Jim Travels The World

the long-awaited day is here, as i picked up lisa from Tullamarine international airport on friday morning. that evening, we were off to meet my coworkers for dinner then to the MCG for a footy game in front of 80,000 screaming Aussies.

the southern cross train station as i was waiting for the sandwich artist (although here they probably refer to them as sandy arty's) to finish my sandwich at Subway (one of the few American places i've found), i struck up a conversation with him, told him i used to work at a Subway in Norman, OK, when i was in college (although i said "Uni" so he'd know what i was talking about). he said "wow, i hear they only had two kinds of bread at Subway back then." Yup, those were simpler times.

maybe the most poignant and interesting graffiti ever Melbourne is well-known for its graffiti (or art , as i was corrected by one Ozzie). It's mostly the usual tagging stuff, but there is some good art on the sides of buildings around here. and although this isn't exactly high-quality i was struck by this little writing on a building on Osbourne street

or so i am told by a guy a met here. makes sense. in the morning as i wait for the train, it's cold. i'm in a hat and gloves, and there's always some guy standing next to me wearing a jacket and shorts (which, first of all, if it's cold enough that you know to wear a jacket, why are you in shorts?) just shivering like crazy. Bonbeach

i have now a desk and a bed. i never thought of these things as luxury items before. also, never realized how handy a Leatherman is until all my regular tools were on a different continent.

my new boss rohan and i were discussing the flight from australia to the states and he said the best thing about it was that it was 16 hours when no one could reach him or ask anything from him. that made me sad because it's absolutely true. We've reached an age of hyper-communication, which has led to hyper-accountability and responsibility. i could turn off my cell or not check my email, but with the standards of availability we've set with our communication technology capabilities, it's virtually irresponsible not to be available unless it's physically impossible for you to be so, e.g., on an airplane. this all brings me to business cards: it's become standard practice to put your cell (or 'mobile' in Australia) number on your business card. They haven't made up my new Active Network business cards yet, but i have zero desire to put my cell number on that card. Why would i want clients to be able to reach me 24 hours a day? My job is not who I am,

quick trainride from the city led me to ferngully and the dandenong ranges national park. i'm so out shape, this hiking trail kicked my ass. also since the humidity is about double boulder's, about five minutes into the trail, i was covered in sweat. the "1000 steps" trail. so nice to be out of the city finally. i was quite spoiled in colorado to have such easy access to hiking, skiing and snowshoeing. now at least i now there's a place not too far i can escape the city when i need to.

finally get my internet installed on friday this week. starting to feel like a real home now