Week 1

Well friends and family,

I have been here 1 week now. A lot has happened, mostly mundane stuff , but I've learned something everyday. I'm sorry but I still don't have a camera. Hopefully this weekend I'll get one. Then you'll be seeing a little of what I see.

I told you about my adventures on Wednesday in the last blog. Thursday was spent pretty much the same wandering around trying to get familiar with the city. This time heading north of the CBD (Central Business District). I did try to get a cell phone but without a permanent address it's not possible. So I decided to get a bank account set up instead and was successful at doing that.

Friday, I stayed a little closer to home and attended, the first of many to come, happy hour sessions that take place in the main lunch room of my new office. I met a number of people and had a beer (I know, I drank beer, but when in Rome...) After that I headed to a bar, Transport, just across the river to meet with Luke Olson's sister in law Melanie Smart and her boyfriend Darrin. They are very nice and have made me feel quite welcome in a short period of time. Melanie had just gotten a new mobile and gave me her old one which has been very helpful. My mobile number is (61).04.3139.7120. Melanie and Darrin had a big day plan for Saturday so the evening ended early around 9pm. My plan was to hit some gay bars... but plans change quickly sometimes. As I headed out of the bar it was raining and cold maybe 48 degrees. not really knowing which tram to get on or how late they run I decided to hit the casino instead of the gay bars. This proved interesting. They do have slots (or as they're called here Pokies) but it's not like what we're used to. They're all 5 column style with pretty crappy payouts. No video poker at all. The table games are more computerized than what I'm used to. Roulette and blackjack have monitors where each player makes their own choices and the dealer stands in the middle hitting buttons for the next play. They also have more traditional tables too. but the rules are all slightly different. I dropped $50 bucks and went home.

Saturday, I went to the largest market in Melbourne. The Queen Victoria Market (Vic Market for short) This place is AWESOME! I'm going to get pictures and post them to you can really get the feel. But suffice to say it takes every farmers market, butcher, deli seafood and wine shop you can imagine. Then throw in some crap tourist shops for t-shirts, kids toys and cheap leather goods plus some good quality shoes and jewelry stands and other clothes. All in one place. It's crowded, noise full of strange aromas and exciting things I just must try. Prices vary greatly from one stand to another and some don't list any prices at all so it's best to shop around. I wandered around this place for almost 3 hours. Buying little bits of this and that and sampling as many things as I could. It was very cool! There's are 5 or 6 of these types of markets around town all with their own style. Most are open 5 days a week But none are open on Wednesdays and they all seem to close by 3 pm. Like I said you'll have to see it to believe it.

Sunday, Melanie and Darrin took me out with them on a Scuba diving trip they had planned. We went to a town way at the end of the peninsula called Portsea. It's cute little town with not much besides the dive shop, a pub and a general store. I spent the day wandering the beach, of course playing the sax and catching up on some reading.It was nice, quiet and very relaxing way to spend me last day before starting work.

Monday morning came along and I had to get back to work. The day wasn't too eventful. Lots of forms and small talk with new coworkers. I did start to get a handle on the needs of this group. But it's going to take time to fully understand the needs. I left the office around 6pm and headed home for a quiet evening.

Tuesday and today (Wednesday) were just full of work. I found out today I get to do the employee reviews of my 6 staff. YEAH! They're due at the end of August and I've been here 3 days. So we'll focus on the future and wing it!

The bars here are really different. Drinks are expensive like $6 to $10 EACH! They only have about 1/2 of a shot glass of booze! My liver is definitely drying out. I can't afford to get drunk here! I can barely afford to get buzzed! Thank god I bought my limit of duty free booze on the way in to AU. Last night I did go to one of the gay bars. I had 3 drinks in about and hour and barely caught a buzz. Then headed home around 9pm. They really restrict alcohol consumption! I've heard about what my friend Jan Newton is going through in the United Arab Emirates. Where you have to have a passport like book and all your booze purchases get logged and reported to the government. I don't like it this way but it's better than there! I only have found 1 gay bar open on a Tuesday night out of maybe 10. All are closed on Mondays. Most don't open until between 5pm and 10pm either. But some stay open until 9am or later on the weekends.

Boy, do I miss drinking with all of my Portland friends or just going to Starky's and have a few stiff ones and some dinner for $25 bucks! Anyway HUMP day is over and I need to go home and practice the sax and sew a button on my dress pants (you don't want that story!).

Take care I miss you all!!

Once again I'd like to thank everyone that was able to come to the airport and see me off. It really meant a lot to me. When I made my last posting I didn't have any pictures from that day. So I have posted a few below.