Life in the Slow Lane

It’s nice.  I wake up most afternoons without anything on my agenda and with lots of time to cook eggs for a 2p breakfast.  Then I entertain myself with a book at one of my two favorite coffee shops before heading to the gym at some point in the evening.  I’ll get back to my place by 10p and barbie up some dinner and relax until work starts at midnight.

That’s pretty much my Melbourne schedule in between travel weeks.  I spend most of my time posting about my travels and my haircuts, but I have a lot of fun with my normal life here.  I got really lucky and have found myself among a great group of friends.  I met them at a Shabbat dinner that one of them was hosting during my first 2 weeks here.  They make this place feel like home.

I’ve continued to play with different kinds of photos and started to try my hand at photoshopping some images.

St. Kilda Beach and Sunset at the Stones

https://picasaweb.google.com/aussielevy/StKildaBeachAndSunsetAtTheStones?authkey=Gv1sRgCJHkqKnj2pKwkAE#

Photoshopped Images

https://picasaweb.google.com/aussielevy/Photoshopped?authkey=Gv1sRgCMLLtpqbkNGtSg#

Happy Birthday this week, Aunt Susan!

Scuba Steve

It’s been a photograph filled fortnight for Adamo.  Cairns was very rainy, but I guess I should have known as I was visiting a rainforest during wet season.  In between raindrops, I managed to see all the sights I wanted to, and even an extra one, Palm Cove, which was one of the prettiest places I’ve ever visited.  I didn’t have any expectations, and I think that’s why I appreciated it so much.  Either that or the beautiful German girl that was there with me.

On Saturday, I hopped on a scuba cruise for 3 days and 2 nights of diving.  I apologize to Mom, and for not letting her know I was going to be out of cell phone range.  And I apologize to the family for having to deal with mom during those crazy 48 hours.   I love you too, Mom.  Aboard the scuba cruise all we did was eat, dive, and sleep.  Literally.  We’d dive before breakfast, then dive again after breakfast.  We dried off and had lunch, then dove again after that.  Our final dive followed dinner after the sun went down.  That was the best time to see the sharks.  We took some flashlights (torches as they call them here) and hopped into the dark water with the sharks circling the boat.  I met some great people on the boat.  There were probably 20 divers and 8 crewmembers.  One of the guys was an amazing photographer and I picked his brain as much as I could.

Diving itself is an experience unlike any other.

My main man, Sebastian explains it best:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8OBlq_svBY

It’s easier to breathe under water than it is to snorkel.  There’s no gravity down there, so you just float around very slowly and relax.  The goal is to remain horizontal, and when you need to go up and over something, you take a breath in, using your lungs like balloons and you magically elevate.  It’s the opposite to descend; you just exhale and enjoy the ride down.  Don’t forget to equalize your ears!

Here are the photos from the last 2 weeks (don’t worry, some of these albums are quite small):

Rugby:

https://picasaweb.google.com/aussielevy/Rugby?authkey=Gv1sRgCICpu5SNq4-qQw#

Melbourne Botanic Gardens 2:

https://picasaweb.google.com/aussielevy/MelbBotanicGardens2?authkey=Gv1sRgCPuH9YDryNbdUQ#

Skyrail to Kuranda:

https://picasaweb.google.com/aussielevy/SkyrailToKuranda?authkey=Gv1sRgCOKu9NrRoey5vAE#

Cairns and Cape Tribulation Tour:

https://picasaweb.google.com/aussielevy/CairnsAndCapeTribulationTour?authkey=Gv1sRgCMX7xJLShbPkGw#

Scuba Diving the Great Barrier Reef:

https://picasaweb.google.com/aussielevy/ScubaDivingTheGreatBarrierReef?authkey=Gv1sRgCMLtsvTVwfS_pwE#

Happy Birthdays this week Shushu and Holland!

A Storm of Our Own

While most of you are under 2 feet of snow or stuck on Lakeshore Drive, I have found myself in a giant lake called Australia.  I thought it was all happening in Queensland, hours north of here.  When I emerged from the gym this afternoon, I discovered otherwise.  Category 5 Cyclone Yassi was set to hit near Cairns on Wednesday.  Winds were expected to reach speeds above those during Hurricane Katrina!  I paid close attention as I am planning to head there on Monday for a week of scuba diving. 

Cairns survived with minimal damage as Yassi hit land just a bit south of there.  She had her way with us this afternoon though!  Some 1,440 miles south of Cairns, Yassi attacked the busiest street in Melbourne.  Chapel St. is a mile long and packed with bars, cafés, restaurants, and shops.  It flooded completely in 10 minutes.  It looked like Venice.  The water entered nearly every shop and restaurant I passed on my walk home.

I took my time getting back.  After seeing the number of shops that were leaking from the roof and flooding from the street, I was pretty certain I was going to find water in my own living room.  I did consider the possibility that a power line could fall and I’d get charred pretty quickly, so I tried not to dilly dally tooooo much.  But that proved hard with the camera in hand.  Anyway, I made it home safe and sound.  I took some great shots along the way.  Enjoy!

https://picasaweb.google.com/aussielevy/ChapelStreetFloods?authkey=Gv1sRgCJDEw7qkqPWvbg#

BTW, my place did flood…again.  And I am still going to Cairns on Monday. 

Shabbat Shalom!

Oh, and one more thing:  Guess which 2011 Australian Open winner was photographed gallivanting around South Yarra with me?  Yup, uh huh!  This guy.  He’s no-joke-avitch, guys.  And word on the street is…if he don’t like you, he’ll Choke-a-Bitch!* So watch out!!!

*Footnote:  Matthew Lewis Hamity 02/2011