So because of the magic of international air travel, combined with the vagaries of the international date line in the middle of the Pacific ocean, strange things happen when traveling between the US and Australia.
For instance, when we leave Los Angeles on Thursday night it will be the 3rd of July. We then fly the 13 or so hours non-stop to the east coast of Australia and land and the date will actually be the 5th of July.
Obviously I have experienced this phenomenon a couple of times now, but this will be Callum's first experience at time traveling. I'll do my best to show him the ropes so he will probably be just fine.
But of more importance is the fact that the day we are skipping this time around is the 4th of July, which is America's Australia Day if you will. So Callum will have to wait until next year to experience his first 4th of July. Which is probably not a bad thing since I am assuming 7th month olds and amateur fireworks are probably a combination best left to the ferals and rednecks.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
World's Longest Pub Crawl (Uncomfirmed)
Whew, long drive but I am finally home.
I drove back from Lincoln today solo - Jen and Callum are staying a few extra days and flying back on Wednesday.
Anyway, since I didn't have the baby in tow today, I decided to hit a couple of brew pubs on the way home that I havent been too before.
First I hit the Elk Grove Brewery, surprisingly in Elk Grove just south of Sacramento. Beer was good, had some beer styles available that were outside the normal 5. But the setting and ambiance were a little ho-hum, so if you are in Elk Grove looking for a drink then go ahead, but I wouldn't go out of your way.
Next stop was the Lodi Beer Company, once again surprisingly in Lodi. Great place, hands down the best stop of the day. If you are in Lodi and looking for food or drinks, definitely worth it. Kind of high end decor (high end brew pub that is) and lots of beer on tap and a menu where not everything is fried.
Next stop was the Sequoia Brewing Company in Fresno. OK place, menu seemed pretty average. A few guest beers as well as their own. If you were looking for good beer in Fresno, then stop here, otherwise there is probably other places to go for food, but then again it is Fresno I suppose.
I did plan to stop at a place in Bakersfield, but as it turns out it closes at 5pm on a Sunday, so I will have to catch it next time through.
Finally got into LA proper and hit a snag on the freeway with a major accident (found out on the radio later that there were fatalities involved). Anyway, even at 10pm on a Sunday an accident that closes all but one lane still creates a hell of a mess, so I turned off the freeway and used the GPS to navigate along surface streets for a couple of miles and jumped back on the freeway past where the accident was.
Anyway, finally home and exhausted. BTW, did I mention it was hot driving home again? Saw 4 separate fires on the way home. They had some storms in norther California over the weekend and they estimate that there is over 600 separate fires burning because of lightning strikes. Summer has only just started and it looks like it could be a bad one for fires again.
I drove back from Lincoln today solo - Jen and Callum are staying a few extra days and flying back on Wednesday.
Anyway, since I didn't have the baby in tow today, I decided to hit a couple of brew pubs on the way home that I havent been too before.
First I hit the Elk Grove Brewery, surprisingly in Elk Grove just south of Sacramento. Beer was good, had some beer styles available that were outside the normal 5. But the setting and ambiance were a little ho-hum, so if you are in Elk Grove looking for a drink then go ahead, but I wouldn't go out of your way.
Next stop was the Lodi Beer Company, once again surprisingly in Lodi. Great place, hands down the best stop of the day. If you are in Lodi and looking for food or drinks, definitely worth it. Kind of high end decor (high end brew pub that is) and lots of beer on tap and a menu where not everything is fried.
Next stop was the Sequoia Brewing Company in Fresno. OK place, menu seemed pretty average. A few guest beers as well as their own. If you were looking for good beer in Fresno, then stop here, otherwise there is probably other places to go for food, but then again it is Fresno I suppose.
I did plan to stop at a place in Bakersfield, but as it turns out it closes at 5pm on a Sunday, so I will have to catch it next time through.
Finally got into LA proper and hit a snag on the freeway with a major accident (found out on the radio later that there were fatalities involved). Anyway, even at 10pm on a Sunday an accident that closes all but one lane still creates a hell of a mess, so I turned off the freeway and used the GPS to navigate along surface streets for a couple of miles and jumped back on the freeway past where the accident was.
Anyway, finally home and exhausted. BTW, did I mention it was hot driving home again? Saw 4 separate fires on the way home. They had some storms in norther California over the weekend and they estimate that there is over 600 separate fires burning because of lightning strikes. Summer has only just started and it looks like it could be a bad one for fires again.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Eat It
I will assume that Callum was being extra camera friendly when he was eating today because it was me feeding him (you can tell because of the unusually large man-hands in the photo).
But It's A Dry Heat ...
Spent the day at Jen's parent's place today. Early in the morning Callum was out on the back deck playing with the new toy his Grandma and Grandpa got for him.
During the middle of the day the temperature got way too hot to be outside. Notice that the thermometer is in the shade under the tree.
Later in the day Jen decided it was time for Callum to experience a swimming pool. So Jen got him into his swim trunks and hit the water. It's fair to say that once he figured out the concept of "splashing" he was sold on the idea of swimming pools.
During the middle of the day the temperature got way too hot to be outside. Notice that the thermometer is in the shade under the tree.
Later in the day Jen decided it was time for Callum to experience a swimming pool. So Jen got him into his swim trunks and hit the water. It's fair to say that once he figured out the concept of "splashing" he was sold on the idea of swimming pools.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Powderfinger Vs. Crowded House
We drove up from LA to Sacramento/Lincoln this afternoon to spend the weekend with Jen's parents. The drive is about 477 miles (768 km), so just slightly longer than Adelaide to Melbourne.
But today the weather was against us a little. It was over 100°F (38°C) before we even left LA and only got worse from there. The temperature didn't drop below 100 until we were nearly in Lincoln at after 8:30pm. At one point coming through the San Fernando valley, the temperature gauge said it was 114°F (46°C) outside.
We had the AC cranked all the way up for the entire trip, so I am sure we used significantly more fuel than what is usually necessary, which is good since fuel is so cheap right now!
Callum was a pretty good sport about being strapped into his capsule for that long. He did start to lose it finally as we came through Sacramento and Jen did her best to soothe him, but he was well past done. Then something miraculous happened. We were listening to Powderfinger's latest album, but the album ended. The disc changer switched over to the latest Crowded House album and with the first few dulcet tones from Neil Finn, Callum instantly chilled out and we didn't hear a peep out of him for the last 30 minutes of the trip.
It is hard to say if Callum disliked Powderfinger, or just really liked Crowded House, but we will definitely be investing in as much Neil Finn music as we can find before our next road trip.
But today the weather was against us a little. It was over 100°F (38°C) before we even left LA and only got worse from there. The temperature didn't drop below 100 until we were nearly in Lincoln at after 8:30pm. At one point coming through the San Fernando valley, the temperature gauge said it was 114°F (46°C) outside.
We had the AC cranked all the way up for the entire trip, so I am sure we used significantly more fuel than what is usually necessary, which is good since fuel is so cheap right now!
Callum was a pretty good sport about being strapped into his capsule for that long. He did start to lose it finally as we came through Sacramento and Jen did her best to soothe him, but he was well past done. Then something miraculous happened. We were listening to Powderfinger's latest album, but the album ended. The disc changer switched over to the latest Crowded House album and with the first few dulcet tones from Neil Finn, Callum instantly chilled out and we didn't hear a peep out of him for the last 30 minutes of the trip.
It is hard to say if Callum disliked Powderfinger, or just really liked Crowded House, but we will definitely be investing in as much Neil Finn music as we can find before our next road trip.
Put Your Butt In The Air Like You Just Don't Care
For whatever reason Callum likes to pull his knees up under his belly when he sleeps, which leads to this awkward sleeping position.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Mango-A-Go-Go
One of the first foods I ate in the US was a Mango-A-Go-Go fruit smoothie from Jamba Juice. It is quite tasty and I have had many more since then.
Jen made some pureed mango for Callum and based on his reaction, it is fair to say that we have a future Jamba Juice customer on our hands.
Jen made some pureed mango for Callum and based on his reaction, it is fair to say that we have a future Jamba Juice customer on our hands.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Father's Day
Yesterday was Father's Day and I received a card from Callum. His Mum helped him write it, but he made sure that he personalized it in his own personal way - by sucking on the corner for a few seconds before giving it to me.
Later in the day we went out for lunch and Callum was feeling very casual and lounging in his highchair.
But then the excitement of lunch out got to him and he needed to rest up a little.
Later in the day we went out for lunch and Callum was feeling very casual and lounging in his highchair.
But then the excitement of lunch out got to him and he needed to rest up a little.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Homeward Bound
I booked tickets this morning for a quick trip back to Australia for Callum and I.
We will arrive in Adelaide on the 5th of July. Then we are going to head up to Brisbane on the 16th and then back to Los Angeles on the 20th.
This will be Callum's first visit to Australia, so I can't wait to share with him some of my favorite things in Adelaide that I miss. Like Balfour's Pasties and Custard Tarts. Farmer's Union Iced Coffee. Coopers Pale Ale. AFL Football. Triple J Radio. Wet Weather. Right Hand Drive Vehicles. The Mall's Balls. The Bay. A Lack of Freeways. Colourful Money. Words with the letter 'u' in them.
Perhaps he will have to wait a couple of years to fully appreciate some of these things ...
We will arrive in Adelaide on the 5th of July. Then we are going to head up to Brisbane on the 16th and then back to Los Angeles on the 20th.
This will be Callum's first visit to Australia, so I can't wait to share with him some of my favorite things in Adelaide that I miss. Like Balfour's Pasties and Custard Tarts. Farmer's Union Iced Coffee. Coopers Pale Ale. AFL Football. Triple J Radio. Wet Weather. Right Hand Drive Vehicles. The Mall's Balls. The Bay. A Lack of Freeways. Colourful Money. Words with the letter 'u' in them.
Perhaps he will have to wait a couple of years to fully appreciate some of these things ...
The Shortest Distance Between 2 Points is ...
... a line that takes in 7 cities, 3 countries, 2 hemispheres and crosses the international date line twice. Or at least that is what United Airlines would have you believe.
I was looking for a flight this morning to get me from Adelaide to Brisbane on my upcoming trip. For those unfamiliar with Aussie geography, Adelaide to Brisbane is about a 2 and a quarter hour flight. But when I was checking United Airlines' website to get both the international and domestic flights booked at the same time, apparently United's computer system had a hard time figuring out how to get me from Adelaide to Brisbane with one of the domestic airlines. It presented me with an option that was so unbelievable, so impractical, so suicidal, I had to take a screen shot of it just to prove that it existed. And here it is:
If you click the image, you will get an enlarged view.
So that is Adelaide to Sydney to San Francisco to Sacramento to Los Angeles to Auckland and finally to Brisbane. I'll save you doing the math, that is a total travel time of 49 and a quarter hours.
Needless to say, I found another airline and saved myself 47 hours travel time, and certain death.
BTW, did you notice that this was the first flight in the list and the list was sorted by "Number of stops" - which means there were even worse options possible further down the list.
I was looking for a flight this morning to get me from Adelaide to Brisbane on my upcoming trip. For those unfamiliar with Aussie geography, Adelaide to Brisbane is about a 2 and a quarter hour flight. But when I was checking United Airlines' website to get both the international and domestic flights booked at the same time, apparently United's computer system had a hard time figuring out how to get me from Adelaide to Brisbane with one of the domestic airlines. It presented me with an option that was so unbelievable, so impractical, so suicidal, I had to take a screen shot of it just to prove that it existed. And here it is:
If you click the image, you will get an enlarged view.
So that is Adelaide to Sydney to San Francisco to Sacramento to Los Angeles to Auckland and finally to Brisbane. I'll save you doing the math, that is a total travel time of 49 and a quarter hours.
Needless to say, I found another airline and saved myself 47 hours travel time, and certain death.
BTW, did you notice that this was the first flight in the list and the list was sorted by "Number of stops" - which means there were even worse options possible further down the list.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Feeling Oddly Proud To Be An Australian
Quick Aussie Glossary for the Non-Australians before reading this article:
Rum Can - He means an aluminium/aluminum can that contains cola and rum premixed, for whatever reason these are popular in Australia, but you can't even find them to buy in the US.
Cark It - Slang, for "dead".
Brown Snake - Probably an Eastern Brown snake, the 2nd most deadly land snake in the world, coming in behind the Inland Taipan, which is also a native of Australia. Yay for snakes that look like brown sticks and can kill you!
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23845829-5005962,00.html
Rum Can - He means an aluminium/aluminum can that contains cola and rum premixed, for whatever reason these are popular in Australia, but you can't even find them to buy in the US.
Cark It - Slang, for "dead".
Brown Snake - Probably an Eastern Brown snake, the 2nd most deadly land snake in the world, coming in behind the Inland Taipan, which is also a native of Australia. Yay for snakes that look like brown sticks and can kill you!
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23845829-5005962,00.html
Friday, June 6, 2008
101
it's been a while since i've posted... as most of you have noticed, and noted... repeatedly...
and, since you've all waited patiently this long for some word from me, i'm sure you can wait a little longer...
but to appease the masses, a photo...
i believe my sister called this "who dat?" (nat, if i'm mistaken, lemme know.)
.JPG)
and, since you've all waited patiently this long for some word from me, i'm sure you can wait a little longer...
but to appease the masses, a photo...
i believe my sister called this "who dat?" (nat, if i'm mistaken, lemme know.)
.JPG)
Definitely NOT A Glass Blog
So a friend of ours, who we will just call "Arat" to protect their innocence, sent me a lovely message yesterday to register their displeasure at the lack of updates on the blog lately. Their use of expletives was not only grammatically correct, but also painted a picture, much like a poet.
When I quizzed Arat as to the status of their Blog and how often they updated it, Arat responded by explaining that their life was the kind of life that did not require a Blog.
So I say to you Arat - people in Glass Blogs should not throw stones. I am also inspired to say, those who can do, and those who can't, teach! :)
Arat - please consider this blog officially updated.
When I quizzed Arat as to the status of their Blog and how often they updated it, Arat responded by explaining that their life was the kind of life that did not require a Blog.
So I say to you Arat - people in Glass Blogs should not throw stones. I am also inspired to say, those who can do, and those who can't, teach! :)
Arat - please consider this blog officially updated.
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