Jack Attack Brisbane?

Wow, it's been quite an adventure. It has been non-stop raining, but I've been trying to fight the urge to pout and stay in. I have an umbrella, and I can always dry my clothes if they get soaked. I can tell that if it were dry I would be having an amazing time biking in this city. There are wide bike paths and cool bridges over the river (including two that are only for peds and cycles). I really want to rent one, but I don't really have my rain gear. We'll see...I might just change my mind. I've been doing a lot of sitting with Flat Whites (lattes) and trying to find free wifi (which is SUPER rare). I read Siddharta by Hermann Hesse, an amazing novella about self-discovery and expectations. It was beautiful. I walk-xplored the Botanical Gardens yesterday, and I'm going to hit the museums today, despite the rain.

I also found a cool vegetarian all-you-can-eat Indian buffet in downtown Brisbane. You can do a yoga class, followed by the buffet for $20 (a great price for AUS). I'll probably do that tomorrow or Thursday.

I took a train out to Yeerongpilly on my first full day here to catch some live professional tennis at the Brisbane International. I watched Robin Soderling (the Swede who is one of my favorite players) and Andy Roddick both win some pretty good matches, and I watched the women's final. I know it sounds boring to watch a ball going back and forth over a net, but it really was fascinating. I can't wait to watch more tennis when I get back down to Melbourne. I'm not sure yet how to put pictures on the blog since I forgot the cord that connects to computers, but I'll figure it out soon enough.

G'day for now!
jack attack

Jack Attack Melbourne

I've always had a soft spot for puzzles, whether jigsaw, crossword, logic, or highly addictive puzzle games, like the one I played my entire 14-hour flight from LA to Melbourne. It's called Zuma (like short for Montezuma), and it's Aztec-themed. It's basically like Snood for those of you who know (for those of you who don't, stay away; I wasted so many high school and post-college hours on Snood). The woman next to me woke up toward the end of the flight and laughed at me, saying, "You're going to go cross-eyed." Little did she know that I already was. The skirt on the lady on the restroom sign was already fluctuating between a mini-skirt and a full-length dress. I knew I had to stop, but I had no power over the Aztec witchcraft. I felt like an early Colonizer. Being faced with a mysterious yet strong force over me by a thing I
did not understand, I instantly classified it as evil. Foolish, weak Colonizer that I am, I arrived in Melbourne very tired, but I had to stay awake to fight the jetlag. I found a hostel for a reasonable rate (reasonable being relative since Oz is so expensive) for $22. I met up with a Minneapolis friend who is looking for work and a place to stay. We explored Fitzroy, an area much like Uptown Mpls that is full of hipsters and overpriced stores but also good independent coffeeshops and a few great deals, like the $4 pizzas we found at a cool restaurant/lounge thing with rooftop seating. Overall, my venture in Melbourne has been a success. Pictures to come later since both my camera and phone were presumed to be dead, even though I later realized that I had attempted to load the battery in the camera backwards. Oops!