I Surfed... I Think

This is just a quick short post to satiate you while I create a few longer posts that I will write covering the time Mari has spent here. As the title suggests, this one is about me surfing (or at least trying to).

Mari and I spent last weekend in Byron Bay doing many touristy things including surfing. Being from California, Mari has spent some time on a surf board and has the basic idea of what to do when that wave comes along. So I saw this as an opportunity for her to show me up yet again. And I was right.

We signed up with a company called Black Dog Surf School that actually had a dog that surfed. His name is George and he hangs out in the companies office most of the day. He has not really mastered the concept of facing the right way, but he does get on the board and surf.

We started with a few stretches (thankfully sans camera) and a few drills about foot placement and how to stand up on the board when the wave takes us... then we were in the water. For some reason the instructors thought that Mari and I should be the first two to embarrass ourselves... I was the only one to do that successfully.

It was slow going for the first few tries. I was able to stand up, but it just felt like I was standing on a board in the ocean... not really surfing. But then the instructors pushed me into some bigger waves and I finally felt like I was actually surfing. For some reason I was never able to wipe this dumb look off my face. Every picture of me, I look like I am looking at a horribly disturbing scene... but from a long ways away. So it is a bit of "squinting disgust".

On my last "surf" the fins on the board ran aground on the beach and I decided I would just step off the board instead of fall off like I had been doing all day. That turned out to be a mistake. My impossibly weak knee gave out from under me, I heard it pop, and there was quite a bit of pain that caused me to swear loudly at a crowded family beach. Thankfully it seems that I just sprained my knee, but it still put a damper on the day, since we had to change our plans.

If any of you super intelligent people want to make robotic knees, know that I am a willing guinea pig just as long as I get to keep a working pair.

That is all for this short and quick update. I will do another post soon to let you know all of the fun we got into while Mari visited from Japan. In the mean time, here is another picture of us surfing... notice my complete lack of form resulting in me falling to the back of the wave (like I said, "I think I surfed"). While Mari is making me look like a fool that is confused by the large body of water that just happened to be under me (Why am I wet? And what is that smell?).

Chat soon. Enjoy

So I moved to the other side of the world...

"Welcome to Australia!" Was the first sign I saw as I deboarded the massive 747 after haphazardly stumbling down the jet way wearing clothes that reeked of 36 hours of travel in coach. I had finally made it to the land down under... again.

I know that I promised everyone regular updates to my blog just as I have done with my previous travels. But I have let you down once more. So, here is a two month one week and five day late blog post.

I settled in quickly to the house I have been staying in. A quaint little cottage in the very eclectic suburb of West End. I spent the first two weeks sleeping on a "swag"in a furnitureless house, eating my meals while standing at the kitchen counter. Thankfully, I was dispatched with a U-haul-esk truck to pick up a mattress and furniture only a few weeks into my stay. So I am now in a house that is furnished... just in time for me to move out.

The job hunt got off to a slow start. I began by abusing every possible contact I had down here begging for an opportunity to show them how important social media was. Interview after interview, office tour after office tour, nothing seemed to be the right fit. If you are looking for a quick way to feel down about your prospects, try getting turned down for four jobs in a month and a half time. All bad things do come to an end though, one turn down turned into a reference, which turned into a week of work experience, which turned into a three month PAID internship, which could turn into a full time job.

The potential full time job in question is with the major news paper in Queensland, The Courier-Mail. I am working with their social media team, designing posts for multiple platforms and trying to increase their reach and engagement numbers. And it is quite the learning experience.

You guys came this far, here is a picture of a penguin in a Christmas tree costume

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. I had originally intended to just grab a turkey sandwich and call it a day, but at the persistent nagging of one of my newly found friends, I planned a whole dinner. I was quite a bit nervous, seeing as I had never cooked Thanksgiving dinner before. I have always been the designated bartender/wine pourer at the family gathering. But I did not have to impress anyone who had a Thanksgiving dinner before, because they were all foreigners (one German, one Mexican, and one Australian). So with the help of his culinary holiness Alton Brown, I was able to make a delicious meal. 

I have also been lucky enough to spend some time on the coast in Byron Bay with my ever so gracious housemate. The house we stayed at was beautiful and the company was even better. There was a local surf festival while we were there as well, but we really didn't make it down that far.

For the moment, I believe that is all. I do have to get ready to leave for work now. But I will do my very best to continue with regular blog updates. Feel free to comment or leave questions, I know I have left so much out, but I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Sorry for the length, I hope the pictures made it a little easier to manage. Here is one final picture. I may have left Ohio, but Ohio has not left me.