Go girls!

One of the compromises I had to make in accepting my new job was realizing that this wasn't going to happen. I tried to make my acceptance of the job conditional upon getting time off to head back to Canada for these volleyball tournaments, but it just couldn't work. As usual, my teammates were supportive of my decision and understood that I tried my best to secure the time off.

But the end result is that I'll be sending my love and best wishes to the team from here while they hit the court and outglam outplay the competition. I know that nobody is irreplaceable and that my spot will be taken by someone just as tall, just as talented, and just as committed as I am. I just hope he's just as alcoholic fun-loving too!

So go Suzie, go Willy, go Patsy and go Joe. Have fun and make absolute certain you dig some balls for me!

"And furthermore....."

The news that a certain somebody has found a new love makes my heart smile. While I only know Dan from reading his words -- and having a wee bit of a blog crush on him -- I can certainly understand how someone might fall for him without even having met him in person. He just seems like such a genuine, cool kind of guy.

I know a couple of my friends will be very disappointed it's not me who happens to be the object of Dan's affection. I think both Paula and Header had high hopes that, somehow, I'd end up with Danno. In fact, Paula e-mailed me just today and said (and I quote) "And furthermore.....I think you should move back and marry Dantallion."

Sorry guys, but it looks like Dan's off the market. And I couldn't be happier for him. Go buddy!

Not much

Today? Oh, not much. Just enjoying the hot, sunny weather by going to the beach and workin' on the tanlines.

How 'bout you?

How many more weeks?!

I just found out today that my new employer isn't expecting my work visa to be approved anytime soon.

I was reallllly hoping that the fact that I've already held an Australian work visa would work to my advantage, but it doesn't look like it. Looks like I'll be waiting 'til mid-March or longer.

Damn.

A bad-ass Canadian gal

In Week Three and we found out that Kate's Canadian, eh? Who woulda thunk: a bad-ass Canadian gal!! My sisters think that Kate isn't really a bad-ass, and instead was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and got into some serious trouble. I tend to agree, but I'm not 100% convinced by any means. She's Canadian, so surely she's polite, has a great sense of humour, and drinks real beer. But maybe, just maybe, she really is a bad-ass. Can't wait to find out!

I get drawn in more and more by this show every week -- and it's only been 3 freakin' weeks so far! Oh so many deep, dark secrets to uncover. Week Four's episode is only two days away now, so colour me anxious!

But, Lost aside, life goes on. I'm back in Sydney and the weather's still great. Still waiting for word on the work visa while I crash with my awesome friend Number One. Soon it'll be off to Melbourne to join the circus, so I'll just try to enjoy my final few days here. Shouldn't be too hard. Eh?

Give me a Canadian man and a Hudson's Bay blanket any day

Today somebody sent me pictures of two Canadian friends of his who, as it turns out, are extremely lickable attractive. Yum and double yum! This guy claims that there's somethin' special about the water north of the 49th parallel that helps produce hot guys. And that got me wondering:

• What do Canadian men have that sets them apart from other men?
• What is it exactly that makes Canadian men hot?
• And who out there wants to fuck a Canuck?

I know there are Canadian admirers out there, so I'm interested in hearing your opinions, your stories, your triumphs. And which Canadian man in particular do you want to wrap up with in a Hudson's Bay blanket and keep warm on a cold Winter's night?
Maybe it's this guy?
Or perhaps him?
How 'bout this fella?
I bet lots of you would choose this hottie.

But who would you most like to curl up with?

I know my way around a bar!

We prepped the house for days, transforming it from suburban home to a party-equipped hotspot. A total of 153 people came over to celebrate my brother-in-law's 40th birthday with us. And I got the best job of all: shirtless bartender boy.

While I can't even try to compete with Toddy's hot bartender god, I daresay that if I put a tip jar out, I would have done just fine. Thank God I know my way around a bar!

It never hurts

Two weeks into Lost and I'm hooked. Compelling storylines and plenty o' mystery.

And it never hurts to have eye candy.

Oh, now I get it

It premiered just last week in Australia. And after a mere two weeks, I can certainly understand why absolutely everyone is watching.

Well, me anyway.

Clarification for the masses

Apparently, my blog posts of late have been just as indecipherable as the voices stuff that I've been sorting through in my head.

To clarify, here's what's going on in my life right now:

• I went home to Vancouver in November and quit my job.
• I came back to Sydney to be a bum for a few months, before returning back to Vancouver to live.
• In the meantime, I started interviewing with this company.
• I kept getting passed to the next stage of the interview process, despite the fact that I didn't know whether I really wanted to pursue an opportunity with them (if and when it was presented).
• In the meantime, I'd given notice on my wee studio apartment and planned to spend time with my family in Brisbane before going home to Vancouver.
• The more I progressed through the interview process and the more that I learned about the job, the lifestyle, and the opportunity, the more I realized I wanted to give it a shot.
• And then I started stressing: would I actually be offered the job?
• And then I was! I've been offered a job with one of the shows that's currently touring Asia-Pacific.
• As planned, I cleared out my apartment and headed to Brisbane.
• I'm currently hanging out in hot, humid Queensland and am waiting to hear about the progress of my visa. The company is taking care of that for me, so I just have to wait and then join them when it's in the bag.
• I'll join the troupe in Melbourne for March and April.
• We'll head to Adelaide for May.
• Perth is on the agenda for part of June and July.
• After that, it's Singapore and Hong Kong (dates TBD).
• I did mention that I'll be on tour with them, right? Have I mentioned that I can only bring two suitcases? Zoiks!

And that's it in a nutshell. Sorry for the confusion, dear readers.

Any questions?

Phreaquin' hard

It’s a done deal: the details are in the can and I’m a circus phreaque. Off to Brisbane tomorrow to hang with the family -- including my beautiful, but early-risin' nieces -- and wait to hear about the progress of my next Aussie work visa.

I’ll (hopefully) be joining the troupe as they prepare the Melbourne site in late February. We’ll be there for March and April, followed by a stint in Adelaide in May, and Perth from late June to the end of July-ish. Singapore and Hong Kong follow.

I’ve got my 2 suitcases packed, and anyone who knows this gal understands that choosing the right mix of play clothes, work clothes and sports clothes is a big game of pros and cons. "Well, this shirt looks nice and would be OK for wearing both to work and out to dinner with friends. Then again, I never fail to pick up when I wear that one."

I swear, I’ve wasted hours playing this game. My normal verdict would just be to throw them both in. Uh, no. Two suitcases Jeff, not seven.

Ugh. It's been phreaquin' hard.

Good bye Knot's Landing

I'll miss this place.

• Good bye, rooftop pool that I loved but which sadly lacked the calibre of poolboys featured in Kylie's Slow video.
• Good bye, window view of the cruisy park.
• Good bye, window view of the rich people's marina.
• Good bye, awesome neighbourhood in which I wanted to live from the first time I saw it.
• Good bye, rooftop view of the Harbour Bridge and the very tip-top of the Opera House.
• Good bye, rooftop view eastward across the water to North Heads.
• Good bye, beautiful and peaceful cul-de-sac that I sometimes imagined as Knot's Landing with me ruling the roost as Paige Matheson Abby Fairgate Ewing Sumner the crazy character Alec Baldwin played.
• Good bye, my wee 300-sqare-foot studio pad.

It's freakin' scary how much you can say you're simplifying your life and feel that you're living with very few material goods. And yet, when it's time to deal with it all, you realize there's more crap jammed into your shoebox apartment than you thought humanly possible.

I'll miss this place.