"The Race That Stops a Nation" - Melbourne Cup...

Living here for a few years I notice one thing about the end of October, not too many pumpkins or fall foliage, it is spring after all, but rather the stores are full of many different dresses, some of them outrageous, and hats and fascinators, the reason behind all this fashion is the Spring Races, there are 4 races, Victoria Derby Day,  The Melbourne Cup is also known as the race that stops a nation, Crown Oaks Day and Emirates Stakes Day. So many people don't go to work, they go to the local horse track if available or to restaurants or any establishment that shows the races and has betting facilities.  The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races. Conducted annually by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria, the event starts at 3pm (daylight saving time) on the first Tuesday in November. The first race was held in 1861 over two miles (about 3,218 metres), but was shortened to 3,200 metres (2.0 mi) in 1972 when Australia adopted the metric system. This reduced the distance by 18.688 metres (61.31 ft), and Rain Lover's 1968 race record of 3min.19.1sec was accordingly adjusted to 3min.17.9sec. The present record holder is the 1990 winner Kingston Rule with a time of 3min 16.3sec.

Melbourne Cup day is a public holiday for all working within metropolitan Melbourne and some parts of regional Victoria, but not for some country Victorian cities and towns which hold their own spring carnivals. For Federal Public Servants it is also observed as a holiday in the entire state of Victoria, and from 2007 to 2009 also in the Australian Capital Territory known as Family and Community Day replacing Picnic Day.

As early as 1865, Cup day was a half-holiday in Melbourne for public servants and bank officials. Various businesses also closed at lunchtime.It took some years before the purpose of the declared holiday was acknowledged in the Victoria Government Gazette. The Gazette of 31 October 1873 announced that the following Thursday (Cup Day) be observed as a bank and civil (public) service holiday.

During the Spring Races there is a specific way of dressing. AAMI Victoria Derby Day - The week starts with the traditional black and white on Derby Day, which is where we will see the new season’s geometric shapes and stripes, along with the classic stripe and polka dot prints.  Emirates Melbourne Cup - On Emirates Melbourne Cup Day, fashion is fun and race-goers often exercise their creativity through embracing bold colours and strong prints. We will see some great graphic prints and fun headwear, in bold reds, orange, fuchsia and cobalt blue. Crown Oaks Day - Oaks Day features the final of the Myer Fashions on the Field Women’s Racewear and is all about dressing to impress. This is the day ladies traditionally wear their most feminine and floaty outfits. Emirates Stakes Day - Emirates Stakes Day is family day, which takes the dress etiquette to a more relaxed level. You will often see ladies wearing bright floaty fabrications and large brimmed hats embracing the racewear looks trackside. Unfortunately the most gorgeous heels are usually uncomfortable so party feet are the way to go. A chunkier heel will stop you from sinking into the grass - taking off the heels and walking barefoot is a big no-no so ballet flats can be a saviour at the end of the day.
Clutches with an optional strap are perfect to keep your hands free for champagne, canapés and the form guide, and spring racing headpieces should be straw - felt is more appropriate in Autumn.

Sadly this year there were tragedies at the track as one of the horses had a heart attack and died, and another one got spooked by a person waving a flag in front of it and the poor horse hit a stake and had to be put down. Because of this, no flags of any sort will be allowed near where the horses come down after the race. 

Rhyming Slang.....

My husband told me about these, but it's not something you'd here around the city or much at all lately, but it is a bit interesting. Australias' national penchant for rhyming slang is shared by Londons' Cockneys, and no doubt goes right back to their convict origins. They may have borrowed some commonly used expressions directly from their English forebearers, but many others, such as Dad 'n' Dave and Ned Kelly are true blue Aussie.They used rhyming slang if they didn't want others, particularly the authorities, to understand what they were talking about.

Basically, rhyming slang is the use of usually two or more words, the last of which rhymes with the intended word. But there are variations.The easiest examples of rhyming slang are straight-out rhymes. Thus plates of meat are feet. And rubbity-dub is pub; depending on context, it could also mean tub as in bath tub.So ava Captain Cook, for instance, at Captain Cook.

Ava isn’t rhyming slang but simply how some Aussies pronounce Have a as in avagoodweegend (Have a good weekend).

But Captain Cook is definitely rhyming slang and means look.
So ava Captain Cook, for instance, at Captain Cook.

The most common variation is to drop the rhyming word altogether. So you could simply ava captains (have a look) at this example. Sometimes when the rhyming word is dropped, the remaining word takes on a plural form for no logical reason.

A third step is to abbreviate (or corrupt) the first word, so that not only is the rhyming word gone but the first word in the phrase is corrupted. Hence, seppo for American.

The original phrase is septic tank for Yank and septic is corrupted into seppo. (Don’t ask me why Americans are called Yanks even if they come from the American South.) Another term used is tin tank.When rhyming slang is flying thick and fast, it’s best to know what some of them mean.

Here are some rhyming slang examples:

After dark - shark, bag of fruit - suit, Adrians. Drunk. This comes from the name of noted tennis player Adrian Quist. Quist rhymes with pissed, which means drunk. You could also use the full name Adrian Quist. With today’s generation, the more apt word could be Olivers, from the musical Oliver about Oliver Twist.

Al Capone. Phone. Also dog and bone (shortened to dog) and eau de Cologne (shortened to eau).
Apples and pears - Stairs. Bat and ball - Stall (your car). Cat's hiss - to take a piss. If you're having a Dad n' Dave, your having a shave. There are so many examples of rhyming slang that I couldn't possibly write all of them, so I have attached 2 links to pages that have more listing of rhyming slang. One warning, Aussies are not PC, so they may or may not be things in those lists that may or may not offend some people. 

http://www.dagree.net/aussieslang/slang_rhyming.html

http://www.wanowandthen.com/slang.html

Quirky Aussie Sayings and Their Meanings.....

Every country that has English as their primary language will have their own spin on words, slang and of course spelling. I've heard a fair bit of funny sayings and I've decided to share them, with you my friends. One very popular one is fair dinkum - Kosher, the real thing - as in "Fair Dinkum Aussie" (true blue Aussie original). Often used by itself as a rhetorical question to express astonishment verging on disbelief ... "Fair Dinkum, mate?" (you've got to be kidding, haven't you?) Pull Your head In — Use sparingly, since this equates a rather annoyed "shut up & mind your own business".Chuck a sickie — Call in sick when you’re actually feeling well. Bob's yer uncle - if you do this (whatever is said first) it will work or be all right. Example: Just add some water and Bob's yer uncle. Don't get your knickers in a knot - don't upset yourself. Go and have a cuppa - have a cup of tea or coffee. Going to the dunny - off to the toilet. Ow-yar-goin - how are you. Example: ow-yar-goin mate? Stunned mullet - surprised, bewildered, uncomprehending. You're said to look like a stunned mullet when you have no idea what's going on or what they're talking about. Your shout - your turn to buy the drinks. Mates rates - cheaper than usual for a friend. Piece of piss - an easy task. Up before sparrow fart - up before dawn. Dingo's breakfast - no breakfast. Good onya - Omnipresent term of approval, sometimes ironic. Ocker — Pronounced "ocka" - Typical uncultivated Aussie, similar to Yank "redneck".  Stickybeak  - Nosy person. Not pissing on someone when they’re on fire - Means you don’t really care about somebody. Even if they were on fire, you wouldn't do them the service of pissing on them to put the fire out. Feeling a bit crook - feeling a bit sick. Feeling a bit peckish - feeling a bit hungry. Hangin for piss- need to pee. What do ya do for a crust mate? - what kind of work do you do. Aussie salute  - the flapping away of ever - persistent flies from one's face. Bee's dick - smallest possible (eg: You've got a bee's dick of a chance of winning the lottery). Break open a coldie/tinnie - to open a beer. Buggered if I know - I have no idea; phrase indicating one is bemused about something. Carry on like a pork chop - to behave in a silly manner; to over react. Chock-a-block/chockers - full up; filled to capacity. Cleanskin - unbranded cattle or horse; unbranded bottle of wine. Cotton on to - to understand; to attach oneself to another (possibly unwilling) person. Could sell boomerangs to the Aboriginals - very persuasive. Couldn't lie straight in bed - a compulsive liar, cheat, swindler. Do a flit - to run away, especially from responsibility; to move house without paying bills or rent. Duck's dinner - a drink of water without anything to eat.  Emu's breakfast - an expression meaning 'a drink and a good look around'.  Garlic muncher - someone from central or southern Europe. Give (something) the flick - to dispose of it; get rid of it. Going to see a man about a dog -  said when one does not want to reveal where one is going. Nosey enough to know the ins and outs of a chooks arse -  an inquisitive or prying person. Take the mickey out of - to tease or ridicule someone. Ten ounce sandwich - lunch consisting of only beer. White ant - to sabotage (like a termite). Windy enough to blow a dog off its chain/Windy enough to blow the milk out of your coffee - extremely windy.  Swagmans's breakfast - is a yawn, a piss and a fart. Flat out like a lizard drinking - you're exhausted. 

In another blog to follow shortly I will tell you about rhyming slang, which is to me very odd, and something I don't think I'd get used to at all. 

Living in Australia with Type 1 Diabetes....

I'm actually surprised I haven't blogged about this earlier, I guess today's the day because I came back from my endo(endocrinologist) a few hours ago. Before deciding to come here, I and my husband researched what types of insulin is available here and monitors and meters and all the other diabetes related paraphernalia. Found out the insulin I use is readily available here, (excellent), the meter I was using, (One Touch Ultra Mini & One Touch Ultra 2)at the time was not, nor were the strips.

 My nurse practitioner did give me a a Freestyle Light meter and thank goodness they have those meters and the test strips for them. I'm also happy that even though they measure sugar metrically with mmol/l, instead of imperially mg/dl, the test strips are the same and I didn't have to get my brain around the new way. I did manage to get a new Freestyle Light from here, but the battery drained in 2 days and I couldn't be bothered returning it (didn't cost me anything). I did find an app that converts from imperial to metric, this way it's much easier when I show my doctor my sugar diary. The meter I really, really want is the iBGStar, it's a tiny meter that you attach to your iPhone and your phone holds all the details, plus you can use it without the phone, only thing is it costs $100, and at the moment I don't have $100 to just buy that, it will be one of my first purchases when I get a job. The test strips cost me $15.90 for a box of 100 through the NDSS program, and the pen needles for my insulin are free! Plus I do NOT need a prescription for anything other than the insulin and glucagon. The NDSS program is the National Diabetes Services Scheme. The National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) in Queensland is managed by Diabetes Queensland.  The scheme provides diabetes products at a discounted rate and offers information and support services.

In 2012 there were 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3% of the population, with diabetes.The total number of Australians with diabetes and pre-diabetes is estimated at 3.2 million out of 23,549,216 (Australian population as of end of 2013). There are more diabetic Americans than the entire population of Australia.  More and more people every day are developing some sort of diabetes all over the world. The only good thing about this is that in places like Oz, more diabetes stuff can now be bought, though at a much higher price. In my car, in my bag, at my desk, by my bedside a tube of glucose tablets was always to be found, here in Oz they are a bit on the pricey side, a bottle of 50 here costs $25, in the US they sell for under $10 (one major thing I will be stocking up on my next visit). Living in the States I had a CGM (continuous glucose monitor), I loved that thing, I knew what my sugar was at all times, unfortunately it's available here, but the cost of the sensors is $2,000.00. My endo is a lovely woman, younger than me, and she says, she wishes all her patients were like me with a 6.4 A1C. That's lovely, she checks my blood pressure and my feet, and that's it, no stethoscope or taking sips of water to check my thyroid or even checking to see what your sugar is while you're there like all my previous endos have done. She does give me a referral to get blood work done, and she checks for everything, A1C, thyroid, cortisol, cholesterol and protein in urine among other things.  I wish all endos around the world followed the same system, it'd be much easier for patients globally. 

Since moving here, I have lessened the amount of diet Coke I drink, mostly because it's a bit more expensive here, so I've cut down to 2 a day, the rest of the day I drink water (amazingly) and this lovely tea they have here, it's green tea with mint and my other fave, green tea with lemon myrtle, a little zingy. There are not a lot of options for diabetics when they go out for a meal, most places sell diet Coke, but the Pepsi establishments only sell PepsiMax, and like CokeZero, it's DISGUSTING! I'd rather have the water bottled for Pepsi, but sometimes that's not an option, such as the new Costco that opened up, it's got free refills for Pepsi (go figure, the Costco in Melbourne has Coke), but the only "sugar free" option is Max, no water, no seltzer, just 7Up and all the other gross tasting sugary drinks.  If you're at 7 Eleven or a gas station, you'll have better luck as quite a few sell, diet Coke and my Ultimate Favourite (and the reason I'm never leaving this country) is Diet Vanilla Coke - not available in the US, only Vanilla Coke Zero, which cannot be found in a bottle, though, the DVC is only available in 600ml and 2L bottles, no cans. One of the supermarkets did have Fanta Zero for a bit, but they stopped selling it, I've seen Sprite Zero in some vending machines at malls. If you're in the mood for a coffee and go to McDonald's or Zarraffas, you can sweeten your drink with Splenda, some cafes use Sweet n' Low or Equal, and I have seen some sort of Stevia in one cafe. Many don't offer any sort of "fake" sugar and that's why I always carry Splenda in my bag. Though I have found a brand of coffee here, called Rouge and when they make a cappuccino, it's so yummy all on it's own it doesn't need any sweeteners. Love going to that place but finding a parking spot is horrible. 

Fuel, Petrol, Gasoline and Duopolies.....

Gas, as I grew up calling it, is usually called petrol here, sometimes fuel. My friend Christine has a VW Passat and she has to put Premium fuel in her car and I couldn't for the life of me understand why.....until I moved to Australia. In the US the "regular" gas is only 87 octane and "premium" is 91, whereas in Germany 91 octane is actually hard to find where they primarily have 95 octane, which is why Americans must use premium fuel to drive their higher-end German cars. The engines were built to use the richer fuels.  In Australia "regular" gas  is 91 octane, so if I bought a Passat I wouldn't have to use premium fuel, premium fuel here is 98 octane and there are a few stations that actually sell 100 octane. Right now Costco is selling 91 octane at $1.38 a litre ($5.31gal), 98 octane $1.52 a litre ($5.85gal) and diesel $1.47 a litre ($5.65gal), all the other stations, Shell, Caltex (which I think is part Texaco),BP, 7-11(which sell Mobil) are all a lot more expensive, by the way Costco is supplied by Mobil fuel also, which was my fuel of choice when I lived in NY. 

I was actually curious about the fuel here, as we have Shell, BP and 7-11 which was available in the US. Caltex I had never heard of before but their symbol kind of resembles the Texaco logo, so who knows. There are also independent gas stations, such as Matilda and Freedom, each individually owned. Caltex is owned by Woolworth's Limited, Shell is owned by Wesfarmers who separately are the duopoly that owns all Woolworth's (Woolies for short) and Coles supermarkets in Australia. Here in Australia those are your choices for supermarkets, they also own the bottle shops, the only places you can buy piss (slang for beer) :D - or any other type of alcoholic beverage, they also own the majority of the bars in Australia, if you see a certain bottle shop, next to a pub, then they own the shop and the bar. Coles owns Bunnings, which reminds me so much of Home Depot that I often call it Home Depot, funny thing Woolies owns Masters, which is part owned by Lowes in the States. I so much prefer Masters as it is air-conditioned and has a lot more appliances. It's also marketed towards women as we are the ones who say what art and colours go in our homes. :)  (Bunnings has many oscillating fans to "cool" the warehouse and it's stinky in there - imagine fertilizers and such). 
There is also Aldi and IGA, short for Independent Grocers of Australia and now FINALLY Costco, so the duopoly can shiver in their knickers a bit, competition is excellent for the consumer. 

Moved Again......

Living in New York, I had moved twice, I don't remember the first time as I was only 19 months old, the second one was when I was going on 15, funny both those moves were in March, and so was the biggest one, moving here. When I was in high school and we moved, I got on the train in Ridgewood in the morning to go to school and when school was over my options were to take the bus or walk to Middle Village. It was a quick move I heard, but I didn't actually experience it. Moving to Australia I had the movers box and pack my stuff, a lot of things that I think now, why didn't I double and triple check the contents before the movers showed up, it would have cost me less money. Moving from Gordon Park to Kedron was not too bad as it's basically the same area, they have the same post code. My husband's family helped, my father-in-law has a ute and we used it to move all the furniture and some other things that we'd boxed. Altogether we had 4 cars helping move, my husbands' car, mine, the ute and their family car. The reason for this move is more complicated than the last one. 

We left Gordon Park because the landlords' wouldn't allow a cat, this place does allow cats but it has noisy neighbours, that make noise at 4am, has no lights in the common areas after 10:15pm, people watching tv after 11pm so loudly that you'd think it was on the balcony with the volume at 50, the guy underneath us smokes on his balcony which enters our kitchen and bathroom areas, two houses near us have chicken coops and one of them decided to get themselves a rooster (oh joy - NOT!), the mailbox floods during heavy rainfall, the garage floods during heavy rainfall, the cooktop is electric and the oven is also electric and it has an exposed heating element making it very difficult to clean. It's only a block away from a noisy street, imagine Queens Blvd.  In a complex of 10 units there are only 3 recycling bins which are collected fortnightly, my husband and I can easily fill one in a fortnight, plus the other tenants just throw boxes into the bins without crushing it. The whole complex is a dump and not worth $360 a week even though they wouldn't have increased our rent if we decided to stay. 

So we found a place, back on the same street we lived on in Gordon Park, at first I was excited, it has gas cooking, but of all the places this kitchen is the smallest, and the most expensive so far. The first Gordon Park, started I believe at $335 a week and had a huge garage, nice sized kitchen with plenty of cupboard and pantry space and gas cooking, the Kedron unit had a huge kitchen with plenty of pantry and cupboard space at $360 at week and two car garage, this place doesn't have enough space for dry goods, much less for dishes and glassware at $375 a week, plus there's not enough counter space to prepare the meals, it's in a corner and not laid out well enough, the dishwasher is broken, it has to be if I put it to wash a normal wash and it takes more than 5 hours, there's definitely something wrong. There's no direct sunlight coming into the kitchen at all, only at the front door, the other two places had direct sunlight all day, I'm thinking this place along with being more expensive in rent is going to cost us more in electricity. We have to keep a lot of stuff in boxes in the garage, and it's a one car garage, so one car will always be on the street, a fact I hate when there's major storms. 

And now for some positive things about this little dump. :) It's technically a townhouse, so, we have an upstairs and a downstairs,which other than a basement, I've never had an upstairs/downstairs. It has 3 toilets, one in the garage area, off the kitchen, then there are 2 upstairs, the first one is just as you get to the top of the stairs, that's where T's litter box is, then the shower/bath/sink is over to the right, the other toilet is in the ensuite and has a sink and shower stall in it too. This place is close enough to McDonald's that it only takes about 13 minutes to walk if you want to make that part of your morning exercise routine. The unit itself is two houses in from the street and decently quiet at all times. It has a small courtyard in the back if you want to cook a bbq or just sit out there, you won't catch any sun as the building next door blocks most of the sun. It has a small balcony off the bedroom but all you see is the other buildings balconies and garages. The people next door that share our wall, smoke.....seriously? We cannot catch a break with smokers, I cannot cook or be outside without being subjected to that awful stench. I met a cat on one of our first days here, and I found out his name is Carlos, he's so cute with his blue eyes, I also have seen a black medium length haired cat with a collar come sniffing at our door, I happened to look over to the door and I saw the flashlight eyes and walked over and it ran away. T is loving it here, he has a courtyard to walk through (supervised of course), he loves sticking his head in between the railings of the staircase, he loves running up those stairs, it's a novelty for him as he's never had that before. One thing for sure, he won't be falling out any windows here as they all have security screens on them and there's no real ledge for him to get a foot on. Maybe once we find a spot for everything I'll like it better, but for now all I like about it is the gas stove and the three toilets. 

Cockatoos....

My interaction and exposure to cockatoos was limited living in New York, Koeppel Volkswagen had one in a cage and she had a foul mouth, being around mostly mechanics all day. Living in Brisbane, I see them quite often in nature, hanging out in trees, on wires and flying. They are quite loud birds but to me they are very pretty big birds. 

Cockatoos are Australasian birds, they are popular birds but their needs are difficult to cater for. The Cockatiel is the cockatoo species that is easiest to care for and is by far the most frequently kept in captivity. White cockatoos are more commonly found in captivity than black cockatoos. Illegal trade in wild-caught birds contributes to the decline of some cockatoo species in the wild.In Australian slang or vernacular speech, a person who is assigned to keep watch while others undertake clandestine or illegal activities, particularly gambling, may be referred to as a "cockatoo". I find this really funny. There are about 44 different birds in the cockatoo family Cacatuidae including recognized subspecies. 

The vocalisations of cockatoos are loud and harsh. They serve a number of functions, including allowing individuals to recognize one another, alerting others of predators, indicating individual moods, maintaining the cohesion of a flock and as warnings when defending nests. The use of calls and number of specific calls varies by species; the Carnaby's Black Cockatoo has as many as 15 different calls, whereas others, such as Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, have fewer. Some, like the Gang-gang Cockatoo, are comparatively quiet but do have softer growling calls when feeding. In addition to vocalisations, Palm Cockatoos communicate over large distances by drumming on a dead branch with a stick. Cockatoo species also make a characteristic hissing sound when threatened.

These amazing birds are on one hand shortly becoming extinct and they are known agricultural pests and therefore eradicated in some places. In the 1970's they became popular pets due to shows like Baretta who had a triton cockatoo and Al Pacino's character in Serpico.

Noisy Miner Birds...

So now I've been here just over 2 years, I cannot believe it. Well I can and I can't. I've come to appreciate some things in nature here, the kookaburra is one of them. I love listening to their laughs, the magpie sings a pretty song but are vicious when they're nesting. The one bird I dislike with a passion is this Noisy Miner, they have tried attacking my cat through a window. They get together like a gang and take over and start cheaping loudly. I found this YouTube video showing the arrogance of these birds attacking the poor kookaburra. The Noisy Miner (also known as the Mickey Bird) is a grey bird with a black head, orange-yellow beak and feet, a distinctive yellow patch behind the eye and a white tip on the tail feathers. They are scary looking birds, I'd rather see a black crow than these vicious things. 

Noisy Miners are gregarious and territorial; they forage, bathe, roost, breed and defend territory communally, forming colonies that can contain several hundred birds. Each bird has an 'activity space' and birds with overlapping activity spaces form associations called 'coteries', the most stable units within the colony. The birds also form temporary flocks called 'coalitions' for specific activities such as mobbing a predator. Group cohesion is facilitated not only by vocalizations, but also through ritualised displays which have been categorised as flight displays, postural displays, and facial displays. The Noisy Miner is a notably aggressive bird, and chasing, pecking, fighting, scolding, and mobbing occur throughout the day, targeted at both intruders and colony members. I did see two of them on the grass a while ago going at it and I was thinking to myself, where's that black cat...hee hee. 

Foraging in the canopy of trees and on trunks and branches and on the ground, the Noisy Miner mainly eats nectar, fruit and insects. Most time is spent gleaning the foliage of eucalyptus, and it can meet most of its nutritional needs from manna and honeydew  gathered from the foliage.Noisy Miners have a range of strategies to increase their breeding success including multiple broods and group mobbing of predators. The Noisy Miner's population increase has been correlated with the reduction of avian diversity in human-affected landscapes. Its territoriality means that translocation is unlikely to be a solution to its overabundance, and culling has been proposed, although the Noisy Miner is currently a protected species across Australia. So this bird is basically a pest and yet it's protected, talk about stupidity. Imagine, they mob other birds, it's like Gangs of Australia instead of Gang of New York. 

Pedestrians and the Right of Way...

Here in Australia, pedestrians have the right of way only in a designated crosswalk, if there are no lines, the car has the right of way and you should seriously look both ways before crossing. Most streets are two-way, so whether crossing at a crosswalk or jaywalking, look right, then left then proceed. I cannot tell you how many times I've seen people just walk across the street, staring straight ahead, as if there are no cars approaching them, when in fact I'm bearing down on you at 60kph (38mph) and you better walk faster, but nooo they proceed to stroll as they are entitled to cross and the cars should stop. Um, no, the only way a driver is required to stop is if you're in a lined crosswalk, but nowadays so many people have this air of entitlement, it's disgusting. What happened to obeying the rules? When it comes to the speed and force of a car against an average sized person, guess what, the car's going to win, you'll either have broken bones or be dead, just cause you thought, I'll take my time crossing the street with cars approaching at full speed. Yeah, you're smart. 

At the moment we live across the street from a school therefore there is a crosswalk right in front of our building and in the morning and between 2-4 there is a crossing guard that makes sure the cars stop for children and people crossing. The thing is because it's a crosswalk, means that any time of the day or night cars need to stop if there is a person crossing, if they don't and a cop happens to be there, they can get a fine. What annoys the crap out of me is how many times I've seen people just drive right by, they just look straight ahead or they're busy on their phones or they just don't care. I think there should be more police presence near school crosswalks, if more people get ticketed, maybe more people will then stop when pedestrians are trying to cross the street. There was one time my husband and I were crossing the street in the crosswalk and this wanker in an SUV was trying to give us the hurry up and it looked like he wanted to drive right through my husband, my husband is no puny string bean, so if you hit him a few things are going to happen, one, you'll fuck up your car as he's a big guy, second, you'll go to jail and you'll get fined for going through a crosswalk, because I will remember the make and model of your car whether it's a ute a car or whatever it is you're driving. I'm very into cars and will know the difference between a Falcon and a Commodore. Ok, venting over. 

Lent & Seafood...

Lent is here, and of all things to be at the start of Lent, my husbands 40th birthday. Wound up eating at Groove Train, my husband had fish n' chips and I had salt & pepper calamari. When looking at a supermarket catalogue (circular), Coles has a two page display that says fish for Lent, something I don't remember seeing in NY. There is a company here called John West, and they are the Chicken of the Sea, BumbleBee or Starkist of Australia. John West does canned, and frozen seafood. I remember buying BumbleBee flavoured tuna. I had two favourites, lemon pepper & spicy chilli, I remember one time Dukie wanted some spicy tuna and I had to give him milk to tamp down the spiciness in his mouth. So all in all, I had only seen 3 different flavours of tuna, until I got here. I have seen some interesting combinations in 95g cans. There are quite a few selections of the canned variety I thought I'd share the interesting options one has for tuna here in Australia. Chunk style tuna in olive oil blend, chunk style tuna in spring water, light tuna in spring water, light tuna lemon & cracked pepper, light tuna onion & tomato and light tuna sweet chilli. The following are the non-light versions: chilli, lemon & cracked pepper, mango chilli, mild Indian curry, naturally smoked, onion & tomato savoury sauce, oven dried capsicum & chilli, dried tomato & basil, sweet chilli, sweet seeded mustard, sweetcorn & mayonnaise, tomato salsa and zesty vinaigrette. Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper in Oil, Tuna Chunks Chilli, Lime & Ginger in Oil and Tuna Chunks Garlic & Soy in Oil. They even have this lunch thing, tuna & beans and tuna & rice. They have salmon in the frozen food section and tinned sardines, salmon and anchovies.
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 It is definitely not hard to find non meat dishes in a sub-tropical area like Brisbane, there's at least one fish n' chips shop in every suburb. I love calamari and the fact that they are not the teeny little rings I'm used to is even better. You can buy calamari and chips but with my diabetes I prefer to eat 6 calamari rings and share my husbands chips. The price for calamari in a shop can be anywhere from 70 - 90 cents a ring, which isn't bad considering they're preparing it for you and the tax is already included. Oh and the tentacles are special order, so you never have to worry if you're going to get alien heads with your rings. My husband prefers snapper when we go to these shops. A proper fish shop will not just give you any fish, you get to ask for what type of fish you want crumbed (breaded), I've seen dory, whiting, and some others I can't remember as I always get calamari, though I have had some stringy calamari at a few places and we are never, ever going back to those locations. I cannot wait for my friends to visit so they can see first-hand the size and taste of these calamaris. 

My Poor T Fell Out the Window....

Yesterday was Sunday and it started off on a scary note. My husband usually gets up before me and he did so yesterday and noticed T wasn't around, usually he's like, oh hey you're up, feed me. He went into the kitchen to get a glass of juice and thought that's quite a bit of light coming in from the dining area window, then realizing that the fly-screen was not where it should be, so he gingerly looked out the window, praying he wouldn't see out poor little T on the ground, so he peeked and all he saw was the screen on the floor. Now, to wake up the wife and not scare her that the cat was gone. He woke me up saying he couldn't find T and I put on some clothes and we went out to look, I grabbed the bag of dry food and two cans to tap together, we looked in the back of the complex and the only cat that showed up was the downstairs neighbors cat. We started walking towards the street when my husband noticed T in the bushes by the fence, I called to him and he gave me a distressed mew, I picked him up and he kinda growled. We called out vet and they said, yes bring him right in. I took my insulin shot and put T in his carrier and off we went, as we're approaching the vets office the poor kitty made a poopy in his carrier and man o man it stunk up the car,we had to open the back windows and I had to stick my head out the window (I was in the back with him). When we got to the vets office it was closed, the lady that answered the phone never told us where they were located and now we had to go to another location, it was after 9am and my husband had to be at work at 10am, so we got to the vets, filled out the paperwork and we were trying to figure out how was my hubby going to get to work, I told him why don't you just grab a taxi, this way I'll have my car and then I can take T home in a familiar setting. We get called in and the vets assistant took care of the little oopsy, he weighs 6.55kgs (14lbs) but he is long so it's okay for him. The vet said his heart-rate was a bit high, but considering he fell, was outside, took a ride in the car and he was at the vets it wasn't something to be overly worried about. They gave me 2 options, let them keep him overnight and they'd heavily sedate him and take an x-ray and I could pick him up Monday, or they could do an ultrasound of his stomach area to make sure everything was intact and then he would get a pain killer shot and I would have to medicate him for 3 days after. I took the second option as I didn't want to scare him even more with leaving him in a strange place. The ultrasound came back ok, he got his shot and he went willingly into his carrier. The whole time I'm thinking, shit how much is this going to cost me, single income no spare cash. When I was waiting to pay the bill, a woman asked is there a kitty in there and I said yes, I have one of those mesh carriers so I can belt the cat in the car, I've never liked the plastic containers. They were loving it. So I get the bill and it's only $169 and I was like whew, this I can handle. 

I strapped T in the front seat so I can keep an eye on him, and he was pretty quiet on the way home (very unusual for him). When we got home, the neighbors cat comes running to rub against me and I just wanted to get my T upstairs. When I put the carrier down and unzipped it, he came out, and this time walking tall with his tail up. Great sign as he was crouch walking at the vets. He eventually drank some water, actually a lot of water. He didn't get his appetite back until later in the evening. My in-laws brought over a bag of Temptations and he had one or two.  While I was sleeping T came to visit me, he came up to me and started kneading my arm. When I woke up this morning he was doing his usual stretchies. He even played with his string a little. He's still a little tired, and I'm keeping an eye on him and all windows are closed while we're sleeping or out. His actual vet called before to see how he was doing, and the fact that he's eating and playing is a great sign. Thank God my baby's okay, he lost one of his nine lives. 

Lorikeets...

Every morning and every evening, I hear these lovely sounds coming from outside, the chirping of little lorikeets. They usually fly in pairs, so it's almost like a conversation, it always sounds happy. 

Eventually I would love to buy food and feed them to hear their happy tunes. They are a type of parrot found commonly along the eastern seaboard, from Queensland to South Australia and northwest Tasmania. The Rainbow Lorikeet is a medium-sized parrot, with the length ranging from 25–30 cm (9.8-11.8 in) in size, and has a wingspan of about 17 cm (6.7 in). The weight varies from 75–157 g (2.6–5.5 oz). The plumage of the nominate race, as with all subspecies, is very bright. The head is deep blue with a greenish-yellow nuchal collar, and the rest of the upperparts (wings, back and tail) are deep green. The chest is red with blue-black barring. The belly is deep green, and the thighs and rump are yellow with deep green barring. Rainbow Lorikeets often travel together in pairs and occasionally respond to calls to fly as a flock, then disperse again into pairs. Rainbow Lorikeet pairs defend their feeding and nesting areas aggressively against other Rainbow Lorikeets and other bird species. They chase off not only smaller birds such as the Noisy Miner, but also larger and more powerful birds such as the Australian Magpie.
Rainbow Lorikeets feed mainly on fruit, pollen and nectar, and possess a tongue adapted especially for their particular diet. The end of the tongue is equipped with a papillate appendage adapted to gathering pollen and nectar from flowers.They also eat crops such as apples, and will raid maize and sorghum. They are also frequent visitors at bird feeders placed in gardens, which supply store-bought nectar, sunflower seeds, and fruits such as apples, grapes and pears.
In many places, including campsites and suburban gardens, wild lorikeets are so used to humans that they can be hand-fed. The Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in Queensland, Australia, is noted for its thousands of lorikeets. Around 8am and 4pm each day the birds gather in a huge, noisy flock in the park's main area. Visitors are encouraged to feed them a specially prepared nectar, and the birds will happily settle on people's arms and heads to consume it. Wild Rainbow Lorikeets can also be hand-fed by visitors at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Packet mixes with a nutritional mix suitable for feeding lorikeets are generally available from vets and pet stores.

Depression...

Lately I've been feeling very depressed, and I cannot stop crying. Every morning my husband goes off to work and I go watch USTVnow, watch some Pennsylvania tv and catch up on Facebook as a newspaper. I see so many people having fun, doing things I only wish I could, no job, one income, tight budget, no real luxuries allowed, except the freebies my husband gets working for the media.  I'm in my pj's most of the day, I used to think that would be an awesome thing, it can be, if you win lotto, but in reality, it sucks big time. I've tried to make friends, but most people have kids and all I have is my fluffy T. I miss having daily conversations with people, I now know why the old ladies would do their banking on a daily basis and talk your ear off, they do that to keep themselves sane, to get some sort of communication or else they become those reclusive cat ladies. I want to go to the beach, I can't, because petrol is $1.63 a litre which is $6.27 a gallon and we can only afford to put fuel in one car.  I need to get an oil change, and again, I cannot afford it. I've never been in this situation and it makes me shake with sadness. I don't care about things anymore, don't want to leave the apartment at all, don't really feel like eating anything, thought of food make me nauseous.  I just spotted a bottle of Bermuda Pink Sand on my desk and it makes me long for the days I could afford to go on cruises or go visit my relatives in Croatia, I can't even go visit my parents. It's just not fair. 

Coffee in Australia...

My first memory of coffee was my parents lying in bed and asking me to make them coffee. In the 70's the maker they had was a percolator and I remember assembling it and making them coffee. I wouldn't touch the stuff, I hated the smell. I remember also going to Croatia as a child and everyone drinking "Turkish" coffee, basically espresso with grinds on the bottom and again, I'll pass thank you. Women were known to read the coffee grinds, it was interesting to see. Sanka comes to mind, the commercials for iced Sanka. When I was working in Waldbaums' I would occasionally get a coffee from this store in the Metro Mall.  Diet Coke was always my coffee, already sweetened and no chance of burning myself drinking it. Working for the bank, we would go to these WASI meetings and I started my coffee drinking, also when I went to Community Bankers, coffee was served with dessert and I started liking it. Barbara and I had gone on two cruises together (great times) and she would have coffee and I wouldn't, this was back in 2004 & 2005. I started liking cappuccinos at this point, but it was never anything I HAD to have, that's my feeling on diet Coke. :) 
I remember going to Starbucks with Laura and she ordered a cappuccino and there was a shot of espresso and foam, very airy foam and she showed the barista and they said that's a cappuccino, um no it's not and she got a different coffee. One day I was in Macy's in the city and felt like having a cappuccino and I totally forgot what had happened to Laura and I was drinking forever before I got to that shot of coffee. 
Arriving in Brisbane the first time, my then boyfriend took me to Coffee Club for breakfast (Coffee Club is a cafe' chain that serves coffees and meals). I had a cappuccino and it was pretty good, good thick and creamy foam, like someone had put warm CoolWhip in it. It was delicious. Since moving here, I've tried my share of coffees, there are so many cafes. Brisbane is known for it's coffee culture. One day I decided to have a vente cappuccino in Starbucks, and I was not disappointed, it was done properly, I was so happy. McCafe makes really good coffee too, they grind the beans before they make the coffee, it's not some pre-ground stuff that's been sitting around. There are chain coffee places here, Starbucks, McCafe, Coffee Club, Gloria Jean's Coffees, Aroma's, Cibo Espresso, Michel's Patisserie and Zarraffas Coffee. Now, these are just the chains, then you have your little independent cafes too. The coffee I love, love so much because I do not need to put any sweetener in it, is Rouge Coffee. Rouge Coffee are boutique coffee roasters and I don't know what they do, but I can't get enough of their cappuccinos.My husband loves their espressos, but it does come with a kick so he needs one packet of sugar.  Another one that I like is Merlo, they have pretty good beans too, and if you want you can buy beans directly from them from all sorts of places for all sorts of prices. 
Then you have Campos, also no sugar needed. DiBella, pretty good, haven't tried Elixir yet, and there are a few others I can't remember at this time. 
One thing I've noticed since living here, you don't just walk into a coffee place and ask for a cup of coffee, there's no such thing as coffee sitting in a glass pot waiting to serve you, they make it when you order it. A cappuccino is a cappuccino. My typical order at McCafe is: small cappuccino, full cream milk to have here.   An espresso is called an espresso or a short black, depending on the cafe. If you want a black coffee, no milk, that's a long black. If you want milk in that coffee, you order either a latte or a flat white. Basic rule of thumb, check out the menu and if not sure, ask the barista. Yes, I said barista, no one just gets you a coffee, they have to be trained to make the coffee. If you want Nescafe, then I'm sorry you're going to have to make it yourself, as every place that serves coffee, has a full on coffee machine, no hot plates keeping your coffee warm ever. 

My Vent About Banking and Christmas...

So this Christmas has to be one of the worst ones I have ever experienced. I went to go Christmas shopping and had gone to the ATM and my card spit back out saying it was expired. Lovely! I was "supposed" to have gotten it before the end of the month, but here it was the beginning of December and nothing had arrived. I had no money whatsoever to buy Christmas presents, to get my hair cut, to buy myself a Christmas outfit or to purchase anything. My parents had deposited money in my US account but the stupid effin bank must have made a mistake. I received my statement, two weeks after it was mailed, so why the fuck had I not received my debit card? I had moved in May, and sent a letter stating I had changed addresses, I get my statement so you would think the address would have been correct.  To make matters worse as of today January 17, 2014 I have NOT received my debit card AND I sent an email to said bank on January 3rd and I still haven't gotten a response. WTF????? If I sent an email to my Aussie bank, I would have gotten an email response within a day or two......I'll bet you any amount of money none of the workers at said bank would have let this happen to them. Have I not received a response because I used to work there? Their motto is "we treat you like family", really? Where's my fucking debit card? Every day I wait for the postman and run to the mailbox to check to see, has it arrived yet. This is getting ridiculous, if it was sent by boat it would have arrived already, someone fucked up and they fucked up bad. I hope whose ever fault this is, has no access to the only money they have when they really need it.