Andy - Day 7

On Saturday, I got up early to go row with my new friends from the Yarra Yarra Rowing Club.  I had to be there before 6 am to warm up so we could get on the water by 6:10 since one of the guys had to work early.  We did four 2,000 meter pieces, and I survived!  They put me in five seat, in the middle of the boat, I think because I was the tallest guy in the boat.  Overall, it was an average row, with not much speed, but it felt GREAT to be in a big boat again, even if I felt stiff and out of shape. After the row, a few of us walked along the river to Southbank to get a cup of coffee (I had a “long black” which I think is a double espresso), after which it was time for more pictures.

The guy who invited me was Colin (the guy in the middle with a big “07” on his shirt), and the most talkative and helpful was Stuart (on the left).   Eddie was taking the picture, so he’s not in it.  The other photos are of the boathouse.  I took a few videos of other crews rowing, but just realized that the file sizes are way too large to email (20+ MB).  I’ll have to show you those when I get home.  I also got invited to row with another group of guys early on Tuesday morning.  They call themselves the “prostrate crew.”  I didn’t ask.  But it looks like I’ll be able to become a regular substitute and get on the water frequently.  Very cool.

Yarra Yarra Rowing Club

Andy and his new rowing buddies

Alexi here. Yes, the water of the Yarra river looks brown to me too. My Aussie friend Ben tells me it's the world's only upside down river. The reason it's brown is all the clear water is at the bottom....

After rowing I came back, showered, had breakfast and read the paper before heading off to Costco. The store was just like at home, only with a different items.  Parking on a Saturday was atrocious, and on top of that, there was road construction near the store, and a huge tropical storm had rolled in, and the traffic was crazy because of the Melbourne Cup.  I took a whole bunch of photos in Costco using my cell phone, but I haven’t figured out how to get the photos off the phone yet.   Most of the photos were of prices and items we normally buy, plus things like washer/dryer and refrigerator. While looking at the dryers, I met a woman named Jodi, who comes from New Jersey and has been here for 8 years.   She recommends Brighton Elementary, by the way, and she gave me her phone and email should we have any questions.

I was trying to get out of Costco in time to get back to the hotel to call you guys, but with the traffic and storm, it took me well over an hour to go just a few miles.  Also, it had to do with my driving in the city center, where “hook turns” and one-way streets complicated the driving on top of the manual transmission.  Note to Alexi – avoid driving in the Central Business District (CBD).  Way stressful.  The hook turns alone will take your breath away.  Somehow, to make a right turn, you have to get in the far left lane, then wait in the middle of the intersection (be sure to not get hit by a train), then when traffic is clear from your left, and when no one is coming from behind you on your right, you turn right.  YIKES!  I just made a whole bunch of left hand turns to drive around the block, rather than try a hook turn.  Of course, I think I went under a toll road sensor (twice) and will probably get billed for using the toll road, even though I’m not exactly sure if I used it or not.

Anyway, I got home from Costco, and headed to the south east to drive around a few neighborhoods (Caulfield, Chadstone, Oakleigh,  and Glen something).  Nice neighborhoods, and not too far away.  The houses didn’t offer much curb appeal, since most seemed to be hidden by fences, but looking at Google Earth, the yards are nice, so we’ve got to remember not to judge a book by its cover.  It looks like realestate.com.au will be our best bet for finding houses for rent.  In addition, the guy who sat in front of me in the boat, Francis, is a realtor, so I’ll hit him up for some information and maybe enlist his help with the rental market.

Andy - Days 5 & 6

Since I was sitting in the way back of the airplane (row 26 out of 26), I got to board from the back of the plane, which meant walking out next to the plane and up the stairs in the back.  See attached for a few photos from an angle you don’t usually get to see.

Airplane 1

View from the back

On Friday, I went into the office to keep working, but it was lonely, so I left early and spent the afternoon walking around the city exploring streets and alleys, researching prices, and shopping for new rowing shorts.  Unfortunately, the photos I took didn’t come out, so there’s nothing to show other than info on prices.  For example, a bike like Alanna’s new one would cost $1,000 here in Australia.  A pair of running shoes starts at $120 and goes up to $350! And BreatheRights cost $30 for a pack of 30.

Andy - Day 4, Adelaide Pt 2

My favorite stop was near a pier where the Brighton Surf Life Saving Club (imagine the HB Junior Lifeguards).  I parked and walked down to the water, wanting to feel how cold (warm) it was, and it turned out to be on the warm side.  Nice.  And the beach sand was wonderfully soft and powdery.  I introduced myself to one of the moms, and talked with her for a while about the program.  The junior program is open to kids from 5 to 14, then then try out for the senior program.  It turns out that all lifeguarding in Australia is strictly volunteer.  Go figure.  In HB, the lifeguards get paid extremely well, but not here.  Debbie, the mom I was talking to, said that there are a similar programs in Melbourne.  

Andy - Day 4, Adelaide

Andy went to Adelaide to visit and do some work at the Mobil refinery. He was warmly welcomed there, and he was assured that there was plenty of work for him there. So much, in fact, that he could probably work full time in Adelaide. That's not going to happen, of course, but Andy will probably commute each week there.


My plane to Adelaide didn’t land until after 10 pm, and I’m now exhausted.  Or it could be the jetlag catching up to me.  Nonetheless, I got up early for a few conference calls, printed a few letters, then headed for the refinery about 20 km (14 miles to the south). The map I had printed out told me to get on the M2 South Expressway, but when I got there, the on ramp was closed, and I had to practically navigate by the sun (and my Blackberry GPS, which I now love, by the way).

I managed to get to the refinery by 11 am,a bit late due to navigation issues, and taking the long, slow route instead of the Expressway which I could not figure out how to get on.  I was greeted quite warmly by my (former) ExxonMobil colleague, Brian, and he promptly indicated that he needed quite a bit of help to keep projects moving along, and that I was in the right place at the right time to help him out.  It looks like I’ll have work coming out my ears quite quickly.  

After a long day of meetings and watching safety videos, I was pretty tired.  I aced my test on the safety program (100% correct, 17 out of 17, even getting the trick questions right).  I met with Brian one more time, then headed home, taking the scenic route along Brighton Beach.  It was absolutely beautiful. I pulled off the road a few times to take pictures. (more in the next post about this)

I drove for a while more, but not wanting to go back to my hotel room, which leaves a lot to be desired, so I stopped off at a Thai bistro for a bit of Pad Thai.  I was going to go with the curry, but with my stomach still a bit queasy, I went with the bland dish.

Mobil refinery

Another view

Walking trail

Beautiful beach

Andy - Day 3, Going to Adelaide

More updates from Andy:

Today was a slow day, focused on work, so not much new to see.  I’m at the airport right now, waiting for my plane to Adelaide.  Sadly, it’s been delayed for a while. But I did get two photos to share:

• 1.      Donuts from America.  Alanna, do you remember when we went for a long drive to find Krispy Crème donuts?  Well, they’ve got ‘em here.
• 2.      KitKat Bars.  They’ve got those here as well, but with a strange looking wrapper.

In other news, here are a few items for mom:

• 1.      A copy of The Week magazine goes for $5.95.  I passed.
• 2.      A 600 mL bottle of water goes for (hold your breath), $3.60!  Yes, I paid this, since I forgot my sports bottle back at the hotel.  Bother!
• 3.      Gasoline is $1.20 per liter, or about $4.50 per gallon.  Expensive, but not outrageous.  Diesel is only a few cents more expensive.



Krispy Kreme store in Melbourne Airport



Different packaging, 65 grams.

Andy - Day 2 in Australia Part Deux

More from the Andyman:

Just thought I’d send another brief update on Day 2 in Australia.  Today was busy with getting the office setup, getting cell phones, and picking up the truck.  The interesting part is the truck. The truck is a nice little white pickup, with shell on the back.  It’s a 4-wheel drive, manual shift that takes diesel fuel. 

I went for a drive this evening, after rush hour, to get the hang of driving in Australia, and I must say that I used every brain cell while driving on the left side of the road, shifting with my left hand, remembering that the rear view mirror is to my left, and trying not to turn on my turn signals using the wiper lever (the turn signal lever is on the right of the steering wheel, and the wiper lever is on the left).  Several times I indicated my intention to turn by activating my wipers.  And I had to remember to make sure my left turns were tight, and my right turns were wide.  In addition, I found it mildly challenging to position the vehicle properly in the lane.  I had a tendency to ease toward the left edge of the lane, since I felt like I was too far to the right in the lane when seated in the right side of the vehicle.  Also, everybody here obeys the speed limit…exactly.  The limit is just that, the limit.  So it’s easy to keep from speeding.  I’ve been told that the police will issue a ticket if you are just 2 kph over the limit.  So, the driving thing will be a challenge for a little while.

In other photos, you can see the hotel, rowers on the river (I think I might join the Yarra Yarra Rowing Club--cleverly named after the Yarra River, twice), and a funky statue along the river (which I’ll have to investigate during a future walk along the river).

While walking along boathouse row on the river, I stopped in to the YYRC and talked to a guy named Colin.  He quickly sized me up and invited me for a row on Wednesday.  But I’ll be in Adelaide then, so he suggested I come down on Saturday morning.  They row in eights, which will be fun, since I haven’t been in anything bigger than a four or quad in a decade or more.

As you may recall, I had decided to bring some office supplies along in my luggage, but only today realized that the US paper sizes are all wrong for Australia.  Oops.

And now for the pics.


Andy's hotel/apartment building



Rowers on the Yarra river

Funky statue along the river

Andy's new truck

Andy - Day 2 in Australia

 Some comments and pics from Andy's second day in Australia:

I made it to the office without any trouble, and took several pictures along the way (see attached).  It’s a beautiful day, and the walk from the tram station to the new office was nice.  The office is a bit small, as expected, but the office staff for everybody on this floor are wonderful.



Tram in Melbourne



Donut shop



Boats along the Yarra River





Front row parking for motorcycles



Andy - Day 1 in Australia

I thought I'd share some of Andy's comments from his first days in Australia.

I arrived safely here in Sydney, and am waiting for my flight to Melbourne.  The flight wasn't too bad (2 meals, 2 movies [Iron Man 2 and Robin Hood], 2 crosswords, and a bit of reading). Customs was straightforward, but the turkey jerky got confiscated.  Note - do not bring the meat, or eat it all on the plane.  All my luggage seems to have made it unscathed.

 

I'm loving the Australian accent and how friendly most everybody is.

 

I didn't get the bulkhead or exit row, so it was a bit cramped.  Not terrible, though.

 

Two things I've seen so far:

 

1.  Target.  They've got Target stores here.  Excellent.

2.  Do you remember the pyramid shaped rope structure that the kids played on at one of Alanna's softball tournaments in Cypress?  Well, I saw one just like it while I was riding the bus between the terminals.

 

Nothing much else to report. Time to see if skype is working.

 

And from Melbourne:

 

After we talked, I put my bike back together and went for a bike ride to the grocery store to get some food for dinner and breakfast.  I took a few pictures of the cereal aisle.  See if you can recognize any cereals.  If not, we'll get to try out a whole new bunch here in Australia.

 

Later I walked out in the hall to see if I could find the silly rabbits that are hiding in the hallways.  Not real rabbits, of course.  Just mirrors cut out in the shape of rabbits, which is kind of fun.

 

I'm finally starting to get tired after all the travel and the bike ride to the market, so I'll sign off now, and get a bit of rest.

 

Unfortunately, his pictures got sent as PDFs, so I am not sure I can share them here.

A Hard Day's Night

And he's off....We took Andy to the airport tonight. The V Austrailia checkin area at LAX was pretty funky: hanging pendant lists, fairly loud music, felt more like a club or restaurant. I hope his flight is as entertaining. Thankfully, he was granted an exit row, bulkhead, aisle seat...the maximum possible leg room you can get in economy. Air travel is never fun for Andy. The first thing he does when he sits down is talk to the person immediately in front of him, and request that they kindly alert him before they recline their seat. Saves his kneecaps enormously.

I called the V Australia customer service line myself today, to try to get a seat. I loved listening to the customer service rep. Lovely accent, and she said "No worries" at least three times.

The girls are sad already, of course. Alanna's been miserably sick the last two days, and on the way home Aliya complained about her head and stomach. I'm desperately hoping that she doesn't come down with Alanna's bug. It will put quite a damper on the weekend, with soccer and softball games tomorrow, and a softball tournament on Sunday.

Today was a whirlwind of activity. Andy really needed to get his ducks in a row since he'll be gone for a month. There's been a lot of progress on the house, really liking how the bathrooms are turning out. Really not liking how money is just flowing out the door. These projects are costing a lot more than we intended. Not to mention a new transmission for Andy's crew cab. Hmm, sounds like a visa commercial: New bathrooms, $10,000. New transmission: $2000 (Andy wouldn't tell me the exact number so I'm guessing.) Experiencing a new country, (continent even) priceless! 

I also booked some travel for Andy. He lands there on Sunday, and on Tuesday heads to Adelaide. Odds are good he'll be going there a lot, possibly weekly, once we move in. Not ideal, but I won't have to worry about who's going to watch the girls so I can leave the house at 5:30 to get to my job 75 miles away, so it won't be as stressful in that regard. And although I hear Adelaid is quite a lovely city, we much prefer the idea of living in Melbourne and Andy just commuting as needed.

Well, I'm boring myself so no doubt I'm boring you as well, so I'll say G'nite.

Fixing A Hole

yep, a lot of things to fix, or at least improve, before we can rent our house. But first things first.  A few things have happened since my last post, so here's an update:

Andy's job: He gave 4 weeks notice, and his last day was Friday the 15th. His coworkers sent him off with a nice lunch and some go-kart rides. We'll definitely miss the gas discount, as well as the ability to work from home. He started his new job on Mondy the 18th at a local office in Irvine. Lots of familiar faces there, including someone he went to grad school with. He has one more week for training, then he leaves on Friday for four weeks in Australia.

Alexi's job: I got to go on a video case study shoot on Mon/Tue. It was a walnut farm and processing plant.  A fifth-generation farm, lots of great people, fascinating process. It's really amazing how much work it takes to get the walnuts you buy in a store. Oddly enough, I was in a truck with Brian, one of the two sons, along with my coworker Ben (from Australia) and turns out Brian spent 5 years in Melbourne with the Navy! What are the odds? It seems that everywhere we go, whenever we tell people we're moving to Australia, half the time they either lived there themselves, or know someone who lives there or lived there, or they want to go there. Given the relatively small population of Australia, it's amazing how many Americans have a connection to the country. Thursday I talked with a coworker and found out another coworker was a missionary in Australia. Friday I met a parent at school whose friends just got back from there, and apparently the dad of these friends is a famous musician in Australia and is about to be inducted in their music hall of fame. Today, Saturday, I...well, you get the idea.
Back to my job, I'm busy wrapping up some loose ends. I have two months to go, but the time will go by too quickly.

The girls: They seem to have flip-flopped a bit on their attitudes. Aliya is now more excited, and she no longer cries at the mere mention of Australia. The other day she started making a list of Australian animals. Alanna is really loving her new school, and doesn't want to leave. She recently wrote an "I wish" poem and among other things, wished for just one more year before we go. She'll be okay though. Tonight I installed Skype on Andy's new laptop, and showed them how it will work. I'm really hoping I can get some of their friends set up with it so they can stay in touch.

The house: We'll be renting our house while we're gone. Our future property manager felt pretty strongly we needed to renovate the bathrooms a bit, if we want to get top dollar for our house. So we had tile installed in all three bathrooms. Sure wish we had done that years ago to enjoy it, but we remind ourselves we'll see it when we come back home. We've stripped wallpaper in two of them, and bought new vanities for two of them. We're completely re-doing the master bathroom and putting in a bigger shower (the old one was miniscule and completely unusable). New water-saving toilets all around, and we sure didn't appreciate having three full bathrooms--nothing like having just one toilet to ensure both kids will need to go to the bathroom at the same moment! We're doing all this frantically, to get as much done before Andy leaves on Friday. It's difficult when there are delays in getting materials, or when 40-year old plumbing breaks and floods the downstairs, or when Andy actually has to go into the office instead of shopping for cabinets or tile...

That's about all I can think of for the moment. Off to research more schools and Melbourne suburbs online! That's my biggest concern at the moment. I really feel that the success of this venture depends on finding a good school and nice place to live. Maybe not depends, but the right choices here will definitely make life more enjoyable.