24

I leave this place in 24 days. That's wild.

Everyone told me my time here would fly by and I didn't believe them. But it has. As much as I miss my friends and family, I don't think I'm ready to leave. I feel like I've just gotten to the point where I've created a life for myself over here. I feel like I'm just starting to sink in my roots and now I'm so close to leaving. I was talking with Will last night and we both started getting really upset about my leaving. I'm bummed that I'm probably never going to see these people again. But that's life, I suppose.

And for all you who wondered if I would fall in love with some girl over here, well, I the woman I'm going to marry. She makes cakes for a living.

So, last night was the Black Tie Ball. It was a huge disappointment. We all got ready to go and headed out early, around 8:00. When we got there, it was a big room, PACKED with people. You had to yell to be heard and the setup was really odd. Half of the room was a dance floor and the other half had a couple round tables oddly placed around. You were constantly finding yourself having to squeeze between people and tables and lines of people waiting to use their drink cards. We just weren't feeling it. So we left. We (me, Will, Benny, and Joel) got home at 10:30 and just hung out together. We watched some TV and just enjoyed the quiet unit. One of our friends, Egypt (they call him Egypt just like they call me America), came over for a bit and we met his girlfriend. We just had a pretty chill, quiet night in. It was nice. Will and Joel left today for the weekend, Teish left after tea and Alex and Benny are leaving in the morning. It's going to be a very quiet weekend here.

Anyway, that's it for now.

Take care,
~D

2001

Still D.R.E.

Will introduced me to Spotify which, if you don't know, is an online music player with just about any and every song you could ask for. It's made finals season much more pleasant. I've started listening to a lot more Dr. Dre, Toro Y Moi, Radical Face, and Ugly Casanova.

I was pretty stressed at the beginning of the week, knowing everything I had to get done. So I sat down and drew up a weekly schedule with everything I needed to get done on it. I broke my papers up into three sections and have been working steadily. It's been much easier to approach my papers with the mindset of "I only have to write 700 words today." It's made things much more bearable. I just finished my first essay a day ahead of schedule and am about to have lunch before I get to work on my next essay. I'm in a really good place with both of them, though, which is great.

The other thing on my agenda this week is the Black Tie Ball. It's the first annual formal event by Stonecutters (remember, that "social club" I belong to) and by the look and sound of it, things are going to be really good. It's obviously formal, and it's the last chance everyone on Res has to go out before finals start. I haven't been out in a while and everyone else is all excited that I'm going out with them, so we'll see how it goes. There's no reason it shouldn't be a good time. I'm also excited because I'll be all suited up but still look like a bum because I have the worst mustache you've ever seen. Yes, it's still growing. It's almost to the point where it looks like it's on purpose, rather than me just having forgot to shave for a few days. It almost looks like real (bad) facial hair, instead of just some dirt I need to wipe off my face.

Also, the other night we raided Teish's room while she was out. We took everything out of her room except for her desk, even her fridge. She was really unhappy about it and had a good go at us about it. But we put everything back, just like we always do. It was a classic night.

Oh, also, I found an ironing board in my bed one night when I went to sleep. 

 I make my coffee a bit strong...

 Teish's room. We left her the ironing board. 

 We moved her fridge to the bathroom. 

 Will put on her footie jumper and had a tough time getting it off. 

Anyway, that's what's up.
Catchya
~D

Lucy

I just had this realization and I felt that it merited a blog post.

After writing this, I realized it sounds a bit bitter, but it's not, it's really not. The following is just a handful of observations that I have discovered for myself.

Last night I came up with a new idea for a writing project. I realized I hadn't written anything overly romantic and mushy in a while, so I wanted to do a series of love letters (like that hasn't been done before). I had a name for it and everything. I was going to call it "To:  Lucy, From:  Daniel."

But when I sat down to start working on it, nothing came out, I've forgotten how to be sickeningly romantic and overly cheesy. I've my list of clever, reworked cliches. And, in a way, I think that's wonderful. I was talking it over with Tyler today and realized this:   love letters have all been done before, from King Solomon to Shakespeare to Nicholas Sparks, they've all said it before. Maybe it's been said in different ways or under different settings, but it's all been said. I realized that love letters all start to sound the same real quick and that the trick to writing a good love letter is saying something that hasn't been said before. But where the real problem comes in is most of everything good has been said already. In order to write a good love letter, you can't be sincere because all the sincere things have been said and overworked. Everything that was ever sincere, is just a cliche now. Now, what you're left with, if you're trying to write a good love letter, is just a bunch of recycled tid-bits from a string of romantic comedies and sappy love songs on the radio. If you figure out how to write a good love letter that says something that hasn't been said before, let me know.

Now, I'm not saying that love isn't real. I definitely believe in it and there's definitely love in my life. I'm simply saying love has been overworked a bit. If you think about it, love has sort of sold itself out. Love is a sellout. It's been sold out to movies, music, prose, poetry, art, and even food (think about all those heart-shaped chocolates and pizzas and candies you see around February). Think about it, does love have any self-respect left, or is it just too sold-out to think about that. Is love just too busy making a buck and getting used in a Hallmark card to really be meaningful or honest? Let's face it, love has spread itself pretty thin over the centuries, too thin, in my opinion. Let's face it, love is old news and worn out. Yikes. Think about it, everyone is trying to figure out what went wrong in the world. Isn't it obvious? Love died.

Maybe you have a different opinion on love and maybe you have a different experience and perspective on it, and that's totally okay. But for me, I'm just going to go ahead and say it, love is dead. And to be honest, I'm pretty excited about it because realizing that I'm out of shallow cliches and overused word patterns, means that I now get to rediscover love in a new way, in a way that makes sense and is real to me, rather than a way that the world has told me it should be.

Chew on all that for a while. Have a good think on it for yourself. Argue with me. Let me know what you think.

The sun is setting so I need to start thinking about making tea soon.

Peace!
~Daniel

Swag!

Who doesn't want to read a post called "Swag!"

Life is in the slow lane. I haven't been doing any traveling and I'm gearing up for finals. I've got two essays to write and two actual tests to take. It's not a real heavy load, but finals are finals.

It's raining here. It's been raining all day and I love it. I'm listening to Frank Ocean and haven't put pants on yet today.

I've been Skyping people lately. I talked to the girl who has taken over the position at he Park Board that I held last year. She's stressed and has every right to be. It's a stressful job. But I'm sure she'll do just fine. I talked with Tyler. His beard is the manliest thing I've seen in a while. He's going on eight months of growth. For me, I'm on week three of the mustache and yes, it's still bad. Tyler encouraged me to keep it going and bring it home. I just might. Some of you might be lucky enough to see me with six weeks worth of mustache on my face. That's exciting, right? I talked with my mom; it's her first day of summer and she's got just a few more weeks until she leaves for AU. That's exciting!

I feel bad that I don't have much to report and that I'm not posting as often. I'll try and get up to some really great adventures and pull some really outrageous stunts in the next few days so I'll have some good stories for you. Sound good?

I had a dream I was in Canada with my brother last night. That was nice.

Here's what I learned this week in school. Red Riding Hood is all about rape. Yeah, how's that for the message of a children's story that's been passed down for over 500 years. However, looking at all the adaptations and the emphasis which each author has placed on various parts of the story is really, really interesting. I'm writing one of my final essays on it.

Anyway, cheers guys. Let me know about the best dream you've had in the past week.
~Daniel

Lamb

I haven't posted in a few days but not a lot has been going on the past few days.

I've been running more. Do you guys remember when I used to be a runner, when I used to run 30 miles a week and be skinnier than what should be healthy? Yeah, I don't know why I ever did it either. The reason I'm doing it now is for a few reasons. First, I'm out of shape, and that's something I've always been, in shape. Second, I'm starting to worry that all the butter and bacon might be taking its toll on me. It's really just a precautionary thing, but hey, nothing wrong with being fit, right?

I've been listening to a lot of jazz while I cook. That's been good. I've been cooking some different things and looking at/learning a lot of new recipes. Winter is setting in here and it's coat weather most days and it's been getting real cold at night (which is always when I decide to run for some reason). But the cold weather is putting me into the Christmas mode which isn't all that good because, well, it's May. But I've started thinking about the food I want to cook for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last night I had a dream I was telling my mom about a new recipe/method I had for cooking the turkey. I remember in the dream she wasn't all that thrilled about it because it involves a lot of butter, but I'm sure I can talk her into it by the time the holidays roll around. I rant about this all the time to my friends here but I can't wait to get home to my knives. I'm not saying that the knives me and my brother have are all that great, in fact, they're pretty ordinary. I'm just saying the knives here are THAT bad. Some things I've made in the past few days have been sausage rolls, roast leg of lamb, lamb risotto, lamb gravy, lamb steaks, and some sort of chocolatey-stuffed pastry I don't even know what to call.

I've been thinking about tattoos a lot lately and I know I've always said I'm going to wait until I have a real job to get work done below my elbows, but the more I think about it, the more I want to get the rest of my left arm lined when I get home. We'll see. It's still a long way out.

This week I tried a Pinot Noir that was really nice. It was a New Zealand wine and got really good reviews from the sorts of people who know about that sort of thing. I enjoyed it. I also tried an Asian beer that was pretty good. It definitely tasted like an Asian beer but isn't something I think I'd want to have on a regular basis. It was good but, to be honest, I just bought it because of the bottle.

I've been writing a bit more this week. I'm still working on that piece about a heroin addict. That's been good. And that's about all I have to say about that.

I had a really bizarre thought one night this week where I considered being a vegetarian for a little bit. But that thought didn't last long.

So this food I've been making. I challenged myself one night to go to the store and come back with two ingredients--a protein and something to go with it--under $15 to make dinner out of for the next two nights. I came back with a half leg of lamb and four rashers of bacon. I still didn't know what I was going to do with it so I set all my ingredients out on the counter and just looked at them. When it came to me, I cut two pockets into the lamb, rubbed it with salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, and rosemary, then stuffed it with bacon. I then rubbed the whole lamb with the same ingredients and wrapped it in bacon (Alison thinks I use too much bacon when I cook but I argue that there is no such thing, especially when it tastes so good). When it came out of the oven, I used the drippings to make gravy. It was great. After dinner, I carved up the rest of the lamb and used the bone to make lamb stock which I used the next night in a lamb risotto along with the rest of the lamb carvings. Yes, that was great, too. I served the risotto with lamb steaks that someone bought me to make them tea with. I made risotto for four people (myself included) and used about $.60 of rice. They bought me the rest of the ingredients which probably totaled to about $12. Sometimes it pays to cook for people.

Waiting for inspiration 

 Bacon wrapped goodness out of the oven 

 Perfection 

 Lamb on Lamb. 

 Filled with more calories than you can imagine. 

What we did last night go a little out of hand. Months ago I found a recipe for "chocolate croissants." I hate to call them that because they're really an insult to French baking. Still, they resemble it enough, are incredibly easy to make, and people love them. Teish has started buying me the few ingredients required for chocolate croissants every week and devouring them like no one's business. Last night, instead of putting chocolate in the middle, we started putting in chocolate tim-tams and mars bars and any sort of chocolate we could find. It got out of hand real fast but they were so good. But so bad for you.

My RA is trying to convert me from NFL to AFL and said that some Sunday we'll have a typical Aussie Sunday where we make roast lamb, pumpkin, and pavlova for lunch, watch footie highlights and the footie game of whoever is playing that night. It's hard to argue with that so I hope it happens soon.

I post about food a lot...oh well.

I read an article today that Melbourne and Sydney are ranked the number 7 and 8 most expensive cities in the world to live in. That's been rough on me as a tourist who can't work.

Anyway, life is good and I hope things are going well with all of you.

Take care and stay classy
~Daniel

Compare and Contrast

Before I get into the heart of this post let me say a few things about my life here in AU.

Recently, I made my RA, Christopher Radford, a man. As my brother did for me, I coached him along in his first deep frying session....

A couple nights ago me, my RA and a few of his friends, acquired Alex's (my roommate) key card--for some reason that girl never learns; she always leaves her room open and her phone on her desk. We had Ash (from next door) call her over to his room and talk for a while. While she was engaged with that, we opened her room and took her bed upstairs to the kitchen where some of the guys from the units (who had been drinking heavily) climbed in and went for a cuddle. Needless to say, when Alex discovered her bed, she screamed...a lot...and demanded (along with the security guard on duty) that we take her bed back to her room. It looked something like this...


Pictured here:  Philpot (big spoon) and C-Train (little spoon)

Remember me telling you about that AMAZING BBQ chicken pizza? Well here it is...

Here's another story. I was working on an assignment the other night and Alex came into my room. She flopped down on my bed and curled up immediately. I asked her, "Girl, why you so tired?" and she answered with a series of snores. When I woke her up to go to tea, she left my bed with a big old drool stain. It looked something like this...

This morning, I had my STE (Student Teaching Experience) for my PE class. It took a little bit of adjusting on the fly, but overall I feel like my presentation/teaching went well, although, I'm not sure I can say the same for my partner. We had to teach the skill of "vertical jump" and in-cooperate games with it. We used basketball-related games. However, my partner, Darcy, told me he's going, on scholarship, to some school in Georgia (or Alabama, or Mississippi, or Georgia...I can't remember) to play division one football and be the football team's kicker! He said their first game is against Mississippi State and will be in front of 85 thousand people! Anyway...

So what I really wanted to talk about in this post was the idea of comparing and contrasting. I started this post while I was having a conversation, online, with one of my friends, Josiah, who is currently living in Alaska and making a fantastic living for himself. We both asked the question, "Tell me about Australia/Alaska!?" We talked about a lot and had a great conversation. We talked about salary vs. education. We talked about the "New American Dream." We talked about money vs. happiness. And we talked about having relationships with our siblings.  Here are a few quotes from our chat...

"Yeah, like last night, on a work night, i slept in my hammock, under the stars, woke up to the Alaskan sun a t 3 am and breathed 98% pure air. I wake up to a cove full of seals everyday, and i get to take people 100 feet in the air and hang out. its awesome"


"Live with no regrets, and life wont treat you badly. Find a job you love and you never work a day in your life. There's no reason to ever be unhappy, and no reason to settle for a life you dont want to be in."
"For sure man. That's why I admire my brother so much. He's a tattoo artist, doing what he LOVES and making bank. That's legit. He struggled for years for that and I watched it, which makes it so much more fulfilling for him to live and me to watch."


"The "American Dream" is/has changing/changed drastically. It's no longer the 60's white picket fence. It's a new age of labor and happiness and our generation is what's defining it."
"For real it is, its getting back to the things that make you happy and finding the joy in life not money. To find life in the people around you and what you can make in memories instead of a paycheck."


"I gotta say though, i'm jealous of you and your brothers deal. Me and my brother are nothing alike."
"I love my brother, so much. I miss him and love him more than anything or anyone. I'm definitely luck to have him and to have our relationship. We're a rare breed in many ways. But we've been through a lot of hard times together (founded on some of the most difficult and painful situations) which made our relationship so close...just don't ever take him [or your relationship] for granted."

So here're are a few more things. Since the Atmosphere show, I've been listening to his new album, The Family Sign, more. Furthermore, the other album I've been listening to is John Mayer's "Born and Raised." It has a very heavy country sound to it (Dad, you might be into it), which is not something I'm usually into. However, after listening to the album a few times, I feel this way:  if his last album Battle Studies had heart, this album has soul. My favorite tacks on this album (as of now) are Something Like Olivia (simply because of its electric blues roots on this dominantly acoustic album), Shadow Days, Born and Raised, Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967 (a wonderful balled), and Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey. Mayer has taken two years away from city life to find himself and reflect on his life and this album definitely shows it. As honest as his last album was, this album is equally honest, if not more so. So, as much as I don't like the Country genre, I AM a Mayer fan and this album is lyrically brilliant. Absolutely brilliant and incredibly raw and honest. I dig.

Anyway, check out John's new album if you feel like it. It releases Tuesday and is currently streaming on iTunes. Otherwise, I'll catch y'll later. Miss you.

XO
~Daniel

Mom

This one is for my mom.

Hey, Mom. I'm sorry I couldn't be there this Mother's Day. I know how much this day means to you. I know how much being a mom means to you. I know how much you love being a mom. I just wanted to say thanks.

I spent all day today asking people what they did for their mom for Mother's Day. I spent all day unable to shake the feeling that I'm being a bad son for being absent for not only your birthday, but also Mother's Day. Regardless, I hope you have a wonderful day.

You've been the best mom I could ask for and I know it hasn't been easy. I know it's probably been one of the hardest things you've ever done, raising me. I know I haven't always been the easiest child in the world. I know I've probably put you through a lot and am the cause of a few grey hairs. But I wanted to say thanks, thanks for sticking with it and not giving up on me. Thanks for doing the very best that you could, through the easy times and the difficult ones. Thanks for not giving up on me and for showing me unconditional love and support through all of my years and endeavors. Thank you for bringing me into the kitchen at such a young age and teaching me that there is no such thing as too much chocolate. Thank you for driving hours and hours to go to my soccer games. Thank you for putting up with years of me playing drums upstairs that shook the house and could be heard down the street. Thank you for helping me with so much school work. Thank you for listening to me read you all those countless pages and stories. Thank you for helping me to become such a good editor. Thank you for supporting me when I started fighting. Thank you for coming to my first fight. That actually meant a lot. Thank you for teaching me so many invaluable lessons. Thank you for ingraining so many good habits and qualities that I don't even think about on a day-to-day basis. Thank you for not getting mad when I started getting tattoos or when I pierced my nose. Thank you for always looking out for me and always having my best interest in mind.

Thank you for being so supportive of me chasing my dreams.

Thank you for being so supportive, in every way, when I told you I was moving 9,000 miles away for half a year.

Thank you for never trying to hold me back.

I've told complete strangers how good of a mom you have been to me. I am so grateful, lucky, and blessed to have you as my mom. Despite what anyone else may think, I think you've done an incredible job raising me. So, thank you for everything. Thank you for all of the things I didn't mention. You are such an inspiration in so many ways. Thank you for being such a good mom to me. Thank you for being my mom. I love you.




Now, this post was going to be all about MY mom, but there are definitely some other moms in my life that deserve some recognition.

Momoo
You obviously did a great job raising my mother. You should be very, very proud. Thank you for always being such a huge cheerleader and supporter of me and my endeavors. I've always known that you have loved me and I count myself lucky to be one of your grandchildren. Thank you so much for keeping in touch with me over the years and over the oceans. Thank you for all the beautiful memories that you have helped me create.

Jen
You have been a second mother to me for years and helped me through so much. I've always known that I could turn to you and tell you anything. You've given me some incredible advice over the years and helped me sort through some of my most troubled times. It seems that we are always discovering new quirks and similarities that make us wonder if, in some way, we are, indeed, related. I've always felt like a bit of an older brother to your kids and have always valued having you in my life. Thank you for everything you've done for me and all the things you've helped me with.

Megan
You have shown me motherhood in a whole new light than I ever imagined it. You have displayed a love for your children which I cannot fathom and have made me realize that there are new depths and aspects of love which I may never know. You have shown me that love overcomes doubt and trials. You have shown me that love perseveres and presses on through the most difficult of circumstances. You have shown me that in the end, love wins. Thank you.

Mandie
If I were home, I would have sneaked into your house this morning and left you a dozen tulips on your kitchen table. You have been one of my best friends over the past few years and proven that being a mother takes a kind of love that isn't always easy. But you've shown me that love is relentless. I know the love you have for your daughter is beyond words. I know it is strong, and it know it endures. Thank you for being there for me in so many ways, in so many circumstances, so many times. You're the best. Happy Mother's Day.


I'm excited to go to bed because I know when I wake up, I'll get to Skype my mom and tell her happy Mother's Day. Six weeks until I see my parents in Melbourne. I can't wait.

To all the mothers in my life, I give you a standing ovation for the lives you live and the depth of love and dedication which you possess. You amaze me. Happy Mother's Day to all of you.

And for the rest of you reading this, make sure you tell your moms you love them. This is their day.

Love you, Mom
~Your son

Go to Sleep My Little Time Bomb

Melbourne was good to me.

I arrived on time and got to my room on track with what I had anticipated. I then headed down to the library and spent several hours working on my exam for my online film studies class. I felt pretty good about the end result. We'll have to see if my instructor felt the same.

After my test, I went back to my room, threw on a jumper and headed to the show. The thing about shows is that they usually never tell you when the show is actually going to start, just when the doors will open. So, when the doors opened at 7:30, I was there. I then waited for roughly two hours before anything happened. That was a bit frustrating. Some local guy from Melbourne opened for Evidence and Atmosphere. He was terrible. Like really, really bad.

Around 10, Evidence went on. I've never listened to Evidence before but he put on a great show and I really enjoyed it. I'll probably start listening to him a bit more. Finally, about 11 or 11:30 Atmosphere took the stage with his outfit of a keyboard player (who was playing four different keyboards), a guitar player, and Anthony, his DJ. It's the same setup he's been playing with for the about the past three years or so.

Atmosphere opened with Became off his latest album and then the set list went something like this (in no specific order):

God Loves Ugly

Onemosphere

Lovelife

Shrapnel

Modern Man’s Hustle

Guns and Cigarettes

The Woman With the Tattooed Hands

Sunshine

Trying to Find a Balance

Bird Sings Why the Caged I Know

Always Coming Back Home to You

Puppets

Shoulda Known

Little Man

Yesterday
Guarantees

She’s Enough

Just For Show  

It was a fantastic show and that's about all I can say about it. The biggest response he got from the crowd was from God Loves Ugly (a track that's 10 years old) and Trying to Find A Balance. There was one point in the show where Slug showed some subtle but sincere emotion after playing Little Man--a song to his son and his father--and Yesterday--a song paying tribute to his deceased father--back to back. I got to thinking about it and realized how hard it must be to play those songs night after night because the crowd wants to hear it, even though it's simply reopening a rather painful part of his life. But enough of the analysis. The show was fantastic and I heard every song I wanted to except for Say Hey There. But I'm content. 

Something I really appreciate about Australia is the fact that you can find banana milk basically anywhere. I love banana milk. It's my favorite flavor of milk. What's yours? 

I really like trains, as well. I love the concept of trains and how predictable they are. You don't have to worry about traffic. You don't have to worry about getting in an accident (and if you do, you're probably not alive to complain about it and you've made it on the evening news). You don't have to power down your cell phone or laptop for "takeoff." You can get up and walk about anytime you want. You don't have to focus on the road and can watch the scenery go by. You don't have to worry about the road being bumpy so it's almost always a smooth ride. And, if you feel so inclined, you can meet some interesting people on trains. I love taking the train fro Ballarat to Melbourne. One of the big reasons I enjoy this train ride is that you can't oversleep your stop. The train terminates in Southern Cross--your stop, is the last stop. If you can see where this is headed, yes, I almost overslept my stop in Ballarat. Yes, I almost ended up in the next city over (wherever that might be). Thankfully, a V-Line worker woke me up and asked if this was my stop. He was nice enough to tell the conductor to hold the train so I could get off. But even if I hadn't gotten off, it would've made a pretty good story. 

It's eerily quiet on Res. Everyone's gone home to be with their mothers for Mother's Day. Mine is just a bit out of reach right now. It's weird, this is the first Mother's Day I won't be with my mom. 

Ash is still here, though, and tonight we're making pizza. He wants to make some sort of veggie pizza (cause he's healthy and stuff) and I'm making a BBQ chicken pizza using my Secret Sailor Jerry sauce that I've been saving in the freezer. I'm stoked. 

Right now, all of my lifeguard friends are at Bootcamp, which is the Park Board's annual recertification training for all the guards. It's notoriously hellish but I've always enjoyed the challenge. I'm actually missing not being there right now. I'm missing the controlled chaos, the antics, the team builders, the assessments, the leadership meetings, and the inevitable breakdowns of rookie guards. Oh the memories. In fact, here's a photo from last year's bootcamp. The theme was indians...

 This is Katie, the awesome head guard I had the privilege of working with all last summer. She was helping me put on my war paint. 

This was the finished product. I was in charge of giving people their first instructions. I was every rookie guard's first impression of bootcamp. (and yes, that is a hint of a dirty mustache I have)

Speaking of dirty mustaches. I'm debating growing it out again. That is to say, I've started growing it out again. We'll have to see how far it gets this time. 

Take care guys. 

~D

Swim Good

Frank Ocean, Swim Good.

I've started thinking about summer. There's a lot that comes with that, but I've been thinking mostly about going home and jumping back into the whole lifeguard scene. With that being said I got back in the pool for the first time in three months yesterday. I went for a 1K swim and it did not feel good. However, surprisingly, I feel pretty good today. I want to start working out again. My cardio has kinda gone to hell and I want to fix that. I'd like to swim M/W/F and run T/H. But that means I'd have to go run today. And I hate running. But it's alright; there's not a better feeling than being done with a good workout.

Today, Nathan posted a picture of him getting more work done on his leg sleeve. Yes, I still have tattoo fever. I miss my brother a lot. I feel like I'm missing a lot back home. I'm ready to come home and get back to real life.

Here's a story. It was just a week or so before I left and I was nervous, terrified, actually. I was talking to Alison about it and how I was afraid of being so far away from everyone. She reassured me that I was doing the right thing and told me that it didn't matter how far away I was; she could always come find me if I really needed her. I had that sort of desperation a few nights ago, not that I needed her or anyone else to come see me, but that I needed to go home and see my brother. I miss him that much and I know he misses me. We're counting down the weeks until we're together in Sydney. Eight more.

I was really excited to make vodka sauce last night. I went grocery shopping and got everything I needed. Except an onion. So hopefully vodka sauce will happen tonight. I've been going over a bunch of different recipes from a bunch of different places/chefs and have come up with my own. I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out. I've never made it before but I'm definitely keen to.

Atmosphere in two days.

Every night, Alex asks me to come into her room and give her a life talk. It's like telling her a bedtime story. Most of the time my life talks aren't very serious and consist of me stretching a long way to make a very bizarre analogy for something in her life (one night I compared her love life to a high five. That was a stretch.) . Sometimes I elaborate on cliches in a very dramatic and cliche fashion. But it's always good or, at least, I figure it's got to be entertaining because she keeps asking me to come back every night.

Alex found out I have a blog and wanted to know "Have you talked about me????" and, of course, I have. But we've decided we're going to do an Alex Gowers exclusive post, where it's all about Alex. Should be good. So watch out for that in the next few days.

I also need to update my YouTube channel with a few things from Melbourne. If nothing else, I'll post bulk videos after the Atmosphere show.

Life is good. But I'm ready to come home and see everyone I love.
~D

Bleeding Out

Lucas Ramsay, aka, "Brief," the top name in local (Springfield) hip hop, recently released his new album entitled Bleeding Out. Being over here I haven't gotten my hands on a copy. However, Nathan said he's going to try and email me the files. I can't wait. 

So back to Melbourne. 

I went out on Friday night to a Burlesque club. My dad warned me not to post details so I'll spare you. I will say, though, that it's not what you think. It's not a strip club. There's no nudity. I will say that it was some of the best entertainment I've seen in a long time. It was really, really eye-opening and very artistic. As interesting as the show was, the crowd was. It wasn't a bunch of sleazy guys getting off work with a pocket full of one dollar bills. It was friends, couples, old couples, guys in three-piece suits and, of course, some of "my kind" of people, with tattooed hands and holes in their face. There was a girl in the crowd about my age and her hair was shorter than mind. And she was absolutely gorgeous. Anyway, the show was fantastic, the acts were incredible, and the food was tasty. If you want to know more, I'll tell you, and if you don't, I'll still tell you when I see you in person because it was so amazing and had such hope and power. The last thing I'll say about it is this, the best act, was a guy who had won Mr. Boylesque Australia 2012. I am definitely straight, and wouldn't necessarily choose to see a boy burlesque dancer, but it was by far the best act of the night. Now that's art. 

I met some people at the show. Garreth and Maddie. Garreth was an artist--a painter. He was 37 and celebrating his half birthday, as he had been given vouchers for the venue for his birthday and was finally cashing them in. He was one of many wearing a suit at the venue. He had two children, 11 and 7. He was divorced. Maddie, was a friend of his. They were from the same, small town, and had more or less grown up together. Maddie was 21, in a committed four-year relationship, and an art student, studying in Melbourne. They were delightful people. After the show, they invited me to spend the rest of the evening with them. After a little convincing, I agreed, and we headed to Garreth's favorite hole-in-the-wall bar, Gin Palace. It was a small place, but had an incredibly classy feel to it. Dim lighting revealed small pockets of coffee tables and old-looking but very comfortable leather chairs and velvet stools. It had a very old sort of look to it. Garreth described it as the type of place you might have expected Oscar Wilde or Hemmingway to be seen in back in their day. Smooth jazz and swing music played softly in the background. 

We spent nearly four hours there sipping Winston Churchills (which Garreth so generously treated us to and I learned was said to be the world's greatest martini in 1959) and having fantastic conversation. We talked of children, parents, parenthood, art, history, literature, culture, right vs left brains, music, the changing of the times, religion, and various other topics. It was never a dull conversation. At the end of the night, we exchanged contact details and I promised to tell them the next time I was in the city. Maddie has family in Ballarat and I told her to let me know if she was in town. Garreth is from Warrnambool and told me if I ever found myself there, that I had a place to stay. We shook hands and said our goodbyes.

I'm glad I met them. 

Now, as promised, here are some photos from my time in Melbourne. 

Federation Square. 

Melbourne has some fantastic architecture. 

 Some skyline and sunset. 

(This was the bluest the sky was the whole time I was there. Rain rain and overcast)

Also, that's the aquarium at the bottom.

 Happy Feet. 

 Coolest thing. 

 Moon Jellyfish. Could've watched this for hours if a group of first graders didn't come in and start screaming. 

 Eureka Sydeck. 88th story. Highest viewing platform in southern hemisphere. 

Fourth highest in the world. 

 An Andy Warhol in the National Gallery of Victoria 

I've been having really vivid dreams about being back home. They all have two things in common:  driving my car and seeing my brother. I really miss him. 

I can't wait to see my family and spend time running around AU with them. Not too much longer now. 

~D

The Six People You'll Meet in a Hostel

Today was good.

I woke up at 8, had breakfast in the hostel lobby and headed to Queen Elizabeth Market (I think that’s what it’s called) which is a huge outdoor market—two city blocks! I was there for about two hours and had to hold myself back from buying heaps of stuff. The fresh produce they had was pretty incredible, too. Alison Jenkins talked me down from wanting to buy a $400 knife set. Thanks Alison. 

Then I went to the Melbourne Aquarium. It was good. It was bigger than Sydney's and had better critters--except for sharks. Sydney had better sharks. After that I went to the Crown Entertainment Complex and realized I was in WAY over my head. I don't need to own anything by Guess or Hugo Boss or whoever. So I went to the casino, went to the most expensive roulette table, and watched people throw away thousands of dollars for nearly two hours. I then grabbed some sushi and ran up to Eureka Sky Deck--88 floors up. It's the tallest viewing platform in the southern hemisphere. But I liked Sydney's "Sydney Tower" better. Then was the Victoria National Gallery. That was good stuff. Now I'm back in my hostel preparing for a night out. 

Tomorrow I'll post pictures from my Melbourne Adventures and maybe some more details (I'm running a little short on time at the moment). But for now, here's the six people you'll meet in every hostel. 

Last night I wrote this. Hope you enjoy. 

The Six People You Will Meet in a Hostel

1)      The Quiet Asian Guy:  Let’s face it, with the world’s highest population being Asian, statistically, you will see this guy just about everywhere. The Quiet Asian Guy can be young or old; it does not matter. However, it seems that Quiet Asian Guy is often a middle aged man, usually traveling alone. Quiet Asian Man will say very little; he is eerily quiet. Even if you attempt to communicate with Quiet Asian Man, he will politely say the fewest words necessary, smile, and return to his book/magazine/iPad/iPhone/computer/technological device. Quiet Asian Man also sleeps an amazing amount. He has an uncanny ability to sleep with the lights on and/or fully clothed and/or on top of his blankets. He also tends to go to bed early, even as early as 8 or 9 o’clock. Even though Quiet Asian Man may go to bed at an obscenely early hour, this does not necessarily mean he will rise early. However, if he does rise early, he will leave with ghost-like silence (some may say he possesses “ninja-like” skill). Although Quiet Asian Man may not keep you company or ask you “what’s wrong?” or “what did you do today?” he is a steady, polite, quiet, and respectful roommate.

2)     British Girl:  British girl is a barrel of fun in any situation. She is outgoing and will introduce herself. She is not afraid of confrontation or speaking her mind. Usually between the ages of 18 and 22, British Girl is not always the most attractive girl, but  has an irresistible charm to her (perhaps residing in the accent). British Girl will invite you to join a drinking game, smash down more drinks than you can count, and leave you staggering in the dust as she dodges traffic at lightning speed on her way to the club where she knows the most boys will buy her drinks. Although sometimes a loose cannon, British Girl is always entertaining, up for a good time, and an overall good mate to keep around.

3)      Happy Foreign Guy:  Happy Foreign Guy has an incredibly obvious love for life evident from his wild eyes, to his goofy smile, to his very, very loud voice. He is a Type A personality on steroids. Happy Foreign Guy will talk your ear off and always has a new set of questions to ask you about your travels, your family, your favorite food, etc. He can often be compared to a Labrador puppy and can range from the age of early to late twenties and sometimes even into the early thirties. Happy foreign guy enjoys going out and having drinks. Unfortunately, the more drinks Happy Foreign Guy consumes, the louder his already loud and voice becomes and the more outstanding his already outstanding personality becomes. Happy Foreign Guy tends to be from Spanish or Middle Eastern country. Although Happy Foreign Guy will always give you the time of day and always be ready for a good conversation (or even a bad one for that matter), he tends to push the envelope and, at times, become “too much.”

4)      Beautiful European Girl:  Simply stated, Beautiful European Girl is all of the above. She is gorgeous. She is European (and it doesn’t matter where from because, frankly, you don’t care). And she is most definitely a woman. Often a cigarette smoker, Beautiful European Girl will make a filthy habit look good and, even if you don’t have a cigarette to offer, you hope and pray for her to look your way and ask, in whatever accent she may possess, “Do you have cigarette?” Beautiful European Girl can range from 18 to late 20s and always has an impeccable sense of style. She can be either quiet and mysterious, or loud and outgoing, but in the end, it just doesn’t matter—she’s THAT good looking. Whether Hot European Girl is a great roommate, or the hostel’s worst nightmare, it simply doesn’t matter, she is a staple of the hostel scene and will always be accepted in some form or another. 

5)      Guitar Guy:  Inexplicably, Guitar Guy has followed you through nearly every stage of life. When you were young, Guitar Guy was the kid who received his first guitar for his eighth birthday and from then on, always had more friends (or at least people around him). In high school, Guitar Guy was the one sitting on a bench in the hallway, or in the cafeteria, or outside the school, or under a tree in the courtyard, playing his mellow tunes and attracting the ladies. Amazingly, Guitar Guy used the exact same tricks in college and even more amazingly, they still worked. In the corporate world, Guitar Guy always made sure he dropped a line here and there about “his band” or “his axe” or “this one gig I played.” And yes, Guitar Guy has followed you to the hostel, sitting in the lobby or common room with one or more groupies listening to his melodic tones and trading musical chops. It’s not that Guitar Guy is necessarily a bad roommate, it’s just that, if you’re not intensely drawn to his musical ability as if a spell has been cast on you, it is highly likely that you will find Guitar Guy and his old tricks, hugely annoying.

6)      Looking for Work Guy:  Looking for Work Guy is a nomad and not native to the country in which he is residing. He will tell you that he had a job in the last city he was in, but no longer has the position for any number of reasons. It is reasonably safe to assume that he (or she) really did have a job at some point, or else, how else would they have money to pay for their room? Looking for Work Guy never seems to do much. He leaves in the morning and comes back at night, but never seems to have made any progress in his hunt for work and always seems to have an excuse for why he doesn’t have a job. He has become very good at living out of his suitcase or backpack and making the hostel his home. Looking for Work Guy is not a bad roommate, but he brings little to the table.

7)      Gap Year:  Gap Year can be a male or female and has simply taken the year off to “see the world,” aka “party a lot.” Gap Year always seems to have more money than they can spend and is always flush with alcohol and keen for a good time, regardless of the time, place, or circumstance. Gap Year is almost always young, usually 18 or 19, and rather reckless, ignorant, and irresponsible. The positive to Gap Year is that they are often times a native to the land you find yourself in and can act as a helpful guide. Gap Year can be a helpful adversary or a terrible nuisance.

Cheers guys, I'll post again tomorrow with photos and fun stuff 

~Daniel 

                                                                                                

Stare Like You'll Stay

It’s hot. Hot like I don’t want it to be. It’s sweating hot. And it’s raining. Today went like this.

I woke up. Got dressed. Ate toast. Left for the train station. Got caught in traffic. Missed my train. I was upset. I waited for the next train while listening to some voice of some person somewhere read me the lines of Chuck Palahniuk’s Survivor because I have too short of an attention span to read it for myself. I board the next train and sleep in and out for an hour until I arrive at Southern Cross. While climbing steep concrete stairs I stop and help an old Asian woman carry a bag that must weigh as much as her. I walk her out of the station and across the street to a bus stop. If it was my grandmother, traveling alone, struggling to haul her bag up a long flight of stairs, I'd like to think someone would stop and help her. She doesn’t even speak enough English to thank me, but I get the idea.

Then I’m lost and it’s raining. I’m in Melbourne and realizing I’m utterly lost. I’m trying to recall images of Google Maps in my head. Trying to suddenly have a photographic memory. And it’s not working. After a long time walking, after walking aimlessly for as long as it takes for me to listen to the second half of Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto and the first half of Death Cab for Cutie’s Photo Album, I break down and do the unthinkable. I ask for help. It’s funny how everything can look so small and manageable on a map, when it’s really not at all. After getting lost again and asking for help again, I arrive at my hostel an hour and a half late. I drop off my bags and head back into the rain. I’m listening to this voice in my ears again. It’s still telling me the same story and I’m making friends with the voice. It’s keeping me company, keeping me sane, in such a chaotic city. Then I wonder if I’m the one diving into chaos, into a sea of oblivion, and the thought passes.

Walking down the street in a city district equivalent to Kansas City’s Power and Light district on steroids, everyone is dressed well. Men in suits smoking cigarettes. Women in heels trying to weave around puddles that would swallow their ankles whole. I am the man in black wearing Adidas Sambas, black pants by H&M, a black V-neck by no one in particular, and a hooded, black pea-coat by Forever 21. Then I’m trying to wave off a group of people with flyers and clipboards but they surround me like a pack of wolves and I take out my headphones. A young girl with chapped lips asks me what I’m listening to. I tell her and she pretends to act interested. She makes small talk about me, about my life, like we’re about to be best friends. The whole time, she has this flyer in her hand and I’m waiting for her to get to the point, to go in for the kill. She asks me how old I am and I tell her. Then she tells me I’m not old enough to support their animal rights activist group. I ask her how old someone has to be to care about animals and she says 21. So I keep walking.

Then I’m at this place I so anticipated. I’m at Journal. And I’m shocked. People can do cheeky things with clevar camera angles these days. The place is the size of a master bedroom in a house that’s only trying to make a statement. It’s busy. It’s packed. It’s loud. So loud. Yes, it’s in a library like the description online said. But I don’t see anyone getting any sort of real work done here. It’s like walking into an Olive Garden, getting a table, and pulling out your laptop to try and get a few things off your chest. Send a few emails. Make a few business arrangements. I’m the only person alone here, and I’m the only person with a laptop out. This is no Mudhouse. This is no coffee shop. This is nothing like I expected.

So here I am. Listening to the Fight Club soundtrack and trying to figure out my next move. Because, to be honest, one of the biggest reasons I came to Melbourne this weekend was to write. It was so I could find that Mecca of quaint and respectable intelligence that would inspire my mind to complete the works I have started. Instead. I have a cappuccino with so much nutmeg on top it looks like a beach and this waiter guy who keeps trying to get me to buy something else, get off my laptop, leave. He keeps asking if he could do anything else and I want to tell him that if he could clear about two thirds of the people out, quiet the place down, give me the wifi password, and leave me alone for about three hours, it would be great. But I can’t. And he won’t. So now my back is sore from sitting in this awkward position at a bar where the seats are too close. Now I have to figure out my next move. Come on Melbourne, let’s work something out here. 

I've seen two sets of twins today. That has to mean something, right? 

Let's find out

~D

Escape

It's army week for a few more hours. I got eliminated today. But don't get me wrong, I put up a good fight.

I haven't had the best week.

I'm running off to Melbourne for the weekend to get some clarity and perspective. I'll let you know how it goes. You might hear a lot from me. Or you might not hear at all.

I'm staying in on this Wednesday night so I can wake up and be gone before anyone else stirs from their hung over state.

I bought goggles today. Speedo Vanquishers. With that being said, I'm trying to get back into swimming shape.

"Woke up, got up, near 11 o'clock, butt naked except I was wearing my socks, and that's cool cause most of the time this floor is cold." -Atmosphere.

Take care out there.

I put my headphones on for this world I ignore. Destination? Melbourne.
~D