Going Down Under

After turning in my grades, the reality has finally sunk in. A week from now, I’ll be in Western Australia with my love and her family, and it will be summer. I’ve never gone this far before. Jill tells me that if I were to dig a hole through the planet from my home in Brigantine, I’d end up just off the coast of Perth. So I’m pretty much going directly down under my feet. I’ve just finished Bill Bryson’s In a Sunburned Country, which prepared me for many of the lethal creatures I might encounter. I know the difference between freshies and salties, and that I should pet neither lest the croccie eat me. Box jellyfish (boxies?) are to be avoided while swimming. There are apparently some non-lethal spiders, but the majority of them are poisonous and to be avoided. I’m looking forward to encountering kookaburras, kangaroos, and quokkas. Although I’ve studied the menu carefully at the Outback Steakhouse, I’m told that kookaburra wings are not actually consumed in Perth. One amazing thing about globalization: I had Australian steak this week, not because I was getting prepared, but because it was on sale and considerably cheaper than Nebraska steak at the local Shoprite. It baffles the mind to think that two tender Aussie strip steaks can be flown around the world and end up on my plate for a grand total of $3.50. Anyway, I’m looking forward to my week in Perth and day in Sydney, preceded by Christmas in Chicago, where I’ll finally get to see the new Harry Potter movie with my niece. I’d imagine I’ll be lighting up the Flickr account with Aussie vistas. Can’t wait to have brekkie in Rottnest with Jill’s rellies. I’ve figured out, btw, the seccie to spekkie Aussie. Drop that last syllable or two and add ie, and you got a fair dinkum aproxie of Oz.