"The Kind of Story We Need Right Now"

Khancoban

A friend of ours who was back visiting from moving abroad invited us on his annual family vacation down to Khancoban, which is near Kosciuszko National Park and the Victoria border. It is a beautiful area of the country, with small towns and rolling farmland. We both got to try "wake surfing" for the first time - surfing on a wave generated by a speedboat, directly behind the boat. It's similar to waterskiing, but more fun because it doesn't feel like you're getting sprayed with a firehose while someone tries to yank your arms off. We were both really happy with the runs we did; I was pleasantly surprised I had a good run over a minute long. I was also happy to get a few moments to myself to SUPboard on the beautiful "pondage". 

There were a few hiccoughs along the way that weren't anyone's fault - a booking issue with the cabins, and a closed road due to a bushfire that meant we had to change our route - but over all it was a good trip. I find travelling with Penelope, in general, more stressful than travelling without a baby to be concerned about. I'm sure most mothers would agree with this sentiment. There is much more packing (you have to bring her bed and carseat and other specialty items, extra food and diapers and wipes, etc.), I have to make sure she is getting fed at regular intervals and napping, etc. Also, when you are travelling on other peoples' schedules, this adds to the stress because then you are not always in control of addressing your child's needs as they arise. I suppose there were moments that I came across as the overprotective or stressed mom, but I know where I generally fall on the spectrum, so I don't really care what other people think. When you're the main advocate for your kid's needs, you're just going to come across that way sometimes to other people, even if you're usually easygoing. I find that most tantrums are easily avoidable when you meet the kid's needs, in my several years of experience working with young kids. I try not to wait until a kid gets to the breaking point, because I find it like unnecessary torture for everyone. I'm not saying to spoil kids so that they never have to be uncomfortable, but there is a fine balance where you can keep them reasonably content most of the time, in order to maintain your own sanity. Anyway, all this is to say that the trip was not stress-free, but despite that, we had some really great moments enjoying the outdoors. We got to partake in activities that we otherwise would not have been able, so we are pretty thankful for that.

Live that learn. Every trip with take with PJ, we learn better how to be prepared, without being overly so. 

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

We recently watched Won't You Be My Neighbour?, the documentary about Fred Rogers, creator of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. There were some really classic moments that they show, like when he testified to congress to save PBS, when he met Koko the gorilla, and times he addressed children about serious topics in the news, like the Bobby Kennedy assassination.

The documentary showed footage from the very first episode; it was unbelievable. King Friday becomes fearful of changes that have been coming into the Land of Make-Believe and wants to build a wall and put barbed wire around his castle. This episode was written during the time of the Vietnam War, but it's incredible how it could have been written today. Ultimately, King Friday changes his mind when people send balloons with messages of love, hope, positivity, etc. over the wall. If only it were that simple. 

There has never been anyone else like Fred Rogers. There was a kind and quiet seriousness about him, and he really felt the importance of his mission to reach people with positive messages. He just had this amazing understanding of how children look at the world.

We could definitely use his positivity and kindness more than ever today, and I definitely recommend the documentary.

Aria

Michael's aunt and uncle are visiting from the US, and we had a wonderful meal with them at Aria. The restaurant is located in front of the Sydney Opera House, so of course it has a good view of the harbour area. It was one of the few times we've had a friend babysit for us here so we could have a "grown-up" night out. Michael was jetlagged, having flown over the Pacific after a work trip and arrived that morning. Despite that, he was able to keep his eyes open and enjoy the meal and catching up. 

We hadn't seen them since our visit to Vermont a few ago when there was a memorial service for Michael's grandparents. It was great to hear about their recent visit to New Zealand and what everyone else in the family was doing. We will have another more casual meal with them during their visit where they will meet Penelope.

It's a treat when family or friends pass through these parts, since it's so rare!

The Furlough Continues

The government shutdown is now officially the longest one ever on the books. This does not instill me with confidence in moving back to the US. In a Democracy, one person should not be able to hold the rest of the government, thousands of workers who need to feed their families and pay their bills, hostage. The damage is done. Saying they will get back pay for the time they were off isn't good enough for those that don't have enough money from day to day. Luckily, no major disasters have happened involving air travel or food safety, but who knows how long until something happens? Also, now that thousands of jobs are not considered as stable as a government job used to be, talent will move elsewhere. For people who wish there were less government in general, this is not the same thing. Just immediately ceasing functions instead of gradually downsizing has repercussions, even if they are not immediately obvious.

 This shutdown has been a national embarrassment. Hearing the president talk about it is even more embarrassing; he blames everyone else after he already declared he would take responsibility for it. Childish. The House has passed bills that would re-open the government and the other branches refuse to sign off on them. Again, it's hard to believe the blame is on the Democrats when the Republicans had full control for two years and didn't do anything, and now it is still their branches that won't sign off to re-open the government. The blame game keeps going round and round, and the American people all lose. 

I have several friends who are furloughed. Luckily, for now, they all seem to be able to make ends meet. But, for how long?

Polar Opposites

It's been heating up here in Sydney, so we have been spending a lot of time at the pool. On days we can't get to the pool, PJ still cools off with a lukewarm bath, and sometimes I take a few short, cool showers a day. We pump the fans and I drink an iced chai or smoothie. Such is life in summer without air conditioning. We try not to go out during the middle of the day, since not only is it hot, literally every day the UV index is in the "extreme" category. We have most of our walks and outdoor time in the morning and in the evening. 

Dealing with polar opposite weather, Michael's travel was disrupted by the snow on the East Coast of the US. He eventually made it to DC after 31 hours of total travel (it usually takes about 24). Mike also had an issue where his hotel room partially flooded, and he had to be moved. Lots of little things are going wrong on his trip; hopefully that's the last one. His business trip is half over, and we are looking forward to him coming home.

New Places and a Business Trip

We finally tried Cafe Ella nearby, and the food was pretty good. The weird thing was, usually at cafes and pubs, you get a number when you order food. For some reason, Cafe Ella doesn't do that, so their waitstaff is constantly coming up to every table asking if they ordered the dish in their hands. It seems if every other cafe has figured out how to deal with quickly and easily finding out which table is waiting for which food, they should be able to do it also without reinventing the wheel. Anyway, hopefully they will sort that out before the next time we go back.

I also got to go to Archie Bros. Electric Cirque, which is a lot like Dave and Busters. It was for an ex-coworker's birthday. It was quite the sensory overload, but it was a good time and I would go back the next time I feel like throwing some money down the toilet playing nostalgic arcade games.  

Michael is going back to the DC area for a special kickoff event for work. We wish we had known about this event when we had made our original plans to go home for the holidays, because we would have planned things differently. We would not have had him fly back just a few weeks after being there. 

So, it's just Penelope and me for the week. After two weeks solo back in July, one week sounds relatively easy. Of course there are times it's not easy - if PJ doesn't sleep well, I will get no relief. And, I won't get a night out during the week to either play frisbee or go to trivia and be social with other grown-ups, like I usually do. I should get a break to work out at the pool twice during the week, so that will be nice. And, we will facetime Michael and other family whenever we get the chance too.

Speaking of PJ not sleeping well, the nap she was supposed to take has not happened. So, I've got to go!

Shut it Down

Australia had its own government shutdown once, and it never happened again. 

As of this writing, the current US government shutdown is the second longest ever. That's unacceptable. And, it's unacceptable that every time there is a shutdown, they don't make changes that would prevent there from ever being another one. 

Families are hurting. Some can't afford to pay their bills, feed their families, or even pay enough to transport themselves to work the jobs they aren't getting paid to do. Food inspections and travel safety at airports is falling by the wayside, and it's really just a matter of time until this results in a big problem where lives could be lost. So far, seven people (according to CNN) have died in accidents at national parks. It's hard to tell if those deaths would have happened if they had been properly staffed, but certainly having adequate staff helps in an emergency response situation. This is unacceptable. Especially because this stupid shutdown is all in the name of keeping Americans safe; it is making more people less safe in many more ways. 

As it turns out, governing by temper tantrum is not effective.

Birdbox

We watched Birdbox. I don't get why so many people are talking about it. It was very suspenseful; we were on the edge of our seats the whole time. But then at the end, I wanted more of a resolution and explanation. Pretty much, it was similar to A Quiet Place, but A Quiet Place was better.

Quiet January

Sydney is a pretty quiet city this time of year. Lots of locally owned businesses take a few days or even weeks off. Even for those who are still working, it's usually pretty lax; there are lower expectations with lots of people traveling, people are slower to communicate, etc. Everything is slowly getting back to the usual, but schools still have off until almost the end of January.

This weekend has been pretty social. We had a nice dinner/movie night with some friends on Friday. Dinner with another couple on Saturday, and Penelope and their son had some play time together. This morning I had brunch with a friend at a local cafe, and this afternoon Mike had frisbee. 

All in all, it's been a pretty good weekend. Sadly, though, it's time to take down the Christmas decor.

Happy 2019!

We rang in the new year with some friends in a little house in the mountains, playing boardgames, and watching music and fireworks on TV. We could see the same fireworks, well the tops of them anyway, tiny and very far away, over the hills in the distance, which was pretty cool. It was perfect because we could be social and have Penelope there too, sleeping in the other room, without having to host in our small apartment. We had a delicious potluck meal/burned BBQ, and then the next morning we had a delicious breakfast spread including scrambled eggs and extra crispy bacon. 

It's funny, we try to teach her so many words and names, and but the next ones after mama, dada, and Lala (her grandmother's nickname) have been cat and dog. At the house, there was a little dog that Penelope was fascinated with, and she couldn't stop saying, "dog". Only, when she says it it sounds like, "dog-gue". 

Goodbye, 2018. Around the world, there were lots of disasters and crazy news stories. Personally, our 2018 was pretty good. We welcomed Penelope, and she consumed almost all our time in her first few months. As she got a little bit older, we had been able to take her on some short trips, I was able to start playing frisbee again, continued my semi-regular trivia nights, I babysat and taught here and there, and then we had our big trip to the US at the end. Penelope has done an amazing job in her swim lessons, and it has been a great joy for all of us.

I'd say we have done pretty well at remaining social while having a baby. How do we do it without having many people around to help us with her? Trading-off is key. Our social lives are somewhat separate when we do things during the week, but then on weekends we might go to brunch with some other families or all go to the pool or for a walk together. So, we manage. I also try to only be away one evening during the week, since I like being around to put Penelope to bed. 

Hello, 2019. We are awaiting our Australian citizenship application to be processed. With Elizabeth Warren already announcing that she will be running for president in 2020, we will be following US news and politics closely. As the new school year starts up here, I will try to work more days again. We hope to do a few more travels in this part of the world before heading back heading back to the US later in the year. 

I have no resolutions this year. I just want to get off to a positive start in general and enjoy our remaining time here in Australia.