No good deed goes unpunished. That seems to be the catch-phrase for trying to be a LEGAL immigrant in the USA. No matter how many t's you cross and i's you dot, there's some beaurocrat (and maybe a lawyer or two) who finds a way to extend a process that is already taking longer than it should.
It may take four more weeks before Jonnene is able to even schedule an interview at the US Consolate in Sydney. Even though the visas have been approved by the CIS, it seems the interviewer has the final say (understandable, but don't tell us the visas are approved before the interview even happens and then throw an "if" at us). I'm quite sure Jonnene will sail through the interview and, with the later date, she might get a cheaper airfare to Sydney instead of the current holiday rates.
But I'm getting more frustrated because both the K3 and I-130 visas are arriving at more-or-less the same time. That's not suppposed to be the case. The K3 was to allow her to enter the USA while the permanent immigrant visa was being processed, and we were told that it shouldn't take more than 4 months. We're now seven months into the process and the other visa is ready. Now we need to find out which one we need to go with at this moment. I prefer the I-130 to get the permanent immigrant thing going. In doing that, it makes me feel like the K3 was a waste of time and money. I'm annoyed by this and I'm not sure who I want to kick in the butt for it.
I'm sure there are plenty of countries on this planet that make things hard on people trying to immigrate, and probably make it way worse, but it really gets to me when I read in the news about illegals here easily getting work permits in less than a month (when Jonnene may have to wait up to 90 days!), getting drivers' licenses, housing, and such....sometimes due to obviously sham marriages. They overstay student visas, they sneak in past the borders and we coddle them for the money they're costing US. And they'll sue (with the ACLU's support) if we try to kick them out!
Meanwhile, we're doing everything right/legal and now seven months later we're still waiting for people to get off their hind ends to let a perfectly good person come to the USA and contribute her experience and vitality to a community that could use it. Oh, and she would be paying taxes as a working member of society....you'd think somebody in a position of authority would take THAT into consideration!
Monday, December 18, 2006
Sunday, December 17, 2006
On the road....again and again
This turned out to be a great weekend to ride the bike....warmer than usual temperatures and very pleasant weather all around. The riding would have been even greater if I was in the shape I was in last September. But I'm not. After essentially six weeks off the bike, I have climbed back onto the saddle to get ready for the upcoming racing season. It won't be easy and it won't be that much fun for a while, but that's the price you pay for taking time off.
Got in 30 miles on Saturday and 49 on Sunday, all at an easy pace, keeping my heartrate below 160 to keep the rides at what is called a "fat-burning" ride. Nothing to burn up the muscles but to use the fat that's collected in me for fuel instead. Saturday's excursion was similar to last week's ride but Sunday was different. Eight of us left Waskom, Texas to go exploring whatever side roads we found in the East Texas countryside and we found a lot of them. Probably about half of the ride was on poorly maintained roads with potholes, plenty of road acne, cracks, gravel...we spent miles bumping and bouncing our way along. I think most of my internal organs have rearranged themselves! There's no doubt that my upper arms, shoulders, and neck will be sore tomorrow. Having been off the bike for so long I have lost being immune to all that stuff and everything in me was feeling all the shocks that were running thru me. My hands and butt will probably hurt some, too. I did put in a hard effort at the end of the ride to catch Terry, who had drifted off the front with a couple of miles to go, and I got the HR up around 183! It'll still be a while before I can do those efforts with a lower heartrate but here's where all that starts. My front tire flatted with 1/2 mile to go so if I had to flat, that was one of the best places to do it! I rolled in, tossed the K2 in the back of the truck, and ate out at a local diner with the rest of the bunch. I want to get in 500 miles before I go riding with the team and before I shave my legs!
Got in 30 miles on Saturday and 49 on Sunday, all at an easy pace, keeping my heartrate below 160 to keep the rides at what is called a "fat-burning" ride. Nothing to burn up the muscles but to use the fat that's collected in me for fuel instead. Saturday's excursion was similar to last week's ride but Sunday was different. Eight of us left Waskom, Texas to go exploring whatever side roads we found in the East Texas countryside and we found a lot of them. Probably about half of the ride was on poorly maintained roads with potholes, plenty of road acne, cracks, gravel...we spent miles bumping and bouncing our way along. I think most of my internal organs have rearranged themselves! There's no doubt that my upper arms, shoulders, and neck will be sore tomorrow. Having been off the bike for so long I have lost being immune to all that stuff and everything in me was feeling all the shocks that were running thru me. My hands and butt will probably hurt some, too. I did put in a hard effort at the end of the ride to catch Terry, who had drifted off the front with a couple of miles to go, and I got the HR up around 183! It'll still be a while before I can do those efforts with a lower heartrate but here's where all that starts. My front tire flatted with 1/2 mile to go so if I had to flat, that was one of the best places to do it! I rolled in, tossed the K2 in the back of the truck, and ate out at a local diner with the rest of the bunch. I want to get in 500 miles before I go riding with the team and before I shave my legs!
Friday, December 15, 2006
End of the Week
Last night I attended a dinner put on by a group I'm associated with - TOTS, "Times Old TimerS" - composed of retired and former employees at The (Shreveport) Times newspaper. I used to work at The Times 1979-1985 as an illustrator and page designer, and those were some good times. I quit in '85 because I was getting burned out and I started my free-lance career, which I'm still doing to this date. Not sure how long I'm going to keep doing it....I'm starting to get rather worn with the idea and I'm looking to other paths.
Anyway, a former Times employee is now the editor of the Biloxi (Mississippi) SunHerald and was our speaker. His paper managed to keep publishing during the hurricane Katrina disaster in '05 and he told us how they did it and the problems they had to solve...all the while as the staff was trying to keep their own lives in order with destroyed houses and property and everything else. Southern Mississippi was hit way harder than New Orleans was but NO got all the attention in the media and in Washington. The SunHerald won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage and Stan brought the medal, in its wooden box, with him for us to see. Yeah, I got to hold a Pulitzer and it was neat. Definitely the Holy Grail of the newspaper world.
Today was just a crummy day weather-wise, foggy and cloudy, but the temperatures were pleasant. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and about 20 degrees F above normal so I plan to get some riding in Saturday and Sunday.
Anyway, a former Times employee is now the editor of the Biloxi (Mississippi) SunHerald and was our speaker. His paper managed to keep publishing during the hurricane Katrina disaster in '05 and he told us how they did it and the problems they had to solve...all the while as the staff was trying to keep their own lives in order with destroyed houses and property and everything else. Southern Mississippi was hit way harder than New Orleans was but NO got all the attention in the media and in Washington. The SunHerald won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage and Stan brought the medal, in its wooden box, with him for us to see. Yeah, I got to hold a Pulitzer and it was neat. Definitely the Holy Grail of the newspaper world.
Today was just a crummy day weather-wise, foggy and cloudy, but the temperatures were pleasant. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and about 20 degrees F above normal so I plan to get some riding in Saturday and Sunday.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Pet Meds
Taz got his shots and Farley got his resupply of heartworm prevent meds. All is well with the world.
Sudden job today when a client called to see if his Christmas cards were ready. Uhhhh, no. After all, we had last talked about it in September! So I'm knocking it out tonight (client approved the sudden idea that I sent to him later in the day), send it to him in the morning, upon approval I color the illustration and get it to a quick printer for mailing on Friday. Another nice check to come that I wasn't really expecting.
I'm good. That's all there is to it.
Sudden job today when a client called to see if his Christmas cards were ready. Uhhhh, no. After all, we had last talked about it in September! So I'm knocking it out tonight (client approved the sudden idea that I sent to him later in the day), send it to him in the morning, upon approval I color the illustration and get it to a quick printer for mailing on Friday. Another nice check to come that I wasn't really expecting.
I'm good. That's all there is to it.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Blonde Ambition....featuring me!
Ugh, Hollywood got up early today. The alarm went off at 4:15 am....get cleaned up, shave....load my 4 changes of clothes into the truck, and left by 5 for the "home base", which is what the little cluster of tents at the Municipal Auditorium parking lot is called for the production of "Blonde Ambition", the newest movie being filmed in Shreveport. It features (shall I say it again?) Jessica Simpson, Luke Wilson, Penelope Ann Miller, and Andy Dick.
It's dark at home base and I get my paperwork that needs to be filled out if I have any desire to be paid. There's several rows of tables with chairs in the biggest tent. I was one of the first to show up but everyone gets there by 5:30 or so....it's still dark. The head of wardrobe, Sara, looks through everyone's collection of clothes and selects what she wants people to wear for the shots scheduled....we're not changing into four sets of clothes like I thought, we're wearing the best combination of what we've got as Sara desires. When she gets to me, she takes a very quick look and says "I like what you have on already...I like the jeans....just put on your sport jacket and keep your overcoat with you, wear it or don't wear it. You're fine like that!" Well, that's less work for me. Everything else goes back in the truck and I get on the "people mover" (bus) to go to the 900 block of Milam Street.
The PA's, or production assistants (Felicia was one), and director (Kevin) made it very clear that all cell phones had to be left in our vehicles or turned in to be picked up later. I could understand that, you don't want a phone going off while a scene's being filmed. Later I heard another reason....two people had been kicked off the set last week for taking photos with their cell phones! And Simpson has been in the paper/tabloids a lot lately....they're trying not to add to what's been going on with her.
We're dropped off at a former guitar store next to the old Capri Theater on Milam....the last time I saw a film in the Capri had to be in the early 80's. There's sixty of us extras ("background" as we would be called all morning) in the building and we wait a while as it gets lighter outside and the weather is threatening....it had rained earlier. Around 7:30 the PA's come in and make a few announcements, then the director comes in and goes through the commands that will be barked out during the filming. For instance, he will place the extras at a starting point for each scene, all of them scattered out along the sidewalk to give that random look. That starting point is Position One, so when he says "Everyone back to their ones!" that means to go back to the exact place you started. "Reset" means to go back to a previous position, usually the ones. When actual filming starts, everyone yells "Background!" which means we all start moving, then "Action!" is when the primary actors do their bit. Yes, they still say "Cut!" to stop everything. We had to be aware of our surroundings and actions so that we do the same things each time we redo the same scene so there's some semblance of continuity.
Oh, and don't look at or wave at the camera....or the actors...during filming. And if the director sees any cell phones, he will take them away and NOT return them. He's a young guy but he sounds serious. And he's way full of energy....I get tired just watching him run all over the place.
The first scene has Penelope Ann Miller as a bike messenger who rides up the street and is almost cut off by a taxi, where she hits the hood of the car and calls the driver a bad name. Then she gets a call on her cell and talks to "Jessica". While she does this, the "background" is moving across the street and up/down the sidewalks. I was selected to be a "crosser" which means there's 10 of us who cross the street in random order in front of the entire scene as foreground action. I was the first one to pass by the camera on the three rehearsals and three filmed segments....probably means I'll be the first cut out! But after I would cross, off camera, a PA would direct me down the sidewalk, so maybe I'll be seen walking away as Penelope talks on her phone. I remembered looking at Penelope and thinking "I've seen you naked!", which is true since I saw her in "Carlito's Way" a few years ago where she played a striper.
But I digress......
Next scene shot was with Simpson where she's on her bike and having trouble maneuvering thru the streets of New York. It was the job of the "background" to give her room as she weaves up on the sidewalk as she yells, "Excuse me....sorry...coming through...." and yet still look like we're going about our business. She showed up after we did a couple of rehearsals and then we filmed it about 3 1/2 times (one take was cut short). I walked away from the camera on all the takes and walk right by her as she rides up the sidewalk each time. She seemed a lot shorter than I thought she'd be after seeing her in "The Dukes of Hazzard" where she looked kinda tall. She's attractive but, sorry, Jessica, I'm already taken!
Anyway, during all this it was a cloudy sky with occasional drizzle and was much warmer than it had been the last week. Being in place for both scenes took a couple of hours, with positioning of the "background" and moving cameras around for different angles, including closeups. It was very interesting. The crew certainly knew what they were doing and I noticed they were very good at watching each other's back....it was the norm, for instance, to see a PA set a foot out on a cable that's being stretched out so it didn't knock anything over, and nobody asks them to do it. The grips would coil cable and cords so that when they were stretched out again and again, they wouldn't tangle up....seems simple but I was impressed by it all. I was wondering how much sleep they all get during production! It can't be much.
I was impressed with how the production designers made Milam Street look like a smaller New York side street. There was a NYPD police car, 8 yellow cabs, a New York Times newspaper box, NYC traffic signs on the street, a simulation of a steam vent on the sidewalk...THAT was pretty neat, even a Shreveport city bus with NYC Metro decals all over it, a few sedans, and a few box/moving/loading trucks here and there. Physically it wasn't a lot but it was convincing enough to fool someone if they had been dropped in the street without being told where they were.
So we were done by 11 am (the sky then dropped a ton of rain...good timing) and returned to the building to turn in our paperwork to Felicia. Our checks will be sent in the mail but I'm not quite sure how much I'm getting paid. The wage base rate written in on my form says 55/8 which I'm going to assume is $55 for 8 hours. Normally I interpret 55/8 as 55 multiplied by 8 but I don't think I'm going to get a check for $440! It would be nice though, wouldn't it? Anyway, if I get called again, I'll mention it. Hopefully, I've made it to celluloid immortality for a film that will probably be distributed as a DVD within a week after it is released to the theater!
Of course, I'll buy a copy.
It's dark at home base and I get my paperwork that needs to be filled out if I have any desire to be paid. There's several rows of tables with chairs in the biggest tent. I was one of the first to show up but everyone gets there by 5:30 or so....it's still dark. The head of wardrobe, Sara, looks through everyone's collection of clothes and selects what she wants people to wear for the shots scheduled....we're not changing into four sets of clothes like I thought, we're wearing the best combination of what we've got as Sara desires. When she gets to me, she takes a very quick look and says "I like what you have on already...I like the jeans....just put on your sport jacket and keep your overcoat with you, wear it or don't wear it. You're fine like that!" Well, that's less work for me. Everything else goes back in the truck and I get on the "people mover" (bus) to go to the 900 block of Milam Street.
The PA's, or production assistants (Felicia was one), and director (Kevin) made it very clear that all cell phones had to be left in our vehicles or turned in to be picked up later. I could understand that, you don't want a phone going off while a scene's being filmed. Later I heard another reason....two people had been kicked off the set last week for taking photos with their cell phones! And Simpson has been in the paper/tabloids a lot lately....they're trying not to add to what's been going on with her.
We're dropped off at a former guitar store next to the old Capri Theater on Milam....the last time I saw a film in the Capri had to be in the early 80's. There's sixty of us extras ("background" as we would be called all morning) in the building and we wait a while as it gets lighter outside and the weather is threatening....it had rained earlier. Around 7:30 the PA's come in and make a few announcements, then the director comes in and goes through the commands that will be barked out during the filming. For instance, he will place the extras at a starting point for each scene, all of them scattered out along the sidewalk to give that random look. That starting point is Position One, so when he says "Everyone back to their ones!" that means to go back to the exact place you started. "Reset" means to go back to a previous position, usually the ones. When actual filming starts, everyone yells "Background!" which means we all start moving, then "Action!" is when the primary actors do their bit. Yes, they still say "Cut!" to stop everything. We had to be aware of our surroundings and actions so that we do the same things each time we redo the same scene so there's some semblance of continuity.
Oh, and don't look at or wave at the camera....or the actors...during filming. And if the director sees any cell phones, he will take them away and NOT return them. He's a young guy but he sounds serious. And he's way full of energy....I get tired just watching him run all over the place.
The first scene has Penelope Ann Miller as a bike messenger who rides up the street and is almost cut off by a taxi, where she hits the hood of the car and calls the driver a bad name. Then she gets a call on her cell and talks to "Jessica". While she does this, the "background" is moving across the street and up/down the sidewalks. I was selected to be a "crosser" which means there's 10 of us who cross the street in random order in front of the entire scene as foreground action. I was the first one to pass by the camera on the three rehearsals and three filmed segments....probably means I'll be the first cut out! But after I would cross, off camera, a PA would direct me down the sidewalk, so maybe I'll be seen walking away as Penelope talks on her phone. I remembered looking at Penelope and thinking "I've seen you naked!", which is true since I saw her in "Carlito's Way" a few years ago where she played a striper.
But I digress......
Next scene shot was with Simpson where she's on her bike and having trouble maneuvering thru the streets of New York. It was the job of the "background" to give her room as she weaves up on the sidewalk as she yells, "Excuse me....sorry...coming through...." and yet still look like we're going about our business. She showed up after we did a couple of rehearsals and then we filmed it about 3 1/2 times (one take was cut short). I walked away from the camera on all the takes and walk right by her as she rides up the sidewalk each time. She seemed a lot shorter than I thought she'd be after seeing her in "The Dukes of Hazzard" where she looked kinda tall. She's attractive but, sorry, Jessica, I'm already taken!
Anyway, during all this it was a cloudy sky with occasional drizzle and was much warmer than it had been the last week. Being in place for both scenes took a couple of hours, with positioning of the "background" and moving cameras around for different angles, including closeups. It was very interesting. The crew certainly knew what they were doing and I noticed they were very good at watching each other's back....it was the norm, for instance, to see a PA set a foot out on a cable that's being stretched out so it didn't knock anything over, and nobody asks them to do it. The grips would coil cable and cords so that when they were stretched out again and again, they wouldn't tangle up....seems simple but I was impressed by it all. I was wondering how much sleep they all get during production! It can't be much.
I was impressed with how the production designers made Milam Street look like a smaller New York side street. There was a NYPD police car, 8 yellow cabs, a New York Times newspaper box, NYC traffic signs on the street, a simulation of a steam vent on the sidewalk...THAT was pretty neat, even a Shreveport city bus with NYC Metro decals all over it, a few sedans, and a few box/moving/loading trucks here and there. Physically it wasn't a lot but it was convincing enough to fool someone if they had been dropped in the street without being told where they were.
So we were done by 11 am (the sky then dropped a ton of rain...good timing) and returned to the building to turn in our paperwork to Felicia. Our checks will be sent in the mail but I'm not quite sure how much I'm getting paid. The wage base rate written in on my form says 55/8 which I'm going to assume is $55 for 8 hours. Normally I interpret 55/8 as 55 multiplied by 8 but I don't think I'm going to get a check for $440! It would be nice though, wouldn't it? Anyway, if I get called again, I'll mention it. Hopefully, I've made it to celluloid immortality for a film that will probably be distributed as a DVD within a week after it is released to the theater!
Of course, I'll buy a copy.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Going to be sore tomorrow!
Got up very late this morning...I just didn't want to get up!
After five weeks off my K2, it was time to hit the roads again. It was way too cold to join the numbnuts who went out at 9 am for a ride so I waited until after lunch to get my first ride in while it was somewhat warmer. So at 1 pm it was around 46 degrees F and Michael was at the parking lot to do a ride, too. He had been off the bike for three weeks because of a tendonitis problem in his shoulder so this was his first ride back, too. So we went off together, heading for Frierson and then turnaround at I-49. Our pace was slow as I was keeping my heartrate below 160 to make this a "fat burning" ride. The heartrate indicated how out of shape I was when it would go up to 164 on a slight hill when it usually would read 140-146 while going about 10 mph faster! The fitness will come....you gotta start somewhere and getting back to a decent condition is a pain as it takes a few weeks to even begin to feel fit. I told Mike all about my Oz trip and I think I've got him convinced to take a trip there in 3-5 years (so he can save up the money) with his wife. I'm a good ambassador for traveling to Australia! Anyway, we got in almost 30 miles in under two hours which wasn't bad for our first trip into the fire. It's not fast by any stretch but a good start. I plan to go tomorrow, too, either before or after a visit to see my grandmother at a party at the care center where she lives.
But my legs will be sore tomorrow and my butt will not like the saddle too much either! The second ride back is usually the worse. Tonight is my bike racing team's end-of-the-racing-season-and-Christmas-party so I plan to make up for all the calories I burned off this afternoon!
After five weeks off my K2, it was time to hit the roads again. It was way too cold to join the numbnuts who went out at 9 am for a ride so I waited until after lunch to get my first ride in while it was somewhat warmer. So at 1 pm it was around 46 degrees F and Michael was at the parking lot to do a ride, too. He had been off the bike for three weeks because of a tendonitis problem in his shoulder so this was his first ride back, too. So we went off together, heading for Frierson and then turnaround at I-49. Our pace was slow as I was keeping my heartrate below 160 to make this a "fat burning" ride. The heartrate indicated how out of shape I was when it would go up to 164 on a slight hill when it usually would read 140-146 while going about 10 mph faster! The fitness will come....you gotta start somewhere and getting back to a decent condition is a pain as it takes a few weeks to even begin to feel fit. I told Mike all about my Oz trip and I think I've got him convinced to take a trip there in 3-5 years (so he can save up the money) with his wife. I'm a good ambassador for traveling to Australia! Anyway, we got in almost 30 miles in under two hours which wasn't bad for our first trip into the fire. It's not fast by any stretch but a good start. I plan to go tomorrow, too, either before or after a visit to see my grandmother at a party at the care center where she lives.
But my legs will be sore tomorrow and my butt will not like the saddle too much either! The second ride back is usually the worse. Tonight is my bike racing team's end-of-the-racing-season-and-Christmas-party so I plan to make up for all the calories I burned off this afternoon!
Friday, December 08, 2006
The Weekend Cometh
It's been tough to get out of bed this week. Unless I HAVE to get up, I usually need the light of day to wake up. It's terrible during wintertime as the days get shorter. The alarm still goes off at 5:15 am (because of the morning bike ride I do during the summer) which I ignore, and it's around 6:30-7:00 am before I get out from under the covers because that's when it gets LIGHT outside! When I was in Australia the last couple of weeks.....it's summer there now....the sky started getting light by 4:30 am and by 5 I was wide awake! I was up, walking around, checking email, eating breakfast, whatever. By eight it felt like half the morning was over! Then I come back home to the States and I'm zombied out until around seven.
It looks like I'm going to be in the movies....or at least have the opportunity to be on a cutting room floor! There's a film being shot here in Shreveport called "Blonde Ambition", starring Jessica Simpson and Luke Wilson, and a couple of days ago a call went out looking for extras to be in the film on Thursday and Friday. I sent in a photo and an email, telling whoever that I could make time to be an extra if they needed one. I didn't hear back on that call-out but this afternoon I got a call from a guy named Chris who said they were looking for extras to be background pedestrians in New York (that is, downtown Shreveport) for this Monday. I thought he was kidding but realized quick enough that the guy was for real. I have to call Sunday night for details but essentially I have to bring 4 changes of clothing, one a business suit and the others....that aren't business suits. Apparently I may be four different characters in different locations as they film the scene...a way to create a crowd out of a small number of people. Do multiple takes of the same scene from different angles, edit them together and the viewer thinks they're looking at a location with people all over the place! Except that it's the same people! I'll tell how it goes after it's done Monday. The best part is it's a paying gig! I've heard the pay for an extra can be anywhere from $50 to $150 a day. Either way, I can always use the money.
Saturday I do my first outdoor bike ride in five weeks. I took November off from the bike as a break and to concentrate on the half-marathon in the middle of the month. In Oz I ran only once and did two pilates classes....otherwise, not much else. Since my return I've started back on the weights and have done two wind trainer rides in the living room. It'll be very cold tomorrow but I have to start buiding up my mileage base again for the '07 racing season. I could do my first race as early as mid-February or the first weekend of March, so I need to get LOTS of miles and saddle time in me before then. The race in March is the famed Rouge-Roubaix down in St. Francisville, a 100-mile effort with about 26 miles or so of that distance "off the pavement"....on dirt roads, gravel roads, extremely steep hills, all sorts of abominations we have to ride over. It's only fun when it's over and I've done it three times so far. I've had bad luck with flats at the most unfortunate times and once you lose the pack on those dirt roads, it's over....it becomes a training ride then. Anyway, I hope to get two rides in this weekend and be able to walk normal on the movie set on Monday!
A young man who graduated from my high school in Minden died in Iraq on Wednesday. He was one of five guys in a Humvee that was blasted apart by a roadside bomb. It was especially sad in that he had just returned to Iraq last Sunday after spending two weeks of leave seeing his new son, his wife and the rest of his family. As I write this, it was only seven days ago his family saw him off at Shreveport Regional Airport on his way back to his troops (he was on his second tour). The last thing he told his Dad was that the last two weeks was the best leave he had ever had. He was a 2003 graduate of Minden High...I graduated in 1973...and I believe he is the first Minden graduate to lose his life in war since a classmate of mine's older brother was killed in Viet Nam (bad luck...he was already wounded and was being evacuated when the vehicle he was in struck a mine...his name's on the Viet Nam Memorial wall in Washington now). Here's a couple of links to the story (copy and paste the links into your browser):
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061208/NEWS01/612080313
http://www.nwlanews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1470&Itemid=26
It looks like I'm going to be in the movies....or at least have the opportunity to be on a cutting room floor! There's a film being shot here in Shreveport called "Blonde Ambition", starring Jessica Simpson and Luke Wilson, and a couple of days ago a call went out looking for extras to be in the film on Thursday and Friday. I sent in a photo and an email, telling whoever that I could make time to be an extra if they needed one. I didn't hear back on that call-out but this afternoon I got a call from a guy named Chris who said they were looking for extras to be background pedestrians in New York (that is, downtown Shreveport) for this Monday. I thought he was kidding but realized quick enough that the guy was for real. I have to call Sunday night for details but essentially I have to bring 4 changes of clothing, one a business suit and the others....that aren't business suits. Apparently I may be four different characters in different locations as they film the scene...a way to create a crowd out of a small number of people. Do multiple takes of the same scene from different angles, edit them together and the viewer thinks they're looking at a location with people all over the place! Except that it's the same people! I'll tell how it goes after it's done Monday. The best part is it's a paying gig! I've heard the pay for an extra can be anywhere from $50 to $150 a day. Either way, I can always use the money.
Saturday I do my first outdoor bike ride in five weeks. I took November off from the bike as a break and to concentrate on the half-marathon in the middle of the month. In Oz I ran only once and did two pilates classes....otherwise, not much else. Since my return I've started back on the weights and have done two wind trainer rides in the living room. It'll be very cold tomorrow but I have to start buiding up my mileage base again for the '07 racing season. I could do my first race as early as mid-February or the first weekend of March, so I need to get LOTS of miles and saddle time in me before then. The race in March is the famed Rouge-Roubaix down in St. Francisville, a 100-mile effort with about 26 miles or so of that distance "off the pavement"....on dirt roads, gravel roads, extremely steep hills, all sorts of abominations we have to ride over. It's only fun when it's over and I've done it three times so far. I've had bad luck with flats at the most unfortunate times and once you lose the pack on those dirt roads, it's over....it becomes a training ride then. Anyway, I hope to get two rides in this weekend and be able to walk normal on the movie set on Monday!
A young man who graduated from my high school in Minden died in Iraq on Wednesday. He was one of five guys in a Humvee that was blasted apart by a roadside bomb. It was especially sad in that he had just returned to Iraq last Sunday after spending two weeks of leave seeing his new son, his wife and the rest of his family. As I write this, it was only seven days ago his family saw him off at Shreveport Regional Airport on his way back to his troops (he was on his second tour). The last thing he told his Dad was that the last two weeks was the best leave he had ever had. He was a 2003 graduate of Minden High...I graduated in 1973...and I believe he is the first Minden graduate to lose his life in war since a classmate of mine's older brother was killed in Viet Nam (bad luck...he was already wounded and was being evacuated when the vehicle he was in struck a mine...his name's on the Viet Nam Memorial wall in Washington now). Here's a couple of links to the story (copy and paste the links into your browser):
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061208/NEWS01/612080313
http://www.nwlanews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1470&Itemid=26
Thursday, December 07, 2006
The rest of the way
The 65th anniversary of Pearl Harbor today. Always remember.
Okay, now the rest of my trip back to the States BY MYSELF! I expect to always have company in the future.
Los Angeles to Dallas: After around 13.5 hours of flying, we came into LAX on a bright sunny Monday morning although you could see the sludge in the air over the city. It's much better than it used to be. I remember flying in and seeing a distinct brown layer over LA in 1987....haven't seen anything like that since. We got a great view of Santa Catalina Island off the coast. The landing was a rough one, we came down hard which seemed wierd since it didn't appear that you could blame the weather conditions on it. When we got to immigration, the lines were long (the Sydney flight came in just before ours) especially in the non-American line. Us US citizens had a long line ourselves to deal with but we got through immigration quickly enough, then picked up my bags much faster than the last time I was here. Breezed through customs and got my bags forwarded for me right then....wish it had been that easy back in May....that was a nightmare!
The rest was killing off time in Terminal 4 at LAX. I didn't see any movie stars (a few years ago I found myself standing next to Alec Baldwin in this same terminal) but I did overhear a fellow at the shoeshine booth telling the shoeshiner about doing a film with Robert DeNiro. He wasn't bragging and was only answering a question. In this place you never know if you're walking by a future star or a current one that you can't recognize in the real world. Eventually I went to my gate, 42A, and just layed down on the carpet and snoozed with my new Jakaru hat over my face. Then they called my flight, I boarded the 757 and settled down for the 3+ hour flight to Dallas. I slept practically the entire way, using ear plugs, eye shades, and a neck rest....I was comfortable! We came into Dallas where it was already getting dark.
Dallas to Longview to Bossier City: Had two hours to pass so I grabbed something quick at one of the food booths, then took the fast super-rail train from Terminal C to Terminal B. Then we got on one of those small SAAB turboprops (which I don't mind flying in) with about 30 other people. It was a full plane! A quick 30 minutes to Longview when Dad and Gladys picked me up and drove me back home.
My fourth trip to Oz was done! I want Jonnene with me the entire way the fifth time I go!
Okay, now the rest of my trip back to the States BY MYSELF! I expect to always have company in the future.
Los Angeles to Dallas: After around 13.5 hours of flying, we came into LAX on a bright sunny Monday morning although you could see the sludge in the air over the city. It's much better than it used to be. I remember flying in and seeing a distinct brown layer over LA in 1987....haven't seen anything like that since. We got a great view of Santa Catalina Island off the coast. The landing was a rough one, we came down hard which seemed wierd since it didn't appear that you could blame the weather conditions on it. When we got to immigration, the lines were long (the Sydney flight came in just before ours) especially in the non-American line. Us US citizens had a long line ourselves to deal with but we got through immigration quickly enough, then picked up my bags much faster than the last time I was here. Breezed through customs and got my bags forwarded for me right then....wish it had been that easy back in May....that was a nightmare!
The rest was killing off time in Terminal 4 at LAX. I didn't see any movie stars (a few years ago I found myself standing next to Alec Baldwin in this same terminal) but I did overhear a fellow at the shoeshine booth telling the shoeshiner about doing a film with Robert DeNiro. He wasn't bragging and was only answering a question. In this place you never know if you're walking by a future star or a current one that you can't recognize in the real world. Eventually I went to my gate, 42A, and just layed down on the carpet and snoozed with my new Jakaru hat over my face. Then they called my flight, I boarded the 757 and settled down for the 3+ hour flight to Dallas. I slept practically the entire way, using ear plugs, eye shades, and a neck rest....I was comfortable! We came into Dallas where it was already getting dark.
Dallas to Longview to Bossier City: Had two hours to pass so I grabbed something quick at one of the food booths, then took the fast super-rail train from Terminal C to Terminal B. Then we got on one of those small SAAB turboprops (which I don't mind flying in) with about 30 other people. It was a full plane! A quick 30 minutes to Longview when Dad and Gladys picked me up and drove me back home.
My fourth trip to Oz was done! I want Jonnene with me the entire way the fifth time I go!
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Home!!!
In many ways it's good to be home, in other ways it's not a happy time. I came back by myself, without Jonnene, although we already knew that would be the case. The good thing is that we're on the downhill side of this immigration ride and I really think we can count her arrival to the States in weeks now!
Ah, my trip back to the northern hemisphere, 19:38 of total in-the-air time....here's one way to look at it:
Perth to Melbourne: My flight had already been set back an hour because of the time change in Western Australia, and now it was moving back another hour because the plane was late getting in from Sydney! That meant a 12:45 am Monday morning takeoff! The good thing was that it meant another hour with Jonnene and the later arrival meant that much less time spent in the Melbourne-Tullamarine Airport. I'll skip the sappy parts of my last couple of hours with my wife but it was nice....I could look into those eyes all day. My last view of her as I turned the corner on the skybridge was of her looking at me and a short wave before I went out of sight. I thought of that sight for hours afterward. I was on a 747 outfitted for domestic flying and the plane, which can seat around 340, was only 1/3 full! The flight attendents were telling us that once we were in the air, feel free to claim a row to sleep actually laying down! And we all took advantage of it! I put in about 2 hours of snooze time of the total 3:08 flight time, so I felt somewhat rested as we landed in Melbourne under a cloudy morning around 5:50 am and it was a tad chilly outside!
Melbourne to Los Angeles: I spent a lot of time on the internet kiosks letting everyone know I made it to Mel-bun....even made a blog entry. The only thing that appealed to me for brekkie (Aussie slang: breakfast) was the sausage croissant at Hungry Jack's (the Aussie name for Burger King) and I really didn't want that either. But mixed with iced coffee it wasn't too bad. Around 10:30 I made my way thru immigration so I could get my passport stamped that I was officially leaving Australia and headed toward Gate 11 in the International Terminal. Sent a final message to Jonnene after getting one from her. She had just woke up, about two hours behind my time. Because our flight was going to the USA, we had to go thru a search of our carry-on bags and a non-intrusive body search, no problem for me since I had nothing to worry about and my time wasn't being encrouched upon. The lady looking thru my pack saw the cookies Jonnene had made for me and was envious....she likes cookies! We started boarding our Qantas 747 around 11:50 am but would still be 20 minutes late leaving (so far, EVERY flight on this trip has started late!).
More, Melbourne to Los Angeles: I sat at seat 47A, a left-side window seat and the closest to the front I've ever been on these trans-Pacific flights....I liked it...only 5 rows from the front of the economy/peanut gallery section! Unfortunately, I had a couple of large people in the other two seats of my section, but they were nice folks and went out of their way to not intrude on my space. Saw two movies, "World Trade Center" (not bad at all despite it being a Oliver Stone flick) and "The Devil Wears Prada" (which I liked much more than I thought I would....Anne Hathaway is a babe, I admit it, and Meryl Streep was "delicious" as the evil boss). There was nothing else on the entertainment system that I really cared to watch...maybe because Jonnene wasn't there and I was thinking about her a lot. So I tried to sleep as much as I could but it was in fitful spurts. I did my usual laps around the plane to stretch my legs. Fourteen hours can really stiffen you up! Anyway, we came into LAX around 7:20 am Monday morning, about 5 hours before we left Melbourne (I love that conflict of the International Dateline!).
More to come!
Ah, my trip back to the northern hemisphere, 19:38 of total in-the-air time....here's one way to look at it:
Perth to Melbourne: My flight had already been set back an hour because of the time change in Western Australia, and now it was moving back another hour because the plane was late getting in from Sydney! That meant a 12:45 am Monday morning takeoff! The good thing was that it meant another hour with Jonnene and the later arrival meant that much less time spent in the Melbourne-Tullamarine Airport. I'll skip the sappy parts of my last couple of hours with my wife but it was nice....I could look into those eyes all day. My last view of her as I turned the corner on the skybridge was of her looking at me and a short wave before I went out of sight. I thought of that sight for hours afterward. I was on a 747 outfitted for domestic flying and the plane, which can seat around 340, was only 1/3 full! The flight attendents were telling us that once we were in the air, feel free to claim a row to sleep actually laying down! And we all took advantage of it! I put in about 2 hours of snooze time of the total 3:08 flight time, so I felt somewhat rested as we landed in Melbourne under a cloudy morning around 5:50 am and it was a tad chilly outside!
Melbourne to Los Angeles: I spent a lot of time on the internet kiosks letting everyone know I made it to Mel-bun....even made a blog entry. The only thing that appealed to me for brekkie (Aussie slang: breakfast) was the sausage croissant at Hungry Jack's (the Aussie name for Burger King) and I really didn't want that either. But mixed with iced coffee it wasn't too bad. Around 10:30 I made my way thru immigration so I could get my passport stamped that I was officially leaving Australia and headed toward Gate 11 in the International Terminal. Sent a final message to Jonnene after getting one from her. She had just woke up, about two hours behind my time. Because our flight was going to the USA, we had to go thru a search of our carry-on bags and a non-intrusive body search, no problem for me since I had nothing to worry about and my time wasn't being encrouched upon. The lady looking thru my pack saw the cookies Jonnene had made for me and was envious....she likes cookies! We started boarding our Qantas 747 around 11:50 am but would still be 20 minutes late leaving (so far, EVERY flight on this trip has started late!).
More, Melbourne to Los Angeles: I sat at seat 47A, a left-side window seat and the closest to the front I've ever been on these trans-Pacific flights....I liked it...only 5 rows from the front of the economy/peanut gallery section! Unfortunately, I had a couple of large people in the other two seats of my section, but they were nice folks and went out of their way to not intrude on my space. Saw two movies, "World Trade Center" (not bad at all despite it being a Oliver Stone flick) and "The Devil Wears Prada" (which I liked much more than I thought I would....Anne Hathaway is a babe, I admit it, and Meryl Streep was "delicious" as the evil boss). There was nothing else on the entertainment system that I really cared to watch...maybe because Jonnene wasn't there and I was thinking about her a lot. So I tried to sleep as much as I could but it was in fitful spurts. I did my usual laps around the plane to stretch my legs. Fourteen hours can really stiffen you up! Anyway, we came into LAX around 7:20 am Monday morning, about 5 hours before we left Melbourne (I love that conflict of the International Dateline!).
More to come!
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Greetings from Melbourne!
Yep, I'm back at the International Terminal of Melbourne Airport this morning...my 8th visit to this place and I've got the layout memorized like the back of my hand (hmm, where's the back of my hand....it was here a minute ago). My flight from Perth was an hour late leaving....I got out at 12:45 am Monday morning on a Boeing 747 that was only 1/3 full, which meant nearly everyone on board had a row of seats to themselves to lay out on for a nice nap on the 3+ hour trip east. I think I managed about 2 hours of nappy time but I need to get more on the upcoming flight to Los Angeles.
It was tough saying goodbye to Jonnene. She stayed with me until I had to board and I kept an eye on her until I turned the corner on the walkway to the plane. It'll be at least 30 days before she's able to come to the States, even if she gets her visa numbers from the US Consulate in Sydney in the meantime. Her dog, Sophie, has to have a rabies shot (the disease doesn't exist in Australia and they like to keep it that way) at least 30 days before being shipped to the USA and she will be trying to schedule that this week. We want to time it where Jonnene and Sophie arrive within a day of each other in Los Angeles, whenever that is. So that is where we stand on the arrival of my wife. But her visas have been approved so that's another thing taken care of.
Even though I've been to Oz four times, I have yet to see whether water drains out of a sink or toilet in the opposite direction from what it does in the northern hemisphere. The plumbing system is such that when you pull the plug or flush, everything shoots down like it's under 15 G's of pressure! Nothing gets a chance to swirl. Someday, when I think about it, I'll find out the real answer.
Soccer, rugby, and Aussie Rules football are some of the big sports here, but right now the country is focused on The Ashes, or something like that. It's the big cricket match between Britain and Australia, played in five cities in Australia this year. It's a big deal on TV and among the cricket fans here. Of course, there are Aussies who don't really care about cricket....kinda like Americans who don't really care about the NBA....there's a lot of us out there. But the natives do keep up with it in some form or fashion, mainly because nothing else is going on this time of year.
Also, the Western Australia Ironman Triathlon down in Busselton went on Sunday morning and we kept up with the race online. I especially liked the finish of a German who recorded a 13:13:13 time for the Ironman distance. I think he saw the time as he was finishing and waited to cross the line when all those thirteens popped up. I'd have done the same!
Also, my ULM Warhawks won their last game of the season, 39-20, against their rival, the ULL Ragin' Cajuns down in Lafayette. I was very pleased and followed that game online, too.
It was tough saying goodbye to Jonnene. She stayed with me until I had to board and I kept an eye on her until I turned the corner on the walkway to the plane. It'll be at least 30 days before she's able to come to the States, even if she gets her visa numbers from the US Consulate in Sydney in the meantime. Her dog, Sophie, has to have a rabies shot (the disease doesn't exist in Australia and they like to keep it that way) at least 30 days before being shipped to the USA and she will be trying to schedule that this week. We want to time it where Jonnene and Sophie arrive within a day of each other in Los Angeles, whenever that is. So that is where we stand on the arrival of my wife. But her visas have been approved so that's another thing taken care of.
Even though I've been to Oz four times, I have yet to see whether water drains out of a sink or toilet in the opposite direction from what it does in the northern hemisphere. The plumbing system is such that when you pull the plug or flush, everything shoots down like it's under 15 G's of pressure! Nothing gets a chance to swirl. Someday, when I think about it, I'll find out the real answer.
Soccer, rugby, and Aussie Rules football are some of the big sports here, but right now the country is focused on The Ashes, or something like that. It's the big cricket match between Britain and Australia, played in five cities in Australia this year. It's a big deal on TV and among the cricket fans here. Of course, there are Aussies who don't really care about cricket....kinda like Americans who don't really care about the NBA....there's a lot of us out there. But the natives do keep up with it in some form or fashion, mainly because nothing else is going on this time of year.
Also, the Western Australia Ironman Triathlon down in Busselton went on Sunday morning and we kept up with the race online. I especially liked the finish of a German who recorded a 13:13:13 time for the Ironman distance. I think he saw the time as he was finishing and waited to cross the line when all those thirteens popped up. I'd have done the same!
Also, my ULM Warhawks won their last game of the season, 39-20, against their rival, the ULL Ragin' Cajuns down in Lafayette. I was very pleased and followed that game online, too.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Aussie Time Change
To say I'm late in updating my trip is an understatement but I've been busy....really! Right now it's Sunday noon (more or less) and we spent some time at the beach. We took the dog, Sophie, with us to what's called the "dog beach" here in Perth. Quite literally, there's dogs everywhere as their owners walk them along the surf, toss balls into the water for them to swim after and return, and you can watch the animals "re-aquaint" themselves with each other. Nearly every kind of dog you can imagine is out there from little mop-tops to Great Danes. Later this afternoon, Jonnene and I have to resume packing my bag along with another one that'll have a lot of her stuff in it. We have to watch the weight of each bag to avoid being charged for the extra poundage...American Airlines, domestically, only allows 50 pounds per bag which is not a lot since most luggage can hold way more than that. Qantas allows 70 pounds per bag but we're sticking with the 50 lb limits.
Last Thursday night we went to see "The Guardian" and Jonnene recognized the LSUS pool very easily. She enjoyed the movie and we got to see it in a part of the megaplex called "Gold Pass" which is a theater that holds only 40 people, all seated by twos in comfy reclining chairs with a small table between them. A wait staff brings you drinks and a meal you choose from a menu in the Gold Pass Lobby at whatever time you choose. It was great but we discovered that it's hard to eat from a plate while watching the movie and in the DARK! Of course, it costs a bit more but I'd love to see one of these in Shreveport. This one was very classy and the staff is very polite and accomodating.
Friday night we went to Jonnene's cousin Kim's house to eat with her family, husband Brett and four daughters (my brother knows what that's like!). I can finally say I've had "shrimp on the barby"! Along with chicken, beef, a salad, bread, and a baked cheesecake Jonnene made, we managed to fatten ourselves up quite well. I even got a chance to help out with the cooking although it wasn't that much. I finally had a beer, too, and I've had plenty of opportunities to get one before now. The standard Aussie brew has twice the alcoholic content of the American brands and quite tasty. Good thing I'm such a teetotaller!
Saturday, the two of us went up to Kalamunda to visit the once-a-month outdoor market there. After finally finding a parking spot (Jonnene was surprised by how many people were there judging by all the cars!), we walked to the market in the town park and meandered our way through all the booths and shops. If I had the money I would have spent most of it! There were so many good things to look at and that I wanted to get but I had to watch my dollars these last couple of days since I still had other souvenirs I needed to grab up elsewhere.
That night we dressed up to go out on a "date", heading to a place called "That Little Mexican Place" (really, that's the name) which had been suggested to us by Jonnene's pilates instructor, who is originally from the States. He said it was the closest thing to real Mexican he had found in Perth, and I can tell you that he's right. The place was small, maybe 8 tables inside and 2 outside on the sidewalk, and the chef/owner came out to visit with us and talk about how he is trying to bring REAL Mexican food to Perth. He was a funny fellow and said he has a number of real Mexcan recipes he collected when he got to visit Santa Fe a couple of years ago. Jonnene is a real food critic and said she will definitely come back again before she leaves for the States. I told the guy that if he's still in business the next time I return to Perth, I will most definitely be back to his restaurant. He was very pleased to hear that and said he is expanding his menu. I'm looking forward to that. We got home and watched the DVD of "Cars" which we both enjoyed. It was nice for my last night in Perth.
More to come, but that's the latest highlights.
Last Thursday night we went to see "The Guardian" and Jonnene recognized the LSUS pool very easily. She enjoyed the movie and we got to see it in a part of the megaplex called "Gold Pass" which is a theater that holds only 40 people, all seated by twos in comfy reclining chairs with a small table between them. A wait staff brings you drinks and a meal you choose from a menu in the Gold Pass Lobby at whatever time you choose. It was great but we discovered that it's hard to eat from a plate while watching the movie and in the DARK! Of course, it costs a bit more but I'd love to see one of these in Shreveport. This one was very classy and the staff is very polite and accomodating.
Friday night we went to Jonnene's cousin Kim's house to eat with her family, husband Brett and four daughters (my brother knows what that's like!). I can finally say I've had "shrimp on the barby"! Along with chicken, beef, a salad, bread, and a baked cheesecake Jonnene made, we managed to fatten ourselves up quite well. I even got a chance to help out with the cooking although it wasn't that much. I finally had a beer, too, and I've had plenty of opportunities to get one before now. The standard Aussie brew has twice the alcoholic content of the American brands and quite tasty. Good thing I'm such a teetotaller!
Saturday, the two of us went up to Kalamunda to visit the once-a-month outdoor market there. After finally finding a parking spot (Jonnene was surprised by how many people were there judging by all the cars!), we walked to the market in the town park and meandered our way through all the booths and shops. If I had the money I would have spent most of it! There were so many good things to look at and that I wanted to get but I had to watch my dollars these last couple of days since I still had other souvenirs I needed to grab up elsewhere.
That night we dressed up to go out on a "date", heading to a place called "That Little Mexican Place" (really, that's the name) which had been suggested to us by Jonnene's pilates instructor, who is originally from the States. He said it was the closest thing to real Mexican he had found in Perth, and I can tell you that he's right. The place was small, maybe 8 tables inside and 2 outside on the sidewalk, and the chef/owner came out to visit with us and talk about how he is trying to bring REAL Mexican food to Perth. He was a funny fellow and said he has a number of real Mexcan recipes he collected when he got to visit Santa Fe a couple of years ago. Jonnene is a real food critic and said she will definitely come back again before she leaves for the States. I told the guy that if he's still in business the next time I return to Perth, I will most definitely be back to his restaurant. He was very pleased to hear that and said he is expanding his menu. I'm looking forward to that. We got home and watched the DVD of "Cars" which we both enjoyed. It was nice for my last night in Perth.
More to come, but that's the latest highlights.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
A couple of pics
One of the many "road trains" you see out on the highways of Australia. These trucks can haul up to two extra trailers (check out the number of wheels) and be almost a football field in length. The "bull bars" on the front are to knock any cattle or 'roos out of the way. These trucks are much larger than the usual 18-wheelers you see in the States.
The Town Hall in York during our drive up into the hills east of Perth.
Short-timin'
Well, just a few days before I have to head back to the States. Western Australia has decided, while I was here, to try a 3-year experiment with Daylight Savings Time and it starts this weekend. So instead of leaving out of Perth at 10:45pm as planned, it is now set at 11:45pm! Either way it puts me in Melbourne at 5:10am (Victoria is already on Daylight Savings). I spend an extra hour with Jonnene but I leave nearer to midnight!
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Catching up
I've got a lot to catch up with on this blog, so this posting will be quick.
Last night (Tuesday) we had dinner at Jeff (Jonnene's cousin) and Trish's home along with their three kids, Nicole, Lisa, and Simon. First off, this was the most animated dinner I've had in a long time! The kids stole the show and I regreted not taking Jonnene's advice to bring along the camcorder to get it all on video! We had an orange beef casserole and a baked marble cheesecake to follow, and it was plenty good. From Trish trying to get off the phone with a talkative friend (we were hollering in the background for Trish to do things so she'd have a "legitimate" excuse to hang up) to Nicole talking about her cooking class (yes, it IS possible to burn chocolate), it was a laugh riot. We also showed our wedding video since they had not seen it yet, along with the wedding photo albums. Trish asked about my mom since they had hit it off at the wedding last May.
Mom, don't be surprised if Jeff and Trish show up for a visit some day!
Today, Jonnene and I took a driving trip east of Perth up into the Shire of York, or for you USA folks, the town of York. We drove through some beautiful "outback" rolling country past wheat fields and herds of cattle (as well as a herd of shorn, very naked-looking sheep). In York, we took a walking trip of some of the historic places there, many of the buildings were over 100 years old and the Town Hall was quite impressive (photo to come soon). We had lunch at the Jah Roc Cafe, which is part of the Jah Ruc furniture factory and showroom at the old York flour mill which had been restored by the two founders of the furniture company. The food was good and the furniture in the showroom was incredible, although pretty darn expensive! If we win the lottery, I'm going to order some of this stuff and have it shipped to the States! Check out their website at www.jahroc.com.au and you'll see what I mean. Click on "History" at the bottom of their home page and there'll be a story about the company along with the restoration of the flour mill. I think you'll be amazed at the Galleries of their work, too.
I took care of a bit of Christmas shopping but I still have a long ways to go.
It had rained quite heavily last night and we encountered a few showers here and there. Being up in the hills, this weather kept things on the cool side (I shivered a few times!) and the wind was blowing around 30-35 mph most of the day. After touring around York, we drove north to Northam, Shire of, and took a look around there for a bit. We walked over a suspension bridge that stretched over the Avon River and after a very brief look around town, we headed back to Perth. All told, we were gone for about 8 hours and it was a very nice trip.
Tomorrow is mostly a shopping day as I finish up getting souvenirs for the folks back home and a few things for myself. We're also going to see the movie "The Guardian" which opens that day, too. Since it was filmed in Shreveport, Jonnene might want to see it. All of the pool scenes were filmed about a month before Jonnene swam in that same pool when she visited me last February. We'll see if she recognizes anything.
Last night (Tuesday) we had dinner at Jeff (Jonnene's cousin) and Trish's home along with their three kids, Nicole, Lisa, and Simon. First off, this was the most animated dinner I've had in a long time! The kids stole the show and I regreted not taking Jonnene's advice to bring along the camcorder to get it all on video! We had an orange beef casserole and a baked marble cheesecake to follow, and it was plenty good. From Trish trying to get off the phone with a talkative friend (we were hollering in the background for Trish to do things so she'd have a "legitimate" excuse to hang up) to Nicole talking about her cooking class (yes, it IS possible to burn chocolate), it was a laugh riot. We also showed our wedding video since they had not seen it yet, along with the wedding photo albums. Trish asked about my mom since they had hit it off at the wedding last May.
Mom, don't be surprised if Jeff and Trish show up for a visit some day!
Today, Jonnene and I took a driving trip east of Perth up into the Shire of York, or for you USA folks, the town of York. We drove through some beautiful "outback" rolling country past wheat fields and herds of cattle (as well as a herd of shorn, very naked-looking sheep). In York, we took a walking trip of some of the historic places there, many of the buildings were over 100 years old and the Town Hall was quite impressive (photo to come soon). We had lunch at the Jah Roc Cafe, which is part of the Jah Ruc furniture factory and showroom at the old York flour mill which had been restored by the two founders of the furniture company. The food was good and the furniture in the showroom was incredible, although pretty darn expensive! If we win the lottery, I'm going to order some of this stuff and have it shipped to the States! Check out their website at www.jahroc.com.au and you'll see what I mean. Click on "History" at the bottom of their home page and there'll be a story about the company along with the restoration of the flour mill. I think you'll be amazed at the Galleries of their work, too.
I took care of a bit of Christmas shopping but I still have a long ways to go.
It had rained quite heavily last night and we encountered a few showers here and there. Being up in the hills, this weather kept things on the cool side (I shivered a few times!) and the wind was blowing around 30-35 mph most of the day. After touring around York, we drove north to Northam, Shire of, and took a look around there for a bit. We walked over a suspension bridge that stretched over the Avon River and after a very brief look around town, we headed back to Perth. All told, we were gone for about 8 hours and it was a very nice trip.
Tomorrow is mostly a shopping day as I finish up getting souvenirs for the folks back home and a few things for myself. We're also going to see the movie "The Guardian" which opens that day, too. Since it was filmed in Shreveport, Jonnene might want to see it. All of the pool scenes were filmed about a month before Jonnene swam in that same pool when she visited me last February. We'll see if she recognizes anything.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Pictures!
Please note that I'm able to post some photos! I haven't done that many yet, but you can go back about 8-9 days worth of postings to see the first ones. There'll be more to come.
Eating is an art
Last night we had a wonderful evening with some of Jonnene's friends. Mainly, the ones who were responsible for the music we enjoyed at our wedding. Stephanie and Carol sang songs that we had chosen with Susan playing piano. It required a bit of work to make the arrangements and the girls are sopranos who were singing songs written for tenors! They did a fabulous job to compliment a perfect day. So we gathered up at Carol's home, ate some delicious meats cooked on the barby, and talked. It finally ended around 11pm and could have easily gone on.
Carol is also a textile artist and we took a tour of her studio. She's one of Jonnene's oldest friends and has sung professionally in both Australia and England, but then the kids came along and she became more immersed in her artwork, so singing is now something she does while creating. Stephanie is a physio (PT) and a former workmate of Jonnene's but is also a terrific singer.
Just before Jonnene and I left, the power went off and we were standing in a dark house out in the woods with only the moon providing a faint light. We figured that it was time to leave!
Enjoying some treats from the barby in the outback (well, not all that far outback) at Carol's home under the stars.
This is "Russ" the Bandicoot (a rat-like rodent marsupial) getting some treats thrown his way during the meal. He got his name from his rustling around in the woods near the patio. He's been a guest for a couple of years to Carol's house, scurrying about whenever there's a meal outdoors. He's not a bother, eats what scraps are dropped....usually by the kids, and then runs off into the woods again!
Carol is also a textile artist and we took a tour of her studio. She's one of Jonnene's oldest friends and has sung professionally in both Australia and England, but then the kids came along and she became more immersed in her artwork, so singing is now something she does while creating. Stephanie is a physio (PT) and a former workmate of Jonnene's but is also a terrific singer.
Just before Jonnene and I left, the power went off and we were standing in a dark house out in the woods with only the moon providing a faint light. We figured that it was time to leave!
Enjoying some treats from the barby in the outback (well, not all that far outback) at Carol's home under the stars.
This is "Russ" the Bandicoot (a rat-like rodent marsupial) getting some treats thrown his way during the meal. He got his name from his rustling around in the woods near the patio. He's been a guest for a couple of years to Carol's house, scurrying about whenever there's a meal outdoors. He's not a bother, eats what scraps are dropped....usually by the kids, and then runs off into the woods again!Sunday, November 26, 2006
A week to go....
"Santa & Mrs. Claus" hand out presents to the kids. They've all spent time in the pool!
Jonnene converses with one of her nieces at the family Christmas gathering.Already down to my last seven days in Oz...as usual, the time passes slowly at first but picks up speed like the snow ball going downhill. It's been a wonderful time here with Jonnene, yet we're getting close to facing that gap between times of being together. But the next time we get together it should be for good!
ULM won their game 23-3 over North Texas, their second win in the last three games. There's one more against Louisiana-Lafayette this Saturday and then it's on to next year. The boys have greatly improved the last few games and it should make an easier transition to 2007. I spent Sunday morning listening to the NT game over the internet and hope to hear some of next week's game, too.
The highlight of Sunday was the annual Christmas gathering of Jonnene's family at Sue and Peter's house all afternoon. Probably around fifty people who share in some way the same basic DNA as Jonnene showed up to visit, eat, and watch the kids splash about in the pool. The temps were near 100 degrees but the sea breeze coming in, plus the abundant shade available, made the event quite nice. It was also an opportunity to re-visit "the scene of the crime" or the place where Jonnene and I were married. Another wedding is scheduled there soon which will make three so far that the home has hosted. Jonnene's brother and sister-in-law were the first to set the streak. I got to chat it up with most of the folks who attended my wedding and catch up on their lives as well as update them on what I was doing, along with answering any questions about the States. I hope I did a decent job and made some sense at that!
The couple we had visited with in Busselton back in May, Cam and Sally, were there. Sally is pregnant again, expecting in April, so it was a surprise to see that little bump since the last time I saw her she was slender! Cam was also a surprise in that he had shaved his head the day before! As he said, "I don't have to look at it so it doesn't bother me at all!" All of Jonnene's aunts were there and I spoke to them at length. Trish and Jeff were there with their kids, and Trish asked about my Mom. She absolutely adored the way my Mom spoke (Arkansas with a touch of Southern and Louisiana mixed in, I guess) when we were all here last time.
The evening was a quiet one. We all walked the dog to work off some of the food and sweets we had consumed, then watched a touch of Australian Idol, which is down to its last two singers. We didn't watch all of it since Raelene was recording it for later.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Barby Time!
Right now, I'm listening to the broadcast of the ULM football game against North Texas over Jonnene's laptop as I update my blog. The game starts at 6pm Saturday night in Monroe and it's 8am Sunday morning here...a bright sunny day with a brisk wind. It's pretty cool to catch some football live while on the other side of the world!
Last night we had a cookout at David and Olga's house, and Jonnene's mom was able to come over, too. We enjoyed some BBQ chicken kabobs with sausage links, salad, potato salad, and garlic bread. The meat was cooked on David's brand new BBQ and cooker but it didn't last long since he was using a fuel tank he already had and it ran out of fuel not long after he started! But it was on long enough to cook the meat sufficiently for us without using the kitchen cooktop. This whole weekend thru Monday will be an Aussie delight for me with plenty of cookin' on the barby! You gotta love it!
All of us gave Faye (my mother-in-law...wierd for me to think I have one!) an early Christmas present: a digital camera. We gave it early so she could use it at the family gathering on Sunday. Actually, the gift was for both Faye and Bill but he wasn't there. I think she'll understand how it works since she has kids who are up to snuff on these things.
Most of the day was spent at home (Raelene's house) and later, Jonnene and I spent some time at the stores looking for "boarder" shorts, or surfer shorts, for me so I'll have something to wear when we go down to the beach later this week. The weather is good enough and we heard the water in the Indian Ocean is warm enough to spend some time in. I didn't find anything I liked or within my price range, yet, but we'll keep looking.
So far ULM is playing pretty good but it's early in the game. North Texas is three-and-out in its first offensive series. Hope the Warhawks keep it up!
Last night we had a cookout at David and Olga's house, and Jonnene's mom was able to come over, too. We enjoyed some BBQ chicken kabobs with sausage links, salad, potato salad, and garlic bread. The meat was cooked on David's brand new BBQ and cooker but it didn't last long since he was using a fuel tank he already had and it ran out of fuel not long after he started! But it was on long enough to cook the meat sufficiently for us without using the kitchen cooktop. This whole weekend thru Monday will be an Aussie delight for me with plenty of cookin' on the barby! You gotta love it!
All of us gave Faye (my mother-in-law...wierd for me to think I have one!) an early Christmas present: a digital camera. We gave it early so she could use it at the family gathering on Sunday. Actually, the gift was for both Faye and Bill but he wasn't there. I think she'll understand how it works since she has kids who are up to snuff on these things.
Most of the day was spent at home (Raelene's house) and later, Jonnene and I spent some time at the stores looking for "boarder" shorts, or surfer shorts, for me so I'll have something to wear when we go down to the beach later this week. The weather is good enough and we heard the water in the Indian Ocean is warm enough to spend some time in. I didn't find anything I liked or within my price range, yet, but we'll keep looking.
So far ULM is playing pretty good but it's early in the game. North Texas is three-and-out in its first offensive series. Hope the Warhawks keep it up!
Friday, November 24, 2006
So you think you know all about the USA....
Y'know, I'm quite aware that my country does some things that can be quite stupid and doesn't make much sense. I also know it does some great things and is not a country that the world lives in fear of (those who do, have their own problems to deal with and try to make it the USA's fault). Like someone said a couple of years ago, if you're in trouble somewhere in the world and your rescuers are coming over the ridge, you feel like you might make it if they're flying the US flag.
I was reading this morning's edition of the Western Australian newspaper, and it had an article about a local satirist who has written a book called "American Hoax". Basically, he set up a series of blogs under various ID's and duped a number of Americans into staged venues where he made them look foolish and ignorant of American politics. He said that American politics were easy to understand and he probably knew more about it than most Americans. After reading the confusing review on his book (coming out next year), I concluded he didn't know as much as he thought he did.
The guy is much like a literal "Borat" (the movie where this character pretending to want to learn about America ends up duping all his victims and makes fools of many of them). Now I understand satire and humor, and there are times when fooling someone justifies the joke. But I do not approve of making people who don't deserve it look like idiots. That's thoughtless and careless, and I always hope the joker pulling the trick has the karma reversed on him some day.
The thing about what this guy and Borat pulled are that they are dictating and controlling the results they want to get. They WANT Americans to look foolish to prove their point that they are, and will do what is needed to insure that result. It's similar to how certain opinion polls are worded to get the desired results to reflect a certain viewpoint. I have no doubt that the Borat people have plenty of film on the cutting room floor of scenes where the people they tried to fool didn't fall for it. Of course, those scenes aren't going to make it into the movie. They don't help in the conclusion that the film makers want and they won't verify those scenes even exist.
Same goes for this satirist...he spins a good yarn about how it took months to set up all the fake websites and opinion pieces, but I think it took that long because he also had a lot of failures where people caught on to him very early. Those incidences won't make it into his book, I'm sure. You can also note his political leanings when he comments that all you have to do to learn the truth on FoxNews is to put the word "not" in front of every verb they use. Interesting that Fox was the only news source he mentions in the article, and Australians have their own opinions about Robert Murdoch anyway...some justified, some puzzling.
Americans are like anyone in any other country...some know a lot about their politics, some know virtually nothing, and the thing is that people here are free to decide what they want to know about the world. There are people in the world who don't care about the USA but, by God, they demand that the USA better care about them.
I'm waiting for Borat and others like him to do their tricks in Asian countries. But they won't because they know they can get away with it in Western countries and make plenty of money off the people they trick to prove a point that they themselves created. They would be dead men if they tried that in the Middle East and those are countries that are definitely charicatures and contradictions of themselves.
Well, I'm off the soapbox now. I have better things to do with the rest of my time.
I was reading this morning's edition of the Western Australian newspaper, and it had an article about a local satirist who has written a book called "American Hoax". Basically, he set up a series of blogs under various ID's and duped a number of Americans into staged venues where he made them look foolish and ignorant of American politics. He said that American politics were easy to understand and he probably knew more about it than most Americans. After reading the confusing review on his book (coming out next year), I concluded he didn't know as much as he thought he did.
The guy is much like a literal "Borat" (the movie where this character pretending to want to learn about America ends up duping all his victims and makes fools of many of them). Now I understand satire and humor, and there are times when fooling someone justifies the joke. But I do not approve of making people who don't deserve it look like idiots. That's thoughtless and careless, and I always hope the joker pulling the trick has the karma reversed on him some day.
The thing about what this guy and Borat pulled are that they are dictating and controlling the results they want to get. They WANT Americans to look foolish to prove their point that they are, and will do what is needed to insure that result. It's similar to how certain opinion polls are worded to get the desired results to reflect a certain viewpoint. I have no doubt that the Borat people have plenty of film on the cutting room floor of scenes where the people they tried to fool didn't fall for it. Of course, those scenes aren't going to make it into the movie. They don't help in the conclusion that the film makers want and they won't verify those scenes even exist.
Same goes for this satirist...he spins a good yarn about how it took months to set up all the fake websites and opinion pieces, but I think it took that long because he also had a lot of failures where people caught on to him very early. Those incidences won't make it into his book, I'm sure. You can also note his political leanings when he comments that all you have to do to learn the truth on FoxNews is to put the word "not" in front of every verb they use. Interesting that Fox was the only news source he mentions in the article, and Australians have their own opinions about Robert Murdoch anyway...some justified, some puzzling.
Americans are like anyone in any other country...some know a lot about their politics, some know virtually nothing, and the thing is that people here are free to decide what they want to know about the world. There are people in the world who don't care about the USA but, by God, they demand that the USA better care about them.
I'm waiting for Borat and others like him to do their tricks in Asian countries. But they won't because they know they can get away with it in Western countries and make plenty of money off the people they trick to prove a point that they themselves created. They would be dead men if they tried that in the Middle East and those are countries that are definitely charicatures and contradictions of themselves.
Well, I'm off the soapbox now. I have better things to do with the rest of my time.
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