Gravity's just a habit

Travelling back and forth between the US and Australia sometimes feels like travelling between alternate universes. We have a life here and a life there. In one of the universes we see family quite frequently, in the other we facetime with them or they make a rare visit. In one of universes we have a car and tolerate the traffic, in another we scooter to the beach just about every weekend and I have to lug a rolling duffel bag through the park to get groceries. In one of the universes it's winter, and in one it's summer; in one it's day and one it's night. Both universes have different slang and common phrases; they have different plant and wildlife; different rules that govern the general order (like what side of the road you drive on or how late businesses are generally open). In both universes we have likeminded friends who enjoy playing ultimate, climbing, hiking, boardgames, etc. I am fairly sure our friends in the US would get along pretty well with our friends in Australia, but most of them will never meet each other.

Some people I know are very critical of the shortcomings of social media. I have a love/hate relationship with social media too, although, I have to say that trying to maintain friendships in two different universes is infinitely easier with social media than it would be without it. It was nice to be able to say to friends at home, "Oh yeah, I saw pictures of that, it looked fun", or "I saw that you're doing X now, that's awesome". Even though I'm on the other side of the world, I still feel somewhat in-the-know. 

I've always been a film buff, but I think now movies and TV are more important to me because (most anyway) are available and the same whether I watch them here or in the states. They are common topics we can discuss in either universe, so they not only serve the purpose of entertainment, they serve the greater purpose of keeping us connected to other people. The Walking Dead in my previous post was a prime example of that. We have friends and family we can talk to in both countries who watch the show and like to share their opinions. 

Anyway, I've adjusted back to the Sydney universe quite easily. Of course, it helps that it's been a relatively easy work week, working at familiar locations with mostly familiar people. Michael has been texting from Singapore so I can kind of pretend he's not far away. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also, completely unrelated, if you haven't seen the new OK GO video, Upside Down & Inside Out, you should check it out. It's hypnotic and I can't stop watching it. They are one of my favorite bands I've ever seen live because they have so much energy and have fun with everything they do, not to mention they are visual geniuses. 

It's the weekend and it's beautiful outside. Time to get some fresh air.