2012 in Oz - A calendar year down under

Wow, it’s been far too long.  As always, I’ve been meaning to update this several times since I last did, but I had been writing entries up during down times at work [it sounds lame, but I prefer composing at a proper keyboard as opposed to my laptop] and I’ve actually been fairly busy. 

Now I’m at work in the quiet period between New Year’s and when people actually get back from their holidays.  So let’s see if I can’t crank out a few things worth posting.

I suppose the easiest thing to do at this point is try to some sort of 2012 recollection post.  The problem with this is I have a crappy memory.  And I’d look through my photos on FB, except, oh wait, I’m six months behind on them, too.

Instead, let’s start with something more acute: Christmas.  I know this is our second Christmas down under, and I can’t entirely recollect my thoughts on how Christmas felt last year … but I really had a hard time getting my head around the fact that it was Christmas this year.  Sure, Ruthie put up a decorative tinsel tree, and we exchanged a few presents [pressies], but I still struggled. 

Contrary to last year, though, I did run next to the beach on Christmas morning.  This year we spent the 24^th-27^th at Apollo Bay with some friend at a quartet of villas [we only stayed in one villa, of course] called Chocolate Gannets.  If nothing else, it was pretty breath taking.  The main room overlooked the beach and the ocean, a mere 100m away.  Even though it was a bit chilly most of the time we were there, it was still worth it to have the windows open, listening to the water. 

Christmas also brought a new board game, Ticket to Ride, into our lives courtesy of Ruthie.  It got played a handful of times while we were there, and is a big success. 

Also, thanks to the restrictions being lifted on lithium ion batteries being shipped in the mail, Ruthie got me a Kindle.  I’ve already read one short story on it, Mile 81, but then received some Halo books in the mail, so I’ve moved back to proper paper for the time being.

Anyways, continuing with the warm holiday weather, Ruthie and I went for a day-long ride out to Hepburn Springs on the motorcycle.  We broke it up well, so it wasn’t an all-at-once ride, starting with a stop off in Hoppers Crossing for some brunch and stretch of the legs.  But it was really quite an enjoyable ride [despite some really crappy road conditions – you notice that there are some roads in serious states of disrepair when you’re in the car … but it’s rather amplified when you’re on two wheels], and so I hope we can get a few more good rides in this summer.

NYE displayed yet another fantastic showing of fireworks across the city skyline.  These Aussies really do love their fireworks.  They show footage of the Sydney fireworks, and the do them over the harbour, including some launched from/on the bridge.  Melbourne uses the skyline, launching synchronised fireworks from rooftops.  It’s pretty cool.  I think I read somewhere that it was close to $2M for the fireworks this NYE.

And just like last year, we’re in the middle of a heatwave and its 40 degrees today.  Yay, heat!  Truly, it’s almost a year to the date that we hit 40 – I think it was the 2^nd last year instead of the 4^th. 

Ruthie and I have decided we’ve gone to the other end of the spectrum as far as understanding accents is concerned.  I feel like I’ve been there for a while, but Ruthie only recently has reached this conclusion: instead of having difficulty understanding the accent [although at times, it’s still a bit rough], it’s actually more difficult noticing the differences between American and Aussie accents.  It seems a bit silly when I put it in text, but I reckon our brains have just blended them all together, and so it actually takes a moment to process that we’re hearing a fellow American.  Meanwhile, while I’ve still got no hope in identifying a Queenslander vs a Victorian, I feel like I’ve made progress distinguishing a Kiwi from an Aussie based on their intonations.  Perhaps this is because I’ve now grown accustomed to the Aussie patterns so much that other accents actually sound foreign. 

Because derby continues to be a major part of our lives, it’s worth noting that I’ve continued my role as Head Coach of WestSide Derby Dollz.  And, we had our deb’ut [get it, debut bout] the day after my birthday.  And we won!  I don't have much more to offer other than it's been a great, yet sometimes stressful experience.  When we went back in October, I actually had a minute or two where I actually missed them.  

And on that note I'm out of things to say.  Generally, I think it's pretty awesome that we can say we spent a full calendar year in a different country [if you don't count October, that is].

-EP

Learning Aussie lingo

Updated 07 March 2013

For starters, there are a couple general rules when attempting to understand the local Australian. 

1. They don’t really pronounce ‘r’ sounds. 

2. They often over pronounce the ‘h’ sound. 

3. There’s something weird [as in neither Ruthie nor I are capable of reproducing it] about how they pronounce their ‘long o’ sounds.

4. They tend to shorten everything. 

4b. After shortening something, they tend to add an ‘o’ or ‘ie’ / ‘y’ sound to the end – even if that means the word is as long as or longer than the original. 

With that said, here’s a list of local diction I’ve had to learn to understand.  Ruthie and I have tried not to pick up too many of their speech patterns, but it’s happening slowly.  Ruthie tries her best to speak like an American claiming their pronunciations are stupid.  I try not to shove that in their faces so much, so maybe it’s no surprise that a couple words have slipped into my vocab.

ambo = ambulance or ambulance driver

arse = ass

arvo = afternoon

barbie = barbeque

bikie = motorcycle rider
bloke = dude [while sheila is the female counter term, I’ve not actually heard it used]

bogan = redneck mixed with a little bit of white trash

brekky = breakfast
chocka/chockers/chockablock = full, with emphasis on the extremely full side – chockablock full, while redundant would imply it’s going to explode

crack the shits[or crack it, if you prefer the less profane option] = get angry/have a tantrum, as in if you “crack it at Joe” you’re likely telling them off, or if simply “crack the shits” you’re throwing a hissy fit

degustation = while a real word, I’d never heard it until coming here

devo = devastated

feral = again, a legitimate word, but used more to describe someone who’s a bit crazy, and more commonly used to describe children who aren’t being angels.  Ruthie and I are particularly fond of this adjective for ankle biters. 

dickhead = idiot

from = at or starting, but only in the sense of “I’ll be back at my desk from 9a” or, “the show starts at 6p” would be shortened to “on from 6p”

look = a very common phrase starter – most recently I heard an interview where the person started every sentence with “Look” instead of things like “Um” or “Uh” or “Well” or  “Y’know” – but I’ve found it often has just a slightly less offensive implication than “Hey! What I’m about to say is important”

ordinary = instead of being used to describe “normal” there is a negative connotation; for example: in used to describe a day that was chilly, rainy, and not all that pleasant “The weather’s a bit ordinary today, isn’t it?”

lollies = generic term for candy, as opposed to multiple lollipops

Maccas = McDonald’s restaurant

mate = dude [or dudette, but primarily dude]

Pom/pommy = prisoner of her majesty, Brits living here

ranga = red head

rego = vehicle registration

rock up = to arrive, to show up

root = intercourse, along the lines of the slang meaning of “screw”

sandbo = sandwich

serve, a = used as a noun, piece of your mind, as in “He got on my last nerve, so I gave him a serve”

squiz = look at, as in “Let me have a squiz at my calendar.”

suss = suspect, as in “That’s a bit suss” = “That seems a bit suspect”

thongs = flip flops

totes = totally

trackies = literally track suit, but to Americans, it would be more of sweats – or anything with an elastic waistband

trackie dacks = track/sweat pants

tradie = tradesman or construction worker

unco = uncoordinated

whinge = complain, whine

_____ as = [i.e. “sweet as” “hot as”] basically, it’s the shortening of likening something to something else [“today is as hot as standing in a fire”]. 

So while I might’ve managed to pick up a term or two, Ruthie’s informed me that the most noticeable difference is my speech pattern’s changed a bit.  The locals have a tendency to end their sentences with a slight upswing in tone, and apparently that’s what I’ve adopted lately. 

It’s probably worth it to note, that at this point, the one word I haven’t been able to actually pick up is “mate”.  It just sounds so weird coming out of my mouth that even I don’t like it.  Conversely, “dickhead” is my current favourite slur.

-EP

Update 13 Jan 13:

So we were gifted with an Aussie lingo dictionary for Christmas.  Which is great!  Upon reading a few entries, we learned that even some of the Aussies that gave us the book hadn’t heard these terms.  So I’m guessing some are really quite obscure.  I might pick a few to post up at some point, but for now, we’re enjoying the fact that we’ve got some reference material when necessary.

 

Pushie

One of the first things we noticed when we got to Melbourne [actually, I feel like we noticed it in Sydney, too] was the number of bicyclists on the streets.  While we were poking around the Melbourne CBD in our first few weeks, the argument could be made that using a bicycle in/around a major city is quite common in the US.  However, the noticeable difference was the number of cyclists that continued even away from the CBD.  I have no kinds of actual data, but it feels like if you put up a radius of 30km around the CBD, you’d still find a pretty high frequency of people using a bicycle as their primary means of transportation.  Don’t get me wrong there are still lots of cars.  And to/from and around the CBD, there is mass transit. 

Realising just how common it was to use a bicycle around Melbourne was the primary reason we bought me one before we’d even found a place to leave.  We’d decided that Ruthie would try and find us a place close to my work and I would do my best to ride the bicycle to work every day [leaving Ruthie the car].  Ruthie did her part and found us a place that’s 4km away from my work.  So I’ve been holding up my end of the bargain and riding to work just about every day.  True, once the motorcycle arrived and the weather was still lovely, I would ride that into work occasionally.  But for my part, I would say that I’ve ridden into work 9/10 days since I’ve started. 

Due to the fact that I am only riding 4km one way every day, I would struggle to call myself a bicyclist.  I certainly didn’t look the part for a long time, as I had a hard time finding my preferred clothing.  I often wore my dress pants or jeans with a leg rolled up in the first couple months.  But then I took a page out of a co-worker’s book and began leaving my dress pants at my desk and changing in and out of athletic clothes every morning/afternoon.  As it’s currently winter, I’ve adopted the style of wearing a set of cold-weather leggings underneath some athletic shorts and whatever shirt I feel like underneath my jacket or parka depending on the weather.  I’d like to claim that’s as close to the fully-clad lyrca appearance that I’ll ever get.  Well … in the summer, it’ll be athletic shorts and probably a quick-dry shirt, but still nothing skin tight.  I prefer leaving plenty to the imagination. 

While I attempt to remain firm on my anti-lycra attire, I have to say I’ve embraced the bicycle lifestyle a bit more than I’d originally expected.  I’ve now gone to see an indoor track race at a velodrome [where I saw bicycle legends such as Sir Chris Hoy and Anna Meares].  I passed on the opportunity to watch my co-worker compete in a cyclo-cross event, though.  But, at the suggestion of the same co-worker, I did participate in the Melburn Roobaix, which is a 40-kilometer “fun event” styled after the Paris-Roubaix.  And, also at the encouragement of the same cyclist co-worker, I’ve been reading The Enlightened Cyclist by BikeSnobNYC.  [Really, without said co-worker, I’d probably be much less … involved? interested? engaged? in cycling.]

Sadly, the part of the bicycle lifestyle I have not been able to escape embracing is the frustration with pedestrians. 

On my massive 4 kilometre commute to work, I ride on the whole range of available surfaces to bicycles: a dedicated bicycle lane separate from the road, a shared bicycle / pedestrian lane, a dedicated bicycle lane that’s on the road, the street, and if I so choose, the sidewalk [that should be pedestrian only].  I start my commute along a stretch of beach that gets a fair bit of pedestrian traffic – and due to it being a port which docks cruise ships, it’s safe to say a chunk of it is likely foreign.  I finish my commute in an industrial section, where there’s no room for me other than on the street – fortunately, it’s pretty a low level of traffic, and it’s often slower moving trucks, and everyone seems to be used to bicycles in that area.

You can probably guess that my gripe primarily focuses on the section of my commute that deals with stretch along the beach.  I get so worked up about people being in the bicycle lane that aren’t bicycles [or at least have wheels – there’s a few inline skaters].  So worked up, in fact, that if I know a cruise ship is in town, I’ll take the route home that requires me to ride on the road the whole way.  When the Queen Mary II came in and docked at our little harbour, it actually drew in spectators.  Spectators who then loitered, meandered, or simply stood in the bicycle lane.  Mind you, this is a bicycle lane that’s separate from the pedestrian sidewalk.  Mind you, this is a bicycle lane that has bicycle symbols painted on it every 100 meters or so.  And side lines.  And a dash line down the middle.   HOW DO YOU NOT REALISE!? 

It all came to a head one day [and this is now the reason why I ride on the road when I know there’s a higher chance for people to be around, like when the cruise ship is in] not too long ago.  Two guys in suits were walking along the bicycle lane [on my side], with their backs to me.  I rang my bell once, and while I’ve had to ring my bell multiple times before, this time I didn’t need to because they looked over their shoulders and looked at me.  AND KEPT WALKING.  They didn’t move over, they didn’t yield, nothing.  So, intending to harass them a little, I cut them off.  Except I cut them off a bit too close and shoulder checked the guy closest to me, causing him to drop his umbrella [I stayed upright on my two wheels, thanks for asking.] 

Since then, I’ve tried to do my best to remain calm, and simply go around people.  I still get irritated about joggers who are in the dedicated bicycle lane [there’s plenty of room for them on the pedestrian walk], but I just go around.  For the record, though, I also get annoyed by bicyclists, even the casual ones, who are in the pedestrian walk.  I would much rather pass a slow moving bicyclist than I would a fast runner – in the bicycle lanes. 

To that end, Ruthie’s pointed out that our section tends to be a tough mix.  There are bicycle rentals right out front of our apartment.  And there’s a dedicated off-street bicycle lane that runs the entire length of the beach.  There is also this whole slew of serious/regular bicyclists that also like to ride along the beach.  But the bicycle lane is a bit narrow, and it’s not so easy to ride along side your friend at a leisurely pace without taking up the whole lane [or even both sides].  It’s supposed to be safer to take the bicycle lane than it is the road, but I think it’s just a danger of a different form.  The slow moving bicycle goes unstable, and swerves into your path as you’re passing versus the car that cuts you off on the road; the kid that isn’t watching and runs out into the bicycle lane [and the parents who weren’t paying attention because it’s not a “real road”] versus the dude who throws his car door open into the on-street bicycle lane. 

So this has turned out to be quite a bit longer of a post than I’d expected, but suffice to say that bicycling in Melbourne is an interesting experience.  My goal is to continue cycling [as a form of commuting – not as a hobby] when I get home, despite Bel Air and Edgewood being less acclimated to bicyclists.  Hopefully by then, I’ll have accumulated enough brightly coloured garments and flashy lights that I’ll be easily visible and hard to miss.  Which will a good thing especially for that overly aggressive road rage driver who decides to target me when I ride down 40 one spring afternoon.

-EP

Wipe off 5

Speed kills right?  At least that’s what our departments of motor vehicles [and DARE] tell us. 

Down here, they’ve got VicRoads which is like our DMVs in that it’s state run, but then there’s the Transport Accident Commision (TAC), which … well, I’m not really sure what the TAC does except try and get people to not speed.  There are billboards everywhere posted by TAC with in-your-face messages about how accidents kill.  A lot of the messages I’ve seen have been targeted at motorcycle riders to a. wear safety gear and b. not lane split [which to the best of my knowledge is not illegal here except at red lights]. 

But for a while now, the TAC has been running TV spots encouraging drivers to “Wipe off 5.”  As in slow down 5 kph.  The ads are fairly graphic by American standards [without being gruesome], but they certainly get your attention.  Do they work?  Only TAC knows, I guess.

But what gets me is the general speed limit of the roads here as it is.  The 5-lane high way that goes across the bridge right by our house is often 80kph; then it drops down to 4 lanes and the speed goes up to 100kph [60mph]; then you turn off onto another highway and it goes down to 2 lanes and the speed increases again to 110kph.  All of this is on major highway-type roads, mind you.  But then you head out into the bush, away from the cities, either into the roads through rainforest parks or along the ocean, and it’s a double-lane-kinda-narrow-only-paint-dividing road and the posted speed limit is 100kph, with curve warnings of 30kph.  One, how the hell anyone can get up to 100kph on those roads is beyond me.  Two, why would you want to?  [Well, let’s be real, I know the answer to that one].  But, three, why is the speed limit on this twisty, windy road the same as the flat, straight, divided highway!? 

It just doesn’t really make sense to me, that’s all.  When the government is trying to encourage drivers to slow down to avoid accidents or at least avoid fatalities when an accident occurs, why would you have major-vein roads that are posted slower than the twisty, blind-corners ones?

-EP