (besides of course the butter and cheese)... on the jar it says that Vegemite is the "World's Strongest Concentration of Vitamin B".

Despite this amazing benefit, Billy still refuses to consume it.

Our Apartment...

For those of you who have requested pictures, feast your eyes upon our lovely abode!

Here is the view to the south-west (above)... The tram stop is right there in the center of the street and you can see the front of a tram coming down the road (in the lower-right corner). The university is on the right side of the street (the black building is a conference center), and there is an art museum that you can't see that is across from where the tram is.

And the view to the south-east... The parking garage is actually the nicest looking building on the street. The street is loaded with uber modern buildings -- they look like lego buildings (including our own). This is the direction we head to go to Safeway and for the italian restaurants and cafe's on Lygon Street two blocks over.

Check out the all-in-one microwave, convection and grill!

The view of the dining area and kitchen... with the blue shopping cart with wheels we take to the store!

And our living room...

Tennis Competition

At Melbourne Uni (the proper way of calling it, you get beat up if you call it University of Melbourne), they have sports clubs rather than intramurals or Varsity teams. So everyone in the club plays together, even if you are not a student. Kersti and I joined the tennis club, as it is a sport we enjoy playing together and it is easier on my bad knee. We signed up for some co-ed doubles on Thursday nights, hoping for a fun and social evening.
Little did we know that we would be playing against uber-professionals. They failed to mention to us the minor point that the competitions are for Advanced players only. Of course, if we play together it is no big deal, we both stink so it is no problem. Unfortunately though, they assign you to teams of six players and you play round-robin style with your teammates over three hours each night. So we hurt our teammates chances too, what joy! So we ended the night exhausted and dejected, but we will remain strong and continue to go and support (sabotage) our team!

I'm a Terrible, Terrible Wife

I have really been trying to be a good wife... I have been attentive to my husband's needs, I have been supportive of his "joblessness", I have kept a tidy house, and I have cooked healthy meals. Could he ask for anything more?! (Well, maybe a tennis partner that doesn't scream at him when she feels he hits the ball too hard... but c'mon, he nails them into the corners on purpose!) Anyway... so far, it has been pretty good.

So here's the start of the terrible tale... I came home from class at 6:30pm and started cooking. We had planned to eat the fresh chicken billy had bought the other day and I was going to make "red thai curry" using the pre-made sauce we had. Simple, simple... cook the chicken, add the sauce, cook the rice, cook the green beans.

When I opened the fresh chicken, I thought I smelled something different. I put my nose right up to it, and it didn't smell exactly as I suspected, but not that bad. Maybe chickens here eat different types of grass? I really didn't want to waste it (or run to the store to get more). It wasn't discolored, so I decided it was good to go. I cut it up, and sauteed it. I realized something didn't smell right... was it the chicken, or was it the sauce that I had opened? Well, I continued on... added the sauce and mixed it all together. Meanwhile, I was microwaving the rice because I didn't have enough space on the stove with the chicken and the green beans. So when I took out the dish of rice (covered by a plate to keep in the moisture), the plate immediately cracked into two pieces when I put it in the sink. It was an omen...

So, a little pissed off about breaking the plate, I threw everything together and told Billy it was time to eat. As we sat down, I told him that I wanted to taste the chicken before he did... so I did, and the texture was really funny. But maybe it was the way I had cut some of the pieces.. with the grain? So then I had another bite... but it was so hard to tell with the overpowering sauce. (Meanwhile I was kicking myself that I hadn't cooked it all the way through before adding the sauce.) Billy tasted it and we spent the next 5 minutes trying to figure out if it was good to eat or not. Billy decided it was... and I decided to only eat the rice.

Ridden with guilt and worried that I had just given my husband (of exactly two months) salmonella, I had to take some action.... Right after he was done eating, I made him go throw up!!! (and he did)

So, let's re-cap.... I cooked questionably foul chicken, allowed my husband to eat it while I abstained, and then forced him to induce vomiting. Will I be up for the wife-of-the-year award, or what?! But hey, he's teaching today and not at the hospital... do I get points for that?!

Moomba Festival

Kersti and I with our friends Sophie and Elizabeth at the Docklands watching the watersports!

Those Australians love there extreme sports! So of course they wakeboard in a makeshift course where if you fall it is not quite as soft as water!

Here is a nice view of the Melbourne skyline from the Yarra river!

This past weekend was the Moomba festival here in Melbourne. It is a water sports based festival... so we watched a little water skiing on the Yarra river, some dragon boat racing and a couple wake boarders on the bay. The banks of the Yarra were covered in carnival type things... like frightening rollercoasters and other rides, games for stuffed animals, food, etc... Crazy number of people. We didn't go on any of the rides, but a couple looked very interesting... one put two people into a cage and then hurled them up into the air and they bounced up and down like a bouncy-ball! And they had the classic drop zone - where you go up, up, up, and then you drop really fast. Billy and I did that ride in Stockholm years ago and he still remembers that I was screaming at the top of my lungs while we were just sitting there at the top of the pole. The anticipation was worse than the ride! It was quite embarrassing for him, and painful for me! Since we had just eaten hot dogs, we didn't think it would be wise to churn up my stomach! But it was a good time and we enjoyed hanging out with our British pals, Sophie and Elizabeth.

Footy!

So we went to our first professional AFL game on Friday night! Very exciting... we watched a semi-final game of the pre-season tournament. This is a crazy sport. It's played with a rugby ball on an enormous oval field... the goal is to kick the ball through the goal posts at the two ends of the field. There is passing, but you must either kick it to your teammate or punch it. No regular tossing. You can run with it, but I think you have to dribble the ball every so often. After that, anything goes. You can tackle the opponents anyway you like to get the ball away from them. It is extremely violent! The good thing is, there is very little downtime... it's always moving. Anyway, we had a fun time checking out the Telstra Dome, which is where I believe, the Australian Open was played earlier this year. The roof was pulled back as the weather was nice. The real season begins later this month so we look forward to that! We've already selected a team to be faithful to... the Carlton Blues. That's our neighborhood team. Hopefully they won't let us down!

Teaching, sailing and tennis!

My first blog entry! After some scolding by my mother about my lack of input, I have decided to try out this blogging thing..
So while Kersti has been busy going to classes (she has had class 11 days in a row!), I have been goofing off even more than usual. I have been sailing twice already, aboard a 35-foot boat called "Silk" It is quite fast, especially downwind, and the crew are all experienced and fun guys. I went out Wednesday night for the first time, and was immediately thrown into racing. So I mostly tried to stay out of the way and just learn what was what on the boat. And I raced again last Saturday for a longer race, and felt much more comfortable on board. Not quite as much yelling as the Shearwater, although things do get hectic at times. Especially when I had no idea what the "kicker" was (it's the foreguy)! They also call the guys "braces", but most everything else is the same. We race out of the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron www.rmys.com.au, located right next to St Kilda beach. It's been a good way to see the area, and Melbourne looks quite majestic from the Bay. In order to keep racing, I would need to join the club, which is a bit pricey so I havent' decided if I have the funds yet.

As to teaching, I had my first day teaching my Astronomy class at LaTrobe University. It is a forty-five minute bus ride out to the campus, so I only go once a week and teach the same kids two sessions each day. My first day was last Thursday, and I was a little nervous and it didn't help that it was about 40 degrees (that's 100 for you non-aussies!) in the room. And of course, the first question they asked me was how old I was, I think they were a little surprised at being taught by such a youngin'. The second class went better, and I think I will really enjoy it in the future weeks.

Also, my knee has been feeling much better, a vast improvement recently. I have been doing a lot of rehab for it still, but it feels strong enough for me to play tennis at a casual level. Of course, I instead go and sign up for a competitive men's tournament. A good way to start playing for the first time in many months! So naturally, I got smoked by the first two people I played. Fortunately, the third player was even worse than me, so I did salvage some respect. But it was a lot of fun, and I met some cool people. Kersti and I are going to be playing coed doubles on Thursday nights, so we will have to get out there and practice!

I did try cooking my mom's famous tuna casserole last night. It came out quite well (way better than I expected on my first try), but I'll have to put more tuna in next time. For those of you familiar with my cooking skills, you will know that this is actually a signifcant accomplishment!