Friday, June 30, 2006

Good riddance Vegas, byebye US, hello Sydney

Shawn and I have decided to never go back to Vegas. Everyone drives like a crazy person, all the main casinos and hotels have near zero available parking, we missed the service part of the wedding that we went there for in the first place, we seemed to have a lot of trouble meeting up with friends who were there with us and I came down with an unholy combination of alcohol poisoning, heatstroke, dehydration and emotional exhaustion. Basically we had a whole bunch of things go wrong and it's really put us off. It did have it's moments though. I got to spend some more time getting to know some of Shawn's friends better and there's really not too much opportunity for that while we live in Australia. In addition to that, the night before we left, I remember looking down onto all the cars and lights over the edge of the upstairs, outdoor bar at Margaritaville at the Flamingo and thinking how visually awesome it was. Of course I was drunk at the time, but nonetheless, the visual spectacle that is Vegas can not be denied.

Although we both feel as if we were being given the hint to go home by unkown forces, it was sad leaving the US. Knowing what a great bunch of friends Shawn has, makes it hard. I don't like seeing them being separated.

We arrived home just after 10pm on Wednesday Night. Bed never felt so good. I love you bed.

Friday, June 23, 2006

Family welcome and trees

I can't believe it's Thursday already.

On Saturday, we went to a second celebration of our wedding. This was held by Shawn's Mum and Tía (this is Spanish for Aunt). I was introduced to a lot of Shawn's family that I hadn't met before, ate some amazing cake, received some lovely wishes for our life together and was made to feel very welcome as a new addition to the family.

On Sunday we went to San Diego to catch up with friends.

Wednesday, we did a day trip to Sequoia National Park.

It should probably be mentioned that this is not really a day trip from LA, or at least, should not really be done as a day trip. We're strapped for time, love road trips and wanted to get out and see some of the natural beauty of this part of the world before we left, so that's our reasoning.

Part of this trip involves driving along a large portion of the Kern River. We were teased by glimses and decided to get out and have a look.

Very pretty area. We only stayed for only a little while then headed back down to the car.


Our real destination was the Sequoias. I really wanted to see these huge and beautiful redwoods I'd been hearing about. I had seen photos of these before and thought they looked pretty amazing, but it really was beyond imagining for me. Just as the photos I'd seen did them no justice, neither does this one, but it might give you a vague idea of the scale involved.



We only had time enough to make it to the Trail of 100 Giants, we didn't make it to the main national park further north. Not complaining though. What I saw was enough to keep me going until next time.

Today we dropped off some books for Shawn's Dad and picked up a huge tray of Shawn's Mum's enchiladas. I haven't tried them yet, but I hear they're great. Looking forward to that.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

In the U.S.

I arrived in the US yesterday. I didn't get any sleep on the plane (Robyn, a quarter of a Restavit does not work... not on planes anyway). This is surprising since I'm usually capable of at least five hours sleep between Australia and the US whether I have chemical assistance or not. After this I feared that jetlag would hit me pretty hard, since it usually does anyway. Surprisingly, I've felt really good. I napped for about four hours that afternoon, was awake until 3 am, then slept for seven hours. I could've slept longer, but I didn't want to over-compensate. So I think the sleeping pattern will be okay with minimal assistance... even though coffee seemed to taste extra good this morning.

Our second day in the US was good. I'd forgotten how cheap food and clothes were here. We went out for lunch and did some clothes shopping for basics that would've cost a lot more in Sydney.

Here is a t-shirt I bought:


Here is a skirt I bought:

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

My Eyes Hurt



Work has been a little insane over the last couple of days. Always the way just before I go on holidays. Glad it's all done with.

Tomorrow, Shawn and I fly to the US. I wish I had a little more time before flying. I dislike not having any time to wind out of work mode before I go somewhere. I'd also like to have more time to give my cat guilt pats. I hate putting her in a cattery when I go away. I try to not do it at all unless it's unavoidable.

So I've been off to the supermarket to buy some neccessary last minute trip things: big bottles of water, eye drops, small packet of Lavazza ground coffee. Despite the fact that I've wound my coffee intake down to only one (1) a day, I still can't travel without a small coffee press and some decent coffee. It's like a security blanket almost. I don't feel comfortable unless I know I can get coffee when I and wherever I need it. This is especially true of a trip that will result in jetlag. I used to try to deal with jetlag naturally, you know, getting right into the new timezone by eating, sleeping and staying awake in the new time, but it just doesn't work as well as caffeine and sleeping tablets (although not at the same time).

Hoping I can post updates while I'm away.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Away



Yesterday we drove up to my Sister's place at Port Stephens. Shawn did the driving so my eyes could have a rest. This meant I got to take a few photos. I also got to have a good look at the things around me whereas I'm normally in driver-mode.



The F1 was very wet, sometimes misty and always hard to see the turns of the road.



We were very happy to get out of the car and inside to a wood fire and welcoming family.

Today, after a sleep in and coffee, we picked some fruit from their mandarin tree and were sent on our merry way after being fed some pizza. I was just in the mood for pesto and cherry tomatoes too.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Happy...

Birthday to Narelle. Happy thoughts to you today.

Today I had a sleep in after staying up late to work on some code (C) for Ancient Anguish. For those who don't know, this is a text based RPG (Role Playing Game) that I program on. Sleeping in is great, at least right up until the impending caffeine headache.

This morning I went to our local growers market with Shawn. It was raining so we both just dropped in to buy tasty turkish Gozlemes. These are a dough filled with either organic honey, bananas and chocolate, mince and spinach and various other things. All very tasty with some lemon.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Rain Much?


I woke up this morning to the sound of heavy rain. It's been like that in Sydney for over a week now. I've been kind enjoying the winteryness of it, but getting out of a warm bed when you'd rather lie there and listen to rain, isn't really ideal. Thankfully I get to drive to work, so I feel far better off than everyone I see trudging through wind and rain to get to work.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Inaugural Post

For years and years I toyed with the idea of starting a blog and documenting events, creative stuff and experiences. I miss sharing daily life with friends who have moved away from Sydney or who live in other cities, so I have that extra bit of motivation now. Future posts will include photos too.