Category Archives: Thoughts

On My Happy List

I’ve been traveling back and forth to Seattle this week so my schedule is a complete mess, I’m tired and Thursday feels like it should be Saturday. I’ve also been spending a lot of time in airports and in the air (many on stand by for flights I will never board), which allows me the opportunity to stop thinking about all of the things I should be doing at home (laundry, cooking and…uh…more laundry) and instead catch up on a little reading, watch a TV show or two, listen to some music and get through my list of podcast downloads.

Here are a few things I’ve been enjoying this week:

Book: Daring Greatly, Brene Brown
I don’t read a lot of non-fiction and tend to avoid the self-help section of the bookstore so I surprised even myself when I pre-ordered this book a few months ago. It’s all about embracing vulnerability and how it can help you become engaged with your life. I’m only through the first couple of chapters but I’ve already highlighted many, many paragraphs on my kindle.

TV: The Daily Show
A must-watch during election season, although I often find myself yelling at the TV – not at John Stewart, but rather at the stupidity of others that he highlights most hilariously.

Podcast: Pop Culture Happy Hour
Love this podcast that features a roundtable discussion with NPR entertainment, book and movie editors. The “what’s making me happy” segment at the end of the show is helping me build my Amazon wishlist.

Music: Pink – The Truth About Love
I have loved Pink since she released her first album way back when I used to go to nightclubs, wear hot pants and dance into the wee hours of the morning. While my hot pants wearing days are way WAY behind me, Pink’s music just seems to be getting better.

Movie – New: Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Kei and I both enjoyed this documentary portrait of a Sushi chef in Tokyo who has spent his entire life perfecting his craft from a tiny little sushi shop in the basement of a train station. I’ll never look at a nigiri sushi in the same way again.

Movie – Revisited: The Duchess
I caught this movie on cable the other day and was reminded about why I loved it so much the first time around. I’m not a huge Kiera Knightly fan, but I have to admit that she is perfect in this story about a woman who had the misfortune of being born in a time when women were rarely able to path their own destiny.

Coming soon…
I have more than a few things on my wishlist for the next few months. Musically, my Brit Pop cup (or my ipod) will runneth over, while I’ll also have the opportunity to put a little vampire saga to rest at the movie theater.

I’m heading to Seattle again tomorrow so suggestions for podcasts and music most welcome. And because I can’t have a post without a photo, here’s our view from the soccer field last week. Enjoying these beautiful warm almost-autumn evenings while they last.

Swimming

Settling back into real life following our trip to Australia has been a challenge. We’re back to juggling work and childcare and household chores and I feel as though I’m swimming in circles, just trying to stay afloat.

It’s been hot this week – hundred degree days followed by 80 degree nights. It’s not the heat that bothers me so much, it’s the sleep deprivation which is exacerbated by my neighbor who insists on running his noisy sprinkler outside our bedroom window until 1 in the morning.

But that doesn’t explain all of my crankiness. I blame it on simply being overwhelmed by change – hiring a nanny for the first time over the Summer, returning to work with a new boss and big changes to my team, mentally preparing myself for Samuel’s first day of school (and the crazy childcare logistics that go along with it). While the majority of these changes have been good, adjusting to them all at once has been a challenge.

I’m afraid this weekend isn’t going to provide much time for contemplation and recharging.

  • Tonight – we have a couple of extra kids for a sleepover, Kei is taking the older kids to a soccer game while I’m planning a movie night with the two younger ones.
  • Saturday – Kei is taking the boys to his company picnic (Superhero themed) while I prepare to take photos at a friends’ wedding. They’ll then meet me at the church for the wedding later in the day. All this will be followed by a BBQ with friends who are celebrating their birthdays this weekend.
  • Sunday – We’ll all attend a kids birthday party in the morning and then Kei is driving the boys down to Salem to see a baseball game.

And amidst all of that I need to find time for grocery shopping, laundry, sleeping and eating. Phew!

I think I may need to borrow Samuel’s outfit just to make it few the next 48 hours. It might help me stay afloat.

10 Things I Love About Northern Victoria

I’m back in the U.S., back at work and feeling like I never left, so I need to keep posting photos and stories of my vacation just to remind myself that I did recently spend 6 weeks in Australia.

I grew up in the outer suburbs of Melbourne  and my parents moved to Northern Victoria after I moved to the states, so I have only recently had the experience of living in a small country town. While we spent a lot of the time camping in and around small towns as I was growing up, the experience of actually living in country Victoria is still foreign to me. There are a few things that are tough to get used to – bumping into someone you know (or my parents know) every time you head to the grocery store, limited restaurant options and 45 minutes to the nearest movie theatre come to mind – but there are also many wonderful things about country Victoria. Here are 10 things that I appreciate about living in the Aussie outback, not that I plan to move there anytime soon. I’m pretty sure I’ll always be a city girl at heart.

1. Plenty of room to explore, play and run around
Perfect for two active boys. The swing with a view is an extra bonus.

2. Wineries
And wine tasting, of course.

3. Frosty Mornings
Yes, it’s cold, but the best thing about a frosty morning is that it promises sunshine later in the day.

4. Wildlife – in the wild
Growing up in the suburbs of Melbourne, it was a rare event for me to see Australian animals in the wild. If we were lucky we might spot a wombat or a Kangaroo while camping, but, most of my Australian animal encounters occurred at the zoo. So, you can imagine my excitement when the boys and I spotted a herd of Kangaroos eating grass by the side of the road, or my insistence that we walk the golf course at dusk for the express purpose of capturing a few photographs of the elusive creatures. And, yes, we also saw our fair share of the less fortunate animals who failed to look both ways before crossing the street. RIP.

5. Birds
You hear them first – the magical songs of the magpie, the painfully loud squawking of the cockatoo and unmistakable laugh of the kookaburra – then you see them and you can’t help but be amazed by the diversity and adaptability of nature.

6. Afternoon Tea
I shared photos of my very high class afternoon tea at The Windsor hotel previously, but there’s nothing quite like the classic Aussie country afternoon tea. I was fortunate enough to witness one after photographing a concert put on by my Mum’s choir at the local Uniting Church. More people turned up to the concert than expected so the church ladies went home to pull more food from their freezers. Just the sight of jelly slice and a few lamingtons transported me back to childhood vacations with my grandparents. A good old country afternoon tea is just not the same without Jelly slice.

7. That feeling that you’re alone in the middle of nowhere
No traffic noise, not a building as far as the eye can see. Just the sound of birds and the feeling of being completely alone in the world – well, except for a couple of noisy children.

8. The sky at sunrise and sunset
No two days are the same.

9. Clouds
While I realize that clouds can be found everywhere, there’s nothing quite like looking up and seeing them within a bright blue, enormous Australian sky. Yes, I took a LOT of photos of clouds.

10. Gum Trees
Unmistakeably Australian and, with about 1,000 different varieties, never boring.

And now I’m feeling just a little more homesick…

Five Things Australia Does Better

When you live in another country for a long time, it’s easy to forget about some of the great things that you enjoyed in your home country. An unexpected part of this trip has been about appreciating the things I grew up with, and some of the new benefits offered by the city that I called home for most of my life.

1. Free Child Entry to Museums (and Grandparents too!)
Seems like common sense really. I mean, adults are required to bring their children so why not just charge for the adults? Unless they’re seniors and then we’ll let them in for free as well. Awesome! I estimate I have saved at least $80 in entry fees for children and grandparents during the first couple of  here, and visited more museums than I would have if I had to pay for the kids. Win, win.

Note that this policy may only apply to Melbourne. I don’t know if other Aussie cities offer the same pricing structure, but they should.

2. Outside Fires in the Middle of Winter
It’s June, the middle of winter, and we’re outside sitting comfortably in front of a fire. While Australia has had it’s problems with drought over the past few years (thankfully not now), the upside is that winter nights are dry and clear and not so painfully cold that you can’t enjoy a night out by the fire. Bonus points to my father who held onto a washing machine drum for twenty years so we could use it on this very occasion.

3. High Tea
One of the upsides of being a colony is that we have retained some of the pomp and ceremony of the British – but not too much because we are descended from convicts after all. My mother, sister-in-law, Emma, and I recently enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon at The Windsor Hotel where we enjoyed a high tea, complete with pink champagne, samplings of decadent desserts, finger sandwiches and about 10 selections of tea. It was extremely dignified and very tasty.

4. Kangaroos and Koalas
When you grow up in Australia, you tend to take the amazing animals for granted. It’s not like they’re jumping around in your backyard, but you just get so used to seeing them in your books, on your money and even on the coat of arms that they become just an ordinary part of everyday life. But then I had children in America and suddenly it is incredibly important to me that they see every Australian animal possible during their visit. Spotting a herd of Kangaroos feeding by the side of the road on our drive to my parent’s house in the country has been one of the highlights of our trip so far.

What I’m trying to say is that something that was cliched in my childhood is now an obsession that I can’t quite explain. And don’t even get me started on the hunt for the elusive Platypus.

5. Just a Little More Socialism
Paid maternity leave, special government payments for parents with children in school, socialized healthcare, the list goes on… I don’t want to get political and, sure, this system is not without its problems but I have to say that when I see the list of social benefits that I would have living here that I don’t get in Portland, it sometimes makes me wonder why I left. We stumbled across a union protest in the city a few days ago which showed that not everyone is excited about government intervention in their lives, but, if asked, I doubt any of them would give up their free healthcare.

Yes, America has the upper hand on some things including (relatively) cheap cable, snowy winters, more choice at the grocery store, wifi everywhere and BIG cups of coffee, but there’s no denying that Aussies enjoy a few benefits that are not, and some that could never be, replicated in my adopted home. Now if only I can find a way to merge the two…

On Being Inspired and Feeling Vulnerable: The TEDx Portland Not-Quite-a-Recap, Recap

I’m traveling again this week, this time to Seattle (well, Bellevue) for just a couple of days for a work event. I’m coming off a busy weekend during which I photographed the TEDx event in Portland on Saturday, trimmed a massive hedge down the side of our house in 85 degree heat on Sunday, spent Monday editing photos from Saturday and then Tuesday getting work done for my real job before watching Thomas test for his Karate yellow belt. And now I’m here in Bellevue.

So that’s my roundabout way of explaining why I haven’t posted in a while. I keep waiting for life to slow down…

I’m working on a recap of some of my favorite talks from Saturday’s TEDx event but I figured it would be much more meaningful if I could actually link to replays, so it may have to wait for a few weeks until they’re posted online. Needless to say, I left feeling inspired and challenged. Nothing like a day of intelligent people talking about amazing projects to get the creative juices flowing.

I can share one presentation from the event right now. It was a replay from another TEdx event that they showed on the screen and, honestly, I felt like this talk was being delivered directly to me. Brene Brown, a researcher in Social Work, talked about the power of being vulnerable (something I struggle with as most of my close family members will attest) and how opening yourself up to vulnerability can open yourself up to so much more of your life. It was funny, poignant and very close to home.

Back soon with more photos and stories. Until then I’ll continue trying to keep my head above water.

Looking Back (to Austin) and Looking Forward (to a break)

Wow – my trip to Austin feels like a lifetime ago. So much has happened since then. Just the everyday life type stuff, but so, so much of it. I think I lose track of time as I get older. Days seem shorter and more full and then suddenly you open your eyes and it’s April.

April.

That means a little over two months until I jump on a plane and head for sunnier skies (weather permitting) and a good long lie down. Thanks in advance to my Mum for looking after the kids. 🙂 OK, so I don’t really think the good long lie down is going to happen, not while I’m single-parenting it for a good proportion of the trip.

Still, I am looking forward to getting rid of the schedule and spending some time just enjoying TIME. With my kids in the place where I grew up, with my family and my super-adorable nephew, with my camera…

When I take a look back at some of the photos I took during my trip to Austin, Iit reminds me of how much I am inspired by a change of scenery. Not that I don’t love the four walls I live in, just that my four walls don’t change very much. The people inside them change (way too quickly), but sometimes I need to experience them in a different setting to fully appreciate, and photograph, the changes.

Side note: This next photo is of the very best iced mocha I have ever tasted. I’m salivating just thinking about it. I may have had more than one (or two or three) during my visit.

Remembering

I’m traveling for work this weekend, but also taking some time to remember on this anniversary of the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami. A day that changed – and took – the lives of so many people.

Sending them healing and hope.

Monday’s Photo – Demonstrating How Capes SHOULD be Worn

A little bleary eyed this morning after staying up to watch the Oscars last night. It broadcasts pretty early here on the West Coast but, due to some live video pausing so I could eat dinner and deal with bedtime, I was up a little later than expected.

Note to self: Next time don’t browse Facebook and Twitter while you’re watching a delayed show. It gives away the ending (duh!).

I felt a little more prepared for the Oscars than expected this year thanks to a last-minute double feature viewing of The Help and Moneyball on Saturday night. Sure, Kei and I were useless with the kids in the morning, but at least we managed to sneak in a couple of best picture nominees before the big night. Still haven’t seen the winner but I’m adding it to my Netflix queue.

I actually thoroughly enjoyed this year’s academy awards and even watched some of it with Thomas and Samuel who were equally impressed.

Highlights:

  • The fact that Billy Crystal laughs at his own jokes and doesn’t try to be too hip/clever.
  • His opening video and song – funny and clever. I’m sure Thomas had no idea what most of the references were but he was rolling on the floor with laughter anyway.
  • Cirque Du Soleil – a highlight for the boys.
  • That Bret (“Brit”) McKenzie won for the Muppet song. Bonus points for a Miss Piggy and Kermit appearance (kids liked that too)
  • Octavia Spencer’s win. Love her.
  • Will Farrell and Zac Galafanakis – Hilarious.
  • The Bridesmaids cast presenting three awards, particularly the Martin Scorsese drinking game.

Lowlights

Of course I don’t have any photos of the actual Oscars, so you’ll have to make do with a couple of a much more fashionable ways to wear a cape. In my opinion, they should be reserved for magicians and superheroes.

 

 

Weekend Adventures and Random Photos

I’m not sure how we managed to have such an insanely busy weekend. It seems that our kids have an incredibly active social life. Here’s a quick rundown and, because I barely picked up my camera at all over the weekend, I’ll intersperse the text with a few completely random photos just because they make me smile.

Friday

  • Kei went out for a drink with a friend.
  • I put the kids to bed and stayed up a lot later than I should have after getting sucked into watching a 20/20 special about Whitney Houston.

Saturday

  • Swimming lesson for Thomas and family swim for the rest of us in the morning.
  • After lunch saw a quick nap for Samuel before Kei took the boys to the Ice Hockey. While they were there, one of the boys dropped his $4 snow cone. While Kei tried to rescue it he managed to knock over his $9 beer. Tragedy all round.
  • I stayed home and tried to clean up part of the house, managing to lose Thomas’ Lego Blue Ninja in the process. We heard about it for the rest of the weekend (it’s still missing).
  • Immediately after the boys returned from the Hockey, we packed them into the car again so they could hang out at Samuel’s school for a few hours for “Parents’ Night Out.”
  • Kei and I had dinner at Simpatica. Very tasty, although not as good as other times we’ve been there. I’m sure my experience was a little dampened by the 70 year old guy sitting next to us who said he was scared by the set menu and then who refused to eat “the green stuff” (Kale). I’m sure there’s a Portlandia episode in there somewhere.
  • Picked up the kids at around 10:30. Samuel was so tired that he practically begged to go to bed.

Sunday

  • Kids and I got out of bed at 6:30am (why won’t they sleep in?).
  • Kei took them bowling with some neighborhood friends for a couple of hours while I did exciting things like Laundry! and Grocery Shopping!
  • Boys came home for lunch and then Thomas played video games while Samuel took a nap.
  • Kei took Thomas to a play date and hit some golf balls while waiting to pick him up.
  • Samuel woke up and seemed a little under the weather so we sat on the couch and watch Babe together – LOVE that movie, although it did require a lot of explanation for a three year old.
  •  Home, dinner, folding laundry late into the night.

Monday (Presidents’ Day)

  • Thomas’s school was closed and Samuel woke up asking for a sick bucket (which he used), so I had both kids at home. Thankfully Kei was able to take a sick day to look after Samuel so I was able to get some work done.
  • Spent the day inside to recover from the weekend while it poured rain outside. Kids played with Lego and superheroes and watched Babe again.
  • Samuel took a too-long nap which kept him up until 10pm.
  • I went to the gym for a class, where I may have come close to passing out a couple of times.
  • Let my heavy eyelids close just after Samuel went to bed at 10pm.

Summary: Busy (long) weekend. Actually grateful to be back at work today. Bring it!

Five Things Friday: Romantic Movies that Go Beyond All That Gross Kissy Stuff*

*Gross kissy stuff according to a three year old. Not the opinion of the author.

There was a time, long ago, when I went to the movie theater on a regular basis. I would easily lose myself for a couple of hours in a romantic comedy or the latest thriller or even a classic movie – due in large part to a wonderful 12 month period when I lived within steps of the famous Astor theater in St. Kilda.

There was also a time, long ago, when I could proudly declare that I had seen most, if not all, of the Best Picture nominees before the Oscar telecast and share my informed opinion on who should win.

Of course those days are over thanks to something call “parenthood” – and the increase in the number of best picture nominees didn’t help my cause.

So, as I share my favorite romantic movies, you’ll notice that most of the films on the list are more than a few years old. Part of this is because I have to be particularly choosy about how I spend my movie-viewing time, but I also believe that it is because it is incredibly difficult to make a  great romantic comedy – one that doesn’t resort to cliches or painful sentimentality to tell a story.

Without further ado, my choices for the top five romantic movies that stimulate the mind as well as the heart strings.

1. When Harry Met Sally

Hand’s down my all time favorite romantic movie. I think I’ve seen it more than 30 times and owned it on VHS in Australia before I upgraded to a DVD copy when we moved to the US (Blue ray may be next). It’s a funny, romantic story about friends who finally find love right in from of them. I love the “documentary” interviews that are sprinkled throughout the film and, of course, the quotable dialogue that ends with one of the most romantic declarations of love ever found in a movie.

“I love that you get cold when it’s 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you’re looking at me like I’m nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because it’s New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. “

This film caused me to fall in love with Billy Chrystal for a couple of hours – now that’s genius.

2. Like Water for Chocolate

Back when I used to see a lot of movies, I also used to see a lot of foreign movies. I know, it was a crazy, frivolous use of time and I LOVED it. One of my favorites was “Like Water for Chocolate”, a story about forbidden love and the heroine channels her pain and  passion through the food she cooks. Funny, romantic and, above all, delicious.

“The trouble with crying over an onion is that once the chopping gets you started and the tears begin to well up, the next thing you know you just can’t stop!”

3. The Princess Bride

This movie has revenge, kidnapping, swordplay, giants, poison and Rodents of Unusual Size (ROUS’s) but above all, it’s about “TWUE WUV”. I vividly remember going to see the Princess Bride as a child with my Mum, my brothers and one of my Mum’s friends with her kids in tow. It made such an impression that I simply cannot wait until my kids are old enough to enjoy this film. Of course, given they’ve declared the movie “UP” to be too scary thanks to the appearance of a bad guy, I may have to wait a little while. I don’t think they’re quite ready for Prince Humperdink and his Pit of Despair.

“I was eleven years old. And when I was strong enough, I dedicated my life to the study of fencing. So the next time we meet, I will not fail. I will go up to the six-fingered man and say, “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.””

4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

A story about breakup and the lengths two people would take to erase memories that are almost too painful to bear. Is erasing the bad worth the loss of the good memories as well? This movie is a bit of a mind bender, but that’s what makes it such a unique and wonderful love story. Kate Winslet is fabulous and even Jim Carrey plays it wonderfully straight. Unforgettable, for sure.

“Look man, I’m telling you right off the bat I’m high maintenance. So I’m not gonna tip-toe around your marriage or whatever it is ya got goin’ on there. If you wanna be with me, you’re with me.”

5. Annie Hall

OK, I admit that Woody Allen is not everyone’s cup of tea, but who can deny the brilliance of the dialogue in this movie. It’s just an everyday story of two people who meet, fall in love and then find themselves hating each other. But what makes this movie rise above the ordinary is the list of fantastic one-liners and Diane Keaton at her most fabulous.

“A relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies. And I think what we got on our hands is a dead shark. “

Special Mentions

  • An Affair to Remember – I had to include at least one classic. Cary Grant. Enough said.
  • Crazy Stupid Love – funny, unexpected AND released within the last 12 months. 
  • While you were sleeping – A gentle, only slightly predictable, love story. It won’t make you think very hard, but it will definitely make you smile. 
  • Edward Scissorhands – this film is visually amazing and, of course, I’m a sucker for Johnny Depp, even at his most freaky-looking.
  • Up – what’s not to love about a cartoon that can tell an entire story of a couple’s relationship from beginning to end in a 3 minute montage?

Did I miss one or two (or 20)? Share your own favorites in the comments.