2/13 and 2/14

2/13 moving day was a bit hellish, but its over now. upon reflection, i suppose it wasnt that bad, but combined with the heat (actually it was cool for these parts but not my body) and the fact that i have the anticipation of my own move awaiting me when i get home were factors.

friday night simon pulled the usual stunt of surprising me. this time, the directive was to don casual wear and be ready in 15 minutes. his friend jaqui arrived at the new house, and off we went. destination: buddhist meditation center. how cool! there were so many people, over a hundred people and i was immediately was glad that he'd kept our plans a secret. i would have been anxious about having to sit in meditation. half due to the fear of sitting alone with my thoughts (although i've been doing that since i've arrived) and having to sit cross-legged for an unknown length of time. hard to believe with my body build i know, but i dont find sitting on the floor comfortable, much less with my legs in a position where the tinglies start in soon after. it was only 30 minutes, and then the speech portion began. i have to do some more research about the name of the monk. he's travelled all over the world and his speaking was eloquent and moving. i found myself shaking my head and wanting to imitate jack keroauc's character dean morriarti and say "yesss, yesss. dig it!" i'd love to share the lessons of his talk, but thats for another entry. for now, i'm trying to recap the past four days. after the speech, we went into the city and ate at a korean BBQ. i had the most delicious meal of BI BAM BAP. basically, a mixture of veggies and kim chee (korean spicy cabbage) and a fried egg on top of rice. the flavors just dance in your mouth. for those people who dont like thier foods to touch, "do not try this at home".

and, i later found out, that i am a proud auntie, again! jada iris stebbins was born friday the 13th to my brother and sister in law andrew and shelly. this is my parent's sixth grandchild, except this one is a girl! woohoo! the first of the generation. all pressure is off katy now to breed. ha ha

2/14 simon had planned to take me to the beach but it wasnt beach weather (for the first time i've been here. i was beginning to wonder if it was ever cloudy). instead, we ran some errands (like making copies of the house key) and settled into the new place a bit. its a much better living area! i'll post photos of it. the down time was good, and much needed. simon had his daily siesta (two hours might be considered a full-on nap) and when i heard what the plans for the evening were, he sent me to bed to rest up. now comes the worst part of my trip so far. biking to the venue. simon and i got all gussied up for an evening out at the club. pants even! and no flip flops aloud, so i had my sandals i brought just for such an occasion. i dont plan on wearing them if i dont have to. i had to roll my pants up over my knees sot they didnt catch in the bike chain, and we didnt leave until we were supposed to be there. this meant not good news for katy. simon is an experienced bicycle rider. very graceful. i, on the other hand, lack the prowess. i am sure i was quite a sight! the slow leak in the back tire combined with my weight made for uneasy peddling as simon glided along ahead of me. this was a work out for me- up and down hills in sweltering heat. had i been at the gym in proper clothes, i would have been exceeding my calorie burnage. however, this is not that romantic scene. this is katy in australia. all dressed up for the club. on a bike. sweating profusely, and at times panting. i'm sure my face was the sort of color onlookers worried about my health. simon knew to just keep going and i would do my best to keep up. i admit, i was swearing, but not at simon. truth was, i was embarrased by my out of shapeness, and for making us late to the movie. we werent, though. this nice indian lad had our tickets waiting while jaqui was inside saving seats. i didnt even have a napkin to wipe my sweat. the air conditioning eventually evened out my body temperature. slumdog millionaire proved to be well worth the awful travel. the three of us lingered in our seats at the movie's end. a bit stunned at the depth of reality and images of india.

after the movie we go to this burger joint and i was so very excited to try kangaroo! but, they were out of roo burgers. bummer. another time i suppose. then it was time to bicycle again. into the city. my arse was sore by this time, i'm not used to having contact with such a small piece of plastic. ouchie. and by now, it was dark. now, i am not that familiar with riding my bike in crowds of people, dodging obstacles, nor am i yet familiar with the fact everythign is backwards to me. i tried to stay on the sidewalk as much as possible, but there were times i thought i might get hit. it was a crazy, yet memorable, experience. dont worry, mom and dad, i'm sure it wasnt as bad as i make it out to be. we made our way to THE COURT where the sign says THIS IS A GAY/LESBIAN PUB, BUT ALL ARE WELCOME. there were more people in that venue than i see in a month total. there were two dj's. the one outside was more rave with dicier danciers, and the inside played the likes of michael jackson and the village people. the people watching was amazing. course, not much watching involved, more like getting a glimpse at their outfits! and perhaps my favorite part was the special show the drag queens put on for a special valentine's day event. i was wide-eyed the whole evening in awe and appreciation. fantastic! and, at the end, we biked home. it seemed like forever to get there, but it only took about 20 minutes and it was an easy way to avoid the other club-closing drunkards at 2 in the morning.