Two Months Of Outbackin It

 Two months have passed now since I first stepped foot on Glen Helen Resort. The busy season is here, and all of the staff are doing their best to hang in there. It's mentally and physically exhausting, but I think we're getting used to the idea of being dull boys named Jack (All work and no play makes Jack...?).

Aaaanyway, it rained tonight! I noticed in the middle of the dinner rush when I was taking some plates out to the wash room. I was first confused, and then angry, thinking I must have just been crapped on by 3-4 of those nasty piwi birds. I was amazed and grateful that it was rain, and not poop. I stared at the night sky for a few seconds, and then dove back into the dining room of hungry guests. The air was dry when I finished up for the night. I want more rain!

My free time has been filled with hours of ukulele playing and dabbling in the creation of drinking glasses from beer bottles. I haven't done much with the drinking glasses lately, though. I've learned that I really just like the 10 minutes it takes to score and break the glass, and not the 40 minutes it takes to sand down the edges of each one. Haha! I've promised myself I wouldn't break anymore until I've sanded what I have. Hence, the reason I haven't touched the project in a few days. I'll get back to it soon!

The ukulele playing is going really well. It was a great buy, and I'm so happy to be playing music again. I've been working on a Jake Shimabukuro piece, along with some Fleet Foxes stuff. I've found that most of the online ukulele tabs are chords only and very vague, so I've started tabbing out a few by myself.

I have a new baby neice, and I'm an aunt for the first time! Her name is Hannah Grace Lerch, and she's an adorable, little peanut! I am very much looking forward to meeting her as soon as I'm back in the States. =)

Life here is same-old, same-old. I've been here for two months, and have barely explored the bush beyond Glen Helen. I'm hoping to take the staff car out this Sunday and check out some of the nearby attractions. I find it funny that people ask me advice on these places every day, but I've never been to any of them. lol

The Best 4th of July There Ever Was - Aussie Style

One might think that celebrating independence from Great Britain while in one of her countries is a bit insulting or out of place. However, it seems Aussies are more excited about the excuse to light fireworks and drink beer than they are offended by my location-inappropriate celebrations. It just so happened to turn out as the best 4th of July ever!

I attribute much of its greatness to the spontaneity factor. Most of it was unplanned, and things just happened. Going to town that morning wasn't on my to-do list, but it ended up being both productive and relaxing. I didn't plan on grilling a BBQ for 60 people when I came back from town, but it was fun, and also my first time BBQing anything myself.

And though we did plan to set off fireworks that night, no one could have anticipated how awesome it would be.

 

 

Post-fireworks, we sat around the fire at Jim's place for a few more hours. "Shooting the shit" is probably one of the oldest past-times there are, and it's still one of the best.

Spontaneity FTW!

Scratch That

Alright, I take it back. I had a wonderful day in town this past Monday! We had so much time to get our stuff done AND relax! Whoever knew time could exist for both things in one day? I started it right with a proper cappuccino and banana pancakes.

It was even better than it looks. The errand running was over relatively quickly. A stop at the hardware store, the music shop, Woolworths, K-mart, and it was all painlessly done with. We had another unbeatable $7 lunch at The Rock Bar. It seems a trip to town isn't the same without chips (french fries) and a wrap or burger outside on the patio there.

I've never had egg on my burger before Australia, but it's growing on me.

We hung around for another hour and another beer before we headed off to the only real cinema for hundreds of miles to see Snow White and The Huntsman. There was a serious lack of storyline, but it was clear they spent a lot of money making it look pretty. I appreciated their efforts, and the excuse to eat a lot of popcorn and chocolate.

A stop for booze and a few more food items, a second Macker's (McDonald's) run, a stop at the petrol station to top up on fuel, and we were homeward bound.

It wasn't a bad way to spend a day.
Plus, I got to see the most ridiculous license plate ever.

They even let us know that SA (South Australia) is the sunshine state! I would love to know the story behind this one.

The Mirage Of The Day Off In Town

The rare occasion during which one not only has a day off, but also a means to make a trip to town, is deceiving in the way that it causes extreme excitement and false expectations of relaxation. Respite from the daily grind simply cannot be found during the daylight hours of a single day in Alice Springs. I have only been to town two times during my five-week stay at Glen Helen, and both times were a race to cross items and tasks off my list before it was too dark to drive home safely. I expected to come home refreshed, but instead came home feeling I needed an additional day to relax after several tedious hours of errand running.

Such is the mirage of the day off in town.

One Down, Five To Go

I'm now able to call flip flops "thongs" without smirking or thinking about underwear.  I can hear bells ringing in my sleep, and almost wake up to go get the food from underneath the heat lamp. I have a permanent calcium build up in my hair from the tap water. I can do a decent hospital fold when I make a bed. The phrase "How are you going?" doesn't sound so strange anymore. I go for days not thinking about cell phones. I've accepted the fact that my floor will always have red dirt on it, no matter how many times I sweep. I can go for an entire conversation with an Aussie without saying, "...what?". I've started internet shopping as a way of passing the time. Yes, I've officially been at Glen Helen for a month.

One down, five to go. Arlo and I are planning to be here for a full six months, provided there is work here for us to do. It's starting to get a bit busy here. The month of July is almost completely booked, so I'm trying to appreciate my free time while I have it. I haven't been to town for over two weeks. It would be nice to get away from everything for a bit, but it's just not going to happen this week. It's hard to get away from work when I live at work without a car, but if I ever had to choose a place where I had to do such a thing, Glen Helen would be it. I'm very happy to be outside so much instead of stealing glimpses of sunshine out the window from an office chair. I'm glad to be away from the bustle of civilization. I try to remind myself every day how lucky I really am.

And Bordom Settles In

Today marks the third week of my existence here at Glen Helen. I've settled in and things are comfortable enough to be boring. It's amazing how a place like this can offer so much and so little to do all at the same time.

I bought an ukulele (first syllable is "oo", not "yoo"!) off of ebay a few days ago, and I'm hoping it comes soon! I figured now would be a great time to learn a new instrument. I would love to have a guitar as well, but all of my purchases are preceded by thoughts of light travel. Stringed instruments generally aren't a backpacker's friend, but I'm giving it a go with a Makala Concert Size Ukulele (one step larger than the popular soprano size). I've got a list of songs to learn, and I'm itching to get started. I need something to do other than drink beer and stare at my wall!

Realistically, I've been quite busy with work, and not wall staring. I started working mornings instead of nights today, and it's very nice in comparison. I love getting work out of the way and having the rest of the day to do as I please. I'm a business-first play-last kind of person.

I keep seeing pictures of summertime activities from all of my American friends, and it's giving me a bit of that wintertime depression. It has only been getting colder here as we work our way into the Australian winter, though it's nowhere near the kind of winter we get in PA/NJ. Nonetheless, it's not summer, and I'm not happy with it. C'est la vie!

Dinner time!

The Dust Settles

Tomorrow marks the second week of being at Glen Helen. I'm not messing up as much at work, and I'm starting to understand the Aussie accent a little more. I've started to form routines, and I feel closer to being in stride with this place. Friendships are forming. I've been working overtime, and so has my liver.

The thing about settling down and feeling more comfortable is that I have more time to think. I'm not concerned as much with the culture shock anymore, and other thoughts have taken over. I've started thinking about how much I miss my home. I don't mean that in the physical sense, but rather in the life I had there. I didn't have much time to miss it before, but now I'm feeling it.

I'm making this sound much more sorrowful than it actually is. I'm having an absolute blast out here! I miss many things, but being here is worth it. I dread the day my visa runs out and I'm forced to leave this country.