That’s the name of the game
So here’s one thing that I really enjoy – making catchy titles for things. If it was actually a job to come up with rhyming headlines, or Alliterative advertisment slogans then I would pursue it with all vigour. Alright I might wonder after a while what I really have given back to the community – whether there would be anything more worthy to write on my headstone than ‘Here lies a man whose finest work included rhyming ‘fossil’ with ‘collossul’ in the spring 2015 edition of Dinosaur Madness’. So instead of aiming at that lofty career path I try to incorporate it as much as I can into my current career and social life. A recent very well recieved example is the subject line that I included in my first email to twenty or so full time collegues at work. It said “Vagabonding session” and was regarding setting lunch times with the Vagabonds so that they could get to know the full time staff. I got two compliments back about it which made me feel well chuffed. Although I certainly enjoy the compliments they do not dictate the direction of my work. Quite recently I made a title that had me smiling on the inside like a goose on laughing gas, although I knew that no one else would be likely to get it. It was in fact the title of the very last post on this blog “I like pie”. The blog referred to Obama and my serendipidious encounter with an apple pie. This title works a treat because in the lead up to the election Obama made reference to his taste in pies, which was picked up by the Chaser’s war on everything team who printed shirts with him and the caption “I like pie” on them. Ahh it all fits so neatly.
I like pie!
Alright, so yesterday was the inauguration or whatever and apparently it is a big deal so I felt like I should write about it, but really it was a distant second in terms of things that amazed me and made me happy. Let me set the scene…
I was sitting with fellow interns in our little alley way at the back of the TOMS HQ for lunch and had just finished my sandwhich. I was pretty content and happy, but then something happened that made me blossem into a flower of joyfullness. A man walked out from the cafe next door and said “Does anyone here like apple pie and ice-cream”, he was indeed holding one of the biggest apple pies I have ever seen with heaps of vanilla ice cream on top. He sat it on the table, then bought out some plates and spoons and then left again. All eight of us helped our selves to the pie and there was still left overs so we offered them to anyone who walked by. You must believe me now, this was no normal apple pie – it was just cinamonny enough, the pastry was not soggy but not crumbly either- and most of all, there was so much of it. And the ice-cream was not your run of the mill supermarket ice-cream but the silky smooth kind found in gourmet expensive buckets. This experience made me so very very happy, and I am extremly glad that Caitlin, a current Vagabond is with us as this man who bought us the pie was her former boss.
Sure history may prove Obama to be more influential, but I think I’ll probably remember more about my pie experience on 20th of January than any 18 minute speech.
Barack to the future
It was Inauguration day here today, and as you could imagine it was quite a big deal to the Americans here. People in our house got up at around seven to start watching the broadcast on one of the nine channels that were showing it on the television. Some of the lead up fluff pieces were basketball players saying how they’d like to shoot some hoops with Obama, and there was some actual footage of him playing a bit and actually looking good. A stark contrast to the footage of former Prime minister Howard making a very ordinary bowl with a cricket ball. Hundreds of thousands of people were packed on Capital Hill to watch the historic event, yet many times more were watching it on the tele – according to the ever reliable CNN(NN?) this would be the most watched thing on television in the world ever. Once the delegates had walked out and the musical items had ceased, Barack made his speech which was very well written and executed. My favourite line was one directed to unfriendly countries ‘we will extend a hand if they will unclench their fists’ – or there abouts. By the end of the speech a couple of people who I was sitting with had tears in their eyes. And that day many people wore Obama shirts to work – Larry even wore a tight cut off black Muscle shirt that said ‘Barack the vote’. Americans certainly take their politics more passionatly than in Australia, and especially with the Obama campaign, the youth do too.
Welcome to America
Americahh, Amerrricccaahh, America Oh Yeah!So I slid through customs thanks to a smooth arrival in Hawaii, but my second worst fear eventuated – there was no one waiting for me, I sort of had visions of a man with dark sunglasses, a suit and a peaked cap holding a sign that says ‘Mr Watts’ waiting for me. I was helped out by an affable older gentlemen who worked for the airport who assisted me with getting in contact with the TOMS crew by lettingn me use his mobile and I was soon picked up in teh van by an enthusiastic chap named Mikey. He took me to the Intern house – about a mile from teh beach, five miles from the airport and just three houses from a Porsche 911 turbo.
I’m staying in a four bedroom, two story house with 14 other people, 10 of them female with one working shower – recipe for fun indeed! I share a room about the size of my collage room with the three other guys and there really isn’t much spae for anything whatsoever.
The people ar all really cool and friendly and very talented – one girl has started her own magazine and one of the fellas has travelled America in a vege oil powered bus teaching about alternate energy. Apparently over 1000 people applied for the internship, so I bet they all sort of know what they are on about.
I’m still a little tired due to jet lag and I feel a little spaced out – so many people around all at once; things that need doing (bank account, mobile phone, visa checking, social security number) but I feel that given time things will all fall into place. No doubt there will be some confrontational moments along the way with the crew but I think there is a good vibe amoung us. Everyone seems keen to hang out together and are interested in similar things. This morning we all went to a shop to do a kick boxing class together and then on to the farmers market to buy fresh a grade produce.
LA has lived up pretty well to my expectations thus far – palm trees, extreme wealth, beaches, fair weather and big accents. What I didn’t expect was it not being as scary as I thought, that the people would be quite as friendly or that my house mates would use their lap tops so much – at the moment their is only five on the kitchen table – but I think there’s been more.
My wireless doesn’t work which is annoying as I’d like to be able to contact the family back at home a bit more (I think I am a bit home sick actually – expecially when I get tired) but I sort of like not sitting at a screen.
It’s the first day at work tomorrow – I’ve heard that it’s meant to be pretty hectic, though I’m looking forward to getting involved, meetingmore people and actually doing a proper job – America, yeah!
Also I bought a green velvet jacket with some of the money I got for my birthday (thanks Liz, Carrie and Grandad!)
Hawaii not?
Aloha! Ten hours of cramped madness on a plane lead on to 24 or so hours of beach bliss in Honolulu, Hawaii…. After a flight without much sleep i managed to find a way to my hostel thanks to a shuttle bus that didn’t pick me up the following day despite me buying a return ticket, causing a brief moment of worry. Once settle in the hostel I checked out the bech and promptly had a two hour nap on it. Now don’t judge me – I know that when actually asleep you may as well be in Dungowan due to your lack of awareness, but I was very tired and it was an incredible nap – no regrets.
Then thanks to some advice fro a very friendly tour salesman called Wade I had lunch at Teddy’s bigger burgers and I truly tasted America. I wouldn’t say it was “Juicy” like Wade said – but it went down alright and it filled me up. I was actually too scared to order the biggest range of burgers because this is America – land of the large and home of the heavy! In Australia I’d be there, I’d relish the challenge, confident that I could take it all, but not here, not yet.
After my bangin burger I hung out at Waikiki beach until I watched the sun set over the water – walking along the sand dodging the sun bathers, wading along in the water – cutting my feet on the coral in the flat surf, chatting to a friendly chap from Tajikistan and people watching and listening (there are many tourists from all over the world), reading a newspaper that I bought from a box on the street (!) where I read the word ‘winningest’ in regards to a successful football coach, and then watching a Hula performance. Despite being quite urbanised and modern Hawaiins seem qutie proud and embracing of their heritage – saying ‘Aloha’ and ‘Mahalo’ (thankyou) both in everyday speech and in signage.
In the youth hostel I managed to get about five hours sleep after chatting with a friendly American surfer who had some sea anenameas stuck in his foot. The next mornign at five I caught another shuttle bus to the airport – LA bound!
