Happy Halloween!
I went as an American Tourist, complete with accent and everything. It was such a good costume, nobody had any idea I was in disguise...
Not much exciting going on.. Last night I boycotted any place that had Halloween decorations, so I went to this small pub, started chatting with these guys who were avid travelers as well (One was from Vienna, moved to Melbourne 5 years ago). They poured some beer from their pitcher for me, and we had a nice conversation. All these pubs have these awesome rooftop areas to drink/smoke/relax, and this is where we were.
Side note: Aussies can drink? Mayhaps, but they do it in 'pots,' which are about 10 ounces big. They look so freaking tiny, it's hard to believe that this actually counts... also, the people I've seen drink them pretty slow as well... Lastly, I saw a guy do an Irish Car Bomb (or whatever the aussie equivalent is) by dropping a shot glass in a pot... I mean, cmon. Even I can do one of those, probably...
After that, walked up and down Brunswick St, the kinda hip bar/club area, and wandered into this really cool pub. I got a beer, and heard some music going on on the other side of the bar. I asked a lady how I got to the music, and she pointed through a "Staff Only" door. So I went in. Turns out they were just doing a sound check, and it wasn't really open yet. Ha! I sat around, listened to the soundcheck, chatted with the merch girl and some of the band members, but left before the show started (I was half falling asleep, and the thunder was starting outside). On my way home, I stopped by a Jazz club, where the bouncer let me in for a song after I decided not to spend 15 bucks on the cover. Very solid band, and of course, right as I get up there, 3 minutes later they take a set break.
Oh well, what are you gonna do.
I will say though, nothing sobers you up like a walk/run through pouring rain. They have all this talk about a drought here, but if they actually used the rainwater that came down, they could flush all the toilets in Melbourne for like a month.. It's crazy!
Ok, Sunday. I'm gonna go try and crash a Lawn Bowling game. Wish me luck!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Warning: Biology ahead!
So yesterday we went to the Healesville Sanctuary, one of three zoos around Melbourne. This one focused exclusively on local fauna, and I got to see/touch many animals that are only found in Australia. Kangaroos, lizards, platypi, Tasmanian Devils, etc..
It's interesting, thinking about how some of these animals evolved out here.. Let's start with the kangaroo. Marsupial, herbivore, lazy buggers. However, they have crazy sharp claw looking things! Why would they need them? I asked the keeper, and she was saying how they live in groups (mobs), and they use the claws primarily for fighting/dominance hierarchies. Maybe I haven't done biology in a while, but it seems like a weird trait to have just for fighting/dominance. You'd think those crazy powerful legs would be enough.
The Platypus is another odd one. It looks like a cross between a beaver and a flattened duck, it is a marsupial/mammal, but lays eggs that are leathery, like a reptile. One of the few mammals that lays eggs...
There was a bird in the Birds of Prey show (I can't remember what type) that uses rocks to break open Emu eggs. One of only two species of birds in the world known to use tools (the other being in Africa).
Lastly, the Lyrebird. A small bird with a gigantic tail (long and thin, not like a peacock), that uses it for mating displays (normal), but impresses females by dancing and mimicing all sorts of other birds/power tools/human speech.
Seriously, and odd collection of animals. Everything is a bit odd down here, I guess...
In other news, next week I'll be staging at Vue De Monde for three days before going to Vietnam... One of the best restaurants in the world, and I just walked in and asked. It's a shame that I didn't bring any of my stuff with me, but oh well...
Also, Halloween is tomorrow. Apparently it's a new thing down under, and only in the past few years has it taken hold, so it's not terribly big, which is fine for me. You all know how much I love dressing up...
It's interesting, thinking about how some of these animals evolved out here.. Let's start with the kangaroo. Marsupial, herbivore, lazy buggers. However, they have crazy sharp claw looking things! Why would they need them? I asked the keeper, and she was saying how they live in groups (mobs), and they use the claws primarily for fighting/dominance hierarchies. Maybe I haven't done biology in a while, but it seems like a weird trait to have just for fighting/dominance. You'd think those crazy powerful legs would be enough.
The Platypus is another odd one. It looks like a cross between a beaver and a flattened duck, it is a marsupial/mammal, but lays eggs that are leathery, like a reptile. One of the few mammals that lays eggs...
There was a bird in the Birds of Prey show (I can't remember what type) that uses rocks to break open Emu eggs. One of only two species of birds in the world known to use tools (the other being in Africa).
Lastly, the Lyrebird. A small bird with a gigantic tail (long and thin, not like a peacock), that uses it for mating displays (normal), but impresses females by dancing and mimicing all sorts of other birds/power tools/human speech.
Seriously, and odd collection of animals. Everything is a bit odd down here, I guess...
In other news, next week I'll be staging at Vue De Monde for three days before going to Vietnam... One of the best restaurants in the world, and I just walked in and asked. It's a shame that I didn't bring any of my stuff with me, but oh well...
Also, Halloween is tomorrow. Apparently it's a new thing down under, and only in the past few years has it taken hold, so it's not terribly big, which is fine for me. You all know how much I love dressing up...
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