to be back...

Having just spent the past 6 months going to concerts and music fests in oz, it was quite fascinating to see the crowd at prospect parks bandshell on tuesday night. tvor and gang gang were playing the park, and it was packed the hell out. all the things about brooklyn that i used to hate on came rushing back as quickly as it had left. dont get me wrong, i love brooklyn. i really do. i fucking live there, i better love it. i just hate a lot of the people living there. before the show, i met an old friend at a dive in park slope where its $4 for a huge foam cup of bud. we had a couple of beers, and then took teh cup for the road (all of course, gratis from two lovely old men at the bar). entering the bandshell, you couldnt escape the plaid shirts if you tried. onesies and head scarfs and gladiator sandles were in full swing, lighting up american spirits and swigging beam from a flask. ironically, i was a part of this whole bothersome scene. when did i turn into an indie loving-urban-hippie? the truth is, i have been for some years now, i dare to say even before it was a thing. moving on, the thing that was more notable and a heavy distinction between new yorkers and aussies, was that nobody was dancing! i know tvor isnt exactly the presets, but shit, you gotta move! the audience was stagnant, and security told me to watch my friend before she got kicked out. watch her? okay! she'd just come back from a month in london where she was in a modern-interpretive dance thing, and she was really...interpreting! we might have been the only people really getting into it, and so everyone assumed we were drunk or on drugs. we weren't. buzzkill nonetheless. what is everyone so worried about!? the second big difference was actually kind of awesome. people weren't snapping pictures every two seconds. in oz i learned to pose without actually posing. aussies fucking love their cameras man, and at concerts flashbulbs abound and everyones all smiles. it's like they want to show people on facebook that they were somewhere, instead of just being there. i felt sheepish and entirely uncool as i snapped a ouple picks of Kyp and Tunde. ah well. i feel like to stumbled into summer here and had forgotten how much fun nyc is in august...

You know its a good party when...

...The entire floor is covered with cardboard boxes to avoid a massive cleanup the following day
...The evening starts out with a noisy game of flip cup, seamlessly moving on to beer pong
...No one really wants to hang out in the "break room"
...Your neighbors call the cops multiple times with noise complaints
...The cops come by and tell you about aforementioned noise complaints, but see that it's such a raging party that they decide to let us enjoy
...No one wants to take a walk to the store to get ciggi's cause they're afraid of missing any action
...Every last bit of jungle juice and jello shots are consumed
...You see people trip up and fall down the stairs several times
...You almost sit in vomit. Almost.
...You hear the phrase "Ah, why not?" mentioned many times throughout the night
...There are sparklers involved
...At least one fight breaks out
...At least one girl has a drunken crying spell
...By the end of the night, most are too wasted to make it out to the bar and end up crashing
...Random people start pairing off
...At least one of those people accidentally gets peed on in their sleep
...In the morning, it looks like a tooheys tornado hit the place, and there are empties EVERYWHERE.

And lastly, and definitely most importantly - You know it's a good party when...

...You wake up from a drunken slumber only to find a pile of human - I'll say it again, HUMAN shit on the floor of your bedroom. 5 or 6 feet away from the bathroom, mind you. So, presumably, a person thought to themselves, "hmmm, this looks like a perfect place to pull down my pants and take a dump. Right next to someone's bed, awesome! Game on!"
Thank you for that, whoever you are. I will always remember the morning I awoke to a load of feces on my bedroom floor. You forever hold a place in shank book.

I know, I know

It's been ages. Ages! I've settled down in a small suburb just outside of Sydney and have been feeling, well, settled. Crows Nest is a neighborhood mostly suited for young families and professionals, and though there is a nice little strip of restaurants and shops, there's not really very much to do here. Things close early, and even without any sort of 9-5 job holding me down during the days, I've found myself hitting the sack early, as if I need to be awake for an early morning meeting. I've picked up a job at a local cafe, and between that and going to shows and hanging with friends, I've been spending much of my spare time reading, watching movies, or going to the pool. I suppose it all sounds very lax and not so exciting, and for the most part I guess you'd be right. While I've realized I'm the type of person to bore easily when I don't have enough going on, I've recently come to realize that this shit is never going to be perfect. When I'm busy, I'm fucking crying about not having enough me time, but Lord, too much me time can get exhausting - no offense to myself. The grass will always be greener. It's a common dilemma, I know, and I've been thinking a lot about how to get past it. How to keep my mind and body active and hard at work, and actually enjoy it all the while. Is it possible? Can it be? On rare occasions, I come across a person who has been able to find passion, whether it be through work or art or love or music - and who are simply grateful for possessing it in the first place. I suppose that it is asking a lot. To want a life full of friends and fun, of artistic and intellectual accomplishments, and of course the time to simply sit back and enjoy it all. The search may last a long while, but in the meantime I'll do my best to appreciate the fact that I'm able to ponder such real, intense, life-altering questions while some are stuck sitting in front of a blue screen all day long.....

PHILADELPHIA GRAND JURY

Philadelhpia Grand Jury is a band that kicks ass. I saw them play at the Annandale Hotel in Sydney the other night and they had the crowd of young, mostly uni kids, going absolutely nuts. These guys are the real deal, I assure you. Their music is as heavy as it is accessible and it should only be a short time before chuck taylored-rum and coke drinkers from all over the world are turning up the PGJ EP and blowing out their basement speakers. Get on the wagon now while they're still without management, playing shit venues, pulling the crowd on stage, and toppling over grand pianos.

Notes On Bali

I just got back from Bali yesterday, and can I say - WOW - I had no idea what I was in for. I'm always a bit wary of traveling to 3rd world countries for a holiday. I always seem to find myself stuck somewhere between the slums and paradise, between guilt and pleasure. I feel I am tearing through the community of this poor, starving country, exploiting their resources for the benefit of my luxurious hotel stay. Not so in Bali. While tourism is certainly an industry that's a necessary evil to most muslims - we all remember the bombings a few years back - I never felt as though I was pillaging the balinese people of the things they value by being there. I never felt unsafe or afraid. Most are very good at English, and I was lucky enough to hear their thoughts on foreign tourism, and what they truly thought of us encroaching on their culture. Our cab driver, Made, (who, by the way, drove us down to Dreamland, waited about 6 hours, then took us to Jimbaran for dinner, waited another 3 hours, and drove us home for 20 bucks total) said that most of the Balinese people really appreciate the tourism, and the only time it falls short is when (mostly Japanese) vacationers don't really take the time to visit local businesses, hire local taxis, or eat at local restaurants. When they buy these package deals that bring them on busses to resorts, and back to the airports, they never actually get a chance to meet locals, or to give back to the community in any way. The place I was truly struck by the beauty of not only the land, but of the Indonesian culture was in the Gili Islands. No cars, no cops, no rules, and ironically enough, no crime. Chatting with Boi, a local guy from Lombak, who dreamed of one day visiting Australia, I realized how incredibly difficult - rather, nearly impossible - it must be for people to get out. Even still, he seemed completely content, smiling and laughing and playing us Bob Marly off his cell phone. Looking out onto the clear blue waters, fisherman searching for their daily catch, hearing the guitars and the clapping, the songs in the distance, it was nice to know that this world existed for some. This world where people are simply happy to have one another. Their friends, their families. And for me, in that moment, even if for only a short while, I felt lucky to be a part of it.

Bye Bye Byron - Can't say I'm sad to leave!

I love music, I love festivals, and I love camping. But after a week of this shit, in the pissing down rain no less, I'm pretty much over it. Bluesfest has been a really cool experience, and I saw some truly amazing acts, and I'm definitely happy I came. That being said, camping in the rain, in a little tent, with nowhere to go, well it kinda sucks. It was actually even hard to enjoy the music yesterday, sopping wet, malnourished, and just out of it in general. We waded through the mud to see Xavier Rudd, Missy Higgins, Jason Mraz, and left before Ben Harper took the stage. I'd seen him play on Saturday, so I knew I wasn't missing too much. But wow, it's been a truly memorable time, one that I'm sure I'll look back on and laugh about. Hitching rides with the sanitation guys back to our little delapitaded tent, making friends backstage, bumming pretty much EVERYTHING off our neighbors (who I'm pretty sure wanted to shank us after the 3rd day) and not having clean feet for a week, well, it's been fun. I haven't looked forward to a hot shower and warm bed like this for a while now, and I would seriously give my left nut to lay around with a cup of tea, watching a movie and not having to move for a day or two. I know I'm acting like I just trudged through Vietnam, ducking bullets and dodging grenades, but hey, we're new at this! Okay, time to go meet our ride to Sydney, who from the sounds of it seems like a complete toolbox, but once again, can't be choosy when it's a free ride :)

Byron, Bluesfest, Rain, and mo....

So, here we are at Bluesfest in amazingly cool Byron Bay. This place is kinda my mecca - on the beach, cafes everywhere, people on every corner playing (or attempting to play) music, kids with shaggy hair, and long dresses, dreadlocks and bare feet covering the streets. It's been an interesting trip thus far, with rain pissing down, trying to saddle up next to jess on our twin blow up mattress that manages to deflate itself every night. Jess, not so surprisingly, has come down with whooping cough. Who, in 2009, gets fucking whooping cough. I told her she might as well find a leather strap to bite down on while we perform surgery with a butter knife out back. Thank God I get to sleep next to her in a moist, muggy tent with no ventilation for the next 5 nights. How lucky am I? Aside from that, Bluesfest has been a pretty ridiculously fun time. Honestly, the music is cool . Really cool, actually. But I'm not gonna lie and say it's what I would see or listen to if I had my choice. It's no Coachella, it's no ACL - put it that way. But shit, it is fun. Everyone is super chilled out and laid back, and there are kids everywhere and weed everywhere and I haven't seen one fight break out. Not bad so far. We've seen Blue King Brown, Michael Franti, Ayo, Xavier Rudd, Zappa's son, and Blind Boys of Alabama absolutely blew my mind. Luckily, we've also been camping with some really cool dudes, who invite us to hang under their tarp when the rain comes down, and keep us supplied with booze and joints on a regular basis. After a few, they are completely fucking hysterical, and I'm having a hard time getting over Chris's nickname - they call him Cow because all a cow eats is grass and that's how much of a stoner he is. ha! Too much. Last night, poor Jessie had to head back to the tent early due to her tuberculosis, mano-aids virus, and I was left to fend alone. I ended up running into some fellas we met in Sydney one night (who may give us a lift back, fingers crossed) and while I was shooting Franti up front, met a photog from RS Australia. We hung in the vip for a drink, and then I ended up meeting this DJ and his friend who took me to a beach party, where I helped some 14 year old kids build a bon fire, played guitar, discussed the decline of the music industry with some bloaks, and chilled under the stars till nearly 4am. These are the memories I was hoping to create and more importantly remember on this trip. Even though the weather sucks, my feet are homeless, and I am so uncomfortably broke, I can safely say that I'm having the time of my life. On to Day 3, Ben Harper, That 1 Guy, Blues Traveler, more mud, more rain, more friends, and of course, more stories.

Surfer's Paradise - really?

I'm sitting in a McDonalds, excuse me, a McCafe - yes they are dead serious - and I'm drinking a cappuccino while I use their free wi-fi. It's another rainy day here in Surfer's Paradise, and I'm anxious to get a move on. Byron Bay and the Bluesfest is just around the corner, and I'm finally getting really pumped up for it. Although, if it's raining for 6 nights straight in a tent, I might not be the happiest camper. Ha! Can't believe I just wrote that! Anyway, the lineup looks fantastic, and if the weather permits it should be a blissful mix of guitar strumming, barefoot dancing, and reefer smoking. Does it get much better? Ben Harper, Blue King Brown, Lucinda Williams, Jason Mraz, John Bulter Trio....and mas. Check out the coverage at QC.

Until then, fingers crossed for sunshine!

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY

Moving down the coast, the weather for the past week has been unbelievably beautiful. Jess and I have been spending our days milling about town, laying on some of the nicest beaches, and gamboling through the light blue waters of Australia's gorgeous coastline. After Airlie Beach, we got the bus down to 1770, which was lovely. Staying in a hostel is always kind of a pain in the ass, but this one was a keeper, situated just up the road from the pristine sands of Agnes Waters. We then rolled on to Rainbow Beach, and from images evoked ny the town's name, you'd think we would stumble on to another beauty. Not so. With shit to do, and the sun blazin, we ran on down to the beach only to discover that there wasn't much of one. Little sand, blackened from pollution, and waters that were more Jersey than Aussie, it was safe to say we were a bit disappointed. And no fucking rainbow sand either! Damn that redhead at the travel center who exclaimed, "You have to go to Rainbow! It is soooo nice there!" Ummm, sure. Anyway, onward! In an attempt to go to the sunshine coast, just down the road from Noosa beach, we got stuck in a huge rainstorm turned flood. Our driver was hell bent on making good time I suppose, cause we were pummeling down that highway faster than a white bronco. At one point, I actually went up and asked the driver if he could slow down, and he looked at me deadpan and said, "Ah you get seasick do you?" No, ass, I get a little nervous when a man on a mission is driving 100 K's through flooding streets with a bus full of kids. God, I'm getting old. Anyway, the roads got so bad, that we were finally informed that if we did get off, there was a fair chance we might not be able to pick up a bus for a while, until the storm subsided. Well, fuck, I guess no Sunshine Coast for us. We stayed on till Brisbane, and here I am, in some random guy's bedroom who we got a last minute couchsurf with, on his giant computer. It's still raining, but we're gonna throw on a couple of ponchos and try and make some lemonade. Here's hoping for sun!

Ah, the Whitsundays

Sorry, I know it's been a long time since I've gotten back on the blog. We came up to the Whitsundays Islands (up the north east coast of Aussie, by the great barrier reef - some of the nicest fucking beaches I've ever seen)I've been without proper
internet for a while. We had a friend of a friend, Pat, who graciously let us stay at his house up here (with our own bedrooms!) and Jess and I have just been laying around, enjoying the nice, albeit small, Airlie Beach. We went out on our new friend Mark's boat, got caught in basically the landscape for the movie The Perfect Storm, but somehow came out unscathed and still smiling. It's hard to get upset about anything out here :) We head out this evening, Greyhounding it all the way to 1770 and then on to Rainbow Beach, Sunshine Coast, Brissy, Surfer's Paradise, and finally to Byron Bay for the Blues and Roots festy for 5 big ones! So looking forward to the journey ahead, and will be blogging about our couchsurfing experiences along the way (hoping there's internet!)....
Oh, and one lovely little side note - we've got an apartment to stay in for our last two months in Sydney! Our friend Narissa will have a spare room, and even though we'll still be sharing our space, Jess and I couldn't be more thrilled to have a place to hang our clothes and an awesome girl to live with!!!

GOING UP THE COAST! FUCK YEAH!

So another crazy weekend with Tricky Ricki, Jess, Alex, and Huey. Between dinners with friends, a couple of concerts, and of course a few good nights out in the cross, aka the devil's vagina, it was one great fucking time. Saturday, we started the day off at a cops and cowboys party, complete with kareoke :) and then later that day hit up a summer sports themed party, and then finally out to Newtown to see the incredible Kiwi band Fat Freddy's drop. Who were, in a word Awesome. Seriously, check out the video. Needless to say, I had a bit of a hard time getting into nightclubs dressed like a retard tennis player who had just broken out of the backseat of a paddy wagon, but luckily the good people at Iguana bar didn't seem to give a shit. Aussie rock star Daniel Johns from Silverchair was there, and Huey was outside having a chat with him when I rocked up and started blabbering on about something and scared him off. Good job, Lize. Ah well. Had a lovely day yesterday, and lunch with the boys in Crow's Nest. AND...we are off once again to see some more of this beautiful place! Could not be more excited. Flying into the Whitsundays and making our way down the coast should be a really nice introduction to the amazing Aussie beaches. The Byron Bluesfest is coming up over easter weekend, so check out the coverage on QC. I'll be sure to post pics along the way....

It's been a while, I know -

This weekend proved to be one of the most amazingly fun times I've had thus far in Sydney. I had been looking forward to the Sound Relief concert for a couple of weeks, and was thoroughly contented with the way the day turned out. Our new besty Narissa came along with Jess and I, and Mundey met up with us there. Starting the day with mimosas and arriving just in time to see Coldplay was a great start to the day. Wolfmother, Jet, Presets, Midnight Oil, and The Beegees were also on the bill, as well as live streams from KOL and Jack Johnson over in Melbourne. The barricades were a bit of an ass pain, as they sectioned off areas so you couldn't get to your friends once inside. I think it was because there was no age minimum to get in, and they wanted to keep the kids out of the drinking spots. No matter, we were able to snag a couple of VIP bracelets and get on to the main grass ahead of the stage. We found our friends Huey and Wardy and spent the day in the heat, in the rain, under an umbrella mundey lifted off a drink vendor and finally shivering and wanting to change. A quick stop in the city after the show to dry off followed by a night in the cross, this was one of the most fun days I've spent here in Sydney, and that's saying a lot. Check out the coverage at quietcolor.com. As for this week, it's St. Patty's day today! Jess and I are going to head into town and hit up some Irish bars and make a day of it. Friday we're seeing Coby Grant at a small bar downtown. She's from Melbourne and has a voice that will send you places. Check that review out at thedwarf.com.au. Saturday we may go see kiwi band Fat Freddy's Drop, and then next week we're off to the beautiful Whitsunday Islands, so lots coming up. Can't wait for the few days ahead!

Back to Sydney = back to the crazy

Jess and I got back to Sydney on Thursday night, tired, but happy to be back. We flew Emirates from Christchurch and boy was it nice. This asian woman sat down in our row, and I could see from her ticket she wasn't supposed to be there. No big deal except that she was staring at the screen in front of her - not watching a movie or tv. Not listening to music or playing trivia. No, she stared, for no joke 3 and a half hours straight at the flight progress. That little airplane slowly moving from one country to another. Yeah, freaky. I distracted myself by watching the movie Changeling, sipping a glass of red, and bawling my eyes out. Good times. After getting back to our home base and couches at Mundey's house, we had a pool day on Friday and then met up with the boys downtown for some after work drinks. Which of course turned into a night at Cross, and another night of debauchery. Ahhh Sydney, how I've missed you. Saturday was Mardi Gras. Another day of fun in the sun, bbq's, and entertainment provided by Sydney's finest: the boys of Greenwich Rd. This week we're off to Bondi to couchsurf with a newbie named Q. Hopefully the weather will clear up and we'll get some sunnage, eh??

FM Winery Tour in Sandusky, er, Queenstown

I went to this music fest on Sunday presented by the FM Winery Tour. On the bill was Op Shop, Anika Moa, and Dave Dobbyn, three of NZ's biggest acts. I had heard from friends that it would be a lot of fun, so I decided to get Jess and I a couple of tickets while we were down in Qtown. Unfortunately, come Sunday Jess wasn't feeling up to it, and the weather was for shit, so I decided to make the trek out to Milbrook Estates on my own. It was a great place to go hear some music - gorgeous backdrop, mountains for miles. There were different wineries set up with drinks and great food, and it was a small enough venue that you could easily find your friends (if only I'd had some) upon entering the field. Going to things like this alone is a nice opportunity to do some thinking, to reflect on where you are and really take it all in. Well, looking around it would've been hard to tell if I was in Zew Zealand or Ohio. Ladies in Mom Jeans with dykey haircuts dancing around with sillie smiles hangin off their faces. Men in fanny packs and oversized t-shirts, foakly sunglasses swinging from their necks. There were groups of young people in between, but a lot of them were there with their mums and pops and uncles and aunties and all that. It was wierd. The one thing that was refreshing and able to really make me smile were the hoards of children playing everywhere. I swear to God, parents must think I'm a pure child stalker molester when I sit there and watch their babies with a shit eating grin on my face. But honestly, how can you not laugh when there's a toddler in a diaper trying to shake and dance to the music. Thank God I'm a girl right? I ended up not being into the music at all, and played soccer with some kids for the most part. Op Shop is super fucking cheesy, and once they had the crowd to the mexican wave I was pretty much done with them. Anika Moa had a great voice, and fantastic stage presence, but again, I just couldn't help but feel like I was at a Raffie concert circa 1985. I kept thinking to myself, "Is this really New Zealand?" The answer is, yes, yes it is. NZ for the most part is filled with hick farmers with missing teeth, and tight knit families who shear sheep and get married young, and go out hunting with their mothers. By the time Dave Dobbyn took the stage, I was simultaneously disgusted and jealous of all these young people dancing with their families, drinking beers, and having a great time. Toward the close of the fest, the weather had cleared and the music was nearly done. As was I. I got a ride back into Queenstown (ie. civilization) and met up with Jess for a pizza at Winnies. The #2 Irish Idol was there playing cover tunes! Ha, can't get much better than that!

thoughts on new zealand

well, finally have some time, and a moment to blogga. I'm currently watching two most likely german (lotta germans here) girls feed each other cookies. One of them dipped it in chocolate first and then put it to the other's mouth for a taste. I know this probably all sounds very sexy - trust me, it's not. They both have New Zealand sweatshirts on that I'm sure they picked up at the local gift shop and they're murmuring to each other as they shovel croissants down their throats. It's one of those mornings...
We went out for our first big night in Queenstown last night, and it was...interesting. The night began at a local pub for happy hour, and I pulled an Alicia and sang Freefalling with the band on stage. Good times, right? We went out with our host, Ritchie, and found ourselves dancing in a sea of lesbians having a great time. Only when we left did Ritchie tell us that not only were they not lezzies, but that those girls were standard NZ chicks. Yeah, not the most attractive people in the world here. Not like Aussie.
Aside from that though, it is a damn beautiful country. Ritchie (our couchsurfing buddy) took us out to the Vineyards on Friday and we tried some amazing wines, and met some really cool people. Stopped at Amisfield (the fucking Pinot!) and had a nice snack outside, soaked up the sun. Unfortunately, that's really the only nice day we've had out here. It's been cold and rainy for the most part which is doubly annoying, because it gets in the way of all the hikes and beaches and wonderful adventurous things we're supposed to be taking advantage of. Today we're headed out to a concert at some gorgeous estate where apparently Bill Clinton played a round of golf once. Whoop whoop! Nah, it should be cool - some new kiwi music that I haven't even heard yet, but is supposed to be pretty mellow and nice. Check the review tomorrow on QC please. For now, I have to go trek through some puddles, get Jess a breakfast sandwich, and prepare for a rainy day of musica. I guess it could be worse :)

Ah, Christchurch

It's our 4th day in Christchurch, and I don't want to say that I'm bored but - shit, I'm kinda bored. The weather is so fucking menopausal, and right now it's about 50 degrees and windy as fuck. Jess and I walked through town yesterday, went to a crappy little museum, and met up with our hosts for sushi. We took it easy again last night, and watched the acclaimed "The Castle" with Timmy Mac. I'm wondering to myself if it would be wrong to walk into town in a bit and see "Milk," the new (for NZ) Sean Penn. Honestly, without a car, there's just not too much to do here. Tim and Chris took us about an hour outside on Sunday and showed us the countryside which was beautiful, so I'm really looking forward to getting back out there. We stopped at a little pub on the way back and i tried my first real meat pie. DEEEElish. Chicken and mushrooms and tomato sauce - okay, I know it might sound gross, but you have to trust me. If there's one thing they know how to make over here, it's them pies. Timmy Mac is lending us his car for our trip down to Queenstown, which is undoubtedly awesome, since we were going to have to pay about 300+ to rent one. We'll stop in lake Wanaka on the way down and couchsurf with some chick who lives on the water front. Hopefully, water skiing and the like await in the next couple of days! Then on Thursday, on to QTown where we can take in all the bungee, skydiving, and white water rafting we want. Well, we'll see. A trip to the spa is in the works, too. Our traveling bodies could use a little rubdown, as long as it's in the budget. But, as Jess keeps reminding me, "It's all half price!"
As soon as I have some regular internet, I'll throw up some country pics so y'all can see exactly what I mean....

A plane, a boat, and a train. And we're here....

It's been a while since I've blogged. After Playground, I was with no internet for a while, and blogging froma cafe with backpackers milling around doesn't exactly draw inspiration. We flew into Auckland on Monday, and within five minutes of arriving, were wondering why we were there. Even the lovely Hudgy (who we met over the weekend through friends, and who so graciously offered up his chaueffer services and a place to sleep) told us that Auckland sucks, and he didn't know why we wanted to visit there. Well, it wasn't all that bad. Certainly not the coolest city, but it had it's charms. We spent much of the two days walking around, and went up in the skytower to get a view of the city. The highlight was meeting up with my friends Courtney and Fiona, who I met years ago in LA, but were back in Auckland visiting family. Those two drinks made the trip to AUCK all worth it. We hopped on a plane two days later, and landed in Wellington. Luckily, we found someone last minute to couchsurf with, and had some good times at their palace a few minutes (and uphill miles) out of the city. Ben, Pipa, and Cal were awesome, and they showed us a really good time in Wellington. My first experience with fish and chips as well. Kinda gross, to tell you the truth, but I'm glad I tried it. The next day, we had lunch with Ben, and went to our fist museum of the trip! The Te Papa (I think?) was having a Monet exhibit, but once we were in there we realized you had to pay for it, so obviously we went and had a beer on the wharf instead. Jess and I continued our theme of the trip, which has been discussing ways to keep traveling and never work again. That day, the idea surfaced that we should start our own brand, and put our restaurant and wine company in the name of that brand, so we can monopolize the business. Or at least I think that's where we were headed. We were wishing we had an extra day in Wellington, but had to get on the ferry in the morning to Christchurch. From what we had heard, the ferry ride would be a beautiful, scenic adventure that shouldn't be missed. Unfortunately, it was pissing down rain, so we spent the three hours of beutiful landscapes downstairs sleeping. I wasn't sure if we were making a pit stop at the nursing home or what, but the average age on that fucking boat must've been 105. WTF? We hit the train next, for another 5 hour scenic cruise the rest of the way to Christchurch. Trains are usually a pretty moving (pun interded, obvi) place for me, mentally. I'm able to do some of my best thinking and contemplating of life on them, especially when I'm watching a beautiful world go by. Again, of course, it was raining. I was soaking wet for 5 hours sitting in the geriatric cart, across from a man that looked freakishly similar to my dead grandfather. He kept shifting his feet around so his shoe would land on my sock, and I'd have to reach down every few minutes and pull it out from under him. I'm pretty sure he was doing it on purpose, but who knows. At the end of the trip, I was sitting indian style listening to Pink Floyd and writing down what songs I want to mix together once I start DJ'ing (yes, it's gonna happen so deal). A bunch of sheep, cows, mountains, and trees later, we were in Christchurch. The legendary Timmy Mac picked us up at the train and showed us a night complete with asian dinners, wine, and a brand new way to smoke weed. Today, we're making our way to the Pegasus Winery for a full day of NZ music. Shapeshifters! Should be pretty awesome. Will def post pics, and write up a post for QC, so check that out. Shenanagins await!

Playground Weekender is the shit. Brushfires, not so much.

I haven't been around for a few, I know. After getting back to Mundey's, we took off on Friday for Playground Weekenders, out at The Del Rio Resort up North. The place was a beautiful, a playground it definitely was. Located on a river, right beside a golf course, and surrounded by trees, I was thrilled to be away from the hot city, and in a new place. I was also pretty damn excited about the lineup for the weekend. Cold War Kids, Primal Scream, TZU, The Streets? Um, hell yeah. If it hadn't been for the pool ad the river, it may have been miserable. The temperature was reaching the high 40's, which in fahrenheit is something like 110 degrees. Crazy. We were so far away from everything, and there was no cell phone service or internet, so nobody heard about the major brushfires outside of Melbourne. I was just watching the news and it looks like the death count will be near 200. Over 750 homes went up in flames. Talk about a comedown from an awesome couple of days. Aside from that, it was an incredible weekend, and Jess and I met some fabulous people. One of which is our new friend Alex, who's place we're going to be couch surfing at this week. Check the photos to get an idea of what I mean...

This place is the WORST

I've never met anyone like this guy. A friend of a friend put me in touch with him, so I figured he'd be good people. I'm pretty sure he needs medication. Dave, the asshole, has made Jess and I feel so incredibly uncomfortable in his great big house. Desperately trying to be nice, and despite his need to be a complete prick, I offered to cook the house dinner last night. He said that he had plans to go to a bar with friends, or some shit like that, but made no effort to invite us along. That was fine by us, so we made plans to have dinner with a couple of friends in the city. As we were leaving, I heard him in the next room doing some major shit talking. Saying that we were taking advantage of him, and he's been nothing but nice, and we were going to cook dinner and then we bailed... Ha! As I started walking toward him, he slammed the door in my face. Good stuff. Way to be a gracious host man. I suppose the first flag should've popped when, after literally 2 seconds, he pulled Jess and I into the kitchen to show us the "house rules." "You have to do one thing for the house every day," "a shower lasts 5 minutes, not 25," etc. I'm all for someone laying down some rules when it's their home, but to usher you into them when you walk in the door is just bad manners. Anyway, to make it short, I'll just say that we weren't surprised when he locked us out last night. Luckily, the sweet girl downstairs got out of bed to let us in. We're packing up now, and are creeping out early, hopefully without having to run into him downstairs. Back to Mundy's!

This place is ni-iiiice

We're out in a place called Point Piper at the moment. I'm sitting on a deck, looking out at onto the rippling harbor. There are boats and boats, and boats, and a couple in a kayak moving slowly along. From here it looks like a husband and wife. Perhaps they've retired here, and can now afford themselves the great pleasures of doing little things like gliding out onto the water, only to sit there and enjoy the breeze for a while. Must be nice. Meanwhile, my mind has been aching for stimulation, begging me to pick up a book, or read the paper. After two weeks of the most fun I think I've ever had, it's probably a good idea. I feel as though I haven't been a part of an intellectual discussion in ages. There are definitely some smart folks living in Sydney, don't get me wrong. But, it seems as if things like reading and films and the news sort of take a back seat to beaching and partying. It could very well be that I've only been surrounding myself with the social youth, surely. All I know is that in New York, I constantly felt mentally motivated. I was always wanting to learn and know more, and to be as filled with knowledge as possible. I need to generate some introspection out here, to feel like I'm growing in some way or another. Jess thinks I'm crazy. She thinks I should get out of my head and stop feeling so guilty about things. It's funny to hear that from her. Back home I was always the voice beside her, telling her to live in the present, to let go of the what ifs. I'll find a common ground one way or the other, I just need to figure out how. Today will be a good day. A 20 minute walk to the beach, a sandy soft cover book, and some Bob Marly will put me in the right space for now.

Moving, AGAIN

Looks like we're gonna be packing up our shit again, moving over to Rose Bay for the week. Again, so sad to leave the boys and what has become our home base, but it's time to meet some more people, and maybe give these guys their couches back. Yesterday, we went over to Sounds of Sunday, where a bunch of DJ's were playing, including the one and only Smoking Joe. It was heaps of fun, and we danced for literally 4 hours straight. My legs hurt. Well, at least we'll be going for a nice swim at Dave's house shortly. He's a friend of a friend who said we can stay this week with him. We even have our own room! Very fancy stuff. I'll upload some pics and write some as soon as we arrive. This might be the week where we plan our NZ trip, do some touristy things, and finally get geared up for Playground Weekenders on Friday!

Yesterday...was great.

After a beautiful run down by the harbor, I was up and ready for another big night. Girl Talk was playing at The Forum, so I threw on my best 80's skirt, broke up a couple of glow sticks, and headed out for two hours of daaaaancing. Sweaty, sweaty dancing. Check out this sick video. Gillis tore it up, once again.

LOVELY DAY

This is one of the most beautiful days I've ever experienced. And here I am, inside, blogging. Ah well, I reckon there will be another one tomorrow. I've been thinking a lot about how I can extend this trip, and parlay it into more of an around the world travel. I'm thinking...till September, at least. Tons of people go on holiday here, for weeks at a time, and it's been really inspiring. Thailand and Laos have made their way to the top of a very long list. See if we can't make THAT happen. In just two weeks, we'll be off to New Zealand. My friends Courtney and Fiona will be in Auckland visiting family, and we figure we'll go visit them for a few days, and then travel down south to Christchurch and Queensland and tackle some of these amazing adventure expeditions that people can't shut up about. After the NZ trip though, I think we may have to bite the bullet and rent a place. Couchsurfing has been unbelievable, and has introduced us to some fantastic people, but a nice clean bed would be pretty fucking great. I also think I may pick up a job. I'm trying to understand why I'm feeling a bit guilty about not working, especially since I haven't been for so long. Perhaps it's because I'm technically on vacation, and I feel purposeless. I always thought I was the type of person who could move to an island, play an old acoustic guitar on the sand all day, fall asleep in a hammock. In theory, it sounds just right, but I'm realizing as I get older that actually accomplishing something is an absolute necessity toward finding out who you are, why you're here - all that good stuff. People out here definitely appreciate life in ways I can understand. In ways that seem to make more sense to me. Working to live, taking holidays, and truly enjoying people for who they are. Obviously there have been some losers who've crossed my path along the way, some wanker bankers, some full on depressed assholes, but they're definitely not the norm. Living in New York for the past 5 years has made me more impatient, angry, and high-strung, and anxious than I would ever want to be. I have so much love for that city, and I miss it like crazy, but it does breed sarcasm and create antagonistic people, does it not? Waiting for the bus yesterday, I took a look around and saw that no one was checking their watch, growing restless. It then took another 20 minutes to board the freaking thing, and about an hour to get back into the city. I couldn't help but smile at the fact that I used to lose my shit if the 6 train took longer than 3 minutes to arrive. Seriously, I would get fucking pissed off. It's crazy, right? I'm hoping being here will bring me further into a place of contentment and solitude and peacefulness. At the end of the day, all I really want is to be happy thankful for the things I have, the people I know, and the exciting unforseeable future that lies ahead.

Fuck , I'm tired

It feels like I've been here for a month already, and it's only been a week and a half. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but its definitely something. The sun is a killer out here, and it seems even my 60 spf can't stand up to it's powers.

Where have I been since Monday?

Australia Day was on a few days ago, and Jess and I finally arrived in Bondi Beach. Sunday was one of the most amazingly fun nights I've had thus far. Hanging in King's Cross, dancing my life away with the Mundey, and loving life. As fun as it was, packing up and making our way to Bondi was quite the pain in the ass. The transportation here is for shit, and it takes f'ing forever to get anywhere. When we finally did arrive, the rain was pouring down, and the people we were couch surfing with didn't have much planned for the big day. We ended up just grabbing beers and dinner at some backpackers bar down the beach, and went to bed early. Probably a wise choice anyway. We spent a few hours at the beach yesterday, and even with 30 spread all over my body, I still was able to burn and streak up. Obviously. On a brighter note, Bondi beach is awesome, and I'm thinking after NZ we may get a place here. A place with actual beds, and sheets and everything! Can you imagine? No more couches! I know it's a month away, but still looking forward. Oh, and it's Jess's Bday today. 26! We're going to jump on the train and head back to Mundey's for a big night, most likely followed by an even bigger weekend. STANDAAAAAD! I'm writing on someone elses shitty pc, and it's hurting my burn, so I'll be back later for a better update. Peace out for now....

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!

Trying to motivate and get over to Bondi!!!!

Day, um, 7 is it?

Dude, what a day yesterday. After the debacle that was Big Day Out, we woke up, or rather, were unabashedly awoken at around 10 and started out yet another day o' fun with the fairly disgusting Passion Pop. Gross or not, it still put us in a nice place for the day that was ahead of us. With this being Australia day weekend, most Aussies are in 72 hour party mode. So off we went once the noon was after to the rocks, otherwise known as the famous Ozfest. Timmy Trumpet, Cut Copy, and Ajax were only a few of the amazing acts that went on throughout the day. I don't have to remind you that Australians are completely out of control, I'm sure you'll be able to tell from the pictures. We spent the day with our boys, and in classic fashion, Mundey was a hysterical train wreck. The music was dope, and the rocks is Sydney's most historical place. Reaaally good times, with some awesome new friends. It's now nearing 5 pm, and people have finally crashed after a sleepless night of partying. I'm sitting here watching Jumanji, waiting for everyone to get up for round 2. It's a big night tonight, we're all going over to King's Cross to hit up some club. I'm sure it'll be rowdy and restless, only to be followed by the biggest day of the year - fuckin' Australia Day mate! We eventually have to move to Bondi to surf our next couches. I'm psyched to meet some new people, but also super depressed we're not crashing here anymore. Big ups to Mundey, Luke, Scotty, Brendan and Steverino for letting 3 days turn into 7, and really taking care of us. Love you guys!

And we're off....

Our first real 'night out' in Sydney proved to be as fun and spontaneous as I had hoped. After a truly fun filled day with Steve-O - drinking our way through Newtown, eating delicious thai, and stopping in every vintage shop along the way - eventually led us to the Sydney Festival where Bon Iver was playing. Unfortunately, I could only get one ticket, so I had to leave Jess's sorry ass in the beer garden while I popped inside the amazing Spiegeltent to catch a few songs. The band definitely lived up to the hype, as they rolled through their catalog with the faux starry sky behind them. The room was small, 200 people at the most, and Justin sounded fucking beautiful. We ended up chilling with the guys after the show, attempted to see MMJ at some club, and swallowed some cherry pop rocks we picked up at Happy Herbs. Was a great fucking night. Needless to say, the thought of jumping on the train and heading out to Big Day Out for the day was a little frightening this morning, but another glance at the lineup put me in the right head space. Hot Chip, Ting Tings, Lupe, MMJ, TVOR, Neil Young, Holy Ghost, Ajax, and a shit ton of other amazing acts are the only thing on my itinerary for the day. Life is pretty fantastic right now. Check out QuietColor.com tomorrow for a full review of the festival. Until then, happy friday suckas!

Holy Hell, it is HOT

It's 8:30 am, and I am watching the start of the inauguration n TV. I am so happy, I might cry if I hadn't just woken up sweaty and tired. I guess it already happened. Fuck me for trusting all the Aussies that told us it was going to be live on TV tonight. And fuck me for not knowing how to figure out the time difference yet. Ah well, the beauty of YouTube. Anyway, it's a happy day.
SO, thus far there are a couple of things I've learned about Australians. One, if you go to a bakery and ask for an iced coffee, expect one of the most delicious drinks you've ever tasted. I opened the lid, and discovered two shots of espresso covered with ice cream, whipped cream, and cinnamon. Whaa? Not exactly the bitter morning beverage I'm used to, but that shit was yummy nonetheless. The other thing is that Australian people have no sense about precision when it comes to money, temperature, or time. A $20 cab ride can oftentimes cost 40 bucks, and a 15 minute bus to the beach got us there in an hour. No worries, but I'm starting to wonder how anyone gets any baking done. The other thing that's been hard to miss is how fucking expensive this city is. And when a New Yorker complains about prices, you know it ain't cheap. It's tough being a traveler, and not being able to walk down to the wharf for a nice lunch, but $16 for a hamburger is just retarded. Whatever, we'll make it work. There's this neighborhood called King's Cross that's supposed to be filled with backpackers, and cheaper and cooler than the rest of the city, so that's up there on the list of places to go ASAP. The other thing that must be mentioned is the what the holy fuck amount of beautiful men here. I mean, it's simply not normal. There are beautiful women too of course, but they are entirely outnumbered by the hottie hot men wandering around probably searching for mirrors or anything reflective. Sort of makes up for the inflated expenses, right?
Well, no beach for me today, as you can see by my burnage. As our roomate Brendan told us last night, his face and shoulders on scorched from the sun, "A tan is never healthy." The beaches, by the by, are fantastic. To me, they are what california beaches should look like. Soft, silky sand, water that's somewhere in between the Hamptons and the Carribean. Profiled by tall pine trees and silhouetted by beach front houses, hanging on cliffs, I was loving every second of my sweaty, clammy life.
Today we have plans to hit up a pool that's on the water and have a nice long swim this afternoon. It's right next door to the beautiful and enormous botanical gardens, so we might stop in and take a gander, see some flowers and shit. Good times, man.

DAY 2. Boom.

I will write this tomorrow. I have so much to say concerning last night and today, but one full day in the Manly sun, the backs of my legs burning and red, I am just so tired. We made a dinner tonight for the boys, angel hair laced with chorizo, garlic, and eggplant, an after went out for a couple of bottles of wine with our new friend of friend Wombats at the local pub - well, I'm having a hard time not slinking into the couch across the way. Jess and Josh are on the deck, and the night breeze might cool my burn, so I must retire. More to come....

OHMYGODIAMHERE

This is crazy. Finally Australia is real. I'm sitting at a beautiful hotel bar in Sydney called the Ivy, waterfall-ing around me, sun streaking through the wicker tables and white umbrellas. It's about 75 degrees, nearing 5 PM. Jess is across from me, sunglasses covering most of her face, rifling through her Sydney guide book. We promised ourselves we wouldn't be tourists (or at least, appear to be), but for now, far from the crowded streets and finally at ease, nothing seems to really matter. Besides the awful and ostentatious Woody Allen flick, Vicky Christina Barcelona (someone please off Scarett Jo, please) the flight over here was relatively painless. Jamie Oliver and a couple of ambien put me to rest, and I woke up with two hours to spare, ready to land and conquer. Sydney so far is amazing. Bustling and vibrant, it's been a treat walking around, poking our heads into shops and trying to get acclimated. We had lunch with Josh, one of the many we've been in touch with on couchsurfing.com, and he's a doll. We're meeting up with him shortly to head home and meet his roomates, who want to take us to their local pub tonight. We may go on a bike ride to Manly beach tomorrow, and hopefully get some cellurals, but besides that, the coming days are free and open. With the inaguration tomorrow, big day out on friday, and australia day the following monday, there is so much to look forward to, it's hard not to smile right now. I'll post a picture, so you can understand my glee. Until tomorrow....