It's army week.
Army week means that everyone on south has a little plastic army man with someone's name on the bottom, that person being someone else on south. The aim of the game is to track that person down, get them alone (not in their room or the bathroom and between the hours of 7am-10:30pm) and tag them out. Then, you collect their army man. The person at the end of the week with the most army men, wins. So everyone is super paranoid this week and traveling in packs and with entourages. I don't really care that much, but it would be nice to hang on to my army man. Wednesday night there's a big army man themed bash at The Bridge Hotel, which is a pub in town. I'm not that keen to go and since I don't have class on Wed. afternoons, I'm debating just checking out of Ballarat early and heading into Melbourne for the long weekend.
Oh, I got an A on my basecamping assessment. Whoop!
I was trying to come up with new risotto recipes the other night and made BLT risotto with bacon, cherry tomatoes, and spinach. Yes, it was good.
Yesterday, I realized that on the 10th, the day I'm supposed to be in Melbourne to see Atmosphere (something I've been excited about for months now), I have an online test that opens from 3pm on the 10th to 9am on the 11th. The plan I decided on is just to head into Melbourne early, get there around 1:30, drop my stuff off at my hostel, head down to Journal--a cafe/coffee shop/library--and get my test done before the show. What's nice about all that, is everything from the train station to Journal, to my hostel, to the venue are all within 2K of each other! Here are some links to Journal, if you're interested. You can see why I'd be so keen to spend my whole life there.
http://www.visitmelbourne.com/regions/Melbourne/Activities-and-attractions/Food-and-wine/Cafes/TV-Journal.aspx
http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/diningandnightlife/cafes/lightmeals/pages/1841.aspx
I've been reading a book by Chuck Palahniuk called Survivor. It's one of his earlier books but it's still really good. It's narrated by someone who has hijacked a plane, forced the pilot to land and have everyone get off before taking it back up to cruising altitude and flying until he runs out of fuel. The whole story is narrated as he tells his life story to the black box. Love it.
I really miss my drums.
Peace homies
~D
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Blood Bank
I met you at the blood bank.
Tomorrow I have my last Outdoor Ed class which means I will only have school from 10:30 am on Mondays, to 10:00 am on Wednesdays. Yes, I will be having four day weekends for the rest of the year.
That being said, I've been planning a few trips to Melbourne for myself of the next few weekends and I'm very excited about it. I have tickets to see a Dracula themed burlesque show next weekend. I've never been to a burlesque show, but I've read a bit about it and it seems really really interesting. I'm excited to see what's up.
So I had this crazy idea last night and I don't know if it's actually practical, but what if you made a Duxelle sauce, like for a beef wellington, but added minced lamb to the mushrooms? Seeing as lamb is fairly low in fat, as you cooked out the moisture in the mushrooms, the fat would cook out, too, and the meat would brown. Eh? Eh? Could be worth a shot. I'll consult with my chef people, though.
That's all for now, y'all.
Stay classy.
~D
Tomorrow I have my last Outdoor Ed class which means I will only have school from 10:30 am on Mondays, to 10:00 am on Wednesdays. Yes, I will be having four day weekends for the rest of the year.
That being said, I've been planning a few trips to Melbourne for myself of the next few weekends and I'm very excited about it. I have tickets to see a Dracula themed burlesque show next weekend. I've never been to a burlesque show, but I've read a bit about it and it seems really really interesting. I'm excited to see what's up.
So I had this crazy idea last night and I don't know if it's actually practical, but what if you made a Duxelle sauce, like for a beef wellington, but added minced lamb to the mushrooms? Seeing as lamb is fairly low in fat, as you cooked out the moisture in the mushrooms, the fat would cook out, too, and the meat would brown. Eh? Eh? Could be worth a shot. I'll consult with my chef people, though.
This was dinner last night
Still mooing
Now this is a funny story. There was a mouse in Loz's room and it tried to hide from her, so it crawled into this shot glass and got very, very stuck. Loz then threw it out her window where Will went and retrieved it.
Mouse-in-a-glass
Three egg omelet with cheddar, mozzarella, bacon, and steak.
Served with a side of bacon and steak.
And milk. Gotta have milk.
I can't wait to make this stuff again with my brother. This batch was exceptionally good.
He would've loved it.
Alex wanted to take some photos.
That's all for now, y'all.
Stay classy.
~D
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
A-Genesis
Today is Anzac day, which means I don't have class. I love it.
I made some meat loafs the other night. I made a meat loaf using minced lamb as a base and it was the best meat loaf EVER! The kitchen smelled so good while it was baking. But don't even bother asking, the recipe is top secret. Speaking of lamb loaf, though, my mother told me today that her parents would be flying in this summer from FL to give us a visit. I know you guys read this so, Momoo, Grandpa, if I can find lamb mince in Springfield you can count on having a lamb loaf while you're here. The other loaf I made was a fresh spin on my classic "Bacon-Jalapeno Meat Loaf." I didn't wrap this one in bacon, but I added cooked pieces of bacon to the mince. After the loaf was all ready to go in the oven, I had an epiphany...
This next part, I dedicate to my best friend, Tyler Forster, my only brother, Nathan, my other mother, Jen Hartsell, and the girl who taught me the finer things about cooking, Alison Jenkins.
...I dug a trench down the center of the meat loaf, pinching the sides of the meat together until I had formed a trough. I then deep fried four rashers of bacon, chopped it up, and filled the trough. Then, I sealed the trough over with meat, slathered it with my signature sauce, and baked it off.
Another epiphany I had while writing this....what if I covered all my meat loafs in my Secret Sailor Jerry Sauce?
I cooked the lamb loaf and the bacon loaf at the same time, using the oven from my unit and my sister unit. Somehow, the bacon loaf got overcooked, even though it was considerably bigger than the lamb loaf. It hit 170 degrees almost immediately, which is tragic. However, after a long analysis of the meat loaf, I discovered my fault. I lived and I learned. Never again will I overcook a meat loaf due to such a mistake. And no, I will not tell you what the mistake was. It's a matter of pride.
I made lots of new friend, though, through my meat loaf making. And we devoured all (roughly) four pounds of meat loaf in a matter of 20 min. It was my gift to Australia. I still have two meat loaf recipes to try. One involves whiskey in a beef meat loaf, and one which involves bacon in a lamb loaf. Needless to say, I'm excited to make them both.
Today, my first action of the day was to make my Secret Sailor Jerry Sauce, which is a barbecue sauce, made from scratch, which involves spiced rum. Last summer, Nathan challenged me to make a barbecue sauce made from rum, and I did, and we've never looked back. This batch has a nice spicy kick to it at the end, which is new for SSJS. Grandpa Larry, I may have to make this for you when you visit in July.
Overall, life is good and I'm happy to be living it. I Skyped my brother a few hours ago (which always makes my day) and my mother last night while I couldn't sleep. So today has been perfect! I got to talk to my family, as well as have school off, as well as make Secret Sailor Jerry Sauce. Could you ask for more?
While I was having a hard time sleeping last night, I began planning my brother's 22nd birthday party. I see no reason why this won't be the best birthday he's ever experienced. For the past two years, he's made my birthdays the most memorable ones to date and I look forward to returning the favor.
By the way, I've started listening to Frank Ocean. I never thought someone so young could possess so much soul.
Swim Good
~Daniel
I made some meat loafs the other night. I made a meat loaf using minced lamb as a base and it was the best meat loaf EVER! The kitchen smelled so good while it was baking. But don't even bother asking, the recipe is top secret. Speaking of lamb loaf, though, my mother told me today that her parents would be flying in this summer from FL to give us a visit. I know you guys read this so, Momoo, Grandpa, if I can find lamb mince in Springfield you can count on having a lamb loaf while you're here. The other loaf I made was a fresh spin on my classic "Bacon-Jalapeno Meat Loaf." I didn't wrap this one in bacon, but I added cooked pieces of bacon to the mince. After the loaf was all ready to go in the oven, I had an epiphany...
This next part, I dedicate to my best friend, Tyler Forster, my only brother, Nathan, my other mother, Jen Hartsell, and the girl who taught me the finer things about cooking, Alison Jenkins.
...I dug a trench down the center of the meat loaf, pinching the sides of the meat together until I had formed a trough. I then deep fried four rashers of bacon, chopped it up, and filled the trough. Then, I sealed the trough over with meat, slathered it with my signature sauce, and baked it off.
Another epiphany I had while writing this....what if I covered all my meat loafs in my Secret Sailor Jerry Sauce?
I cooked the lamb loaf and the bacon loaf at the same time, using the oven from my unit and my sister unit. Somehow, the bacon loaf got overcooked, even though it was considerably bigger than the lamb loaf. It hit 170 degrees almost immediately, which is tragic. However, after a long analysis of the meat loaf, I discovered my fault. I lived and I learned. Never again will I overcook a meat loaf due to such a mistake. And no, I will not tell you what the mistake was. It's a matter of pride.
I made lots of new friend, though, through my meat loaf making. And we devoured all (roughly) four pounds of meat loaf in a matter of 20 min. It was my gift to Australia. I still have two meat loaf recipes to try. One involves whiskey in a beef meat loaf, and one which involves bacon in a lamb loaf. Needless to say, I'm excited to make them both.
Today, my first action of the day was to make my Secret Sailor Jerry Sauce, which is a barbecue sauce, made from scratch, which involves spiced rum. Last summer, Nathan challenged me to make a barbecue sauce made from rum, and I did, and we've never looked back. This batch has a nice spicy kick to it at the end, which is new for SSJS. Grandpa Larry, I may have to make this for you when you visit in July.
Overall, life is good and I'm happy to be living it. I Skyped my brother a few hours ago (which always makes my day) and my mother last night while I couldn't sleep. So today has been perfect! I got to talk to my family, as well as have school off, as well as make Secret Sailor Jerry Sauce. Could you ask for more?
While I was having a hard time sleeping last night, I began planning my brother's 22nd birthday party. I see no reason why this won't be the best birthday he's ever experienced. For the past two years, he's made my birthdays the most memorable ones to date and I look forward to returning the favor.
The incredible Lamb Loaf
See that vein of deep fried bacon running though?
My dear friend Mandie posted this on Facebook a few days ago.
It was one of those night where me and Nathan both ended up in my bed.
#brothers #love #Imissthis
By the way, I've started listening to Frank Ocean. I never thought someone so young could possess so much soul.
Swim Good
~Daniel
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Apollo Bay
This weekend I didn't get to make meat loaf but that's okay because it's happening tonight.
I need to do my laundry in a bad way.
This weekend I went with some friends from Res up to one of their family's holiday houses in Apollo Bay which is along the Great Ocean Road. We took the bus to Geelong and then to Apollo Bay which was about a four hour commute total. The house was pretty amazing--probably the nicest house I've been in since I've been here. It was nice and roomy and my only complaint was that the stove was a little small.
When we got there, the four of us walked down the street to the shops and things and got fish and chips and went and ate them on the beach. Then we walked around a bit more and enjoyed some of the sights and sounds of the music festival that was going on over the weekend. We then got some things from the grocery store and went and had a quiet night at home.
The next day we all got up late and had a very leisurely day. In the afternoon we walked down to the beach for a while and then to the pier where I saw the biggest stingray I've ever seen. It as at least five feet across! We sat and hung out on the pier for a while and then went and got groceries for dinner. I made bacon and mushroom risotto but the best part about it was the stock! You know how you can buy chicken or beef bullion cubes or powder to make your stock? They had bacon stock. BACON STOCK. It was absolutely delicious! In our free time, which was a lot, we watched a lot of Desperate Housewives. Not my choice, but I was overruled and the guest so it was alright.
Also. Is there Watermelon Gatorade in the US??? I had some in Apollo Bay and it was the greatest thing! Someone find some for me in the US! Or better yet, find some for yourself.
Day three we got up, had some coffee, got some hot dogs, watched some Desperate Housewives, cleaned the house and headed back to Uni. I had a great weekend. It was really relaxing and the scenery was gorgeous. Driving the Great Ocean Road was really great too. I'm glad I can cross that one off my list.
I need to do my laundry in a bad way.
This weekend I went with some friends from Res up to one of their family's holiday houses in Apollo Bay which is along the Great Ocean Road. We took the bus to Geelong and then to Apollo Bay which was about a four hour commute total. The house was pretty amazing--probably the nicest house I've been in since I've been here. It was nice and roomy and my only complaint was that the stove was a little small.
When we got there, the four of us walked down the street to the shops and things and got fish and chips and went and ate them on the beach. Then we walked around a bit more and enjoyed some of the sights and sounds of the music festival that was going on over the weekend. We then got some things from the grocery store and went and had a quiet night at home.
The next day we all got up late and had a very leisurely day. In the afternoon we walked down to the beach for a while and then to the pier where I saw the biggest stingray I've ever seen. It as at least five feet across! We sat and hung out on the pier for a while and then went and got groceries for dinner. I made bacon and mushroom risotto but the best part about it was the stock! You know how you can buy chicken or beef bullion cubes or powder to make your stock? They had bacon stock. BACON STOCK. It was absolutely delicious! In our free time, which was a lot, we watched a lot of Desperate Housewives. Not my choice, but I was overruled and the guest so it was alright.
Also. Is there Watermelon Gatorade in the US??? I had some in Apollo Bay and it was the greatest thing! Someone find some for me in the US! Or better yet, find some for yourself.
Day three we got up, had some coffee, got some hot dogs, watched some Desperate Housewives, cleaned the house and headed back to Uni. I had a great weekend. It was really relaxing and the scenery was gorgeous. Driving the Great Ocean Road was really great too. I'm glad I can cross that one off my list.
Balcony view. Ocean out there.
I appreciate a family with a good mustard selection
Whiskey Mustard. Yes. It was great.
Beach path
Cliche picture for a cliche tattoo
Kat playing in the surf
Boats and stuff
This stuff. Primo.
My phone credit expires tomorrow so I've burned through it by texting and calling some friends and family back home. It absolutely makes my day to hear from the people I love. Thanks guys.
I missed another night of premium hip hop last night at The Paper Street Soap Company. Bummed. But I'll be home soon.
Get some
~D
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Pick Me Up
Sometimes I title these posts by going on to my iTunes library and clicking shuffle and using the title of the first song that comes up.
Last night was Wednesday. There was tons of hype for the party last night at Bluestone themed "frat party" which aimed to have all the cliches of frat parties from American movies. Everyone wore basketball jerseys. There was a beer pong tournament. There was Jelo wrestling. All drinks were served in red Solo cups. But it really wasn't that great. We got there around 10:30 and left around 12:30. I would have to say that the highlight of the night was not even at the party, it was before. It was when I did something I like to call "pulling an Alison" and made a casserole and put it in the fridge before we all went out so that when we came back at whatever hour and were hungry, all I would have to do is throw it in the oven for 25 minutes. Done. And yes, I made new friends by doing so. And what's even better, is I managed to scavenge 90% of the ingredients for free! That's what's up.
Also, my other mother, Jen Hartsell, posted pictures of her first ever BACON WRAPPED MEAT LOAF! So proud of her. Sometimes I swear we're actually related.
...I was just interrupted to go help hide Alex's mattress in the shower. And yes, I do take careful note to always keep my room locked so these things don't come back around on me.
Speaking of meat loaf, I got ingredients to make my first ever LAMB LOAF. I'm supposed to make it tomorrow, but someone invited me out to their holiday house on the beach up the Great Ocean Road. So we'll see how all that plays out. Needless to say, tomorrow will be good. I'll either going to a beach house or making meat loaf. Or both!
Stay classy guys
~Daniel
Last night was Wednesday. There was tons of hype for the party last night at Bluestone themed "frat party" which aimed to have all the cliches of frat parties from American movies. Everyone wore basketball jerseys. There was a beer pong tournament. There was Jelo wrestling. All drinks were served in red Solo cups. But it really wasn't that great. We got there around 10:30 and left around 12:30. I would have to say that the highlight of the night was not even at the party, it was before. It was when I did something I like to call "pulling an Alison" and made a casserole and put it in the fridge before we all went out so that when we came back at whatever hour and were hungry, all I would have to do is throw it in the oven for 25 minutes. Done. And yes, I made new friends by doing so. And what's even better, is I managed to scavenge 90% of the ingredients for free! That's what's up.
Also, my other mother, Jen Hartsell, posted pictures of her first ever BACON WRAPPED MEAT LOAF! So proud of her. Sometimes I swear we're actually related.
...I was just interrupted to go help hide Alex's mattress in the shower. And yes, I do take careful note to always keep my room locked so these things don't come back around on me.
Speaking of meat loaf, I got ingredients to make my first ever LAMB LOAF. I'm supposed to make it tomorrow, but someone invited me out to their holiday house on the beach up the Great Ocean Road. So we'll see how all that plays out. Needless to say, tomorrow will be good. I'll either going to a beach house or making meat loaf. Or both!
Stay classy guys
~Daniel
Monday, April 16, 2012
Coachella
Hey. I posted my skydive to my YouTube channel if you wanna take a look at that. youtube.com/danielernce
Life has been pretty mellow lately. I got to Skype Hannah the other day, which is something I always enjoy. Everyone started arriving home and before Alex (my roommate) got back, we decided to trash her room. Even I was a bit shocked about how far we all took it but it was definitely worth the laugh. I spent about an hour of that night blowing up balloons to fill her room with--Alex has this thing about balloons, she hates them.
I registered for classes next semester at MSU and have added a second minor to my degree--Journalism. I am now a professional writing major, creative writing minor, and journalism minor. The way I see it, this is me just kicking, screaming, and begging someone to pay me to write something...anything!
Coachella. If you don't know what that is, it's an absolutely huge music festival in California that has been going on for the past few days. YouTube has been streaming the festival live and Will and I have been spending a fair amount of our free time catching some fantastic performances. If you listen to Bon Iver, their set was phenomenal and you should do some digging to see if you can find clips of it. Yesterday, the festival finished up with headlining performances from Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog. I texted Will that the set had started and he immediately told his professor he felt sick, had to go, and then sprinted across campus to watch the set with me. He said it was worth it and I agree.
It's started to get fairly cold at night and a bit chilly during the day. I keep waiting to get some REAL winter weather, though. I want to have to wear my coat to walk across the bridge to class.
I bought my ticket to see Atmosphere and Evidence in Melbourne on May 10th and I couldn't be more excited. I plan to go up on that Thursday and maybe make a long weekend out of it because I don't have class on that Friday.
One of my best friends, Tyler, finished his leg sleeve today by rounding it out with a few hours of work on his knee cap! I'm itching to get tattooed so bad and have come up with heaps of ideas for when I get back. It's driving me crazy!
The stove is broken in our unit. Do you know how hard it is to cook ANYTHING without a stove???
I'd never had hot crossed buns until I came here and they've changed my life.
My friends Brett and Katie are getting married in October and I couldn't be happier for them. Brett has played a role like a mixture of a big brother and a cool uncle to both me and Nathan and I've had some of the best, most deep, and most real conversations with Brett that have helped to shape the way I approach life. I've learned a lot from Brett, cooked a lot with Brett, always felt welcomed in their home, and always valued the time I got to spend with both Brett and Katie. I'm bummed I wasn't in town for the proposal, but am ecstatic that I'll be there for the wedding.
Take care guys. I can't wait to see you.
~Daniel
Life has been pretty mellow lately. I got to Skype Hannah the other day, which is something I always enjoy. Everyone started arriving home and before Alex (my roommate) got back, we decided to trash her room. Even I was a bit shocked about how far we all took it but it was definitely worth the laugh. I spent about an hour of that night blowing up balloons to fill her room with--Alex has this thing about balloons, she hates them.
Hannah
We weren't done at this point...
I registered for classes next semester at MSU and have added a second minor to my degree--Journalism. I am now a professional writing major, creative writing minor, and journalism minor. The way I see it, this is me just kicking, screaming, and begging someone to pay me to write something...anything!
Coachella. If you don't know what that is, it's an absolutely huge music festival in California that has been going on for the past few days. YouTube has been streaming the festival live and Will and I have been spending a fair amount of our free time catching some fantastic performances. If you listen to Bon Iver, their set was phenomenal and you should do some digging to see if you can find clips of it. Yesterday, the festival finished up with headlining performances from Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog. I texted Will that the set had started and he immediately told his professor he felt sick, had to go, and then sprinted across campus to watch the set with me. He said it was worth it and I agree.
It's started to get fairly cold at night and a bit chilly during the day. I keep waiting to get some REAL winter weather, though. I want to have to wear my coat to walk across the bridge to class.
I bought my ticket to see Atmosphere and Evidence in Melbourne on May 10th and I couldn't be more excited. I plan to go up on that Thursday and maybe make a long weekend out of it because I don't have class on that Friday.
One of my best friends, Tyler, finished his leg sleeve today by rounding it out with a few hours of work on his knee cap! I'm itching to get tattooed so bad and have come up with heaps of ideas for when I get back. It's driving me crazy!
The stove is broken in our unit. Do you know how hard it is to cook ANYTHING without a stove???
I'd never had hot crossed buns until I came here and they've changed my life.
My friends Brett and Katie are getting married in October and I couldn't be happier for them. Brett has played a role like a mixture of a big brother and a cool uncle to both me and Nathan and I've had some of the best, most deep, and most real conversations with Brett that have helped to shape the way I approach life. I've learned a lot from Brett, cooked a lot with Brett, always felt welcomed in their home, and always valued the time I got to spend with both Brett and Katie. I'm bummed I wasn't in town for the proposal, but am ecstatic that I'll be there for the wedding.
Take care guys. I can't wait to see you.
~Daniel
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Safe and Sound
I'm home. Or rather, I'm "home."
Albury was great. It's a big city as far as Australia goes. In AU there's the major cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Byron Bay, Darwin, Perth, etc. but then if your not a rather iconic city, a "big" city is anywhere from 70-100 thousand people. Albury was about 80. When I landed in the zero terminal ariport (all flights are boarded via tarmac from one gate) I texted Will and he said "Yeah, I heard it come in." He explained that when a plane comes in, the whole city can hear it, so you know when your guests are arriving. His family was really great, his dogs were fun, and it was SO good to have a home-cooked meal and sleep in a proper bed. Everything was really low key over there, which was great because I'd been going flat out for the past two weeks. We came home today and had a good four hour drive. I'm trying to convince Will to study abroad at MSU. We'll see how that goes.
I just registered for classes at MSU. If you've ever done that you know how much of a nightmare it is. This was the smoothest registration I've ever had. I got into all the classes and even all the sections that I wanted, except for one that was closed but I've emailed the professor and over the years I've gotten pretty good at sweet talking my way into full classes. So I'm stoked about it all.
I updated my YouTube channel with heaps of quick videos that just give you a bit more perspective of where I've been. So yeah, you can get amongst that. youtube.com/danielernce
If you only watch one video, watch the backwards fireworks.
As promised, here're some photos from Sydney and stuff.
Albury was great. It's a big city as far as Australia goes. In AU there's the major cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Byron Bay, Darwin, Perth, etc. but then if your not a rather iconic city, a "big" city is anywhere from 70-100 thousand people. Albury was about 80. When I landed in the zero terminal ariport (all flights are boarded via tarmac from one gate) I texted Will and he said "Yeah, I heard it come in." He explained that when a plane comes in, the whole city can hear it, so you know when your guests are arriving. His family was really great, his dogs were fun, and it was SO good to have a home-cooked meal and sleep in a proper bed. Everything was really low key over there, which was great because I'd been going flat out for the past two weeks. We came home today and had a good four hour drive. I'm trying to convince Will to study abroad at MSU. We'll see how that goes.
I just registered for classes at MSU. If you've ever done that you know how much of a nightmare it is. This was the smoothest registration I've ever had. I got into all the classes and even all the sections that I wanted, except for one that was closed but I've emailed the professor and over the years I've gotten pretty good at sweet talking my way into full classes. So I'm stoked about it all.
I updated my YouTube channel with heaps of quick videos that just give you a bit more perspective of where I've been. So yeah, you can get amongst that. youtube.com/danielernce
If you only watch one video, watch the backwards fireworks.
As promised, here're some photos from Sydney and stuff.
"Home Sweet Home"
I absolutely loved this painting.
For some reason, I immediately thought of Kevin Alumno...
This room was a lot of fun. It had a conversation loop playing in the background that reminded me of the narration in American Psycho
I was so drawn to this.
Safe.
View from lunch
Scallops. Cooked perfectly.
Lamb and sweetbreads.
Bailey's Creme Brulee and chocolate biscotti
You Are A Tourist
Sunset from Sydney Tower
CBD
That's my backpackers from a few kilometers away
Night.
I looked at it for a while before I realized it was the first star of the night.
Sydney was good as
Words to grow up by
This morning, Will came out of his room and told me he just had a dream about the zombie Apocalypse only it involved lots of zoo animals and he'd been killing zombie animals all night. I actually had a dream a few nights ago about Jen Hartsell wielding a giraffe as a weapon against a gorilla. Yep.
God Loves Ugly.
~D
Monday, April 9, 2012
Nomad
So it's gone something like this.
I went to the Australian Museum on accident, as I was trying to find an art museum, and saw some cool stuff. Then I found the National Art Gallery of NSW and spent several hours enjoying it. I then read the menu for the restaurant attached to the gallery and was so impressed I ate there. Words fail me. The food was incredible. It takes a meal like that every now and again to put me in my place and remind me that, though I may be a good cook, I am a novice on the grand scale of things. I had a glass of sparkling water and a glass of a 2009 Shiraz, scallops for a starter, lamb as a main, and Bailey's Creme Brulee and a cappuccino for dessert. I was really sad when it was all gone.
I then walked through the botanical gardens until I hit the water and got some real classic tourist shots of the opera house and Harbor Bridge. Then I went to Starbucks and for a bit and Skyped my brother, who happened to be with some of my favorite people! Following that, I hurried back to my room, changed, and dropped off my computer before heading to the Sydney Tower--the tallest building in Sydney--where I watched the sunset. I took pictures like I'd never seen the sun go down before or had never witnessed a city skyline. To my dismay, all the bars and cafes were closed. So I walked up to Kings Cross in search of something to do with my evening. I had some street food and wandered around for a while. Then I got a massage because I figured why not and it was cheap. I was not expecting to be walked on by a little Asian lady, but it happened, and it felt surprisingly good. I rounded out the night by stopping in at an Irish pup, having a Guinness, and heading back to my room to pack my bags.
Today I had breakfast at Lindt. So good. I had macaroons and hot chocolate. It was just too good to try and describe. Then I walked down to The Rocks and enjoyed the docks and harbors for a while before making my way into the Museum of Contemporary Art, which was also amazing. I saw part of the most ambitious film I've ever heard of in my life. It's a 24 hour long film. Yeah, you heard me. It's a compilation of various scenes and clips from films around the world that all involve clocks or watches or the specific time. It sounds odd and rather boring, but at any time during the film, you could look at your watch, look back at the screen, and the same time would be showing. The film didn't have a "storyline" but rather took an approach to story telling in a traditional aboriginal sense, in which stories are a continuum and lead into each other to weave a tapestry, rather than a single line. It was really interesting and I enjoyed it a lot. Also in the museum, saw one of the coolest things I've ever seen. It was so simple, but so incredible. Someone had filmed a section of the night sky during a very extensive fireworks display. They had then looped the footage to show a continuous stream of fireworks, and reversed it in slow motion. I sat in the dark and watched fireworks silently absorb back into themselves in slow motion for a very long time. I took a short video that I'll post on my YouTube channel when I get the chance. There's going to be a lot of videos going up at once.
So that was today. I'm back in Starbucks waiting for 4:00 to roll around so I can hop on a shuttle to the airport and head out to Albury to stay with Will's family. This whole trip has been incredible for me and I've learned a lot about myself in many ways. What has also been interesting about my trip is the atmosphere's I've been in. Cairns was a small town with hot weather and a very laid back feel to it. Sydney is a bustling place that never sleeps and is much colder than Cairns. It takes 20-30 minutes to walk anywhere, whereas Cairns took maybe 5 minutes to get anywhere. Now I'm off to Albury where I'll be with people again, and what's more than that, I'll be with a family! I feel like it's going to be a rather jolting transition but I'm looking forward to it.
Photos and stuff:
...nevermind, they didn't post and I don't have the patience to do it again right meow. Maybe tonight or tomorrow when I'm in Albury I'll show you guys a thing or two.
What does "ugly" mean?
~Slug
I went to the Australian Museum on accident, as I was trying to find an art museum, and saw some cool stuff. Then I found the National Art Gallery of NSW and spent several hours enjoying it. I then read the menu for the restaurant attached to the gallery and was so impressed I ate there. Words fail me. The food was incredible. It takes a meal like that every now and again to put me in my place and remind me that, though I may be a good cook, I am a novice on the grand scale of things. I had a glass of sparkling water and a glass of a 2009 Shiraz, scallops for a starter, lamb as a main, and Bailey's Creme Brulee and a cappuccino for dessert. I was really sad when it was all gone.
I then walked through the botanical gardens until I hit the water and got some real classic tourist shots of the opera house and Harbor Bridge. Then I went to Starbucks and for a bit and Skyped my brother, who happened to be with some of my favorite people! Following that, I hurried back to my room, changed, and dropped off my computer before heading to the Sydney Tower--the tallest building in Sydney--where I watched the sunset. I took pictures like I'd never seen the sun go down before or had never witnessed a city skyline. To my dismay, all the bars and cafes were closed. So I walked up to Kings Cross in search of something to do with my evening. I had some street food and wandered around for a while. Then I got a massage because I figured why not and it was cheap. I was not expecting to be walked on by a little Asian lady, but it happened, and it felt surprisingly good. I rounded out the night by stopping in at an Irish pup, having a Guinness, and heading back to my room to pack my bags.
Today I had breakfast at Lindt. So good. I had macaroons and hot chocolate. It was just too good to try and describe. Then I walked down to The Rocks and enjoyed the docks and harbors for a while before making my way into the Museum of Contemporary Art, which was also amazing. I saw part of the most ambitious film I've ever heard of in my life. It's a 24 hour long film. Yeah, you heard me. It's a compilation of various scenes and clips from films around the world that all involve clocks or watches or the specific time. It sounds odd and rather boring, but at any time during the film, you could look at your watch, look back at the screen, and the same time would be showing. The film didn't have a "storyline" but rather took an approach to story telling in a traditional aboriginal sense, in which stories are a continuum and lead into each other to weave a tapestry, rather than a single line. It was really interesting and I enjoyed it a lot. Also in the museum, saw one of the coolest things I've ever seen. It was so simple, but so incredible. Someone had filmed a section of the night sky during a very extensive fireworks display. They had then looped the footage to show a continuous stream of fireworks, and reversed it in slow motion. I sat in the dark and watched fireworks silently absorb back into themselves in slow motion for a very long time. I took a short video that I'll post on my YouTube channel when I get the chance. There's going to be a lot of videos going up at once.
So that was today. I'm back in Starbucks waiting for 4:00 to roll around so I can hop on a shuttle to the airport and head out to Albury to stay with Will's family. This whole trip has been incredible for me and I've learned a lot about myself in many ways. What has also been interesting about my trip is the atmosphere's I've been in. Cairns was a small town with hot weather and a very laid back feel to it. Sydney is a bustling place that never sleeps and is much colder than Cairns. It takes 20-30 minutes to walk anywhere, whereas Cairns took maybe 5 minutes to get anywhere. Now I'm off to Albury where I'll be with people again, and what's more than that, I'll be with a family! I feel like it's going to be a rather jolting transition but I'm looking forward to it.
Photos and stuff:
...nevermind, they didn't post and I don't have the patience to do it again right meow. Maybe tonight or tomorrow when I'm in Albury I'll show you guys a thing or two.
What does "ugly" mean?
~Slug
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Blue Water, White Death
Well, I suppose that where I left
off is a good place to pick up. I jumped out of a plane. And the parachute didn’t
open. No, I’m just kidding, it opened. Everything was fine. It went sort of
like this. I got picked up from my hostel and realized I was the only white guy
there. Everyone else on the bus was Asian. Why are 90% of all tourists Asian?
Anyway, we were told we’d have a 10 minute drive to the location. More like an
hour later, we arrived at a house in the middle of basically nowhere with a
plane and a big grass field. They took about six or seven people at a time and
I went up on the last flight. We had about a 20 minute taxi up and then it was
just…down. We scooted out the plane and away we went. It was cold, and fast,
really fast. Oh, and really fun. And that’s really all I have to say about
that. It was fast and fun. For about ten minutes after we were back on the
ground I just shook because I still had so much adrenaline and nothing to do
with it. So thumbs up for that.
I got to Sydney just fine and
landed about 6:00 pm and texted Mauro to see if he was still in Sydney because I
knew he was spending most of his holiday there. You guys remember Mauro right?
My friend from Netherlands who I ran around with the first week I was in AU?
Well, anyway, he’s a real fun, real easy going, real nice guy. Well, it turns
out he was still in Sydney. Actually, he was staying in the same hostel as me!
It was his last night, which was a bummer, but he walked me around the city and
gave me a crash course on where to go for what and how to get where. Then we
grabbed some street food (yom!) and headed back to Elephant (the backpackers I’m
staying at). Mauro told me to meet him in thirty minutes to go back out for the
night. I figured why not. Thirty minutes later I met Mauro and we went into a
room on my floor where a handful of people were hanging out and getting ready
for the evening. I met some British girls—Meg and Natalie—and some Swedish
girls—Agnes and a girl who I can’t remember/pronounce her name—and off we went
to Darling Harbor. The British girls were broke, like had two dollars in their
account, and were severely inebriated upon leaving Elephant. That aside, they
taught me a great philosophy for going out:
if you don’t have money with you, you won’t spend it. So simple, but so
brilliant. Anyway, I kept them from running into light poles and traffic on our
way to Darling Harbor and promptly lost them upon getting into the club, which
was fine with me. I spent the rest of the night with Mauro and the Swedish
girls—there were five of them total and Mauro apparently had been hanging out
with them all week. We called it a night early and came back around midnight
and spent the next few hours talking with the girls while they tried to teach
us Swedish phrases. I was actually amazed that our conversation lasted that
long. Usually, my small talk goes something like this: “What’s your name? Where are you from? What’re
you doing in Australia? So…tattoos?” and if they don’t have anything to say
about tattoos I’m kind of out of things to say. But I asked what the Swedish
stereotype is and they said “Ikea and meatballs.” So there you have it. Sweden
in a nutshell. Ikea. Meatballs.
Today I didn’t have a plan. I
woke up around 9:00 and just started walking. I grabbed a Starbucks (I know, I
couldn’t believe me either) and walked down to Darling Harbor and went into the
Sydney Aquarium. Wow. Just wow. It was amazing and now the idea I had for a thigh
sleeve has been completely revamped. I am now armed with hundreds of new sea
creatures and ideas to get put on me. If you ever make it to Sydney, go to the
aquarium. I then got lunch at a café on the harbor and grabbed dessert from the
Lindt restaurant. Yes, it’s an entire chocolate restaurant. I walked for a good
while down to the opera house, saw that, and then realized I’d left my sun
glasses on the table at the restaurant. So I walked back and miraculously found
them! Win! Since I was back at Darling, I walked across the way to the Hard
Rock Café, had a pint, and spent an hour reading music magazines and looking at
the memorabilia.
I then returned to my hostel and
found that my computer won’t connect to the internet here, so I went to
Starbucks to use theirs. So that’s cool. After that I went to China town and had
dinner. It started pouring while I was eating and after dinner I went across
the street into a little Asian mall. I got a bubble tea—boba tea—pearl drink—whatever
you want to call it. But it was great! I hadn’t had one since I was in NYC with
Tyler and Chris two years ago! It was still raining, so I ran from awning to
awning with the rest of Sydney until I got back to Elephant. I was quite moist
when I got back. So I typed this and I’ll post it tomorrow at Starbucks.
I do have a plan for tomorrow
though! It goes something like this:
breakfast at Lindt, then the art museum for their contemporary art
gallery, hopefully to the Sydney Tower for a fancy lunch, then up to Kings
Cross for a look about, then look for a good place to get a photo of the opera
house and the harbor bridge in one shot. If I can’t get lunch at the Tower, I’ll
have lunch in Kings Cross and go to the Tower (which is the tallest building in
Sydney) for the sunset and get dessert and a drink. Yes, I’m going to do it
like my mother would, I’m going to have my dessert BEFORE I go out for dinner.
So hopefully that all goes smashingly.
A blurry picture of Darling at night
Moon jellyfish
Blue water, white death
Been there. Done that.
Nearly seven months ago, on a crazy night, Alison Jenkins tied this on me and it hasn't let go yet.
Some side notes: Since I wasn’t in town for my mom’s birthday,
I know where I’m going to take her out to when she comes to Sydney in July, but
shhhhhh! It’s a secret. I talk about my brother to nearly everyone I meet
because he’s way cooler and more interesting than I am. Sydney reminds me of a
cleaner NYC. Also, I’ve seen doppelgängers of loads of my friends here. The
other week, I saw a blond Bradlee Merideth. Yeah. I also have seen/heard of so
many cool ideas that I want to try and get started in Springfield when I get
back. Finally, I’ve got HEAPS of videos
to upload once I’m back in Ballarat, yes, including my skydive. Get excited.
Happy Easter y’all
~’Merica
Take care
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