This Week in Suffolk Park

i'm enjoying my tidy little town more and more, it's plenty close enough to Byron by bike, and i keep finding little things i like about it. for instance it seems to be the gayborhood for Byron Shire (shire = county) and every Friday evening the pub sort of becomes a gay bar, well, more of a gay pub a la Ivy's, the curry shop has really good deals on Tuesdays, and i just discovered a little organic grocer down the road with incredibly cheap produce. i got a bunch of apples, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, bananas, sprouts and peppers, plus a box of tea for $14! i was a very happy shopper.

also wanted to say, i think i sold Michael a little short. he's actually a really great guy and we've been spending plenty of time together here and there. not romantically at all, but he's slowly becoming a friend. i really owe him quite a debt of gratitude as he was the one who hooked me up with this work-for-stay arrangement, got me my new job with his neighbor (more on that in a minute) and will most likely be selling me his old car in a couple weeks. i know, i hadn't really planned on getting a car, but knowing what i know now, i'm not sure i can live here for a full year w/o one. everything is so spread out, and while i haven't had any problems with hitch hiking yet, it isn't exactly the most reliable mode of transit. plus, it's a station wagon, so i could be saving lots of money on accommodation when i do start traveling again. Chad and i would sort of be splitting it, but we haven't worked out all the details yet.

as for the new job, this one actually pays money! such a novel thought, right? Michael's neighbor, Gabrielle, is in the middle of a huge renovation project, basically doubling the size of the house, installing a pool and massive amounts of landscaping, so there will be no shortage of work for the next couple months. i just finished my first "shift" today and will go back tomorrow. it's a pretty casual arrangement, just working when they need an extra hand, which is frequently since she's doing a bulk of the work herself, only calling in professionals for electrical and plumbing and stuff like that. oh, and towards the end of the day as we were loading up some rubbish in the back of her ute (don't i sound Aussie? a ute is basically an el camino, or, as i like to call it, the Mullet of vehicles, car in front and truck in back) i noticed the side of it says, in big bold letters: Margaritaville! turns out she's a big parrot head, which totally makes sense because the only 2 things on the entire property that aren't in some state of disarray are the BBQ and the Tiki hut, both with thatched grass roofs. (well, the veggie gardens behind the tiki hut are also in really good shape, so i guess that's 3 things) so i think i'm really going to like working for her. she's a little bit scatter brained, which is kind of understandable considering her entire house is one big construction site, but really laid back and seems like a genuinely nice person.

so now i'll have less free time, working at the caravan park and for Gabrielle, but not a whole lot less. nobody wants to work at all after 5, and usually we're done before that. i've been doing a lot of reading--about 2/3rds of the way thru Gulliver's Travels, really liking it, although it kinda confirms that society and politics have been a mess since the 1700s so will probably be forever, sigh. i do have lots of time for reflection and, even though i don't really think of it as such, meditation. i think some about the past, but more so about the future. my mind is brimming with ideas and new dreams and ambitions. i'm sort of formulating a new vision for what i want my life to look like and how to go about getting it. obviously everything is still pretty cerebral at the moment, but i'm becoming a little more certain of what i want. at least for now, let's see what i have to say about that in a year's time.

i've also been rethinking my plans for what to do, where to go and when to get there while i'm here. i've already decided to stay here in the Northern Rivers Region until after New Years, instead of moving to Melbourne after Thanksgiving. partly because Chad is arriving on new years eve day and by all accounts this is the place to be for the biggest and best party, which will also be much cheaper--by almost $100--than any of the parties i found in Melbourne or Sydney. i also opted to stay here because i'm starting to make connections, build a network and really finding my way around to all the little hidden things that tourists always miss, so why would i want to up and move just as i'm getting comfortable? part of the reason i came to Australia in the first place was to determine if this is somewhere i could live full time, something i think i can only decide if i actually stay put and actually assemble a daily life.

all that being said, i do still plan to move on south shortly after NYE. i haven't decided for sure which yet, but i want to be in either Sydney or Melbourne for my birthday. from there, i definitely want to be in Tasmania by February 1st and stay thru April. i want to split my time between woofing and hiking (probably doing some fruit picking too for quick cash) i would love to be able to get some real back country hiking and camping in, stay out for at least a week at a time and reminisce about our AT times. i'm not sure where i'll be hiking for sure yet, but hopefully i'll be able to connect with my downunder doppleganger, Nick McIntosh, who worked as a professional trail guide in Tassy, and get some inside scoops on the best trails and times to hike. From Tassy, i'm not 100% sure i know where i'll go yet, but know that i want to be at Uluru (Ayer's Rock) for the solstice in June. it'll also depend on what Chad is doing. we haven't exactly worked out all the details of what we're doing together and when we'll be apart, so for now i'm just kinda winging it. i know my mom & meema are wanting to make a trip out here and visit while i'm here, so that's something else i need to consider. so much to do and so little time (and money)!

oh, and the Halloween party was a huge success! i had an amazing time and met all kinds of people, some of whom i may have made out with ;-) my puny excuse for a costume was very well received, even here the UtiliKilt always get's noticed, it's like i'm wearing a conversation starter. i'm thinking of trying to get up to Fairland, the farm/reserve/property where the full-time Radical Faeries live. so many of the people i met were so cool and fun to talk to, it seems like it might just be a blast.

okay, my hands are sore from typing and i should go do something before the sun sets. talk to you later