Elsja Down Under

I’ve Decided June 26, 2008

I’ve decided that I would really like to wake up every morning, walk to the grocery store (if it were in walking distance) buy some interesting and diverse food and spend the rest of the day searching the net for recipes and experimenting in the kitchen with my phenomenal culinary skills (and by phenomenal I mean novice). What I realize though is that I’d have to be really rich to spend that amount of money on food… and I probably wouldn’t feel like doing it after work every day- so I think this should just be my job. Shopping and cooking all day. Isn’t that what housewives do? Maybe I just want to be a housewife… without the kids… and I’ll just blog my new recipe creations for all to enjoy. And then I’ll probably get really fat from eating so much. Ok maybe I can shop, cook and go to the gym. Sounds like a good life to me.

I’ve decided that there’s no reason the trash man needs to come 6 times in one day. Really… NO REASON! Just come once… or twice… or even 3 times for the recycling, but 6? With that said, I’ve also decided that earplugs work wonders!!! Andrew has always been an earplug fiend, but they aren’t my favorite thing in the world. Well today, I woke up at 5:30 to something banging outside due to the crazy wind. I knew the dreaded arrival of the first of 6 trash trucks was impending so I gave in and put in the plugs. I fell back asleep and didn’t wake again until 7:40. Andrew had gotten up, showered and left (and he said the trash man came once or twice) and I didn’t hear ANY of it. (FYI… that is pretty much a miracle, I’m a LIGHT sleeper). I’d wear them every night if they didn’t limit me to sleeping entirely on my back. I haven’t quite mastered finding a position on my side without the pressure of the plugs jabbing into my eardrums.

I’ve decided that I want my own Schweeb. What is a schweeb you ask??

“The Shweeb velodrome is the world’s first human-powered monorail racetrack. It consists of two 200metre long overhead rail circuits that vary in height between two and four meters above the ground. Under the tracks hang high performance pedal powered vehicles. Between one and five vehicles can be loaded onto each track enabling teams to race each other or race against the clock.”

It would be great if they had one of these that went all around the city so I could just Schweeb myself everywhere!

And lastly, I’ve decided that it is time for some tea and a weight watchers lamington… have you  tried these little bites of heaven? They are delish. Ok, not the best in the world, but they are low fat and that makes them taste even better! Sorry Americanos… no lamingtons for you!

Good Food & Wine June 23, 2008

This weekend, Andrew and I went to the Good Food and Wine Show in Sydney. Can I just say that it was the best thing EVER? Ok, not EVER… but it was stupendous. I love food and wine and I LOVE free samples of food and wine even more. Most of the stuff was pretty average, your typical samplings of jams, oils, crackers, chocolate, sausages, dukkah and dressings. They also had a few booths with things like noodles, pasta and mousse. I had a few sips of champagne here and there as well, but I definitely didn’t take advantage of the MANY MANY wine booths. Oh well… next year. I bought a few goodies, but not too many- it was more fun just trying all the stuff for free*

*I like to pretend I didn’t pay for tickets, then my brain THINKS all the samples were free

The only bad thing about the show is that it was SOOOO damn crowded! That place was a definite fire hazard/death trap waiting to happen if something blew up! Why all the mayhem? Well I’m sure the fact that Mr. F*&K OFF himself was present (Gordon Ramsay from Hell’s Kitchen and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares). Trying to get a glimpse of him at his book signing was… well I like to say it was like attempting to get a glimpse of the Beatles on tour in a Japanese Airport (not that I know or anything… but hey, I watch TV, I see what it was like)! Ramsay is a God here. Unfortunately, his demonstration shows were already sold out by the time I bought tickets so we saw Matt Moran instead. Matt’s a very popular Aussie Chef and he too has a TV show, but he’s doesn’t have quite the *personality* that Ramsay does. During Matt’s show, Ramsay made a few “cameo” appearances from behind the curtain when he started throwing things onto the stage and then got on the Mic and started telling Mr. Moran that he was boring. Pretty entertaining, good thing they are friends or it might have gotten ugly!

I wish I could say we got a better picture of GR at his book signing, but again… it was impossible. Nonetheless, here you go…

Get Ready OC… June 20, 2008

For some Qantas pilots to invade your cities. Qantas just announced that for the next 3 years, the official hotel of all their pilots will no longer be the Sheraton in downtown LA… it will now be the Newport Marriott. Quite a long trek from LAX… but who cares?? Do you know how excited this makes me?? Well… this means that when Andrew starts flying internationally (and if he flies to LA), he will now have a free shuttle that will take him within 15 minutes of my friends and family! Really it won’t impact me much- but it’s still exciting.

AND… this also means I can hop on a flight with him and we can go lounge in the Marriott pool during the summer!Â

I hope the slutty fake boobie barbies in Newport are ready for some Aussie pilots to take over their bars. Seriously… if all the OC hobags knew what was about to be coming to them on a regular basis, they might just wet themselves ! They just better not think about messing with my pilot!! I’d have to kick some fake blonde, fake tanned ass!

Notes on Spanish June 19, 2008

Now that I am taking a Spanish class, I have started to notice a few things…

1. I accidentally said “si” instead of yes at a Mexican restaurant when the cashier asked me a question. It just came out! I’ll be conversing in NO time!

2. If I could take Spanish every day for an hour- like they do in high school… I’d DEFINITELY be fluent after 4 years. But when I DID have this opportunity in high school… I just didn’t care enough to study! Oh, and I also didn’t take Spanish- I took French. So there’s no possible way I REALLY could be fluent in Spanish by now, so I don’t feel bad.

3. With that said, I think Spanish is WAY easier than French- but maybe that’s just because I was 15 and had a Nazi devil teacher when I tried to learn dear ol’ Francais. (Andrew thinks saying a French man was a Nazi is contradictory… so instead- I’ll just say that he was a giant dick)!

4. And… with THAT said, I’m surprised how much French still comes back to me while I’m in my Spanish class. I think I could easily get languages mixed up if I actually knew more than one.

5. I find myself singing Sublime songs in my head. That English/Spanish blend always had me thrown for a loop. I never understood anything- but that didn’t stop me from singing some butchered “Spanish” right along while driving in my car. But now, I’m starting to actually understand bits and pieces of the songs. So I just repeat those lines in my head over and over and over… it’s kinda driving me nuts.

6. On that note… do you know the Aussies I’ve met (Ok maybe I’ve only ever tested this with Andrew) have never heard of Sublime? Seriously… how have you not heard of Sublime??? I’d like to point out they aren’t my favorite band or anything- so I’m not really sure why I’ve just mentioned them TWICE in one single blog.

6. I still would like to go to some Latin country for 4 weeks to learn Spanish. I was planning on doing that 2 years ago, but then I met a certain someone and came to a certain country in the southern hemisphere for 5 weeks instead!

7. I’m AMAZED at how much Spanish I already know just from growing up in southern California.

8. Aussies have the HARDEST time pronouncing Spanish words. I feel bad for them.

9. The enchiladas and guacamole I make are freaking wonderful! (ok, I didn’t really realize that after taking my Spanish class, I always knew that).

10. I don’t really know why I want to learn Spanish so bad. It will do me no good here. I guess I’ll have to travel a lot.

Boots and Books June 18, 2008

Ok so I found boots! FINALLY.

I went to dinner with some friends the other night in the city, and since I was 30 minutes early I decided to wander around and look for shoes. I had nearly given up with 10 minutes to spare when I found a pair of decent looking black boots. Now, they were a tad too big- but let’s face it, they won’t slip off my feet when they go halfway up my calf. They are kinda casual and I would prefer to have these in brown, but… they only had my size in black. They were the last ones left. They weren’t phenomenal but they weren’t hideous either. And they weren’t too expensive. So with 5 minutes until I had to meet my friends for dinner, I made the spur of the moment purchase.

Too big, too casual and too black?? I’M SOLD! But really, I do like them. I think.

 
In other Elsja news, I finished reading a book. This might not seem like a big deal, but it is- because I hardly ever read. I can’t recommend this book highly enough… I really liked it. Eat Pray Love is one woman’s tale of self-discovery (in a nutshell). I had seen it in Target and thought about buying it but it seemed too “search for existential meaning” for my liking…like some typical “I found myself through God” book. So, I just wasn’t interested.

Until… I saw the author on Oprah. Then I was sold and I knew I had to read it. Good ol’ Oprah is a marketing genius! (If I could just get her help with my invention idea…)

The author throws in some humor and sarcasm, which I like. She is very real and talks about her highs and lows (lots of lows) and doesn’t make this all seem like some bogus spiritual journey.

Be warned…this book talks a lot about meditation, religion and yoga… which aren’t for everyone- but I can honestly say, she wrote it in such a way that it doesn’t seem like it was written by some fruitloop. I tend to be the type that sits in a yoga class and giggles to myself when everyone around me is trying to meditate and “clear their chakras” blah blah hocus pocus… I always thought that aspect of yoga was a bunch of crap. I really was just there for the exercise. This book enlightened me to think that maybe meditation wouldn’t be such a ridiculous idea after all.

Oh… and she also throws in a fair share of food and sex… so there’s something for everyone!

Hair June 13, 2008

Does anyone shed as much hair as I do? I’m pretty sure that between all the hair that my vacuum picks up, the hair in the shower, in my brush and the hair that magically appears on my clothes, on andrew’s socks & jackets, in the couch, car and bed… I could make a full length wig. Does anyone else have this problem? Can I just say how happy I am to be blonde lately because at least it camouflages into everything it touches. I just can’t help it… it’s too long and it just falls out. I can’t belive I’m not bald by now. I really can’t!

Oh and can someone please tell me how you go about finding a decent priced stylist you can trust in a new city! (Oh, and one that is within walking/bus distance). I actually know a few people who do hair here- but they are all too far! I thought I’d hold off and just try to get my hair done every time I went home to CA. But the last time I did that was in March and I won’t be back until August and my hair can’t go much longer. It permanently looks greasy (even when I’ve just washed it) due to the darker roots.

Speaking of hair… I’m off to go blowdry and straighten it. I’m about to brush another million hairs out of my head for Andrew to vacuum up

Remembering June 10, 2008

On June 9th, 2007 my brother-in-law Brett lost his life to Pancreatic cancer. It has been one year since that night. It’s amazing how quickly time passes us by. Just remember to say I love you to everyone who means anything to you. You never know what tomorrow may bring. I’m happy to report though that my sister is doing well, and is surrounded by love, family and friends.

Support pancreatic cancer research:

PanCan

 

I’m Horrible at Shopping June 6, 2008

I already hated shopping for clothes enough as it was in the US… I’m just really bad at making decisions, bad at spending money, bad at dealing with the crowds. Well it’s even worse now. I don’t know where to shop, I don’t know the good stores vs. shitty stores. I try to find boots that I like (I’ve never owned a pair of boots in my adult life) but on the racks, they all look hideous… I swear, I they are all either too pointy… too dressy… too hookery… too country…or too “motor cycle rider” as andrew said today, but on other girls- they look so cute. Why can’t I find cute boots? Then I have this problem that if I DO buy new boots, I’d have to buy new jeans to fit in the boots. I’m too lazy to try things on but I NEED warm winter clothes. I see really cute outfits in the window but then everything is so expensive. I literally have bought 2 items of clothing (both dresses for weddings) in the last 8 months of living here.

I just suck at shopping. Can someone go shopping for me? PLEASE.

BACK UP! June 5, 2008

My blog is back up. I’m not sure what happened to it, but thanks to Emanuel at my work… it’s up. And even better than that… I can actually post now! (I couldn’t yesterday because there were still a few issues). YAY!

But I’ll tell you what ISN’T up! The light fixture in our living room! That’s NOT up. It should be up… up on the ceiling where it belongs, but no… instead, it is down here on the floor:

 
Why is it on the floor you ask? Oh, that’s an easy one… because it just FELL OFF!

I was on my couch, minding my own business when the whole thing came crashing to the floor, sparking and banging as it hit the ground. It scared the crap out of me but happened so fast that it really only allowed me to be scared for half a second. Then I sat there for another 4 seconds waiting to see if something was going to start flaming… but luckily there were no fires that night. I was very appreciative of the electrician who came at 8:30pm to fix these wires that were just hanging out of the ceiling waiting to ZAP anyone who crossed their path:

 
I don’t know if you people realize, but those track lights are VERY heavy. You should all be thankful I wasn’t sitting underneath it when it fell. I could have a smashed head now. Luckily, I dont. I just have a hole in the ceiling with one lonely temporary lighbulb hanging out (and a big ugly brown mark where the light USED to be- you can see part of it in the picture above. Lovely.