So long but not farewell

The end is here.

Six weeks have blown by. Tina and I are on a plane home in a few hours. Today is the end of an amazing time. We’ve made some great friends, who’ve introduced us to even more great people. We’ve learned a great deal about Melbourne and the surrounding areas. We explored wide and treaded lightly. I hope we knocked the stereotype of the obnoxious American down a couple of notches and did right by our own.

So many sights seen. So many things done. Although I’ve written down a fair amount here in these posts, many more experiences have gone untold. In the coming weeks, we’ll have to try and recap some of the things that we’ve missed.

I’ll sign off with the enthusiastic recommendation that anyone reading this come here and see it.

Thanks for reading.

In case you haven't heard, Barak Obama is our 44th president.



if you want a taste of the type of speeches that helped win him the presidency, take a look:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#27546437

The buzz here in Australia has been very much in favor of Obama. For obvious reasons the world has been watching our election and tonight they saw, at the very least, history in the making. Optimistically, they watched what we all hope is the end of eight years of painful grief. Eight years of frustration. Eight years of madness. Eight years of eight fucked up years.

Well, now he's president. Now he's the man. He made it clear that change won't come from him alone; that we're all going to have to pitch in. But even though, all eyes are on him. Not averted, as i got real used to doing every time Bush came on TV. But we're all going to watch this man when he speaks. Maybe because we're interested in what he has to say. Maybe because we've never seen a black man lead the country. But most definitely we'll watch because change has indeed come.

November 4, 2008: Cup Day/Election Day

It's Cup Day in Australia.
The first Tuesday of each November is the Melbourne Cup. This horse race is the culmination of the Spring Carnival season and said to be 'the celebration that stops a nation'. It's a public holiday in the state of Victoria and arguably the fashion event of the year. Ladies begin planning their outfits months ahead of time to pick the perfect frock and complimentary hat or fascinator.
I repurposed some bits from my halloween costumery and fashioned a hairpiece to wear. We're heading out to meet Amy and Michael for a spot of lunch then off to the pub to watch the race and see how i go at becoming a punter.

meanwhile, it will soon be election day in the US.
Lots of peeps have checked in to verify that Jay and I voted even tho we're away. Jay received his ballot via email and was able to fax it in. I FedEx'd mine last week and confirmed its delivery. If only our currently being in the US' future meant I'd know the results sooner. People here are very interested in this election and talk to me about it often. A recent poll determined that something like 75% of Aussies would vote for Obama if they could. It isn't quite the same to be so far away, but my work day tomorrow will find me tuned in. Hoping to ditch a bit early and hit an election event in the city. Perhaps this one: