Sydney was a lovely mistress

After about a day of solid travel 2 books later and a number of cups of tea I arrived in Sydney airport. I took the very convenient train right into the city and headed directly for my hostel stereotypically located in close proximity to the beach. Bondi Beach to be exact. On the bus ride in two other backpackers who would become known to me later as Dustin and Justin, approached me on the bus. It turned out that they had met in the airport, were both Canadian and almost (save a letter) shared a name. They ditched their hostel reservations and decided to throw in their lot with me as I had a place right by the beach! We ended up staying in the same room and spent the next few days together.

The hostel was lots of fun. YHA Bondi Beach was the name if I recall and they just had a lovely set up. It was 9 am when we got there so we ditched our bags in the room and headed for the ocean and in search of food. No we weren't going to catch it. We just knew that's where the restaurants be!

It was cold but it wasn't that cold in the ocean. I mean here I was, in the ocean, in September. Bad ass. We swam around in the strangely rough waters for a while and decided to get some food. I don't know what we ate but it was good. The next few days fell into place with a similar sort of reckless abandon. We toured around the city, saw the opera house, checked out the big bridge and all tried our hand, with epic non-success, at surfing.

The nights in the hostel were a lot of fun. You couldn't throw a rock in any direction without hitting a Canadian. They were like geese during migration season. I've heard Canada is not the most hospitable during winter, hence the Exodus to Oz.

However the highlight of my hostel stay was definitely our two other roommates. Derek and Rob were two Irishmen that had been living in the hostel for about a month before we got there. They were hilarious. Rob told stories like he'd been doing it professionally since he was young. Wild embellishment frosted over with a thick Dublin accent makes a tasty auditory cake. Derek was absent minded but funny as well. For the last two days we simply drank together and told stories. We drank more beer between the 5 of us than I thought possible for 10 men to drink. Secret Weapon? Irishmen.

After staying in the hostel for 3 lovely nights there was an ever-so light rapping at my door around 9pm on that Friday. There standing in the hallway were my friends. Tyler my old friend from Seattle who I had come to visit and my new friend Jill who I had yet to have the pleasure of meeting.

I waved goodbye to my international buddies and began a raucous and unexpectedly crazy weekend involving a wholly different side of Sydney.

P.S. It involves the backseat of a mini cooper.

PPS Comp is still in the shop so no pics till later.

Cambridge Reprise Second Coming

On a sunny pre-dawn September morning Rana and I left the warm bosom of Seattle and headed for the airport. After a day of travel and a layover at the most depressing airport I've even visited, Atlanta International, we arrived in London. Weighted down with a considerable amount of baggage we took refuge in a coffee shop to kill some time until our train to Cambridge.

We watched the local fauna with their ridiculously skinny legs. What is it about London ladies that allows them to uniformly have such skinny walkers? The prancing entertained us for a while at Covent Garden while we ate our Cornish pasties, the real reason for our stop. If you've never had a Cornish pastie, well let's say you've been missing a culinary delight.

We took the next train to Cambridge and go there about 7 at night. We met up with Emeric, my French friend, his lovely girlfriend Emilie, and Emeric's American Aunt, Jane. Rana and I were beat so we headed to bed a few hours later.

The next few days we explored Cambridge together. We go to see the lab where Emilie is doing her post doc reseach. Freaking sweet, except her research is all done with fruit flies so you can imagine there was an unsettling creeping feeling as you left the lab. "Did I bring any with me? Ahh they're in my shirt," but they weren't.

We went to the Cambridge Film festival and saw a movie about a zombie infestation caused B by infected words. Apparently it postulated that the English language itself was infected... preposterous...brains...need brains. Sorry lost track. The only way to fight it was to speak French. I had now divined why our friends had selected this movie...

On the final day I said goodbye to Rana as she headed for Istanbul and I headed for Australia. I was indeed sad as I would not see her again for at least a month. I had a later flight so I stuck around and Emeric Emilie and I headed over to the famous "Chariots of Fire" Race. They played the music and everything. Wow, and with that England became a thing of the past for me as I headed to the land of Roos and cuddly Koalas.

(Pictures coming. I have had some slight computer problems since I arrived.)

Devo out

The Omnivore's Dilemma

This is a book you should read. Without being overly preachy this fine chunk of informative literature throws into sharp relief that which we need to know about what we eat.

My favorite character is Angelo Garro. Angelo shows us how far we are from the production of our own food by being something most people aren't, a self producing forager.

"I have the passions of foraging, passion of hunting, opera, my work. I have the passion of cooking, pickling, curing salamis, sausage, making wine in the fall. This is my life. I do this with my friends. It's to my heart."

This quotation grabbed me. I want to feel like that, too. I want to feel connected to the tradition of food in a way I'm not. Yes I cook and bake a lot but not with ingredients about whose pedigree I know much.

Read the book and allow yourself to get the message. Your body will thank you.

Festive Romp in Capitol Hill

There are mascots and there are icons. Pictured below is the latter my friends! 7 feet of pure unadulterated pink foam rubber waving at you certianly turns your head. Some friends and I were walking around Capitol hill on Sunday as we happened upon this prominent penis. At first we thought he might be selling Oscar Myer but soon realized that his aims were something far more pointed.

It is quite jarring to have something like this simply thrust into your day but as we looked on in wonderment we began to penetrate the real meaning of the display. Everyone there was encouraged to make friends with him, handle him. One lady even gave him a little kiss. Hey, Disney had Mickey, Nintendo had Mario why can't Gay City have, Captain Penis or the Erect Defender, or Super Dick? (pick one). Needless to say this made our day and we rode those happy thoughts all the way home.

Once home I felt the need to dig deeper into the penis mystery and so emerged: Healthy Penis. Healthy Penis was created in an effort to educate people about syphilis in San Francisco. Somehow he had managed to undulate his way up to Seattle to delight us and many others. Healthy Penis's growing fame is shown here in a very serious daily show article.

A direction hath been unfurled before me

So you wonder where I've been? I've been plotting. Ever since I arrived back in the US I have had very few "travel adventures" to impart so I have been thinking of the best direction in which to take my blog. I think I may have found it.

I believe it will be:

A bunch of design, a bit of tech, and whatever humorous factoids might pop into my mind.

Today I thought I'd start it with: Things that strike me a silly. 10 of them to be exact.

1) White kids from the burbs who used the word "son" for emphasis.

2) Someone telling me a movie is awesome based solely on its special effects. (Exception Eric H.)

3) Expensive fruit.

4) That Velveeta is called a "Cheese product."

5) Signs that tell me to read them.

6) There is no 6.

7) Bad news on a good day.

8) People not eating pork because they think they'll get swine flu.

9) Chicken-Fried Steak.

10) Partially Hydrogenated intentions.

The Best Job in the World goes to someone else...

You know it is obvious that Australia doesn't know talent when they see. That said I have not been selected to go. A sad day. They wanted someone a tad less funny and a lot more Marine Biologisty. In the words of Sigmund Freud, Whatev?!

Their loss.

Anyway thank you all who voted.

Devon

The Best Job in the World Part 2

For those who have been waiting in rapt anticipation, It's finally here! It took days of planning, split second timing and an almost Herculean resistance to embarrassment, which I have. Rana gets an honorable mention for filming. Thank you.

My video is up and running on the islandreefjob.com website. Here is the link:
http://www.islandreefjob.com/applicants/watch/MXC9-uRn2vw

If for some reason you have trouble viewing it there I have also posted it below but please go to the website and vote for me.

What you won't find on the website are the outtakes which I have also included below. Enjoy.
Thanks,
Devon

Best Job In the World Final Application


Outtakes