Category: Uncategorized

I’m here!

I can’t actually believe that I’m in the US at the moment – it’s all sorta a bit weird still.

I think I most enjoyed the flight from Adelaide to Melbourne – mainly because it was the shortest. The flight from Melbourne to LAX was just plain painful. For over 14 hours I was right at the back of the plane and a Mexican dude in front of me had his seat right back which cramped my legs up. I lost count of the number of times I had to get up and walk around. I tried getting sleep on this stretch but it was just plain impossible. I chatted a lot to some Australian guys next to me who were biologists heading to Oregon. There was also an Australian girl, a vegetarian who was planning on hiking through South America. Talking to them made the time pass a little faster. I got to watch “Starsky and Hutch” and “The Girl next door” on the inflight entertainment channels, as well as a couple of documentaries. Woo hoo!

Coming to land in LAX was just weird – for the first time I actually saw with my own eyes cars driving on the other side of the road. Yeah, it’s a small thing, but enough to bring in a reality check. LAX is a mess. I don’t know how I did it, but somehow I was able to find my luggage and my way to the domestic terminal *and* to the gate that my flight was leaving from. I needed to call the limo service that was picking me up from the airport to tell them I was going to be late. I didn’t know why the phone number I had been given wasn’t working, so I asked some American guy for some help. Half way through my question he cut me off, pointed to the service desk and said, quite arrogantly, “Ask him”. He didn’t look at me the whole time I was talking to him. What a prick! Thank God I haven’t met any other people like that. Everyone else has been really friendly.

Ok, next I had to catch a plane from LAX to Fort Lauderdale. It was here that I noticed a bit of a difference between Qantas and American Airlines. The flight attendents on Qantas are quite strict in not letting you get up while the seatbelt light is on. Not so on AA. People were getting up all the time, and the flight attendents didn’t really seem to care a heck of a lot.

I arrived at Fort Lauderdale airport and proceeded to get my luggage. Actually, I was surprised it even came in the end. I was waiting there for about 45 minutes, tack onto that the flight was about 45 minutes late. I didn’t see anyone walking around with my name on a card so I assumed my limo driver had gone already, or didn’t even come at all. Not to worry, I caught a cab to the apartments.

Next thing to happen: my apartment number had changed. This was something I was supposed to check before I left, but I forgot to do this in the rush. There was someone else in my supposed apartment, and since I had arrived after-hours there was no-one to help me at the front desk. I had no idea what to do at this point. My phone was not working and I was looking at a bench and thinking I’d have to sleep on that! Luckily, I remembered that the US used a slightly different GSM network and that explained why my phone wasn’t working. I changed my phone settings and – voila! – I was able to select from a couple of service providers. After a few phone calls I found out what my apartment number was and got to bed pretty bloody quickly.

The next day it rained and rained and rained – due in no small part to tropical storm Alex. I think nearly 2 inches of rain fell in a couple of hours. I was going to go pick up my rental car but decided against doing this for reasons of localised flooding.

Today I drove on the right-hand side of the road and successfully navigated my way to work. I’m pretty stoked about that! I also had lunch at a Thai restaurant across the road with one of the people I’m working with and I also got introduced to no less than 20 other people. I also found out how bloody huge this place is!!!

Well I’m going to have to sign off now. I’m bloody tired and I have to go buy some groceries and stuff.

Ciaobella!

Received Visa and passport this morning!

Nuff said I think. Now, the back of the Express Post envelope says “If we do not deliver as promised, you will receive another C5 Express Post envelope free”. Wicked man, wicked.

In all honesty, this sort of thing (having an express post not arrive the next day) hasn’t happened to many people at all – it’s certainly the first time it’s ever happened to me. That’s why I firmly believe that someone is using voodoo powers against me.

Please, put that voodoo doll away

Do not believe Australia Post’s “Guaranteed next day delivery” service. It didn’t work for me when I most needed it. I was keeping track of the progress of the posting of my Visa and passport using the express post tracking number. The US consulate posted the Visa/passport package out a day later than expected. That’s ok – I planned for this and had delayed the outgoing flight by a day. Actually, that plan would have worked quite well if Australia Post could have delivered the package in time (or to the right place). I called up Australia Post five times throughout the day and they said varying things like “It’ll probably arrive at 5 or 6pm” to “It was scanned in this morning at 7:30am” to “It’s been delivered already”. I interpret this as “We don’t actually know where it is”. Actually, a lot of the times they asked “Have you checked your mail?” Well, yes I had. I couldn’t find it because it hadn’t been delivered yet. That’s why I called you. Then I started thinking “Maybe I put the wrong address on the express post envelope” and “Maybe I put my address on the wrong side”. Well, no, I’m pretty darn sure I put the right info down. I can remember checking once, checking again, and checking a third time to be sure. Anyway, the package had made it to my state and to the closest post office sorting facility to my workplace. I don’t know of any other addresses out that side of town either.

Now everything has been re-booked for a day later. I’m tired, generally unwell, exhausted, and no doubt am looking like crap. I’ve been working overtime on my project as it is because Florida was the light at the end of the tunnel. Ok, fair enough, assuming I receive the package tomorrow then heya! I’m going overseas so I should be happy about that and I will seem like a massive whinger. But bloody hell Australia Post, if you have lost my Visa and passport…

Am I really in Melbourne?

The reason I ask this question is that the news’ weather on the plane trip over predicted it to be rainy and 14, but it’s been sunny the whole day. I absolutely love this city, and I still reckon it rocks just as much as the Coldplay concert did here a year ago.

So, the whole point of me being in Melbourne was to visit the consulate to apply for my Visa – and the darn thing has been approved! What a trial. Anyway, I should receive it tomorrow and then I can move on with the rest of the process. I can’t believe I’m leaving this Friday! My feet are absolutely killing me at the moment. I walked from the Spencer St station to the consulate which is located way, way down St Kilda road. I think that was about a 4km walk or something crazy like that. I heard some guys at work mentioning how long the walk was, and I was thinking of cheating and taking the tram, but not when it’s sunny in Melbourne!

Something I found difficult was actually trying to find somewhere to eat. This is heaps easy when you have someone else with you – but when you’re by yourself it’s a whole different challenge. If I was paying for my own meal I’d probably just go somewhere like Subway, but hey, the company is paying for this one so I think I’ll go the $17 pasta for lunch thanks!

What else did I do… ooh, I bought some Armani jeans (reduced in price mind you) which will replace the other jeans I wear almost constantly. I tried looking for an album by a group called “Way out west”. No, it’s not a James Reyne and James Blundell collaboration. It’s a group consisting of Nick Warren and … some other guy. Anyway, they’re signed to the same record label as Hybrid is (Distinctive Records), and I’ve heard some of their stuff and it’s well wicked. It’s music you could still be listening to in a couple of years’ time – and I’m trying to find more of that sort of music that is new sounding, but here for the long run. Speaking of Hybrid, their fan website (http://www.hybrid-group.com) has been down recently. Bugger.

Well, I’m currently running on 4 hours of sleep and 3 coffees. Until I started work for this Florida trip the most coffees I’d ever have was one coffee a fortnight. Now I’m having 2 or 3 a day. This ain’t good, and it has to stop! People have seen what coffee does to me, and I don’t want to permanently act like that lest I be taken to a mental institution.

These Internet cafes are cool. Actually, nearly every cafe down this street has wireless Internet access which is something I haven’t seen in even one cafe in Adelaide yet. Can anyone correct me???

Anyways, I gotta catch a flight back to good ol’ Adelaide now. I’ll be back in Melbourne again this Friday enroute to Los Angeles, so that’s probably when the next post will be… unless I think of something dazzling. Unlikely.