- Jason has mentioned that even though they are on the metric system here, all of the structural steel sizes are just English conversions. For example, here, you might have a 101.6mm pipe. When converted this is 4" on the nose. Weird.
- Have you ever been to a zoo and have a 1 year old ask you "wassat?" (What's that?) and you find that 9 times out of 10 you don't know the answer and you run around looking for the signage that tells you it's a cassowary or a wombat or some other strange animal.
- When one phrase is used in place of "you're welcome", "no problem", "not a big deal", and "don't worry about it" (to name a few) it can become overwhelming. "No worries, mate" is the most said phrase here by far!
- Babysitters get paid $20/hr here. I am slightly torn about this news. On one hand, that's my business and thus I could make a boatload. On the other, we have to pay a babysitter to get out without the little lady.
- "Everyone knows Fijians can't handle their booze." You don't hear that kind of stereotyping in America.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
As promised, a post about the drinking here as it is a bit different from home. When we first got here one of the things we had to figure out quickly was where to buy beer and wine. We had a tip from a Frommer travel guide that alot of restaurants have "bottle shops" attached to them where you can buy beer and wine. We went into quite a few restaurants the first couple days and found nothing. Jason had mentioned he found a place right on our street that had wine but he didn't want to ask if they also had beer (I think it was one of those guy things, not wanting to ask for directions). So, the next time we were out together we stopped by the place and I went in to ask while he waited outside with Abby. Sure enough, they had beer it was just back in a walk-in-cooler. Looking around, I didn't recognize any of it so I went with a six pack of James Squire. That has turned out to be one of the best decisions yet. Jason has gone though every James Squire type of beer and they are all really good :) It's similar to the craft beers that have gotten to be very popular at home. And, as it turns out, the James Squire Brewery is right around the corner from us. We are going on Sunday as they have free kids meals and face painting, I haven't had my face painted in years :) Oh, I mean, Abby will love it! We have yet to find another beer that we REALLY like.
As it turns out, there are "bottle shops" we were just missing them for some reason. We also missed the liquor express store that is right in the middle of the foodstore. I feel like I was walking around with my eyes shut. Maybe there was just so much new to take in that I couldn't quite process it all.
Jason's company goes out for happy hour every Friday to Bar 333 right across the street from his office so he has had a bit more interaction with the drinking atmosphere. He said that alot of people drink Stella and quite a few drink champagne. I guess it's not reserved for celebrations :)
There is alot of wine made in Australia so we are doing our best to try them. We won't be adding to our cork collection though as they are all twist off. This did however come in handy the first bottle we opened when we weren't sure if there was a bottle opener in this place. The Hunter Valley (kinda like Napa Valley) is only 2 hours north of Sydney so that is on the list of places to go. Maybe for an anniversary trip?
Lastly, the drinking prohibited signs make no sense at all. They are all over the place and say things like "Alcohol Free Zone - the consumption of alcohol is probited from 3/7/07 to 2/7/10". Alot of the signs are out of date and so I guess you can walk down the street with a drink in hand? Not sure.
As it turns out, there are "bottle shops" we were just missing them for some reason. We also missed the liquor express store that is right in the middle of the foodstore. I feel like I was walking around with my eyes shut. Maybe there was just so much new to take in that I couldn't quite process it all.
Jason's company goes out for happy hour every Friday to Bar 333 right across the street from his office so he has had a bit more interaction with the drinking atmosphere. He said that alot of people drink Stella and quite a few drink champagne. I guess it's not reserved for celebrations :)
There is alot of wine made in Australia so we are doing our best to try them. We won't be adding to our cork collection though as they are all twist off. This did however come in handy the first bottle we opened when we weren't sure if there was a bottle opener in this place. The Hunter Valley (kinda like Napa Valley) is only 2 hours north of Sydney so that is on the list of places to go. Maybe for an anniversary trip?
Lastly, the drinking prohibited signs make no sense at all. They are all over the place and say things like "Alcohol Free Zone - the consumption of alcohol is probited from 3/7/07 to 2/7/10". Alot of the signs are out of date and so I guess you can walk down the street with a drink in hand? Not sure.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Driving Miss Daisy
We had our first Aussie driving experience yesterday! We rented a car for a couple of reasons: We were invited by one of Jason's co-workers to have lunch with him and and his family and we needed to buy a cot and mattress for Abby. Both of which were out in the northern suburbs of Sydney.
Important thing to know: The steering wheel is on the right hand side of the car and you drive on the left hand side of the road. Totally and completely backwards!
As any good organized person would do, we mapped out our route from here to lunch and then to Babies R Us (they have them here!) and then home again. But of course, Google Maps let us down yet again, and the names that they had for almost all of the highways we had to take were not listed on the signs while we were driving. We had printed out 8 pages of directions and maps so as navigator (sitting on the left!) we figured it out and didn't get lost. Nor, did we get in an accident...way to go Jason! It appears as though the hardest part is turning and remembering to "stay to the left!" but with a little reminder from the navigator we got back in the correct lane and not heading towards on-coming traffic.
Tolls here are a bit different in that you have to register your car online within 48 hours of going through the toll and I guess it takes a picture of your license plate and then charges your credit card. I still have no idea how much we paid in tolls but since we drove over the Sydney Harbour Bridge I'm sure it's not cheap.
There were signs everywhere on the highway (and commercials on tv) that said to beware there are cameras that can catch you speeding, anytime, anyplace. It seemed a bit creepy, like someone was watching you at all times. Needless to say, we didn't speed!
A couple last random thoughts: Here, the turn signal is on the right and the wind shield wipers on the left. That means we were cleaning the window every time we turned instead of using the turn signal. All the controls on the dashboard you control with your left hand when driving. Finally, something made for all you lefties out there.
I think we will stick with public transportation and walking as much as possible. Walking is hard enough trying to remember to look right than left when crossing the street :)
Important thing to know: The steering wheel is on the right hand side of the car and you drive on the left hand side of the road. Totally and completely backwards!
As any good organized person would do, we mapped out our route from here to lunch and then to Babies R Us (they have them here!) and then home again. But of course, Google Maps let us down yet again, and the names that they had for almost all of the highways we had to take were not listed on the signs while we were driving. We had printed out 8 pages of directions and maps so as navigator (sitting on the left!) we figured it out and didn't get lost. Nor, did we get in an accident...way to go Jason! It appears as though the hardest part is turning and remembering to "stay to the left!" but with a little reminder from the navigator we got back in the correct lane and not heading towards on-coming traffic.
Tolls here are a bit different in that you have to register your car online within 48 hours of going through the toll and I guess it takes a picture of your license plate and then charges your credit card. I still have no idea how much we paid in tolls but since we drove over the Sydney Harbour Bridge I'm sure it's not cheap.
There were signs everywhere on the highway (and commercials on tv) that said to beware there are cameras that can catch you speeding, anytime, anyplace. It seemed a bit creepy, like someone was watching you at all times. Needless to say, we didn't speed!
A couple last random thoughts: Here, the turn signal is on the right and the wind shield wipers on the left. That means we were cleaning the window every time we turned instead of using the turn signal. All the controls on the dashboard you control with your left hand when driving. Finally, something made for all you lefties out there.
I think we will stick with public transportation and walking as much as possible. Walking is hard enough trying to remember to look right than left when crossing the street :)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Kangaroo Meat?!?
First, I would like say that I've got myself an "idea guy" for the blog (thanks Andy!) who has submitted questions and blog topics that will be used for upcoming blogs. So, if you have any complaints on blog content, it's not my fault.
Anyway, now that we have been here for two weeks I think I can officially comment on the food here. We have done regular food shopping which has proven to be a little difficult. The Cole's (love the name!) that we go to doesn't have signs telling you what is down each aisle so you have to go down every single one. To make it even more time consuming food items don't seem to be organized the same as they are in the US. You would think that the pasta and pasta sauce would be in the same aisle...nope! Or the toilet paper and paper towels...nope! Chicken broth and soup...nope! You get it. One major bonus, there is a liquor store in the food store (more on the liquor selection in another blog).
We've tried different kinds of chicken and it's just not same texture. It seems as though it is full of fat. I thought chicken was a lean meat, hmmmm. And it's also very expensive. Lamb, on the other hand, is pretty reasonably priced so that is next on the list to try. I bought a small roast and after I figure out the oven we'll be in business.
Yes, they do have kangaroo meat and lots of it but I have yet to buy it. My main issue with it is that it is right next to the chilled dog and cat food. If I was in the US I would assume that it was on par with the likes of dog food but here, it could be more similar to filet, who knows.
We've been out to eat a couple of times and all pretty successful. We went out for some Malaysian food which was delicious but I'm not sure how authentic. I walked through Chinatown yesterday and there are quite a few Pho places so that's on the upcoming list. There is a very large Asian population here (many of which were born here and thus have Australian accents which was a surprising mix for us) so I am hoping for some good Pho. We've had Nando's, a fast food chain from the UK which was kind of like Boston Market, yum!
For those of you that count calories or even just look at the calories on packages, you would have to do some serious conversions as it's in Kilojoules. It makes eating TimTams (chocolate covered biscuits aka cookies) much easier.
Food thing I miss the most so far...brewed coffee. Tea just doesn't do it for me and all this espresso is making me jittery. The shop downstairs makes a killer latte so that is my compromise but at $3 a pop it gets pricey.
Anyway, now that we have been here for two weeks I think I can officially comment on the food here. We have done regular food shopping which has proven to be a little difficult. The Cole's (love the name!) that we go to doesn't have signs telling you what is down each aisle so you have to go down every single one. To make it even more time consuming food items don't seem to be organized the same as they are in the US. You would think that the pasta and pasta sauce would be in the same aisle...nope! Or the toilet paper and paper towels...nope! Chicken broth and soup...nope! You get it. One major bonus, there is a liquor store in the food store (more on the liquor selection in another blog).
We've tried different kinds of chicken and it's just not same texture. It seems as though it is full of fat. I thought chicken was a lean meat, hmmmm. And it's also very expensive. Lamb, on the other hand, is pretty reasonably priced so that is next on the list to try. I bought a small roast and after I figure out the oven we'll be in business.
Yes, they do have kangaroo meat and lots of it but I have yet to buy it. My main issue with it is that it is right next to the chilled dog and cat food. If I was in the US I would assume that it was on par with the likes of dog food but here, it could be more similar to filet, who knows.
We've been out to eat a couple of times and all pretty successful. We went out for some Malaysian food which was delicious but I'm not sure how authentic. I walked through Chinatown yesterday and there are quite a few Pho places so that's on the upcoming list. There is a very large Asian population here (many of which were born here and thus have Australian accents which was a surprising mix for us) so I am hoping for some good Pho. We've had Nando's, a fast food chain from the UK which was kind of like Boston Market, yum!
For those of you that count calories or even just look at the calories on packages, you would have to do some serious conversions as it's in Kilojoules. It makes eating TimTams (chocolate covered biscuits aka cookies) much easier.
Food thing I miss the most so far...brewed coffee. Tea just doesn't do it for me and all this espresso is making me jittery. The shop downstairs makes a killer latte so that is my compromise but at $3 a pop it gets pricey.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Weekend Update
The weekend was very busy but great! Saturday was the first real day of apartment hunting and we saw 7 apartments. Each open house is only 15 minutes long so you can't be late and I had heard that sometimes there are 20 people lined up outside to see the place. I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself to be the only one at most of the inpections. Apparently furnished apartments are not in high demand right now because of the "overseas credit crisis". I'm assuming that means that people cannot afford to move to Sydney and rent a furnished apartment. Thank goodness Jason's company is paying for our rent because we couldn't afford it either!
We were looking in Kirribilli which has amazing views of the harbour but most of the buildings are old and do not have heat or air conditioning. That just blew my mind, an apartment building with no heat?! We were still considering some of these places thinking, "well, if none of them have it than the weather must be mild enough to not need them." After asking around I don't think that's the case. Everyone just has space heaters and fans everywhere. So, we may have to give up some gorgeous views for some good old American amenities. Looking at some more places today.
Sunday was more of a fun day! We went to the Rocks and had lunch at Loenbrough, a good German place with delicious soft pretzels (almost like home). Abby got a balloon there which no sooner was on her wrist than was floating away into the sky. We stopped and had some good coffee on Nurses' Walk (an old cobblestone alley with small shops) and let Abby walk around.
Then we headed towards home and decided to go to the fish market in Pyrmont. Without a map in hand we set off and found it pretty quickly. It was packed with people getting food and sitting out on the dock eating it. Very cool atmosphere. A pelican flew right over our heads and looked like he could just pick up Abby and take her away. We bought some good looking crabs and had fresh crabs, corn and pasta for dinner...yum!
We were looking in Kirribilli which has amazing views of the harbour but most of the buildings are old and do not have heat or air conditioning. That just blew my mind, an apartment building with no heat?! We were still considering some of these places thinking, "well, if none of them have it than the weather must be mild enough to not need them." After asking around I don't think that's the case. Everyone just has space heaters and fans everywhere. So, we may have to give up some gorgeous views for some good old American amenities. Looking at some more places today.
Sunday was more of a fun day! We went to the Rocks and had lunch at Loenbrough, a good German place with delicious soft pretzels (almost like home). Abby got a balloon there which no sooner was on her wrist than was floating away into the sky. We stopped and had some good coffee on Nurses' Walk (an old cobblestone alley with small shops) and let Abby walk around.
Then we headed towards home and decided to go to the fish market in Pyrmont. Without a map in hand we set off and found it pretty quickly. It was packed with people getting food and sitting out on the dock eating it. Very cool atmosphere. A pelican flew right over our heads and looked like he could just pick up Abby and take her away. We bought some good looking crabs and had fresh crabs, corn and pasta for dinner...yum!
I would have loved to include some pictures with this post but our internet connection is so slow that it's just not going to happen :)
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
I'm On My Own
Today was Jason's first day of work so Abby and I were out on our own. We went to go see another apartment which was no good. The pictures that they showed on the internet were gorgeous views of the Harbour Bridge but there was so much crap on the windows that you could hardly see the view! The other deal breaker was that the second bedroom only had a single bed which is no good for when we have visitors. Ashley could definately deal with a single bed but I didn't think making Jason's parents sleep in a single bed together was going to work :)
We took the train over to the North shore and walked down a huge hill (Manayunk style) to the apartment. I asked the woman that we met if there was another way back to the CBD because I just couldn't imagine pushing Abby in the stroller up the huge hill. She said there was a ferry right out front. Awesome! We took the ferry back to the CBD and home. I got myself a latte at the place next door and then home for Abby's nap. I was craving a brewed coffee as we can only do french pressed coffee (I know, fancy!) or instant coffee (in a tea bag) in the apartment. I guess I'll have to get used to tea.
We walked around the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) today which is an indoor-outdoor shopping mall of all extremely expensive boutiques. Abby was obsessed with a purse in the window of one of the stores. It was purple and sparkly and probably $500. She's going to be trouble!! Ash, you are going to LOVE the shopping here! Also of note in the QVB were the awesome structural details (I know I'm a dork!). If I had seen these before doing the design of the Stetson stair I might have....shown them to Jeff to help him do the design for me! Thanks Jeff!
On tap for tomorrow...visit Glebe, a suburb of Sydney. Looks like a nice place to live.
We took the train over to the North shore and walked down a huge hill (Manayunk style) to the apartment. I asked the woman that we met if there was another way back to the CBD because I just couldn't imagine pushing Abby in the stroller up the huge hill. She said there was a ferry right out front. Awesome! We took the ferry back to the CBD and home. I got myself a latte at the place next door and then home for Abby's nap. I was craving a brewed coffee as we can only do french pressed coffee (I know, fancy!) or instant coffee (in a tea bag) in the apartment. I guess I'll have to get used to tea.
We walked around the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) today which is an indoor-outdoor shopping mall of all extremely expensive boutiques. Abby was obsessed with a purse in the window of one of the stores. It was purple and sparkly and probably $500. She's going to be trouble!! Ash, you are going to LOVE the shopping here! Also of note in the QVB were the awesome structural details (I know I'm a dork!). If I had seen these before doing the design of the Stetson stair I might have....shown them to Jeff to help him do the design for me! Thanks Jeff!
On tap for tomorrow...visit Glebe, a suburb of Sydney. Looks like a nice place to live.
Monday, August 2, 2010
I'm Feeling Greener Already
One of the main differences that I have noticed here has been the sacrifice of convenience to be more environmentally conscience. A few of note from in and around the apartment first:
- The gas stove does not have a pilot that is always lit. You have to push an ignitor button and then turn the gas on to light the flame (kind of like lighting a grill). Then you have to hold the button for about 5 seconds to keep it lit. Saves on gas.
- The toilets have a #1 and #2 flush. Obviously #1 is about half the water than a #2 flush. I can't seem to get Jason to do a #1 or a #2 flush!
- All of the outlets have a switch right next to them. So, if the outlet is not in use you have the switch off to save power. Takes some getting used to. When we first plugged things in we thought they didn't work. It took a minute to figure out there is a switch you have to do first.
- All of the light bulbs are these terrible flourescent (long-lasting) ones. We tend to keep the lights off and the blinds open as long as possible. It reminds me of the trip I took to London (with Erinn and Ashley). We went to visit some family members and sat in their living room talking. The sun started to go down and no one ever turned the lights on. We wound sitting in darkness! They didn't seem to mind though.
The list goes on but you get it.
If nothing else, I feel like I'm reducing my carbon footprint. In order for it to work all industries would have to make the change and I don't think the US would go for most of it!
- The gas stove does not have a pilot that is always lit. You have to push an ignitor button and then turn the gas on to light the flame (kind of like lighting a grill). Then you have to hold the button for about 5 seconds to keep it lit. Saves on gas.
- The toilets have a #1 and #2 flush. Obviously #1 is about half the water than a #2 flush. I can't seem to get Jason to do a #1 or a #2 flush!
- All of the outlets have a switch right next to them. So, if the outlet is not in use you have the switch off to save power. Takes some getting used to. When we first plugged things in we thought they didn't work. It took a minute to figure out there is a switch you have to do first.
- All of the light bulbs are these terrible flourescent (long-lasting) ones. We tend to keep the lights off and the blinds open as long as possible. It reminds me of the trip I took to London (with Erinn and Ashley). We went to visit some family members and sat in their living room talking. The sun started to go down and no one ever turned the lights on. We wound sitting in darkness! They didn't seem to mind though.
The list goes on but you get it.
If nothing else, I feel like I'm reducing my carbon footprint. In order for it to work all industries would have to make the change and I don't think the US would go for most of it!
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