Another reason why Melbourne is better than Sydney. . .

A national survey of Australian attitudes toward diversity has identified New South Wales as the most "racist" of the nation's states and territories. Forty-six per cent of survey respondents stated some ethnic groups "should not be in the country." But only about 10 percent of Australians went as far as to say that different ethnic groups shouldn't inter-marry or that certain ethnic groups are inferior. So I guess that means half of Australians are racist, but only 10% are REALLY racist. Well, that's a relief. . .

Australia Does Epcot

Apparently, visitor's to Epcot's International Food and Wine Festival can now get a taste of Melbourne's famous laneways and cuisine. Tourism Victoria managed to land Melbourne a spot at the famous food gig (not that anyone in America actually knows where Melbourne is). For some, it may provide some incentive to make the great trip down under. But for most, I reckon Epcot is as close as they'll get to the sunburned country.

All Victoria Grand Final

Another year, another footy Grand Final. I've decided that there is no greater spectacle in Victoria than the Grand Final. Melbourne Cup is a close second, but horse racing just doesn't have the mass appeal to all ages as footy. As great as the World Series, the Superbowl and March Madness might be, I'm not even sure they can compare. After all, any town that can support nine professional teams in the same freakin' sport is going to be tough to beat when it comes to fanaticism.

In any case, this year's Grand Final came down to a clash between the defending champs, Geelong, and Hawthorn in front of a crowd of 100,012. We had to pull for Hawthorn, because you've got to go for the underdog and because we've been to Geelong (aesthetically, it leaves something to be desired, and we can't pronounce the city correctly anyway). A Grand Final is not something to be watched alone, so we experienced the festivities at Ernie and Lisa's new penthouse flat. And fortunately, but surprisingly, the Hawks broke loose after half time and cruised to victory. This was followed by lots of fist pumping and ass slapping by the victors.

The Grates - Burn Bridges

The Grates have a new album out and you know what that means - a whole suite of catchy new tunes and a few very odd videos. . .

Cousin Ralf

We spent the evening with Cousin Ralf last night, who was in town for the weekend on one of his routine tours of the region. We took Ralf for dinner at Hairy Canary, followed by a quick drink at The Birdcage.

Finally!

At long last, our asses can enjoy the comfort to which they are entitled. After 9 months of pain and suffering, delays and frustration, the sofas we ordered at the beginning of the year have arrived and have been installed in Casa de Preston.
Although it took a bit of sweat to get them into our apartment (suggestion for furniture delivery companies - probably not wise to hire 16 year old boys that weigh 40 kilos to deliver furniture), our abode is now filled with the fine smell of rich Chinese leather.

Now, however, it has become apparent that the new sofas are far finer than most of the other stuff that exists in our home, so we may have simply doomed ourselves to a long-term series of furnishing upgrades.

The old sofas (and all their history) have moved down the road to the house of young Master Julian. Hopefully they will prove kind to his bum.

Physics Rap?

Newley tipped me off to this little gem. . .a "rap" on the Large Hydron Collider

New Governor General

Australia will be swearing in a new governor general today. Quentin Bryce, the former governor of Queensland will be the 25th GG, and the nations' first female to hold the office.

If you're wondering what the GG does, here's the official word:

A Governor-General appointed by the Queen shall be Her Majesty’s representative in the Commonwealth, and shall have and may exercise in the Commonwealth during the Queen’s pleasure, but subject to this Constitution, such powers and functions of the Queen as Her Majesty may be pleased to assign to him [emphasis added to reflect the fact that they may need to update the Constitution to make it more reflective of the 21st century].

Based upon the above, and the general hands-off approach of the Queen with respect to the Commonwealth, I think it is fair to say that the GG is symbol of Australia's relationship with the UK, but not much else. And given the constant debate over Australia becoming a republic, I reckon the days of the office are numbered.

Coffee

The Backpacker had a bit at The Age online about the quality of coffee around the world. Apparently, some of the better nations for getting a decent cup of Joe include Italy as well as a few spots in Southeast Asia (Vietnam and Malaysia) and South America (Argentina). Those nations more notorious for coffee include the UK and, of course, the good ol' USA (although in defence of the USA, what it lacks in quality, it makes up in quantity).

The single best place (allegedly) for coffee in the world: Melbourne, Australia. But this is coming from an Aussie, and if you're looking for a coffee snob, you'll be guaranteed to find one in Melbourne.

America

I like to be in America!
O.K. by me in America!
Ev'rything free in America
For a small fee in America!

After spending a couple of months in the US and Europe, I checked back in on Australia for a few weeks only to head back to the states for a more formal holiday. We arrived in an America struggling through high fuel prices, absorbed by the Olympics (Go Phelps!), dodging tropical cyclones, and with presidential campaigns well underway.


First stop - Madison, Wisconsin (via Chicago)

I'm coming home, I'm coming home
Via Chicago

We dropped in on the family in Madison, which in winter is one of the last places on the planet you want to be. In summer, however, this progressive college town is quite pleasant. As our first port of call, jet lag was an issue, but Uta at least overcame her sleepiness with Olympics fever, staying up to the wee hours of the morning watching Michael Phelps and underage Chinese gymnasts do their thing. We spent a day at the outlet mall in the Dells buying everything they had (and laughing hysterically over how cheap everything was). We also made the mandatory stroll down State Street and sat out in the sun at The Terrace.


Second Stop - Atlanta, Georgia

Welcome to Atlanta where the playas play
And we ride on them things like every day
Big beats, hit streets, see gangsta's roamin'
And parties dont stop til' eight in the mornin'

Home sweet home. We spent ten days in Atlanta, hooking up with many friends and loved ones and continued our binge shopping which necessitated the acquisition of an additional suitcase. We arrived just in time for me to catch the 11th annual South Atlantic Karate Association summer training camp and for us to participate in the 2nd annual cornhole tournament (we were eliminated in the first round). We also hit Midtown's Cypress Street Pint and Plate, the Midcity Cafe, Rosa Mexicana at Atlantic Station, and the old favourites of Fellini's and Moe's and Joe's (which has gone a bit up-market since being bought out, but still has pitchers of PBR for $3.25 on Tuesdays). A highlight for Uta was a visit to Friedman's, where shoes can be found in absurd sizes - I bought a pair of sneakers while Uta got to see how her feet measure up to Shaq's (who reportedly is a size 24). I also dropped in on a few folks at Ga Tech and spent a morning tyring to inspire a few young minds over at Fernbank Science Center. We topped off our stay in the ATL by peeking in on a real estate development where we discovered that for the price of our little two bedroom apartment in Melbourne, we could have one of these brand new monsters in Atlanta. Food for thought. . .


Third Stop - New York, New York

New york, lookin down on central park
Where they say you should not wander after dark

Despite Uta's many trips to NYC over the years, my experience with the city consists of only one prior trip which occurred during the early 80's. If things have changed since then, I don't remember. We checked in at the SoHotel (which is actually more in Little Italy than in SoHo, but that's marketing for you). Our first night, we hooked up with the SoHo Swede for dinner, and then rested up for what would prove to be a 15k forced march on Monday, from SoHo to Central Park (stopping in at the Empire State Building) and then back. Tuesday, we headed to Flushing Meadows to witness Day 2 of the U.S. Open, where we saw Haas triumph over Gasquet, Robredo nail down the lid of Zverev's coffin and where some clown mistook me for James Blake's brother, Thomas. Wednesday it was more tourist stuff - Chinatown, St. Pauls and the WTC site, Wall Street, Battery Park and the Staten Island Ferry. We met up with B-Rob and Trey for dinner, followed by drinks at the requisite hip cocktail lounge. Thursday we walked through the West Village, did some shopping in SoHo (including the cleverly named stores "Shoe" and "Bag") and then wrapped up the day and the trip by catching Rent on Broadway (in it's last week).

I'll be heading back to the US in November (Florida) and January (Phoenix). In the meantime, if you're dying from visions of the silly land, go here.