Where Am I?

It's hard to believe I'm in America. My Google News is still set for Australia and I'm still getting culture shock. Today's symptoms:

1. People standing on the right, walking on the left, on the escalator on the Metro. In Sydney, you stand on the left and walk on the right.

2. Big honking American appliances. I just finished looking at an apartment and it had these huge (and inefficient) American brand washer and dryer.

3. Big honking American cars. Sure, Australia has SUVs, even the detestable Hummer, but much much fewer than we have here. It really is amazing how big the cars here are. What will happen to them all, now that gas is $4 a gallon?

4. The permanent underclass thing. You know, the homeless, the addicts and alcoholics, the criminally oriented. It exists in Australia, too, especially the junkies, but it isn't so big there, at least not in my neighborhood. Walking to the apartment on Capitol Hill, I passed a strange-o inside the Metro, two at the top of the escalator to the outside, and one in the little park at the intersection of 8th St SE and Pennsylvania Ave SE.

5. So many people at work are asking me, "Are you back?" to which I typically respond, "You're not hallucinating." I plan to work toward getting my assignment in Sydney again, but how long it will take to unfold is a complete uncertainty.

Hierarchy of Needs: Housing

Since I got here, I've been spending a fair amount of time looking for a place to live. I'm currently staying with friends but that can last only so long. So, I've been looking up places on craigslist and have seen four places already. Focusing on Capitol Hill, Shaw, Logan Circle, Woodley Park, and may consider other places too.

Here's how wild the universe is: when I first moved to Washington in 1983, I rented a place at 747 Tenth St SE in DC: affordable little one bedroom basement apartment on Capitol Hill near the Marine Corps barracks. Well that place is available again, today. Life is just so weird. Maybe I should rent it again.

Memory machines

It's difficult to be away from your love. The modern world can help some with skype and email and all, but maybe the best way to "be" with him is using simple things that bring back the memory of your love, to recall you to him and what he is.

I keep two of these things in my pocket, two small simple things. One is a Vicks inhaler. Yep, just plain old camphor and menthol (in the Australian version). A wonderful, strong, old smell. V uses it a lot and got me to start using it, so that now when I do, it's a reminder of how dear he is.

The second is a type of lip balm I got several months ago. I thought it was his brand, but it wasn't quite the same thing, so I ended up keeping it. To me, it's an indulgence, although I do need to keep my lips moisturized ... well, just another memory machine.

Culture shock (the return)

Late last night, I arrived back in Washington. It was after midnight before I got my luggage, so I stayed at a hotel near the airport. Tonight and for the next week, I'm housesitting for friends - I need to find a place on my own.

Coming back is weird. What's weird ... hmmm ... all the American accents is probably first on the list. Walking and driving on the right. The racism that is everyday life in DC. Toilets with only one flush setting. How cheap American paper money looks is high up on the list. $4 gas was a little weird, but it's still cheaper than in Sydney. I will probably get used to it soon enough.

More Port Douglas

Here is a pic from the Daintree National Park, just west of Mossman ...

Port Douglas weekend

Last weekend, V and I flew up to Cairns and then drove another 80 km or so to Port Douglas. We has a really great time, seeing the Daintree National Park on Saturday, and doing a snorkel trip to the Great Barrier Reef on Sunday.

I took a lot of photos, and am editing them to get them looking good. The rain forest at the Daintree was really spectacular, but because it was so cloudy, in addition to the thick canopy, photos were not easy to take. We saw all kinds of wildlife there.

Here's a map of where all we want that weekend:

http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=106806480001360213360.00044d03a7b32b1b96ef0&ll=-16.436744,145.245008&spn=1.022107,1.653442&t=h&z=10

More to follow as I get more photos done.

Shoulder update

On Monday May 5th, I went to the surgeon's office and got my 6-week checkup. I am now wearing the sling less and less, and my recovery is going as hoped. I am still quite weak in certain movements, and my range of motion is restricted in just about every aspect of movement. Still the pain is lessening and I am definitely improving.

I am now on a new set of stretches and exercises, and seeing improvements in range of motion just about every day. The new work is relatively strenuous, and is definitely time consuming. It's all good.

Yesterday I got tickets for my return flight to DC.

What's that I smell?

Another wonderful aspect of life in Australia is its politics. While much of American political scandal is based on sex and hypocrisy - think Elliot Spitzer - here it is just so much more nuanced. One current scandal, and my favorite of the ones I'm familiar with, is the matter of Troy Buswell, head of the Liberal Party in Western Australia. His reason for dishonor? He sniffed the chair of a female staffer back in 2005, and it's just now coming out.

Now, what does a chair-sniffing leader of Western Australia's conservative party look like? He looks EXACTLY like what you think he would look like. What's the vision in your mind? Greasy hair. Shiny skin. Overweight. Beady eyes. No chin whatsoever. Your vision is so correct...

Photo courtesy theage.com.au

Their take on it is here. The Telegraph (UK) has a good take on it too, here.

Troy is 39, married, father of two. In this photo, he's holding back tears at the press conference where he admits to the allegation, after previously denying it 13 times.

At first, it appeared that the political fallout was minimal, but more recently, voters are turning against him. What's your guess? Does he survive?

The end of the story?

Well I just recently found out I will need to return to Washington, if I want to continue to get paid. V and I decided that for now, this is the decision to make. Needless to say I am pretty heartbroken by it all. It means going back to a long distance relationship with the one I love. You know, the 10,000 miles away thing.

It means temporarily giving up the Superdog, as all the work and expense needed for her to travel internationally is just too much for her. Another month of quarantine? I don't think so.

This is how I feel:


There are tiny little patches of light, but not many.