Pow!

I got you, Adelaide Metro!

I made it into the city by myself, and am I ever chuffed about it. The driver was a bit surly when I handed him a $20 bill, but he sighed and fished a wad of bills out of his pocket to make change. (!) I took the O-Bahn. I got off at the wrong stop (Adeliaide Metro's trip planner is worse than useless). I made it to the Gardens on time.

To all of the relatives I've forced onto transit in the past few years: I'm so, so sorry. I forget how totally non-intuitive and scary buses are in an unfamiliar city. You all survived, but: yeah. This is hard stuff.

reach for the sun

YK took me out for a jog today.  It was a quiet early weekday morning, sunny and just slightly brisk, and we jogged through the park and along the creek.  As we were walking briskly away from our billet the first song up on my iPod was Polyphonic Spree's Light and Day and I have to say:  breaking into a run during those opening swells of music -- in Australia! -- is now pretty high up there on my personal list of Great Moments In My Life.

(Cockatiels! We saw cockatiels!)

Barossa scouting, day #2

Scouting locations.

Trooping up to Richmond Grove.

Pavilion at Langmeil.

Langmeil shiraz.

how about now?

The worst thing -- well, not the worst, but probably the most annoying -- about losing something important (say, hypothetically, an annual transit card with five months remaining in the annum) is that my Golden Retriever brain will not stop looking for it in any place I have ever seen it.

Is it in my coat pocket? No? How about now?

I had it on a bus yesterday! Say, maybe it's wedged into the seat of this completely different bus on a completely different route. No? Shucks.

I usually keep it in the outside pocket of my bag. Is it there? No? It wasn't there the last four times I checked, but maybe I just overlooked it -- I should check again! Maybe it's behind that pen? No? Well, maybe it will show up this time I rummage through the 4x5x2 pocket...

what neglect!

Oh, hello. Mite dusty around here, isn't it?

I'm attempting to renew the blog habit before I leave the country in (gulp) five weeks. To that end, I'll try to clean up the numerous posts loitering in the draft file from last summer, and I'm posting a random daily life factoid:

My housemates are pitching a New Year's shindig, so I cleaned the bathroom last night. I spent over an hour scrubbing the floor and sink and tub (not mopping, scrubbing -- like, using a brush and bucket and rag) with cleanser and mildrew remover, and you can barely tell. Sheesh.

hello goodbye

I feel like I've finally gotten my sea legs, and the Fringe ends tomorrow. I found the Farmers Market (not that it was hard to find), the grocery store, the library, and the best internet cafes*. We made an outing to the Edmonton Mall and a random dance club, and I even picked up a schedule for the local Bikram studio (...but 8 a.m. yoga is like 4 a.m. in Fringe Time)

We've been flyering our little butts off, and (*fingers crossed*) should make our audience goal for the final show. Nobody likes handing out fliers, but I have to say that it's much easier while wearing a giant buttercup costume. (The Reindeer helmet + sporty shades works well, too.)

Postcards! I finally got 'em mailed! Love to y'all, and I'm looking forward to being home soon. xoxo.

*Canadians serve up some pretty decent espresso, but they make iced coffee by pouring hot brewed coffee over ice cubes. So wrong.

green onion pancakes

I just found them on the fairway.  If I have to be rolled home next week, that'd be why.