I arrived in beautiful Brisbane Australia the morning of April 10, 2007. I relaxed by the pool at the Hilton waiting for my room to be ready. The hotel is nice. Very slick, clean and modern...like a W but less cold and more homey. The picture on that link of the room is exactly what my room looks like. :)
After we got our rooms, we all took quick showers before heading out to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where I got to not only see exotic birds and other animals but got to hand feed kangaroos and cuddle a koala. Very cool! I even saw a baby koala in her momma's pouch but she was in a protected area and I couldn't get a good picture through the fence.
More pictures to be uploaded soon. In the meantime please enjoy the Koala pics or check out my flickr sets if you can't wait!
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Eary April Musings (no pictures)
I started a paper journal on the plane to San Francisco with the intention of capturing blog posts to later type onto the computer. Here are my thoughts from April:
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Pete and I step outside the apartment on our way to my hair appointment and it is snowing! In April! (You saw the pictures of our barbecue two weeks ago when it was warm and sunny- I thought that weather was to stay!) Texas weather is crazy! Too bad because I was really looking forward to the Texas heat while I was in San Francisco fog, only to be teased by one and a half days of sunshine and then wind and cold. Last night we actually had to take the comforter back out of storage and put it on the bed it was so cold. But still the absurdity of the snow made me smile.
I got my hair cut and Pete played around with his new laptop. An Apple I Mac, fancy fancy. He loves it. Feels so good to have gotten my hair cut...for some reason my hair and nails grow crazy fast...even my hair dresser commented on the amount of grow out I'd had since my last appointment. Hair is fine with me...I like it long but my nails drive me crazy...I want them short and neat and since I can't keep a manicure, they look gross long.
So now I'm on a plane bound for SF again. Pete and I got to the airport crazy early because we dropped his car off for service and we weren't sure how long it would take to get to the airport from the repair shop. We hung out for like a minute before I got bored and decided to go through security (unfortunately there are no pre-security restaurants shops or bars at DFW)with over an hour to kill. I spent this time in a bar near my gate where I proceeded to accidentally get very drunk and almost miss my flight as they changed gates on me and I had difficulty reading the computer as I stumbled to my former gate only to find about 100 service men and woman lounging in the gate area. But I made it, and I upgraded to Premium Economy and the plane is pretty empty so I got bulkhead and the entire row to myself. Nice.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Last night my parents picked me up from the airport and I gorged on a Wahoo sandwich and watched a weird arty movie on IFC with my dad (we thought we were watching a horror movie and kept waiting and waiting for it to get scary but it just kept getting weirder and then it ended)before meeting up with Phil, Joe, Victor, Andy, Jaime, Adam and Jason hanging out in front of the Peacock lounge on Haight street.
This morning we got off to a late start, each family member dawdling over their own errands whilst lazily getting ready for Sunday brunch. I tested out my new webcam and Skype connection, talking to Pete and showing him my parent's new kitchen.
The sun was shining but the air had a bit of a chill to it. Auntie Joann and Luis once again hosted an awesome party with great food and drinks and conversation. The kids excitedly hunted Easter eggs in the backyard as the adults wandered around catching up with everyone. Unfortunately I was having such a good time revisiting with friends and family I did not take any pictures at all this weekend. I'm not Peter, it doesn't come second nature to me to capture memories on camera. I am usually too busy enjoying the moment and it is only when I look back at my meager picture offerings at the end of the day (or more accurately for me, the end of the month) that I express regret for not having captured more moments and events to share with others.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
(Monday April 9 disappears by the magic that is crossing the International Date Line)
Easter Sunday evening I got on the 12 hour Air New Zealand flight to Auckland where I would lay over for an hour before getting on another Air New Zealand flight for the 3 hour ride to my final destination of Brisbane, AUS. The flights were not bad at all...the trick is to take full advantage of AirNZ's Premium Economy class, especially on the long haul flight...it is definitely worth it. The seats have a little bit more leg room, you get to board early with Business class, you are separated from the rest of the aircraft, the food is a little bit better (served in courses...with a nice salad, fresh bread and a fancy New Zealand cheese course if you are into that). Juice water or champagne are offered immediately after boarding, water bottles and in-flight kits containing ear plugs, eye mask, socks and toothbrush and paste are waiting for you, also there are help yourself snacks available during the entire flight...fruit, cookies, water, juice,etc. The flight actually went by quickly...I ate dinner, watched a movie, slept, woke up for breakfast and then we landed.
Changing planes in Auckland wasn't too bad either...you don't have to go through customs or change terminals...you just do another security check and then hang out in the international terminal with oodles of duty free shopping, a fancy bar, and internet and massages for a fee.
Now I am in sunny Brisbane in the cab en route to our hotel. So excited!
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Pete and I step outside the apartment on our way to my hair appointment and it is snowing! In April! (You saw the pictures of our barbecue two weeks ago when it was warm and sunny- I thought that weather was to stay!) Texas weather is crazy! Too bad because I was really looking forward to the Texas heat while I was in San Francisco fog, only to be teased by one and a half days of sunshine and then wind and cold. Last night we actually had to take the comforter back out of storage and put it on the bed it was so cold. But still the absurdity of the snow made me smile.
I got my hair cut and Pete played around with his new laptop. An Apple I Mac, fancy fancy. He loves it. Feels so good to have gotten my hair cut...for some reason my hair and nails grow crazy fast...even my hair dresser commented on the amount of grow out I'd had since my last appointment. Hair is fine with me...I like it long but my nails drive me crazy...I want them short and neat and since I can't keep a manicure, they look gross long.
So now I'm on a plane bound for SF again. Pete and I got to the airport crazy early because we dropped his car off for service and we weren't sure how long it would take to get to the airport from the repair shop. We hung out for like a minute before I got bored and decided to go through security (unfortunately there are no pre-security restaurants shops or bars at DFW)with over an hour to kill. I spent this time in a bar near my gate where I proceeded to accidentally get very drunk and almost miss my flight as they changed gates on me and I had difficulty reading the computer as I stumbled to my former gate only to find about 100 service men and woman lounging in the gate area. But I made it, and I upgraded to Premium Economy and the plane is pretty empty so I got bulkhead and the entire row to myself. Nice.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Last night my parents picked me up from the airport and I gorged on a Wahoo sandwich and watched a weird arty movie on IFC with my dad (we thought we were watching a horror movie and kept waiting and waiting for it to get scary but it just kept getting weirder and then it ended)before meeting up with Phil, Joe, Victor, Andy, Jaime, Adam and Jason hanging out in front of the Peacock lounge on Haight street.
This morning we got off to a late start, each family member dawdling over their own errands whilst lazily getting ready for Sunday brunch. I tested out my new webcam and Skype connection, talking to Pete and showing him my parent's new kitchen.
The sun was shining but the air had a bit of a chill to it. Auntie Joann and Luis once again hosted an awesome party with great food and drinks and conversation. The kids excitedly hunted Easter eggs in the backyard as the adults wandered around catching up with everyone. Unfortunately I was having such a good time revisiting with friends and family I did not take any pictures at all this weekend. I'm not Peter, it doesn't come second nature to me to capture memories on camera. I am usually too busy enjoying the moment and it is only when I look back at my meager picture offerings at the end of the day (or more accurately for me, the end of the month) that I express regret for not having captured more moments and events to share with others.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
(Monday April 9 disappears by the magic that is crossing the International Date Line)
Easter Sunday evening I got on the 12 hour Air New Zealand flight to Auckland where I would lay over for an hour before getting on another Air New Zealand flight for the 3 hour ride to my final destination of Brisbane, AUS. The flights were not bad at all...the trick is to take full advantage of AirNZ's Premium Economy class, especially on the long haul flight...it is definitely worth it. The seats have a little bit more leg room, you get to board early with Business class, you are separated from the rest of the aircraft, the food is a little bit better (served in courses...with a nice salad, fresh bread and a fancy New Zealand cheese course if you are into that). Juice water or champagne are offered immediately after boarding, water bottles and in-flight kits containing ear plugs, eye mask, socks and toothbrush and paste are waiting for you, also there are help yourself snacks available during the entire flight...fruit, cookies, water, juice,etc. The flight actually went by quickly...I ate dinner, watched a movie, slept, woke up for breakfast and then we landed.
Changing planes in Auckland wasn't too bad either...you don't have to go through customs or change terminals...you just do another security check and then hang out in the international terminal with oodles of duty free shopping, a fancy bar, and internet and massages for a fee.
Now I am in sunny Brisbane in the cab en route to our hotel. So excited!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Catching up....
Sorry dad! It's hard to motivate to sit in front of a computer and write in this damn thing! I finally uploaded my pictures from the last three months so I'll send a blast of them at once.
March 2007
One weekend the weather was awesome in Fort Worth and I went on a nice long bike ride along Trinity River Trail and then Pete and I had a little barbecue on our balcony using the George Foreman. We made killer Boca burgers with all the fixings and drank beer.
Then I went to San Francisco on business for two weeks (Sorry no pictures), got to visit family, see my friends and make some money. Hooray!
March 2007
One weekend the weather was awesome in Fort Worth and I went on a nice long bike ride along Trinity River Trail and then Pete and I had a little barbecue on our balcony using the George Foreman. We made killer Boca burgers with all the fixings and drank beer.
Then I went to San Francisco on business for two weeks (Sorry no pictures), got to visit family, see my friends and make some money. Hooray!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Fun times
The weather was awesome last Saturday so Pete and I went on a nice early morning bike ride along Trinity River Trail which is this cool fully paved trail that runs for miles along the river. It is nice and flat and scenic and well maintained and basically perfect for walking, jogging or bike riding. We were really excited to find that it is so close to our house and plan to make good use of it this spring and summer (provided we don't wilt in the heat).
In fact, I'm headed out there after I finish this post for a nice afternoon ride.
On Sunday we tidied up the house a bit and ran some errands before heading downtown for guacamole and margaritas. Then we headed over to the flying saucer for some pints on the patio. Good times.
This week I've been busy preparing for my business trip. In case you didn't know, I'll be in town from March 18-30 and I'm staying at the Clarion in Millbrae right by the office. Give me a holler if you wanna hang out. I think the hotel has a pool...hopefully the weather will be nice and the pool is not ghetto like the one at the Thunderbird in Chico with bloody band aids floating in it.
I also had my last photo class so now I just have to keep on taking photos so I get good practice. Here are some shots I took on our class field trip two Sundays ago:
In fact, I'm headed out there after I finish this post for a nice afternoon ride.
On Sunday we tidied up the house a bit and ran some errands before heading downtown for guacamole and margaritas. Then we headed over to the flying saucer for some pints on the patio. Good times.
This week I've been busy preparing for my business trip. In case you didn't know, I'll be in town from March 18-30 and I'm staying at the Clarion in Millbrae right by the office. Give me a holler if you wanna hang out. I think the hotel has a pool...hopefully the weather will be nice and the pool is not ghetto like the one at the Thunderbird in Chico with bloody band aids floating in it.
I also had my last photo class so now I just have to keep on taking photos so I get good practice. Here are some shots I took on our class field trip two Sundays ago:
Monday, February 26, 2007
February continued...
Wednesday the 14th was Valentine's Day and I treated myself to a new hairdo..adding chunks of red to my hair in honor of the holiday. Victor came to visit and he and Pete had a romantic dinner at Razoo's while I was at my photo class.
The next day the three of us drove to Tulsa, OK to see AFI play at Cain's Ballroom. It was a cold 5 hour drive to Tulsa though, with nothing much to look at besides the barren Oklahoma landscape, occasional snowfall and strange things being transported on flatbed trailers.
Like giant cows with realistic veins?
The show was awesome, it was great to see some familiar faces and fun to hang out with Smith, Jason, Adam and Jake. Right before the AFIs came on Steve and Kana showed up and our night was officially made. After the show we found this rad cycling themed bar to hang out at. That is where the following pictures were taken:
The next day the three of us drove to Tulsa, OK to see AFI play at Cain's Ballroom. It was a cold 5 hour drive to Tulsa though, with nothing much to look at besides the barren Oklahoma landscape, occasional snowfall and strange things being transported on flatbed trailers.
Like giant cows with realistic veins?
The show was awesome, it was great to see some familiar faces and fun to hang out with Smith, Jason, Adam and Jake. Right before the AFIs came on Steve and Kana showed up and our night was officially made. After the show we found this rad cycling themed bar to hang out at. That is where the following pictures were taken:
Friday, February 23, 2007
I've been real bad about this...
I apologize for the month long absence...dad called me yesterday to remind me that when both Pete and I have failed to update our blogs, he starts to worry. :)I haven't taken any relevant pictures in a while and I've used that as an excuse not to update my blog. Lame! So I'm going to try to get out and take some pictures. Until then hopefully these verbal ramblings will suffice.
So, let's see...what has happened since Jan 22?
The first weekend in February Pete and I went outside our comfort zone and attended a vegan potluck at the home of a stranger (a grad student I met on Craigslist)and it was fun. Everyone there was really nice and friendly and interesting. It felt good to interact with other human beings for a change...the food was good and the conversation even better.
I started my photo class at the beginning of February. It has been really good...interesting and informative but quite a lot of information to process all at once. There is a great deal more than I thought to taking a good photo than just having a good eye and a good camera. There are a lot of things to think about and the way all the different camera settings interact with each other and light and depth and exposure make it seem as if I am trying to learn another language.
On February 8, Pete and I flew to San Francisco for my brother's graduation. If you haven't already...check out some of the pictures Pete took of the ceremony. My bro is a handsome dude.
After the ceremony Aunty Joann and Uncle Luis had a nice get together at their place. It was awesome to see everyone again and felt good to relax and catch up with family. Pete took some fun pictures that he has yet to publish online. Help me bug him about processing them before Anna and Luca have kids of their own.
That Friday night my parents were nice enough to give us a night at the Hilton on the Embarcadero which we upgraded to a suite overlooking the ferry building and bay bridge. We invited our friends over and drank champagne before visiting the revolving restaurant/bar at the top of the hotel.
To be continued...
So, let's see...what has happened since Jan 22?
The first weekend in February Pete and I went outside our comfort zone and attended a vegan potluck at the home of a stranger (a grad student I met on Craigslist)and it was fun. Everyone there was really nice and friendly and interesting. It felt good to interact with other human beings for a change...the food was good and the conversation even better.
I started my photo class at the beginning of February. It has been really good...interesting and informative but quite a lot of information to process all at once. There is a great deal more than I thought to taking a good photo than just having a good eye and a good camera. There are a lot of things to think about and the way all the different camera settings interact with each other and light and depth and exposure make it seem as if I am trying to learn another language.
On February 8, Pete and I flew to San Francisco for my brother's graduation. If you haven't already...check out some of the pictures Pete took of the ceremony. My bro is a handsome dude.
After the ceremony Aunty Joann and Uncle Luis had a nice get together at their place. It was awesome to see everyone again and felt good to relax and catch up with family. Pete took some fun pictures that he has yet to publish online. Help me bug him about processing them before Anna and Luca have kids of their own.
That Friday night my parents were nice enough to give us a night at the Hilton on the Embarcadero which we upgraded to a suite overlooking the ferry building and bay bridge. We invited our friends over and drank champagne before visiting the revolving restaurant/bar at the top of the hotel.
To be continued...
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