Home!

I posted a bunch of photos here.

Enjoy!

Good ol Boys

Had to get a photo at Cooters of Dukes of Hazard fame...

Jetlag

Tired.... must.... upload... photos...

Denver airport:


Me in Nashville:

Across the Pond

This is where I'm heading on this trip. The last stop is Toledo, Ohio - which I HOPE to get to, if time permits, to visit Di's Grandparents!

The last few weekends...

have taken us to NSW for multiple weekends! Camping at Nightcap National Park at Easter, then Curryfest at Woolgoolga, then a relaxing weekend at Murwillambah.







The above wasn't on a weekend... but it's a nice photo of Gav and Matt.

Look who I had lunch with on the weekend...

Rainbows in South Brisbane

Di's Birthday

To continue the 'Di' theme on my blog this week... here are a few piccies from her birthday!

Di and Kay and Rosa's cafe with her complimentary 'babycino'

Birthday dinner at Kangaroo Point (Barbequed Salmon, Haloumi and Pumpkin Risotto)

Watching Casablanca in our backyard with lots of friends on Friday night

This should be an ad for QUT!

This blog post is an official, public congratulations to Di, from me, for deservedly receiving a University Medal!!

Alaska and Sushi!

Finally back home - 36 hours after flying out of Los Angeles! (Los Angeles to Tokyo to Singapore to Brisbane).

Between LA and tokyo, I decided to lift my window shade to see what we were flying over (expecting it just to be cloud or water) and I saw a little island. It had a mountain with snow on it. I lifted the shade all the way up, looked ahead, and saw the Alaskan Peninsula spreading out before me! With snow covered rugged mountains as far as I could see, and after a few minutes, one HUGE volcano. Subsequent research revealed that it was Mt Veniaminof (Google Maps Here)- an active volcano. It was surreal to think that I was flying over Alaska to get back to Australia from the USA...

In Narita airport in Tokyo, I had a big walk around the airport and found a GREAT sushi place near Gate 33... anyone else know it? I guess I can't say I know what 'genuine' sushi is having never been out of the airport in Japan, but this seemed pretty close... you sit at the counter and there is a row of old Japanese sushi chefs yelling at each other and cutting and rolling sushi so fast that it's a wonder they don't cut off fingers. I ordered a whole plate - and it was a little bigger than I'd pictured, but I made it. It was surely the best sushi I've had ANYWHERE... (well, out of Brisbane, Vancouver and Singapore, which are the only places I've had sushi that I can remember). I found out though that they tend to hide lumps of wasabi in the sushi itself. I now have what I would call a 'Wasabi Headache'. I wear it as a badge of honour.

San Francisco!

Spent the last few days in San Francisco on a last minute work trip. Sort of nice, sort of weird (since there were things I felt I should have been home for...)

San Fran is definitely one of those cities you feel like you know - even though you didn't realise it. The Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz, the car-chasing steep streets, the cable cars... I only had a had little video camera with, so photos are only of mobile phone quality...

Worked with some bus guys for a few days with our technology. They took me out for seafood at the wharf at a place that was VERY San Franciscan. They love their city and their history. It was nice to hang out with them! To top the evening off, we saw the Queen Mary II - largest ocean liner in the world exit the harbour.

Ooh - I saw the latest Gilmore Girls LIVE on the WB too!


(Sort of cool how this photo of Alcatraz came up more like a painting)

Chrissy!

Here's a few piccies from Chrissy so far this year... beer brewing with the neighbours, camping with the Schultz's (Mt Mee) and a bit of fun in Adelaide...

Christmas 2006

Stylin the Green

Di has an unorthodox, but surprisingly successful bowling style. Watch, and learn

Video Update

If anyone has tried the videos in this blog recently and they haven't worked - my apologies! All should be fixed now. Please check them out again!

EWB PNG AT

So, EWB - Engineers Without Borders
PNG - Papua New Guinea
AT - Appropriate Technology

For the last week, we had Shirlee from PNG staying with us. She works at ATprojects, where Di worked in January when we were up in PNG. She was here to spend some time with the EWB group at University of Queensland who is working with ATprojects to build affordable, easy to build toilets for use in villages in PNG - one of the most important aspects of improving people's health there.

SO we managed to fit in a few other things since it was Shirlee's first time in Australia, AND Anna from Adelaide was visiting - yet another South Aussie who has been lured up to Queensland at least partly due to Di's magic charm. Beach, Citycat, West End markets, Sunshine Coast hinterland, baking Christmas cookies, German club... fun week!

Nimbus #2

Just an update on my unicycling progress...

Remote Submarine

This is my re-enactment of Hunt for Red October

Crazy Times!

Melbourne, Mackay, Adelaide - that's the weekend before last, last weekend and this weekend. CRAZY!

Since Di's finished uni (WOOHOO!) and is (relatively) free, we decided that she could accompany me on a couple of short work trips - both lengthened to take in the weekends.

A few of the highlights:

Melbourne

• Being extras in a Bollywood movie and seeing the star - Sharuhk Khan (our hero, and only the most famous dude in bollywood cinema!). We were asked to return for a smaller shoot on the Tuesday night but they couldn't afford us... (plus it was from 8pm to 4am and I was working both days...)
• Seeing Daz on Sat night with Markie and Rachel and friends
• Experiencing Melbourne's coldest November day ever(?). Including a memorable walk in the hail in thongs by Di
• Kulcha
• Visiting my university
  
• Kylie!! (And friends, and gelati)

Mackay

• BELLA! (And Mel...)
• Paddling in the water and THEN finding the 'beware of crocodiles' sign
• Uri - our little yellow hire-car
• 
• Platypus at Eungella
• Pinnacle Pies
  
• Eimeo Pub

That's about it for now... off to Adelaide!

What I do during the day

Operation: Save The Fish - UPDATE

Two days later and all is well!