Summer. Most Australians love it. It means long balmy evenings, late evening BBQ's and jovially boisterous drinks with family and friends, the sound of leather and willow colliding on cricket fields around the country. It's Christmas and New Years, holidays and relaxing, heading to the coast, lakes or local swimming pools to cool down after 30°-40°c days. It's part of what most Australians would say is one of the defining pieces of our national psyche. We love the water, we Aussies. We laud our Olympic swimming stars, we preach to kids the importance of water safety from a young age and start learning to swim from an even younger age. The water, be it the beach or the local swimming pool is one of our most treasured cultural icons for a relatively young country that is still finding it's culture and true identity. Yet this summer in my hometown of Ararat, something has been missing. Our outdoor swimming pool has been shut for the summer and is in danger of being lost for good.
Friday the 3rd of February was a typical late January/early February evening in Ararat, the weather had been in the mid to high 20°c range during the day, meaning that the evening was ripe to be enjoyed. There was the usual plethora of walkers, families enjoying picnic dinners at Alexandra Gardens by the lake, kids on their bikes making the most of the extended daylight hours. A few of the Ararat Eagles footballers were having a casual preseason kick around on Alexandra oval, where they were soon to be joined by around 1500 other people, located around the grand old Olver stand. These 1500, myself included, weren't there to watch the lads get into their preseason football routine however. We were there for one reason: to save our outdoor pool, to show a council who had let this Olympic sized swimming facility fall into decay that yes, we cared. To show community pride and spirit, a welcome sight in a town that is sometimes bogged down in the negativity of some of the residents.
As I walked around the oval with my friends Jon & Hanna, I ran into one of my oldest friends, Phil, and his young son Blade. We had the usual obligatory chit chat, how's work, were your holidays good, that sort of thing. I then said to Phil how great it was that he came down to support the cause. What he said next struck a cord in my mind. "How could I not? That pool was a part of our childhood, it helped make us who we are. I don't want my kids to miss out on some of the great experiences I had there."
I thought about Phil's words as we sat in the grandstand listening to the rally organizer speak. I had never thought like that before, the pool had always just been there and to be honest I hadn't swam there for years. My initial outrage was more based on the fact that the pool was a true community achievement, built in the 1950's by a big group of local volunteers (including my grandparents). It truly was a structure for the people by the people and upon completion was handed over and entrusted to the Ararat City Council, under the assurance that they would maintain the pool in good condition. It was something that the community should've been truly proud of. Did we, the citizens of Ararat, take it for granted? Perhaps. But we never thought we'd see a summer where the pool would be empty of water and closed indefinitely. I'm sure the original builders would never have imagined that would've happened either. Now however my mind was wandering not to my grandparents and the other people who got the pool built, but what it meant to me and my childhood/adolescence.
The more I thought about Phil's words, the more the memories came flooding back to me. My grandmother taking me to the pool when I was only very young, keeping a watchful eye on me as I splashed around the shallow end, not letting me back in the pool for half an hour after I'd eaten a icy pole on my break from the water. My cousins from Melbourne and I walking down on a hot summers day, change jingling in our pockets ready to cool down on a typically scorching January afternoon. It was swimming lessons every term one and term four right through school until about year ten. I was not/am not/will never be a strong swimmer, but being left out of the 'advanced' swimming group always stung me. As I grew older, it was heading to the pool with my friends during those awkward years between the ages of 12-14. We would swim sure, or perhaps try and get into the usually long line for the diving board, but more often than not it was our premium spot to sit under the trees on the grassy hills and chat about music, movies, school, tv and of course girls. It was where we would oh so awkwardly approach the girl we liked to ask out, or not go through with it because the public rejection in front of our peers and more importantly in front of the object of our affections and her friends would be like a form of social suicide. That didn't stop us from checking out the girls walking past though, stirring our adolescent hormones, especially when a woman who'd probably now be called a MILF would swim laps in her white bikini,it was like a late Christmas gift to a group of 15 year old boys! It was the site of my favorite high school day, our swimming sports in year 12. I didn't even enter the water,it was the carnival type atmosphere, we being in our final school year were allowed to have our stereos blasting out our music (a curious mix of punk, ska, metal, grunge, hip hop and electro. You could go from Propaghandi to The Prodigy to Reel Big Fish to Xzhibit in four songs) and to cook ourselves up a BBQ and dress as crazily as we liked. It summed up what the pool meant. It wasn't just a place to learn to swim or splash around on a hot summers day. It was our village green. It was our meeting place, where we could socialise out of our school uniforms and free from the constraints of bells, classes and teachers. It was part of what molded us into the people we became, good or bad. Many an important decision was made there over a can of coke and a bag of BBQ chips.
It was another summertime status quo that when daylight savings came, you could hear the excited chatter of the next batch of kids experiencing what we did, listening to the music blasting through the crackly old sound system that was in place, only interrupted by an occasional foreboding voice booming over the PA saying "you in the black shorts, out of the pool!" or something similar. But the pool is silent. Closed due not just the councils neglect, but also due to us taking it for granted. But we need the outdoor pool. We need it so that our kids can swim, flirt, socialise and grow just as we did. We need it so that the efforts of all those good men and woman of a bygone era's work for future generations wasn't in vain. We need it because all good communities need a place to socialise, excercise and watch the world go by. If we lose the pool, we'll be losing part of ourselves, part of the town spirit, part of the town history.
The pool must stay.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
North America Trip, Parts 8 & 9: Because My Heart Is In Ohio.
"Where you from? Australia! What are you doing in Cleveland?!?!" That was the phrase I heard the most during my time in the largest city in the state of Ohio. Cleveland has had it rough lately. Once a booming and prosperous industrial city Cleveland fell on hard times when the American manufacturing sector started to crumble. Cleveland is the butt of alot of jokes (Chicago Bulls big man Joakim Noah at a press conference during a Bulls/Cavaliers playoff series once famously remarked: "Cleveland sucks. When have you ever heard anyone say I'm going on a vacation to Cleveland?"), it's known as the most tortured sports city in America and even people back in Australia were somewhat bemused by my decision to visit Cleveland. As my Cleveland born and bred friend Kim put it "Cleveland people are surprised when somebody from Florida comes here, let alone Australia". Well let me state this here for the world to see:
I loved Cleveland.
That's right, I said it! And I say it without irony or sarcasm, I loved Cleveland. Cleveland to me is what America is all about. Friendly, polite, helpful people. The type of America you hear about but don't necessarily see in the bigger cities or the tourist hot spots. The people of Cleveland were extremely warm and welcoming, proud to tell visitors to the area about the city and give advice on places to see and things to do and always up for a chat. The city itself isn't all broken down industrial sites, indeed the downtown area is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance and when the Cavs are playing at the Quicken Loans Arena or the Cleveland Indians are at home at the next door Progressive Field (Still called Jacobs Field by the locals), downtown is a thriving hub of activity. The Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame is located in Cleveland, while the NFL Hall Of Fame is found in nearby Canton. During football season the cities beloved Cleveland Browns play at the Browns Stadium which sits on Lake Erie. If sports aren't your thing, check out the West Side Market, University Circle, the Old Arcade or the USS Cod Memorial.
My time in Cleveland however was for the most part spent around the southern suburbs. One of the main reasons for my visit to Cleveland was to see my long distance friend Kimberly Price. Kim had previously informed me that due to car issues she couldn't pick us up from the airport, but to get a good nights sleep and be ready for tomorrow. I took her advice and kicked back to watch the LA Lakers host the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks on tv. It wasn't a pretty game to watch and I was hopeful that reason number two for visiting Cleveland, my first live NBA game, would be a better spectacle.
I was very excited to finally see Kim in the flesh. We'd spoken plenty over facebook and had skype'd a few times, but seeing someone in person is always a little different. Kim seemed equally as excited as I was to finally have a face to face and when the diminutive redhead with the piercing green eyes finally appeared at the door I was overjoyed. Kim seemed a little amused and bemused at some of our Australian idiosyncrasies, things that were the everyday to her were new and exciting to us. We stopped to see one of Kim's friends and grab a burger at Wendy's. I think we stopped production there all together. The staff appeared amazed and excited that some Australians were in the store and were delighted when they heard our accents. They were also shocked to hear that Wendy's in Australia is an ice cream chain, as opposed to a burger joint.
Our next stop was a place that is an absolute must for any sweet tooth heading to the States, a gigantic warehouse called B.A. Sweeties which featured the largest collection of lollies/sweets/candy in the USA. I struck gold when I came across the Dr. Pepper flavoured jelly beans. The staff at Sweeties were equally as excited/curious about the Australians in their store, so we answered their questions and gave them info on our home country. For the record, Cleveland is where I had the strangest question I received during the whole trip "Do you guys have movies in Australia?" I replied that yes in fact we do and we sometimes even get them before they screen in the US. The people in Ohio were all generally interested in Australia and all said that they wanted to come for a holiday (when they could afford it). That night, Em and I headed downtown to catch the NBA live at the Q (for my recap of the game, click here). I had played basketball since I was a kid and the chance to see a live NBA game was something I had dreamed of since I began following basketball at the age of six.
Day two was a shorter day, we had a plane to catch to Las Vegas that evening, but I was glad to spend more time with Kim, chilling at Caribou Coffee, eating a massive Chipotle burrito and just generally have a nice chill day ahead of the madness we thought may be awaiting us in Nevada. It was also the day that some beautiful snow blanketed the city. We must have looked crazy to the locals, standing around in the snow with big grins on our faces, but this was a real novelty for us. It was one of the biggest things we wanted to experience while in North America and it happened in Cleveland.
I was sad to say goodbye to Kim later that day and also kind of sad to be leaving Ohio.
I loved Cleveland.
That's right, I said it! And I say it without irony or sarcasm, I loved Cleveland. Cleveland to me is what America is all about. Friendly, polite, helpful people. The type of America you hear about but don't necessarily see in the bigger cities or the tourist hot spots. The people of Cleveland were extremely warm and welcoming, proud to tell visitors to the area about the city and give advice on places to see and things to do and always up for a chat. The city itself isn't all broken down industrial sites, indeed the downtown area is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance and when the Cavs are playing at the Quicken Loans Arena or the Cleveland Indians are at home at the next door Progressive Field (Still called Jacobs Field by the locals), downtown is a thriving hub of activity. The Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame is located in Cleveland, while the NFL Hall Of Fame is found in nearby Canton. During football season the cities beloved Cleveland Browns play at the Browns Stadium which sits on Lake Erie. If sports aren't your thing, check out the West Side Market, University Circle, the Old Arcade or the USS Cod Memorial.
My time in Cleveland however was for the most part spent around the southern suburbs. One of the main reasons for my visit to Cleveland was to see my long distance friend Kimberly Price. Kim had previously informed me that due to car issues she couldn't pick us up from the airport, but to get a good nights sleep and be ready for tomorrow. I took her advice and kicked back to watch the LA Lakers host the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks on tv. It wasn't a pretty game to watch and I was hopeful that reason number two for visiting Cleveland, my first live NBA game, would be a better spectacle.
I was very excited to finally see Kim in the flesh. We'd spoken plenty over facebook and had skype'd a few times, but seeing someone in person is always a little different. Kim seemed equally as excited as I was to finally have a face to face and when the diminutive redhead with the piercing green eyes finally appeared at the door I was overjoyed. Kim seemed a little amused and bemused at some of our Australian idiosyncrasies, things that were the everyday to her were new and exciting to us. We stopped to see one of Kim's friends and grab a burger at Wendy's. I think we stopped production there all together. The staff appeared amazed and excited that some Australians were in the store and were delighted when they heard our accents. They were also shocked to hear that Wendy's in Australia is an ice cream chain, as opposed to a burger joint.
Our next stop was a place that is an absolute must for any sweet tooth heading to the States, a gigantic warehouse called B.A. Sweeties which featured the largest collection of lollies/sweets/candy in the USA. I struck gold when I came across the Dr. Pepper flavoured jelly beans. The staff at Sweeties were equally as excited/curious about the Australians in their store, so we answered their questions and gave them info on our home country. For the record, Cleveland is where I had the strangest question I received during the whole trip "Do you guys have movies in Australia?" I replied that yes in fact we do and we sometimes even get them before they screen in the US. The people in Ohio were all generally interested in Australia and all said that they wanted to come for a holiday (when they could afford it). That night, Em and I headed downtown to catch the NBA live at the Q (for my recap of the game, click here). I had played basketball since I was a kid and the chance to see a live NBA game was something I had dreamed of since I began following basketball at the age of six.
Day two was a shorter day, we had a plane to catch to Las Vegas that evening, but I was glad to spend more time with Kim, chilling at Caribou Coffee, eating a massive Chipotle burrito and just generally have a nice chill day ahead of the madness we thought may be awaiting us in Nevada. It was also the day that some beautiful snow blanketed the city. We must have looked crazy to the locals, standing around in the snow with big grins on our faces, but this was a real novelty for us. It was one of the biggest things we wanted to experience while in North America and it happened in Cleveland.
I was sad to say goodbye to Kim later that day and also kind of sad to be leaving Ohio.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
North America Trip Parts Cinq, Six et Sept: What's Cooler Than Being Cool? Ice Cold.
Em and I had an early start to our final morning in New York, no time to savor one last look around the city, we had a train to catch and that meant being at Penn Station by no later than 7.45am. We were facing an eleven hour train trip through upstate New York over the Canadian border into the francophone province of Quebec and it's largest city, Montreal. So it was goodbye hot dogs, the stars and stripes and the Rangers and bonjour to poutine, le fleur de le (and the maple leaf) and le Canadiens.
The trip through upstate New York was gentle and rollicking, if not somewhat boisterous due to the bucks party group who were on their way to Montreal for a weekend of debauchery and hockey. The scenery was beautiful as we went throu places such as Ploughskeepie and the capital of New York State Albany Snaking alongside the Hudson river. It was around Albany where we got our first glimpse of what was to be something we would see a lot of, but never really become accustomed to, in Montreal: snow. The further north we went, the heavier the snow got until it was at full on snow storm level by the time we got to the Canadian border. Around the lakes of upstate New York there were groups of people ice fishing on the frozen surfaces, trees with limbs bowing due to the heaviness of the snow on their limbs and rustic little houses that looked like something out of Fargo.
The crossing into Canada was interesting to say the least. Em and I had no issues, we are after all nice Australians with the cool accents, however others on our carriage weren't so lucky. All in around half a dozen people were taken off the train at the border and driven back to the United States to be put on a bus home. This held up the train for what seemed like an eternity and everyone left on board was very happy to finally get moving again. Upon arrival in Montreal there was another delay as the doors of the train had to be de-iced.
Arriving in Quebec was an eye opening experience, it's part of Canada yes, but could easily be a stand alone country. Bienvenue Montreal is the first greeting you get, which is a uniquely French Canadian way of saying welcome to Montreal. The first person who asked where we were from immediately corrected my English pronunciation of 'Australia' to the French pronunciation of 'Australie'. Most people speak French first whoever the majority are also fluent in English. Hearing their voice change from the oh so European sound of their regular speech to the regular Canadian accent when they switch to English was also a bit of a shock. Everything is signed in French first, usually (but not always) with English available as well.
The next morning I headed out towards Viuex Montreal (Old Montreal) while Em stayed back at the hotel. She had bravely battled illness throughout our time in New York, but the sub freezing conditions in Montreal finally got the better of her. So while I was sipping coffee at the Old Montreal Port, Em was visiting the doctors. I went to Old Montreal on foot and the bitterness of the cold hit me like a sharp icy punch to the gut as soon as I walked out the hotel door. The high temperature for Montreal that day was to be a balmy -17°c. Still, braving the cold was well worth it. The Americans call Montreal 'Paris without the jet lag' and wandering the streets it's apparent why. Le rue's of Montreal are spectacular in their beauty, especially when they have a layer of snow on their roves and window sills, it was like walking through a city from a Dickens novel, especially in Old Montreal with it's narrow cobblestone streets . After a few stops at local squares and of course at Basillique de Notre Dame to take in the breathtaking beauty, it was down to the port area for a café laite (served in a bowl!) and a chat to the staff. Apparently we had arrived in Montreal during their first real snow storm of the season, hence the transformation into the winter wonderland city it appeared. Montreals cafe scene was very reminiscent of the Melbourne cafe scene, very casual yet with a classy, serious take on the coffee they serve. Also while in Old Montreal I was encouraged to try the Quebec local dish poutine, which is chips, gravy and cheese curds. Poutine verdict? C'est magnifique!
We had a quiet evening watching the NFL playoffs which sadly door Em saw the Denver Broncos get a lesson in playoff football by the New England Patriots. After a good nights sleep (much needed for both of us) and a breakfast of croissants, we headed to the Olympic precinct, where the 1976 summer games were held. Le Stade Olympique used to be home to Major League Baseballs Montreal Expos before their shift to Washington DC. We however were there to go to the Biodome, the former Olympic velodrome turned into a sort of indoor zoo. It featured four different environments, from a south American rainforest featuring sloths, macaws and alligators through to a Canadian maple forest with otters, beavers and a lynx, to costal and arctic environments with puffins, penguins and sturgeon. We headed back to Old Montreal for lunch and more sightseeing before calling it a day and heading to the hotel.
I am writing this now in the departure lounge of the Montreal airport awaiting our flight to Cleveland. I have found Montreal an interesting place and seeing massive amounts of snow around the streets was an experience I'll never forget. I even think my French improved a little! So au revoiur Montreal, and Canada, with your loonies and toonies, Tim Hortons and hockey obsession. This has been a place I shall never forget.
The trip through upstate New York was gentle and rollicking, if not somewhat boisterous due to the bucks party group who were on their way to Montreal for a weekend of debauchery and hockey. The scenery was beautiful as we went throu places such as Ploughskeepie and the capital of New York State Albany Snaking alongside the Hudson river. It was around Albany where we got our first glimpse of what was to be something we would see a lot of, but never really become accustomed to, in Montreal: snow. The further north we went, the heavier the snow got until it was at full on snow storm level by the time we got to the Canadian border. Around the lakes of upstate New York there were groups of people ice fishing on the frozen surfaces, trees with limbs bowing due to the heaviness of the snow on their limbs and rustic little houses that looked like something out of Fargo.
The crossing into Canada was interesting to say the least. Em and I had no issues, we are after all nice Australians with the cool accents, however others on our carriage weren't so lucky. All in around half a dozen people were taken off the train at the border and driven back to the United States to be put on a bus home. This held up the train for what seemed like an eternity and everyone left on board was very happy to finally get moving again. Upon arrival in Montreal there was another delay as the doors of the train had to be de-iced.
Arriving in Quebec was an eye opening experience, it's part of Canada yes, but could easily be a stand alone country. Bienvenue Montreal is the first greeting you get, which is a uniquely French Canadian way of saying welcome to Montreal. The first person who asked where we were from immediately corrected my English pronunciation of 'Australia' to the French pronunciation of 'Australie'. Most people speak French first whoever the majority are also fluent in English. Hearing their voice change from the oh so European sound of their regular speech to the regular Canadian accent when they switch to English was also a bit of a shock. Everything is signed in French first, usually (but not always) with English available as well.
The next morning I headed out towards Viuex Montreal (Old Montreal) while Em stayed back at the hotel. She had bravely battled illness throughout our time in New York, but the sub freezing conditions in Montreal finally got the better of her. So while I was sipping coffee at the Old Montreal Port, Em was visiting the doctors. I went to Old Montreal on foot and the bitterness of the cold hit me like a sharp icy punch to the gut as soon as I walked out the hotel door. The high temperature for Montreal that day was to be a balmy -17°c. Still, braving the cold was well worth it. The Americans call Montreal 'Paris without the jet lag' and wandering the streets it's apparent why. Le rue's of Montreal are spectacular in their beauty, especially when they have a layer of snow on their roves and window sills, it was like walking through a city from a Dickens novel, especially in Old Montreal with it's narrow cobblestone streets . After a few stops at local squares and of course at Basillique de Notre Dame to take in the breathtaking beauty, it was down to the port area for a café laite (served in a bowl!) and a chat to the staff. Apparently we had arrived in Montreal during their first real snow storm of the season, hence the transformation into the winter wonderland city it appeared. Montreals cafe scene was very reminiscent of the Melbourne cafe scene, very casual yet with a classy, serious take on the coffee they serve. Also while in Old Montreal I was encouraged to try the Quebec local dish poutine, which is chips, gravy and cheese curds. Poutine verdict? C'est magnifique!
We had a quiet evening watching the NFL playoffs which sadly door Em saw the Denver Broncos get a lesson in playoff football by the New England Patriots. After a good nights sleep (much needed for both of us) and a breakfast of croissants, we headed to the Olympic precinct, where the 1976 summer games were held. Le Stade Olympique used to be home to Major League Baseballs Montreal Expos before their shift to Washington DC. We however were there to go to the Biodome, the former Olympic velodrome turned into a sort of indoor zoo. It featured four different environments, from a south American rainforest featuring sloths, macaws and alligators through to a Canadian maple forest with otters, beavers and a lynx, to costal and arctic environments with puffins, penguins and sturgeon. We headed back to Old Montreal for lunch and more sightseeing before calling it a day and heading to the hotel.
I am writing this now in the departure lounge of the Montreal airport awaiting our flight to Cleveland. I have found Montreal an interesting place and seeing massive amounts of snow around the streets was an experience I'll never forget. I even think my French improved a little! So au revoiur Montreal, and Canada, with your loonies and toonies, Tim Hortons and hockey obsession. This has been a place I shall never forget.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
North America Trip Parts 3&4: Uptown, Downtown, Turn The Beat Around Town.
Frank Sinatra once famously sang about wanting to wake up in the city that never sleeps. Well Frank, guess what? That's exactly what I did on the 11th of January. I imagine you're wondering what we did on our first night in the big apple, where there is something happening 24/7. Let me put your curious minds at ease, after our first day in NYC, both Em and I were asleep by 8 o'clock, completely drained from the long haul from Melbourne to New York via China and LA. Not so much jet lagged, more just overwhelmed by the tyranny of distance. But this was Wednesday, a new day with new things to see and do. I awoke around 10:00 am to find Em already up, showered, dressed and ready to go. Today would be another day pounding the pavement of Manhatten, our first stop, Penn Station and Madison Square Garden to pick up our train tickets for our next stop in Montreal. Just seeing the outside of the Garden was a huge thrill for me, being a lifelong NBA fan as well as a hockey and WWE fan I knew the history of MSG quite well. I was even more excited about the following nights hockey game that we were attending.
Two of Em's bucket list items whilst we were in NY were to go to Greys Papaya so I could get a hot dog there (Em being vegetarian couldn't eat one herself) and a trip and a drink at Slattery's Pub. We wandered the back blocks of Manhatten searching for where Greys Papaya should be but it was to no avail. We later discovered that the original store closed down and they had moved to a second location. To make up for it, we went for another New York staple, a slice of pizza. There are a slew of pizza joints around New York, all teeming with customers and at $1-$1.50 per slice why not? The slices were about the sizable of one of our large pizzas in Australia and I happily smashed into my two slices of pepperoni chased with a Dr. Pepper all for only $4. We had better luck locating Slatterys Pub however, a little Irish pub on East 36th street. It was fairly quiet on this day, we both had a drink (Coke for me and yes US Coke and Pepsi do taste differently to what we have in Australia) and a chat to the Irish lady from Limerick behind the bar and flicked through the New York Post which was NFL heavy in it's coverage of sports, with the Giants being in the playoffs. We took in some more of Central Park, 6th Avenue and the UN building on our way back to our hotel. We went back early to get ready to go to a show at The Comedy Strip comedy club that night. The Comedy Strip is very well known in NY, it was where the opening credits of Seinfeld were filmed and many big name comedians had perfomed there including Jerry Seinfeld himself, Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Ray Romano, Dave Chapelle, Paul Reiser and Chris Rock. Chris Rock apparently used to bus the tables for free when he was starting out there in exchange for more stage time to help him get noticed. The entrance is covered in signed pictures of many of the people who have performed there, most of them looking extremely young! For everyone in Australia we had been told that Carl Barron and Dave Hughes had also performed there as well. It was a very small crowd, but a full house for most of the night. We were sat right in front of the stage and were got to interact with the performers all night. All in all we saw around 20 comedians for the evening. The first half of the show was tremendous, the comedians went over well and the show moved at a cracking pace. After the halftime break however people slowly started filing out of the building, making it tough for the remaining performers to build momentum. By the end of the night, there were four of us left in the audience. I had a chat to one of the MC's, young comedian Jordan Rock, afterwards whilst watching some of the LA Clippers vs Miami NBA game. I asked him about performing in front of that few a number. He was ambivalent about it, "Hey man, it happens" he said with a shrug "It's a late night, people gotta go to work tomorrow, you don't take it personal." When I mentioned Flight Of The Conchords once performing for one person who left halfway through (yes this was featured on their tv show, but it was apparently a true story) and how they went on to have their own HBO series, Jordan nodded and said "I've performed in front of two, three people. You just go out and do your thing and if they like it, cool."
Thursday was our last day in New York and there was still a number of things to be checked off the to do list. We made our way that morning up to the 59th street subway station and caught the train downtown to the Whitehall ferry terminal and Battery Park. The weather was not great, extra cold coupled with that misty sort of rain that isn't really good for anything. We walked through Battery park towards the Statten Island ferry and were pleased to see squirrels scurrying between the trees. The squirrels are very conditioned to humans and would let you hand feed them. Very cool experience.
We boarded the ferry (which is free for anyone who maybe going to NY soon)and set off to view the statue of liberty. The misty rain made viewing from land difficult, but the ferry scooted past Alice Island and we got a great view of the grand lady. The statue wasn't as big as I expected, but it still draws your attention, it's one of the most famous landmarks in the world after all. Lady Liberty is portrayed all over New York, but the actual statue has a quiet dignity about it, contrasting some of the more boisterous New York attractions like Times Square or Broadway.
After a stroll up Wall Street and a bite to eat, I continued on alone. Em had been gamely battling illness since our arrival in New York and it had finally gotten the better of her. She headed back to the hotel and we arranged to meet at the NHL Store before the hockey that night, then I went to the 9/11 memorial site. Entrance is free but a donation is appreciated. Security around the site was extremely tight, similar to going through the airport and security staff and police were everywhere. The wound that America, in particular New York, suffered that horrible day in 2001 is still very much sore and will most likely never go away. Where the twin towers once stood now sits to pools with the names of the victims of the tragedy inscribed around the edge. It's both moving and humbling to read the names, hear the stories and see some of the twisted debris and battered FDNY helmets of those brave souls first on the scene. The memorial itself is classily unsderstated, a place for reflection with a community square feel. There's no flag waving or chest beating on the site, more a sense of wonder at how such a heinous act could be committed by one group of humans onto another. September eleven is a defining moment for my generation and being on the ground where it all happened was surreal. I'll never forget.
Our last night in New York was a hockey game between the NY Rangers and Ottawa (read about it on the sister blog to this one http://shotdownsports.blogspot.com) followed by a cab trip back to the hotel. Tomorrow we would be off to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, our New York adventure over. For now anyway. New York, you haven't seen the last of me...
Two of Em's bucket list items whilst we were in NY were to go to Greys Papaya so I could get a hot dog there (Em being vegetarian couldn't eat one herself) and a trip and a drink at Slattery's Pub. We wandered the back blocks of Manhatten searching for where Greys Papaya should be but it was to no avail. We later discovered that the original store closed down and they had moved to a second location. To make up for it, we went for another New York staple, a slice of pizza. There are a slew of pizza joints around New York, all teeming with customers and at $1-$1.50 per slice why not? The slices were about the sizable of one of our large pizzas in Australia and I happily smashed into my two slices of pepperoni chased with a Dr. Pepper all for only $4. We had better luck locating Slatterys Pub however, a little Irish pub on East 36th street. It was fairly quiet on this day, we both had a drink (Coke for me and yes US Coke and Pepsi do taste differently to what we have in Australia) and a chat to the Irish lady from Limerick behind the bar and flicked through the New York Post which was NFL heavy in it's coverage of sports, with the Giants being in the playoffs. We took in some more of Central Park, 6th Avenue and the UN building on our way back to our hotel. We went back early to get ready to go to a show at The Comedy Strip comedy club that night. The Comedy Strip is very well known in NY, it was where the opening credits of Seinfeld were filmed and many big name comedians had perfomed there including Jerry Seinfeld himself, Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Ray Romano, Dave Chapelle, Paul Reiser and Chris Rock. Chris Rock apparently used to bus the tables for free when he was starting out there in exchange for more stage time to help him get noticed. The entrance is covered in signed pictures of many of the people who have performed there, most of them looking extremely young! For everyone in Australia we had been told that Carl Barron and Dave Hughes had also performed there as well. It was a very small crowd, but a full house for most of the night. We were sat right in front of the stage and were got to interact with the performers all night. All in all we saw around 20 comedians for the evening. The first half of the show was tremendous, the comedians went over well and the show moved at a cracking pace. After the halftime break however people slowly started filing out of the building, making it tough for the remaining performers to build momentum. By the end of the night, there were four of us left in the audience. I had a chat to one of the MC's, young comedian Jordan Rock, afterwards whilst watching some of the LA Clippers vs Miami NBA game. I asked him about performing in front of that few a number. He was ambivalent about it, "Hey man, it happens" he said with a shrug "It's a late night, people gotta go to work tomorrow, you don't take it personal." When I mentioned Flight Of The Conchords once performing for one person who left halfway through (yes this was featured on their tv show, but it was apparently a true story) and how they went on to have their own HBO series, Jordan nodded and said "I've performed in front of two, three people. You just go out and do your thing and if they like it, cool."
Thursday was our last day in New York and there was still a number of things to be checked off the to do list. We made our way that morning up to the 59th street subway station and caught the train downtown to the Whitehall ferry terminal and Battery Park. The weather was not great, extra cold coupled with that misty sort of rain that isn't really good for anything. We walked through Battery park towards the Statten Island ferry and were pleased to see squirrels scurrying between the trees. The squirrels are very conditioned to humans and would let you hand feed them. Very cool experience.
We boarded the ferry (which is free for anyone who maybe going to NY soon)and set off to view the statue of liberty. The misty rain made viewing from land difficult, but the ferry scooted past Alice Island and we got a great view of the grand lady. The statue wasn't as big as I expected, but it still draws your attention, it's one of the most famous landmarks in the world after all. Lady Liberty is portrayed all over New York, but the actual statue has a quiet dignity about it, contrasting some of the more boisterous New York attractions like Times Square or Broadway.
After a stroll up Wall Street and a bite to eat, I continued on alone. Em had been gamely battling illness since our arrival in New York and it had finally gotten the better of her. She headed back to the hotel and we arranged to meet at the NHL Store before the hockey that night, then I went to the 9/11 memorial site. Entrance is free but a donation is appreciated. Security around the site was extremely tight, similar to going through the airport and security staff and police were everywhere. The wound that America, in particular New York, suffered that horrible day in 2001 is still very much sore and will most likely never go away. Where the twin towers once stood now sits to pools with the names of the victims of the tragedy inscribed around the edge. It's both moving and humbling to read the names, hear the stories and see some of the twisted debris and battered FDNY helmets of those brave souls first on the scene. The memorial itself is classily unsderstated, a place for reflection with a community square feel. There's no flag waving or chest beating on the site, more a sense of wonder at how such a heinous act could be committed by one group of humans onto another. September eleven is a defining moment for my generation and being on the ground where it all happened was surreal. I'll never forget.
Our last night in New York was a hockey game between the NY Rangers and Ottawa (read about it on the sister blog to this one http://shotdownsports.blogspot.com) followed by a cab trip back to the hotel. Tomorrow we would be off to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, our New York adventure over. For now anyway. New York, you haven't seen the last of me...
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
North America Trip Days 1&2: Empire State Of Mind
32 hours. Four timezones. Four cities. Three continents. One day. That has been the beginning of this odyssey to the good old US of A (and Canada of course). It all started of course back in Australia, leaving Melbourne and flying for 9 or so hours to the southern Chinese city of Gaungzhou for a stop over before continuing another 14 hours to Los Angeles from which we waited for our connecting flight to the big apple itself New York City.
We arrived at New York's John F Kennedy airport at around 8 am local time, current temperature, 1° Celsius! Welcome to the northern winter! We were both incredibly tired but this is New York City, the city that never sleeps, and our time here is only short so we decided that after checking into our hotel on the upper east side of Manhattan and taking the opportunity to freshen up, we'd put feet to pavement and explore the city with our final destination being Times Square.
I'd wager that on foot it's nearly impossible to get lost in New York, the streets are numbered so it's very easy to navigate. We started off by strolling the upper east side, wandering Lexington Avenue, Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue, home of companies such as Tiffany & Co. It is also where the famous toy store F.A.O. Swartz can be found. What makes it so well known? It's where the floor piano from the movie Big with Tom Hanks can be found. If you were wondering yes we did have a go on it and yes it was as much fun as it looks! It's the kind of store where if you had the means you could easily drop a couple of k there and still want to go back and buy more. From there it was on to my versions of crazy toy stores, the NBA & NHL stores. If you have little kids and are into basketball then the NBA uniform onesy's are very cool, ditto the mini hockey jerseys. We got chatting to one of the staff at the NHL store, a guy named Otto who had been to Australia and spent time in Sydney and Melbourne. One of the things that has really struck me about NYC is how friendly and helpful the people are. Yes there's the hustle and bustle of a city this size, but the average New Yorker takes great pride in their city and is more than happy to offer some good tips and advice to a couple of Aussie tourists of cool little spots that maybe off the tourist map.
Times Square really has to be seen in person to be believed. It's a symphony of lights and sound, constant colorful video images assaulting your eyes and colorful characters around the heart of the square. Our first stop was of course the Hersheys store and the M&M's store. As soon as you open the door the delightful aroma of chocolate hits you and is intoxicating. The range of products at the m&m's store in particular was immense. Pretty much anything you want can be found there branded with the logo or characters of the company. If you're a people watcher, Times Square would be your nirvana. The constant swell of people throws up some of the most bizarre people you'll see. We saw people dressed as spiderman & Mario, taking photos with tourists for tips. Elmo wasn't there this day.
Tipping is something quite bizarre and foreign to us as Australians, as is the sales tax situation here. If an item's shelf price is $24.00, you should expect to actually pay around the $27 mark. As for tipping, fair to say that that confused the hell out of us! Thank god we don't do it back home!
We finished our day with a stroll past well known landmarks as the Rockefeller Centre, Radio City Music Hall and the NBC Rainbow Room as we headed back to our hotel. It had been a long and crazy day, but so enjoyable. Let's see what you have to give us tomorrow New York.
We arrived at New York's John F Kennedy airport at around 8 am local time, current temperature, 1° Celsius! Welcome to the northern winter! We were both incredibly tired but this is New York City, the city that never sleeps, and our time here is only short so we decided that after checking into our hotel on the upper east side of Manhattan and taking the opportunity to freshen up, we'd put feet to pavement and explore the city with our final destination being Times Square.
I'd wager that on foot it's nearly impossible to get lost in New York, the streets are numbered so it's very easy to navigate. We started off by strolling the upper east side, wandering Lexington Avenue, Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue, home of companies such as Tiffany & Co. It is also where the famous toy store F.A.O. Swartz can be found. What makes it so well known? It's where the floor piano from the movie Big with Tom Hanks can be found. If you were wondering yes we did have a go on it and yes it was as much fun as it looks! It's the kind of store where if you had the means you could easily drop a couple of k there and still want to go back and buy more. From there it was on to my versions of crazy toy stores, the NBA & NHL stores. If you have little kids and are into basketball then the NBA uniform onesy's are very cool, ditto the mini hockey jerseys. We got chatting to one of the staff at the NHL store, a guy named Otto who had been to Australia and spent time in Sydney and Melbourne. One of the things that has really struck me about NYC is how friendly and helpful the people are. Yes there's the hustle and bustle of a city this size, but the average New Yorker takes great pride in their city and is more than happy to offer some good tips and advice to a couple of Aussie tourists of cool little spots that maybe off the tourist map.
Times Square really has to be seen in person to be believed. It's a symphony of lights and sound, constant colorful video images assaulting your eyes and colorful characters around the heart of the square. Our first stop was of course the Hersheys store and the M&M's store. As soon as you open the door the delightful aroma of chocolate hits you and is intoxicating. The range of products at the m&m's store in particular was immense. Pretty much anything you want can be found there branded with the logo or characters of the company. If you're a people watcher, Times Square would be your nirvana. The constant swell of people throws up some of the most bizarre people you'll see. We saw people dressed as spiderman & Mario, taking photos with tourists for tips. Elmo wasn't there this day.
Tipping is something quite bizarre and foreign to us as Australians, as is the sales tax situation here. If an item's shelf price is $24.00, you should expect to actually pay around the $27 mark. As for tipping, fair to say that that confused the hell out of us! Thank god we don't do it back home!
We finished our day with a stroll past well known landmarks as the Rockefeller Centre, Radio City Music Hall and the NBC Rainbow Room as we headed back to our hotel. It had been a long and crazy day, but so enjoyable. Let's see what you have to give us tomorrow New York.
Friday, December 23, 2011
2011. My Year In Review.
As regular readers of this blog (both of you) already know, I haven't posted a new entry for months. There has been many factors as to why there has been so little activity, lack of internet/computer over a long period of time for starters, writers block in my NT series - I still have plenty to write about, but I want to keep it chronological and I am really stuck trying to get the next piece even started, work has kept me busy and sometimes to be honest I simply could not be bothered. I was sorely lacking in motivation to write. But as I was outside my house, bathed in beautiful summer sunshine I had one of those rare moments, an epiphany if you will. This year mores that other years has been a roller coaster for me, full of a few dizzying highs and some very deep lows. What better way to get some catharsis than to write about it, publish it on the internet and let the whole world (theoretically) see it. I mean everyone is interested in the menial tasks of one middle class country boy Australians life right?
New Years rolled around for me to a soundtrack of Dashboard Confessionals excellent Alter The Ending album. I was fortunate enough to have the deluxe edition which featured both the regular album and an all acoustic version. I had spent most of New Years Eve on my own, Bec at the time was working at the Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld and didn't finish work until five minutes to midnight. 2011 started with a whimper for me. I had high hopes for this year after the almost surreal 2010 which began with Mikey & I living in the crapshack in Darwin and ended with Bec, Pup & I living in the spare room at Bec mothers house. 2011 was going to be our year, I was sure of it. We were back home in Ararat, both kept busy with work and had some big plans for the coming year.
January was very busy for me. I was kept busy with work, at one stage working around 60 hours a week, often sleep over shifts and weekends, which was handy as that was helping me keep a steady income despite working on a casual basis. In fact January seemed to be over in the blink of an eye as days and nights seemed to merge into one with all the hours I was clocking up with my job. I also was working casually at the day program service run by McGregor Community Services, with one permanent day a week there as well as my casual work. It was tiring certainly working so many hours, but I had regained my passion for the disability field after it had been slowly eroding to the point of near oblivion by the time over the past 2-3 years. I didn't see Bec or Mikey as much as I would have liked with both of us working long and strange hours, but I was back in my hometown, able to go to the Grampians or the farm whenever I wanted. It was a very unusual summer however. The decade long drought that had gripped the south east of this continent finally broke, and when the rains came, they didn't seem to stop. Tropical type thunderstorms brought with them massive downpours which are rarely seen in the south of Australia. This in turn led to flooding and landslides throughout the Wimmera/Grampians region, causing major damage to homes, bridges, roads and property. The Western Highway, the main road between Victoria and South Australia, was cut off in different areas between Ballarat and Horsham. At one stage every road into Ararat was cut off due to flood water. The landslips caused massive amounts of damage at Halls Gap, the tourist centre of the Grampians and carnage throughout the national park as the rain and floods dislodged large boulders, which crashed through the trees and undergrowth leaving a trail of broken and felled trees behind them.
January wasn't all doom and gloom however. On the 29th I got the phone call I had been waiting for. I was an uncle for the first time as my brother Adam and his wife Katie welcomed a gorgeous little girl named Evie Sienna into the world. I had never really understood peoples obsession with babies until I went to visit her for the first time and she opened up her little blue eyes and grasped my pinky finger in her tiny hand. I had tried to play it cool and be almost indifferent to the whole new baby thing, but that moment instantly put a stop to the charade. Now I knew why people made such a big deal about newborns.
February, March and April were quite uneventful months. I continued on the same way that the year had started, working long hours and often working nights and weekends. I purchased my ute during this time, which Mikey enjoyed greatly, especially if it meant trips to one of the lakes or the farm to swim in the dam. Easter came and went, I seemed oblivious to it however. Everyday still seemed to be interchangeable with others, except for Mondays which were usually the days I had off. I tried to get out and do as much as I could. Our house wouldn't be available to us until the middle of the year, so we were still at Bec's mother house. This became increasingly more uncomfortable for me. It was an environment that I didn't feel comfortable in and as such I tried my best to keep to myself as often as I could. I was looking quite forward to getting our house back.
The previous three seemingly innocuous months were soon to be shattered by the events of May. I had been sensing a distance between Bec and I for quite a while. It all came to a head in this month. At the end of May, not long after our four year anniversary, we decided to call it quits. No animosity, no anger, just a sense of belief that we had run our course together as the differences in us as both people and in our goals and desires in life became more and more obvious and overshadowed the things we had in common to the point where it could no long be ignored. Still, a sense of hurt lingered long and hard over the situation. After all, after spending four years of your life with one person, making massive decisions together and achieving milestones in life together, having once in a lifetime experiences with them, it would be impossible not to feel some sense of hurt and rejection. It also meant Mikey and I had to find another place to live for a few weeks until the tenants were out of our house. I was able to stay with local tattoo artist and one of my oldest friends Nifty Davis and his lovely wife Kasey, while Mikey went and stayed out at Moyston on the property of another couple of old friends Doug & Kelly McKinnon and their two labradors Jemma and Suzie (Mikeys girlfriend!) The support I received through this tough period from my friends and family is something that I greatly appreciated and cherished. It was also good to know that even though we were no longer together, Bec still checked up on me as she knew better than anyone the struggles I have had with depression over the years. At her urging I went back to the doctors and began the long and winding road back to some sense of mental stability if nothing else. Bec still keeps an eye out for me and is constantly checking up to make sure that i'm ok. I appreciate that.
In June, Mikey and I finally returned to our home. We were both relieved that our nomadic existence was at an end and we could finally find some stability. It seemed strange coming back here however without Bec. However it also felt good to finally come back to our home, where we made the rules and had the freedom to do whatever we wanted without fear of upsetting any overblown egos. We felt free again. Although I was very thankful that Bec's mum gave us a place to stay when we returned from the NT, I was relieved to leave there. The situation had become increasingly uncomfortable for me and also I imagine for Becs family too. I didn't want to burden Nifty and Kasey with my presence for too long, nor Doug & Kelly with Mikeys, so to get the keys back to the house was a relief in many ways.
As much as I enjoyed the freedom of being back at the newly dubbed Palace Of Wisdom, I found myself sinking back into my old ruts and bad habits. The (still) ongoing saga of refinancing the house weighed heavily on my mind, my dietary habits slipped and I soon found myself back in that same old cycle again. My weekends were once again free, as I had began working full-time at the Viewpoint street day programs, however I lacked desire to even get out of bed. It all came to a head one night in August, after finishing work late (I had taken a group of lads to Melbourne for a footy trip), all the pent up emotions from the previous two years finally overcame me. I felt lost, hopeless and despondent. It was a rut I stayed in for most of July and August, with brighter spots in September and October,including my appearance on national tv on October the 13th. I was a contestant on Millionaire Hotseat, had a chance to win $100k but got a question I had no clue about. I still walked away with $1,000 and a once in a lifetime experience. In November however, my fragile mental piece was soon to be shattered again.
Ironically I was participating in the Movember cause with my friend Tom to try and raise money for Beyond Blue and prostate cancer research. However due to a number of factors I felt lower than low in November, and the moustache certainly didn't help things. I know it sounds ridiculous to blame a moustache for my deteriorating mental state, however I was to the point where I couldn't even stand to look at myself in the mirror. In addition to the mental angst I was feeling, I also felt extremely bad about myself physically, the moustache made me feel like a physically ugly person, the paranoia started to creep back into my mind because even though thousands of others around the world participated in it, I felt extremely foolish and ugly with it. I rarely ventured out in public and went back to being a recluse. I seriously contemplated selling the house and going bush, just leaving society as a whole behind. December 1st and my facial liberation couldn't come quick enough.
As I write this now, on the 23rd of December sitting at my kitchen table, Mikey laying at my feet, the dying roses from my garden on the kitchen table still mustering enough life to give the occasional burst of wonderful fragrance, the summer sun shining down upon the back deck, I can only wonder what 2012 will bring. There'll be lows, granted, but there will be highs as well. All I can do is strive to be a good person and make the world around me a better place. If I can achieve that in 2012, then the year shall be a success. So au revoir 2011. Don't let the door hit you in the are on the way out.
New Years rolled around for me to a soundtrack of Dashboard Confessionals excellent Alter The Ending album. I was fortunate enough to have the deluxe edition which featured both the regular album and an all acoustic version. I had spent most of New Years Eve on my own, Bec at the time was working at the Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld and didn't finish work until five minutes to midnight. 2011 started with a whimper for me. I had high hopes for this year after the almost surreal 2010 which began with Mikey & I living in the crapshack in Darwin and ended with Bec, Pup & I living in the spare room at Bec mothers house. 2011 was going to be our year, I was sure of it. We were back home in Ararat, both kept busy with work and had some big plans for the coming year.
January was very busy for me. I was kept busy with work, at one stage working around 60 hours a week, often sleep over shifts and weekends, which was handy as that was helping me keep a steady income despite working on a casual basis. In fact January seemed to be over in the blink of an eye as days and nights seemed to merge into one with all the hours I was clocking up with my job. I also was working casually at the day program service run by McGregor Community Services, with one permanent day a week there as well as my casual work. It was tiring certainly working so many hours, but I had regained my passion for the disability field after it had been slowly eroding to the point of near oblivion by the time over the past 2-3 years. I didn't see Bec or Mikey as much as I would have liked with both of us working long and strange hours, but I was back in my hometown, able to go to the Grampians or the farm whenever I wanted. It was a very unusual summer however. The decade long drought that had gripped the south east of this continent finally broke, and when the rains came, they didn't seem to stop. Tropical type thunderstorms brought with them massive downpours which are rarely seen in the south of Australia. This in turn led to flooding and landslides throughout the Wimmera/Grampians region, causing major damage to homes, bridges, roads and property. The Western Highway, the main road between Victoria and South Australia, was cut off in different areas between Ballarat and Horsham. At one stage every road into Ararat was cut off due to flood water. The landslips caused massive amounts of damage at Halls Gap, the tourist centre of the Grampians and carnage throughout the national park as the rain and floods dislodged large boulders, which crashed through the trees and undergrowth leaving a trail of broken and felled trees behind them.
January wasn't all doom and gloom however. On the 29th I got the phone call I had been waiting for. I was an uncle for the first time as my brother Adam and his wife Katie welcomed a gorgeous little girl named Evie Sienna into the world. I had never really understood peoples obsession with babies until I went to visit her for the first time and she opened up her little blue eyes and grasped my pinky finger in her tiny hand. I had tried to play it cool and be almost indifferent to the whole new baby thing, but that moment instantly put a stop to the charade. Now I knew why people made such a big deal about newborns.
February, March and April were quite uneventful months. I continued on the same way that the year had started, working long hours and often working nights and weekends. I purchased my ute during this time, which Mikey enjoyed greatly, especially if it meant trips to one of the lakes or the farm to swim in the dam. Easter came and went, I seemed oblivious to it however. Everyday still seemed to be interchangeable with others, except for Mondays which were usually the days I had off. I tried to get out and do as much as I could. Our house wouldn't be available to us until the middle of the year, so we were still at Bec's mother house. This became increasingly more uncomfortable for me. It was an environment that I didn't feel comfortable in and as such I tried my best to keep to myself as often as I could. I was looking quite forward to getting our house back.
The previous three seemingly innocuous months were soon to be shattered by the events of May. I had been sensing a distance between Bec and I for quite a while. It all came to a head in this month. At the end of May, not long after our four year anniversary, we decided to call it quits. No animosity, no anger, just a sense of belief that we had run our course together as the differences in us as both people and in our goals and desires in life became more and more obvious and overshadowed the things we had in common to the point where it could no long be ignored. Still, a sense of hurt lingered long and hard over the situation. After all, after spending four years of your life with one person, making massive decisions together and achieving milestones in life together, having once in a lifetime experiences with them, it would be impossible not to feel some sense of hurt and rejection. It also meant Mikey and I had to find another place to live for a few weeks until the tenants were out of our house. I was able to stay with local tattoo artist and one of my oldest friends Nifty Davis and his lovely wife Kasey, while Mikey went and stayed out at Moyston on the property of another couple of old friends Doug & Kelly McKinnon and their two labradors Jemma and Suzie (Mikeys girlfriend!) The support I received through this tough period from my friends and family is something that I greatly appreciated and cherished. It was also good to know that even though we were no longer together, Bec still checked up on me as she knew better than anyone the struggles I have had with depression over the years. At her urging I went back to the doctors and began the long and winding road back to some sense of mental stability if nothing else. Bec still keeps an eye out for me and is constantly checking up to make sure that i'm ok. I appreciate that.
In June, Mikey and I finally returned to our home. We were both relieved that our nomadic existence was at an end and we could finally find some stability. It seemed strange coming back here however without Bec. However it also felt good to finally come back to our home, where we made the rules and had the freedom to do whatever we wanted without fear of upsetting any overblown egos. We felt free again. Although I was very thankful that Bec's mum gave us a place to stay when we returned from the NT, I was relieved to leave there. The situation had become increasingly uncomfortable for me and also I imagine for Becs family too. I didn't want to burden Nifty and Kasey with my presence for too long, nor Doug & Kelly with Mikeys, so to get the keys back to the house was a relief in many ways.
As much as I enjoyed the freedom of being back at the newly dubbed Palace Of Wisdom, I found myself sinking back into my old ruts and bad habits. The (still) ongoing saga of refinancing the house weighed heavily on my mind, my dietary habits slipped and I soon found myself back in that same old cycle again. My weekends were once again free, as I had began working full-time at the Viewpoint street day programs, however I lacked desire to even get out of bed. It all came to a head one night in August, after finishing work late (I had taken a group of lads to Melbourne for a footy trip), all the pent up emotions from the previous two years finally overcame me. I felt lost, hopeless and despondent. It was a rut I stayed in for most of July and August, with brighter spots in September and October,including my appearance on national tv on October the 13th. I was a contestant on Millionaire Hotseat, had a chance to win $100k but got a question I had no clue about. I still walked away with $1,000 and a once in a lifetime experience. In November however, my fragile mental piece was soon to be shattered again.
Ironically I was participating in the Movember cause with my friend Tom to try and raise money for Beyond Blue and prostate cancer research. However due to a number of factors I felt lower than low in November, and the moustache certainly didn't help things. I know it sounds ridiculous to blame a moustache for my deteriorating mental state, however I was to the point where I couldn't even stand to look at myself in the mirror. In addition to the mental angst I was feeling, I also felt extremely bad about myself physically, the moustache made me feel like a physically ugly person, the paranoia started to creep back into my mind because even though thousands of others around the world participated in it, I felt extremely foolish and ugly with it. I rarely ventured out in public and went back to being a recluse. I seriously contemplated selling the house and going bush, just leaving society as a whole behind. December 1st and my facial liberation couldn't come quick enough.
As I write this now, on the 23rd of December sitting at my kitchen table, Mikey laying at my feet, the dying roses from my garden on the kitchen table still mustering enough life to give the occasional burst of wonderful fragrance, the summer sun shining down upon the back deck, I can only wonder what 2012 will bring. There'll be lows, granted, but there will be highs as well. All I can do is strive to be a good person and make the world around me a better place. If I can achieve that in 2012, then the year shall be a success. So au revoir 2011. Don't let the door hit you in the are on the way out.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Section 7: Alone This Holiday
I have always found early December to be a hectic time of the year, work or school gets busy from the crush to finish of projects, the shops and streets get crazy with the Christmas time rush, the days of summer are upon us and people are starting to feel the heat and for me personally, I have a few birthdays to deal with, namely my Mums and later in the month my own. For most people however, the Christmas to New Year period is a time to wind down and relax. It used to be this way for me too. Not this year though...
I made my first trip home around the 17th of December. I had only been in Darwin a month and already I was looking to escape the heat and humidity. I was extremely slowly finding my feet in my new job. It was an entirely new proposition for me to have the everyday needs and welfare of five total strangers being my responsibility and the whole whirlwind of the previous month had been wearing me down. Bec's cousin was getting married, so I hopped on a plane back to Victoria for the first of a few 4 or so hour trips back home.
The plane was packed with younger people just like myself heading back 'down south' to visit family and friends for Christmas. I was the odd one out for having only my backpack with me and not being hidden behind mountains of presents. Mikey had been taken care of, my fellow coordinator, mentor, confidant, chauffeur, partner in crime and of course friend Julie had agreed to look after him. At the time Julie lived on a nice chunk of land at a little spit on the map called Virginia, about 30 minutes out of Darwin past Palmerston. Mikey had plenty of room to run, play and socialise with Julies dog Sally, so he was more than happy after being stuck in the little courtyard of the crap shack. Julie had also kindly agreed to drop me off at the airport, which I happily accepted because as anyone who works in Disability Services knows, we sure as hell don't do what we do for the massive salary, so any chance to save a taxi fare was much appreciated.
I arrived back to something I had missed greatly since I had left Victoria. Cold weather! Oh and my Mum and Dad were there too to pick me up. I had never seen Mum beam so much. It was as if I had been away for years, not weeks. It had been extremely hard for my Mum having me move to the opposite end of the country. My Mum and I are similar in that we both wear our hearts on our sleeves and are not ones for much stoicism. We let our emotions show and Mum was more than happy to let the world know that yeah, it had only been a month, but she missed her son a whole lot. Even Dad, who is usually the opposite of Mum and I when it comes to showing his feelings let his guard down and it made me just that little bit happier to be home. Of course, I couldn't wait to get back to Ararat and see Bec and some of my friends, but for the moment it was about my Mum, Dad and their eldest son.
It was with great excitement and anticipation that I waited to get back to Ararat to see Bec. The hour and a half trip from Bacchus Marsh seemed to take forever. I was elated to actually properly see Bec, not over some grainy Skype web cam, not via an MMS picture, but in the flesh. I just wanted to give her the biggest hug of my life, just so she could tangibly feel how much I had missed her. After a month of either being on my own or with just Mikey (who I love to death but let's face it, he is not a great conversationalist) it was great just being around the person who understood me better than anyone else ever has. We chatted about nothing for God knows how long. Just random, stupid stuff that we could laugh about, until we fell asleep, with Bec in my arms where she belonged.
The wedding was fun, held at a beautiful old church on top of what seemed the biggest and steepest hill in Daylesford and a great time was had by all. The day after the wedding Bec and I headed back to Bacchus Marsh to spend a bit more time with my parents and enjoy a smoothie and breakfast. I also happened to be flying back to Darwin on my birthday and it was one of my birthday presents that would be part of just about everything I experienced while we lived in the Northern Territory, a brand new pair of black Chucks. The became my Territory shoes and when I left, they stayed, no longer black and a crisp white, but almost grey and stained with everything from the monsoonal rain waters to the red dirt of Arnhem Land. I also got for my birthday, thanks to the wet season conditions over the top end, some turbulence on the flight back to Darwin. I'd had a great time being back home, seeing Bec, Mum, Dad and my friends, but it was now back to reality.
Christmas in the Territory! I never thought I'd ever experience it! And on Christmas day I...worked. Yep, I worked on Christmas Day. At Somerville, coordinators and support staff didn't get public holidays off, nor did we get paid public holiday rates. So that was my Christmas. On the plus side, Mikey was able to come to work with me for the day and run around the yard like a lunatic, plus when we got back to the crap shack we were able to watch Animation Domination ALL DAY LONG! As soon as we got back to the crap shack, non stop Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad and Futurama (only broken by the WWE and when we changed the channel to avoid King Of The Hill). Of course I did the ring around, my parents, the family out at Auntie Tina's farm etc. But it was incomplete without Bec, who was not having the best day either. (Also, I missed out on the croquembouche that Bec had made. If you don't know what that is, then remember, Google is your friend). We both wanted nothing more than to be together that Christmas day, but the tyranny of distance was our enemy. As for New Years, well let me put it this way. I was in bed asleep by 10.30 Central Time (I chose 10,30 as it would have been 12 back home). 2009 was done, a year of massive change and upheaval for us, now we had to see what 2010 had in store for us.
Title Song: Alone This Holiday by The Used from the album 'Maybe Memories'
I made my first trip home around the 17th of December. I had only been in Darwin a month and already I was looking to escape the heat and humidity. I was extremely slowly finding my feet in my new job. It was an entirely new proposition for me to have the everyday needs and welfare of five total strangers being my responsibility and the whole whirlwind of the previous month had been wearing me down. Bec's cousin was getting married, so I hopped on a plane back to Victoria for the first of a few 4 or so hour trips back home.
The plane was packed with younger people just like myself heading back 'down south' to visit family and friends for Christmas. I was the odd one out for having only my backpack with me and not being hidden behind mountains of presents. Mikey had been taken care of, my fellow coordinator, mentor, confidant, chauffeur, partner in crime and of course friend Julie had agreed to look after him. At the time Julie lived on a nice chunk of land at a little spit on the map called Virginia, about 30 minutes out of Darwin past Palmerston. Mikey had plenty of room to run, play and socialise with Julies dog Sally, so he was more than happy after being stuck in the little courtyard of the crap shack. Julie had also kindly agreed to drop me off at the airport, which I happily accepted because as anyone who works in Disability Services knows, we sure as hell don't do what we do for the massive salary, so any chance to save a taxi fare was much appreciated.
I arrived back to something I had missed greatly since I had left Victoria. Cold weather! Oh and my Mum and Dad were there too to pick me up. I had never seen Mum beam so much. It was as if I had been away for years, not weeks. It had been extremely hard for my Mum having me move to the opposite end of the country. My Mum and I are similar in that we both wear our hearts on our sleeves and are not ones for much stoicism. We let our emotions show and Mum was more than happy to let the world know that yeah, it had only been a month, but she missed her son a whole lot. Even Dad, who is usually the opposite of Mum and I when it comes to showing his feelings let his guard down and it made me just that little bit happier to be home. Of course, I couldn't wait to get back to Ararat and see Bec and some of my friends, but for the moment it was about my Mum, Dad and their eldest son.
It was with great excitement and anticipation that I waited to get back to Ararat to see Bec. The hour and a half trip from Bacchus Marsh seemed to take forever. I was elated to actually properly see Bec, not over some grainy Skype web cam, not via an MMS picture, but in the flesh. I just wanted to give her the biggest hug of my life, just so she could tangibly feel how much I had missed her. After a month of either being on my own or with just Mikey (who I love to death but let's face it, he is not a great conversationalist) it was great just being around the person who understood me better than anyone else ever has. We chatted about nothing for God knows how long. Just random, stupid stuff that we could laugh about, until we fell asleep, with Bec in my arms where she belonged.
The wedding was fun, held at a beautiful old church on top of what seemed the biggest and steepest hill in Daylesford and a great time was had by all. The day after the wedding Bec and I headed back to Bacchus Marsh to spend a bit more time with my parents and enjoy a smoothie and breakfast. I also happened to be flying back to Darwin on my birthday and it was one of my birthday presents that would be part of just about everything I experienced while we lived in the Northern Territory, a brand new pair of black Chucks. The became my Territory shoes and when I left, they stayed, no longer black and a crisp white, but almost grey and stained with everything from the monsoonal rain waters to the red dirt of Arnhem Land. I also got for my birthday, thanks to the wet season conditions over the top end, some turbulence on the flight back to Darwin. I'd had a great time being back home, seeing Bec, Mum, Dad and my friends, but it was now back to reality.
Christmas in the Territory! I never thought I'd ever experience it! And on Christmas day I...worked. Yep, I worked on Christmas Day. At Somerville, coordinators and support staff didn't get public holidays off, nor did we get paid public holiday rates. So that was my Christmas. On the plus side, Mikey was able to come to work with me for the day and run around the yard like a lunatic, plus when we got back to the crap shack we were able to watch Animation Domination ALL DAY LONG! As soon as we got back to the crap shack, non stop Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad and Futurama (only broken by the WWE and when we changed the channel to avoid King Of The Hill). Of course I did the ring around, my parents, the family out at Auntie Tina's farm etc. But it was incomplete without Bec, who was not having the best day either. (Also, I missed out on the croquembouche that Bec had made. If you don't know what that is, then remember, Google is your friend). We both wanted nothing more than to be together that Christmas day, but the tyranny of distance was our enemy. As for New Years, well let me put it this way. I was in bed asleep by 10.30 Central Time (I chose 10,30 as it would have been 12 back home). 2009 was done, a year of massive change and upheaval for us, now we had to see what 2010 had in store for us.
Title Song: Alone This Holiday by The Used from the album 'Maybe Memories'
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