Not so quick recap...

It's hard to believe that it's been over two weeks since I first landed in Australia!  I was hoping to keep this updated more often as a way to keep everyone at home updated on my adventures and also a way for me to remember what I've done, but as usual, time has gotten away from me. 

I have settled into a routine, getting up early to call family/friends back home (I'm 14 hours ahead) and for some reason my body just keeps waking up around 4 am.  Technology is amazing though.  I have an old unlocked cell phone that I use for international travel and I bought a prepaid SIM to throw in it.  I still find it funny that I can call home on a cell phone and it only costs me 7 cents a minute and no more than $1 a call.  It makes being half way around the world much easier and accessible.  Like when we had storms in Atlanta and I had to call the alarm company because my Mom kept getting calls from them saying the system was low on battery.  (it was just recharging after the power was out)

So after arriving and wandering around old stomping grounds, I decided to spend my second day in Sydney doing something new.  It was a gorgeous "winter" day, sunny and 60 degrees, so I thought I'd venture out to do one of the many coastal walks around the city.  I took a bus to Coogee Beach and headed north for the 5K walk along to water to Bondi Beach.  I'm sorry that I hadn't found it when I was here 6 years ago.  The views were amazing, the water crisp and clear, and tons of people were out just being healthy.  Running, walking, playing lawn bowling, snorkeling, surfing, SCUBA diving, SUP'ing, swimming (at an old ocean swim club).  One thing I've noticed about Australians is that they enjoy their outdoor activities and they make a point of being healthy.  It's something we could learn from at home. 

Here are some of my favorite views from the walk, including my yummy lunch treat at the end

Bondi Beach

 Mmmm, fish and chips! 

I ended the day by catching up my co-workers and taking in a Jazz concert at the Sydney Opera Hosue.  We weren't in the main concert hall but downstairs in the intimate studio.  Funny, we came all this way to hear two Brooklyn based jazz writers play with the Australian Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra.  It was awesome!  They played pieces written by Sean Wayland and Darcy James Argue.  I found Darcy to be amazing.  He has an 18 piece big band in Brooklyn, called the Secret Society.  I highly recommend if you are in the NY area that you check them out. 

We lucked out by having a day off the first Monday after we arrived - thanks Queen Elizabeth II and Happy Birthday.  So one of my coworkers and I went on a wine tour of the Hunter Valley.  I've been on wine tours before, but this one was more like a class, we spent a lot of time learning about the wines, the history, tasting, etc.  Another gorgeous day and somehow I came home with 6 bottles!  Let's hope they make it home in one piece!  (okay, I'm down to 5 now)

Needless to say, we were quite content and rested and over our jetlag before starting our meetings on Tuesday. 

The hard work began, with our meetings running from morning til night and me having to keep the team coordinated for dinner plans and such after work.  We were truly a global bunch, with two guys from Argentina, two from the Czech Republic (one Czech, one Slovak), two Americans (one Cuban American so he was always speaking Spanish with the Argentians) and then me (the only female). 

By the time Saturday rolled around again I was beyond exhausted.  All but one team member headed home and I had the day to myself.  I thought I would up my game and do another coastal walk, this time the 10K Spit Bridge to Manly walk.  It was a bit chilly and windy and overcast, but I decided I needed the quiet and peacefulness and a good walk.  I took the bus to the Spit Bridge, found the trail only to see the sign say that it was closed for trail maintenance.  So back to the bus it was, thinking I could pick it up a few kilometers down the road.  I ended up finding the trail again but only 2K from Manly.  I missed the wildlife habitats and the walk on the water but still had a good walk over to Manly Beach.  I found a cozy place in the sand, and sat and watched the surfers. Those little dots in the water are surfers, so many of them!

 I walked around a bit more and took the ferry back at sunset to some amazing views of the bridge and opera house.

I'll catch up on week 2 in the next update.....

Amazing how your memory works...

I made it Sydney!  It only took me 28 hours total, 3 different airplanes and 4 airports.  But thankfully it was uneventful and I actually feel pretty rested today.  Because I needed to drop Boomer off with his Grandparents for the week, I started the trip in NY on Thursday afternoon (after driving up from Atlanta on Sunday/Monday).  Little airports are great, if I could fly out of Stewart-Newburgh all the time I would.  So I left NY, connected in Detroit, then LA and finally off to Sydney.  When we stopped in Detroit, I figured it would be worth a shot to ask the agent if I had an options to upgrade the Sydney flight (usually they say no) and it must have been my lucky day, because for 25K miles and a crazy amount of $$ I was able to give up my exit row seat for a lie flat business seat.  And it was so worth it!!  15 hours is a ridiculous amount of time on a plane!

Before I forget though, even though I know no one reading this blog would ever do this, please, please, please do not spray yourself with perfume while on an airplane.  The girl sitting next to me on the flight from Detroit to LA decided she would "freshen up" before we landed.  This included about 30 minutes of makeup application at her seat and then a quick little spray of her perfume on her wrists.  She may have thought she was being discreet, but no, we all smelled it. 

By the time I got on the plan in LA it was about 2 am EST, so I was exhausted and ready to sleep.  We boarded, they served us a decent dinner, I took my Xanax (only when flying), had a glass of wine and settled in watching Les Miserables.  I remember seeing it for the first time on Broadway with my Dad when I was 12 and I bought the soundtrack (on tape) and used to play it all the time, I know the whole thing by heart.  Funny thing though, until this time watching it, I don't think I really knew what it was about.  How dark and sad the story is, but beautified with such amazing music.  I only made it about 3/4 way through before passing out but I did finish it before we landed in the morning.  I rested, probably slept for about 6-8 hours, which really isn't bad at all.  I left the plane feeling pretty good. 

The Sydney airport is so easy to get through, making it through immigration in 5 minutes, bags in 15 and straight thru customs.  Let's hope the return trip though LAX is as easy! 

There was a Vodaphone store right as you exited baggage claim, so I picked up a local SIM card for my unlocked ATT phone and had my local phone up and running in no time.  Then it was off to the hotel.

By 8:30 am, I was checked in, unpacked, showered and had to decide what to do for the day.  The last thing I wanted was to take a nap, knowing I probably wouldn't get up.   I decided to take it easy and take a little stroll down memory lane.  For those who may not know, this is actually my 4th trip to Australia, and 3rd time in Sydney.  The first time I was here was in 2001 with my friend Bronwyn, whom I was visiting in Melbourne.  And I spent 3 months here back in 2007 for work.  As I was walking around the Rocks (old historic neighbhorhood), I kept smiling as I looked at familiar buildings and places.  Everything was still there, 12 years later! 

The little pizza place where we had dinner and I remember having potato skins for the first time with sour cream and sweet chili sauce.  Not sure why my mind remembers food the way it does (thanks Mom and Dad), but I distinctly remember having the sweet chili sauce and thinking I hope we have this in the US.  Now it's a staple in the house!  I next wandered around to the little bakery where I used to always get Anzac cookies, but sadly they didn't have them anymore, but I did get a Whole Meal Scone with raisins for breakfast this morning.  The backpacker bar where I remember (or maybe I don't) having too much cider and being the reason I don't drink cider anymore. 

The whole city was alive and bustling, the market at the Rocks had exactly the same vendors, Circular Quay was busy with street performers and Aboriginal music.  The Opera House still makes my jaw drop every time I see it, mainly because it reminds me that I'm in Australia.  Turn the globe 180 degrees and go below the Equator, and that's where you find the Opera House.  So humbling, no matter how many times I see it. 

I wandered towards Darling Harbour, memories filling my mind around every corner.  I passed my old client's building, the Woolworth's where I used to go shopping, the cafe where I would sit and have a cup of tea. And the old IBM building where I used to work every day.  Everything where it used to be and I was proud of myself for remembering how to get around. 

I made it back to the hotel, very tired at this point from wandering for 4 hours and decided to take a short nap.  1.5 hours short.  I woke up around 5 and decided I needed to keep pushing it was too early to go to bed.  I had passed a Wagamama right near the hotel earlier so I decided to have some quick noodles for dinner.  Well, that was a mini adventure.  If you've never been to Wagamama, it's a quick noodle/stirfry restaurant (started in UK, I think?) and you sit at big communal tables.  Well, the staff wasn't exactly on top of things last night and after waiting about 15 minutes I was finally seated at a little table/bar against a wall.  Facing the wall.  I sat and started to read my Kindle, and about 10 minutes later realized no one had been by to take my order.  I flagged down the waiter who seemed to care less and asked if I could get the noodles I wanted but without meat and just with veggies.  He said, sorry, we can't do that.  I looked at him and said, you can't just take the meat off and add some broccoli, and he said no, but you can have this one.  And pointed to something completely different.  I then said, okay, I'll have this one, but can you do no Tofu (it had the veggies) and he said no.  I was so hungry by this point and tired, that I just said thank you and got up and left.  Guess Wagamama doesn't like substitutions or believe in customer service. 

Good thing I left though!  I wandered back towards the Rocks and found their night market was open, with food stalls and food trucks and I found some great dumplings and gyoza! 

It was also the Sydney Vivid festival.  The place was jam packed with people, lots and lots of people.  All of the buildings in the area were lit up, including the Opera house, with art installations everywhere, music, lights, it was unbelievable.  I took a few pics.  It's hard to see, but they had a whole show of lights/film playing, it was contantly changing to the music. 

Finally, I grabbed a beer, sat and watched the people go by and went back to the hotel and was in bed by 9:30. 

Not too shabby for what felt like the longest day ever!  And this is probably one of my longest blog posts ever!  Will try to keep the rambling to a minimum as I try to keep the adventure journaled for the next few weeks. 

Simple Pleasures....

It's almost the end of May and I feel like I'm finally waking up from the winter.  Last year seems to have ended and I hit the ground running in January and haven't really stopped to just enjoy the simple things.  I feel as if I've just been focusing on the next trip for work or the next deadline and have just kept my head down and I haven't really looked up to just figuratively smell the roses. 

So what have I done?  I went to Peru for work in January and hiked Machu Picchu, then returned for a 2 day trip with a head cold in February.  I drove to NY and dropped off Boomer, then visited San Francisco and Berkeley in March, where I was disappointed in the lack of hippies and organic smells on campus.  I visited with family for a few weeks and then returned home to fly back to Oakland for 23 hours.  I started and completed my first commissioned piece of stained glass for a friend, which took my 3 months longer than expected.  I'm almost finished with the second one.   And I've booked a work trip to Australia, and will be gone for the month of June.  What I'll be doing there, who knows, but I'm looking forward to the adventure and tell all of you about it!   

So why all of a sudden am I waking up?  I tend to be a facebook voyeur, watching what others are doing and occasionally posting something of my own.  It took a good friend's post last week to make me realize that I need to slow down and just get myself back in a state of "just being".    I've been too focused on the future, on the next "thing" to just realize what I have around me.    Thanks Shannon for the reminder!  Here is the post that got me - http://nourishedbodynurturedsoul.com/blog/2013/05/ive-been-keeping-something-from-you

So what are simple pleasures?  Or as Shannon calls it - your Soul Food?  What are the things that make you happy and make you realize there is good in the world?  What things heighten your awareness, make you think, make you want to laugh, smile and be a better person?  If you stop for a minute and just think about your day, your week, your month, I bet you can come up with a list of things that make you smile.  It's hard sometimes to disengage from the world, from the sadness and feelings of being overwhelmed at not being able to help.  Turn off the tv, sit in the sun, close your eyes and make your list.  Here are some of my moments from the past week:


- Knowing my sisters, one an Ironman, one not, were running the Brooklyn Half Marathon together.  Hearing how one pushed the other to finish, never giving up on her even though she wanted to give up on herself.  Seeing the pictures from the race and laughing so hard when one was smiling and the other was on the verge of giving the finger.  And being so proud of both of them. 

- Planting the garden and watching the little seeds start to pop their head above the soil. 

- Seeing a close friend and her family off on their new adventure at their going away party last weekend, where they were toasted and given a book of memories written among the pages of a Mark Twain novel.  Feeling bittersweet about losing a second family, but happy for them as they close one chapter and start another.  

- Thinking about a friend all weekend who was a guest speaker at a national enthusiast club event.  Feeling overwhelming happiness for him as all his hard work over the past few years was being put on show and hoping he was soaking it all in and just enjoying the moment. 

- Playing trivial pursuit with a friend who amazed me at how much useless knowledge he has in his head.  In awe of how smart he was, feeling a little bad that I had doubted him in the first place! 

- Watching Boomer run at the dog park or run/play in his sleep

- Finishing a good jog in the 85 degree heat

- Trying a new recipe for Granola, which was so yummy!! 
http://www.elizabethrider.com/easy-healthy-homemade-granola-recipe/

- writing this blog and sharing with others

There are so many more little things I could write about.  What are your simple pleasures?  If you've read this, take a moment and share one or two below. 

And thanks in advance for making me smile :-) 

Skipping 2012....

Well, sad to say it's been over a year since I've updated this page.  It's amazing how time flies by and we lose site of our goals and ambitions.  I told myself at the end of 2011 that I was going to make a concerted effort to write and keep this updated.  That didn't work out too well, so we'll just skip 2012 and start afresh with 2013.  I promise (myself) I will focus on rambling more this year.  But not before telling the story of Boomer (which most of you know already anyway).

I started last year year off great, work was slow, I was volunteering at the Atlanta Humane Society on Mansell, was dealing with some random hyper thyroid issues (due to a viral infection, who knew?) and started to take a stained glass class at Spruill Arts Center.  I could stay out late, sleep as late as I wanted, take day trips and be away for more than 8 hours.  That was all B.B (Before Boomer). 

In April, I was doing my normal volunteer shift when one of the AHS workers placed a cute little bear cub puppy in my arms and asked me to walk him.  He was supposed to be putting on a show for a family that wanted to adopt him but he was scared to the point where he was frozen.  I took this little guy in my arms, he stiffened up and put his head against my face and his heart was beating out of his chest.  He was scared.  And rightfully so, the world can be a very scary place.

I took "Cory" outside and put him on the grass, and started to pet him and tell him it was okay (as if he understood).  After a few minutes he started to sniff around and I swear he looked at me and smiled.  We spent the next 20 minutes walking around outside, he followed me everywhere, his tail finally wagging and his long body swaggering.  He reminded me of a little Mocha Bear, our second family Rottweiller growing up.  I brought him back inside and pulled him into my lap and he cuddled up against me.  I remember someone randomly coming by and saying "that's your dog" even though I was in my red volunteer shirt and clearly not there to adopt.  Hmm...did he know something I didn't?  I reluctantly put Cory back in his pen, he looked at my with his puppy dog eyes and I told him I'd be back. 

I couldn't sleep a wink that night.  I kept thinking about Cory and how he had such a great personality, and could make me quite happy.  I called my parents and told them that after 10 years of saying I wanted a dog, that I was about to go get one.  A 4 month old supposedly Shepherd Lab Mix (we think he's a Rottie/Shepherd/Lab/Beagle now).  I had no idea how I was going to handle travel for work, house training, and I knew that soon my favorite pair of shoes was going to be eaten.  I didn't care, I drove over to AHS and had the paperwork ready to go the minute they opened.  Here is Cory (AKA Boomer) in a laundry basket on the car ride home...

Fast forward to A.B (After Boomer)...an extra 40 lbs later (he's up to 60!), minus 2 pairs of flip flops, a pair of boots and nice dress shoes, 4-5 tshirts and too many socks I can't count.  I can't even remember what it was like to sleep in, as Boomer likes to jump on the bed at 7 am every morning (when my neighbor leaves to take the kids to school!).  And if you have never heard a dog whine and talk, then come on over as his quite vocal!  As I tell everyone, Boomer rescued me and I'm so glad I made that decision last April to give him his forever home.

If you haven't had a chance to go visit the AHS Mansell facility, you must!  It is a beautiful building, with lots of happy dogs and cats that are cared for by such wonderful staff and volunteers.  They run an amazing operation and I regretfully haven't been in to volunteer as much as I'd like.  Along with this blog, that too will change this year!

I'll spare you the stories of the dog park visits, swimming in the lake, the river, and the LI Sound in 20 degree weather.  The two trips to NY to play with his Uncle Milo and cousins Mia, Sofia, Caleb and Abigail, and the day he ate an entire package of dried apricots and shredded coconut.  I'm sure he'll be the topic of many a stories this year, we will just have to see!  Here he is yesterday showing off his Nylabone collection.  

So...time to get the year going and add to the list of new adventures.  I leave Sunday for a week of work in Lima, Peru, ending with a 3 day quick trip to Machu Picchu!  And don't worry, Boomer won't be in the kennel, his grandparents are coming to visit with Uncle Milo to take care of him for the week.  Such a spoiled doggie.

My next update will be from below the Equator.... :-)