Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all our friends and family!

Since our Christmas card didn't allow for captions, here's the photo key:
1. At Tamara and Andy's wedding, September 2011.
2. We met a dingo in Healesville, NSW, August 2011.
3. Harbour Bridge Climb with Janine and Deanna, April 2011.
4. At Iguazu Falls, Argentina, May 2011.
5. In Portland, OR, September 2011.
6. At The Big Merino in Goulburn, NSW, October 2011.

Hello from Dublin!

As you may know already, we're in Dublin!

Sláinte! from the Gravity Bar atop the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.

We're here for a work trip for M, then we head to Brussels to spend Christmas and New Years with our friends Kate and Stéphane.

Winter may not be the ideal time to travel to Ireland, but we've really enjoyed it so far. In fact, we've been pretty lucky, and the weather really hasn't been too bad. 

This past weekend, we rented a car and drove from Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher, and then stayed overnight in Galway. The Cliffs were amazing. The wind gusts were crazy - I almost got blown over and had to go over to the side of the path and hold on to the wall! Driving through the Irish countryside was beautiful, and I'm so glad we got to see it, even if it was a short road trip. 

We're here in Dublin a few more days, then on to Brussels! Looking forward to relaxing with good friends, eating frites and chocolate, and drinking Belgian beer!

We're sad to be so far away from the rest of our friends and our family on Christmas, but we'll be thinking of you! xoxo

Unpacking

Unpacking is going a bit slowly. I may have eaten my lunch and dinner off a serving tray because I haven't unearthed any regular dishes. You may well think that, but I couldn't possibly comment.

Our New House!

Yesterday we moved into our new house, which is wonderful!

It's a 3-bedroom terrace house, still in our same Inner West suburb of Newtown. The owners recently renovated to add a master bedroom and ensuite bathroom upstairs. Here's the album with all of our pics:

New House

Aeroplane Jelly

In Australia, jelly=Jell-O, and apparently Aeroplane Jelly is an Australian icon. When I saw it on sale at the grocery store recently, I bought the most random flavour on an impulse. Rather than get a regular fruit flavour, I got Wobble, the dairy version, which had a hula-hooping cow on the box. It isn't chocolate pudding or mousse, it really is firm like Jell-O.

I can report that it was...not bad. One box for $0.99 made 4 servings, which kept me in dessert for a few days. Matthew didn't care for it.

Movember Update

I have been remiss about posting pics of Matthew from Movember 2011. Here he was on Day 19.

2011 Sculpture by the Sea

On 6 November, I went to Sculpture by the Sea in Bondi with Angelica and Natasha. As expected, it was crowded and hot. However, we had a lovely time.

Here is the link to the rest of my pictures from the day.

Box Rummaging

We're moving house soon, and I've been rummaging through boxes this week. I found some old pictures, so I scanned them. Oh, how I procrastinate on packing!

Diana and Amanda in Brooklyn, NY - Thanksgiving weekend, 1992

Modeling for my sister - 1995

Camping in New Hampshire - Summer 1996

That "camping trip" was hilarious. We drove up to NH with Brad and another friend of theirs from Houston. We had no gear, and certainly no campsite reservations. The four of us ended up sleeping underneath a tarp, in a "tent campsite," which was basically just a random field next to an RV park!

Australian Lollies

Australian candy, better known as lollies, seems odd to me sometimes: Red Skins (a raspberry candy); Chicos (a brown baby-shaped candy, which I think is caramel-flavoured); Musk Sticks (a strange name; I've been told they're "pink" flavoured); Milk Bottles (milk seems like a boring candy flavour to me).

Originally, I thought Violet Crumble might be something purple fruit-flavoured, but it turns out it's just the wrapper that's purple.

Violet Crumble is "honeycomb" wrapped in chocolate. It looks sort of like Butterfinger, but it's not sticky.

Honeycomb is very sweet, and doesn't exactly taste like honey. It's hard, and shatters when you bite into it. All in all, I'd say Violet Crumble is so sweet that it makes your teeth hurt!

Photo Booth Animated Gif

Last month we went to our lovely friends Tamara and Andy's wedding, where they had a photo booth at the wedding reception - very cool! I finally got around to scanning our photo booth strips, then I figured, why not turn us into an animated gif? :)

Internet Archive

If you haven't already, check out the non-profit internet library the Internet Archive.

There are now 3 million freely downloadable texts available, so enjoy a browse. You could find yourself browsing the Last Letters of Aubrey Beardsley, or something as equally random and interesting.


P.S. Apparently the town of Boscombe was "ignominiously dull" in 1896.

Canberra Trip

Matthew and I went to Canberra this past weekend with our friends Lindsay and Grant, who grew up there. They did a wonderful job showing us around Australia's capital. We went to the Australian War Memorial, Parliament House, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Library, the Royal Australian Mint, the National Zoo and even a few wineries on the way home.


While the National Zoo was quite small, a particular highlight was that we got to pat a kangaroo! I have now patted a kangaroo and a koala. If I ever get to pat a wombat, I will be in heaven! ;)

Here are the rest of our pictures from our trip:

Lemonade Tasting

Lemonade in Australia is different than in the US. Here, it's carbonated, and comes in a can or bottle, made by a soft drink company, rather than something one makes at home. Depending on the maker, it may use  club soda, or mineral water, and some are sweeter than others.

I decided to do a tasting with Matthew, so I gathered up several of the most popular brands. They're all full of sugar - about 11 to 12 grams per 100ML. (The 600ML bottle of Lift - couldn't find it in a can - has 66 grams of sugar!)

1. Lift - owned by Coca-Cola. Chemical-y aftertaste; not highly carbonated; least natural-tasting of the bunch.

2. L&P/Lemon & Paeroa - founded in New Zealand, with mineral water from the town of Paeroa; now owned by Coca-Cola. Sweeter; a little more carbonated; slight floral flavour.

3. Schweppes Lemonade. Very carbonated; flavour is mostly mineral water, less pronounced lemon flavour; slight savoury aftertaste (almost like clove).

4. Solo Original Lemon Drink - owned by Schweppes. Tart; tastes the most like lemons; aftertaste almost like aspartame, although there isn't any in it. It's basically carbonated American-style lemonade, although it's not highly bubbly.

Solo, "the original thirst crusher," is marketed towards men. Even though it has just as much sugar as the others, it has the most tart flavour, so I suppose that's masculine? :P

If we were to rank these, Matthew and I would say Solo is #1, then L&P and Schweppes Lemonade, with Lift coming in last. Since these have so much sugar, I wouldn't drink any of them regularly. However, if I were to come across it, I might try the sugar-free version of Solo.

Knitting

I am attempting knitting again. I taught myself from a book many years ago, but never really got very far. This time, I am attempting 16 squares to make a blanket for Save the Children's Born to Knit campaign, which sends blankets to children in places like India and Cambodia. This year's campaign actually just ended, so hopefully they will do it again next year, and maybe I'll be done by then!

This is attempt # 2. Attempt #1 was made using a ball of red yarn that came in the Born to Knit kit. I got some new green and grey yarn over the weekend, and now I'm starting over.

Art & About

The other day, M and I walked to Town Hall to see an art installation that's part of the Art & About Sydney festival. "Tsunami 1.26" by American artist Janet Echelman is a big floating lace sculpture that is currently anchored above George Street, between Town Hall and Woolworths. The rope has a tensile strength 15 times stronger than steel, and the netting was machine-knotted in a pattern based on a 3D model of the tsunami after the 2010 earthquake in Chile.

(Click photo to enlarge.)

(Click photo to enlarge.)

It's interesting during the day, but I'd like to go back to see it lit up at night, when I bet it's even better.

Historical Currency

As an American, there are bits of Commonwealth history with which I’m unfamiliar. Some British and Australian historical dramas mention money I’ve never understood. For example, in the BBC’s “House of Elliot,” they got an order for 2 dozen outfits at 12 guineas each. What the heck is a guinea?

So, I did a bit of online research. Prior to “Decimal Day” in the UK and Ireland on 15 February 1971, the old currency of pounds, shillings and pence was used.

One pound= 20 shillings.
One pound= 240 pence.
One shilling = 12 pence.
One guinea= 21 shillings.

Pence were denoted by the letter d for the Latin denarius, and is now referred to as “old pence.” Shillings were denoted by s for the Latin solidus. The nickname for a shilling is a bob. A price expressed as 1/3d meant one shilling and three pence.

1915 War Loan poster. Image from Library of Congress.

A guinea was a gold coin which was removed from circulation in 1816. However, the name guinea continued to be used to indicate the amount of 21 shillings. Apparently the guinea had an “aristocratic overtone” and professional fees and payment for land, horses, art, bespoke tailoring, furniture and other luxury items were often quoted in guineas in the UK and Australia until decimalisation.

Calculating money in base 12 and base 20 was more complicated than decimal currency (base 10), and tourists were sometimes confused by prices and the coinage.

So, Australia switched to decimal currency on 14 February 1966, and the UK and Ireland switched on 15 February 1971.

The Australian pound had been in use since 1910, though it was officially distinct in value from the pound sterling since 1931. Australia chose the name dollar for their new currency, with one dollar equalling 100 cents.

Image from the Museum of Australian Currency Notes

The UK kept the names pounds and pence, but with new values. One pound equals 100 pence. The new pence were denoted by the new symbol of p. Finally, quid, the slang term for a pound is from pre-decimal days, but is still used today.

Image from Thumbsnap.com

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_(British_coin)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shilling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_(British_decimal_coin)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_currency

http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/currency.html

http://www.rba.gov.au/Museum/Displays/1960_1988_rba_and_reform_of_the_currency/introducing_the_new_decimal_notes.html

Opera

The other night Matthew and I saw Lakmé - our first opera at the Sydney Opera House!

I didn't realize that the Sydney Opera House actually houses several venues: Concert Hall, Opera Theatre, Drama Theatre, Playhouse, and The Studio. The Opera Theatre is actually not very big - it seats 1,507, which is smaller than the Brown Theater at the Wortham Center in Houston. However, the Concert Hall is the Sydney Opera House's largest venue; it seats 2,679.

So, we were slightly surprised that the Opera Theatre wasn't larger. I was also surprised that much of the indoors of the Opera House is concrete, too. I didn't expect the inside to have a somewhat impersonal 1970s feel. (Some staircases have red carpet, while others are bare concrete.)

As for the opera itself, it was wonderful, and we both really enjoyed it. Lakmé is by French composer Léo Delibes, and premiered in 1883. Here is some more background info from NPR Music's World of Opera.

Finally, here is Dame Joan Sutherland performing the famous "Bell Song" from Act Two.

Photos from Portland Trip

We were just in Portand for a week for our friends Tamara and Andy's wedding. It was a lovely wedding, and a great visit overall. It also happened to be my birthday while I was there! Below are some photos from our trip.

Portland Visit - Labor Day/Birthday weekend

Tamara and Andy's Wedding

Fifties Fair

Yesterday we went with Alison and Jon to the Historic Houses Trust Fifties Fair at Rose Seidler House.  Architect Harry Seidler, considered by some to be "the father of Australian modernism," designed the house for his parents, Rose and Max Seidler, and it was completed in 1950.

Photo by Historic Houses Trust.

We dressed up and had a good time, despite the intermittent rain showers and mud.

One Year Ago

One year ago today we left Portland for Sydney! Here we are with all our luggage in the arrivals area of Sydney airport.

Our first year has had its ups and downs, but we're glad to have had this experience. We're looking forward to another visit back to the States in a few weeks. Then, in about 3 months, we'll be moving into a new place (a small house with a guest room!), which will be lovely.

Melbourne Trip

Matthew and I went to Melbourne August 7-11, and had a great time! We went to the Queen Victoria Market, the State Library of Victoria (where we saw Ned Kelly's armour), walked down Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, thoroughly enjoyed the Healesville Sanctuary (where we paid a little extra and got to pat a dingo), had some wine in the Yarra Valley, and went to the "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharohs" exhibit at the Melbourne Museum. We also visited Cook's Cottage, the Old Treasury Building and both locations of the National Gallery Victoria.

Finally, we had lots of good food and drink. Our favourites were Movida Aqui and Cumulus Inc., and the coffee at Sensory Lab. However, there are so many more places we want to try on our next visit.

Here are our pictures from the trip:

Melbourne Trip

Sydney Tweed Ride

On Sunday, Matthew and I participated in the 3rd annual Sydney Tweed Ride, where cyclists dress up in dapper attire for a leisurely bike ride round the city. The ride itself was about 8K. Including getting to the starting point (Town Hall) and back home from the endpoint (Moore Park), we cycled about 13K in total. (And then went ice skating with friends later that evening - one of my most active days in ages!)

Here's a photo of us before setting off.

Matthew made a cool video of the day.

Finally, here's the link to the rest of our photos from the ride.

The State of Australian Beer

What a small, twisted world. I was reading about some Aussie breweries, and learned the "Big Two" here are Fosters and a Japanese-controlled company called Lion Nathan, which I'd never heard of. (Kirin Holdings owns LN.) LN owns: Tooheys, Hahn, James Squire, Boag's, etc. They also own several Australian and NZ wineries, and one in the USA: Argyle Winery in dear ole Dundee, Oregon. Wacky.

Also, Little Creatures, which I thought was independent, is actually owned by Little World Beverages, which is about 40% owned by...Lion Nathan. (Although, Little World director Howard Cearns characterizes Little Word as "fiercely independent," saying Lion Nathan's stake is a "passive investment.")

Finally, last month SABMiller put in a $10 billion takeover bid for Fosters. Apparently some of the smaller Aussie brewers want it to go through, because if it did, they would be some of the last Aussie-owned breweries left. The Australian reports, "A successful foreign purchase of Foster's would leave South Australia's family-owned Coopers -- with just 3.6 per cent of the domestic beer market -- as Australia's leading brewer."

Sources:
http://www.perthnow.com.au/business/wa-company-news/boutique-brewers-raise-glass-to-takeover-talk/story-e6frg2s3-1226080417937
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/bn-fosters-bid-from-sabmiller-leaves-bitter-taste/story-e6frg8zx-1226079564027
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_World_Beverages
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Nathan

Welcome to the Family

We do not have the best record with houseplants. However, we have decided to keep trying! We recently added another plant to the family: Agnes the aglaonema.

She joins Chuck the gollum jade, and Otto the umbrella plant. Wish us luck!

Photos from Whale Watching Trip

The weekend before last we went on a 3-hour whale watching trip with our friends Alison and Jon. We had great weather, and did glimpse some humpback whales! 

Matthew, Jon and Alison - setting out.

Humpback whale!

Whale tail.

Spout.

Panorama of sailboats in front of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

Here's the link to the rest of my photos from the day.

Photos from our April Bridge Climb

Back in April, our friends Janine and Deanna were here visiting, and we all did the Harbour Bridge Climb together. We had a great time! Luckily the weather was beautiful that day. We had to wear silly jumpsuits, and were clipped on via safety belts the entire time, so it wasn't scary. 

Well, I finally scanned the photos, so here they are, quite belated.

Silly group photo.

 Janine, Deanna, Amanda and Matthew.

 Amanda and Matthew underneath "Blinky Bill," the red aviation safety light in the middle of the bridge. Traffic was going by way down below that catwalk. Yes, that is wind in my puffy suit. ;)

Thanks again to Deanna and Janine for joining us on this fun adventure.