Things to do in Sydney when it rains

It’s been raining a lot here in Sydney for the last few days. I had a few things to get to yesterday, though, and now that I’m car-enabled I wasn’t about to let precipitation stop me from getting to them.

After a couple of bouts of plantar’s fasciitis plus the determination to do more serious runs this year I decided to get a professional consult on some new running shoes. I’d always bought Nikes; while they’re comfortable, they don’t appear to be used much by serious runners. So I went to the Sydney Running Centre, got some excellent analysis and advice, tried on a few shoes, and settled on a pair of New Balance MR760ST. I ran on them this morning, and they feel great.

I then stopped by the Blender Gallery in Paddington, a funky little space that’s currently showing It’s A Long Way To The Top: An exhibition of photographs – a tribute to AC/DC. There were several dozen, and were great because of their lack of affectedness. AC/DC don’t seem interested in posing much. All the photos were of the band members goofing around, or playing on stage, or lined up against a wall. The show is on until 02 March 2010 and is free.

Last night we caught Up In The Air at the lush Hayden Orpheum. It was a pleasant film, simple and warm and with likable characters.

The rain’s broken enough today that I’ve been out for a run. Now to plan what comes next.

Sydney public transit ticketing changing: good for regulars, bad for occasional use

I’ve gushed a lot about moving to Sydney, but the public transit here is one of the things that isn’t that great. It’s expensive and – unless you’re getting a weekly or monthly pass – complicated and unwieldy.

In April they’re changing the system, though, under a plan called MyZone. They’ll reduce the number of zones and tickets. Weekly and longer passes will now go farther and cost less, which is a good thing. The Yellow TravelPass I used to get to be able to commute to work and back was $52 per week, but gave me unlimited travel on rail, bus, and ferry. The new MyMulti 2 will cover a greater area, still provide unlimited travel on all those modes of transport plus private bus companies, and will cost $4 less per week.

Of course now I’m driving. And it seems that occasional use of public transit will be no more efficient and even more expensive.

Sydney Twestival

On March 25th, cities around the world will hold Twitter Festivals (Twestivals) to show that social media can have social impact. We’ll be gathering to raise awareness and funds for Concern Worldwide, a charity that does lots of good work around the world. The focus of this fundraising will be on their education programs.

I’m helping out with the Sydney Twestival. The venue, entertainment, and fun will be set soon. For now, you should follow Sydney Twestival and Concern on Twitter, and become a Sydney Twestival fan on Facebook.

Much more to come!

Our shipment arrives

The movers have confirmed that the stuff we sent by ship from the UK – which arrived here on January 3rd – has cleared customs and quarantine. Hooray, no destruction or fumigation!

Of course we have nowhere to put it yet, so the boxes will stay in storage for another couple of months. Next challenge: a longer-term place to live.

Still, I’m happy that our stuff arrived safely.

Making the most of the weekend

Friday night we drove the new car up the coast and had dinner by the beach in Dee Why (which has a great name).

Saturday evening some friends of family were visiting Sydney, and we had them over for a barbecue at our place. The visitors are from Nova Scotia, and we had a good time getting to know each other.

Sunday was hot, and made for relaxing. A few miscellaneous tasks got done. Later we watched Federer dispatch Murray, which – despite a little third-set drama – he did pretty handily.

Bragging time: new car

I’m living in a warm, sunny country. I’m 41 years old. I’m a man. I have no children. I have a good job.

So I bought a convertible. A Volkswagen EOS.

Not my car, but that's the colour

It was a compromise. It’s VW, and I like the quality of their engineering. It has a diesel engine, which means it gets good fuel economy. It’s a smallish car, which combined with the diesel engine means it has lower carbon emissions. It’s two years old, but only has 14 thousand kilometres on it.

But it’s also a convertible (and the only convertible that also has a built-in sunroof, I think). The previous owner got it with some sexy options, too: leather seats, bi-Xenon headlights, satnav, metallic interior trim, bluetooth.

Everyone deserves some pampering from time to time. This was my time.

Australia, here we come.

Happy Australia Day!

Today, January 26, is the national day of Australia. Like most nations, the country I now call home didn’t spring fully formed as it is today. Australia Day marks the settling of Europeans on these shore, celebrating the date in 1788 on which the British first fleet landed in Sydney Harbour. I acknowledge the thorny issues of history and colonialisation, but leave them for others to consider.

What’s certain is that Australia is a thriving, exciting, unique country today. I like it and its people. I feel lucky to be here and to have the chance to be a part of it. I’m looking forward to exploring more of it and seeing it grow.

It’s far from perfect, and I think it’s still going through a process of maturation as a nation. It’s still, in its present form, a very young country.

But it’s definitely a great place that’s worthy of celebration. That means barbecuing everything I can get my hands on today, drinking some beers, and watching the normally sedate and industrious ferries race madly down the harbour.

Happy Australia Day, all.

Photo from Melork via Creative Commons license

Harbour Bridge pylon

Good weekend.

Yesterday I gave blood for the first time in Australia. That’s something I’ve done for years, and will keep doing. It’s my duty.

Today I went up the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon. Thanks for the birthday pressie, She-Aussie! There’s a cool museum inside about how the bridge was built. It’s good fun for engineers, seriously.

Tonight I barbecued pork chops, and then our upstairs neighbour came down for some wine.

It doesn’t get better than all that.

Blood and snakes

I gave blood this morning at the Australian Red Cross. I’ve been donating blood since 1990 in Canada, and later in the UK. No reason not to keep doing so here. And they’re more generous with snacks here after you’ve donated: hot dogs or toast instead of just biscuits.

On my way home I saw a rather large snake on the steps in the park. It was about 1.5 m long, and solid black on top with a distinct red belly. It slithered off, trying to find a suitable crevice under the concrete stairs. Once I got home I found a snake identification website and determined it was the unimaginatively-named Red-Bellied Black Snake. It is venomous, though not so much as many other Australian snakes:

The redbellied black snake is found in all eastern non-arid areas. While the venom has neurotoxic, coagulopthic and myotoxic actions, it is not as potent as most, and no deaths after a redbellied black snake have yet been reported.

It’s not like I was out walking in the bush when I saw it, though. It was right here:

Isy Suttie

Just back from another Sydney Festival event: this time, British comedienne Isy Suttie’s solo show Love Lost in the British Retail Industry. Suttie will be known to geek fetishists in the UK as Dobby from Channel 4’s Peep Show.

This solo show – which she’s toured in the UK for a couple of years – is about some odd characters and their relationships. There were some laughs from wry observations, though most of them were from funny characterisations. It was quirky and very musical and a bit lightweight and just an hour long.

Suttie stopped in the pub across the street after the show, just as we did. Recognising that creating and performing is always a tough and admirable thing to do, I made sure to go over and thank her for her performance.

Isy Suttie