joshua wilsher

Final Words

2007-05-09T21:00:00.000-04:00

With only a few days left in North America I thought I would make some final comments using this entry, which will probably be my last. I never thought I would be a blogger (mainly for the fact that I didn't know such exsisted), but having spent close to 16 months making contributions to Smoov Goes to College, I consider myself a good citizen of the blogosphere bcos:

* I make regular entries
* I'm arrogant enough to think that what I have to share is worth doing so

And despite its lexical misgivings and frequent errors in syntax, it is complete, being;

206 posts(142 posted in the US, 64 in Canada)
41,996 words

295 images (197 personal, 98 pulled from the web)
31 videos (13 personal, 18 pulled from YouTube)

(A notably more comprehensive body of work than the product of my scholarly pursuits in 2006 - which may suggest the most relevant education is that of life)

Smoov Goes to College is really a tale of two stories - my time at Butler University and the US during 2006, and then in Banff National Park in the winter season of 2007.

It is difficut to pinpoint my time abroad somewhere along a spectrum of enjoyment but the last year has helped to fullfill an enduring desire I've had since a young age; to see what's over that hill.

And while the far side of that hill does not present too many talking Trans Ams or 8 foot 2 inch yellow birds hanging out on street corners, I do agree with one fellow South Australian blogger who recently posted, "(America) is a place where so much of the mythology of my youth is set and it's a real mind spinner. A living fiction."

Anyways, thanks for visiting and as always...

Keep Rockin' in the Free World!

Working Holiday

2007-05-09T17:16:00.000-04:00

I still have the statement of my bank account balance that I printed on a LAX ATM on the first day of this year. It was a little scary. However, I had already booked into, and paid for, two weeks accommodation at the HI Hostel in Banff in hope of securing work in that time. If not, my dream of skiing the Rockies would be shattered and I'd be forced to make a quick b-line for home.

Of course, my fears were unfounded.

I think I made good use of Banff considering the main reason for my stay being to ski. I guess I hit a mountain close to 30 times - the majority of which being SunshineVillage. While I would have loved to have gone more, it is difficult to do so when one works five days a week.

There are, of course, other things to do in and around Banff, chiefly connecting with nature by day and partying by night. I did not partake in the latter on too frequent a basis (heck! you can do that anywhere).

I look back at my time in Pincher Creek with fond memories - while it was only for 2 weeks it was an unusual experience and one that I was not expecting to have.

And while I constantly complain about Macca's, I consider myself fortunate to have acquired regular, relatively well paid (in Banff terms) employment, which was requisite to achieving my goals. Also, the fact that it came with a place to stay was most serendipitous.

While I appreciate the oppurtunites afforded by city living, home amongst dense coniferous forest and alpine landscapes has been a feast for the senses: it smells better, it sounds better, it looks better!

Ahhhh!

2007-05-09T16:33:00.000-04:00

It's not exactly a seller's market at the moment so my pair of 170cm ELAN skis, along with my boots and poles, will sit here until someone arrives in Banff next winter. I hope they enjoy them.

I slept until midday today knowing that the next time I will go to bed will be around midnight tomorrow night - some 36 hours from now. Tonight at 9 I will head over to the Greyhound station with a mate from work, Josh, who is also heading to the airport to make his way home to Ontario. We will spend the wee hours of the night in the airport until our respective flights leave early in the morning. Mine will be heading to Phoenix and to prevent more wasted time at an airport I am thinking of hiring a car and head out into the Valley of the Sun.

The weather is teasing me with a warm last two days - its paradise!!! While I have great things to look forward to, I really am sorry to say goodbye to my surroundings.

Bon Voyage!!

2007-05-05T21:32:00.000-04:00

Having a good time at my going away party:

Marie-Lou hits the ground

Helping Eric back on his chair

Bit of dancing

"Problem?"

Haha!

2007-05-05T02:54:00.000-04:00

How cool is this kid? Excerpts from the Herald Sun:

A 13-YEAR-OLD boy who lives with his gran has been exposed as one of Britain's biggest internet conmen.The boy earned more than £250,000 by posing as the boss of several multinational companies.
He used the cash to revel in a luxury lifestyle way beyond his years: he wore designer suits, drank vintage champagne and travelled by chauffeur-driven limousine.
He even employed a personal bodyguard, flew abroad on business trips and claimed he was going to buy a private jet.
Working from his bedroom at his grandmother's house in west London, he set up a website purporting to sell discounted plasma screen TVs.
Despite not supplying the goods, the money started to roll in.
He eventually set up a stationery and office supply firm, a dating website and a modelling agency.
He moved into a succession of offices, always moving out without paying the rent. He also employed dozens of people after placing ads in a job centre. Unsurprisingly, many weren't paid.
He made bulk purchases on credit from expensive stores and took "business trips" to Paris and Edinburgh.
He hired women from escort agencies and went drinking in exclusive clubs.
The court was told his latest project was a genuine online lingerie store.
Despite this, he was warned he could face a time in jail when he returns to court this month.
His victims are now likely to unite to sue the boy.
He conceded the idea of buying a private jet was "a bit silly - I was only 13 at the time".

Matt

2007-05-02T17:08:00.000-04:00

Here's Matt. Matt was pretty much the first person I met when arriving in Banff; down in the bar of the hostel up on Tunnel Mountain. Thus, he became my friend. It was January 2nd and he'd just arrived from his native Thunder Bay in the boondocks of Ontario. Since then Matt and I have found a combined interest in sharing self-depricating humour and an assortment of scallywag behaviour while sharing some Kokanne's (that's glacier beer) and listening to rock'n'roll on the old MP3 player. Matt always has a good story; be it one about some girl he has met, his housemates (a pair of 65 year old drunks) or perhaps something from his workplace at The Phone Store.

But probably the greatest thing about Matt is his mother because she was the high school sweetheart of Paul Schaffer (from the CBS orchestra (Yeah Dave!)). I have spoken to his mother in length about her relationship and she commented that she still has all the letters that he has written her over the years. I often comment to Matt that he could have been the son of Paul but he suggests that it doesn't really work that way.

Raising Hell in the Seventh Veil

2007-05-02T02:41:00.000-04:00

I have been having some weird dreams lately. You may have read of my Hitler one last week. Well this time Ive been lending a not-so-caring-ear to the concerns of Brad and Angelina on their breakup. I'm not sure why they were confiding in me as all I wanted to do in the time they were sharing their innermost feelings was to get a photo for the blog. As a result I can't tell you about their relationship problems but the dream has had me thinking how it's weird that a pair of desirable people, as such, can't find fulfillment. (This, by the way, is all based on the notion that the supermarket mags are correct in their predictions of a Brangelina split).

A more meaningful pair of dreams are two that were shared during back-to-back evenings - both strikingly similar. One set in Mount Gambier, the other Adelaide. In each I was pensively roaming around its respective town.... which was surrounded by snow-capped mountains. No point in me reading into it too much... altough I'm sure I could.

Some silly woman complained about her chicken nuggets this evening. The crew member who was dealing with her did the right thing and had some fresh nuggets cooked and exchanged them. However, she brought those back and complained to me that her nuggets were hard and crusty. I contemplated agreeing but decided that would be irrespnsible, so I told her to shove her nuggets! No not really, I just refunded her money as per company policy. But it did have me thinking about those KFC nuggets, as I often do. Man, I use to love their nuggets when I was a kid. I often wonder if I would still like them as much or if, like with Dave Evans' Turbo, they were just a thing of my youth. I guess I will never know as I don't eat KFC anymore - haven't since I saw that Pamela Anderson video. Not the one with Tommy Lee (although I did see that one too), but the one with the chickens, Kentucky Fried Cruelty. Of course I still eat Macca's because they really are the shining example of corporate responsibilty!

(NB: I may have actually had KFC in the past year (once) - on Sunset Boulevard with Rick and Daz - but after all our bacchanalian revelry upon the Strip, a little southern fried chicken didn't seem too evil).

Here we are picking up the horse at LAX. We were just about to head down Pacific Coast Highway. Throughout our time riding the city's freeways and byways we did so without the aid of maps. I had spent a considerable amount of time creating 'Mapquests' for our journeys but left them on the train, along with my CDs and DVDs, about an hour before this photo was taken. So we decided maps were for wimps and let our gut instincts lead the way. The only time we had any concern was when we made our trip from Vegas to our place in Venice Beach, but I successfuly guessed my way back into Los Angeles County and from there Daz and Rick were able to guide us into Venice. We celebrated with Jack Daniels and then headed over to a local neighbourhood party.

Hairy Marmot's and other creatures

2007-04-28T21:15:00.000-04:00

Banff truly is a place of two seasons. With resorts operating for around 6 months, it has one of the longest ski seasons in the world. It is timely that I soon leave as the winter season is coming to an end with Sunshine being the only mountain still operating. Many of the Australians whom I speak to are either leaving in the next week or have just arrived. Those that have just arrived will enjoy Banff's temperate summer which brings about an even busier tourist season. It is 7C today so I made my trip to the rec centre with just a light coat (it seems one acclimates quicker than I would have suspected), and on my walk I was thinking of the cool time-lapse videography that they do on those Discovery type programs to show the changing of the seasons.

I was heading to the rec centre for some ice skating, but upon entering the janitor paused from his duties to inform me 'no ice!'. This threw me as I didn't exactly know what he meant by 'no ice', but I got the point when I gazed over to the rinks to find their floor was bare cement. As I walked home along the train tracks I laughed to myself as a pair of unidentified rodents (they may have been Hoary Marmot's), were closely following my move - their heads would pop out of one of their holes in the ground, pause momentarily, and then scurry back through their network of underground tunnels before their heads would pop up in another location. I wish I could see more animals but unfortunately many have been in hibernation - although the local paper has written of one Black bear that has risen from its slumber. Black bears are considered to be a threatened species in the park with only 35-40 left. Suprisingly, their bigger, more feroscious cousin, the Grizzly, is somewhat more prevelant. I spotted a Bighorn Sheep on the way up to Sunshine the other day but am more intent on finding a Mountain Goat - I love the Mountain Goat so I thought I would pull a few pics from the web and post them above.

While Banff is getting busier, so too is McDonald's with over $15K in sales over Saturday and Sunday. Nice news for the owner who also owns a store down the road in the town of Canmore, where I'm sure sales were similar. A great reminder that while I will be sorry to say goodbye to Banff, the same can not be said for the workplace.

It was race day last Friday and unfortunately Team McDonald's did not place in the top 10 of the 32 teams involved in the Giant Slalom. This was not suprising as we were competing against a number of ex-Olympians and a group of youngsters (the eventual winners) who were decked out in their Team Canada race apparel. Ah, it was great fun all the same! My boss, Terry, thinks he will just make a mockery of it next year and call head office for the Grimace and Hamburglar outfits to wear on the day.

I had thought poor old Sunshine was slowly falling victim to the warmer weather (the top of the mountains are quite icy while the ski out is mushy) but a dumping of snow the other day has made some repairs. Hopefully we can get a little bit more to keep them in good shape for the final 4 or 5 times I will hit the slopes. It's been a blast - skiing is such a thrill.

Palandromes and stuff

2007-04-26T03:08:00.000-04:00

Here I am with Michelle. Michelle is Australian - her family home is around the corner from Liz' on North Road. Michelle is a great crew member because she goes beyond our 'Minimum 3 Flair Rule' (as you can see from all the badges on her shirt). Many crew members feel the bare minimum of three is enough, which is fine: but some, like Michelle, choose to wear more... and we encourage that. You see the thing is, people can get a cheeseburger anywhere, but they come to McDonald's for the atmosphere and the attitude. That's what the flair's about. It's about fun.

And my mo' is all about fun too. I think it really caps off my manager look. I'd also like to get my hair done in tight little curls to help cap off the look.

I have 7 days of work left and 7 days of work-free enjoyment. In exactly 2 weeks from now I will awaken, pack my bag and make the short walk to the Greyhound Station at 9pm, en route to New York.

While there is light at the end of the crappy-employment-tunnel, this could be shun by the fact that I may continue my relationship with Macca's.... at Glenelg!!! This is all dependent on how my mother goes in the interview process. You see, mamma bear is in talks with Greg at Glenelg and she is obviously doing a good job as Greg has not felt the need to respond to my emails. I'm not too worried - if I don't get work at Macca's I'm sure I can get into some sort of program out at Heritage.

If I am employed at Glenelg, I think my boss will get a suprise when he realizes that his newest employee is the same guy who came into his store a few summers ago to discuss what he proposes to do about all the red and yellow trash left on the foreshore. As my sister pointed out (who, by the way, is not involved in the interview process, but whom I may call upon for a reference), the reprecussions of my save-the-planet-attitude may have Glenelg mangement hand me a bag and gloves on my first shift.

Sirius

2007-04-24T16:03:00.000-04:00

When Daz, Rick and I were in NY, we acquired tickets for Letterman on an evening that shock-jock Howard Stern was guest (you may know Howard, he recently claimed he's the father of Anna-Nicole Smith's baby). Anyways, it was an unprecedented show with free Sirius Sattelite Radio car stereos being handed out to every member of the audience (along with a three month subscription). This is the kind of behaviour that is usually reserved for Oprah - infact when Stern told us we were all being given the stereo I really thought he was just joking. But, while it was a kind gesture it was of little benefit to any of us because Sirius isnt available in OZ and I dont have a car here.

So I've attempted to set up an account to sell mine on eBay, but this had its difficulties (mainly due to the fact that I'm an idiot). So Ive decided to start up an online bidding system of my own. Here is the first item:

1 x Sirius Plug and Play Satellite & Vehicle Kit (Starmate 4). (see image above) The kit is unopened and security tab is still in place. (Kit includes: RADIO, VEHICLE POWER ADAPTER, REMOTE, VEHICLE ANTENNA, VEHICLE DOCK, DASH & VENT MOUNTS

With

1 x unused Sirius Satellite Radio $50 Programming Gift Card

With a number of prospective readers being Australian I may have stuffed myself by informing that it wont work in Oz. But anyways, bitting starts at 50 cents and if Rick or Daz try and cut you a better deal, I'll sell mine for 10% under their offer.

I don't know how to use Paypal so cash is the only acceptable form of payment. Bidding will close in 15 years or until the item is sold.

Free Countdown Clocks at WishAFriend.com

In and Around Banff township

2007-04-24T13:26:00.000-04:00

What?

2007-04-21T00:02:00.000-04:00

Sorry, it seems I am on a run of late with crazy headlines from news.com.au

This has to be the most ridiculous to date.

A MELBOURNE man who fantasised about contracting HIV before being infected by the virus speaks of a gay subculture in which infection is seen as "desirable".

Hate to sound like a fascist, but could that Melbourne man and his good time friends eat a bullet so I dont have to spend my tax dollars on the ramifications of their f*?'d up sexual fantasies?

What an insult to the millions of kids in Africa orphaned because of AIDS. You sick twat!

Yuk!!!

2007-04-20T04:55:00.000-04:00

Ok, I'll take gun problems over flesh eating rodents any day of the week. Yuk, yuk, yuk!

(Another disconcerting headline from news.com.au)

Carving gnar!

2007-04-18T02:59:00.000-04:00

I love Banff. Last night when I cam home from work Bambi and her mum were waitng for me in the front yard. I am hoping the bears will come out of hibernation before I leave.

Winter activities are coming to an end; Banff's closest mountain, Norquay, closed last week. Lake Louise does the same next week. Sunshine Village stays open till the long weekend in late May. I was up there today "carving some gnar" while the snow continued to fall. I have been compiling music for my big race day next week - I find a little Zac DeLaRocha screaming in my ear helps me to go faster.

Hey, no offence intended for anyone in relation to the comments in my previous entry. My remarks may have carried slight contempt; I just find it mind boggling that a nation steeped so deeply in religious and moral belief can have so many social issues. I guess it's irony is what makes the US so damn intriguing.

So why is there so much violent domestic crime in the US? The conservatives will tell you it's because of the movies and music. Now I'm no Michael Moore (bless his heart),but maybe the following headline from news.com.au could be a more accurate indicator:

Bomb Iran, sings US candidate
US senator John McCain, a 2008 presidential candidate, has sung "bomb Iran" to the tune of a Beach Boys hit when asked about Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Yeah those damn Beach Boys - they're a real problem! Huh, McCain the sonuvabitch, I never did like him. It seems there is little hope for the US going into a new presedential administration.

Death and Stuff

2007-04-16T03:11:00.000-04:00

I had a dream the other night that I was talking to Hitler on talk back radio, although I think it was just someone imitating him. I guess I'll never know.

I think the reason for my Hitler dream was because I'm going to visit Germany when I meet Mike the Mechanic in his college town of Maastricht (Netherlands) and then take the short drive to his native Cologne.

I have been continuing to hitch rides to Sunshine with a strew of different characters. The other day it was with a middle aged man who used the words, "gnarley", "sick" and "dude" too frequently for a man of his age. But if ever there was a place that such a person would exsist, it would be Banff.

This afternoon's ride was shared with a girl who grew up in Mount Gambier (a Rediy Park alumna) and recently bought a place that leads off Pleasant Avenue, Glandore.

I had 2 customers yesterday who are prison guards in a Texas state prison. I can't remember the name of the institution but upon research I learn there are 115 state prisons in Texas (and this doesn't include federal or county jails). I also read the United States holds the dubious distinction of having the largest incarcerated population in the world, with 2 million people behind bars. (With only 5% of the world's population, the U.S. holds a quarter of the world's prisoners). The conversation with the guards was going well until they started their anti-black man chants. God Bless America.

I was thinking about these alarming statistics today as I was listening to Neil Young's "(Four Dead in) Ohio" and then arrived home later in the day to read MSNs headline: "At least 33 dead in rampage on Virginia campus: worst mass shooting in U.S. history". Without having read the details, I bet any money you like this wasn't at the hands of a black man!

.
.
.
.

Ok so I started to read the MSN article:

"Witnesses described him as a man in his 20s, wearing a maroon cap and a black leather jacket...."

(Ok so from that we know it wasnt a black man or the press would have mentioned that - most likely in the story's heading)

"....A spokesman for the FBI in Washington said there was no immediate evidence to suggest that the incident was a terrorist attack, “but all avenues will be explored.”

(Of course it wasnt a terrorist attack you idiots!!! It was another kid who's parents didn't give him enough attention and thus has acted in the all-American way for those fighting for their voice to be heard).

Did I already mention, "God Bless America"?

The Midnight Sun

2007-04-13T16:12:00.000-04:00

An All-Canadian Meal (1 Cheeseburger, 1 medium fries, 1 medium pop) at McDonald's, Canada, will set you back $5.25 (inc. taxes). However, a Double Cheesburger Value Meal (1 Double Cheeseburger, medium fries, medium pop) runs a tab of only $4.23 (inc. taxes). It's an anomoly of the menu!

I have been working on the daunting task of organising the itinerary for my upcoming Eurasia Holiday. I refer to to it as daunting due to the number of connections I had to organise (as you can see if you click on the image above). During the 26 days, I will make a plane or train trip on 12 of them (and multiple trips on a few). While I dont care for the plane flights (for obvious reasons), I look forward to the Eurostar and TGV rides (which, coincidently, broke a new high speed rail record earlier this month clocking in at 357 miles per hour).

It is with prudent planning that I will be able to fullfill the childhood dream of exisiting in a time and place that has no night. Deaparting Oslo, I have found a flight to Tromsø, the world's most northern city, located approximately 400km into the Arctic Circle in Norway. Here I will experience the midnight sun and as this sun will not set, I will have plenty of time to see the sights. Tromsø is home to various different northernmost things on earth - like an 18 hole golf course, which must do great trade with all those hours of light.

A Film Review... kinda!

2007-04-11T13:44:00.000-04:00

grindhouse [noun]

(1): a theater that mainly showed 'grindhouse cinema', also referred to as 'exploitation films', usually consisting of a double feature where two films were shown back to back. These scungy, aound the clock theatres were prevalant along 42nd Street and Times Square, back in the '70s and 80s, before the district became a Disneyfied version of its former self

(2): a 2007 film presented as a double feature of two full-length segments, one being a zombie film, Planet Terror, written and directed by Robert Rodriquez, and the other being a slasher film, Death Proof, written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, with faux trailers advertising fictional films preceding each segment

Back in August last year I made comment in a blog entry about the yet-to-be-released, Grindhouse. I'm not big into zombie films but the artificial film scratches, missing reels gags and assorted aesthetics kept me interested in Rodriquez' part and while Tarantino's homage to trash cinema was not quite as blantant, his contribution was more to my taste.

I love it; cinema about cinema.

Springtime

2007-04-08T01:40:00.000-04:00

Banff, which has more restaurants per capita than anywhere else in Canada, has come alive due to a culmination of fine springtime weather and the Easter weekend. I have been 'celebrating' the festive season working at McDoanld's and despite the strong sales I am told they dont't hold a torch to summer business, when $18,000 days are possible. Yet the past couple of days are clear indication that my decision not to return was indeed a good one - while $18K days are good for the owner they just mean I chase my ass all day. No thanks!

I have spent my 15 minute breaks over the past 3 days taking a stroll down to the bridge that crosses Bow River. From there I see the frozen landbridge I once used to get to my old residence no longer exsists; it has thawed and the river now streams. Banff National Park continues to blow my mind; on my walk home this evening around 9 o'clock I was looking up at a mountain behind which the sun had set, creating an amazing gradient of blue sky, which began white at the rim of the mountian's silhouette and ended black in the night sky. I find boreal forest magical - this no doubt has something to do with its place in American cinema!

As you would probably assume, trying to cash in on a 'Transportation Voucher Exchange Coupon' is an exercise in futility - I have spoken to US Airways on several occassions and have been given different information each time regarding the use of my voucher for a free flight (which was given to me by one of the Aussies who came over to Butler last summer). The funny thing is, it doesn't really even bother me bcos I didnt expect anything different. I have considered just paying for my flight to NYC but am put off when I read the list of charges that are added to the fare, which include, among others; Plus Fuel Surcharge, US International Arrival Fee, Canada GST, US Immigration, US Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service Fee, US Passenger Facility Charge, September 11 Security Fee, Canadian Airport Improvement Fee, Canadian Air Travelers Security Charge, One Eye-One Arm Fee, Fee for Breathing, Fee for Living.... ok so maybe I made up the last couple.

Mad Mad World!

Well it seems that I was able to get my flight in the end. So late in the evening on May 9th I will begin my journey from Banff to NYC, which will have me in a state of transit for over 24 hours. That's always fun!

Easter

2007-04-07T03:26:00.000-04:00

Today marks the one month point until I leave Banff, and coincidently, the time remaining represents exactly one quarter of the entire duration of my stay.

Of course these statistics are based on the assumption that my plans will go ahead. After the excitement of my winning bid for a Coachella ticket, I realised I had given little thought to how I might actually get to the music festival out in the Californian desert. After careful consideration, I calculated that such an exercise (when taking into account flights and loss of income from leaving Macca's earlier than anticipated) would cost around $1000 - a lot of money for a 45 min - 1 hour gig. In light of this, I am planning on other things.

Many of the towns people are getting around with goggle tans at the moment and I am no exception (although in my case, thanks to my pig Irish heritage, its more of a burn than a tan). This is the result of the fantastic spring weather we have been experiencing these past few days. Yet despite the sunny times, Sunshine is still in fantastic shape thanks to sub zero temperatures that continue overnight and the snowcats that plow its runs.

My trip to California would also mean that I miss out on my day at the races. You may recall comment that I've joined a race team - its actually a corporate day up at the mountain so I guess there will be as much attention on the luncheon as there is on the actual racing. Yet what's worth doing is worth doing well so I have been partaking in a little light training with a downhill race course, equipped with gates, paired poles and timing gear. I completed a run in 16 seconds yesterday. Is that good? I have absouloutley no idea.

In addition, I have been spending time in the terrain park where I have finally built up enough courage to tackle some of its jumps, the result being some "gnarley air time".

In other news, the Florida Gators won the men's college basketball championship this past week. The back to back title win has sports columnists posing the Best (men's college basketball) Team Ever question? Whatever the case, Butler can be proud that they were competative against such a team in their Sweet 16 loss.

I thought I would add this photo below. It was taken from an article on news.com.au about Luc Longley's house fire. Look at MJ there - he looks god like. Man he was something!

I Like Big Dumps!

2007-04-03T16:55:00.000-04:00

So the skiing is coming along well, uuummmmm....

My Sonny Bono/Michael Kennedy impersonation was performed at Sunshine where the snow continues to fall, suprisingly, and I guess the regular dumps over the past 5 months are reason why this is one of the world's premier skiing areas.

I tell ya, I hate smart alec kids! I was cruising down the mountain today and some youngster passes me as he heads towards a ledge and while I'm thinking the poor kid's out of control, he hits the ledge, gets massive air, does a 360, lands on one ski and continues on. Unfortunately for myself, one needs to start at a young age to truly master the sport.

But hey, kids like him may be able to do 360s but they can't buy themselves tickets for Coachella. But I can, so I skiied down to the trapper's lodge and made the winning bid for a ticket to the Saturday show on ebay. This plan had been in the pipeline as it will be my only chance to see the Stadium Arcadium tour.

Decisions!

2007-04-01T16:02:00.000-04:00

Flipping through the supermarket magazines while waiting in line today, I noted news of Carmen Elektra and Joan Jett's "gay love", and a 200kg car crushing mouse is living under the streets of NYC. Yikes!

Man, these "Late Nights" are messing with my sleeping patterns but thankfully I am now finished with them and my schedule will return to normal. Currently, its 4am which means its time for some, oh no, late night blogging!!! But wait, dont go, I'll try to keep it productive.

I have given my 5-odd-weeks-notice-of-resignation to the bosses which means I will not be returning to Canada. After careful consideration I have decided it is the best decision for me to return to Adelaide. This will be the first time that I make a return; apart from some short stints in The Gam, it seems that I have always ventured to new surroundings, so the fact that I choose territory that I am familiar with speaks positively for Colonel Light's vision for the city ... and perhaps a few of the folk that reside in and around it.

However, it's with slight trepidation that I arrive at this point. While travelling allows me to tick off a number of 'to do' things on my Vision 2020, it tends to seriously neglect entire sub-catergories that lie within the plan. With this in mind, and recognition that I find it hard to stay settled in any one place for an extended period of time, I am presented with some concern.

Yet, with this aside, I guess a key step in the application of any 2020 is to make sure fun is being had along the way, and with that said, I'll see ya in June!

Stuff it!

2007-03-30T14:37:00.000-04:00

I love when you drag yourself out of bed after a "Late Night" shift to make your way to the mountain only to realise, upon arrival, that it's Friday and you only have a "midweek" pass (Mon-Thurs). By the time you make your way back home its taken and hour and half out of your day.

I also love how I am suppose to recieve 2 tax returns this month but one is seized by the Australian government and the US edition lost within the postal system.

But probably the best thing of all is realisation that you have spent the last two years working towards a new career that seems extremely difficult to break in to. While I have only applied for two positions within Australia, the most recent was unsuccessful. Over 160 applicants are vying for a part-time position in Orange. The fact that a part-time, country position, is so hotly contested for, seems to indicate that employment prospects are minimal.

Now that the foregoing does not play a factor in my decision as to whether I return to Australia in June or December, I must consider want I want to do, despite any obligations I feel I have. By not making a decision, I guess decisions are being made for me (my boss asked me again the other day what city I fly into).

On a sunnier note, I had one of my best days of skiing yesterday; mainly for the fact that I went really fast, the weather was fantastic, and I went along with Matt who provided some laughs - most memorable being his plowing through a fence, the other a flirtatious text he accidently sent to his boss. Very amusing!

I've joined a racing team!!! Yeah, and you didn't think I was that good, hey? Well don't worry, I'm not. Nevertheless, I'm being "signed" to Terry Jensen Racing and we will be going into competition late April.

Lastly, as you can see I have four links to the right of this page, that navigate to other corners of the WWW. One of which is Fleamail. Fleamail is Flea's blog and I am happy to see he has resumed updating it with some sort of regularity. I find the happy disposition of the Melbourne-born bassist to be inspiring (tho it probaby is easier to be happy when you make millions of dollars doing what you love). I have included his latest entry below as it probably illustrates, in similar ways to mine (although for mine, fare less eloquently), that life is never without its complications. I like to hear that he is in Oz too:

03.30.07
Fleamail, March 30, 2007
From: Michael Balzary
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2007 5:55 am
To: members@redhotchilipeppers.com
Subject:

hi everyone

yesterday i received very disturbing news that someone has been
impersonating me on a myspace website
i do not want to give the name of this idiot's website and grant him
an iota of dignity that he/she does not deserve
but i understand that this person has been sending out notes that are
racist and insulting and disgusting
i fell terrible that someone would send out racist messages period
and even worse that it is done in my name
so if anyone has had contact with this asshole
please know that i am doing what it takes to get him to stop carrying
on in this way

on a brighter note
i am down in australia getting ready to begin our tour down here
i am a happy man
seeing family
and communing with nature

sorry we had to postpone our shows in japan
but it was our only option

i love everyone

2007-03-26T07:21:00.000-04:00

This is my life at the moment; getting home at 5am from work. 5am is a funny time of day - a good time to start a religon or plan a murder - but Ill probably just be lazy and go to bed.

Writing of scallywag behaviour the pic below is of me posing with promotional headwear given to me when I bought my beer. See how u can learn about cultural differences when abroad; in Australia you usually get the stubby holder, but here in the north u get beanies. I have a couple of promotional beer beanies.

It was shortly after this photo was taken that my pal from Thunder Bay, Matt, and I headed into town (minus the hat). The slow drinker that I can often be, I hadn't quite finished my can of Kokanee so took it to drink the last bit on our walk - knowing quite well that I only had a small bit left and would finish it before arriving. So as we're walking, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police happen to drive by, do a u turn, come back towards us, turn their lights on and get out of the car. (By the way, the mounted police dont have little lights on the tops of the horses heads - RCMP get around in cars. Ive never seen one on a horse and question if they even have any horses). So they ask Matt and I for our ID and then the female police officer asks for my address. I had to apologise as I don't know it (cos all mail in Banff is sent to general delivery at the PO so there is no real need to know your address). She said well I better start to remember it bcos Im about to get a ticket. I politely told her it wasnt a matter of remembering, I never actually knew it to begin with. I told her I could show it to her (as it was only about a 100 metres up the road). Anyway, $115 fine which I thought was a little unfair. So Im going to have to head down and see the JP cos I don't care to pay it. And the reason why is because I see people throw their cigarette butts on the ground and they don't get jack. And when Im walking around town, if I see McDonald's trash on the ground, I pick it up and dispose of it thoughtfully. And what thanks do I get? $115 fine. I dont care too much for the RCMP - Ive heard of the same thig happenning to other people but they've also been thrown in jail for the night and made to sleep in a cold cell with only their singlet and boxers. It happened to a female fellow workmate and Australian. It seems I missed out on the jail time which kinda sux but then I guess in some ways not.

Anyway, it seems, 5am blogging only gives way to writing utter rot so back to the planning of that murder.

Eurasia Tour

2007-03-25T18:28:00.000-04:00

I have started organizing Smoov's Eurasia Tour which will be taking place in less than 2 months. I will make my way back to New York City to hang with MC Casper in Crooklyn for a few evenings. This will be a funny time as I feel it will be somewhat of a closing to my relationship with The Big Apple... well at least for while. What a city!

Then its across the pond; "Yes, London. You know, fish, chips, cup of tea... bad food, worse weather, Mary-friggin-Poppins. London!" where I will see Ac and Daniel-son and baby. That will be a right laugh. I can't wait to see London again. Not much there that I didn't get done last time, tho u can reserve me a seat at The Prince Charles cinema (my favourite hang out). Also, I find West End shows to be a more affordable alternative to Broadway. Oh yeah and Courts!!!

From there, I will probably take the Eurostar under the English channel into France where I cant wait to meet with Caroline and Tito again and hopefuly stay with Amaury in his hometown Paris. (You may remember Amaury and our chance encounter with Jared from Subway). Yes it will be a feast for the ages with copious amounts of vin rouge and frogs legs in the Latin Quarter. Yeah, yeah, yeah!!!!

I'm thinking about grabbing a Eurail pass from there and heading into Germany (as I haven't been there) to see Mike the Mechanic. You may remember my video of Mike working on the Cobalt in Cleveland en route to Toronto. Yeah, yeah, yeah!!!!

From there I have to make my way back to London so I can fly to Norway. The chief reason for choosing my flight path to include Scandanavia is because I have always wanted to experience the phenomenon of the "Midnight Sun" that occurs in latitudes north of the Artic Cicle (and south of the Antarctic Circle) where the sun is visible at midnight (perfect for sitting back and listening to some Zeppelin; "We come from the land of the ice and snow where the midnight sun and the hot springs blow") . Nordkapp is genereally denoted as being the northern most point in Europe and has many days of midnight sun in the summer. Unfortunately, Nordkapp is not accessible by public transport and rental cars are an expensive aternative so this plan may or may not come to fruition. But I have a buddy I met in Hollywod Hostel, Arnulf, in January 06, who lives in Oslo so it will be cool to hang with him.

I then fly back to Heathrow to get out of Europe. I will spend a few days in Hong Kong which I can't wait to see!

Then its back in OZ. Yeah, yeah, yeah! This is where the difficult decision comes in. My boss here proposed that he give me 3 weeks off to go home but then he will fly me back to continue work at McDonald's until just before Christmas when he will fly me home. There are certainly benefits to this including:

* It would allow me to save enough money to support myself when I go back home in December

* I would have completed my management training at McDonald's and while I don't care to continue with a career in the corportaion, it would be further experince.

* I would be able to enjoy some warmer weather here in Canada, skip Adelaide's winter (which in reality is probably not much unlike a Banff summer) and then return to Oz for yet another summer. I like summer

* Be able to take my Eurasia tour with just a bacpack - and could leave all my stuff here and only have to deal with it during my direct return flight in December

Gaining a position at WIN Television would almost definetely have me return to Austraia for good. And while I look forward to returning to Adelaide and question my interest in spending such an extended period of time in the "Banff bubble" and McDoanald's, such a commitment could be worth it. Time will tell!

Bugger

2007-03-25T17:06:00.000-04:00

The last entry ended abruptly as did the Bulldogs quest to make the Elite 8 for the first time in school history. I guess this was expected and they can be proud of how well they did. So close.

I guess I was looking for the season to continue as it also meant my involvment (in a passive sense) with Butler University. Now that my international studies are finished, I've left Indy, recieved my grades (3.93/4.00 GPA... sweet!), and the basketball season is finished, my association with the school is pretty much over. This is ok, I ony want two things from it; employment and fond memories. I think I'm guaranteed the latter.

As for employment, I sent a resume off to WIN Television in Orange, NSW (that's Banjo Patterson country) for the position of Trainee Camera Operator/Editor. This is what I want to get into and feel that my resume was quite impressive for application to a trainee position. It is strange that I have not heard back as I was told I would - maybe its just taking some time. While I would be less than ecstatic living in Orange, I would jump at this oppurtnity to break into the industry, albeit part time.

I'm half way through my stints at "Late Night". It certainly is different serving the inebriated and in some ways more enjoyable, but I won't mind getting back to a semi-regular schedule at the end of the month before I go zombie . Looking back at my blog I see that it's a year since I was in Mississippi, so I thought it would be appropriate to re-post my pic of a Macca's I took while down there. I remember it being very early mornng, very muggy and quite disturbing.

My hosuemate Karine and I decided to take a walk from Alberta to British Columbia the other day. While that sounds like a great effort it really just means we drove to the province border and made the short wak from one welcome sign to another. While over that way we visited Lake Louise and gatecrashed a party of Macleod Dixon Law firm in the Chateau. Lovely people.