Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

To all my family and friends... I wish you all a very merry Christmas and an equally happy New Year.!!!!!!!!

I will be back online from Australia 2008 January

Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas....not really

As I look at my calendar it is saying that today is December 6. Nineteen days away to Christmas. As I look at the weather forecast for the next few days it says that its going to be 87 degrees on Saturday.

Something isn't right here!

The Christmas season for people who live in the Southern Hemisphere is about more than the holiday. Its about the beginning of Summer, the end of school for teenagers and their younger brothers and sisters, the start of the holiday (vacation) season, and time to get those shorts out of the closet and making sure you AC is up and running.

I have talked to several people down here in Brisbane who are originally from the States and they say that even though they have been living in Australia for years they still don't feel the Christmas spirit like they did in the States. The weather plays the deciding factor in this. It is strange to be walking to work in 80 degree heat get into your office and see Christmas decorations up. Even though I know its December my body is telling me its July or August.

This Friday night is the CitiStreet annual Christmas party. There are over 350 people going to this event which will be held at the Brisbane Convention Center. It will have an open bar for beer and wine, a full dinner, and dancing. My biggest concern is how am I going to get to the Convention Center. Not because the center is far away or hard to get to but because I will be in a shirt and tie and I don't want to become a ball of sweat as I make my way from my apartment to the Center. Normally for a Christmas party I am concerned with how to get through the zero degree weather and potential snow, sleet or ice..... not 85 degree heat and 85 percent humidity.

When I am back in Boston in little over a week I know one of the first things out of my mouth will be 'Wow, its freezing here'! I guess I a true Bostonian. Can't wait for the Summer during the Winter and visa versa!

Thanksgiving Down Under

This past Thursday I boarded a Virgin Blue flight down to Sydney to celebrate the Thanksgiving weekend. My co-worker Caryl went along with me as well.

After checking into our hotel, The Vulcan, and laughing at how small the rooms were we set out to explore this capital city of New South Wales, Australia. 5 hours of walking later being lost for 4 of those hours had us seeing most of the sights that makes Sydney famous.

Our main goal was to find a restaurant that would be serving up a helping of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. After searching high and low we realized that although there are alot of American tourists and companies in Australia we were not going to have our traditional Thanksgiving dinner. To make matters worse the restaurant we did pick undercooked my barrimundi fish fillet and overcooked Caryl's steak. Luckily that was the worst of the weekend. The rest of it was great.

On Friday we set off to the Aquarium at Darling Harbor and then took a Sydney Harbor boat tour. On Saturday we didn't let the clouds and mist stop us from boarding a bus and heading over to Bondi Beach. After a 30 minute bus ride we arrived at Bondi and as we arrived the sun arrived too! We lucked out by having a great sunny day to check out all of the sights at Bondi. On Sunday we boarded a sightseeing double decker bus and took a 90 minute tour of Sydney. This was a great way to learn about all of the historic places in Sydney.

The Opera House was the scene of the Australian Idol finale on Sunday night. We were trying hard to see if we could take part of the event by scoring some tickets but we had no luck there either. At one point a producer came out to the crowd with a handful of tickets scanning the crowd to see who would be lucky enough to get in. I thought that this would be my chance. I went up to him, seeing the golden tickets only inches away, and asked if I could have two for my co-worker and myself who were over from Boston. He looked at me up and down, and very politely said in his thick Australian accent 'Sorry mate, you don't have the right look'. As I walked away dejected I saw him hand out the tickets to young teenagers and 20 somethings who were dressed to the 9's. I started to laugh to myself thinking that the guy could have said 'Hey mate, you are way too old'.... LOL!

My next flight will be to head back to Boston on December 14 for two weeks to celebrate Christmas with my family and friends!

Pass Thanksgiving Go Straight To Christmas

This Thursday millions of Americans back in the States will be sitting down with their family and or friends to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I on the other hand, will be in Sydney searching high and low for a restaurant that will be serving up a Thanksgiving feast! I am afraid that this will not be an easy task.

The weather is not getting cool, the leaves are not changing colors, and the airports are no less crowded this week than any other week in Australia.

You really begin to realize how far away from Boston you are when it is mid to late November and you are wearing shorts day in and day out and the daily temperature and humidity is climbing up and up upon every forecast!

The Australians, like most things American, are intrigued by Thanksgiving. I have been asked a lot of questions about its history and what the traditions are. Luckily the Australians can't give me too much grief on how the native Americans were treated in the years after the Pilgrims first landed due to the history the Australians have with their original people, the Aborigines.

About two weeks ago all of the stores in Brisbane have gone full tilt towards Christmas. The decorations have gone up and the sales have already started. Its easy to look forward to Christmas as an Australian because not only is it a time to share with family but its also the unofficial start of their Summer.

I wish I was back in Boston to wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving but I have a date with Bondi Beach for the weekend in Sydney! I may even try my hand at surfing!

The Race That Stops A Nation

Last Tuesday, the first Tuesday of November, there was a 'race that stopped a nation'. This race stops the nation every first Tuesday of November every year. It is the Melbourne Cup and it is the Superbowl, World Series, and Final 4 all wrapped up into one for Australia. Australian's loves horses. Horse racing here is a way of life. Melbourne Cup day is a holiday in Victoria, where Melbourne is, and in every other corner of the country there are empty offices and people gathering at local pubs or restaurants to celebrate the history, the glamour, and the joy that is the Melbourne Cup.

Mark Twain said, "Nowhere in the world have I encountered a festival of people that has such a magnificent appeal to the whole nation. The Cup astonishes me."

There is an entire festival that lasts 6 weeks in Victoria building up the the Melbourne Cup. This race has been run every year since 1861 and has never been cancelled due to war or any other natural or human disaster.

The Australian's respect the Kentucky Derby back in the States but they always ask, already knowing the answer, 'does the race stop the nation' to which my reply is 'no, it doesn't stop the nation'.

The Melbourne Cup is a 2 mile race and although I was at work I did manage to sneak away with a few co-workers down to the local TAB (betting place) and put some money down on a few horses. One scratched, one came in second to last, and I almost hit the trifecta by pure luck on a computer generated quick pick. Our office did shut down for about an hour to have a catered lunch and to watch the cup in all of its glory! This truly is a 'race that stops a nation.'

When Ships Were Made of Wood and Men Were Made of Steel

Happy 80th Birthday Dad!

Folklore has it that my father was born not in a hospital but in his house in the bathtub 80 years ago today, November 6 1927! This folklore is fully supported by my father and I believe him 100%.

What my father has done since that day in 1927 is nothing less than amazing. He was drafted into WWII, hitchhiked across the USA back to Boston with his best friend, met a beautiful young girl in Oak Sq, married her, and over the last 50+ years has raised 8 children! If that isn't enough for one person in a life time my father also decided to venture out on his own and started up his own Mechanical Contracting company, Frank Bean Inc.

Most importantly to me is that my father over the past 40 years that I have been in existence has been a great friend and mentor. I put friend first because having a father that you can also call a friend is special. My father has been there for me in the high times in my life and in the low times of my life. Its easy to be a friend and a father when things are going good but the true character of a man is shown when times get tough. And this is why I titled this blog 'When Ships Were Made of Wood and Men Were Made of Steel'. This is a quote on a framed picture that hangs in the basement of my childhood home. It is also a quote that describes my father and his generation.

Here's to a great man, a better friend, and an amazing father! Happy Birthday, Dad! Here's to being able to celebrate many more down the road!

Trick or Treat

Since coming down to Brisbane in August I, for some unknown reason, have been very concerned about Halloween and if the Aussie's celebrate it. Maybe its because I have some great memories of Halloween's past from being a youngster 'trick or treating' to an adult going to numerous Halloween parties.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I can't quite figure out why but I think its because although it is very commercialized it is still a holiday that allows young and old to put on costumes, be creative, and have fun along the way! When else during the year is it acceptable to eat candy like you do during Halloween? When else do you want your front door bell to ring? You know that on Halloween when your door bell rings it will be a local neighborhood kid dressed up as their favorite hero of the moment proud as can be and saying those magic words 'trick or treat'

When I got to Brisbane I asked some locals if they celebrate Halloween. Overwhelmingly the answer was 'no'. I was told that some people have Halloween parties but the whole act of children dressing up and going from house to house to gather candy was a foreign concept to them.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Halloween wasn't all lost on the adults though. Last Saturday night I was walking around Fortitude Valley, the Brisbane hotspot for bars and clubs, and I saw many adults dressed up in everything from Vampires to Mel Gibson's character in Braveheart.

On Halloween night the national news asked people on the street if they felt that Australia should celebrate Halloween and have more trick or treaters. There was about a 50/50 split of Aussies saying 'sure, its a fun holiday and good for the kids... bring it on' to the other half saying 'that is an American thing. Leave it in America'. Although there are negative things that can be said about America one of them isn't that we celebrate Halloween. I only wish I could show the parents of Australian children how happy their sons and daughters would be if they dressed up every October 31st and went house to house 'trick or treating' and then the sugar high they are on for next 2 weeks!

I guess you truly have to be an American to enjoy some things!

Happy belated Halloween!

"Atta boy, Mikey"

"Atta boy Mikey".... those were the words that resounded the most to me yesterday when watching the Red Sox capture their second World Series Championship over the past 4 years. The words were said to Mike Lowell, Series MVP, as he came into the dugout after hitting a solo homerun in the seventh inning.

When all is said and done baseball is still 'just a game'. Hearing an unknown player or coach say those words to Mike Lowell reminded me of any extremely proud mother, father, aunt, uncle or grandparent congratulating their Mikey for a job well done on any sports field. Of course MLB is not 'just a game' in so many ways. This is big business with a lot of money on the line. But take that away, forget about that, watch how happy the Red Sox are during all four World Series games and you will see that they play baseball as it should be.... a game.

Yesterday's game 4 had all the drama that is made for TV. The red hot Rockies had their back against the walls at their own Coors Field. The starting pitcher for the Red Sox was a young man who only one year ago was receiving treatment for caner and didn't know if he would ever play baseball again. On third base for the Red Sox was a player who is also a cancer survivor and is going to be a free agent at the end of this season. What more could Fox TV ask for.

Due to a very untimely Microsoft Access training course at work I was unable to 'chuck a sickie' for the second time to watch the Red Sox in the post season. If it wasn't for ESPN.com and their game cast showing every pitch on a computer generated field I would have been pulling my hair out. I did concentrate 90% on the course and the remaining 10% was all Red Sox. When I got home I plopped myself down on my couch, grabbed the remote, and hit the play button..... and yes... there it was..... game 4 in all of its DVD glory. Since I already knew the outcome I was able to scan through most of the game and therefore I wasn't subject to the commentary that Fox was sure everyone watching wanted to hear.

I didn't scan from the 7th inning on and even with knowing the score I had nerves and goose bumps. This is just a game right?! When Bobby Kielty hit that home run I pumped my fist in the air just as I did when Jonathan Papelbon threw that 94 mph fastball by the final Colorado Rocky to win the World Series!

I am so happy that for a few weeks in October from 10,000 miles away from Boston, via the modern technologies of the Internet and DVD recorders I was able to be transported back to Boston and experience what Red Sox nation...nation?.... more like Red Sox universe was experiencing!

Now if I can only figure out how to experience the rolling victory celebration!!!!!!

Let's Go SOX!!!!!

Bring on the Rockies! Bring on the Yankee's..... Bring on anyone right now. Even from almost 10,000 miles away I can sense that there is something special in the air in Boston. The Red Sox did what few teams do in any sport. They came back from a 3 -1 game deficit and won the Pennant for the Championship Series in the American League. So now its on to the big time. The World Series..... try explaining to Aussies why we feel we need to call it the World Series and not just the North American Series. My reply is that World Series sounds better!

At 10:00 am Brisbane time on Monday morning I sat myself down on my couch infront of my TV and for the next 4 hours I was blissfully transported via Fox Sports to Boston and to seeing why I love that city so much! Although the first 5 or 6 innings had me barely being able to watch due to nerves the last few innings were complete joy! When Coco Crisp caught that final out and slammed into the Wall I jumped off the couch cheered and did my own little version of the Jonathan Papelbon Red Sox jig!

I knew when we had Kevin Millar throw out the first pitch that it was going to be a special night. He is a great guy with a great sense of humor and he deserves to be a Red Sox in some form or another (player, coach, front office) going forward! He is our good luck charm. We no longer need that midget that Pedro used to have around. That was just strange. Millar is what baseball and Boston is all about.

My new dilemma is to find out how to best follow the World Series. Game 1 is on Thursday morning here in Brisbane. I can't continue to 'chuck sickies' but I will find a way to follow the game. If there is a will there is a way. If there is another elimination game or a chance for the Sox to win the Series then I will change my schedule at work to be able to follow the games. Until then I am going to see about downloading MLB.com and listening to the game via headphones and watching pitch by pitch on ESPN. I warned Sr. Management prior to coming to Australia that if the Sox made the World Series or the Patriots were in the Superbowl my schedule would be changed to allow me to watch. The good news is that my Sr. Management back in Boston were the ones who told me about listening to the games live and where to watch the games in a local Pub!!!

Here's to hoping that we see the Jonathan Papelbon Red Sox jig one more time in the next week or so!

'Love that dirty water...... Boston you're my town!'

Sydney

This past weekend I decided to take the 60 minute flight out of Brisbane Domestic Airport on Qantas and head South to Sydney. Ever since Sydney hosted the Olympics in 2000 this city has been one of the top tourist destinations in the world. After visiting for 3 days I can understand why.

Upon arriving on Friday afternoon the clouds decided to open up with a rain storm that looked as thought it was something only Hollywood could produce with special effects. The rain was coming down so hard and the wind blowing equally hard that it was very difficult to stay dry.... even inside! As most people know airports have large automatic sliding doors to allow easy access to travelers and their luggage. These doors decided to stay wide open and the rain coming down sideways made it very interesting in getting ones luggage. As with most rain that comes down that hard it didn't last too long but the rest of the day and night was raining on and off so I stayed closed to my hotel.

On Saturday I got up early, and walked a few blocks to the Court House Hotel and Bar which is open 24 hrs and has several TV's showing sports 24 hrs a day also. The previous day I arranged with the manager to have to have one of the TV's showing the Red Sox vs Indians. I sat myself down at one of the tables, looked at my watch which said 9:45 am, looked around, looked at the bar and said 'what the hell... the Sox are on' and proceeded up to the bar to order an ice water and a pint of Twooyes Extra Dry. I managed to nurse the pint for all of the game unlike my fellow patrons who I think may have still been there from the night before! After a great Sox win I set out to check out different parts of the city and do some exploring.

On Sunday I really found the true beauty of this city. Its harbor. After walking from my hotel for 30 minutes or so, taking my time with no set schedule, I rounded a corner of a large hotel and saw for the first time one of the iconic symbols of the harbor.... the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Like hearing a singer in concert sing one of their hit songs that you have heard on the radio for years and years and being blown away because you think to yourself 'that is Paul Simon... singing Mrs. Robinson' is the same feeling I got when I saw the bridge. I have seen the bridge since I was young on TV and movies. It is the center of attention each New Year when Sydney has one of the largest firework displays in the world in its harbor. The bridge, unlike the White House in Washington DC, is much larger than one would expect. It carries 8 lanes of traffic and at least 2 rails of trains!

The only thing that could have outshone the bridge was what I saw after walking a few more minutes.... the Sydney Opera House. This building is amazing. No other word can describe it. It is one of the most photographed buildings in the world and again seeing it in person is so different than seeing it in photographs or on screen. The area surrounding the Opera House is beautiful with cafes and shops and gives off an air of arrogance without being too pompous. You know you are in a special place where the best musicians in the world come to play year in and year out.

After doing the whole tourist thing I was back on a plane to Brisbane early Monday morning!

I will be back down in Sydney for 4 days over the Thanksgiving weekend. I am planning on checking out the famous Bondi Beach area and the Blue Mountains which outline this great city!

Mad As A Magpie

Alfred Hitchcock must have spent time in Australia in the Spring, October - November in the Southern Hemisphere, prior to creating his now classic movie 'The Birds'. There is a handsome bird in Australia called the Magpie. The name is not a fitting tribute to how handsome this bird is. I say handsome because pretty isn't the right adjective. This bird is fairly large as compared to Boston indigenous birds. It is the size of a large crow back in Boston. Some get even larger. They have a sleek body similar to the crow but their coloring is a bright white and black. They also have a nice flute like sound that they emit. Now this all sounds like a nice bird right? It is.... unless its Spring time! This is when the Magpies mate, lay their eggs, and care for their chicks. There is nothing like a Magpie guarding its nest and chicks.

I was forewarned by my co-workers and friends I have met not to get too attached to this bird because come Spring time they will attack you if you come within a distance they deem is too close for comfort. I think that I have been crapped on by a bird no more than once in my life and that is one time too many. But that is just bad luck, good luck for the person beside you, but bad luck for you. Since I have been down here I have been swept at by a bird three times. Same location, same bird, same time of day. After the first time I was determined not to change the course I walked to get to the train in the morning. After all, I am a human, the creme de la creme of the animal world. I am smarter, stronger, and more savvy than a mere bird... or so I thought.

The following morning after my first attack I got ready for work, put on my MP3 player, set on some music to get me going and headed off. At about minute 3 of my walk, out of no where, with my music on low came a swishing sound off my left ear, a brush of air from a flying object coming within an inch of my head, and a shadow flying by me faster than a blink of an eye. By the time I gathered my thoughts I saw the culprit. It was a Magpie gliding up to a branch in a graceful swoop as though just dropping off a laser guided bomb and after finishing its sortie was heading back to home base. After checking for any bird waste on me, which is not the Magpies intent, I could only look at this bird now perched on a branch staring me down and say to myself 'Magpie 2; Ernie 0'. I realized that although I was the bigger and I thought the smarter of the two this Magpie has something humans can only dream of: the gift of flight. Being able to fly up on someone from any angle, at alarming speeds in full control, silent, and then at the very last second change your direction to fly within an inch of your target is amazing! Now as I mentioned I only thought I was the smarter of the two.... this same scenario acted itself out one more time me being totally oblivious to the two previous days events. After the 3rd time I had determined that it was easier for me to change my route and let others feel the wrath of this Magpie than it was to deal with it head on.

I was told by coworkers that this Magpie is nice. Some of them don't change direction and fly full speed into your head beak first or claws first. Most people get wounds after a magpie attack! Sometimes I can only shake my head at this country. Here I am in a major city walking down a busy street and I am getting attacked by birds!

After doing some research I found some interesting facts. Here is the link to the page about magpie attacks.... Magpie facts

Thank You ESPN & the New England Patriots

There is a saying that goes something like 'you don't know how much you care for something until its taken away'. That has been my feelings for many things over the past few months. Not only do I miss family and friends I also realized how much I miss the Fall in New England and the fire that is sparked when the Red Sox begin a march to the World Series and the Patriots start their run dominating the NFL. I have been subject to keeping up with all of the sports in Boston via Boston.com. This hasn't been too bad since both the Boston Globe and Boston Herald have great on-line sports articles. But, no matter how much you read and imagine how the games go and see the pictures there is nothing like experiencing the feeling of being in Boston at this time of year. In the movie 'Good Will Hunting' Robin Williams character criticized Matt Damon's character for being able to tell him everything about the Sistine Chapel from what he read in books but you really don't know what its like until you see it with your own eyes and smell what it is like, and experience it in person. It was one of the most powerful scenes of the movie and that is how I feel when I explain the Sox, the Patriots, and Fall in New England to my Aussie friends.

Last Sunday I was flipping through a cable magazine that was sent to me out of boredom due to going to bed too early on Saturday night and waking up too early on Sunday. I came across the ESPN page with Payton Manning on it. Below the picture was a schedule of the upcoming month. I was elated to see the New England Patriots vs Cincinnati Bengals Monday Night Football game was going to be shown live on Tuesday at 10:00 am. Unfortunately due to a four letter word named 'work' I couldn't watch it live, but I did run out to buy a DVD recorder and was determined to see the game.

After setting up the DVD recorder and obsessing over how to time record to a point where I was going through blank DVD's like the Dead Cats go through Planters Punch drinks at the Boat Slip on a hot Summer Afternoon! With confidence that I was all set to go with the recording I checked it one more time then headed out to work.

I normally check Boston.com during the day at work to keep up on events and scores but today I wanted the Pats game to be a total surprise. When I got home I threw down my bag, grabbed my DVD remote and hit the play button.......... and 'YES' success!! I had the whole game recorded and waiting for me to enjoy!

For the next few hours I was transported back to Boston. I wish it was a home game in Foxboro but just seeing familiar sports faces live (well almost) was good enough for me. I had two Cascade Premium Lagers, cooked up some chicken on my Weber Q grill, and had a smile on my face the entire time. Of course the smile was due to the 3-0 Patriots man handling the Bengals with ease. Randy Moss and Brady are lethal! The running game even with reserves was great and the defense is playing solid. This is going to be a fun season and my DVD player will record every second that it can when ESPN shows the Patriots.

Another good note is that ESPN in Australia is showing almost all of the MLB playoffs. If the Sox get past the 1st round against the Los Angeles Angels I will be able to enjoy the Red Sox as well via DVD recordings. If the Sox make it to the World Series and have a chance to clinch then a DVD recording will not do and I will travel far and wide to watch the game live. Fingers crossed!

Are You Ready For Some Football?

This weekend the Manly Sea Eagles take on the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League Championship Game! This is the Australian version Superbowl back in the States. For the past several weeks teams from all over Australia have headlined the sports news as they played each other in the playoffs to get to the 'big game' on Sunday night.
Why a 3/4 naked man on the blog? He is none other than Michael Witt one of the star players for the Manly Sea Eagles. The blokes in the league being good old chaps put together a calendar -Naked Rugby League- to raise money for breast cancer awareness. October is the Australian National Breast Caner Awareness month.

The game will be played in Sydney on Sunday night very similar to how the NFL has the Superbowl on Sunday night. This sport has captured my attention.... no comments necessary! When I go out to a local pub and there is a game on and someone notices my American accent I know that a discussion about Rugby vs. American Gridiron is about to begin. The Aussies have the upper hand in not only numbers but the fact that they are mad about Rugby. The same way that most of the world is crazy about soccer the Aussies are crazy about rugby. Getting League vs Union mixed up is one of the worst things that an American could do. Union is currently being played on the world stage in France in the 2007 Rugby Union World Cup. League is another form of rugby that is played within the boundaries of Australia. The 'discussion' starts the same way every time: "You like rugby?" an Aussie will say (always with a pint of XXXX, VB, or Teweys in hand). I reply "Yea, I think its a great sport". In which they reply "Who do you think is tougher our rugby players or your American Gridiron players who wear helmets and pads and can only play either offense or defense and need to rest every other play?" Right away I am at a disadvantage and I used to defend American Gridiron to the bitter end until we would both agree to disagree. After one night talking to some blokes at the Casino and getting my good friend Jeff on the phone to help out in the discussion Jeff said it best. When asked by the Aussie, 9,000 miles away and 14 hours ahead on the clock, why the Americans had to wear pads Jeff, without missing a beat replied 'because they are pussies'. That is exactly what the Aussie and his buddies wanted to hear and it was as though Jeff had just told them they had free beer for life! I learned a valuable lesson from Jeff that night. When in Rome do as the Romans do. So even though Jeff and I don't believe that American Football players are pussies in any form it is the easiest way to end a discussion that I could never win down here anyway.

This Sunday I will be watching the Championship Game from a local pub and will soak in all of the Australian pride being displayed by the locals in both their national sport and their country in general!
*Follow up - ESPN Australia is showing the New England Patriots vs Bengals Monday night game live here on Tuesday 2 October at 10:00 AM!!!!! Now trying to decide if I tape it, which will require me buying a DVD recorder, or if I 'chuck a sickie' (Australian slang to call into work sick when you are perfectly healthy) to stay home to watch it......

Sick As A Horse?

When I first got down to Australia I was in fear of my health due to the flu outbreak that headlined the news day in and day out. Several adults and children had succumbed to the illness and the news was casting a pall over the country as though the plague was back and strong as ever...... that is until the Australian beloved horses began to come down with a version of the flu. The front pages and top stories no longer were talking about the human factor and was now all about how devastating the horse flu would be to the entire economy of Australia and perhaps the future of this country! Of course I am exaggerating but not too much. The top stories have followed the outbreak from Melbourne to Sydney and now as of yesterday Brisbane. I can fully appreciate that horse racing is a very big business in Australia but the level of news and drama that follows this story is almost funny. That is to anyone but an Aussie. When the news first broke out about the horse flu several weeks ago in Melbourne I asked my co-workers about it and got a first hand account on how important this industry is to Australia and the Australian psyche. As you walk around this country you can bet that on every other corner instead of a Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks you will find a TAB. Not exactly sure what TAB stands for but its the Australian off track betting locations. They are everywhere. In malls, on random corners, attached to pubs, attached to police stations.... now with horse racing on hold I guess the money that comes in from these TAB locations will be trickling in instead of flowing freely. Personally I think the main story should be the upcoming federal election in which a new prime minister most likely will be elected but hey, I am just a Yank!

Surfers Paradise and Byron Bay

Although I haven't traveled to many tropical destinations in my life, I couldn't have imagined that there are many places that are more amazing than Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast in Queensland. That was until we took a day trip South to Byron Bay in New South Wales. The picture to the left is an unedited photo of one of the beaches in Byron Bay. The water is as blue as any I have seen. The day itself couldn't have been better. We (Caryl, Loc-Uyen, and myself) decided that while we were already in Surfers Paradise for a long weekend we should take a ride one day to visit Byron Bay which is another 90 minutes South heading towards Sydney. Byron Bay is to Surfers Paradise what Provincetown is to Hyannis. Although both places are tourist destinations and beautiful in their own right, Byron Bay is relaxed, laid back and almost untouched. What other town do you know of that people tell you to 'follow your nose to find Byron Bay' referring to the overwhelming smell one would find of marijuana being smoked by the locals who live life by surfing, relaxing, and taking part in some of natures natural stimulants! Although there was no smell of pot in or around Byron Bay the overwhelming sense that we had ventured into a Greatful Dead community was all around us. In every shop you went you could buy something with a VW Bug or Van on it. Each shop was run by laid back shop owners who you felt you may be bothering by asking for their assistance. There was a sign on the walkway up to this lighthouse that said Byron Bay is one of the few places in the world where you can sit in a rain forest and look out over the Pacific Ocean (or any ocean) and listen to the breaths of humpback whales. We didn't go to the rain forest but we did see a humpback whale in the distance breaching from the lookout point at this lighthouse.

Prior to heading down to Byron Bay we spent a day and a half at 'Dorchester on the Beach' which is a 19 story apartment building directly on the ocean. After driving for 1.5 hours and then getting lost for 20 minutes within a half mile of our destination we were blown away by the condo we had lucked out in renting. The condo was one of those places where you could only smile from ear to ear upon entering. It was at least 2000 sq feet, had all white marble tile floors, sliding glass doors from wall to wall, 3 big bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a balcony that overlooked another turquoise blue ocean that went on for what seemed miles! When looking at my pictures I realized that I was so impressed with the view from our condo I never took any pictures of it! I did take plenty of pictures from our balcony.

Surfers Paradise and the Gold Coast in general is similar to Miami Beach. There are dozens and dozens of high rise apartment buildings as far as the eye can see. One of the buildings is billed as the tallest all residential building in the world! The nightlife is second to none and every day and night of the year is a celebration in beach living! We ate at some good restaurants and enjoyed the nightlife also. At one of the restaurants we ate at the waiter recognized our accent only to find out that his wife, who was also working there, is from Dorchester originally! They had been married recently and were traveling the world working until they saved up enough money to take 3 months off to travel the country they were in. Nice way to live!

On my last day at Surfers Paradise I got up at 5:00 am to board a BK Fishing charter at 6:00. Although I gave it my best shot the only thing I caught was a red snapper that came in about 2 inches short of a legal keeper. It was a great half day of fishing even with out much action. The other people in the boat had better luck but overall it was quite. One thing that I was excited about that Australian locals are used to was a bottle nose dolphin that hung out about 10 -20 feet from the boat all morning waiting for us to throw over our half eaten bait fish. I was afraid the dolphin would go after the fish with the hooks in it but I was assured by the Captain that dolphins are much too smart to go after a fish with four hooks and a weight tied to it! And he was right. The dolphin at one point met up with another dolphin and they put on an acrobatic aeriel show for us for a few seconds. Of course it was just short enough of a show for me not to be able to capture it on film! In the slide show you can see the fin of the dolphin though....

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

Two of the first people I met upon joining the CitiStreet Australia team were a set of twin brothers named Peter and David Bissell. These two guys were the first ones to get up out of their seat, extend their hand, give me a pat on the back and say 'welcome mate'.... I kept thinking to myself what nice guys they are. I soon realized that these two brothers were special but they also looked as though something could be wrong too. I had no idea what it could be or put my finger on it but something was different. Boy was I right. After talking to Peter, or maybe it was David, I still can't tell them apart, I learned that both of them have had Cystic Fibrosis since birth and several years ago both of them underwent a double lung transplant. I was blown away by this news but at the same time had such an admiration at how they handled life. I also realized at this time that for them working at CitiStreet was purely to pay the bills. Their true passion over the last 7 years has been to spread joy and laughter as Peebo and Dagwood....clowns! Now I know that some people have a fear of clowns or just generally don't care for them but these two are different. They are two of the funniest guys I have met either as clowns or not. The way they feed off of each others humor and their timing can only be attributed to them being identical twins. It's as though each of them know what the other is going to say before they say it. They are like George Burns and Gracie but with better timing. When talking to Peter about his transplant it was then that he said he and his brother love being clowns because they feel that 'laughter is the best medicine' and I couldn't have agreed more.....

Several weeks ago a project manager was leaving CitiStreet so we had a nice morning tea for her with a mini show by whoelse...... Peebo and Dagwood! Being a new guy in the office I was a prime target for both their jokes and a magic trick they do. Hope you enjoy the pics!

The Hub Apartment.... my home away from home

I moved into my one bedroom apartment in Brisbane several weeks ago. It was one of ony two apartments that I looked at before making my decision. I knew that although I could get a bigger place I couldn't get a place that is in the middle of everything and a view of the river and the Story Bridge. The apartment building is across the street from the Brisbane Marriott, a five minute walk to two train stations, and a 5 minute walk to two major shopping, restaurant, and nightlift districts. Here is a slide show of what it looks like:



Let me know if you are having trouble with the slideshow feature and I will upload the pics the previous way I was!

Time To Get Up To Date

After dealing with Telstra and Bigpond since I moved into my new apartment in the middle of August I finally got my DSL installed today! Going forward I will be updating my blog on a regular basis to keep everyone up to speed on my goings on in Brisbane!

Recently I went with my two co-workers to the Australian Zoo. This is the zoo that Steve Irwin (aka... the crocodile hunter) was affiliated with. The zoo is about 1 hr north of Brisbane. It was a great day overall.... check out the slide show!



After the zoo the tour brought us to a farm stand that had some of the best fruit and vegetables I have had in a long time. Macadamia nuts are native down here and taste amazing compared to what I am used to in the States. I haven't tried any native fruit or veggies yet... I have stuck to the traditional ones you can in Boston.

Oh yea, the non native eating is only applicable to fruits and vegetables. I did cook up some kangaroo meat last week. It was delicious! I marinated it over night and grilled it out on my balcony. It tasted like a very lean fillet of beef. I had to keep reminding myself not to think about it being a kangaroo, the same marsupial that I was hanging out with at the zoo one week earlier.

Joan Rivers is right.......

The other night I decided to check out some of the local flavor within the gay community beyond the one place I had already gone to. I decided to go into the Spring Hill area to a bar called The Sportsman. I was surprised to find that it was bigger than I first imagined and that it had a good range of clientele. There were younger guys, older guys, straight guys, straight girls, gay girls, and yes......... drag queens.....

Here is one that I had to get a picture of. She was with a straight female friend and I found out they were from 'the bush'... not knowing if they were playing around with me or not I did find out that by 'the bush' they meant about 30 minutes outside of Brisbane. They told me that they have kangaroo's jumping around as common as we have dogs! When I mentioned that she looked like Joan Rivers, and never knowing what response one will get when telling a drag queen they look like Joan Rivers, she was thrilled! I made her night. She didn't know who Joan Rivers was other than from word of mouth but I wasn't the first one to tell her this. She asked if she could have a copy of the picture and after going through the various means of how one would get a picture to her (email, mobile phone, friends email etc....) she asked if I could print it out and drop it off at the bar! Ummmm yea, I am sure my new co-workers would love to see this on the printer!

I did meet a few nice guys (mates) who mentioned to me that there was a Sports Club in Brisbane which runs all of the gay and lesbian leagues. I was happy to see that there are over 12 different clubs that have various sports. I am going to try my hand at 'touch' Australian Rules Football. Not that I am in any shape right now to be running around on a field that is about 2x the size of a football field but it will be cool to give it a shot. Check back for updates.





As I was leaving the Sportsman Bar to head home the lights went down and the next thing I know there is a full on drag show. I was wondering to myself 'where do they get the music that the drag queens lip synch too?' They were not dance songs or any type of show tunes but songs that only 3 or 4 drag queens could sing and dance too....











This week is a short week with Wednesday off for a public Holiday. Its the annual Ekka celebration within Queensland. This is a celebration of the Queensland agriculture that dates back 100's of year. Most locals stay away from the fair but being a non local it sounds like fun to me.

Finally.... Internet connecton

With a little help from Microsoft and their new Vista operating system I was able to get an internet connection in my hotel room! So let the blogging begin!

This is my second Saturday here in Brisbane. Still no rain and barely a cloud in the sky.

The picture to the left is the view of the CBD (Central Business District) I have from my hotel room. The hotel (Central Cosmo in Milton) is about 2 km (I have to learn metrics so you will have to also :-) ) from the CBD. I decided to take a walk along the river on one of my first days here in Brisbane. The River is the heart of this city. They have great walk/cycling/rollerblading paths on each side. In the morning and evening the river is full of people on bikes either out for exercise or more likely commuting to work.

Here is a pic of the path way that runs to and from the city.

Also along the way I wandered through a mangrove section of the river. This is literally in the center of the city!

Now for some of the fun things..... getting a lime for you drink down here is very difficult. For some strange reason they can grow lemons but not limes! When you order a Corona they give you a lemon slice. If you do get a drink that normally would have a lime or two in it they use fake lime juice. Talking about Corona, the Aussies love it! As much as they are beer snobs and put their nose up at any ale brewed in America they love Corona! I was in the bottle store (their name for a liquor or package store) last week to check out the prices on beer and wine. I was laughing to myself when I saw the following signs:

Yes your eyes are not playing games on you! $48 for a case of Budweiser and $54 for a case of Corona!

I move into my apartment next Saturday! I will have more posts this week. Work is going good so far. There is a public holiday on Aug 15. Ekka. Its a celebration of Queensland's agriculture industry. Sort of reminds me of one big Topsfield Fair!

I will be putting pictures up on the web via Picassa which is a Google on-line picture hosting site. Check your emails!

I am going to be doing more of the tourist things in the upcoming weeks so come back and look for updates!

This is the view from the other side of my hotel room. The XXXX beer is the Queensland local beer. As I was told no one drinks Fosters down here. I haven't even seen it. The main beers are: Towhey, Victoria, Hahn, and XXXX.

For the 'Tip A Canoe' group.... check out this place:

A Week In The Life - Brisbane Style

If New York is the 'city that never sleeps' then Brisbane can be called 'the city that loves to nap'. As soon as 7:00 PM hits everything comes to a stand still except for restaurants and bars. Stores and malls close down..... and people are no where to be found. That is Monday - Thursday. Come Friday and the Aussies show why they have been labeled a country that likes to play hard. Friday means cutting out of work early, heading to the pub with your co-workers and enjoying the 'happy hour'! I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun this city is come the weekends. Overall it has been great. I start work tomorrow, Aug 6. Today I am heading off to Suncorp Stadium which is across the street from my work to see the Brisbane Bronco's take on the Sea Eagles in a Rugby match. It should be great! 50,000 fans which I heard take their rugby very serious. I can't wait to soak in the atmosphere and more importantly to learn about this sport.

My internet connection is still down so that is why there are no pictures yet.

I was told not to be a 'pika' on Friday night by a co-worker when I mentioned I may head back to the hotel.... a 'pika' is someone who takes off early or blows someone off. Needless to say I ended up staying so not to be labeled a 'pika'. Another person gave me directiosn and told me to 'take a right and follow your nose straight up the hill'.... put an Aussie accent on that and it sounded really cool.

The toilets have two flush modes for water conservation. Half flush and full flush. Pretty good way of doing things to save water.

I am no longer jumping out of the way of cars in parking lots thinking they are coming at me without a driver only to realize the driver is on the opposite side. I must have looked pretty funny jumping in my skin! If that doesn't give me away as a 'Yank' than nothing will.

I found an apartment. Its in the heart of the city in a neighborhood called Spring Hill. Within a 5 minute walk I can be at either of two very popular destinations - the Queen Street Mall area or Fortitude Valley. The 'valley' is the hotspot for nightlife. The apartment is small and expensive but I couldn't pass up on the location. Rental's are very scarce in Brisbane due to how fast this city is growing......

I will be moving in on August 18th so stay tuned.

I will put up pics etc once I can get to an internet cafe.

9,000 Miles, 23 hours and no Monday

On Sunday July 29th at 4:55 I will be boarding an American Airlines flight to begin the long journey to the other side of the world! I will be flying from Boston to Los Angeles. After a 3 hr layover I will board one of the biggest planes in the sky, a Boeing 747-400, owned by Qantas and will fly overnight, through Monday due to passing the international date line, and will land 14 hours later in Brisbane, Australia at 6:05 AM Tuesday July 31.

I will try to update this blog during the layover...... and defintetly when I get to Brisbane on Tuesday!

I will miss everyone!

A Very Warm Thank You

In the movie Its A Wonderful Life, Clarence says to George Bailey: "Remember, George: No man is a failure who has friends'. If that saying is true, which I believe it is, then I am one of the most successful men around!

Over the past several weeks I have enjoyed the great company of many of my friends and my family as they wished me a fond farewell prior to my departure to Brisbane, Australia.

I want to thank everyone who helped plan, hosted, set up, showed up, or were there in spirit for my going away get togethers! I am truly a lucky person.

On Sunday I was able to enjoy a great bottle of Cristal champagne......

To an equally amazing 'gun show' at Fritz!

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

Today is July 11.  This was the first day that I was hoping to board that Qantas 747 out of Los Angeles and start my new work and life adventures a half a world away.  But due to a back log of Business Visa applications in Sydney I am still grounded in Boston waiting for my visa to be finalized!  

The movers came on Monday and took away my belongings.  A shout out goes to Gentle Giant for doing a great job.  Not sure where they fall in competitiveness of pricing but if they are more expensive it has to be worth it.

I am still hoping to get my Visa any day now.  

I think my new departure date will not be until a week from today.  Again, this is all relative to the Visa process.  Good times!  

Look back for more updates!

(p.s. - the picture above is named 'Waiting')