Community Service

After allowing the mail to pile up for the past three weeks, I finally opened up the post box this evening to retrieve the bills, junk mail, and other assorted items. The most interesting discovery was a flyer from a concerned citizen calling the attention of the community to an alleged illegal brothel in our midst - in fact, just a 100 metres down the road from us. Apparently, someone at 392 Church Street offers "Oriental Relax - Massage". Not sure what that is exactly, but there appear to be at least a few folks in the community that disapprove of such relaxation. I walk past said house at least twice a day and have never noticed a thing, nor has anyone ever offered me relaxation. But one can rest assured that I'll be more attentive in the future. . .

Seattle & The Everglades

I was away for a while, back to the good ol' USA for a quick publicity tour. I started off dropping in on Seattle, visiting some folks at the University of Washington and basking in the cold, dreary, rainy weather for which the region is famous. I did manage to find some time to check out the Underground Tour, which provided a bit of history about the development of Seattle while demonstrating that with the right angle, one can turn a hole in the ground into a tourist attraction.

PB160011
Originally uploaded by BLP

I subsequently left Seattle for the more sunny Florida landscape, dropping in for a night at home in Atlanta before arriving in Miami to meet up with my Aussie companions who accompanied me on the rest of my tour. After a night in Miami, we headed through the Everglades, stopping at Wooten's Airboats to do a bit of airboating with Captain Scott.

We moved on with new found knowledge about the wildlife of the 'glades (including the proliferation of Burmese pythons and a recipe for venison burgers that was mouthwatering), spending a night in Naples before arriving in St. Petersburg to attend the Coastal Cities Summit. I, however, had to depart from the conference a bit early in order to make the long journey back to Melbourne and then on to Mildura to attend the 10th annual Mildura Gasshuku.

Closed for Business

In a bizarre blow to Australian tourism, the Simpson Desert has been closed for the summer, due to forecasts of extreme temperatures in excess of 50C. Apparently, the government has decided that conditions are just too dangerous and doesn't want to be in the position of having to fetch more than the usual allotment of corpses from the desert sands.

However, given that high temperatures are nothing new to the Australian landscape, others have proposed alternative explanations for the closure. Adelaide's newspaper, The Advertiser, for example, stoked the rumour mill which is abuzz with whispers about aliens being discovered in the park.

Crocs Back in the Spotlight

Australia's grumpiest animal icon is back in the media...

First, stories are pouring in from Magnetic Island off the coast of Townsville in Queensland, where a 2.5 metre croc has taken up residence and in so doing has single-handedly destroyed the island's economy. As stated by one dive operator: "Sharks we can handle, but you just don't know what one of these things might do." Well, I guess that settles the question of which species is more feared.

Meanwhile, Time magazine has this story about the more humane treatment that crocs receive these days from humans. After the recent disappearance of a fisherman in Queensland, wildlife officials rounded up the usual croc suspects. But instead of dispatching the animals, they were given x-rays and endoscopies to check for any remnant human remains. The gentle treatment is apparently due to the perception by some officials that crocs over 13 feet are "icons".

Bloc Party & Death Cab for Cutie

Bloc Party is poised to release there third album, with the first single sounding, well, a lot like Bloc Party (not that that's a bad thing).

Meanwhile, I picked up a copy of Death Cab for Cutie's latest album a couple of weeks back, and have enjoyed it immensely - chock full of hits as they say.

Trick-or-Treat

I know what you're thinking - all those tacky costumes - must be Halloween. But no, it's just spring carnival - the annual celebration where horse racing and "fashion" mix, with sometimes disastrous results.

The Tourism Wars

There is nothing Australia's media likes more than fueling social debate over issues about which Australian society could really care less. So it is with Tourism Australia's latest campaign. In 2006, the powers that be rolled out the marketing gem below, which caught bloody hell from all sorts of folks, because it featured profanity (never mind that the word "bloody" is only considered profanity in a few very tiny markets - in the US, it's simply a word to describe how you'd like your steak prepared) and a young woman in a bikini, in addition to a mosaic of a broad range of Australian icons and attractions. Now anyone who has ever actually been to Australia knows that the word "bloody" is so pedestrian and ubiquitous that to call it profanity is a bit of a stretch. Similarly, bikinis are also ubiquitous and, in fact, one of the primary reasons why people flock to Australia from the northern hemisphere is so that they can wear a bikini while baking themselves silly on the nation's beaches. So, while perhaps being every so slightly cheeky, the campaign in question was a fairly accurate representation of the nation's mood and amenities.

Fast forward a couple of years, and witness below Australia's attempts to take their marketing campaign up-market. They've brought in Baz Luhrmann to lend a hand, which cleverly leverages his soon-to-be-released epic film, Australia. The message - all you workaholics suffering through the financial crisis can find respite in the heart of Australia. So are Australians happy? According to the media, the answer is "no". The complaints are that the ad is too "white collar" (why isn't anyone using words like "bloody", the way normal Australians communicate) and doesn't feature Australia's beaches (where are all those girls in bikinis).

So at this point, I'm fairly convinced that there isn't a tourism campaign that exists that the media won't find a way of criticising. But to be fair, it's hard to come up with material to fill newspapers day-in and day-out in a country where not too much happens and most folks are pretty pleased with their lives.

Meat Wagon

Apparently, there is a mobile meat pie business in Sydney that's been in continual operation for 70 years. And yes indeed, it has its own website: Harry's Cafe de Wheels.

Dream Festival

We strolled through the first annual Dream Festival this afternoon - caught some odd looking inflatable art and ate some snacks.

Photos here

Glimpses of the Past

The New South Wales State Library has digitised a number of photographs in its collection and posted them online for public viewing via Flickr.

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.