Sunday, January 30, 2005

One down, one to go

Well, today is the last day of the tournament. We still have one more day where we'll break down the equipment, and then that's it. Events are a strange combination of grueling hours and wonderful experiences. It is something to be experienced firsthand, that I can guarantee.

Last night was the Tennis Australia Ball. Since it was the Centenary event, it was very interesting. They paraded out a bevy of Australian tennis greats. My hero worship was on high gear. I got to see Margaret Court, Rod Laver. Those were the only two past champions from well before my time that I knew by name. I also got to see Jim Courier, Yvonne Goolagong-Cauley, Alicia Molik, Brian Newcombe, and Mark Woodbridge. Those were players I had seen on television growing up, or live recently. It was a fascinating display. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, so I had to rely on pictures from other folks. Here's the shot we got of the list of heroes past.

Most of them I didn't know, but it was still pretty awesome. I haven't been to the end of the US Open, but I'd like to think we'd have a larger set of past greats we could parade around. I do know the Australian's take their sports seriously, and there were lots of folks very excited by this set on stage.

The ball was a good excuse to dress up in a tuxedo. Although, I thought I really looked quite large and in charge. I think that's just me being my own worst critic though. I am built like my father, and I'll always be somewhat stocky unless I go on an extreme diet like Matt did. He's really thin now. I don't think he looks unhealthy, but he's thinner than I think I'd feel comfortable with. Anyway, be on the lookout for some pictures forthcoming on the other side of the site, showing me at the ball in a basic black tuxedo I rented here.

Well, Colleen has had a very short recovery from her jet lag. I think sleeping 15 hours helps. :-) She and I spent the morning wandering around the Victoria Market. It is like a huge flea market, and the bargains are there to be had. We really enjoyed ourselves there. We then took a train down to St. Kilda, a beach town on the outskirts of Melbourne. Colleen asked me who St. Kilda was, and I honestly didn't know. It turns out there are some Scottish isles also known as Saint Kilda, but that there isn't really a Saint named Kilda, and that it was probably a corruption of a Norse word 'Skildir' used to represent those islands, and the Scots that were sent to Australia ended up bringing the name with them. St. Kilda is a Bohemian town, and has a weekly craft fair. I bought an aboriginal bullroarer. Crocodile Dundee made it famous in his second film. It's that thing he spun around to contact the bushmen while outrunning the Columbian cocaine dealers. I thought it was cool, and was way smaller than a Didjeridoo, which made it infinitely easier to carry home. :-) Now she's at the zoo, and got to see her first Koala up close and personal. She was so excited.

On another note, I am so glad Colleen is here. I ended up a bit depressed last night because she was here in town, and I was at the ball without her. She was dead to the world, so she wanted the extra sleep. I would have loved to have her there, but it wasn't going to happen. So, I left the ball early, and went back the hotel to be with her. That was very nice, and the best night's sleep I have had since I got here. Something nice about having someone to sleep next to. I am not sure how that matters, but I do sleep better when she's there.

Well, I am going to sign off now. I won't really have good Internet access once the event is over, so the publishes may be few and far between. Hopefully, I'll be back online soon, and have lots of tales to tell. :-)

Cheers.

Friday, January 28, 2005

Joyous times Down Under

Finally!!!! Colleen made it in today. She's frazzled, jet lagged, and feeling like she could sleep forever, but she's here safe and sound. It turned out that her flight was unable to land in Melbourne initially due to fog and rain at the airport. Not exactly something you want to hear after a 16 hour flight. She ended up being diverted to Syndey for refueling, since I am sure the plane had to be running on fumes. That added an additional two and a half hours to her odyssey. She's now taken over camera duties for the remainder of this sojourn. That means I'll likely start posting pictures with these entries, or at least have more interesting photos than the ones I have put out to this point. :)

Tonight is the Australian Open Ball. I have been told that bands like INXS have played, but the entertainment isn't as significant as the party itself. I have my tuxedo, so look for pictures of that to show up out here soon.

Johnathon was very nice to let me come in as late as I did. I felt guilty, but was at the airport for 3 hours, 2 more than I had intended.

Well, going to sign off for now. More to come soon enough.

Cheers.

Thursday, January 27, 2005

Exciting times

Well, Colleen got on the plane today from Raleigh headed toward Melbourne. I am very excited she's coming, but at the same time very nervous. Because we cobbled the trip together to try to save some money, she ends up taking what looks to the airlines like two separate flights. Because of that, any hiccups and she's dead in the water. Hopefully, everything will be well. I just called her, and she's definitely in LA on schedule. That leaves her 5 hours to get everything settled there. Should be enough time. She sounds good, which is also a plus, since I was worried she'd be frazzled, and that would make the transition that much harder.

It is flaming hot here. I walked in to the venue today, and I am paying for it. I love the walk though. I walked past a street artist that did reproductions of classic paintings in chalk on the street. Not very permanent, but incredible work. He's of course looking for money, so I threw him a coin. I just wanted him to know I appreciated his talent. I should have taken a picture, but I was really too lazy.

Play starts late today. I didn't have to be in until 1PM AEDT. That allowed me to sleep in late after getting back to the hotel after 2AM. It also afforded me the chance to have some incredible sushi. I couldn't eat it regularly, but I do like it every now and then. Sushi is definitely an acquired taste.

Well, guess I am going to sign off for now. I hope that this stuff actually makes sense. An online journal of sorts seems a bit off to me, but that's the times we live in. :-)

Cheers.

Back in the saddle

Well, it appears that I can no longer just be behind the times. With this trip to Australia potentially being my last one for some time, I felt compelled to try to document somewhat this new odyssey. Of course, that means I had to get up with the times, and implement it via a Blog.

Anyway, I am in Australia. Working for IBM has afforded me the opportunity to do some pretty amazing things, all things considered. Hopefully, this isn't my last trip, but I won't count on any more.

Keep on the lookout for updates here, as I get them, and then hopefully figure out how to either publish this whole damned thing to my Road Runner site, or at least get a link up there so that you can get to it here. :-)