Thursday, September 28, 2006
Free Hug Man
Just a quick one today to recommend you check out the Aussie who gives out free hugs in Pitt Street Mall...near our offices. Apparently it made Good Morning America this morning and was on the front page of You Tube today....good stuffhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4&mode=related&search=
And if you want to know more about his (and the band behind the music) story, check out the story in The Sydney Morning Herald this afternoon...http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/freehug-man-speaks-out/2006/09/28/1159337257843.html
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Sharks at Bondi...
OK, so I have had this premonition my entire life, due in part I'm sure to the movie "Jaws" back in the 70's, that I'd probably die from a shark attack. It could also be due to the fact that when I do go swimming in the ocean, I have a tendency to go a bit too far out and stay out a bit too long....yes, I feel like I must have been a fish in my past life. 
(Pictures of Bondi Beach)Anyway, this past weekend was my wake-up call. There were about 30,000 people at Bondi Beach, many in the water, when the alarms sounded and everyone had to evacuate the water..."Hundreds of swimmers were called out of the water at Sydney's Bondi beach today after three sharks were spotted close to shore." Again, like a scene from "Jaws," but it won't stop me from my ocean swims...here's the video.
http://media.smh.com.au/?sy=smh&category=bulletin&rid=22155&source=smh.com.au%2F&t=09Q5E6&ie=1&player=wm7&rate=704&flash=1
It was another beautiful weekend here in Sydney, but on Sunday, we suddenly got these "gale-force" winds that came out of nowhere. I was walking to Woolworths (yes, Woolworths is still alive and well here in Australia...in fact, it is one of the largest companies/grocery store chains in the country), when suddenly the winds picked up. I had to stop in my tracks because the air became clouded with dust & debris, falling branches, etc. I know I'm being a bit dramatic today with falling trees and sharks in the ocean, but it's true. Anyway, combined with the drastic drought conditions Australia has had recently, a few fires broke out in the suburbs, destroying 7 homes. The bad news is that it is not even summer yet.
I would be remiss if I did not mention Steve Irwin in this entry. Love him or hate him, he represented a lot of what Americans think of Australia and was considered a modern-day hero here. A state funeral was held last week, he was on the cover of every newspaper and magazine and you can almost hear the tourism industry racking their brains trying to find the next Steve Irwin or Paul Hogan....I'm not sure if he can be replaced, but there's a lot riding on his daughter Bindi.
Speaking of daughters...and/or nephews...not exactly the smoothest of transitions...here's another picture of my nephew Cooper with his mom...my sister, Kappi...Monday, September 18, 2006
G'Day Spring...
How is it possible that I haven't written in a month? I wish I could tell you that my life is ever-so-exciting that I just haven't had time...far from it. I do have a laptop now, so I can start to write at home again. My laptop I brought from The States doesn't seem to like Australia too much, so I've had to write when at work, on the weekends, etc. Well, no excuses, but there you have it.
Spring has arrived in Sydney with much fanfare...the weather is amazing. After a week of non-stop rain, the sun has come out and is seemingly here to stay. You know the saying April Showers Bring May Flowers, well just imagine the same for September & October. It is no longer dark when I walk to work and dark when I walk home...I now see the sun in the morning and can see the sun setting in the horizion when I leave the offices....yes, Spring is finally here. I can't wait for the time to change (Spring Forward) so that I'll have even more sunlight.
I got up at 6:00 yesterday (one of the perils of getting up every morning at 5:00 is that you/I can't sleep in on the weekends) and felt guilty because the streets were closed off for the Sydney Marathon...I felt like I should have run it, but I just haven't trained enough, so I grabbed the Sunday newspapers from the newsagent, got my coffee & headed to the beach...that's when I realized "this is why I came to Australia..." it was so peaceful to have the beach to myself, a few surfers and swimmers (myself among them...the water was cold, but perfect for a morning swim). Later that afternoon, my friend Matt and I took a ferry over to Taronga Zoo, not to go to the zoo, but just to take a nice ferry ride across the harbour to enjoy the day...again, why I came to Australia.
Speaking of water, swimming, etc. I went to the beach two weeks ago and almost had a "Wendell Story..." I was swimming across the bay at Coogee Beach and a Wobbegong Shark swam directly underneath me. It didn't look anything like this,
more like this....
but like everyone else in the world who saw Jaws back in the 70's, there is still a part of me that thinks at any moment I could be eaten alive by a Great White. Anyway, Wobbegong's are harmless, but needless to say, I made my way inland pretty quick...I swam at record pace that day...if only I could swim that fast under normal conditions.
And now here are some of the latest pictures of Cooper...how cute is he? I cannot wait to head back to The States in December so that I can see & hold him in person. My friends Justin & Simone just had a baby here in Sydney last weekend...Luella Kaley Chisholm. I took the train out to Liverpool to see them and the baby; if I can't see my own nephew then at least I can vicariously hold him through Luella.
Spring has arrived in Sydney with much fanfare...the weather is amazing. After a week of non-stop rain, the sun has come out and is seemingly here to stay. You know the saying April Showers Bring May Flowers, well just imagine the same for September & October. It is no longer dark when I walk to work and dark when I walk home...I now see the sun in the morning and can see the sun setting in the horizion when I leave the offices....yes, Spring is finally here. I can't wait for the time to change (Spring Forward) so that I'll have even more sunlight.
I got up at 6:00 yesterday (one of the perils of getting up every morning at 5:00 is that you/I can't sleep in on the weekends) and felt guilty because the streets were closed off for the Sydney Marathon...I felt like I should have run it, but I just haven't trained enough, so I grabbed the Sunday newspapers from the newsagent, got my coffee & headed to the beach...that's when I realized "this is why I came to Australia..." it was so peaceful to have the beach to myself, a few surfers and swimmers (myself among them...the water was cold, but perfect for a morning swim). Later that afternoon, my friend Matt and I took a ferry over to Taronga Zoo, not to go to the zoo, but just to take a nice ferry ride across the harbour to enjoy the day...again, why I came to Australia.
Speaking of water, swimming, etc. I went to the beach two weeks ago and almost had a "Wendell Story..." I was swimming across the bay at Coogee Beach and a Wobbegong Shark swam directly underneath me. It didn't look anything like this,
more like this....
but like everyone else in the world who saw Jaws back in the 70's, there is still a part of me that thinks at any moment I could be eaten alive by a Great White. Anyway, Wobbegong's are harmless, but needless to say, I made my way inland pretty quick...I swam at record pace that day...if only I could swim that fast under normal conditions.
And now here are some of the latest pictures of Cooper...how cute is he? I cannot wait to head back to The States in December so that I can see & hold him in person. My friends Justin & Simone just had a baby here in Sydney last weekend...Luella Kaley Chisholm. I took the train out to Liverpool to see them and the baby; if I can't see my own nephew then at least I can vicariously hold him through Luella.
