yo

got lots to say but no time just wanted everyone to know I've been with the red cross voulenteering for two weeks at aboriginal communities. Culture that's 40,000 years old. I'm doing great and will be back in 3 days. peace

Alrighty then

Well I left Perth and headed to Darwin to meet up with a friend Chris that I met in Adelaide through Oscar and we had a pretty good couple days. He flew in on a Friday, as did I, and only had a couple nights to hang out and we made the best of it. It all started with me arriving to the hotel that he was staying at and while I was in the cab my door was opened for me, since it was the Crowne Plaza I thought doorman, only to step out and see Chris waiting for me. A quick change and I hit the streets of Darwin and Cap(nickname) had to work so I just walked the one real main street they have and just chilled out. Went for a stroll down to the water, by this time it was dark, and everyone warns you to be careful of the Crocs and not the rubber shoes that have hit the scene recently. I hear rustling in the woods so I decide it is best to go back out and hit the streets, I wasn't scared or nothing just cautious you know hahaha. That night we(Cap, Andrew, and I) met up with a friend Laura who they know from back home who's moved up to Adelaide and will be the apartment that I would be staying at for the weekend. A couple quick drinks and Laura and her friends left which meant it was a dudes night out and we partied very hard this evening, so hard that McDonalds breakfast wasn't even an option in the morning. We hung out with a lot of Caps coworkers who all work for this Australian Rules football time who I support called Port Adelaide. Since I'm from the states it didn't mean much to me but these guys would be like Viking famous if it was back home so I guess that's cool. Went out to a few different spots and then met back up with Laura who made us spring rolls and watched a few episodes of golden girls, that Blanche is a slut, I didn't say it though Sophia did. I ask the guys where they're going to sleep because I noticed it was a two bedroom while they were still in the living room. Cap quickly shouts out that he would take the floor bean bag lounge thing and Andrew follows by calling the couch. I laugh, call them fools, and then run to the queen bed in the room, jump high in the air, belly flop the bed, and broke it hahaa. Not really but just moved the pallets under the mattress creating a loud sound and the initial thought that I had broken it. Glad I didn't, whew, they passed early and I just chilled out for an episode and took pictures of the guys passed out. Woke up to Cap taking a picture of me passed out and we headed to this place where hundreds of fish come up to basically the shoreline and you feed them bread. I'm talking little tiny baby fish up to 3 footers and they just attack the bread when you throw it in. It was actually quite amusing and you could even hand feed them, they had no fear what so ever. The guys had to head to work and Laura and I got to chill and this girl was just amazing. One of the nicest people I've met, she let me stay at her place, took me around, knew where all the deals were, and we would just veg out and chill. Oh did I mention she didn't know me at all. Saturday night I headed to the footy game and watch my team take on one of the top teams only to see them get crushed, very disheartening. The game was cool though and I was standing in the grassy area with all the locals who didn't have grandstand seats later on though I had to move up to the members only section(VIP) you know just to get my swag up a little. Ended up having a another crazy night hanging out with these Briee and Jess and a their friend Glen who owned a bar/club and had some drinks with them until Cap and Andrew got off work. We the boys showed up we all headed to this bar Duck Nuts, great name, and the team that had just beat Port was there and one of the four guys that I recognize was there and I was too puh to ask for a picture. I had this great idea of him choking me and me giving him thumbs down but it was all for nothing as I saw him leave with the girl with the fake Ta Tas. That night we got picked up by this guy who comes around on a scooter that folds up and he just throws it in your trunk and drives your car home for you. I now know my calling. Cap and Andrew left Sunday afternoon and my flight wasn't until Monday morning so Laura, her friend Steph and I went to the local wave pool and made an amazing day of it where Laura after every wave would yell, "Whoooo...Whooooo...Whooooo...Whoooo." She was one of the most positive people I've ever met and just writing this story down has made me chuckle a little bit. That night we went for dinner with a few of her friends right on the water front and watched the sunset which was absolutely amazing, top 5 I've seen out here in Australia. Number one was the one I saw with Tree one night I was just walked to the beach and couldn't leave for about 2 hours because it was just so good. That just made me miss my guy tree and riv, those were some homies for sure. Anywhoo, I had to fly to where I am currently, Cairns, at 7 in the am and here I am getting adjusted to a new place. I definitely in hindsight traveled quite well because if I would've came up to the northern side of Australia during their summer it is dreadfully hot up here. Like right now it's 5pm and it's probably around 84 or so and this is the winter time here. Still trips me out people say they've never seen snow. So in Cairns my plan is to hopefully find a place to work for just a short but while getting my divers certificate which I will probably do the next week. First thoughts of the place is that like Darwin it's very tropical and green, warm, travelers haven, and should be a nice place to shack up for a while. Well credit is running out so next time I will throw some pics up for everyone. Peace to the middle east, oh and North Korea too.

And life is so insane

Currently in Perth and have enjoyed being in this hostel where there's no bar, no good common areas, bad kitchen because it has ben exactly what I needed it to be, a bed. I have enjoyed just being able to not have to talk to anyone for a couple days due to everyday I have been with friends which was great but in you everyday life you get a day or two where you just disappear from everyone and veg out for a day. That is what I did for the first two days in Perth and would just wake u and walk around the city, I was very close to changing hostels but decided that I'm in a good place right now and would just play it cool. Friday was great, spent the night at Spanners(Steve, Rivers younger brother) and we all went out and had an amazing night right of the coast of the Indian Ocean. I've seen the Indian Ocean guys, you know that one when you were growing up it really didn't exist because it didn't touch American soil. Well it looks the same as any other Ocean but I just had to gaze upon its beauty for about ten minutes then went back to causing trouble with Spanners. These guys were wild and I was fully warned about their antics before heading out there and I realized I couldn't hang with those guys for too long hahaha, it was great fun though. Sky Rockets at night. Next day I was able to hang out with my Irish friend Colin whom I met in Melbourne and he is brothers with Kenny. He had moved out to Perth in early February and it was a lot of fun reconnecting with him and having a night out on the town. Perth is a very small town and you're cautioned about the gang violence because biker gangs are pretty prevalent and I hear pretty much run the town through drugs and extortion. Anywhere there's powerful people there's others who believe they belong to these groups when they get drunk and they try to intimidate you. When you don't know what they're talking about it is hard to be bothered when anyone tells you craziness and try to fluff their own feathers and seem tough. I had a long night of dealing with a couple different characters and once again was easily amused. Sorry to anyone from Perth but I have walked around the city and so far have met the weirdest people in Australia and Perth is the most isolated capitol city in the world so it is just a world of its own. I ripped my grey Sean Jean pants also so I have plans to turn them into jean shorts and I found a pair of Jeans for $20 that were $150 so that was one of the most exciting things of the week for me. While I've been here I have been on a very different schedule from everyone back home so that's been a little difficult for me just being opposite of everyone. The swan river runs through Perth and I walked down to it and sat by it for about an hour just to get out today and I realized I have a dream of either jetskiing or snowmobiling to work at some point in my life, how dope would that be though right?!?!?! Well I still have a week in Perth until I head to Darwin to meet up with a mate from Adelaide and then off to the east coast. I'm waiting for a call but someone from Minnesota who I know is headed out here so I told her maybe we would meet up over on the east coast if she wanted so we shall see how that pans out. Also Deb has a ticket booked out here in September so my last month out here we'll hang out and I show her a few hotspots. I was feeling that I have this picture of Australia in my head and I don't think I will be able to show her what I see, little things like a news report where this lady was interviewed walking through the woods without shoes on, that's just aussy. Back home I would say something like "what the hell is wrong with that lady, where are her shoes?" haha, side story, River came to my moms house one time way back when I first met him and he was about to walk in barefoot. "N%&^a where are your shoes?!?!?!?!" I scolded him for a bit and I can remember how serious I was, couldn't introduce someone to my mom who didn't wear shoes you know. Now though I'm changed and as my time is diminishing here in Oz it's those little things that I'm going to remember and that have helped me realize what I enjoy as a person. Also everyone I have been gone from home for 10 months now and although it's a lot easier now I miss Minnesota and realize why another one of my dreams is to own a plane so I could've came home for everyones special dates. Birthdays, graduations, basketball games, talent shows, weddings, grand ol days oooooooo, and all those other things that I am missing out on. Well everyone I will holler back and you guys stay up, I'm feeling good


Couple pics, the three mustachkeers and the family while I was out in Adelaide, I already miss it out there and the great times I had with everyone!!

It's never too late

to start writing again, sorry it took so long but I have really couldn't be bothered for awhile there. I was having so much fun just kicking it with Tree and River when he would be around and I just got caught up living. I had a home there in Balnarring and I feel like the people I met there where/are great friends of mine. I met so many new people that living in a hostel I wouldn't of been able to. I know that I will go back to Balnarring again besides in October as my current plans are. Ok to catch you up, I worked every weekend, me and my bar manager Johno would run around town and had some very fun nights. We played lots of pool and just observe how childish some people act when they go out. It was the entertainment. Johno and myself actually took a trip on the Great Ocean Road together which is about 6 or so hours of driving and a lot of things to see on the way. Johno was very upset that I would be more interested in our conversation then looking out the window at the Ocean. I mean I've seen in Ocean before, its all becoming very trite and its becoming more about who you're with. That's something that I have now been questioning, I've been traveling for 9 months now and seeing new things are amazing but it's all about who you're with when you see these things. Alright anyway, what else, oh I had a birthday which I spent in the city of Melbourne with friends and I had a great time. 24 seems to be a good number for me, I just got out of my Jordan era now it's time to go Kobe on these cats. After the birthday I spent a couple weeks just getting ready to leave and finished by living with my guy Kenny in the city for a week. Long nights of poker heads up, pool, and home cooked meals. When I got to Adelaide where I currently am, I was lucky enough for my friend Oscar to extend his place to me. Oscar and I met at camp also but he worked in a different part so we really only got to hang out during the parties on the weekends but I always thought he was a cool guy. He lives with his parents also and I learned that there was a large Italian population here, his parents met when they were in Australia and are both Italian. That means wine with dinner and we have been having some great food. I know I'm going to miss the dinners when I get back to traveling because I cannot cook at all. I have a specialty dish though, tacos! My tacos are bomb except I haven't figured out how to get rid of all that grease from the meat so I'm working on that. So my time in Adelaide was supposed to be a short visit, only a couple days, but it has been 3 weeks and I could see myself staying here because its a major city yet it has a small town feel to it because it's very spread out. Oscars been great and we have become closer just because he's taken me in and introduced me to all of his friends within the first 2 days. The first night I get into town I am offered a chance to play netball, which is basketball without dribbling basically, and met all these great people who since that first day I arrived have treated me like I'm part of the crew. I've been watching basketball playoffs with my friend Sam, quiz nights, dinners, movies with Lari(Angels & Demons and the new Star Trek), Adventure parks, countryside, Adelaide has it all. I'm struggling with the fact that I need to move on and with that saying goodbye to this place. With that I've realized I just hate saying goodbyes, when I left Melbourne there was a few people who I considered friends that I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to or didn't try to make a chance for that. It seems overdone, while I've been traveling it seems like everyday someone is leaving and sometimes I'd rather just fade away than to make this event of my departure. Also not to complain at all but when I feel like I just need a day or two where I'm by myself and have no one to talk to whether that is in a hostel or maybe some camping time. Sometimes while we're out I just get into these funks where I feel like I'd rather just take a day off from having to even speak a word. I know it sounds quite antisocial but I haven't had some me time in a while where I can just sit and not say a word. Anyway now that I'm back on my travels I shall keep you updated on whats going on with me but just to let everyone know I am doing great and I am learning more thats why we are here.

We lost

our final in the league with River and I'm pissed, that is all. Still have one final left and i want to win very much so

Time flies when you're having fun

So what's been new, not much. I've been working every weekend and just trying to be a better employee while during the week I might jet up to the city to see some friends and spend my paycheck. I've since been putting the city on hold and picked up more hours at the job and just learned more about how the job works and since it's a fine dining establishment I'm getting more experience and think I might be able to do this when i get home. I life the fact of not getting wasted on the weekends and making money, and I take that back I get wasted but just after work and the drinks are free. The owners changed hands and it's been a process that has taken a couple weeks due to funds and things of that nature and since I was getting paid 16/hr I was happy with that. Until one of the waitresses asked me how much I made and found out she does 18 an hour. So this past friday the new owner took over and I busted my ass at work just doing great work and getting asked to work a double because someone couldn't come to work and I of course said I would and was the most knowledgeable person there so I proved myself useful. After working the double and a sunday which useually means more pay I decided to ask for more money from the new owner and made it clear that I wished to talk to the previous owner but he was never in. Told him I was just wanting my pay to be looked at from his point of view and come up with a new pay whether it was less, more, or the same and just be able to understand my pay a little bit more. I told him I didn't want him to reply until he thought about it and he did anyway and bumped me up 4 bucks and hour so now I'm 20/hr. Really happy about that one and the experience of asking for more money from a boss. And now it hold me to an higher standard so I'm looking forward to working harder at work, also with work there is soooooo many ladies that come in and just holler at me all the time. I'm just friendly you know, maybe a little flirt, but it's crazy. The new owner loves it and he thinks I bring in business hahahaha. Other than that I get people telling me that I look like Ben Harper.




Without fail it happens every weekend and then they laugh like little kids but it doesn't bother me. Hey people it's been 7 months since my journey started and I'm soooooo good it's not even funny, I wish I could see all of you but I'm so content with what I'm doing that I don't want it to stop. I think I will be bouncing around for the rest of my life but we will see what happens when i get back on my own when these guys head out in May. I started paying rent at the harrisons home now after asking Nigel what I could do and we agreed on $200 a month basically $50 a week and I'm happy with doing that hence why I needed to ask for more money hahahaha. Basketball is also going great, first game of finals for my balnarring team start next week and if we win that then we play another game for semis and then finals. In my tuesday night league we have to win out to make it and in last weeks game it was a nail biter being down 6 with 5 minutes left and ended up making a run and the score was tied 52 52 with 30 seconds left. They have the ball and were running the clock down, we switched to man to start our comeback and i was guarding the best player and just denied him the ball. Someone else shot it, by the way there's no overtime so it would've been a draw, they got the rebound and someone hit it out of his hands and it's in the air. I just snatch it and full sprint and when I get to half court someone pulls my off ball arm from behind so that's an intentional foul. 2 shots and the ball. 2 frees throws i thought, to me, shit I've had this chance before. First one was all net and I missed the second one, we got the ball back and won 53-52 so I won the game. Really happy about that one, I'll try not to make it so long but I haven't been doing much to report about, just chilling in Balnarring.

Well look at this respectively

Two different web pages that on most computers would come at as links, look at these two respectively




http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090208/ap_on_re_au_an/as_australia_wildfires




http://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en&tab=wl




They said that Mornington Peninsula could be next where I'm at and that's why we will be proofing the house tomorrow. Well water restrictions due to using so much the past two nights, not us the fire department, so everyone should only take 2 min showers. Also first day of work was fine, I went in an hour early and worked 11-6 in 45 degree weather which is above 110. I didn't really sweat but I was working a bar outside under a veranda with an 80 person party(wedding reception) Chatted it up and had some free food after work and while I'm talking a guy comes up to me and is like where you from

Minnesota

Oh I'm from Ohio

Long story short he moved here 25 years ago and offered to take me fishing on his boat and he's talking about big fish. I want taco bell bad