Music in Melbourne: Okay Sherrianne,  many days belated, but here's the info you requested:
Mark and I were very excited about a series of gigs happening this week starting with MC5 last night, Belle and Sebastian tonight,  Marshall Crenshaw Sunday, Franz Ferdinand on Tuesday, and Keane and Snow Patrol on Wednesday. Turns out we'll probably only make it to the Keane/Snow Patrol show as the other shows are either too expensive (Belle and Sebastion tickets are $78 a piece) or sold out. Oh well, one show a month would still be better than our average in Singapore, and I'm guessing other exciting shows will come around soon.

Tooting own horn. The turnabout seemed to come after I was informed by one recruiter that while the American way is to limit your resume/CV to one or two pages, the way to get a job here is to expound. So now I'm sending out a four and a half pager that details everything. Fifteen seconds after I was off the phone with one recruiter this morning, another called. It's a little early to start predicting rampant success, though.

I have to relearn how to spell my name out loud again. I had gotten used to saying "zed" instead of "zee" in Singapore, but now I've discovered that "aitch" is actually pronounced "haitch" in Australia.

We had an epic first night of bar trivia the other night. Not because we did so well (we did all right until falling apart at the end) but because we met a bunch of people afterwards. There was another team there (two people from Scotland and one Brit/Australian) that we hooked up with after the game and ended up closing the place down. Towards the end we joined up with another guy and girl who were flight attendants for Emirates Airlines on a layover (they were Brits living in Dubai). We ended up partying with them at another bar (Frostbite?) up the street until 3 a.m.

Feast or Famine. After a relatively quiet first two weeks here, Mark is all of a sudden shit-hot. His phone has rung repeatedly today with requests and questions from recruiters. There's one interview set up for next week, with hopefully several others to follow.  I smell job offer.

"Everynight about six o'clock the birds come back to the palm to talk".  St. Kilda is definitely the place to watch the birds congragate at sunset. Tonight while waiting for a tram I saw what must have been at least a hundred loorikeets, several mynahs and a few cockatoos, none of which are exactly quiet birds.
In other news: We're moving again next Monday. We've been living in relative luxury in a two bedroom serviced apartment, but we can't afford it. So we're moving into a tiny furnished studio for a much more reasonable price. Hopefully we won't kill each other after a month of living on top of each other. 
 

Things that I forgot about cold weather:

The feeling of a cold toilet seat.

How hard it is to get out of bed in the morning.

The smell of a long inhale of cold morning air through your nostrils.

The feeling of standing in the shower with warm water flowing on your back, while the rest of your body is shivering.

How good I look in winter clothes.

New look.  A new blog title deserves a new look and feel.   Waddaya think?
 
We've decided we HAVE to make it work here.  We're really enjoying just about everything about the city (except for the isolation).  I've redoubled my efforts at finding a job, and if that doesn't work, I'll re-redouble them.  That's still the big thing hanging over our heads.

Birthday.  My birthday was Friday -- the big three-eight, which means I can no longer claim "middle thirties" -- I'm now solidly in my "late thirties".
 
Marjorie got me some CDs to start with -- the new PJ Harvey, and two by Australian bands: Hunters and Collectors, and Something For Kate.  Then it was on to the St. Kilda Baths for some west and welaxation.  First a soak in a salt water bath, in front of a big window looking out over the white-capped bay, with seagulls flying by.  Then a much-needed massage.
 
Afterwards we had an awesome lunch at the Sheherezade Cafe -- I had goulash with potato balls, rice, carrots, spinach, and cole slaw.  Best I've had since Europe.  Then we scored scored some chocolate eclairs and other yummies from a nearby bakery, and some bagels from Glick's.  Home for a nap, then a quiet evening at home watching Donnie Brasco.
 
Saturday was part two.  I wanted to see a footy (Australian Rules Football) game, so we went off to the Telstra Dome to see the St. Kilda Saints wallop the Richmond Tigers.  It was quite a spectacle.  I used to think the game was pretty much just anarchy, but as I start to understand the game more, I'm beginning to appreciate it, even if some of the rules are still a mystery.  There's some serious athleticism involved.  The fan base was amazing -- the two teams are just based in suburbs (or urbs, I guess) of Melbourne, but there were 40-50,000 people there, evenly divided.  (It was as if Virginia Highlands was playing Buckhead back in Atlanta.)  Everyone, even the old ladies, were into it, yelling, waving banners, wearing team scarves, etc.  Other interesting things:

There were machines where you could place bets on the game beforehand.  Actually, you could bet on anything, or play the pokies (poker machines).

 We got food beforehand in the restaurant there, and it was served on real plates with real silverware.  And it was reasonably priced.

 You could also bring your own food, or hot drinks in Thermoses.
What a crazy idea!  Don't gouge your fans -- let them come to the games at a reasonable price.  No wonder they draw crowds.