flights san return tickets

I'm officially a week into the second round of my Australian adventure. Everything is very comfortable, getting back into the car with Brett and Daniel made a year apart seem more like a weekend. Melbourne is so familiar that it seems that my parents house should be down the street from my little cottage. Funny to feel so familiar in a place so far away. 

I arrived far more awake and capable this time as I chose to overdose on Zzzquil (Nyquil's awesome and more exciting cousin) and sleep for the entirety of my flight. My arrival was met with an immediate venture for coffee and beautiful Melbourne food and the first day of sunshine in weeks, for which I felt personally responsible. This sunshine was misleading and I've since been reprimanded for my arrogance, as the rest of the days have been composed of gray skies, wet pavement and wind that quells any desire to stray from the heated space to heated space vector. My new heated space is Ellie's beautiful home, the cutest little white and blue cottage with an excellent space heater and great coffee table books. I could not recommend "Stuff White People Like" with more fervor.

My second day was full of wandering and catch-ups. Got to see Martha and drink more coffee and impress more people with my ability to order my coffee with just the right amount of pretension. Tuesday night, Ellie and I strolled around the city and chose the sketchiest (and subsequently, the most authentic) Pho restaurant for massive vats of soup and beef and vegetables. We met up with Brett, Matty and Holly for the Melbourne Film Festival and felt particularly cultured as we watched American film and lamented over losing Steve Carrell to the apocalypse. 

I started work the next day in Richmond, which is this super hip area right outside of the city. My office looks over the area and is close to enough coffee shops to keep me very caffeinated for all time. That night, I ventured out to my old stomping grounds to get a bit of family time in Hampton and had a lovely reunion with the Davis family, Annie and all of the pets. Sweets were baked in preparation for my return, as I spent most of my time on exchange trying to convince Jan and Jim that consuming mass quantities of sweets is good for one's soul, which is arguably more important than the body given its lasting qualities. 

Thursday was day two of work and a weird realization of jet lag circa 1p.m. Fought through it, though, and made it to Sophie's play and Noone family time. Martha, Hannah and I provided the laugh track for the performance and definitely offended the other playgoers, who believed actors attempting to be funny should be met with a stoic silence. Afterwards, we had drinks and storytelling time and ultimately decided to commit to what will obviously be a hugely successful film/theatre/television career for all of three of us. We'll be doing an improv troupe together, which is such an exciting prospect- how good to be back in the performance world.

Went to work Friday and had the option of communal office lunch offered when I arrived. What a spread! The office collected into a meeting room and bantered over an immense spread of meat and vegetables. I chose to sit close to the other American girl in the office (strength in numbers) and opted out of trying to join in on what were obviously running jokes with stupid vague comments like "As if she likes to watch movies with you, John!". 

When one of the guys launched into a very factual diatribe on the sue-happy nature of Americans, everybody waited with great anticipation for my answer regarding our holiday cards. It went as follows:

Guy 1: ...and in America, they don't even have Christmas cards. Companies--and people!-- send cards that say "Happy Holidays". People are actually offended by Christmas cards there (nods assuredly). 

Office people: (general mutterings)  "Wow", "That is crazy", "How do they live?", "Is America trying to be Russia?", "I'm surprised Santa even visits", etc.

Guy 1: (making eye contact with me, which I had been successfully avoiding until that point) Isn't that true?

Office people: (silence)

Me: Um. Yes. 

Office people: "Wow", "That is crazy!", "How do they live?", "Is America trying to be Russia?", "I'm surprised Santa even visits", etc. 

So then I returned to my desk, having dashed the dreams of any Christmas-loving Americaphile and contributed to the perception of Americans as wavering in our commitment to democracy. Went to the warmest Shabbat at Brett's family's home and had a long-awaited reunion with his lovely Mum and sister and a just-as-awaited reunion with Glick's challah bread. Matty and Bec came over and the night turned into a youtube-fest though originally intentioned to be a worship session for Wes Anderson. 

Saturday was a super fun city day. Had champagne on the rooftop bar with Maddie and chatted excitedly about plans for balls and city explorations. Ventured back to Chinatown for dumplings with Gaby and her entourage of Americans and their Australian spouses, The ex-pat community is massive in Melbourne and they loudly (in true excitable American style) invited me to future Ex-pat Girl's Nights. I had to laugh at the quick acquisition of that title and their fervor in trading numbers and promising future dates. "Call me maybe! Oh my god, that song is made for us! Call us maybe and we'll have an ex-pat night! It'll be so fun!"

Sunday should be titled "We Will Have Brunch at 'Hawk and Hunter' No Matter What the Cost". And that we did. Despite the twenty minute wait that turned into and hour and a shocking seating at a communal table, Matty, Brett and I pushed through our hunger and kept up a stellar sense of humor. It could be contended that everyone in the restaurant wanted to be us, given our sunny disposition and frequent lapses into fits of hysterical laughter. These fits happened frequently because our table seating prevented lucid communication--given the distance from each other and the audio from those sitting on top of us-- so discussions of deaf conventions were misconstrued as death conventions and so on and so forth. Our afternoon was spent at Holly's awesome flat, performing the comedy routine we had perfected for hours at brunch. 

Thought I'd attach some music for my send off. Some things that have been on repeat this week. Lots of love! xx

Fiona Apple: Every Single Night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzoQolIDlTw

Twin Sister: I Want a House

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqcwG9Pdhqg

The Morning Benders: Dreams

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jm_XtCU16s

Dum Dum Girls: Lord Knows

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHLPyCPjGKM