Glad it's not so complicated for men

The above image is actually a sign that had to be posted in the lady's bathrooms around the research facilities of the hospital.  Since, I don't typically frequent the women's restroom, I can only tell you what I have heard second-hand.  Apparently there are females who work in these facilities that choose to A) squat on the the toilet or B) squat on the floor.  I've been told that there have been presents left on the back of the toilets and on the floor in this 1st world civilized research facility. 

That being said, I can tell you that there are some pleasures in the squatting methods based on my experience in the wilderness.  However, I can say that I've only enjoyed such pleasures in places where no other humans would walk.  Although, I'm assuming that people don't want the presents I leave. 

Fish and chips

One of the big advantages to being near the ocean is the fish and chip shops.  At least, I'm assuming that it's the fresh fish that make these shops so delicious in the Australia/NZ area.  However, after searching online, I found out that the recipe is very simple (i.e. flour, beer, water, and salt) and I'm assuming follows the same recipe that they have in the UK.  In America, I haven't seen this simple recipe used, based on memory.  Maybe it's because I'm from the Midwest where we don't typically have fresh fish at the supermarkets.   

Anyhow, from what I have seen, every town in NZ or Australia seems to have at least 1 fish and chip restaurant.  Some of my favorites are pictured here.  The first one can be found in New Plymouth, New Zealand.  I tried fish from this one before the USA played Russia during the Rugby World Cup 2011.  Speaking of sports, I have seen fish and chips at every stadium and event that I have been to thus far down under.  As for the second picture, it is at Cape Palliser.  There was a little old lady serving up the food and some good ice-cream.  The location was beautiful, sitting between mountains and the Cook Strait.  Anyhow, I'm getting hungry and think I should go grab myself some fish and chips.  

Rockin in the free world

I have done a poor job with blog duty in November.  My mustache took too much of my attention.... well that and work.  The other night, I went to a Tenacious D and Foo Fighters concert in AAMI stadium.  It is interesting to see an American band in a different country.  I felt more at home, oddly enough (or maybe it isn't so odd).  It's like seeing friends coming into town.       

However, there are a few differences between Australian concerts and American concerts.  Australian concerts are very pricey.  I paid over $100 for tickets to this concert and that was for the worst/cheapest seats available.  Australian concerts are also always packed and sell out quickly.  They are also very limited in what acts will come into town.  Actually, it is funny seeing the tour shirts.  In the States, the shirts have about 50 shows listed on the back.  Here, they had 5.  That being said, I really enjoyed this concert.  I think the huge stadium of people gives the artist more reason to put on a great show, as opposed to a performance in a small club in Chicago or Atlanta. 

One of the humerous things about a stadium performance is that it's difficult to give everyone a good view.  In the case of Dave Grohl, he would run across the soccer field onto a platform, shown here.  Personally, I don't know how he has the energy to run back and forth, while singing and playing.  Jack Black was a little more tame with his movements.  His exciting move was to step down the stairs and come back up.  I jest, as I'm sure the center platform was reserved for Dave.  Regardless, both shows were great.  Both acts were funny and sounded great.  I thought it was actually worth the money.  Although, I'm getting an obscured view of cost after living in Melbourne.  There have been nights where I have easily gone through more than $100 on buying drinks for people and myself.  Such was the case during the night of the concert.  In my old days, I'd cringe if I spent $20 on drinks for one night.  Luckily, I don't have many expenses in Australia. 

For your amusement. PS penguins are hilarious.



Handlebars

It's been awhile since I've provided an update on life in Melbourne.  It is summer now and I've been getting out to the beach more since it's a little warmer.  The late sunset also allows me to go to the beach after work, while it's still light outside, assuming I don't choose to work late.  It's a great opportunity to read a book or journal article. 

 The other beauty of the beach is that I'm allowed to bring alcohol... at least until 8pm.  Suffice it to say, I'm not the only one that takes advantage of this. 

The other big activity for November is Movember.  The idea is to raise awareness for Men's health, particularily in regards to prostate cancer and depression.  I've tried to spur conversations at lunch and have put up mustache pictures with information on men's health in the caption in Facebook.  I have also created a Mospace page : http://au.movember.com/mospace/1456382 to get donations for research and awareness.  Surprisingly, I have actually started to raise some money.  Also, it's a great excuse to grow a mustache.  I'm halfway through the month.  We'll see if it's long enough to wax and curl in December.  Here's hoping.   

 

Greatest Achievement to Date

My greatest achievement in the lab so far is the purchase of an espresso/flat white machine.  During my last position in New Zealand, I was spoiled with a great coffee maker.  I have changed my definition of great coffee since coming to the Southern Hemisphere.  Here, they have what they call long blacks and flat whites.  A long black is hot water mixed with an espresso and this tastes, surprisingly, great. A flat white is frothed milk, without foam, mixed with an espresso.  The milk gets to a creamy texture as it is heated and the baristas create designs between the espresso crema and the frothed milk.  I've tried making such designs and have failed miserably. 

To the point, I noticed that my new lab had no coffee machine.  The only thing available was freeze dried coffee.  I can handle one of those a day, but anything more and it just tastes horrendous.  So, I have become a coffee snob.  Interestingly, the majority of the lab is interested in good coffee and most people go and buy a $5 coffee from the cafes at least once a day.  I calculated that I was spending over $100/month on coffee.  I mentioned to the boss an idea for increased productivity, a in-lab coffee machine.  My charm worked and within a week we had a coffee machine ($700).  Prior to this, everyone stated to me that the boss would never buy the lab a machine, but no one bothered to ask.  Unfortunately, I am now in charge of the machine, hence the Uncle Sam poster above the machine.  Therefore, I am in charge of bean purchasing and money handling.  My favorite so far is Griffiths (www.griffithscoffee.com.au), but others in the lab prefer McIVER'S (http://www.teaandcoffee.com.au/), specifically the Jamaican blend.  I chose the Cuban blend, just so that I could say I was enjoying some Cubans.  Plus, you can't get it in the States, so it has that sense of doing something naughty.  Anyhow, the standard coffee for the machine is now the Jamaican blend, despite my preferred Griffiths. 

The machine did not come without pain and conflict.  Once it arrived, I got an earful from an individual in the lab who complained about the machine to everyone.  I think a coffee bean may have done something bad to this person at a younger age, or something.  They had a vendetta against the coffee machine and me.  It was really odd.  They stated that I couldn't handle the care of the machine or money collection.  Within a week, I won them over, with a well oiled machine and consistent smell of coffee that diffuses throughout the offices.  It sure beats the other smells around the blood lab. 

Scaring the Aussies

 Halloween came and went in Australia.  It isn't a major celebration here.  The bigger celebration is the subsequent day, Melbourne Cup Day.  It's a day that (almost) everyone gets off from work, so that they can go to the track and do some betting.  The entire nation stops for a 3-5 minute horse race.  Is that better or worse than dressing up and eating candy?  I guess each culture is different.  One thing that fascinatoes me about Melbourne Cup Day is that all of the girls put funny hats, called fascinators.  Anyhow, enough about the cup.     

The group of researchers at the hospital all got together for a Halloween celebration.  I'd like to think of it as a celebration of the USA.  I chose to be as scary as I could to the Aussies.  I figured what could be scarier to them than an All Black.  Just kidding, Australian friends.  The best costume was a rubiks cube and Ruby the rivoter. 

Halloween is funny here because only part of the population celebrates it.  This is problematic when you only get 1 or 2 sets of children at one's house.  First it's startling to look outside and suddenly see a werewolf coming up your driveway.  Secondly, most people aren'e prepared with candy.  Lastly, most houses in Australia and New Zealand are surrounded by walls.  The gates to the walls are typically locked.  Therefore, it's difficult for kids to walk up to a door and ask for treats.   I know it was for me.     

Happy Halloween

Oo, also it is apparently Halloween.  Happy Halloween! 

Now for something completely different

Every morning, when I get up early enough... but not too early, I get to enjoy the company of some brightly colored crossing guards.  The best part is that they generally wear bush hats.  Furthermore, they'll help me cross the road, even when there are no children around.  Considering that I tend to be a poor road crosser, this can be a great help. Usually I'm busy fumbling around in my mind and the blow of the whistle and the brightly colored jacket will get my attention, allowing me to safely cross the road. Another enjoyable sight in the morning is that all of the school children have to dress in purple sport jackets and ties, at least the school children at the school near work.  Even the girls  have to wear ties.  After talking to some Aussies, they may have convinced me that uniforms aren't altogether a silly idea.  Apparently, there are fewer cliques in Aussie schools and bullying is kept to a minimum.  One has to wonder if this corresponds with the lack of individuality, superiority, or inferiority associated with uniforms.  Then again, one also has to wonder if creativity is lowered or raised under such conformity.  On one hand everyone does the same thing, but on the other hand, this may force children to embrace different outlets of creativity.  The great Pink Floyd tells us that conformity at school just adds another brick to the wall, but also informs us that if you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding.  I for one do not have the answer.  All that I can tell you is that I laugh a little when I see the purple people.   

The Giant Squid

Now that I've got your attention with the title, I'll tell you about the south coast of the north island of New Zealand.  Like the rest of New Zealand, it was beautiful.  The west side of the mountains by Wellington was very rainy, therefore it was decided to head to the east side of the mountains (Rimutaka range).  That is one glorious thing about New Zealand.  If it's raining on one side of the mountain, one can drive to the other side and have sunshine.  Typically east-west driving only requires 1-3 hours.     

Essentially, there is no such thing is a bad day.  I can only say that because I don't live there now.  However, trips like this make me want to move back.  The coast contained shear cliffs and beautiful beaches.  Cape Palliser was the destination, mostly because there exists a seal colony at the cape.  However, the lighthouse that overlooks the cape catches the eye when first driving in from the mountains.  My instant reaction, as always is to climb up.  The view from the lighthouse was gorgeous.  It overlooks the entrance to the Cook Strait, which divides the two NZ islands. 

The next stop:  seal paradise.  For some reason, the seals loved Cape Palliser (who can blame them really?).  After bringing a beer, Epic, for enjoyment during the seal watch, it became curious as to whether there were any seals or not.  However, after staring at the rocks, it became obvious that some rocks were, in fact, seals.  These were a very lazy bunch.  Most could be found laying among the rocks.  It is a wonder as to why seals would choose one location over another, but for some reason they chose to establish their colony here.  It is also a wonder as to how they can find rocks comfortable.  Instead of moving to grass, they pick ed the most abrasive and sharp rocks to lay among.  Maybe, they're into that sort of thing.  However, one could fathom a guess that they enjoy the hot sun on the rocks and that the fat, which is plentiful in seals, acts as a nice soft cushion for the sharp hard rocks.    

How much is the fine for streaking?

 Ah back to NZ for the Aus-USA game, or as I like to call it AUSA.  USA fans were out in full force, mostly because they were playing Australia.  Kiwis have a friendly distaste for Australia when it comes to sports.  Therefore, any team playing Australia gets immediate support from the Kiwi folk.  I was bold enough to wear my USA shirt on the plane from Melbourne to Wellington and even made myself some new expat American friends. 

 For some reason (AFL ahem), Melbourne doesn't get into rugby, so I can wear All Blacks gear around or USA gear and no one gets riled up.  In fact, when the Kiwis play Aus in rugby, there are actually more All Blacks fans than there are Wallaby fans.  It actually makes me feel the need to cheer on the Wallabies.  To this regard, one player on the Wallabies has become public enemy #1 for all Kiwis.  He gets booed every time he touches the ball.  I began to feel for this fellow and it was visible how the booing and ridiculing  affected his game. 

His previous battles with the Kiwis have all went well.  Reds beat the Crusaders, Wallabies won the Tri-Nations tournament, but when it came to the RWC, this player, Quade Cooper just started to go flat.  He remains one of my favorite players though.  One of my favorite characteristics of Quade is his hula dance before kicking the ball.  He is of Maori descent, so the dance may actually be meaningful. However, many of the kickers have little dances they do before kicking.  Johnny Wilkinson of England clasps his hands and dances like he has to pee.  This dance won England the RWC in 2003.  Whatever works, I say!  One of the highlights of AUSA was a streaker.  For some reason I am very amused by streakers.  Some people find it to be a sign of exhibitionism, but I consider it a sign of humor, especially when the score starts getting lopsided, as it did during AUSA.  Proudly the USA did stay in the game for the first 20-30 min, but then Aus skill took center stage. 

Back in Black

I couldn't leave the RWC without first seeing the All Blacks play. However, I was in the wrong city, didn't have a ticket, and didn't have a place to stay.  NZ had the Brave Blossoms to play and I didn't want to miss seeing a bold blossom.  The atmosphere was amazing, upon arriving in the city, Hamilton.  This is the first time I've seen rowdy Kiwis.  Knowing that it would be a challenge to find lodging, I decided to head back to my old friends at the haunted house a.k.a. the not so nice hotel I stayed at on my first night.  I hoped to pick a nice room, but was brought to my usual, for double the price... a discount since I had stayed there before ;) 

It was worth it.  I was 2/3 of the way to attending an All Blacks game.  I started to wander around the city and tried to think of the places where people may be scalping tickets.  I was looking for trouble and Dave was its middle name.  After passing through some alleyways and pubs, I decided to head straight to the stadium.  That's where I have always seen scalpers in the past.  Unfortunately, the game was starting for many hours, so I had my qualms about walking all of the way to the stadium when I could be drinking beer. 

Once I arrived at the stadium, I found a nice shady looking Eastern European.  Perfect.  I thought I'd get him to drop the price by going to the ticket window and by wandering for a bit.  I returned and gave my offer.  I brought out my wallet and realized I don't have my offer in dollars.  Perfect grifting on my part.  I got a ticket for a "great" price, cheaper than the face value.  I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at the game.  I was in the first row.  I even had to throw the balls back at the rugby players when they missed passes.  Win!

On a more somber note, there was a moment of silence at the beginning of the game to remember those who lost their lives and loved ones in the earthquake stricken nations.  Prime ministers from both countries were there.  Disasters generally bring people closer together, and I think this was true for the city of Christchurch.  The earthquakes were an experience that I'll never forget. 

Wale of a tale

Russia!  I returned from Mt Taranaki.  Upon my return I met a extremely talkative Welshman at the Backpackers.  Him and his wife moved from Wales to northern Ontario Canada to the north of the north island in New Zealand.  He took up jobs in impoverished areas.  He mentioned that the northern western tip of the island was about 70% Maori with about a 70% unemployment rate.  There used to be mining jobs in the area, but now there is no industry.  It is often sad to see blue collar areas after industry has left.  It makes me feel lucky to be in my current situation.   

The Welshman gave me a history lesson on how Canada began, a topic that, apparently, many Canadians do not know.  They are apparently British loyalists that wanted to stay under rule of the monarchy after the U.S. independence.  Anyhow, we also discussed more important topics, like rugby technique.  I was taught the torpedo kick.  The Welshman and his wife were also heading to the game and wanted to support the U.S., which I was happy with.  It's hard to get much U.S. support these days.   

I headed out a little early to grab a U.S. shirt and to do a little "tailgating."  The game was great.  It was very close... a little too close in the end.  I enjoyed some Heinekens (proud sponsor of RWC 2011) at the game.  They kept me warm at half time when there was a complete downpour.  You may notice the wet jeans hanging from the drying rack at the Backpackers.  I'd highly recommend this Backpackers.  I had a wonderful stay.  Best of all, there was no phone reception.   

From Russia with love

I chose to visit Ergmont NP upon my return to Taranaki. It was another cloudy day. The drive to the DOC station was amazing. The drive consisted if a tunnel of rain forest trees. I started a climb up the mountain to stretch out the old legs. On my way I passed people who were wearing shorts and a t-shirt. This was humerus because I had all of my mountaineering gear on.  

The trail began to turn to snow and ice. I saw one other pair of footprints in the snow. These climbed up to the last hut before the summit. I carried on. Snow conditions were actually very good for climbing. Unfortunately, the visibility was not ideal for climbing. After weighing the options and checking the time, I chose to head back down. I couldn't assess avalanche danger, but more importantly I wouldn't make the rugby game in time, if I continued up. I decided to take a different trail down. This one ventured into the rain forrest.   

It started to downpour.  It was beautiful though, extending in and out of steep ravines. Upon returning to the DOC station, the barista took one look at me and said I bet you could use something hot.  One of the best tasting cups of coffee. I headed back to the hostel where I met some Welch... But I'll save that story for another time.

Mordor

After Taupo, I visited Tongariro National Park.  This is the area where they apparently filmed Mordor for Lord of the Rings.  The area has some nice volcanoes.  Unfortunately, they were mostly shrouded by clouds.  This particular day was the clearest of all of the days.  I can say that it did rain every single day during this trip.  Anyhow, with the ski runs closed and no one on the mountains/volcanoes, I figured it would be a bad idea to try to do any climbing.  However, I did enjoy the scenery. 

I was later told by a fellow that the track up the one volcano is amazing and that I should definitely do it... in summer.  There was a lovely chateau associated with the ski resort... for those who want to rough it.  I asked at the DOC (Department of Conservation) station whether or not there would be a chance for the weather to get better.  Rain was in the forecast for every single day. 

The US-Russia game was on the following day, so I decided that I would head back to the New Plymouth area (where the game was being played).  I chose to drive back through the green hills.  There are alternative, straight, routes to get to New Plymouth, but I have to admit that I greatly enjoy the winding mountainous roads.  I imagine that it would be great to live out in this area.  However, one would have to be fairly self-sufficient.  I wonder if the farms of New Zealand are owned by massive corporations or if local small farming is still profitable in a place like New Zealand.  

Thermal Wonderland

Visiting Taupo was pleasent. I played the roll of a standard tourist. I stayed the evening at a holiday park that had a hot spring. I had it all to myself. I enjoyed a nice beer and read a paper for work. The pay I didn't enjoy was getting out. It was cold and rainy and I didn't have a towel.

I made my way to another thermal site on the following day. This place consisted of a giant pool, the champagne pool. Extremely hot water flows into the pool. The water then flows down, what I like to call a river. The river had very shallow water and a weird consistency.

This place was fun to visit. There were numerous nationalities. Everyone had on their rugby support gear. I wonder if people just wore the same shirts everywhere they went throughout the World Cup. Maybe I was the only one. I did notice that people tried to stay clear of me. I dose this can be attested to my smell.

I know I've mentioned the story multiple times, but the best part was that everyone kept putting their fingers into the boiling water to see if it was hot. The first guy did it and said, "wow, that is hot." I laughed out loud. I saw this happen two other times and heard the same thing in other languages.  Maybe they should give out burn kits when returning from the tour of the thermal area.   

Taupo and thermal fun

One of the great things about the north island is that it is thermally active. Rainy days are good days to check out some of the thermal activity.

I visited Craters of the Moon, which had some mud pools, steam vents, and sink holes. It was a little bit of a tourist trap, but it ensnared me. An equally interesting activity for the day was to kayak out to Maori carvings. However, on a chilled day, steam vents and coffee sounded much better.

 

I wonder what it would be like to be an early settler that stumbles upon areas like this. I bet it was frightening, but at the same time, the heat could be harnessed for energy to cook, irrigate, and to take warm baths.

U.S. rugby = getting better

I'm jumping around the timeline a little, but wanted to point out that the U.S. played really well against Ireland, in their first World Cup game.  The final score was 22-10.  To put that into perspective, Australia (2nd in the world) lost to Ireland but 13.  Last night was the last game for the U.S. and so I reflected on their progress over the years and where, we, as a nation stand in the world of rugby.  The U.S. has never been a rugby nation.  The team consists of mostly amateurs, even people that my Atlanta rugby team has played against.  Most of these men grew up playing other sports.  The team gets better each year, and actually played really well in all of the World Cup matches.  I foresee 2 wins in the next World Cup, which will be in England.  What I can say is that I really enjoyed seeing the team in person, even though they were cosidered big underdogs in most of their games.  There's something satisfying about being able to root for the underdogs.       



Purse?

At the airport, I found another man with a man purse. What distinguishes a man purse from a satchel? What makes it fit for a man? First, I think it needs to be made of canvas, much like Indiana Jones. It needs to be black, brown, or green. It needs massive webbing straps. Lastly, it can't be shaped like a woman's purse.  However, I wonder what ever happened to fanny packs. Maybe I'll bring the fanny pack back into fashion. If I had my way...

Sideways phone

I found a blogging application for my fancy pantsy new phone.  It is convenient to blog from anywhere, and I mean anywhere (bathrooms included).  The issue with blogging from the phone is that it wants to turn all of my pictures sideways (or at least all in a landscape orientation).  So please bare with my sideways blogs, until I can discover the secrets of the blog-from-phone.   

A little birdie told me

I frequented McDonalds on my trip more times than I'd like to admit.  They have free wifi, so I was able to check the weather and say hello to family. They have McCafes down under, which serve fairly good coffee. Therefore, coffee and free internet=happy Dave.

My hotel or a haunted house?

As an aside, I stayed at a wonderful establishment during my first and last night on the north island. Shame on them for the first night, shame on me for the second.  The hotel was in downtown Hamilton. The communal bathroom had water covering the floor. There was no heat. There was also construction going on in my part of the hotel. Other than all of this, it wasn't too bad.

Oh how I wish it would rain

Suffice it to say, I had a delayed start to my day after the Ireland game.  I had camped out on the beach in New Plymouth.  Afterwards, I took some dangerous pictures, not paying attention to the road while driving.  The original plan was to climb Taranaki after the game, but it was shrouded in a cloud, so I headed toward the center of the north island, hoping for better weather.  My fancy new phone told me it was a good idea.    

I chose to take the scenic route, which was through rolling green hills.  The landscape was beautiful.  As you may imagine, I saw many sheep.   

Driving the winding switchbacks is actually a lot of fun, especially with a manual car.  The drive starts out on a gravel road, which later turns into pavement.  It goes through a gorgeous gorge, continues into the hills, until the center of the north island, which is fairly volcanic. 

 There was a cool tunnel on the drive.  It is barely wide enough to fit a camper van, of which there are plenty in New Zealand.  I don't think it would fit a tractor/trailer.  I was even worried that I'd hit the walls with my little Nissan. Like typical country roads, I came upon some cows that blocked the pathway.  The best part is that the closest one started pooping as I drove by, as if I startled it.  I also saw, a wild pig and many rabbits on my drive.  Overall, it was very pleasant.  Next stop:  the volcanoes of Mordor.