Day 357 Wed 04/03/2013
Bogan Villa?
“Today is my last day with People Who Care. I will miss working with these guys. We did 2 easy jobs then we thought we would go down to the Hillary’s Marina for lunch. Brendon bought me a smoothie & Mike bought us some fish flavored crackers that he liked back in England (They sound gross, but they were quite tasty). Cod something Crackers? It was some English thing. We walked down to the dock & I informed my mates I was going down the slide located out on the floating platform in the middle of the lagoon. Brendon took my camera & would snap a few photos.
After a few runs down the slide I took a rest out there on the platform. They looked satisfied staying dry for our next, my last, job with PWC this arvo (afternoon). Suddenly a girl from earlier in the markets where we bought the frozen yoghurt approaches the dock. She had been running around the shops earlier in her black bra & super tight swimmers. She was FIT. Her & her two mates jumped in & headed my way. Brendon looks at Mike. Some words are exchanged. They get to their feet & shirts come off. Brendon even went as far as ditching his shorts & jumps in wearing only boxers.
I was not enough to get these two turds into the water, but she most definitely was. Hahaha. It didn’t matter to me because now we were all out there hitting the slides like big kids.
We tackled a huge bougainvillea for the second time this arvo. It was huge. This was a good job to end on. Afterwards Brendon & I hit Scarborough Beach for a dip. We played in the still massive waves & then he split. I moved north up the coast a ways to get closer to Julia’s place where she was waiting to meet a potential buyer for a rug she was selling.
I go for a run up the beach & when I return my phone has a missed call from Brendon. “I can’t remember where I parked!” he said. Hah! I went & showed him through his confusion (it is a multi-level lot & he was one row shy & one lot south). It was still funny.
I met Julia at her place & helped load the rug up for the buyer before having fish n chips down in the amphitheatre overlooking Scarb Beach.”
Day 358 Thur 04/04/2013
AC/DC Stamps
“Oh crap. Today is my last day with PWC. Not sure how I got off track in my journal. I went to the Post today after work & bought stamps to send home post cards. Found some really awesome stamps.”
I found AC/DC stamps! I sent a few post cards home to family. I have done such a bad job with this. I hope to do a better job next time I travel. I used to collect stamps as a child. Then one day I think I threw them all away because it wasn’t cool. So I became too cool at one point, & now I am back to not being cool. I bought a few stamps I liked to begin the new collection. Some of the ladies at PWC had actually brought me stamps from home. Mike gave me a few stamps from England too. Now that I think about it I bet my previous never get laid stamp collection is in the attic somewhere disguised in a puzzle box. Just sayin’.
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| Working for People Who Care with Brendon & Mike |
Well the AC/DC post card got to my brother, Daniel, in the USA. However, it was ripped in half! Somebody within the United States Post Office loved the AC/DC stamp & just tore it the hell off of the post card. In doing so they ripped the damn thing just about in half. It is on Daniel’s fridge in half. What a RIPOFF! I didn’t even write a message on the card. I drew a hilarious picture & told him I loved him. The AC/DC stamp was kinda the point of the card. Shoot! He still liked it. He wondered what the hell happened to it. “I hope Michael doesn’t come back from Australia this worn,” is what he must have thought.
Side Note: Collecting stamps just became AWESOME, because how cool are AC/DC stamps?
Day 359 Fri 04/05/2013
See Ya Later BUDDY (Buddies)
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| Brendon left & Laza right performing the Haka |
“Julia came to pick me up & we went to a surf shop warehouse. I found a wicked Magnum PI looking hat while she found a nice bikini. Cider at Julia’s house onto Laza’s house for beers. Brendon came over as well. This was all followed by good times at the Indi Bar. Clarissa, Laza’s new cute Canadian roommate, came too.”
Julia wants a new bikini before her trip up north. In just a few days she is moving back to her house in Broome, WA. I needed to replace the hat I had stolen from me in Sydney. The surf warehouse had so much awesome swag! I had some decent looking hats picked out. Then I found one that was three times more ignorant & loud than the two hats I had in my grasp. I bought the rowdier hat of course. It looks like a jungle. Super bogan!
Tonight we party. I wanted Laza & Brendon to meet since they are both Kiwi lads. I finally got Laza to perform the Haka. This is New Zealand’s war dance. I knew he knew it, & I had never seen it done in person. It was badASS! I took video. I need to screen shot his face to add here. Scary! Brendon filed in beside him as well. He didn’t realize how heavy Laza would do the cry though. It was full on! Leah & I loved it. Thanks for that mate! I will miss you wild man.
I don’t know how to even begin to tell the people I have met in & around Perth goodbye in this journal or blog. I can only hope writing everything down like I have done & putting the memories out here can suffice for all the love & friendship I have received in the short time I been near you all. It’s impossible to put into words the appreciation I had for everyone mentioned in this story so far. The thank you letter would be longer than all of the blogs posted so far. To my mates I had to say “see ya later” to, I hope you have some idea of how much I love each & every one of you.
Day 360 Sat 04/06/2013
ATTABOY!
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| Nikki & I at the cafe |
“The Princess of Persia came to meet me down on Scarborough Beach today. I swear if she were drawn as a cartoon character she would be Jasmine from Aladdin. She is gorgeous! I was hot stuff walking with her down the beach, let me tell you. We spent most of the day relaxing by the water. She is terrified of waves. I barely got her in ankle deep. Truth told she wouldn’t get her hair wet. Pfft!
Tonight she took me to a small café near her house in Morley (or Mt Lawley). We had a great time. She would not let me pay. What a treat. I have a model (literally) as a date AND she paid! ATTABOY!”
I guess if you look like a bum you are treated like a bum. Hahaha, no she was too kind to pay. I was leaving Australia & she wanted to buy me dinner. It was nice. I have received this kind of treatment too many times here in Oz. Whether it is Leah making dinner, boxing it up in rubbermade bins & freezing them so I have lunch/dinner for the next week, Laza buying an uncountable number of drinks at Indi Bar (or every other bar), dinners with Mo & Ori, or with Shar & Shiva, oh my I could go on forever!!!! The hospitality has been EPIC. Truly EPIC & unmatched. I cannot do them all justice.
Day 361 Sun 04/07/2013
Kayaks & Shiva’s Feast
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| Cannington River Kayaking Group from left: Me, Leah, Kevin & Robyn |
“This morning is the canoe trip with Leah, Robyn & her mate Kevin. We had two cool chick guides from Italy & Australia. We were actually using the sit on top style two-person kayaks. I got in the front. Leah is steering! Yes I know. I am so brave. ;)
She did great until the end when she had a brain fart & forgot everything, running us into some low hanging branches. We saw many birds & jellyfish. Semi-Pro up to PRO status in Team USA Canoeing/Kayaking (watch out Buffalo River Rowdies).
The area was Cannington River in Riverton. Bull something was where we went for lunch afterwards. Later tonight is Operation with Leah.”
Leah had scored these kayaking passes with Living Social. Yea, they have that over here in AU too. Great stuff Leah. We were so funny though acting like we needed no guides. Leah was my guide.
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| Team USA |
These last few days are getting very confusing. I had another lunch date with Nikki in here somewhere. I think tonight is the night we were all invited back over to Shiva’s house for another feast. Once again the amount of food & good times is hard to translate into words. I cannot remember what they called anything. The one dish with the black marrow in the bone was my favorite I think. Powerful dish! Visiting with them is always a blast. I showed Shiva’s husband how to fold a napkin into a t-shirt. In return he showed me a boat fold.
This was my official leaving Australia dinner. Thank you so much for everything Shiva & Sharareh! You have had us over countless times for amazing dinners & unbeatable hospitality. You have a wonderful home. The new addition is outstanding. Next time the outdoor hot tub will see me in it! ;) I hope to see you all again soon. I love you all. We must take more photos next time.
Thank you so much for all of the great times in your home. <3
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| Ilnaz & Leah |
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| Our dinner party! |
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| Here I am with Shiva. Thank you so much for all the delicious food and wonderful memories from your home and company. I hope to see you all again soon. <3 |
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| Hahahaha, at Jaws Sushi |
Day 362 Mon 04/08/2013
Jaws with LeahBoo
“I am packing up today. Leah & I went down to Scarborough Beach one last time. The waves are HUGE again. We had Jaws for dinner (our favorite). The spicy shrimp here is very similar to the BangBang Shrimp at Bonefish Grill back home in Chattanooga, TN. I’ll be eating there very soon.
We played Operation again tonight. This game is very old school. Leah drove me to the airport & we sat outside at Dome (a restaurant/bar) & played Skatagories. Leah won by ONE POINT (there is no telling how long I will have to wait to beat her next). My flight to Sydney departs at 11:45PM.”
This was my final chance to see Scarborough Beach, the beach Leah & I had come to so many times to play, one last time. The waves crushed us again today. I managed to pack up most of my stuff into the bag it came over in. I don’t recall throwing much away. I know I tossed my DC riding shoes away at some point. I split them from toe down the side about a month into the trip here. I had just been making them do until now. There was no need to carry them back.
We were all packed and ready for dinner at our favorite restaurant, Jaws. I still get confused looking at this one picture of Leah taking a plate of sushi from the conveyor belt with all of the other customers behind her. Hahahaha! Hilarious! The picture might explain.
My Visa for Australia officially expires on the 12th, four days from now. My good friends back home, Peter & Melanie, have hooked me up with one of their Delta Stand-by tickets. It is a super deal! This helped me out financially so much. If anyone remembers I was supposed to fly home 6 months ago. Well my flight back was scheduled for 6 months from original departure date. I was not allowed to buy a ticket with a return date one year later. I just figured I would move the flight. Well I was on the Rum Runner at the time. I barely even thought about the flight. I remember thinking, “Oh $hit, my flight home was today I think.” Well it would have probably cost me more to move the flight than it cost me to pay Peter & Mel for the standby ticket. Thanks for this guys. |
| Leah & I on the Cannington River |
Leah drives me to the airport in plenty of time. We go for one last sit down at Dome inside the aiport. They had some outside seating, which was nice. We played Skatagories until it was time for me to go through security. Leah, I don’t know how to thank you for any of this. I remember the second I emailed you my Visa approval. Then I remember sending you the completely random day my flight would leave. Hahahaha, you did not ever think I would do it. Actually, deep down I think you knew it was just a matter of time before it happened. I don’t know though. It felt so far out of reach. Like many things in life. You see stuff in movies & think “Why can’t I do this” or “why can’t I go there”? “Why can I not have an Ironman suit & roast bad people every day?” Some people thought I was an idiot for coming to Australia. I had TONS of support as well. Don’t get me wrong. I’ll get to that later.
I guess I should elaborate on this more when I am sitting in the airport for days waiting to fly home though, but this was the last time I saw you. You beat me at Skatagories too. Bragging rights for HOW LONG? Crap! I guess I’ll see you in the States before here in Oz again. If I feel the same way about this place in a year, or two, or three, then I guess I will have to find a way back for good. One thing I know, if I want it to happen it will happen. There are no barriers now. You always knew I was crazy, in a good way hopefully, & I cannot be like most people. This has positives & negatives, but Australia seems like a place I should never have to leave. Let’s buddy up on the Buffalo River again soon & talk about it. I love you always. How close did we come to killing each other? Oh my gosh, I swear if I were a betting man I would have said 50 fights. However, there were so few. Good job on being patient with me. I still wash dishes like a man. I am far from a clean person. The floor of your house was cleaner than I even when I was on floor duty! Thanks for not throwing me out, even though I know there was at least once I got close.
Thanks for putting me in touch with so many good people. Thanks for asking me every single day I was jobless “how’s the job search going?” Usually I had an answer, right? I remember taking the job in Kal based on something you said along the lines of “Who knows, you may love it there.” What did I have to lose? I met some amazing people along the way. I don’t know how to thank you. I am just rambling now. I will not proofread this as you know from my previous posts. People proof & start deleting stuff that was written on impulse & straight from the heart. J
I love you. See you again soon. There is no telling what continent it will be in. L-I-V-I-N
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