F1 or NASCAR? You decide...

So one of the many things that I've been exposed to since I moved to Australia is Formula One racing. Each year in late March, Austalia hosts one of the races in Melbourne. It's a big deal and a major Australian event. So, of course, I felt it was my duty to attend.

I've been to a NASCAR race in Phoenix, and while it was very redneck, it was also a ton of fun. So, I thought maybe the F1 race would be similiar. So lets compare:

NASCAR - cars go in a circular lap
F1 - Cars drive a circuit which requires both left and right turns
Discuss: The level of difficulty is higher with F1 due to having to turn both ways

NASCAR - All fans get to sit in the stands and see the whole track
F1 - If you pay $600 for the weekend, you can get a sit in the stands and see the cars for the two seconds as they drive by
Discuss: In terms of a spector sport being watched in person, I believe that NASCAR wins hands down. While every seat may not be fabulous, you generally get to see a large portion of the track.

NASCAR - Non-race entertainment is generally limited to the shopping for souvenirs. At the Daytona 500, I think you can camp in the in field.
F1 - There are in field concerts on the day of the race
Discuss: Not sure which wins here as I thoroughly detest the type of music they were playing at the concerts at the F1.

So final decision - I vote NASCAR. Maybe it's the American in me but I truly believe that for an in-person sport, I believe that NASCAR provides better entertainment. I'm sure F1 has a higher degree of difficulty and there is more strategy, blah, blah, but if it's no fun to watch, then it means nothing.

6am Flights...Who thought that was a good idea?

We're in Brisbane visiting HA's family. It's only 8am. That means we were on the plane at 6:30 this morning. Which means I was awake at 4:45. And anyone that knows me very well knows that I don't do mornings well. Poor HA has had to deal with my crankiness.

And because I'm going to Adelaide Tuesday morning, I have two more of these ridiculous flights. Booo!

So many places, so little time...

Before I leave Australia, there are number of things I want to do.

1. Visit all the major cities
2. See "The Rock"
3. See something in the Opera House
4. Attend all the major Australian events
5. Go to New Zealand
6. See the Great Barrier Reef
7. Go on a wine tasting tour

So far, I've either done or scheduled most of these things. But there are still a few of these items outstanding. I'm now getting very close to the date they've set for me to go home. This time around, I don't anticipate that they'll extend me, or if they do, it won't be for long.

I've now gotten to a point where I need to decide what is really really important. So far, I've been to all the capitals with the exceptions of Darwin and Perth. I've spent time in Adelaide but it was for work, so I don't really count it. I haven't been to Uluru ("The Rock") or New Zealand or on a "good" wine tasting tour (Hobart doesn't really count).

How do you decide what's the most important to do when you've been given this amazing opportunity to live and work overseas? I feel like I've wasted my time - but at the same time, I've lived like an Australian rather than a tourist.

Now, do I risk the wrath of my boss and ask for lots of time off to finish out my list or do I prioritize them? And what about the money? Getting to these places won't be cheap.

I'd be open to any suggestions people might have!

Oh to be a Newbie...

I've been reading through some of my old blogs and it's making me giggle how much culture shock I went through. I can't believe I thought Starbucks was better coffee. There's no way I believe that now. I'm a bit concerned about what I'm going to do when I move home and want a good coffee!!

And my first trip to Sydney. Now it seems like nothing to head off to Sydney. I know my favorite areas of the city - I have some favorite restuarants even. I love Sydney. I cannot suggest it highly enough to people. Here in Oz, there's a bit of a rivalry (ok, more than a bit) between Melbourne and Sydney. You typically like one city more than the other. I am, without question, a Sydney girl. I could live there very easily. If you've never been, I would highly, highly suggest it.

As much as I might complain about some things in Oz (commentating of the Olympics, no refills), I really do love it here. The people are generally very laid back and easy going people. The weather is good, there are lots of food options, and lots of traveling options.

This weekend there are around 10 of us renting a house in Ulladula. The house is right on the beach with it's own pool and it's own access to the beach. There's 12 acres of land and it should be pretty quiet. Which is good considering we're taking the Wii and the Wii fit board to have a tournament. It may just get a little bit crazy in Ulladula this weekend! :)

Next weekend is Canberra Day weekend so we get a public holiday (woo hoo!). I think HA and I are heading off to Sydney and the Hunter Valley for some wine tasting. At minimum, we'll be at the beach.

Stay tuned..I'll post pictures.

The Olympics

One of the things that I find I miss the most about living here in Australia is my affliation to sports teams. I don't really "get" most of the Australian sports. Cricket is alot like baseball but goes for five days. I'm definitely not into that. Rugby (either of the leagues) and AFL are just confusing. See my first blog for details. So, in the nearly two years, I haven't really had much in the way of sports in my life.

So, when the Olympics started last week, I was kinda excited. Everyone loves the Olympics, right? The Olympic spirit and all that. So I was fully under the impression that it would be much like the US where the Olympics were played in prime time and you get to see everything.

You'd think after living here for nearly two years, I would know better.

No no...the Olympic telecast starts at 11pm and goes for three hours. Now, if this were live or even just a few hours delayed, I could probably get in line with that. But no...it's pretty much a 15 to 24 hour delay. Which means, if I'm reading any sort of media outlet during the day at work, I'll know the outcome before I get to watch it.

But again..fine, I signed up for that when I moved to Australia. What really gets me is the actual telecast and the commentating. HA and I were watching the mens mogals the other night where the Canadian won gold and the Australian got the silver. Wow! A silver medal for a country that is known for it's beaches...and really..it's an OLYMPIC SILVER MEDAL. Be proud..be happy. But alas...they spent the next hour trying to talk themselves into the fact that the Canadian should have won the medal. A literal play by play of the two runs. AN HOUR.

Ok, if it were the US that looked like it should have won the gold, maybe we would have spent an hour detailing it out as well. But then to make matters worse, they don't really show much of the olympics. Most of the show is commentating and talking. I just wanna see the action. Show me some figure skating..and not just one couple but the whole series of things.

Maybe over the weekend I can stay up and watch some of the olympics. I just miss being in the US and being able to be a proud American without coming off like an obnoxious American.

The traffic is gonna be miserable....

President Obama is coming to town! Stay tuned for more information!

An Aussie Christmas...

Its amazing the things you don’t notice around you until someone who isn’t used to them points them out. I’ve brought two Australians home with me for Christmas – HA and Boris. They’ve pointed things out to me that I would never have thought twice about but when I consider it, those things are uniquely American.

• HA loves the yellow school buses. It hadn’t dawned on me that they don’t have school buses in Oz – instead they use public transportation.
• I’ve gotten so much grief from both of them about the four way stops. They want to know why we don’t just use roundabouts and what happens when people pull up to all four stop signs at the same time. They won’t take my word for it that it never happens! They insist that there’s an intersection somewhere in the US where there are four cars sitting there waiting for someone to figure out who has the right of way.
• And everything is big here. You know, when you live here full-time, you just get used to the size of everything but when you come back to the US after being gone for so long, it can be amazing. The grocery stores in Oz are half the size, at most, to the grocery stores here. When I took HA shopping in Phoenix, I was even a little overwhelmed at all the choices. And the movie theaters – they’re huge too. Not to mention the drinks and popcorn. The boys loved it that you could buy this massive sized popcorn and then get a free refill.
• Oh and the refills! You don’t get free refills in Oz! That is definitely one thing I miss.
• One thing I do love those, are the highways. They are so well built and it makes traveling in this country so easy. The roads are straight and narrow and well maintained. Driving 700 miles, when the weather is good, seems like nothing.

I really enjoyed bringing some Aussie’s home with me for Christmas. Its refreshing to see your country through the eyes of someone who’s experiencing it for the first time. While, of course, there were things they didn’t like or didn’t understand, but for the most part, they seemed to enjoyed themselves. And for me, it just inspired me to love my country even more.