Hot Town - Livin' in the City

Melbourne winter is just setting in now as we passed the 4^th of July, a conflicting concept internally for me since we are all used to sunshine, boating, fireworks and party on the 4^th. The new flat is coming along nicely and Mark and I are really enjoying living in the heart of the city. The noise from the street was hard to get used to for the first week. Melbourne has tram lines all over the city, similar to the street cars in San Francisco, only these seem like they are old and from all the noise they make, haha! But we are really enjoying being able to walk everywhere and being in the center of the vibe, its an exciting feeling.

(Our sweet pad, 8th floor)

The flat itself couldn't be better. It seems built really well, the concrete walls and floors seem so solid and block out neighbors noise really well. Its just the right size for two people, as compared to most of the flats we looked at in the same price range. They were like shoe boxes. We have a nice balcony looking off of the 8^th floor over the city and the water in the docklands. We are starting to really like it here!

(A view from our 8th floor balcony)

Work is going pretty good, just lots of hard work. Just saving all our money for some holiday trips around Australia. It's very expensive in this city, so saving is kinda hard! We are the busiest bar in Victoria State on Friday nights! Can you believe that?

(View from our balcony at night)

Well that's all the news for now. Talk to you all soon!

Living in Melbourne

Wow. What a slacker I am! I have not posted since I first got to Australia. I've probably lost all you readers and you probably thought I got lost somewhere in the outback. I am alive and still in Melbourne.

(Flinders Train Station)

When I first got here I found it quite difficult adjusting to a new culture, a city, and trying to sort out work and a place to live all at the same time. Yes I have done this before many times, but what I didn't anticipate was how expensive it is here, and a bad exchange rate for the American dollar didn't help. I didn't leave with as much money as I'd hoped, but I needed to go, so I just cut my losses and went.

(Yarra River and Melbourne City)

When I first got here, finding work was difficult and a place to live was even more difficult. I guess when you live in a city that constantly rates high on the list of most desirable places to live in the world, you get this problem. After three weeks, I finally found a place to live and a job at an Asian restaurant called Gingerboy. I worked about 6 weeks there, but wasn't getting too many hours so I had to look for something else. Luckily a spot opened up at my friend Angelo's place of work. I got hired there as a bartender and am currently there. It's called the Emerald Peacock and is a really busy cocktail bar in downtown Melbourne, a pretty sweet gig. (www.theemeraldpeacock.com).

(Central Business District)

One of my best friends from Montana, Mark, has also joined me down here on working holiday, he got here a month after I did. He got a job working as a bar back at the same place, so that has been really fun. I like working there, but it is really hard work! I like it though and I am meeting lots of cool people and having a bustling social life again.

(St. Kilda Beach, South Melbourne)

This week Mark and I got a new flat and we are moving to the downtown of Melbourne! Its a really nice place and a bit expensive, but we can walk everywhere now. Its one the 8^th floor of an apartment building and has a balcony with a nice view of the city. We're so excited. I've always wondered what it would be like to live right down town in a city.

(Australia Socceroos vs. New Zealand All-Whites match before the World Cup)

Fall is in full swing here and the leaves are almost all off of the trees. Winter is setting in and the days are short. It doesn't get super cold here, but its like Seattle, a damp cold which gets right through your clothes.

(Flagstaff Gardens)

So Mark and I are going to stick it out in Melbourne for a while until we can save up enough cash to move on. Not sure where we're going to go next, but up North to Queensland and the Great Barrier reef are surely on the list. I hope to post more often now, sorry for the long absence.

R

Melboune, the Seattle of Australia

Well I made it! After a surprisingly easy 14 hr flight over the pacific, I have arrived in the city of Melbourne. I flew a new airline (started in 2007) called V Australia, a new sector of Virgin America. They are a 4-star airline and were excellent in terms of comfort and service. This, coupled with a new Boeing 777 made the long flight surprisingly smooth. I was very impressed.

Melbourne is the Seattle of Australia. The city center is full of lush oak trees, lots of brick buildings and a fair share of graffiti. The streets are loaded with restaurants, cafes, and coffee bars. There are bars, lounges and clubs tucked around every corner which project the strong music and arts vibe here. There are even small alleyways full of small restaurants and bustling walking paths for a nice European feel. I have been surprised, however, at the amount of litter here as compared to the cities of NZ or Canada, which were immaculately clean. Not sure why Aussies like to litter.

Transport is very good here, with a collection of trains, trams, and buses. It's quite expensive here, which is to be expected for a city, but it's balanced with a high minimum wage (around $16/hr). People are generally pretty nice here, for a city, and there doesn't seem to be the overworked, grouchy frowning types that are so frequent in the US cities. The populous is very young here, lots of young professionals. The main industries here are banking, administration, business, and civil engineering.

I am staying temporarily with a friend here until I sort out a job and a place to live. I have been applying for lots of jobs here in renewable energy engineering at the moment. If that doesn't work out, I sense that I will have no trouble finding bar work here in one of the million cocktail bars they have around. The cocktail culture is very strong here, probably the best I've seen yet in the world. Mixology is king and everyone loves going out for a nice tasty drink, so I will be right at home for that!

I've been enjoying some of my favorite little things that I missed from NZ like really good ginger beer, edam cheese, excellent breads, and marinated green lip mussels. It feels so good to be back in this part of the world again, hearing the accents and sayings that they have. I feel a little like I came home.

Time will tell for what happens in the next month or so. I have a best mate from the States set to join me in April, embarking on his first experience living abroad, how exciting!

Well, that's all the news for now, next update I will include some photos of the city. Ciao.

Down to the Land of Oz

As many of you know, I have finally gotten things in order to move down to Australia and I will be leaving on the 28th of February! I got a 1 year, working holiday visa that allows me to undergo any kind of work down there, as long as I switch employers after 6 months. The idea is that Australia wants you to come and travel through their fine country and be able to work to supplement your long-term travel.

I think more Americans should take advantage of working holiday visas and have more long term experiences abroad. I have heard that the Australian government gives young Aussies a break on international tickets to promote travel and many other countries encourage this sort of thing for young people too. In Great Britain, for example, a lot of young people take a year of travel abroad and they call it a gap year. New Zealanders do a similar thing, they call it an OE, overseas experience. When I was in New Zealand, I met several German travelers just out of high school, going on their year long traveling experience before enrolling in a university.

In slang, everyone down there calls Australia "Oz" for short. I found this fitting over the last year as I was working hard to save up money to go there: working and dreaming about going to the Land of Oz. It's nice to have that light at the end of the tunnel and something to really work toward. I always need that. Quite different from one year ago when I was so set on going to Italy, but I never made it back...yet.

I chose Australia instead of going back to Italy for several reasons, but mainly since the visa is only for 18-30 yr olds, and this is my last chance. It was also made more sense logistically since they speak english, I would be working legally, and I already know the culture from my NZ experience.

So keep tuning in for more updates because I expect this blog to be way more active and exciting as I talk about my experiences in Oz!

Montana Rock Quarry

On New Year's Eve day, my mom and I took a trip to an abandoned rock quarry. Our mission was to get some rock for our new fireplace at the house. Apparently, this rock quarry was only in operation from 1928-1929 and then again briefly in 1937. It's called the Vermont Marble Quarry and produced Montana Black and Gold Marble for buildings all over the Northwest.

(Vermont Marble Quarry, MT)

The Quarry is nestled between two rocky ridges at the South end of a mountain range. The landscape, history, and the current weather there created really cool aura and made it a neat place to look around. It was a bit windy and cold which really added to the feel of the barren landscape. It reminded me of being in New Zealand. As we poked around, we found some old quarry excavation equipment as well as some really cool rocks. I thought I'd share with you a few pictures from our fun day.

(Rock Quarry and close-up of rock: Montana black and gold marble)


(An old boom used in part with a huge cable to saw the rock)


(Small rocks and large marble blocks, like the one Michelangelo used for David!)

100 Things I am Grateful For

I think 2009 was a tough year for everyone globally and for me especially. I began the year excited about getting back to Italy, but as the year passed, I found it hard to save money and it didn't happen. I'm still leaving for Australia, as soon as I get my working holiday paperwork through. I've heard from several people, astrologers and articles that 2010 will be a great year. To start a new decade, I decided to write a list of 100 things I am grateful for. What are you grateful for?

Some of them are just plain simple, but as you read the list, you will be surprised how many of the things spark a good memory and make you feel good. Imagine what life would be like without any one of these things. So here's to a soon to be great 2010!

100 Things I am grateful for, in no particular order:

Health
Family
Friends
Intelligence and wisdom
Willpower
Ability to be responsible with money
Travel
Different cultures
Languages
Music
Musical instruments
Singing
Artistic ability
Creativity
Ingenuity
Art
Architecture
Dancing
Movies
Photographs
Fashion
Science
Education
History
Sleep
Keeping a journal
Nice people
Supportive people
Role models
Girls
Love
Kisses
Hugs
Sex
Sunshine
Natural beauty
Ability to heal- physically, mentally
The unknown, what's yet to learn
Compliments
Holidays
Colors
Water
Food
Beer
Wine
Spirits
Coffee
Tea
Fun
Parties
Humor
Modesty
Ability to relax
Patience
Our senses
Soft things
Exercise
Swimming
Smiles
Animals
Comfortable chairs
Internet
Phones
Airplanes
Computers
Email
Ipods
Electricity
Appliances
Batteries
Glass
Automobiles
Flowers
Oceans
Plants
Fresh air
Snow
Fire
Ice
Rain
Clouds
Trees
Mountains
The seasons
Different climates
Memories
Peaceful times
Free time
Freedom
Fishing
Skiing
Hiking
Camping
Showers
Warmth on a cold day
Air conditioning
Chocolate
Hair
Dental care
Health care

My First Art Show

Seven months back now, I finally made the effort to participate in an art show, which has always been a goal of mine. I have loved art my whole life, beginning by drawing dinosaurs as a kid. I continued art while growing up drawing lots of sports figures, skiers, and cowboys, or pretty much anything I was really passionate about at the time. Through high school I took a few classes which increased my skills in drawing and painting, but focused on realism. At the time, I hated abstract art and didn't understand it. After I got to college and started to become more intellectual, I started to like abstract art and used it as sort of a rebellious escape from my left-brained engineering studies. It was in these years that impressionism and abstract art became my favorite. I started to create whimsical art full of passion and developed my own techniques. Then, during graduate school, as seems to always happen, my art side went by the wayside for a few years always begging to be brought to the surface again.

Finally, after returning from Europe last year, I found the enthusiasm and time to once again get back into it. An old friend of mine from high school art class, Jay Crider, and I created an art club here in Helena which we called the Illuminarti. Since high school, Jay had pursued art as a career and developed a style all to his own. He has since become one of my favorite painters and inspirations because his painting are AMAZING! He combines the subject matter of Picasso with the painting style of Van Gogh, which are my two favorite classic painters. Please check out Jay's website here.

Our group had some great times together, all having the similar motive to regularly keep art in our lives. We entered the Spring Art Walk here in Helena last April and it was quite a push for us to actually have a deadline. I sort of enjoyed the pressure and was thankful for all the support I got from my art club friends.

The day of the show was awesome. What a different experience to put something on the wall that you created for everyone to see! It was like singing or acting on stage because you are putting yourself out there. You are putting things on the wall from your mind, which can be a daunting feeling--things that came from your experiences, your interpretations, your subconscious. It was truly satisfying to achieve a personal goal of being in an art show at least once. It was also neat to be a part of the art world and to interact as an artist, even if it was for a short time.

A few months after the art walk, I got to participate in another show at my coffee shop. This time, I actually sold one of my paintings to one of the judges! I guess that makes me a real artist now? As promised, here's a few pictures of my art for you to see. Enjoy!

(Rocket Science: Getting back in touch with my left-brain. There is actually a lot of true science to this cartoon-like drawing. The rocket plume colors are what they use to measure temperature during testing and the curly vortex shapes in the plume are called vortex mixing. The fins on the rocket and the nozzle are there to mitigate heat.)


(Violin: I love musical instruments and how they have such sleek curves. I started this painting back in 2004 and finally finished it for the show here in 2009)


(Colossal with Key: one of my colossal characters. The look on his face could be one of innocence and asking forgiveness, or one of greed and evasiveness)


(Guitar Planko: another beautiful instrument)


(Nurture: to represent dreams and passions in life, if they are given the proper nurturing and support, they will grow, just like a plant)


(Clock Tower in Spokane, WA)


(Caught in a Dream: this is the one I sold to a Pediatrician. He said the shapes reminded him of vertebrae in your back, and the colors and friendly faces on the horses would be good for the kids.)


(Biological Father: influenced in part by the artwork with Pearl Jam's album Vitalogy)