The rants, ravings, opinions, beliefs, and general day to day events of a typical (and yet, not so typical) young American living in (but not limited to) the Central Coast of California.
Another day of exploration. We went back to the Blue Lake, but this time actually took the guided tour and got near the surface of the lake.
We then went to a neighboring and less impressive Green Lake. Then came the exciting part…
OCEAN!
Was beautiful… oh so so beautiful…
It was low tide, and so I made a little game, I walked out as far into the ocean as possible while maintaining dry feet. As you can see… I made it a fair ways out:
After our visit to the Ocean was over, we began driving back inland to Mt. Gambier, where we were staying. We did however make a stop at a volcano quite similar to the Blue Lake, just… well, without the blue lake in it. It wasn’t the easiest hike I’ve ever had, but then again, it certainly was not the hardest. The 5 of us with Y Chromosome made it to the top, and once we got there, there was no doubt in our minds that it was totally worth every difficult step.
It = amazing
So beautiful up there, and being able to look at the other side of the rim and see Mt. Gambier in the distance and then turn around, and see the Ocean consume the south-west by west horizon. It was good seeing the Ocean on my west side again :) On our way back to the van, I saw a camper with one of my new favorite slogans:
Now, before any of you go off saying “that doesn’t rhyme!” pronounce it like an Aussie, and it does, in other words, skip the “R”s in it, for example, “Mt. Gambier” is in Aussie “Mt. Gambia” I don’t know why, it just is ok.
We then thought it would be a good idea to re-visit the sink hole from the night before, this time in day light.
I decided to be adventurous and jump from level to level, only nearly breaking a few bones a couple times, 90% of my landings where near perfect. After that, we went back to where we were staying. By this point, my body was fairly upset with me at all I’d put it through for the day, so, rather than go back to Mt. Gambier, I decided to stay behind in the room, and maybe even try sparking a conversation with the cute girl in room next to me.
Fail.
She had apparently checked out. But, I did get to rest, and where as the rest of the family went up this death march up a hill with a 70 grade on it, I got to recover, and watch a movie in Italian. Jan did however make their trip worth it, by getting a pretty awesome shot of the sun and landscape (actually, she got quite a few, but this is my favorite):
The adventure continues. We left Aldinga Beach and traveled southward on “The Great Ocean Road” (toward Melbourne), making several scenic pit stops along the way. For the most part, most of the day’s events would be lost on anyone but the six of us sharing these close quarters, but, I’ll try to let you guys in as best I know how.
The first thing of interest that we came across was a funny sign as we boarded a ferry. I loved the attention to detail of just how painful this mishap could be:
Then we came across another strangely humorous item:
I don’t know who put the fish head there… nor do I know why I found it so funny… but… it was there… and I did.
We continued down the coast, eventually ending up at Mount Gambier. When we got there, we made our way to our accommodations. After getting settled in, we wasted no time in going up to Mount Gambier. What did we find there? A blue lake in the crater of the volcano. We decided to stay until the sunset.
The sun having gone down, we thought we would go to the other side of town to see a giant sink hole. It was quite awesome.
This was also the night that “the KGB tried to kidnap me”. You see… the family as a whole went down into the bottom, we then climbed back up, but before leaving completely, we guys found another area we could walk through. Paul and Matt led the way only to come back due to poor lighting, an excuse that didn’t work for David and me though. So David and I pressed onward exploring the cave like area, we were not alone however. There were four Russians in there with us. We decided to go back, David leading the way, but then, I considered going back, hanging over the railing to get a picture, I eventually decided against it. In the mean time however, the Russians had made their way in between David and me. David had made it all the way back only to hear a group of men speaking Russian in the dark with me nowhere in sight. Yes, this does call for concern. Until finally I emerged victorious from the cave, free from the would be KGB kidnapping. We then continued on to rejoin the rest of the group and head to our nights’ accommodations.
Apparently, the Adelaide Zoo does not have a parking lot… nor does it have one other important item that EVERY Australian Zoo should have…
DUCK BILLED PLAYTPUS
THEY DON’T HAVE A DBP!!!
Sorely disappoint to say the least. But I’ll tell you what they DO have… the first pair of Pandas in the southern hemisphere. Wang Wang and Funi, they are the primary reason for this road trip. There are two things I find sadly funny about pandas in zoos.
#1 Names. One being “Wang Wang”; supposedly pronounced “Wong Wong”, but, Aussies are like Americans in the sense that they will pronounce a name more the way they want then the way they should; and the other “Funi”. So what is funny? Well, the male has a name which I understand is a very popular surname in China which literally translated to English, is “King” where as “Funi” the female just means, “Lucky Girl”. I guess she is lucky to be alive…
#2 Animal lovers By that, I don’t mean the common person who goes to the zoo, I mean the people working there. On our way into the exhibit, we came across one of those informative displays; actually, we came across several of them. One had just gone on and on about how endangered they are, and how much they need protection, then, the next one we see reads:
“Giant Pandas have walked the earth for over 3 million years. They have survived changes in natural environment because of their ability to adapt – their ‘way’ of living harmoniously with nature. By exploring ‘The Way of the Panda’, you may gain a greater understanding of how to live in closer harmony with nature.”
Bullshit
The first sign just said “Endangered”! That means, cease to exist. According to survival of the fittest… the dumb weak ones lose. And now… NOW this other sign has the nerve to say “ability to adapt”? Ummm... NO
Then it goes on to say “By exploring ‘The Way of the Panda’” I “may gain a greater understanding of how to live in closer harmony with nature”
Let’s review, we’re talking about an animal with teeth capable of eating meat, and yet CHOOSES to eat just bamboo… really? Seriously? That’s great adapting? I’m supposed to learn from that?
Naw thanks; I’m happy balancing the potatoes on my plate with a nice steak. Continuing on…
The Zoo did have kangaroos that where pet able and one lonely lil past out and drunken Koala. I love those lil guys. FYI though, don’t think they are too cute, because just when you least suspect it, they will drop out of a tree and EAT your face off.
I do feel like Adelaide needs to update their exhibits somewhat, besides the 77 year old Flamingo with no color, there was this:
Seriously guys, I’m sure George was great and all, but it’s time to move on, sometimes… monkeys die. But one lil monkey I hope never dies, is the Golden Lion Tamarin, the only thing on the level of cuteness as the Koala, I mean unless of course you’re Andrew and hate all primates that aren’t from a Nintendo game, how can you not like this lil guy:
After the zoo, we returned home. Later that night, I walked down to the beach by my lonesome, and was contemplating a night swim. The problem is I was by myself, in a new area, about to enter the Indian Ocean for the first time, in darkness. Then I remembered; Jaws kinda started like this… maybe it’s a bad idea. So I stood there, in the shallow surf, with the sea breeze, and the feeling of home.
How can I feel at home so many miles away from where I was raised? Simple, Neptune is my other father, and the ocean my other mother. Salt water runs in my veins and coral in my bones. Ok, potential slight exaggeration… but, you know where I’m going with this…
I like water.
It was at least, the first time I touched the Indian Ocean. Now leaving only the Arctic, I’m really really not looking forward to that one.
Don’t let the sarcasm, bitchin and moaning fool you, it was a pretty awesome day. More adventure to come tomorrow.
Nothing major to report on this day, although, I did get to be in three different Australia states in one day (I happened to catch up on a lot of sleep in the back seat).
We got to Adelaide, drove through… and something seemed familiar, though I couldn’t place it. Then we got to the suburb where we stayed called Aldinga Beach. As we drove to the supermarket, is saw this:
It reminded me of home. The hills of the Central Coast. If it hadn’t been for the cars on the other side of the road, I would have sworn that we had just gone through a worm hole or something and popped out in Nipomo. If you paid close attention, to the air, you could sense that the Ocean was nearby. I was home.
Day 2, we will finally go see the Pandas, the reason for this odyssey. The house is a pretty nice beach house, except for one thing; it makes it extremely difficult to be a ninja. Every board creaks and cries with the slightest amount of pressure.
Throughout my blogs, Facebook statuses, and everyday life, I often say something like “the Turtles”, “I got the Turtles”, “talking to one of my Turtles”; etc. Some of you may think to yourself… “what the hell is he talking about?”
The 11th day of July, in the year of our Lord 1990, (approximately) I had my first day of Kindy. On that first day, I met my friends Val and Luke. The three of us almost instantly became best friends. My mother ended up becoming friends with Val’s mom also, which led to my strong connection to Val. During our holiday breaks, Val’s mom would watch us since my mother worked, leaving Val and I more of an opportunity to spend time together. Val and I were only children (at the time) and Luke is the baby of his family, with a fairly good size gap between him and older siblings.
The 5th day of December 1991, my father died. When classes started back up in January, there was a new kid at school named Phil. Being the teacher’s pet (as I always strived to be in elementary) I was volunteered to show new guy around. So I spent the day with this new Phil fellow, turns out, he was a bit of alright. I told Val and Luke I thought so, and they accepted him also. He also happened to be an only child (at the time) like Val and me. The trio had a new member, and we became four. Now, this is 1991, four elementary school aged boys, if we weren’t playing soccer on the fields, what do you think we were pretending to be?
If you guessed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, well, by golly, you’d be right. If you didn’t guess that because you didn’t know them, take the time to read what Wikipedia says on the subject:
“The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four mutant turtles who were trained by an anthropomorphic, talking rat sensei, Master Splinter, in the art of Ninjitsu. From their home in the storm sewers of New York, they battle petty criminals, evil megalomaniacs, and alien invaders, all while remaining isolated from society at large. The characters initially appeared in comic books before being licensed for toys, cartoons and film adaptations. During the peak of its popularity in the late 1980s through early 1990s, the franchise gained considerable worldwide success and fame. The turtles bear the first names of the famous Renaissance artists Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, Raffaello “Raphael” Sanzio da Urbion, and Donato “Donatello” di Niccolo di Betto Bardi.”
“Ok Edward, I’m with you so far… I guess… so, which one of you were which?”
Glad you asked, the funny thing is, our personalities are relatively the same now as they were when we were kids. So, to continue using Wikipedia:
“Leonardo - The courageous leader and devoted student of martial arts, Leonardo wears a blue mask and wields two katanas. He is the eldest of the four and the most skilled fighter of the turtles. "Leo" was named after the Italian polymath, scientist, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, Leonardo Da Vinci”
Ya… that would be me, the courageous Leader. The devoted student, well, I am the only one with a black belt, so, maybe, but definitely not the best school student of the group. I’m also not the eldest, I’m actually the 3rd. Leonardo however did invent more things related to war then the other 3 artist (real Leo, not Turtle Leo).
“Donatello - The brilliant scientist, inventor, engineer, and technological genius, Donatello wears a purple mask and wields the bō staff "Don" is perhaps the least violent Turtle, preferring to use his intellect to solve conflicts. He is named after the sculptor Donatello.”
Well, I don’t know if Luke is really truly “brilliant” but, he has always been the techy of the group, even when we were kids. He is definitely, and by far, the least violent of the 4 of us (his voting record shows it) but we love him (even if he is a pansy).
“Raphael - The team's bad boy, Raphael wears a red mask and wields a pair of sai. He has an aggressive nature and seldom hesitates to throw the first punch. He is an intense fighter. His personality can be alternately fierce and sarcastic, and often times delivers deadpan humor. Still, he is intensely loyal to his brothers and sensei. "Raph" is good friends with Casey Jones. He is named after the Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance, Raphael Sanzio.”
Val never cared if he was popular in High School, he just was. I don’t know if you can really say one of us is the bad boy, but Val does make a good candidate. A trait he has much more in common with me then with Luke, is his willingness to fight. Leo and Raph fight the most, but are also most dedicated to each other, quite similiarly, there have been times Val and I nearly killed each other, but have been at the other’s side when it was most direly needed. And just like Leo does with Raph, I look out for Val like an overprotective older brother, but that doesn’t mean Val hasn’t turned around and saved MY ass a few times when I needed it. I could go on about my friendship with Val, but this isn’t about him, wait 2 months (exactly) for that one.
Finally…
“Michelangelo - Easy-going free-spirited, Michelangelo wears an orange mask and wields nunchaku. "Mikey" provides much of the comic relief. While he loves to relax, this Turtle also has an adventurous and creative side. He is the youngest of the four. He is named after Michelangelo Buonarroti. His name was originally misspelled "Michaelangelo" by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman – at the time they did not own a dictionary”
Easy-going and free-spirited, I could not have really described Phil any better than that really…
So, besides the fact I’ve known them forever, what makes them so special? Val and Luke are the ONLY friends I have that knew me while my Father was alive. There is however a special place in my heart for Phil, you see… Phil was the very first friend I made AFTER my father died.
Phil, without knowing it at the time (I didn’t even realize it for years) was the person, who gave me back a normal routine. Making a friend so soon, helped me get the concept of life going on. And what a friend… of ALL people for me to make friends with after something horrible like that, who better then a guy who smiles all the time like he slept with a cloths hanger in his mouth. He is so filled with joy. Ya, he has his bad days, but he treats them much better than the rest of us. Me and him can both be having a bad day, I’ll go over and talk to him, and he’ll just talk to me about what is going on with me, and I have to pull what’s wrong with him out like a Chinese torture chamber. He doesn’t feel the need to concern the world with his problems, part of it is his lone wolf-ness, but I think the other part of it, is his protective spirit. Father of the year might not be what he dreamed of become when we were young, but he makes for a great daddy with his caring and nurturing nature.
He was the first of us to have a real job, buy a car, move away from home, get married, and the first of us to have kids. Assuming he wasn’t in there with us saying “man, we really screwed up this time”; he is, without a doubt, the guy that Val, Luke, and I would call at 3 am to bail us out of jail. He has already bailed me out of a couple dead car battery experiences.
Despite all the time that we missed out on during the separation years (wait 2 months again for the 2nd half of the Turtle story); I can NOT imagine what my life would be like without Phil. I don’t think it is a coincidence that his name is short for the Greek word for “Brotherly love”, because I philos Phil as much as a man can philos another human. His wife Angie, son Nic, and daughter Sonia, are blessed to be tied to someone as loyal and dependable as Phil. Val, Luke and I are lucky to have him as a friend, and we are blessed to count him as a brother.
So, while the rest of the world celebrates the birth of the King of Rock n’ Roll, I celebrate the birth of one of God’s best creations, and the best person a man could call a friend…
Happy Birthday Filemon Joseph M. (A.K.A. Mikey) :)
For those who don’t know, that is what I have decided to name my time here in Australia. My first month having been here complete, I figure it’s time for an update.
Objective 1 (Lose weight): has been going slow, but is in fact going. I’m still hovering just below 45 inches, which is bad in the sense that I’m not losing at the speed that I first was, but good in the sense that despite slacking over the holidays, I have not reversed.
Objective 2 (Find job): My handler, Michael the Orange guy, has been (ironically) on the Central Coast with his wife. We are also going on a family road trip for a week starting this Sunday, so starting an actual job during holidays with a need to request time off, not such a great plan.
Objective 3 (Get Ripped like Jesus): well, that kinda follows Objective 1’s completion… so… ya… But I will defend it right now, since so many other people are like, “Ripped like Jesus?” Ya! That’s right! You see… Joshua of Nazareth was a carpenter. Without power tools mind you. PLUS he walked… like a LOT. So, he must have been in shape, and those crucifixes with anorexic Jesus pisses me off.
Objective 4 (Save Money): Well just like O3 is related to O1, so O4 is to O2. But, I will say this, I’m not buying anything I shouldn’t be.
Objective 5 (House Makeover): Edward 3 – Trees 0 Ya… That’s right. The Battle of the Back Yard has begun. Paul is making excellent progress in the Battle against the Shipping Containers. Objective 5 seems to be on course. The boys are getting use to a duty roster that I have implemented. We’ve all slacked at least once (including me) but… we’re trying. We are in a joint effort to keep to it (whether one Gemini likes it or not). Although, a few days ago, while helping Paul, he thought it would be really funny to drop a really heavy piece of sharp metal on my foot, “And it was!” -Paul
Objective 6 (Quit Pepsico Addiction): WOW… talk about hard to do. I honestly did not realize I had such a dependency on it. I’m getting like headaches after a few hours without any. 4 days a week, I am allowed 2, and 3 days a week I’m allowed 3. The program is basically, I started with 3 a day, and beginning on Monday I’ve taken away one Pepsi a day, so in another 3 weeks, I will be down to just 2 a day. But I’m not going to lie… it is extremely hard. It is getting harder and harder. I’ve actually been labeling the cans (ex. Thursday #2) to make it harder to lie and cheat.
Objective 7 (Learn new life lessons): This whole being an only child living with brothers… well, I’ve always known about my problems with pride, arrogance, ego, and being a dick… but… I’ve kinda learned something new…
I’m a bit of a narcissist.
Some of you may be thinking to yourself, “no shit Sherlock”. But hey, come on now, admitting my own problems is a big step for me. Oh, and yes mother… according to Freud it is all your fault… but don’t worry, there are a heap of other German’s who say it’s my own, and a whole bunch of others that say it’s society’s, so, don’t be hard on yourself.
This update of the first full month of Operation Nova Aquila having been finished… I leave you with the closing of my hero’s first Inaugural address:
“The crisis we are facing today does not require of us the kind of sacrifice that Martin Treptow and so many thousands of others were called upon to make. It does require, however, our best effort, and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds; to believe that together, with God's help, we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us.
And, after all, why shouldn't we believe that? We are Americans. God bless you, and thank you.”
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