The Banal Chew

The Man Who Came To Town

Mark is in town for a couple of weeks.  Thanks be to whomever!  These brief respites from the distance and physical separation make all the difference.  Let's just hope I can scrape the pennies together to get back there for December and January.  If not, it will be a loooong summer/winter (circle the appropriate a season for your hemisphere).  But enough of that.

Zane came along, but he spent the day with his mum.  Because of visa regulations, Mark cannot travel out of the US without him, so Zane will be home-schooled for a couple of weeks.  We have all his assignments and projects.  Boy has a lot to do!

Yesterday afternoon, we strolled to the Beresford in Surry Hills for a Sunday session.  We were joined by Alison, as well as our friends Kerry & Simon.  It's been a while since I've had a Sunday session, as this ol' body can attest to.  Fun, nevertheless!

European Vacation 2009. The End.

It's time to go home.  Sitting on a night ship as it plows through the North Sea on its way from The Netherlands to the UK, where we will catch a plane back to Sydney, I type this post with an odd mix of feelings.  My life is so different than it was when I lived here in Europe all those years ago.  Reconnecting with old friends after many years of searching, learning, sinking and swimming, I realize that my life is now just as rewarding as I'd hoped it ever would be.

I am not just a middle-aged man, losing his hair where it counts and gaining it where it doesn't, often lost in the breathtaking race of human life, fighting the thicket of insignificance, rejoicing in the experience of what it means to be human.  I am the worthy sum of many parts.  I am who I am because of where I have been.  I am a product of what I have seen and whom I have known. 

All of the diverse and equally wonderful people who then and now welcomed me into their homes, their lives and their hearts, even after so many years, have shaped me.  They have taught me lessons.  They have given me a voice.  They have shown me how to be a man and a human.  For that, I am indebted to them to an amount I doubt I can ever repay. 

It is unlikely I would be the person, partner and father I am today, were it not for these people.  And so, Mark, Max, Jenny, Karin and Neil, I thank you.  And I look forward to seeing you all again, only with less delay and perhaps on a different continent. 

Tassie

We are back from Hobart, where we went for Mark's Fulbright Scholar Orientation and Award Presentation Dinner.  It was my first time there.

Only a couple of hours after we landed, I joined a group of people for the Mt Wellington Descent bike ride.  I was retrieved from my hotel and driven up the mountain, which stands just outside of Hobart.  After we reached the top, bikes were unloaded, helmets and gloves dispensed, a few pictures were taken, and off we went.  Here are a couple of photos.  More can be seen in my Flickr collection.

The view from the pinnacle of Mt Wellington

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Just before the descent

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We got to ride off road a few times.

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Our ride ended at Sandy Bay.  Fitting, eh?

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Hobart, Australia's second-oldest city, is charming.  Our hotel was a short walk from Salamanca Square, where there were lots of options for eating and shopping.  One of my favorite restaurants was the Machine Laundry Cafe...a must-do for breakfast. 

The Fulbright Award Presentation Dinner was held at the Moorilla Winery.  I was proud of my man for his achievement.  Our dear friend Alison came along.  She and I are Fulbright Alums ourselves.  The experience brought back memories, although the Aussie Fulbright award activities are much more substantial (and entertaining) than in the U.S.  Here are a couple of photos.  As before, many more are in my Flickr collection.

Sandy, Mark & Alison

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All cleaned up

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On our final day in Hobart, Mark and I went for a visit with TJ, a blogger pal and another American who followed his heart to Australia.  He and his partner live in a wonderful older home overlooking the city and water.  Beautiful!  I look forward to keeping in touch with them more and more.  (In my rush, I forgot my camera, so no pics I'm afraid.  Next time.)

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A number of Mark's family came to Hobart to celebrate Mark's award with us.  I really enjoy being around them.  They are a very loving bunch.  The eight of us piled in a mini-van and did a few hours of sight-seeing in historic Richmond Village before we had to head to the airport.  Lots of convict history in Richmond.  Lots.

More photos here.

You Again?

My return to Sydney this time felt like nothing new or unusual.  I guess I come and go so much now that everyone's used to it.  I'm ready to stay put for a while...well, until June anyway.  But at least it won't be just me heading to the U.S. 

Even the critters appeared simply to say, "Oh, hey. You again?" 

Regardless, it is good to see them, and everyone.  I'm nothing without my friends and family.

Bonnee

Kiwi

Roger

Barefoot Bowling

Alison and Ian introduced us to the concept of barefoot lawn bowling while we were visiting them in Melbourne just over a year ago.  So when I pondered how I might like to spend my final weekend in Sydney for a few months, it was (one of) the first thing(s) that popped in my head.

The weather was, in an overused word, perfect:  the temperature just right, the sky a fascinating blue, the sea its usual picturesque self.  And now that Alison lives part-time in Sydney, there was little way to pass up the opportunity. 

Mark phoned the Clovelly Bowling Club, booked a rink, convinced Alison to put away her weekend work, and we all headed toward the Eastern Beaches.

Oh. My. God.  What a beautiful afternoon.

More snaps at Flickr.

Weekend: Birthdays & Beaches

Michael celebrated his birthday on Saturday evening with a gang of his pals.  He's such a swell guy.  If you haven't already, stop by his blog and wish him some belated birthday cheer!  Denys was there, too.  Mark and I had fun visiting with them...and all the others at the table.

No, the lizards on the wall behind us aren't real.

Yesterday, while Zane was hanging out at a schoolmate's house for the afternoon, Mark and I took advantage of the current summery weather and headed to Sydney's Eastern Beaches. 

First we went to Clovelly for a couple of hours.  The water was too cold for a swim, although I tried.  But we lounged around in the sun for a while.   

The weather was perfect...candy for the soul.  (That for the eyes wasn't bad either.)

Then to Bronte for a quick coffee while enjoying the view. 

No question...I am going to miss Sydney when it comes time to move on.

Bizzy

It is mid-winter here in the Southern Hemisphere.  Since I've been back in Sydney the days have been fairly sunny and not too terribly cold.  Still, after caramelizing in the southwestern U.S. desert for three months, I'm constantly chilly now.  I am more rugged up than I have been in years.  And spring does not officially begin until the 1st of October September (thanks for the correction, Kev).

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It's been a whirlwind of activities since my return to Sydney, as I expected.  So great to see everyone again, especially Mark & Zane.

Zane played hooky on Thursday, so we could spend the day together.  It was one of those sunny and warm days.  We walked over to the Entertainment Quarter to grab lunch and catch a movie, Forbidden Kingdom.  Nice to spend time with Zane.  He's growing up so quickly, it sometimes takes my breath away.

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Mark was out of town on a work assignment when I arrived in Sydney and didn't get back until Friday night.  But when he finally got home, the reunion was as joyful and teary as you can imagine.  He is looking GREAT! 

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On Saturday, there was a joint birthday party at a local pub for a few of our friends.  It was an 80's theme, and folks outdid themselves with the costumes.  Mark and I hit the opp shops on Saturday afternoon and came up with some 80's-inspired athletic wear.  Tragic, but it was fun cutting and styling the cheap wigs.  I didn't do too badly.  I wish they'd let me tackle Zane's hair now.

Oddly, there was no 80's music played at the party itself.  Come on now, would it have hurt ya to play a little Culture Club? 

(I put some pictures in a Facebook photo album, for those of you who are my FB pals.) 

Wanna get physical?

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Yesterday, I met with a man who needs a part-time personal assistant for a couple of months to help with the closing of his business and other matters.  Looks like I've been hired. 

Lord knows I can use the cash. 
Lord knows I've done my share of admin work in the past. 
Lord knows I really need to get out of the house now and again.

All good.

Where's my fingerless glove?

Today was the last meeting of the Breakfast Club in its current configuration...at least for a while.  Per usual, we sat and discussed jobs, travel, rugby, birthdays, sex...you know, typical koffee klatsch stuff. 

Good times.  I love you guys.  Carry on in my absence!  I'll need the goss.

You see us as you want to see us.
In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions.
But what we know is that each one of us is
a brain...
and an athlete...
and a basket case...
a princess...
Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club.

Friday already?

Yes, I've recovered...although it wasn't until mid-week that I felt as much. (Kindly refrain from age comments, please.)

I think it was the dancin' I have done all week that has helped. No, I've not been shaking my moneymaker at a club. I had enough of that on the weekend at the MG Party. Rather, this grooving has been in the confines of my own home or a rehearsal venue.  You see, I've been asked to join some friends in a routine for this year's Rugger Bugger show, an annual fundraising venture for the Sydney Convicts rugby team.

Looks like all those jazz dance classes during my musical-theater-wannabe years may not be for naught after all!  My two feet will find a way.

Oh, and no, I won't be displaying my bits during the Full Monty segment.  That's for the hunky rugby fellas later in the evening.  I'm in the warm-up show..and quite happy to leave it at that!

Mardi Gras 2008

My, oh my.  What a weekend. 

This year's Mardi Gras was, in a word, sensational.  What I like is that the festival is so big and takes place over the course of many weeks, a person can pick and choose how s/he wants to participate. 

Our first year in Sydney, Mark and I went to Fair Day and marched in the parade with the Sydney Convicts rugby team.  We had only moved to Sydney a few months prior, and Mark had just started playing with the team.  We didn't know all that many people, nor did we have our wits about us in enough time to score a ticket to the party, so we simply went home after the parade.

The next year, we had become good friends with a number of Convicts players, and after marching again in the parade with them, this time we went to the party as well.  I had been to a couple of dance events before, but this blew everything out of the water.  Despite the fatigue from standing around in the parade line for nearly 4 hours, the march itself, and then some personal conflict between a few members of our gang, it was a fabulous night.  The best part was dancing in the courtyard the following morning, bathed in bright sunshine.

This year, I had an animal-massage booth at Mardi Gras Fair Day a couple of weekends ago.  It was an expensive endeavor which hasn't resulted in any clients yet, but it was a fun day anyway.  Mark and I decided to skip the parade this time and focus our energy on the party and being with friends beforehand.  We joined our rugby fellas there, and I also made a point to catch up with Mykel, who looked incredible in his devil outfit. 

As an added bonus, James, a Kiwi buddy now living in Melbourne, and Matt, his friend from the U.K. but now traveling the world for a year, came to Sydney and have stayed with us for the past six days.  It has been swell having them both around.  I feel I've got to know James better, and made a new friend (Matt) as well.  I'll miss them, but I suppose all good things must come to the proverbial end.

Now to recover.  No really, recover.

Matt, Mark, James, YT -- Pre-MG Party