The Snapping Parallel

FAr continent number9

Today we are picking Henno up at the airport, that will be interesting.  I would say I am more relaxed now than before.  Played Tennis 2 nights ago, frisbee the day before that, and I go swimming often.  I like that kind of stuff.  I haven’t really worked full on yet but the other day consisted of 7.5 hours of work.  Their are two stages.  Picking pears and packing pears.  I prefer picking pears.  Which consists of walkin around tree after tree plucking pears and dropping them into a sack.  We will see how I deal with full time work.  Pretty much when doing these kinds of tasked one is faced with two options: Mindfulness or Fantasizing.  Mindfulness is just living in the present…thinking about the next 20 pears is an absurd notion.  And fantasizing can be anything but it is a little more work.  It doesn’t even have to be about people, I was thinking about multiplication tables the other day while the conveyor belt slowly dropped pears in a bucket.  8×7 12×7 12×8 12×11 are the ones that don’t come instantaneously to me.  I also converted a widely known time-passing song.  99 slices of cake for the coi, 99 slices of cake, take a slab give it to Crabb. 98 slices of cake for the coi.  Weird.  Everyone go out today and do one good thing for the environment it needs some help.

~Nate

Photos, Photos, Photos.

~Photos

P.S. Room H101 is a bathroom not a classroom

My first SuperBowl breakfast.  The game is not as popular over here, though it did get a lot of attention since one of the punters was Australian.  That was fun to watch, the football players get so pumped after doing anything.  It’s funny to imagine other non-football events leading to their vigorous hand pumps and chest pounds. (like downing a juice-box filled with ketchup)  But this sports related entry must turn towards another event that happened the day before.  Actually it could be said that it happened on the same day of the Superbowl.  Yes my friends the championship called the Australian open.  Even if tennis is not in ones interest at all, this was a very dramatic occurrence.  The epic 5 set match saw Nadal Victorious, and Federer did not hide his emotions.  C’mon Roger.  Well its hot enough in this room that I feel like an athlete just sitting in this swivel chair, off to sort boxes of pears now.  Until next time, oh yeah the next post is gonna be HUGE!

~Nate

Its been a while it feels like.  Being off Internet for the last few days has halted my writing.  It’s hard to compile everything together in my mind, but lets see.  I was on a surfing trip for the last 3 days, before arriving at my destination.

I learned a few things on the surfing trip.   Sunscreen does not last 4 hours, and I am not Johnny Tsunami.  Mmmmm lets go to wikipedia:  ” Johnny has good friends, a great family, and a grandpa who is a surf legend. But then, his dad gets a job transfer and makes his wife and Johnny move to Vermont.” Yes that is interesting how about a famous quote. ” Johnny: (To Brett and his friends) Surf’s up, dudes” That’s from TV.com.  Can’t find the good one where Brett is telling Johnny about his side of the mountain.  Disney movies were such a thing to look forward to, I wonder if they still produce those quality films.

A bad part of the trip was the accommodation.  It was awful.  It was so hot that I could barely have any covers.  But the first night my body started itching and my wakefulness actually increased as time passed.  Finally after getting up I discovered that  I was being eaten alive by MOSSSIES.  But it wasn’t funny seriously, It took me roughly 5 hours, and 2 showers to fall asleep.  And it was not any better the next night, It was a constant choice between heat and bugs.  And I woke up at 7:15 both mornings.   The surfing was decent, I stood up a few times which was satisfying.  Just wanted to be like our president. Ahh well.

Anyways back to the other Jonny, who is currently singing in the background. My flight arrived in Perth this morning by the way.  The pear farm is a very Australian setting.  Gum tree’s, a 1 story house, and more extreme heat.  My mood is odd now.  I am try to just do things and not think too much because I will inevitably get worked up about my location.  Hopefully I will get into some kind of routine here.  It is nice that Jonny is here, but I still find it weird entering some one else’s plans when staying with them, not being sure how much to go along with.  The intense work (8 hour days) ‘ start for a little while, so I will be doing random stuff until then.  Their is much to think about.  Weird, wasn’t that idea just trying to be avoided.  Keep it going.

~Nate

Ok so.  Where do I start.  I booked the train.  Then I started freaking out about my decision as I often do.   Regardless, I decided that It was actually a bad Idea to do the 3 day trip.  I would only get a 50% refund for cancelling it which is better than nothing.  But I was worried about missing out on flights, so before I cancelled the train, I booked my flight to Perth.  Then I went to the train station to cancel.  The guy informed me I would lose 50% of what I payed a steep price.  Then after looking at his computer screen for another 5 minutes, he informed me that I had actually gotten a “special deal” that could not be refunded at all.  Mmmm that’s kind of bs.  Anyway my 300 dollar ticket is now sitting in a trash can somewhere in Sydney.  I don’t think selling it was an option.  I have been so meticulous about money spending this last week.  So after intense duress and some tears(though I am kind of a softy about this, they weren’t tears of sadness more of aggravation), I actually felt liberated.  If time is money, then wasting money thinking about money is a very silly thing to do.  And I will avoid it in the future.

~Nate

Far Continent Number 7

Australia day, known to the the aboriginal peoples as Invasion day, is roughly equivalent to our 4thof July.  It was yesterday.  Being in Central Sydney on this occasion was exciting.  I went out for the day with people in my room!  Tom and Chris, soccer players from England.   They left school at 15 to play full time, got injured a few years later, and are now traveling together.  We ate ham sandwiches, and watched this weird kids concert.  An young women was chasing around and old women who was dressed as a maussi (mosquito).

I’m going to Perth soon, to work on Jonny’s farm as previously mentioned.  I just booked a 72 hour train trip across the country.  3 days in 1 seat.  I am kind of stressed out about it now.  I feel like this ride might cause me to have a mental breakdown or something.  Do you think it is worth it?  Cancelling would cost me a chunk of money, but that’s irrelevant if I actually can’t handle it.  What do you think?

~Nate

P.S. Cinnamon buns are not Vegemite buns.  Don’t make my mistake of thinking that brown stuff is the gooey cinnamon yumminess.

Is it even worth writing about this.  I don’t think so…   Maybe I will draw a picture.

~Nate

Far Continent Number 6

I’m starting to realize how little people from the US travel in comparison to other countries.  In these past two weeks I have yet to meet ANYONE from the east coast.   The closest Ive come is watching James Blake on the tennis court.  There were a few Californians a while back but that is pretty much it.  Canadians don’t count, though they are everywhere. If somone  else from Connecticut is met on this trip I will… well give me some ideas,  I’m willing to make some kind of absurd agreement.

The US is where the grape nuts are.  Here is my grocery list, went earlier today.

• Pasta
• Tomato Sauce
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 liter Milk
• 2 Loaves bread
• .25 kg Ham
• Uncle Someones Tasty Cereal
• 1 CarrotWhats the damage!?: $24 AUD

Money Drains.  Spending time, money and energy purely for yourself is not the greatest feeling.  That’s why people travel together.  For example: (Yay what a cool monument, 10 minutes later.  Hello monument.)  Tomorrow is Australia day, and the announcer in Wake Up! (My Hostel) is currently announcing on the intercom system.  Kind of like school announcements, except they’re advertising alcohol.  Wow he just today has been the hottest day in Sydney in 40 years. 49 C.  I learned that lesson.   At the beach today their was hot grass.  No joke. it was as hot as pavement.   For some reason I thought the sand would be better.  I sprinted out onto the sand.  Then literally started running on pure instincts, running all the way back to where I came from.  My feet burned, for real.

Speaking of heat has anyone seen Delano lately?  Ahaha, damm everyone’s sleeping right now.  I say hello to you in your dreams, If anyone dreamed about me let me know.

~Nate

Also if the tone of this blog seems off it is because not really a representation of my base emotions.  Which I think is obvious.  It is more like stories about the trip.  If you want to talk to me, then send me an email.  GAR!

Far Continent Number 4

Its morning at the Green House backpackers hostel.  A friendly place with tables, people, and one more thing.  Going back to tennis again today.  Wait meant to say;  I am about to witness the grand slam of the asia/pacific on the worlds biggest stage.  Ahh Melbourne does a great job advertising this event.

I went with Jonny last monday.  Lets introduce him, blond hair, sunglasses, says wicked a lot.  Does photography at my camp.  Nick, Willy and Telly have met him.  Jonny is the owner of the pear farm that I am going to.  He was just in Melbourne traveling.

Let me tell you of a bet between us.  In the last few days I have been making a bunch of potato jokes to Jonny.  It is the kind of joke that doesn’t make sense, and actually is not funny at all.  Unless it is repeated

over and over again.  “What if we get to the court and instead of players there are two stationary potatoes lying on either side of the net” I said to Jonny.  “Mate, every time you say potato in the next two months you owe me dollar” Jonny replied.  I countered ”every time you say mate in the next two months you owe me a dollar”   Keep posted for results of the bet.

People are waiting in line for this computer, don’t like writing under pressure.  As shown with my 45 minute word prompts done in school.  So I will write more later.

~Nate

My alarm was set for 2:54 am.  But I woke up right before it went off, must have been my strong sense of patriotism.
I was feeling very homesick last night, and this reminder of home made me even more nostalgic.  During this period of wake, I was very proud to be an American. Obama is an inspiring figure.  He makes the issues of ones own life seem not as formidable.  The two Australian TV announcers didn’t really do the whole thing justice, but I saw the important parts.  It was so comforting to see all those Americans, and both my parents and Tim were at the ceremony.  I miss the cold weather, that might sound ridiculous but I feel like I kind of hibernated during winter every year.  Hopefully senior winter was enough to last me two years.

U.S.A.

Nathan

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