It's been a while since my last post, but life has been somewhat predictable lately. I'll have more to say after Elliot and I road trip again in 2 weeks (asked off for 4 days at work, don't know what we're going to do yet, but it will be fun). I guess I'll just comment on a few random things. Today was the Melbourne Cup, aka, the Kentucky Derby of Australia/New Zealand. It was a lot of fun, but made me sad that I won't be at the Kentucky Derby this year. I worked all day, but we made an event of the Cup which was fun. We all had to come dressed as if we were going (not a big fan of working for 8 hours in dress clothes). All I could think about was how many great hats and outfits I could have borrowed from my mom if I were at home. Instead I had to wear the one nice dress I brought with me and work my hair into an updo. It was all I had to work with. I was put in charge of rallying people to do the "draw a name out of a hat" type of gambling. It was fun. I should probably be a bookie because I macked that job and got a bunch of people in the pool for the race. One guy told me I should sell snow to eskimos (very cliche, but hey, I was seriously selling it!). It probably also helped that there were $5 glasses of bubbly leading up to the race, so people were feeling cheery!
What else.... MULLETS and RAT-TAILS. In case you were wondering if you would encounter those hairstyles in New Zealand, the answer is HELL YES! Here is something strange I can't understand. The Rat-Tail is actually a semi-popular hair style around here. You see it on everyone from a child to a grown man. I didn't get it, so I asked a local. One person told me it was a Saomian influence (only makes sense if it's just Samoans, and it's not, trust me), the other told me it was just trashy! I don't know what it is, I just wish they knew that Rat-Tails are ridiculous and should have left at the same time the 80's left. It amazes me how many of them I see daily. Mullets aren't as popular, but they are spotted here and there. One girl at work even told me she likes the mullet if the sides of the head are shaved. I busted out laughing and told her that no matter what is shaved or not, she should never like a mullet! Awww, cultural difference!
Food. I tried Marmite (kind of like Vegemite). It made me gag. I had to run for a drink. I don't know how people eat that stuff. It has the consistency of tar. Seriously gross. On the other hand, oranges here are fantastic. I think they are Australian oranges, but they are so sweet and juicy. I like them a lot better than Florida oranges (sorry Florida, not trying to hate). Elliot had a goat burger the other night and really liked that. I'm sure they sell goat meat somewhere in the US, but I know I've never come across it. They also put Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce on a lot of food around here, and it is delicious. The seafood is also amazing, which isn't surprising since we are on the ocean. It's always fresh! One thing I really miss, turkey. They don't sell a lot of turkey around here. I used to love making turkey burgers, turkey tacos, etc. I have to actually use beef now, which disappoints me (at least the beef is all lean since bio-engineering is illegal here I think). I do miss my turkey. You can get shaved turkey at the deli counter, but I'm on a budget now and only buy my meat cheap and prepackaged.
Okay, more random stuff to come later! Hope everything is well back home. The weather is warming and summer is almost here! Yay!
