If I had A/C...

Aussie word of the day: stubbie = bottle of beer, "Put the stubbie's in the esky." And don't forget your stubbie holder a.k.a. coolie cup, beer koozie, etc.

When I say A/C, I'm not talking about the first letters of Acca Dacca, as the much adored AC-DC is commonly referred to over here, I mean ice cold, hard blowing, central cooling. If I had A/C I would crank it down to 30 degrees farenheit so all my sweat beads would freeze into icicles. There's enough sweat pooling in the curve of my lower back to form an ice block big enough to chill a case of beer (called a slab in Oz). Oh, if I had A/C :(

We had a really good couple of days in the 80's last week, some people were even calling the weather... cold!?! Then the temp's rose back above 100, ugh! That means walking around in your bra and shorts and hitting the beach again where we spend the majority of the time standing in the ocean because it's too hot to do anything else.

I have a few minutes before going to play squash to write a brief update on my Aussie existence. Squash is like raquetball, but I think the ball is smaller and has less bounce, which makes it a little more challenging than raquetball. It's a lot of fun and best of all it's a great workout!

I am sitting here in my room eating cold pasta, sipping an iced coffee, and listening to The Fine Young Cannibals, sweet! Remember them? I love this radio station, it plays the most random mix of rock music. Most of the songs remind me of my childhood days at the skating rink. Songs like, I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight or I Hate Everything About You. LOVE it! Earlier, when I was driving home from work I heard them play Bob Seger's We've Got Tonight, which made me think of my brother sitting in the car next to me, cranking the radio up and feabily attempting to croon along and every once in a while nudging me to sing along too. He's such a song junkie.

Classes started this week, which makes me really happy because I was starting to think about coming home a lot. Not that I really want to, but all the charm and excitement of living in a new place and meeting new people has sort of worn off... so the only thing I really have to look forward to is uni starting. It was also a REALLY long break! Then I heard Creedence Clearwater Revival on the radio the other day and I was 18 again, cruising down a two-lane, country blacktop in the passenger seat of my best friends '66 Chevy pickup with my feet on the dash and the wind in my hair. *Sniff* Haha, that sounds like a country song.

I've come to the conclusion that when you are living away from your home and country, you really need to dedicate a full uninterupted year to living abroad. No coming home every six months even if it feels like you should or you need to. My friends who returned to their respective countries after last semester are now homesick for Perth. It's a year away before I have to return home and I am already planning stop-overs in New Zealand and Hawaii on my way back... or perhaps Bali and Thailand - the shopping is supposed to be great there!

I am beginning a new series I would like to call the Loves and Disses of Perth.

Love - that sun-kissed glow. I've had heaps of comments on how tan I am. That's me, Debbie, and Fleur on the weekend. I'm glowing so much, I'm shiny!

Diss - melanoma. I'm among the few sun lovers in Australia because I noticed that not many people are sporting "the glow." I guess when the Australian government is pounding the word melanoma into your brain every day with stomach-turning tv ads, bus banners and billboards you wouldn't venture out into the sun much either. Melanoma is a serious reality people and the proof is in Australia - WEAR SUNSCREEN! (even in the winter)

Love - beautiful, sunny weather and cloudless skies.

Diss - heat so stifling it feels like you live in a raging inferno.

I'm posting a few photos of my new house in the last blog and closing with a photo of my $500 beauty, a.k.a. the Shaggin Wagon, for your entertainment.

In the words of a former roommate and Conan O'Brien fan, Keep Cool My Babies!

The heat of the moment

Aussie word of the day: Esky = cooler, "Don't forget to bring the esky to the beach!"

What do you do when you are bored and broke in Perth? Go to the beach and make new friends that can get you into the cinema for free.

I have moved three times in the last month and am happy to report I am finally settled into my new humble abode. I am sharing a house in North Perth with four other girls, one of whom is my good friend, Debbie. It's an older home, English cottage style, with rose bushes lining the walkway, high ceilings and stained glass around the front door. There is no a/c, but I at least have a small wall-mounted fan that oscillates, but doesn't do much except blow the hot air around the upper half of the room. I also now have two TV's, a DVD player, my own sink and a mini fridge. I am happy and could very possibly never leave my room, although I am a little uncomfortable at night because it is so warm.

I am currently in search of employment... this is why I am currently broke. Besides the fact that I don't have a job, I just paid one months bond (deposit) and two weeks rent on my new place and have paid $125 for fuel in the last three weeks and didn't fill the tank once. I'm hopefully starting work with a local catering company this Friday, but the schedule is not steady, so I am still hoping for another job to come through.

Besides this minor financial setback, I am still enjoying myself by going to the beach and volunteering for orientation at uni. I also made a new friend who also volunteers and works at the cinema so can get me into the movies for free! How good is that?!?!? The movies are usually $10-$15 here, so I am elated! I just need to meet more people like her that can get me freebies. Valentine's Day will be me and Gail and a $2 DVD... hope everyone has a good one! XOXO

Oh, yeah... it's f-ing HOT here!