Photos - For goodness' sake!?

Is that how far I am behind on uploading my photos, really? Have I really not uploaded anything since Brisbane!?

I am making amends now - starting at the end, instead of the beginning (as all blogs should - when they're behind at least).

My 'photostream' on Flickr can be found here

I have been considering writing info and comments on the photos themselves rather than attempting to work them into blog entries (which obviously hasn't been happening) - I think I will give that a try.

Don't ask how convenient it will be for the viewer, I don't have that much experience with Flickr. But I encourage you to try it out! There's some photos of wonderful places in there.

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@JohnSBaxter
2009-traveldiary.blogspot.com
2009-motorcyclist.blogspot.com

Easter, looking forward

11/4/2009

Happy Easter!

It is so hard sometimes not to just look at tomorrow.

I'm sitting in a cafe at Traralgon (average coffee), enjoying a weekend, some time off.  With the Easter long weekend approaching my immediate thoughts were to find a country town or holiday place that would give me a few shifts and some accommodation for the weekend.  My main occupation currently is working, earning, getting by, and with a couple of short working weeks causing problems for the balance sheets it made some sense.  But thinking about it, what I was really looking to do was to extend the status quo - the day-to-day - to a long-weekend.  No, I decided, no, fuck that, I'm going to have an actual weekend.  I'm going to have some time off, get back in touch with my todo lists, and find other ways to be productive.  It is so easy when working a lot to measure productivity in terms of the job, but if I learnt anything being unemployed in Melbourne, it's that there are more ways to produce value than working for The Man. It might seem subtle, but it was quite striking having that realisation and deciding to do something else (beyond a tomorrow the same as today).

It just so happens, being a traveller - an explorer - getting out and about and seeing places is high up the priority list. The lucky bastard I am, going for a ride isn't an indulgence, it's an investment. Am I living the life, or what?

After a rather anulled Good Friday, today's SVDownunder ride was a no-brainer that I was well overdue for.  Having had a bit of wristy fun, discovered some absolutely fabulous places (Walhalla), I'm hanging out in Traralgon, pursuing another aspect of life's todo list, blogging. It's been a while, and while I'll be brief I'll let you know the situation.

Sydney

With the parents scheduled to depart Sydney for Europe in May I've settled on a Melbourne departure; sometime soon after Sunday 17th May. I'll head home to look after the house and dog, tie up a few loose ends, and hang out in Sydney a bit.

If I've learnt one thing about Sydney in my time away it's that I don't know it that well.  Just as this trip is to get aquainted with an Australian backyard I don't really know, it will also be about learning the front yard I've always lived in.  Being 'on holidays' provides an excellent opportunity to do just that, so when I get back I'll be exploring Sydney and surroudns as well.  I'm really looking forward to it - and to getting back in touch with everyone.

I'll be doing a lot of bike (and van) work as well - including possibly painting both bikes, maybe some hearty engine or suspension work.

I'm thinking very hard about selling both the racebike and the van... - yes the van I only just bought and spent forever messing around with.  The money could be directed so much better, and I'm not using the van a great deal.  I do also have a weird desire to live rough - just the bike and luggage - which I can see being a much more fulfilling way to travel.  A few of the drawcards of having a van haven't really come into play - the only real sacrifices would be not being able to carry a bicycle, and cutting down on clothing (it's hard enough getting through a full working week with four black t-shirts and two whites).  Part of the willingness to do away with these is the realisation that the money for the van - the rego alone! - would cover purchasing new things as needed.  The van isn't worth enough that it wouldn't be worth keeping it sitting around if it weren't for rego costs - and I'm not factoring in the insurance I am still putting off purchasing.

I think I just convinced myself - the only thing really left for the sales to hinge on is finding buyers.

Anyone want to buy a minivan or a racebike?

Melbourne

So, with limited time (a month!), I am trying to do Melbourne to a timeframe.  A few of the things I am looking forward to:

Comedy Festival: there's all sorts of stuff on, it's a great opportunity to get out and see what the town's about.

Motorcycling: there's a few general areas and a few must-dos, like the Great Ocean Road, South Gippsland (and the Strzeleckis), the bushfire-affected East, and the greater-Melbourne metro area.

AFL: I've done cricket at the MCG, but not AFL (anywhere).  I'd love to see the Swans play, but if I want to catch an MCG match I'll have to do someone else.

Bars, restaurants, coffee... there's a famous bar or two I need to try out, some hot tapas places, some famous espressos to try, and a few restaurants - particularly the Greek cuisine so famous here, unfortunately largely expensive eateries these days.

Melbourne Discourse: by which I mean the 'talk', art etc. about and characterising Melbourne. In particular, I want to borrow Radical Melbourne (2) and wander the streets with it.

Graduate work: I'm still working on getting a job for next year, and unfortunately it doesn't look as though any application processes will have finished within the month.  I'm not that worried about whether I can find something, I'd just like it finalised.

Property: the parents have more or less withdrawn support for me to get a property down here, and as much as I could work on that, don't I have better things to do?

Speaking of which

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@JohnSBaxter
2009-traveldiary.blogspot.com
2009-motorcyclist.blogspot.com
jsbaxter.com.au (coming soon!)

March Reconciliations

I haven't sat down today to write the news, but now that I'm here I'll pass you a few words.

Work and Busiment

I'm finally working a little: finished a short trial last week - cheque made to-cash;

worked all weekend at the Moomba festival;

worked all week at David's All'Angolo cafe;

except - Wednesday did a trial shift at Jimmy Watson's wine bar in Carlton, and attended Melbourne Uni's huge grad careers fair.

Next week I should be with David five days (including 6:30am Monday - lordy, lordy), and at Watson's three evenings - hopefully this is the first of many such weeks.

I also got around to doing that salsa class on Thursday which went well - I'm getting used to the steps and it's falling into place nicely.  Soon I'll have picked up a few more moves and a bit more technical competency and I can actually head out dancing.

The Situation Otherwise

I just realised, I've actually been in Melbourne two weeks longer than I was in Bright all up, and I still feel like I just arrived!

Applying for graduate work for next year - have only submitted one to Deloitte so far, but am making progress.

I have a new incentive to pick up a graduate contract sooner rather than later, or rather than becoming a 'hospitality professional', writer, freelancer or traveller: I didn't get the negative reception I expected when I floated to my parents the idea of borrowing with them guarantor to purchase a Melbourne property - only the understandable and expected reaction that they would want me to have some income security.

So, I'm back doing a bit of pre-consideration research this weekend, along with these applications, and hopefully by mid-year I'll have signed the contract on my first property, having a job and my own home (/investment property) to come back to next year.

All this stuff has, as you may have noticed, meant a little less blogging than I'd have liked.

Melbourne

I'm increasingly seeing Melbourne as a place I would love to live - I don't mean forever - necessarily - but the time I spend here I expect to enjoy. The city and surrounds are just really nice, interesting, engaging places to be, no matter what day or time it is that you're out and about.  The CBD doesn't die to the same extent Sydney does outside work/after work/Friday/Saturday, and there are worthwhile establishments in every area which can be relied upon at any time to help cure the soul.

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@JohnSBaxter
2009-traveldiary.blogspot.com
2009-motorcyclist.blogspot.com
jsbaxter.com.au (coming soon!)

Initial post: The Situation

The Situation is that I should not be procrastinating writing this blog!

Desired departure is next Monday. (Expected is ~Thursday.)
Upcoming is the Sydney Toy Run on Sunday;
Farewell/HouseCooling this Thursday.

You should come! To both!

For all of the above I have shitloads to organise. Hopefully things will calm down once I leave Sydney, maybe I can write without a feverish sense of wasting time. And who knows, I might even find an internet connection so I can publish it!