A quiet day today, and with good reason. The temperatures got up to 97 degrees here so minimal activity was crucial. I did take Bailey on our usual 5 1/2 mile walk through the park but I did it earlier in the day before the temps got too high. I emailed that catering company I've been waiting to hear back from and left a voicemail for my contact at the golf club so I feel good about that. I called the two apartments that I wanted to inspect this afternoon but neither accepted pets. I went and looked at another one that looked really cute in pictures but in person, it was a really dark space and not nearly as "renovated" as it claimed to be.
I did find a few listings that say outright that they are pet-friendly and they are all inspection by appointment only which is usually good thing. That can sometimes mean the listing is with a private advertiser and you can schmooze a bit more and win them over. So I'm going to try to line those inspections up tomorrow. The only other thing I really did today was watch Confessions of a Shopaholic. I have seen this movie before but it really got me thinking about when I do finally land that job and get my first paycheck. I started to fantasize about my shopping list:
1. Get a manicure/pedicure.
2. Get a haircut.
3. Buy new t-shirts, singlets and other garments for my Aussie.
4. Buy some work clothes (I do have some but with temps soaring to the upper 90s this week, I'm going to be in trouble).
5. Take Bailey to a groomer for the ultimate wash and clip.
6. More dates with my Aussie.
7. Get the car detailed.
8. Get my eyebrows done by Sharon Lee (I heard about this place through a straight man, apparently the place to go for manicuring eyebrows).
9. Pay off debt.
Now realistically #9 will absolutely come before the other numbers, but a girl can dream can't she.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Mexican
Yesterday started off a little rocky with the apartment searches. The first one we saw was really cute, partly furnished with some really cool pieces and pets were allowed, but there were at least four long flights of stairs to walk up and with Bailey turning 10 this year, I just couldn't imagine putting him through that hike every day for the next few years. The second place was a terrace apartment. It was definitely older and they were patching up some cracks and painting while we were there but it was gorgeous. Brand new renovated kitchen and bathroom; nice big outdoor private courtyard; 2 big bedrooms and one with a balcony. However, it was available to lease this week and we still have 5 more weeks on our current lease so it was too early for us to take. The third one would have been big and nice with a large yard for Bailey but it was in the most ghetto back street I have ever walked down, complete with smells of dead fish and wild birds roaming around. Most of the houses had barbed wire on their fences. My Aussie immediately said "no way" and I agreed.
So we came back home and did a little research online again. Most of the places we liked were hosting inspections this weekend so we'll see if they are still available this week. Once an inspection happens, then applications are taken and most properties are taken within a few days. I'll keep my eyes open though and see if I can line up some more viewings later this week and next weekend.
With our homework done, we decided to relax a little bit and went to the Local's rooftop terrace. I love this place. It's almost 4 stories up and great views, kind of small and secretive but always a good vibe. We ordered marniere mussels and chilli frites and I washed mine down with the cider of the day, Little Miss Muffett. Once we finished there, it was time for a Wii bowling challenge in our living room. Five of us battled it out; I came in third place unfortunately. By this time, the roomies were gearing up to go out for the night but my Aussie suggested we have dinner out- MEXICAN!!!!
It's really hard to find Mexican food here and even when you do find it, it's not like what we get in the States. The most dissappointing part is the lack of free chips and salsa. I know, I know, I can almost hear you shouting "NOOOOOOO" because that's what I did. But we found this cute little spot in Surry Hills and ordered some red sangria, jalapeno poblanos and I had some delicious rice/prawn/cheese dish that you scoop into tortillas. It was awesome.
Is it weird that my food experiences are sometimes the highlight of my day? I'm serious.
So we came back home and did a little research online again. Most of the places we liked were hosting inspections this weekend so we'll see if they are still available this week. Once an inspection happens, then applications are taken and most properties are taken within a few days. I'll keep my eyes open though and see if I can line up some more viewings later this week and next weekend.
With our homework done, we decided to relax a little bit and went to the Local's rooftop terrace. I love this place. It's almost 4 stories up and great views, kind of small and secretive but always a good vibe. We ordered marniere mussels and chilli frites and I washed mine down with the cider of the day, Little Miss Muffett. Once we finished there, it was time for a Wii bowling challenge in our living room. Five of us battled it out; I came in third place unfortunately. By this time, the roomies were gearing up to go out for the night but my Aussie suggested we have dinner out- MEXICAN!!!!
It's really hard to find Mexican food here and even when you do find it, it's not like what we get in the States. The most dissappointing part is the lack of free chips and salsa. I know, I know, I can almost hear you shouting "NOOOOOOO" because that's what I did. But we found this cute little spot in Surry Hills and ordered some red sangria, jalapeno poblanos and I had some delicious rice/prawn/cheese dish that you scoop into tortillas. It was awesome.
Is it weird that my food experiences are sometimes the highlight of my day? I'm serious.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Speed Bumps
It's Friday here already and everyone is gearing up for the weekend. I was hoping to have heard back today from a couple of companies I interviewed with but nothing yet. I can't help but feeling super discouraged. I had another doctor's appointment but my test results are still not clear of whatever it is/was in my kidneys so we are going to re-test in a couple of weeks and hope that I get the "A-OK" which will then be passed on to Medibank so I can check that part of the visa application off.
I'm still waiting on the FBI to get back to me, but I did just get the application from the State of NY Department of Criminal Justice for a background clearance letter. Yes, I not only have to be cleared federally but also on the State level. So another fingerprinting session will be taking place next week.
Another nice new speed bump is our apartment searching. I've been looking for the last few weeks to get ideas but am just starting to go to inspections this week. It turns out quite a few (as in all the ones I love) don't accept dogs. I had 6 awesome places lined up to see and thought I should probably call the realtors just to make sure and alas, no pets allowed. We are looking at two more tomorrow so we'll see. My Aussie keeps saying "time is on our side" but the lease is up at our current spot the first week of March. I'm getting a little nervous but trying to have faith that something is going to give here soon.
I'm still waiting on the FBI to get back to me, but I did just get the application from the State of NY Department of Criminal Justice for a background clearance letter. Yes, I not only have to be cleared federally but also on the State level. So another fingerprinting session will be taking place next week.
Another nice new speed bump is our apartment searching. I've been looking for the last few weeks to get ideas but am just starting to go to inspections this week. It turns out quite a few (as in all the ones I love) don't accept dogs. I had 6 awesome places lined up to see and thought I should probably call the realtors just to make sure and alas, no pets allowed. We are looking at two more tomorrow so we'll see. My Aussie keeps saying "time is on our side" but the lease is up at our current spot the first week of March. I'm getting a little nervous but trying to have faith that something is going to give here soon.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Happy Australia Day!!!
It's Australia Day here and I'm really excited!! It's my first one. And I'm ashamed to admit that I just had to Google it because I really don't even know what it's about. So this is what I found out from www.australiaday.org.au:
"On Australia Day we come together as a nation to celebrate what's great about Australia and being Australian. It's the day to reflect on what we have achieved and what we can be proud of in our great nation. It's the day for us to re-commit to making Australia an even better place for the future.
Australia Day, 26 January, is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain, and the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove by its commander Captain Arthur Phillip, in 1788 (to read a comprehensive history of the evolution of Australia Day, click here).
Though 26 January marks this specific event, today Australia Day celebrations reflect contemporary Australia: our diverse society and landscape, our remarkable achievements and our bright future. It also is an opportunity to reflect on our nation's history, and to consider how we can make Australia an even better place in future.
On Australia Day, over half of the nation’s population of 21 million attend either an organised community event, or get together with family and friends with the intention of celebrating our national day. Many more spend the public holiday relaxing with family and friends.
Yet Australia Day is much more than barbeques and fireworks. It is more than another public holiday. It is more than the pride and excitement of new citizens who call themselves Australian for the first time on 26 January after being conferred citizenship.
At its core, Australia Day is a day driven by communities, and the celebrations held in each town, suburb or city – unified by the celebration of what’s great about Australia and being Australian – are the foundation of its ongoing success."
Even though I'm not Australian, my heart belongs to one, and I am going to rock out like an Aussie and enjoy this awesome day and country!! Cheers!!!
"On Australia Day we come together as a nation to celebrate what's great about Australia and being Australian. It's the day to reflect on what we have achieved and what we can be proud of in our great nation. It's the day for us to re-commit to making Australia an even better place for the future.
Australia Day, 26 January, is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain, and the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove by its commander Captain Arthur Phillip, in 1788 (to read a comprehensive history of the evolution of Australia Day, click here).
Though 26 January marks this specific event, today Australia Day celebrations reflect contemporary Australia: our diverse society and landscape, our remarkable achievements and our bright future. It also is an opportunity to reflect on our nation's history, and to consider how we can make Australia an even better place in future.
 |
| Celebrations at the annual Australia Day Live concert in Canberra |
Yet Australia Day is much more than barbeques and fireworks. It is more than another public holiday. It is more than the pride and excitement of new citizens who call themselves Australian for the first time on 26 January after being conferred citizenship.
At its core, Australia Day is a day driven by communities, and the celebrations held in each town, suburb or city – unified by the celebration of what’s great about Australia and being Australian – are the foundation of its ongoing success."
Even though I'm not Australian, my heart belongs to one, and I am going to rock out like an Aussie and enjoy this awesome day and country!! Cheers!!!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Ho Hum
Not a lot going on today. For once. Just a quick trip to the doctor's office to hopefully submit one more test to make sure I'm all clear. I did some laundry. Tried to stay cool which was tough. Today was the hottest day since I've been here. Almost 31 degrees (or 90 for us that use the proper temperature gauges). I have a job interview tomorrow at a nearby golf course so I'm hoping that goes well. Wish me luck. I'm ready to earn some money... but I'm really ready to do some shopping. This seriously has to be the longest amount of time I've gone without shopping. I know that sounds lame, a bit shallow, but I enjoy it soooooo much. In due time I suppose. Alright, off to bed. Big money, big money, big money.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Et Tu, Skittles?
Betrayed not only by my urinary tract and my kidneys, I can add my teeth to that list of back-stabbers. Last night was "date night" for me and my Aussie, our third official date since I moved here. (We need to work on that average, to start). I was very excited. I showered, shaved, (these things happen daily I promise) and I styled my hair (this happens not so much). I sprayed on a little perfume, applied the make-up and got ready to go see The Fighter. I know, I know, why get all dolled up to sit in the dark?? Not having a job tends to get me really excited about going out of the house in general. At least I looked good in the ticket line.
Anyway, my Aussie is getting the tickets and I'm in charge of snacks. So I grab a small popcorn and a mix of Skittles and Peanut M&Ms. There's a massive line but we manage to sneak in the theater before the previews were finished. We're about 15 minutes into the movie and it's a slow start but pretty good. I start into the popcorn and then pass it over to my Aussie. It's time for the sweets!! So I start with a few M&Ms and then I dig out about 10 Skittles and pop 'em in. Skittles are my #2 favorite movie candy and Peanut Butter M&Ms are my #1. I can never find the peanut butter ones here so I settle for the peanut kind. So I'm chewing away on the Skittles and they are awesome as usual. I'm about to reach for a few more when I suddenly chew on something that feels kind of like when you chew on sand (like when there is sand on your salad leaves at a restaurant from the cooks not washing the lettuce well enough). I just thought maybe it was a stale Skittle so I chew anyway and then swallow. And then my tongue brushes against my back molar and I audibly gasp. I just chewed and swallowed one of my fillings.
Needless to say I did not finish eating my movie candy. I can laugh about it today, but last night I did have a little freak out. I've been quite the medically challenged person since I moved here and it turns out you can't get insurance here unless you have a job. So my hospital bills (and now dental) are coming out of my pocket, or I should say my Aussie's pocket. Travel insurance probably would have been a good idea but who knew all this would happen and who knew that I wouldn't get a job right away because of my visa status.
My mom thinks that in a few months I will look back at this time and be able to laugh about it because there must be something really good in store for me in the near future. I like this thought. A lot. Right now though, I'm looking at my half eaten bag of Skittles and wondering if it's worth the risk to try to eat them again...
Anyway, my Aussie is getting the tickets and I'm in charge of snacks. So I grab a small popcorn and a mix of Skittles and Peanut M&Ms. There's a massive line but we manage to sneak in the theater before the previews were finished. We're about 15 minutes into the movie and it's a slow start but pretty good. I start into the popcorn and then pass it over to my Aussie. It's time for the sweets!! So I start with a few M&Ms and then I dig out about 10 Skittles and pop 'em in. Skittles are my #2 favorite movie candy and Peanut Butter M&Ms are my #1. I can never find the peanut butter ones here so I settle for the peanut kind. So I'm chewing away on the Skittles and they are awesome as usual. I'm about to reach for a few more when I suddenly chew on something that feels kind of like when you chew on sand (like when there is sand on your salad leaves at a restaurant from the cooks not washing the lettuce well enough). I just thought maybe it was a stale Skittle so I chew anyway and then swallow. And then my tongue brushes against my back molar and I audibly gasp. I just chewed and swallowed one of my fillings.
Needless to say I did not finish eating my movie candy. I can laugh about it today, but last night I did have a little freak out. I've been quite the medically challenged person since I moved here and it turns out you can't get insurance here unless you have a job. So my hospital bills (and now dental) are coming out of my pocket, or I should say my Aussie's pocket. Travel insurance probably would have been a good idea but who knew all this would happen and who knew that I wouldn't get a job right away because of my visa status.
My mom thinks that in a few months I will look back at this time and be able to laugh about it because there must be something really good in store for me in the near future. I like this thought. A lot. Right now though, I'm looking at my half eaten bag of Skittles and wondering if it's worth the risk to try to eat them again...
Thursday, January 20, 2011
What a Week?!
Wow, 10 days have gone by since my last blog. So much time has passed by that I'm not sure where to begin. Let me first start by saying that if you have your health and you have friends, family, a lover, that loves you, then take a few seconds and thank God for that. This week has been one of the biggest trials I have ever faced and to have to do it in a foreign country without my mom and dad was really difficult. I know, I'm almost 30 and shouldn't really be needing mom and dad at this point in my life, but there are some times in your life when it seems that only they can make things better.
Most of last week was uneventful until I got to Friday. I had a doctor's appointment at 9:30 AM (again) to test my urine once more. There were red blood cells in the last sample so my doctor suggested one more go at it before I had to see a specialist. Then I had a job interview with a local catering company and I thought it went really well. There are two positions available, one with an easy description and good, set hours. The other is going to be very challenging but a prestigious and more creative role. I'm leaning towards the latter. After that, it was our traditional "Friday night out" so I met up with my friend S. from Austria (she's the long time girlfriend of one of my Aussie's university friends) at The Ivy and then the rest of the boys showed up later. It was a fairly early night. We were all home by 11 PM as my Aussie and I had to head to Bathurst the next day. We were throwing his mom a surprise 60th birthday party and family and friends were coming in from Newcastle and other areas.
So Saturday morning my Aussie heads off to play cricket around 8 AM and I pack up all our things, take Bailey on a long walk and then we head out around 1:00 PM to start our drive. Bathurst is about 2 hours away and up through the Blue Mountains. It was a pretty scenic drive and Bailey was loving all that fresh country air coming through the windows. It was nice to have my Aussie to myself for a couple of hours. It was our first road trip in a long time. Once we got into town we had to scramble to get wrapping paper, a birthday card, a birthday cake and candles and then deliver all of that to the restaurant before we went to his mom's house. (If I were in charge, that would have all been done of course.)
His mom's house is lovely!! It sits on top of one of the largest hills in Bathurst so you can see down into the town. It's postcard perfect, like something out of Pleasantville. Some of the properties we drove by have sheep in their front yards for crying out loud. It was so beautiful. We chatted for a bit with his mom before his brother and his girlfriend showed up. We all got ready and then headed off to Chicane for the big surprise. The hostess brought us to the table and his mom was definitely surprised. We had a lovely dinner and I met a lot of his family. They all chipped in to buy his mom an iPad which she was thrilled with. And a travel set of the Perfect Push-Ups. She can do 30 push-ups already (not the girly kind either). Here are some pics of us at dinner:
The next day we had breakfast with the family at this trendy little restaurant in downtown Bathurst and then we headed back to Sydney. On the way home, we stopped off at "the farm" so I could see it. The farm is where my Aussie and his brother grew up before their parents divorced. It's about 30 acres of land in the hills with ponds and sheep and a big farmhouse. It's really quite amazing. Granted there are about 15 old and broken used Volvo car bodies scattered around along with 4 or 5 old rusted tractors and everything is kind of overgrown and in need of some serious maintenance. But my Aussie has the vision that the place could be great and an amazing vacation home someday if he can get his hands on it. We'll see.
For the drive home we decide to go a different route and take the Bells Line of Roads which is this incredibly scenic drive through the mountains. It has lots of steep climbs and declines and it cuts through these amazing little country towns with stands on the side of the road for fresh peaches, honey, produce, fresh baked pies, U-pick farms and the views are absolutely incredible. I was so disappointed because I didn't have the right shoes to go "pickin'" but I will be back for sure. It's only about an hour outside of Sydney and would be so much fun to make a day trip out of. Here are some pics from one of the photo op stops:
Monday rolls around all too soon so my Aussie heads off to work and I go back to the doctors to check on the results. Everything is actually all clear of red blood cells and proteins, HOWEVER, there are some bacteria present indicating I'm getting a UTI. I knew this, I'd been fighting it since last Thursday with insane amounts of water, cranberry capsules, vitamin C, you name it. I thought I could beat it naturally but apparently not. So she prescribes me antibiotics and tells me to come back on the 24th and we'll test everything again. Medibank, the office I'm using to perform my health check for my visa application requires a perfectly clean health check so all of this I'm going through is mandatory. Anyway, after that I took the bus from Edgecliffe to Bondi Junction. I received the pre-paid international envelope in the mail from my mom so I decided to go get fingerprinted at the Waverley police station.
I get to the police station, fill out the paperwork and head back to the fingerprinting booth. They have this nifty machine that scans all your prints so no more ink-stained fingers or botched prints. The constable fires it up and tries to put in his password and it doesn't accept it. He tries four more times, then another constable tries it (4x) and then another constable tries it (4x) and then the IT constable tries it and declares its on the fritz. "Come back in 45 minutes, maybe grab a coffee or something, and hopefully there won't be a line and we can get you in quickly."
So I walk down the street to the nearest bus stop, sit down, and have a good long cry. I'm getting that "Oh, no" feeling like the day is already gearing up to be a real low-down shit show. I've had this feeling quite a few times in the last month I've been here. My lower back is throbbing and it's hot and humid but I get up and take the constable's advice. I see a cafe on the corner so I walk in and order a soy cappucino and chocolate brownie. They have the current edition of Easy Living Australia on one of the tables so I flip through getting some good ideas on decor for me and my Aussie's new apartment (which we don't have yet but hopefully will by the end of February).
So 45 minutes later I head back to the police station, there is no line thank goodness and I head back to the booth. We start the process and attempt to start taking prints on my right hand. Unfortunately, the machine is very sensitive to sweat. (For those of you that know me, I've battled sweaty appendages all my life and then to add a 20 minutes stroll in the 85 degree humid weather, after drinking a hot beverage to that.... well, you get the picture). So after 1 AND 1/2 HOURS and multiple hand-washing and hand-drying (I went through about half a roll of paper towel), I finally finished my prints and mailed all of that crap off to the FBI. Woohoo!!
By the time I get home, I'm feeling pretty miserable though. My lower back is killing me, I'm exhausted and hurting all over. I lay down on the couch, drink about a gallon of water and try to feel better while I watch Kung Fu Panda. My Aussie texted me a couple of times to let me know he was going to be home late, and then even later. I'm starting to panic a little because something doesn't feel right. I can't walk, sit or lay down with any comfort. Bailey needs to go outside but I know I can't physically handle it. One of our roommates comes home, P., who is a chief radioligist and has some medical background. I explain that I have a UTI but now it feels like it's worse. Is there a point where it can go to far for the antibiotics to help, and that I might need to go the hospital? He calmly analyzes the situation and decides that yes, we are past that point.
So my other roomie F. pulls out my car, P. helps me pack a bag because he thinks I might have to stay overnight, and we head off to the ER. I'm a crying mess because I called my Aussie twice and he's not answering. P. finally gets a hold of him while I'm in the ER and he rushes there pretty quickly. There are 5 people ahead of me before I can even talk to a triage nurse. They are pretty quick though about getting me some painkillers and that helps. Three hours go by and then they call me in to put in an IV to draw blood. I have to give a urine sample as well. They give me some more painkillers and then another three 3 hours go by. It's about 1 AM now. P. went home a long time ago. My Aussie is still in his work suit, the poor thing, and I'm exhausted. I finally get called in to see a doctor. They decide to keep me overnight and do a slow drip of saline and antibiotics. I take another round of painkillers, put on my iPod and pass out.
I vaguely remember nurses coming in to change the IV bag, someone brought in breakfast at 6:30 AM but I just went to sleep at 3 AM and food is the furthest thing from my mind. Around 9 AM my Aussie wakes me up. It was the nicest sight to see first thing and what was even better was that he told the office he was coming in late so he could sit with me a bit and walk me home. The nurse came in to check on me and told me the doctor would be with me soon. Meanwhile my Aussie brushes my hair and puts it up in a ponytail (because I can't move my left arm with the IV in it) and then goes to get me a breakfast sandwich. I submit one more urine sample by hobbling to the toilet rolling my IV drip with me and then an hour later, I am released with some serious antibiotics.
I've pretty much been laying low since then. I can't really do a whole lot of physical excercise. I love taking 1 1/2 to 2 hour walks with Bailey usually but I can go for about 30-45 minutes and that's it. I did a lot of laundry yesterday and went to the grocery store. I cooked breakfast for dinner for the boys last night. This was something totally different for them, and my Aussie didn't think it was a good idea, but they loved it!! Homemade whole wheat pancakes, scrambled eggs with spinach, mushrooms, and cheddar, grilled sausages (for the meat-eaters) and fake bacon for me, sliced organic tomatoes and they actually had imported Florida navel oranges at the market so I scooped those up. It was quite the feast.
The latest good news is that I received a call for an interview for event planner at a nearby golf course. That's scheduled for next Tuesday at 9:00 AM. Hopefully something clicks soon otherwise I'm going to have to tie on that waitress apron one more time to bring in some cash. We've got some big expenses coming up with renting a new apartment and paying for my visa application. Not to mention the debt we have to get out of that got me and Bailey here to begin with. But that's life, you know. Anything is possible and everything is acheivable with good health and the love of your family and friends. Thank God for that.
Most of last week was uneventful until I got to Friday. I had a doctor's appointment at 9:30 AM (again) to test my urine once more. There were red blood cells in the last sample so my doctor suggested one more go at it before I had to see a specialist. Then I had a job interview with a local catering company and I thought it went really well. There are two positions available, one with an easy description and good, set hours. The other is going to be very challenging but a prestigious and more creative role. I'm leaning towards the latter. After that, it was our traditional "Friday night out" so I met up with my friend S. from Austria (she's the long time girlfriend of one of my Aussie's university friends) at The Ivy and then the rest of the boys showed up later. It was a fairly early night. We were all home by 11 PM as my Aussie and I had to head to Bathurst the next day. We were throwing his mom a surprise 60th birthday party and family and friends were coming in from Newcastle and other areas.
So Saturday morning my Aussie heads off to play cricket around 8 AM and I pack up all our things, take Bailey on a long walk and then we head out around 1:00 PM to start our drive. Bathurst is about 2 hours away and up through the Blue Mountains. It was a pretty scenic drive and Bailey was loving all that fresh country air coming through the windows. It was nice to have my Aussie to myself for a couple of hours. It was our first road trip in a long time. Once we got into town we had to scramble to get wrapping paper, a birthday card, a birthday cake and candles and then deliver all of that to the restaurant before we went to his mom's house. (If I were in charge, that would have all been done of course.)
His mom's house is lovely!! It sits on top of one of the largest hills in Bathurst so you can see down into the town. It's postcard perfect, like something out of Pleasantville. Some of the properties we drove by have sheep in their front yards for crying out loud. It was so beautiful. We chatted for a bit with his mom before his brother and his girlfriend showed up. We all got ready and then headed off to Chicane for the big surprise. The hostess brought us to the table and his mom was definitely surprised. We had a lovely dinner and I met a lot of his family. They all chipped in to buy his mom an iPad which she was thrilled with. And a travel set of the Perfect Push-Ups. She can do 30 push-ups already (not the girly kind either). Here are some pics of us at dinner:
Me and my Aussie
My Aussie and his older brother J.
My Aussie's mum (very happy about the iPad)
The next day we had breakfast with the family at this trendy little restaurant in downtown Bathurst and then we headed back to Sydney. On the way home, we stopped off at "the farm" so I could see it. The farm is where my Aussie and his brother grew up before their parents divorced. It's about 30 acres of land in the hills with ponds and sheep and a big farmhouse. It's really quite amazing. Granted there are about 15 old and broken used Volvo car bodies scattered around along with 4 or 5 old rusted tractors and everything is kind of overgrown and in need of some serious maintenance. But my Aussie has the vision that the place could be great and an amazing vacation home someday if he can get his hands on it. We'll see.
For the drive home we decide to go a different route and take the Bells Line of Roads which is this incredibly scenic drive through the mountains. It has lots of steep climbs and declines and it cuts through these amazing little country towns with stands on the side of the road for fresh peaches, honey, produce, fresh baked pies, U-pick farms and the views are absolutely incredible. I was so disappointed because I didn't have the right shoes to go "pickin'" but I will be back for sure. It's only about an hour outside of Sydney and would be so much fun to make a day trip out of. Here are some pics from one of the photo op stops:
Me and Bailey
Me and my Aussie
Monday rolls around all too soon so my Aussie heads off to work and I go back to the doctors to check on the results. Everything is actually all clear of red blood cells and proteins, HOWEVER, there are some bacteria present indicating I'm getting a UTI. I knew this, I'd been fighting it since last Thursday with insane amounts of water, cranberry capsules, vitamin C, you name it. I thought I could beat it naturally but apparently not. So she prescribes me antibiotics and tells me to come back on the 24th and we'll test everything again. Medibank, the office I'm using to perform my health check for my visa application requires a perfectly clean health check so all of this I'm going through is mandatory. Anyway, after that I took the bus from Edgecliffe to Bondi Junction. I received the pre-paid international envelope in the mail from my mom so I decided to go get fingerprinted at the Waverley police station.
I get to the police station, fill out the paperwork and head back to the fingerprinting booth. They have this nifty machine that scans all your prints so no more ink-stained fingers or botched prints. The constable fires it up and tries to put in his password and it doesn't accept it. He tries four more times, then another constable tries it (4x) and then another constable tries it (4x) and then the IT constable tries it and declares its on the fritz. "Come back in 45 minutes, maybe grab a coffee or something, and hopefully there won't be a line and we can get you in quickly."
So I walk down the street to the nearest bus stop, sit down, and have a good long cry. I'm getting that "Oh, no" feeling like the day is already gearing up to be a real low-down shit show. I've had this feeling quite a few times in the last month I've been here. My lower back is throbbing and it's hot and humid but I get up and take the constable's advice. I see a cafe on the corner so I walk in and order a soy cappucino and chocolate brownie. They have the current edition of Easy Living Australia on one of the tables so I flip through getting some good ideas on decor for me and my Aussie's new apartment (which we don't have yet but hopefully will by the end of February).
So 45 minutes later I head back to the police station, there is no line thank goodness and I head back to the booth. We start the process and attempt to start taking prints on my right hand. Unfortunately, the machine is very sensitive to sweat. (For those of you that know me, I've battled sweaty appendages all my life and then to add a 20 minutes stroll in the 85 degree humid weather, after drinking a hot beverage to that.... well, you get the picture). So after 1 AND 1/2 HOURS and multiple hand-washing and hand-drying (I went through about half a roll of paper towel), I finally finished my prints and mailed all of that crap off to the FBI. Woohoo!!
By the time I get home, I'm feeling pretty miserable though. My lower back is killing me, I'm exhausted and hurting all over. I lay down on the couch, drink about a gallon of water and try to feel better while I watch Kung Fu Panda. My Aussie texted me a couple of times to let me know he was going to be home late, and then even later. I'm starting to panic a little because something doesn't feel right. I can't walk, sit or lay down with any comfort. Bailey needs to go outside but I know I can't physically handle it. One of our roommates comes home, P., who is a chief radioligist and has some medical background. I explain that I have a UTI but now it feels like it's worse. Is there a point where it can go to far for the antibiotics to help, and that I might need to go the hospital? He calmly analyzes the situation and decides that yes, we are past that point.
So my other roomie F. pulls out my car, P. helps me pack a bag because he thinks I might have to stay overnight, and we head off to the ER. I'm a crying mess because I called my Aussie twice and he's not answering. P. finally gets a hold of him while I'm in the ER and he rushes there pretty quickly. There are 5 people ahead of me before I can even talk to a triage nurse. They are pretty quick though about getting me some painkillers and that helps. Three hours go by and then they call me in to put in an IV to draw blood. I have to give a urine sample as well. They give me some more painkillers and then another three 3 hours go by. It's about 1 AM now. P. went home a long time ago. My Aussie is still in his work suit, the poor thing, and I'm exhausted. I finally get called in to see a doctor. They decide to keep me overnight and do a slow drip of saline and antibiotics. I take another round of painkillers, put on my iPod and pass out.
I vaguely remember nurses coming in to change the IV bag, someone brought in breakfast at 6:30 AM but I just went to sleep at 3 AM and food is the furthest thing from my mind. Around 9 AM my Aussie wakes me up. It was the nicest sight to see first thing and what was even better was that he told the office he was coming in late so he could sit with me a bit and walk me home. The nurse came in to check on me and told me the doctor would be with me soon. Meanwhile my Aussie brushes my hair and puts it up in a ponytail (because I can't move my left arm with the IV in it) and then goes to get me a breakfast sandwich. I submit one more urine sample by hobbling to the toilet rolling my IV drip with me and then an hour later, I am released with some serious antibiotics.
I've pretty much been laying low since then. I can't really do a whole lot of physical excercise. I love taking 1 1/2 to 2 hour walks with Bailey usually but I can go for about 30-45 minutes and that's it. I did a lot of laundry yesterday and went to the grocery store. I cooked breakfast for dinner for the boys last night. This was something totally different for them, and my Aussie didn't think it was a good idea, but they loved it!! Homemade whole wheat pancakes, scrambled eggs with spinach, mushrooms, and cheddar, grilled sausages (for the meat-eaters) and fake bacon for me, sliced organic tomatoes and they actually had imported Florida navel oranges at the market so I scooped those up. It was quite the feast.
The latest good news is that I received a call for an interview for event planner at a nearby golf course. That's scheduled for next Tuesday at 9:00 AM. Hopefully something clicks soon otherwise I'm going to have to tie on that waitress apron one more time to bring in some cash. We've got some big expenses coming up with renting a new apartment and paying for my visa application. Not to mention the debt we have to get out of that got me and Bailey here to begin with. But that's life, you know. Anything is possible and everything is acheivable with good health and the love of your family and friends. Thank God for that.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Letting Go
So there haven't been many new developments over the past few days. All things regarding my visa are on hold at the moment. I'm waiting on the envelope from my mom to enclose with the inevitable fingerprinting at the police station. I finally had the follow up urine test yesterday and now I have to wait a week for those results before my overall Medibank health check can be finished. So I'm just letting....it....go....
I've applied to about 8 more jobs, some permanent, some temporary. I've heard back from about 4 politely rejecting my application. Most of it's visa-based, some don't really specify other than saying they have other applicants whose experience more closely matches what they are looking for. I got a call for a temp secretary job in Surrey Hills which is less than a 5-minute walk from here but I missed that call by 5 hours because they called my old cell phone number, not the new one that I updated my file with. So I'm just letting....it....go....
The weekend was great. With all the "letting go" I've been doing I've been able to just relax a bit more. I went to the beach at Coogee on Saturday with my Aussie. We met up with his brother and his brother's girlfriend and enjoyed the sun for a few hours. I actually went in to the water as well. It's freezing here! You wouldn't think so but it's quite cold despite the high weather temps. I usually go to about the knee level but decided to go all in. Everyone else was on the beach so I waded in about waist high, jumped up with one small wave and then ate a face full of sand with the second massive wave. Totally unexpected. I looked away for one second and the next thing I know I'm on my side underwater, my top is twisted around, I lost my sunglasses and I'm freaking out because there has been a lot of blue jellyfish sightings and I can't see anything with all the water and sand in my face.
Luckily Coogee is a topless beach (if you so choose, not that's it's rampant with bare breasts or anything) so the quick flashing I gave the coastline was no big deal. Some little French girl found my sunglasses a little ways to my left and after convincing her they were mine she gave them back to me. And I did see one jellyfish (blue bottles they call them) but I luckily lunged out of the way and wasn't stung. All in all, my first all-in-water experience wasn't so bad.
Sunday my Aussie and I tried out a new church in Bondi called Hillsong. I quite liked it and they do a lot of things in the community and have smaller "connect" groups that meet during the week so I think I'm going to get more involved with that. I have too much free time to just sit around all day and night. After church, we watched the Jets vs. Colts game and I made some delicious vegetarian nachos for the boys. The Colts lost unfortunately. And I despise the Jets, but my Aussie is a fan so he was pretty happy. After that, we went to The Local which is a pub at the end of the block and tried out their rooftop terrace. So, so nice. Probably my new favorite place. Lots of different local brews to try out and tasty little bar snacks.
And now today, I went for a walk through Centennial Park with my dog, Bailey. I watched a movie, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned up my room, touched up my roots (M- I used my new brush that we both bought- it works so much better!!! My hairline is perfect and not a gray in sight!!), and now I'm going to jump on some job posting websites and try my luck again. I would say that some days I'm fighting boredom off with a stick, but my Aussie made a good point the other day, that soon I'll probably look back at this time and wish I had more days like it, with no work commitments or heavy responsibilities. So I'm determined to enjoy it, even if it's just a walk in the park or cleaning up at a leisurely pace or just watching some outdated American TV (they get US shows much later than we do so everything is a rerun to me). I'm learning that letting it go isn't really all that difficult after all.
I've applied to about 8 more jobs, some permanent, some temporary. I've heard back from about 4 politely rejecting my application. Most of it's visa-based, some don't really specify other than saying they have other applicants whose experience more closely matches what they are looking for. I got a call for a temp secretary job in Surrey Hills which is less than a 5-minute walk from here but I missed that call by 5 hours because they called my old cell phone number, not the new one that I updated my file with. So I'm just letting....it....go....
The weekend was great. With all the "letting go" I've been doing I've been able to just relax a bit more. I went to the beach at Coogee on Saturday with my Aussie. We met up with his brother and his brother's girlfriend and enjoyed the sun for a few hours. I actually went in to the water as well. It's freezing here! You wouldn't think so but it's quite cold despite the high weather temps. I usually go to about the knee level but decided to go all in. Everyone else was on the beach so I waded in about waist high, jumped up with one small wave and then ate a face full of sand with the second massive wave. Totally unexpected. I looked away for one second and the next thing I know I'm on my side underwater, my top is twisted around, I lost my sunglasses and I'm freaking out because there has been a lot of blue jellyfish sightings and I can't see anything with all the water and sand in my face.
Luckily Coogee is a topless beach (if you so choose, not that's it's rampant with bare breasts or anything) so the quick flashing I gave the coastline was no big deal. Some little French girl found my sunglasses a little ways to my left and after convincing her they were mine she gave them back to me. And I did see one jellyfish (blue bottles they call them) but I luckily lunged out of the way and wasn't stung. All in all, my first all-in-water experience wasn't so bad.
Sunday my Aussie and I tried out a new church in Bondi called Hillsong. I quite liked it and they do a lot of things in the community and have smaller "connect" groups that meet during the week so I think I'm going to get more involved with that. I have too much free time to just sit around all day and night. After church, we watched the Jets vs. Colts game and I made some delicious vegetarian nachos for the boys. The Colts lost unfortunately. And I despise the Jets, but my Aussie is a fan so he was pretty happy. After that, we went to The Local which is a pub at the end of the block and tried out their rooftop terrace. So, so nice. Probably my new favorite place. Lots of different local brews to try out and tasty little bar snacks.
And now today, I went for a walk through Centennial Park with my dog, Bailey. I watched a movie, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned up my room, touched up my roots (M- I used my new brush that we both bought- it works so much better!!! My hairline is perfect and not a gray in sight!!), and now I'm going to jump on some job posting websites and try my luck again. I would say that some days I'm fighting boredom off with a stick, but my Aussie made a good point the other day, that soon I'll probably look back at this time and wish I had more days like it, with no work commitments or heavy responsibilities. So I'm determined to enjoy it, even if it's just a walk in the park or cleaning up at a leisurely pace or just watching some outdated American TV (they get US shows much later than we do so everything is a rerun to me). I'm learning that letting it go isn't really all that difficult after all.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
The Cure for What Ails Me
I'm sure if you read my last blog post, you will understand the importance of this one. You know how there are just some foods and/or beverages out there that just make everything better. In middle school, it was a Boar's Head dill pickle from Publix and a bag of salt n' vinegar chips. Off and on in the past years, my comfort food meal of choice would include my mom's spaghetti or Velveeta Mac N' Cheese or a bowl of mashed potatoes. Some nights it might be a pint of Ben N' Jerry's Chunky Monkey or a bowl of Cocoa Puffs. During the last two days of frustration and anxiety, it's been a can of Diet Coke and a packet of Dark Chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. And today was one of those days that required me to double up on that snack...
I had a doctor's appointment to follow up on the "dense urine" test results over in Edgecliffe. That's about a 30 minute walk (mostly downhill) but the weather was nice and I didn't feel like driving and risking not being able to find a parking spot. So I walk to the appointment and get there with 5 minutes to spare, grab a new patient clipboard and fill out all the necessary documents. I get to the receptionists desk to check in and I'm told that the doctor I'm supposed to meet with had a medical emergency and will be gone the next week. And why wasn't I called and told this prior to my appointment time? Oh, because the person who took my appointment didn't write in my cell number. Fine, who else can I see today? Oh, I'm sorry but we are fully booked, you'll have to come back next week. Sigh. Round one of sweet caffeinated release of Diet Coke and dark chocolate/peanut butter goodness here I come.
And remember that whole situation regarding the fingerprinting and not being able to get that done because I didn't have a pre-paid postage, self-addressed international envelope?? Well, I called the Australian Post Office Headquarters, as well as Fedex, DHL and UPS and NO ONE SELLS THIS. It is impossible to buy American postage in Australia. And it is impossible to get an account through any of the above shipping companies unless you are an Australian company with a company ID number awarded through the government. So, I have to have my mother go to the post office in the States and buy said envelope with the appropriate postage and put that envelope in another envelope to mail to me. Round two of that delicious snack duo.
So I could feel guilty about all the sweets and corn syrup and calories I'm ingesting or I could have a psychotic breakdown and get myself deported not even a month in to my stay here. You be the judge, and pass me another can of DC while you're at it.
I had a doctor's appointment to follow up on the "dense urine" test results over in Edgecliffe. That's about a 30 minute walk (mostly downhill) but the weather was nice and I didn't feel like driving and risking not being able to find a parking spot. So I walk to the appointment and get there with 5 minutes to spare, grab a new patient clipboard and fill out all the necessary documents. I get to the receptionists desk to check in and I'm told that the doctor I'm supposed to meet with had a medical emergency and will be gone the next week. And why wasn't I called and told this prior to my appointment time? Oh, because the person who took my appointment didn't write in my cell number. Fine, who else can I see today? Oh, I'm sorry but we are fully booked, you'll have to come back next week. Sigh. Round one of sweet caffeinated release of Diet Coke and dark chocolate/peanut butter goodness here I come.
And remember that whole situation regarding the fingerprinting and not being able to get that done because I didn't have a pre-paid postage, self-addressed international envelope?? Well, I called the Australian Post Office Headquarters, as well as Fedex, DHL and UPS and NO ONE SELLS THIS. It is impossible to buy American postage in Australia. And it is impossible to get an account through any of the above shipping companies unless you are an Australian company with a company ID number awarded through the government. So, I have to have my mother go to the post office in the States and buy said envelope with the appropriate postage and put that envelope in another envelope to mail to me. Round two of that delicious snack duo.
So I could feel guilty about all the sweets and corn syrup and calories I'm ingesting or I could have a psychotic breakdown and get myself deported not even a month in to my stay here. You be the judge, and pass me another can of DC while you're at it.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Serenity Now Please
What a day, what a day. I'm still mid-application process for a permanent visa. I got up early today to get started on the tasks needed. My Aussie called out of work because he wasn't feeling well so I had hoped to get my duties finished and then be home to snuggle up with him on the couch to lend some TLC. Boy, was that wishful thinking...
I started the day with a walk to the Paddington Police Station to get my fingerprints done. I attempted this myself by dowloading the fingerprint card from the FBI website and purchasing an ink pad from the Dollar Store, however all I ended up with was 20 black smudgy looking marks with no clear discernment of my "arches" or my "deltas" (that's right, I'm down with the Fed lingo) so I thought I better go to a professional agency.
I got to the Paddington Station and the lovely officer behind the reception desk suggested I get my fingerprints taken at the Waverley Police Station instead. They only use ink at Paddington and that can fade or not look clear, but at Waverley it's all done via scan/electronic/etc. Brilliant idea, officer, thank you so much! So she gave me directions to Waverley and told me it would only be 5 minute walk or so up Oxford St. Awesome. So I start my trek and the weather is good and I'm in good spirits, getting stuff done and done. Well, 5 minutes turns into 15 minutes. 15 minutes then turns into 25 minutes, then 35 minutes and finally at 45 minutes I arrive at the police station. Mind you the geography here is much like San Francisco and hills are not my friend.
** For an amusing look at my trek, visit this google maps link: Hannah's Ridiculous Trek **
So I get to the Waverley Police Station and I'm the first in line with no wait whatsoever. I start to feel a little better. The gentleman behind the counter is a Captain and seems very knowledgable. We get to chatting and turns out his wife is American and from Texas and had to go through this process years ago so he feels my pain. Sweet, now I feel much better, sympathy is good. So he pulls out all the necessary paperwork and collects my credit card and passport and then asked for my international pre-paid envelope. Um, what? "Oh, you don't have a prepaid international envelope? Well, you'll have to go to a post office to get that first. We can't give you your fingerprints back to you, we have to mail them directly to the FBI with your application and then they will send the results back to you in that pre-paid envelope." SUH-WEET. Tears are forming but I hold them back. So he gives me directions to the nearest bus stop because at this point I have to head back to Paddington for my doctor's appointment.
I walk up two little blocks and I'm literally in the den of the devil aka Bondi Junction. And by this I mean there are hundreds of people, no clear signs for bus stops yet heaps of buses flying by. Picture Times Square but the buildings are only 10 stories high. I don't know what bus to take or which direction to take it in so I call my Aussie. He tries to talk me through the directions but I'm slightly distracted because there are some really awesome shops that I can see through my tears. But the biggest distraction is that I get shoved out of the way on the sidewalk by an undercover police officer chasing some punk out of an Apple store. Yes, I'm lost, crying, and a witness to petty theft.
I finally find the Bondi Junction Interchange (similar to Port Authority) and catch the 380 bus. I think this is the right bus because it says "via Oxford St." and I live near there. And it would have been the right bus if I had taken it in the other direction but I don't realize this until I've been on it for about 15 minutes and beautiful Bondi Beach rolls into my view. So I get off at Bondi and get back on the 2nd City-bound 380 bus that I see (the first one didn't stop for me when I hailed it, it just sailed right on by. Cue second round of tears).
I make it home at 2:00 PM, text my Aussie to be waiting outside our apartment for a much-needed hug, and then keep walking the 20 minute trek to my doctor's appointment. At this point, I have accomplished nothing. I've been up since 9 AM, visited three different neighborhoods, covered about 10 kilometers of land via walking and public transportation and have literally crossed ZERO things off my checklist. I walk into the doctor's office, fill out paperwork, get my photo taken, get a chest X-ray, get weighed and measured, pee in a cup, get blood drawn, and wait for the doctor to see me for my exam (yes, all of the prior things done were not part of the doctor's exam). So 30 minutes go by and I'm led into the doctor's room and my eyes and ears are examined, my reflexes checked, my heart and lungs listened to and then told that I have to see one more doctor because my urine sample came back and there are concerns. "Well, what are the concerns doctor?" "Well, we need you to see another doctor to rule out kidney disease. Your urine is very dense." Excellent. I'm sure my urine is "dense" because all I've had since 8 AM is a large coffee and one piece of bread, no water or anything else and it's now 3:50. (Starvation equals dense pee, for future reference.) So once I see the other doctor and fax those results to this doctor, then they can proceed with finishing this medical check-up which then goes into my ever-growing visa application pile. However, I have to arrange to see the pee doctor, there isn't one at this office and now it's almost 4:00 PM so this will have to be done another day. Still nothing checked off my to-do list then.
But I get home and my Aussie and I walk to the nearest post office and we do get certified copies of our passports (CHECK!) and we do get witnesses to sign off on some other paperwork (CHECK!) and we then go to Woolworth's to buy some toilet paper and soy milk (CHECK, CHECK!!).
So now I'm home. My Aussie is taking care of dinner (and I will note that in the 18 months of our relationship, this is the FIRST TIME EVER he has made me dinner) and I'm thrilled that I don't have to do a thing more tonight. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm simply going to recycle my to-do list, add "Educate Paddington police constable on the true walking distance from Paddington to Bronte" to that list and hope to get some things checked off tomorrow.
I started the day with a walk to the Paddington Police Station to get my fingerprints done. I attempted this myself by dowloading the fingerprint card from the FBI website and purchasing an ink pad from the Dollar Store, however all I ended up with was 20 black smudgy looking marks with no clear discernment of my "arches" or my "deltas" (that's right, I'm down with the Fed lingo) so I thought I better go to a professional agency.
I got to the Paddington Station and the lovely officer behind the reception desk suggested I get my fingerprints taken at the Waverley Police Station instead. They only use ink at Paddington and that can fade or not look clear, but at Waverley it's all done via scan/electronic/etc. Brilliant idea, officer, thank you so much! So she gave me directions to Waverley and told me it would only be 5 minute walk or so up Oxford St. Awesome. So I start my trek and the weather is good and I'm in good spirits, getting stuff done and done. Well, 5 minutes turns into 15 minutes. 15 minutes then turns into 25 minutes, then 35 minutes and finally at 45 minutes I arrive at the police station. Mind you the geography here is much like San Francisco and hills are not my friend.
** For an amusing look at my trek, visit this google maps link: Hannah's Ridiculous Trek **
So I get to the Waverley Police Station and I'm the first in line with no wait whatsoever. I start to feel a little better. The gentleman behind the counter is a Captain and seems very knowledgable. We get to chatting and turns out his wife is American and from Texas and had to go through this process years ago so he feels my pain. Sweet, now I feel much better, sympathy is good. So he pulls out all the necessary paperwork and collects my credit card and passport and then asked for my international pre-paid envelope. Um, what? "Oh, you don't have a prepaid international envelope? Well, you'll have to go to a post office to get that first. We can't give you your fingerprints back to you, we have to mail them directly to the FBI with your application and then they will send the results back to you in that pre-paid envelope." SUH-WEET. Tears are forming but I hold them back. So he gives me directions to the nearest bus stop because at this point I have to head back to Paddington for my doctor's appointment.
I walk up two little blocks and I'm literally in the den of the devil aka Bondi Junction. And by this I mean there are hundreds of people, no clear signs for bus stops yet heaps of buses flying by. Picture Times Square but the buildings are only 10 stories high. I don't know what bus to take or which direction to take it in so I call my Aussie. He tries to talk me through the directions but I'm slightly distracted because there are some really awesome shops that I can see through my tears. But the biggest distraction is that I get shoved out of the way on the sidewalk by an undercover police officer chasing some punk out of an Apple store. Yes, I'm lost, crying, and a witness to petty theft.
I finally find the Bondi Junction Interchange (similar to Port Authority) and catch the 380 bus. I think this is the right bus because it says "via Oxford St." and I live near there. And it would have been the right bus if I had taken it in the other direction but I don't realize this until I've been on it for about 15 minutes and beautiful Bondi Beach rolls into my view. So I get off at Bondi and get back on the 2nd City-bound 380 bus that I see (the first one didn't stop for me when I hailed it, it just sailed right on by. Cue second round of tears).
I make it home at 2:00 PM, text my Aussie to be waiting outside our apartment for a much-needed hug, and then keep walking the 20 minute trek to my doctor's appointment. At this point, I have accomplished nothing. I've been up since 9 AM, visited three different neighborhoods, covered about 10 kilometers of land via walking and public transportation and have literally crossed ZERO things off my checklist. I walk into the doctor's office, fill out paperwork, get my photo taken, get a chest X-ray, get weighed and measured, pee in a cup, get blood drawn, and wait for the doctor to see me for my exam (yes, all of the prior things done were not part of the doctor's exam). So 30 minutes go by and I'm led into the doctor's room and my eyes and ears are examined, my reflexes checked, my heart and lungs listened to and then told that I have to see one more doctor because my urine sample came back and there are concerns. "Well, what are the concerns doctor?" "Well, we need you to see another doctor to rule out kidney disease. Your urine is very dense." Excellent. I'm sure my urine is "dense" because all I've had since 8 AM is a large coffee and one piece of bread, no water or anything else and it's now 3:50. (Starvation equals dense pee, for future reference.) So once I see the other doctor and fax those results to this doctor, then they can proceed with finishing this medical check-up which then goes into my ever-growing visa application pile. However, I have to arrange to see the pee doctor, there isn't one at this office and now it's almost 4:00 PM so this will have to be done another day. Still nothing checked off my to-do list then.
But I get home and my Aussie and I walk to the nearest post office and we do get certified copies of our passports (CHECK!) and we do get witnesses to sign off on some other paperwork (CHECK!) and we then go to Woolworth's to buy some toilet paper and soy milk (CHECK, CHECK!!).
So now I'm home. My Aussie is taking care of dinner (and I will note that in the 18 months of our relationship, this is the FIRST TIME EVER he has made me dinner) and I'm thrilled that I don't have to do a thing more tonight. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm simply going to recycle my to-do list, add "Educate Paddington police constable on the true walking distance from Paddington to Bronte" to that list and hope to get some things checked off tomorrow.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New Year, Still Me
I can't believe I haven't blogged since Dec. 28!! What a slacker I've been! It's been a crazy, hectic week and I apologize for not checking in. It seems like there was a mad rush to get all my chores and tasks checked off my "To-Do" list before the New Year rolled in. So the last four days have been very eventful.
I went through the tiring and tedious process of obtaining my import shipment from Port Botany. I had to pay for the port fees with the shipping company, clear the shipment through Customs and Quarantine, and then drove to Port Botany to wait in line at the "humpee" (that's a portable trailer) with several truckers to give my pick up order with the "forkies" (those are the guys that operate the forklifts). So I have 15 boxes stacked up around my room but it does feel good to have some of my things handy now.
Then I got to FINALLY get my new iPhone4 from Vodafone. I love it and I think it was worth the wait and frustration to get it. But I honestly don't really know how to use it much. I need to sit down and read over the manual and learn the ins and outs. However, I am super happy to have it and glad I can make international phone calls and use the TripView app which helps me navigate Sydney's crazy bus schedules and maps.
Yesterday I had an interview at 9 AM with a recruitment company. The job I was applying for is with leading global investment bank to do their in-house corporate events. Very exciting and it went really, really well. They pretty much told me I was perfect for the role and want to push me through to the second interview with a contact at this bank. The job sounds incredible, great hours, weekends and bank holidays off, lots of events to plan and the pay is great too. The only hiccup that my Aussie and I are facing is my visa status. I'm in the process of applying for my permanent resident visa but the process can take 3-6 months just to get the termporary resident visa and the recruitment company is worried that the bank won't be okay with current visa I have. So we'll see. I'm trying to not to worry too much about it. I'm just doing all that I can on my end to expedite the visa application process and if I don't get this job, then it wasn't meant to be.
After my interview, my Aussie and I hauled it out to Eastern Creek Quarantine to pick up Bailey. That was so exciting!! I was worried he wouldn't remember me or he would be angry at me for leaving him with strangers for 2 months but all was forgiven. He was jumping on me and crying with excitement to be out of those darn kennels finally. So we took him home and got him all settled in. He met all our roomies and the boys love him. He's adjusting very nicely, although he's still getting used to the heat. And not having AC as the boys are against using it ever it seems. It's 84 degrees today by the way, definitely AC-worthy weather.
And last night was New Year's Eve here. We had a great night. We started out at a friend's house in Bondi Beach for a BBQ around 4 PM. Yummy veggie burgers, grilled veggies, salads, and lots of beverages of course. We had some poppers and sparklers to celebrate before we took off for the evening's festivities. The main event was a concert right on Bondi Beach with DJ David Guetta and Armand van Heldan. It was a lot of fun. Very busy and packed but the weather was perfect and we rang in NY Eve on one of the most famous and amazing beaches in the world. Not too shabby.
And today we are all just recovering. I'm trying to get all my paperwork in order for the visa. I have to mail off a request for a Criminal Background Check to the FBI (seriously, it's ridiculous what they require for this) and I made my appointment with the doctor's office for a health check. Now there's just a mountain of paperwork and waiting for the Background Check to come back. I'm going to take Bailey to the park where the boys are playing basketball and then it's grilling out for dinner and staying in for movies.
Not a bad start to the New Year. I hope everyone had an awesome New Years Eve and best wishes for an fantastic 2011!!!
I went through the tiring and tedious process of obtaining my import shipment from Port Botany. I had to pay for the port fees with the shipping company, clear the shipment through Customs and Quarantine, and then drove to Port Botany to wait in line at the "humpee" (that's a portable trailer) with several truckers to give my pick up order with the "forkies" (those are the guys that operate the forklifts). So I have 15 boxes stacked up around my room but it does feel good to have some of my things handy now.
Then I got to FINALLY get my new iPhone4 from Vodafone. I love it and I think it was worth the wait and frustration to get it. But I honestly don't really know how to use it much. I need to sit down and read over the manual and learn the ins and outs. However, I am super happy to have it and glad I can make international phone calls and use the TripView app which helps me navigate Sydney's crazy bus schedules and maps.
Yesterday I had an interview at 9 AM with a recruitment company. The job I was applying for is with leading global investment bank to do their in-house corporate events. Very exciting and it went really, really well. They pretty much told me I was perfect for the role and want to push me through to the second interview with a contact at this bank. The job sounds incredible, great hours, weekends and bank holidays off, lots of events to plan and the pay is great too. The only hiccup that my Aussie and I are facing is my visa status. I'm in the process of applying for my permanent resident visa but the process can take 3-6 months just to get the termporary resident visa and the recruitment company is worried that the bank won't be okay with current visa I have. So we'll see. I'm trying to not to worry too much about it. I'm just doing all that I can on my end to expedite the visa application process and if I don't get this job, then it wasn't meant to be.
After my interview, my Aussie and I hauled it out to Eastern Creek Quarantine to pick up Bailey. That was so exciting!! I was worried he wouldn't remember me or he would be angry at me for leaving him with strangers for 2 months but all was forgiven. He was jumping on me and crying with excitement to be out of those darn kennels finally. So we took him home and got him all settled in. He met all our roomies and the boys love him. He's adjusting very nicely, although he's still getting used to the heat. And not having AC as the boys are against using it ever it seems. It's 84 degrees today by the way, definitely AC-worthy weather.
And last night was New Year's Eve here. We had a great night. We started out at a friend's house in Bondi Beach for a BBQ around 4 PM. Yummy veggie burgers, grilled veggies, salads, and lots of beverages of course. We had some poppers and sparklers to celebrate before we took off for the evening's festivities. The main event was a concert right on Bondi Beach with DJ David Guetta and Armand van Heldan. It was a lot of fun. Very busy and packed but the weather was perfect and we rang in NY Eve on one of the most famous and amazing beaches in the world. Not too shabby.
And today we are all just recovering. I'm trying to get all my paperwork in order for the visa. I have to mail off a request for a Criminal Background Check to the FBI (seriously, it's ridiculous what they require for this) and I made my appointment with the doctor's office for a health check. Now there's just a mountain of paperwork and waiting for the Background Check to come back. I'm going to take Bailey to the park where the boys are playing basketball and then it's grilling out for dinner and staying in for movies.
Not a bad start to the New Year. I hope everyone had an awesome New Years Eve and best wishes for an fantastic 2011!!!
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