Happy Mardi Gras… or happy stupid gras because I am super bitter that I missed out! It seems like it was good fun for everyone this year and I am done trying to convince Australians that it is more than glorified drag queens. The only thing Australian’s have to associate with Mardi Gras is the gay pride parade that happens every year in Sydney. No one at work could understand why I was so excited about the holiday. I gave up trying to explain it to them. I spent some time on the internet today and I saw everyone’s photos from their Mardi Gras experiences and I was pretty darn jealous. Of course I am now missing home more than ever and I am almost positive that I say that in every blog so you can imagine the level of my separation anxiety. Never the less I am still having a good ole time here in Australia and I will definitely be leaving behind some great friends when I head home.
Liz and I managed to find our way back to the Windsor the other night and yes we also managed to stumble our way back home. It was the middle of the week and there was a band so we were just expecting a couple of drinks and then calling it a night. One drink definitely turned into one too many. I am surprised the bouncers still let us in when we go for a drink because the American in us definitely shines through after a few. Not to mention that the beers here aren’t normal sized…more like super sized! Now we will have to wait another month before showing our faces again. I am just really glad that Liz and I have each other to talk drunken since into one another and we always wind up safe and sound back home.
After our night at the Windsor I went to the Perth zoo with Tracey. It was great fun but the heat plus my hangover wasn’t the ideal zoo condition. I laughed at Tracey the whole time we were there because all she did was compare the zoo to the wildlife park and stood strong on the belief that Caversham is way better. I would have to agree but I was still in awe of seeing the elephant give himself a mud bath. It wasn’t the most impressive zoo but I still had a good time and it was fun hanging out with my pommy friend. She is pretty much fantastic and is always going out of her way to help me. She is headed home to the UK in a few weeks to visit her family and she is adding me to her insurance and letting me borrow her car while she is away…can you believe that? Granted, it is a standard and on the opposite side so I am going to take a few practice lessons before taking that puppy on the wrong side of the road. Wish me luck because I really can’t afford to buy her a new car!
My friend Jessica and her boyfriend Jase just moved into a new house so they invited us over for a little dinner. Once again we had all of the kangaroo joeys there offering plenty of excitement. Jessica, Jase, and her twin brother all made a wonderful Italian feast. It was absolutely delicious and I had my good American beer to wash it down with (Michelob Ultra of course!) Jessica’s brother is a pilot for Quantas airways and there is a chance that he might be flying my mom’s plane when she and Viv come to visit…how cool is that? Anyway the night ended with some guitar hero and good company and off we went to Tracey and Shane’s house where I practically have my own bedroom. Her dogs were sweet enough to cuddle with me and if it wasn’t for the fact that they are the size of small horses in comparison to Martini I might have missed her in that moment. We were lucky enough to all have the next day off together so we had a girl’s day at the local galleria and hit up the movies. We saw no other movie than the ultimate chick flick… He Just isn’t that into You. In case you were wondering I deem myself as Scarlett Johansen in that movie but I don’t think I would ever stoop as low as sleeping with a married man. Just the whole leading a poor inncocent guy on time after time…it is kind of what I am known for. Good news though, I am growing up so there could be a chance for some type of committed relationship in the future!
On another one of my days off, Jessica came to pick me up and then we met Liz for lunch in the city because she had work that day. It was a wonderful lunch and Liz filled us in on a few of the crazies that she works with. We even saw one at lunch and the lady totally went out of her way to avoid running into us. After lunch, Jess and I took a stroll through the mall and I helped her to invest in a decent tennis racquet. With her new equipment, we took the chance to hit up the tennis courts for a fun filled afternoon. It took us a while to find courts so we just headed to the local university and rented one. I had to laugh because after paying for a court, the lady handed us a box and said, “Here you go, bring it back when you are finished.” Any guesses as to what was in the box? Well let me tell you…the NET! I thought, seriously??? So off we went to the netless court and just pretty much rigged it so that we had something to hit over. I had to take a gander at what height it should be at but since I hadn’t played in so long I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.
Work was really interesting the other day because we had a film crew come through that was putting together a segment about the Swan Valley region where we are located. They were filming at the eleven o’clock wombat and friend show so we had a ton of animals out for the visitors to meet. I was given the task of looking after Squeak who is a spotted tail quoll. She is only 8 months old so still pretty small. They are known for acting up at the shows so I did my best to calm her down before we went on stage. I hadn’t seen the set up so I was a bit surprised when Debbie signaled us to walk out and I found the camera smack dab in my face. I just played it cool as Squeak climbed all around my neck, digging her sharp claws into my skin. Once all of the animals were on stage, the camera man moved about as the crowd interacted with the animals. Squeak was all over the place and shaking a bit because she was a little scared so I did my best to settle her. Next thing I knew, she was peeing all down my leg! Lucky for me the camera man was distracted by the carpet python around Chad’s neck!
Speaking of snakes, I was asked to wash the window of our python enclosure. I thought no prob bob until Chad said he wanted them cleaned inside and out! I literally had to step into this tiny enclosure so that I was kneeling inside and wash the window while there was a python on each side of my head within a foot from my face. Chad’s advice to me was if they start to look hungry just get out…thanks Chad! I stepped out a few times and did my best to look fully confident when visitors walked by. Just another day in the neighborhood at Caversham! This job has been pretty amazing and the people I work with are quickly becoming very good friends of mine. I will be leaving a lot behind but there is really no place like home so for all of you that were worried about me not coming back, you can put those fears to rest! I will have to make an annual visit to my Aussie friends…well maybe not every year, let’s be honest I don’t have dad’s credit card any more! But bottom line is that I will be coming home eventually!
I hope you are all fulfilling your dreams because it sure does feel good to check things off the list! Don’t let life stop you from seeing and doing the things you want to. I think of you all every day and I really appreciate my devoted readers!
G’day,
Lindsay Ezell
LC
Snook
Ez-E
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