Happy New Year!! (from down under)

Well it's 2006 already here in AUS...16 hours before all you on the east coast, 18 for you Coloradans. Let me tell you how I rang in the New Year...Aussie style.



First, I spotted my friend, former world record holder Michael Klim, in front of KMart handing out brochures, so I took a picture with him.



Then I made a trip downtown for an exquisite dinner. Here's a view of downtown Melbourne from a bridge that crosses the Yarra River.

It's kind of weird thinking of a summertime Christmas, but that's what it's like here every single year. The temps have been scorchers the last two days with highs well above 100 degrees F!! I can't honestly say that I've been in 100+ degree temps on New Years Eve before. Naturally, Christmas trees in hotness aren't the same. Here's the Melbourne version of the NYC Christmas tree...

AOTD #2: Language barrier

You'd think that because Aussies speak English, we'd all be on the same page, right? Well, as I'm finding out first-hand, that's not necessarily the case. Here are some translations from today's experience:

• 42 Celsius = 107 Fahrenheit (today's temperature!!)
• Tomato sauce means ketchup
• When you ask for lemonade, you get Sprite (that's what happened to me at dinner)
• Meat pie means...really unhealthy lunch. I had 8 mini-meat pies that are traditional Aussie food, esp for an Aussie football match. Prob not the best idea. My New Year's resolution is to eat healthy! At least for the rest of this trip. Maybe just tomorrow actually.

Aussie-ism of the Day (AOTD): Havawanda

Day 1's AOTD is: Havawanda. Don't you know what that means?? Gosh! It's so obvious. Here, let me put it to you in a sentence:

Just take the tram downtown and havawanda.

Still don't get it? Well ok. Let me break it up for you. Havawanda in proper english is "Have a wander"...as in, "take a look around" or "check it out". Yeah, I felt like a dumbass when the super nice and sweet Aussie girl who is helping with my accommodations used the phrase and I was like "What's havawanda?"

Runner up for Day 1 AOTD is: breckie. As in: Do you like to eat a hot breckie in the morning? (Breckie = breakfast)

Movie Review: The Island

On the 13.5 hour flight to Sydney, I only managed to stay awake for 1 entire movie. Somehow, that one movie turned out to be The Island. Movies that I flashed in and out of sleep of: Willy Wonka, A Beautiful Mind, A Good Woman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

So anyway, The Island was a good airplane movie. Let me explain where "airplane movies" fit into the grand scheme of things. To me, airplane movies sit below rentals. An airplane movie is one where you are only watching it because you have no choice other than boredom. So while I would never have chosen to have watched The Island, it was good given that I was essentially forced to watch it.

Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson play two people living in this very kosher, futuristic colony where everyone living there has the ultimate goal/dream of getting chosen to live on "the island". Ewan and Scarlett discover the truth of the island and their weird colony, and will fight to the death to reveal it.

I was intrigued only because I enjoy sci-fi and trying to figure out what's really going on and how it all unravels. What can I say, I'm a sucker. The story kept reminding me of the Matrix and Vanilla Sky in different ways. That's kind of a weird combo, huh? Anyway, so the movie was just OK but if given no choice, it's not terrible! (That's a pretty good review, huh?)

Did you know??? That Scarlett Johansson's big sister was in my high school class. When we were seniors in high school, Scarlett was filming The Horse Whisperer with Robert Redford.

Happy New Year!

With another year coming to a close, I've been feeling a little reflective lately so I thought I'd take a quick look back on my last night in the US in 2005. I feel fortunate to be able to say that at 26 now, I feel like I'm in my prime and I can only see it getting better. Professionally and personally, I don't feel stagnant at all, but still growing and maturing, rather. And I hope that never stops. From a professional standpoint, 2005 was a huge and exciting year for me and I feel like I've come way closer to my constant goal of being able to help people and influence the world. Personally, I feel like my likes and dislikes have become more defined, including that my tolerance for things that annoy me has decreased. I'm not sure if this is necessarily a good thing and if it's just natural for someone as they get older. Kind of along with that, I've definitely become even more independent and self-reliant in pursuing things that I want and standing up for things I believe in. Who knows what 2006 has in store, but I'm excited for new challenges, less drama, and more fun.

I hope everyone has an awesome, healthy, and memorable 2006.

Movie Review: The Chronicles of Narnia

I have to say that I was really pleasantly surprised by Narnia. I left the theater thinking of it as a mini-Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy with a hint of Star Wars epic-ness to it too. I was a little uncertain heading into the movie because of all of the hype about the biblical parallels, but like Che said afterwards - you have to really be looking for it to see it...and even then I think it's a stretch. Otherwise, you can totally enjoy it for what it's worth...a really great fantasy story that's been made into a visually awesome movie. Seriously, the movie's done really well, esp the visual effects, and the creatures are believable in a very LOTR type way. The kids in the movie do a good job too, and the little girl Lucy totally steals the show with her cuteness/innocence factor. There really weren't any dull/down moments and I'd totally recommend it if you're in the mood for a light, entertaining flick. If you liked LOTR, and are up for a PG version of it, check it out for sure.

NYE in AUS

I'll be in Melbourne Australia for New Years Eve and through Jan 9. Well I'm not there for NYE...more like I just happen to be there during that time. I'll do my best to blog while I'm there with some pics but I'm not really sure what I'll have the chance to do. Anybody want me to bring back some vegemite?

MNF 2006

Happy Birthday to me. 26 on the 26th. whoopeee.

Tonight was the last ABC broadcast of Monday Night Football. Now I get almost a year to debate whether or not to get cable so I can watch MNF on ESPN. Sure, starting next year I get to watch the Sunday Night games on NBC, but I've been fine without watching football on Sun night after watching it all day Sunday anyway. Cable or no cable in 2006? Major dilemma. That'll be a major upgrade in my TV watching too.

Music Profile: The Southland

Merry Christmas and Happy Hannakuh everyone! I hope everyone's having a great holiday and lookin' forward to an awesome New Year. Anyway, I thought I'd do something new and spread the love by telling you about some of the newer music I've been listening to.

Band: The Southland
Website: www.the-southland.com
Heard 'em first: Suz saw them open up for the Samples in Denver in November and gave me some of their stuff.
Sounds like: Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie. Not as heavy on the rhythms/beats as Postal and a little more into the vocals, but I think it's a very similar sound. Same kind of melodic tunes with smooth, soft sounding vocals.
Albums: (1) Influence of Geography
Fave Songs: Miles, Shadow, 305
More info: They also played Boulder with the Samples in November and the Fox Theatre had them back for a free show a month later.

It's all about the Hamiltons baby

(Note: this link will open up iTunes)

Here's a link to a free download of a skit from last week's SNL. It's pretty funny...a rap by Chris Parnell and Adam Samburg around the Chronicles of Narnia.

Click here for video

Breckenridge boarding!

Once again, awesome times on the slopes in Breck. This time it was with the sibs and Mariejo (kind of a sib). I thought the snow was great last time I was at Keystone, but this time was REALLY great! Awesome powder! And I was shocked to see that the place wasn't super crowded at all. There were some real crazy winds, but that's pretty typical for breck I think. Anyway, here are some pics...

Today's crew (MJ, Che, Doug, me)

Doug's a pro

Doug attacking a monster hill

MJ carvin' it up!

A way cool pic that Che took

Drive hammered, get nailed

On the way to the supermarket this afternoon, my brother and I heard a PSA on the radio with the slogan "Drive Hammered, Get Nailed". While everyone knows that I'm totally not all about the irresponsible drinking, both of us couldn't help but chuckle both times we heard this real serious voice say the slogan. I just think it's funny when the powers that be try to be cool by using the common lingo...but they just don't pull it off.

Strikes suck

For those of you who don't keep up with the news, the NYC transit union workers are on strike and it's basically paralyzed the city, whose residents, tourists, and workers absolutely depend on public transportation to get around. Let me just say that strikes suck and just ends up hurting everyone. No matter what the outcome, everyone loses and leaves with a bad taste in their mouth. Sure, I understand that unions are designed to protect workers from abusive management practices, but when you screw millions of people and (from what I've read) have pretty reasonable benefits/compensation already, it just seems really selfish, and I'm not down with that.

Having gone through a strike experience at my old job, I can def tell you it sucks. I went from my office to working on my feet in the factory for 10 hour days, doing work that I had no business doing. And it was so demoralizing and disheartening, coming just a couple months after the September 11th attacks, when the nation was all about unity and sacrifice.

Regarding the NYC strike, decide for yourself. The following came from an AP article:

"The union said the latest MTA offer included annual raises of 3 percent, 4 percent and 3.5 percent; the previous proposal included 3 percent raises each year. MTA workers earn between $47,000 and $55,000 annually.

Pension issues have been a major sticking point in the talks. The MTA wants to raise the age at which new employees become eligible for full pension from 55 to 62, which the union says is unfair.

But Toussaint said the union wanted a better offer from the MTA, especially when the agency has a $1 billion surplus this year."

btw, $1 billion surpluses are not normal and not to be expected every year.

Pictures of the Week: Winter Wonderland

First, did anyone else lose power from like 8:15pm to 9:45pm tonight?? It wasn't cool...I mean, what is anyone supposed to do on a Sunday night with no electricity! Me? I lit up a fire and folded laundry and wrote xmas cards in front of the fireplace. Totally old school...and that's not my style.

At least the power stayed on long enough so I could watch Bush push back the beginning of Cold Case. Not! What was that about? Since when is he all about this kind of sincere, open, and understanding Sunday night communication with the American public? Too late buddy. Maybe I'm a jerk, but the speech didn't do anything for me. Did anyone else see it? And because of it, I missed the ending of Cold Case when the power went out.

So it's been snowing all weekend. This really awesome, fluffy kind of snow. The roads were surprisingly fine, so I took a drive to Garden of the Gods to see if I can get some good pics. uhh...not really. The mountains were real foggy so it was hard to get a good, crisp shot of any of the rock formations. Here's some of what I got though:

Yeah, it's snowy alright.

One of the rock formations at GoG.

Siamese Twins at GoG.

Concert review: Bob Schneider

Let me tell you something: if you ever have the opportunity to see Bob Schneider live, DO IT!! This is my third time seeing him, and each time I've seen him, I'm amazed at how great of a show he puts on and surprised that I remember it to be even better than the last. There are definitely musicians out there who perform live way better than their studio stuff, and Bob is absolutely one of those. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy his 2 solo studio albums, but they pale in comparison to what he is capable of live.

The best thing about his live shows is that he can get a crowd in it and keep them there throughout with a mix of styles and crowd interaction. The energy and beat in his upbeat songs is awesome and contagious, and even the more mellow songs will still capture you. His lyrics can be either hilarious (mostly in a VERY vulgar way) and also touching. At different points, you might classify him as country-rock or acoustic singer-songwriter or kinda tex-mex...basically, Bob's got variety and a relationship with his audience that make him a great live performer.

My highlights:

- During Tarantula (which is an awesome fun song in itself) every member of the band picked up their instrument and played it behind their head...even the keyboardist!!
- A country-rock cover of Red Hot Chili Peppers "Give it Away"
- Bob getting behind the drums and accompanying his keyboardist on a covery of Journey's "Faithfully"
- Singalongs! (Assknockers and the pirate song)
- The Batman song

Go see Bob Schneider live!! You will not be disappointed! I will drag you with me if I have to. www.bobschneidermusic.com

Movie Review: Walk the Line

Really really good movie...and it would have been even better if I hadn't seen Ray. I tried not to think of Ray while watching Walk the Line but I couldn't help it because there were so many parallels between the lives of Cash and Charles (at least by what was portrayed in the movies). I won't give anything away here, but you'll see what I'm talking about if you watch both.

I really did enjoy watching Walk the Line though, even without knowing a thing about Johnny Cash prior to going in the theater. Joaquin Phoenix was awesome, and I really liked Reese Witherspoon too. I think best of all, the music and performances were really great (yes, Joaquin and Reese did all of the singing in the movie) and I'm excited to get some Johnny Cash music now.

On a personal note, it doesn't sit well with me that movies like Ray and Walk the Line kinda glorify that you can be an unfaithful druggie and still be successful and famous (and even end up happy too). Oh well that's life.

I have bad gas

Gas problems. With my car. If you've talked to me over the past 2.5 winters, you might know that my good old Hyundai Elantra has had some really weird gas problems. When the temperature would sink below 40 degrees or so, if I tried to put gas in my car, it would just spit right out after about 2 seconds! Naturally, it's led to some embarassing moments at the pump...how do you explain gas getting spit out of the tank to other customers? Or driving away from the pump after buying 50 cents worth of gas? Luckily, the weather in CSprings varies so much that I've never gone too long without being able to fill up.

So finally...after 2.5 winters of going through this stress, I decided to go and get it fixed. After I explained the problem to the repairman, he asked me if I had the original gas cap on the car. I said no (I lost it in summer 2003...and that's a story in itself) and he tells me that I need to get it because it sounds like the tank isn't venting properly. Who knew gas caps were different??? I sure as heck didn't! So I bought the new cap from the Hyundai dealership earlier this week and last night I nervously went to the gas station. Lo and behold! I was able to fill up and it was definitely under 40 degrees! I hope everyone learns something from this.

Wendy's cup update

Well I hate to say it, but I don't think I match up to the competition. Check out this article: http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1212/p17s01-litr.html

But I think I have achieved my (wimpy) goal of 32 cups! I think...not entirely sure. Thanks to the help of Mom, Che, Doug, MJ, Anna, and Jennifer, I've conquered!!! haha. Now to find somewhere to go with my one-way flight and not come back.

Pictures of the Week: Breck Boarding

Woooooo!! What a killer weekend of riding! On Saturday, Turbo and I went to Keystone and tore it up in some absolutely incredible snow. We managed to avoid all of the crowds, rocked out 16 runs in about 5 hours before calling it a day, and even had a couple hills completely all to ourselves. Definitely the best riding I've ever done, and just the way I like it...FAST! We even ventured out to the back bowls, where I did 3 complete head first somersaults and Turbs wiped out bigtime like I never would have imagined. True adventure, right there.

We met Amy, Mariejo, and Dan in Breckenridge for dinner on Sat night so we could all go together on Sunday. Sunday was another gorgeous, sunny day with surprisingly few people out there. The snow wasn't as great as it was in Keystone, but it was still sweet for early season. It was Dan and Mariejo's third time ever on a board and they were great. Both of them are taking the typical newbie physical beatings, but they're definite troopers out there. Amy's rockin the skiing, Turbs is his normal super-fast self, and I'm doing my best to catch air off of anything I can (and not hurt myself). Totally awesome fun. This is going to be a great winter...

Breck from the top of Peak 9

Amy, Turbo, Mariejo at dinner

That's Dan and Amy on the lift with Breck in the background

Mariejo tearin' it up!

Amy showing off

This is the closest I got to a pic of Turbo skiing because he's always in front of me

Dan in action

It's frickin freezing!!

And I thought it was cold when I was in Charlotte earlier this week! When I walked off the plane yesterday, I had icicles in my nose, and that's not a good sign!! When temperatures in the 30's and 40's start sounding real warm, you know it's cold. At least it's real pretty. This is the view from my dining area looking at Pikes Peak. Gotta love it.

Wendy's cup update

Well, I went to Wendy's in Charlotte (twice) this week and CSprings tonight, and all three times I ordered a medium drink...AND GOT A REGULAR CUP WITH NO FLIGHT COUPON!! Unbelievable! Don't tell me supplies ran out already!! I think I only have 20 coupons! So all of recent Wendy's binges are all for nothing! Don't tell me that!! What a sham!!!!

Picture of the Week: Gem Lake

Ah forget it. I can't break the weekly tradition so soon, so I've decided to stop being lazy and post a picture of the week!! I know that all of you RWCA blog readers are excited. (RWCA = Russell's Wild and Crazy Adventures)

So this picture is from Gem Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Che and I made the hike in late September and it was awesome. Real peaceful up there with a great view and lots of rocks to climb all over. I'm all about that. That orange dot at the top of the rocks is me!

Boring week

Yeah I know. I haven't blogged in the longest time. I don't even have a picture of the week for you. So I'll just throw out another game to occupy your time. This one is a fave's of Cheryl's. I've never seen it before but it's pretty funny and mildly entertaining.

Stop the Drunk Guy from Puking Game: http://www.wagenschenke.ch/