Party's Over...Back in D.C.

So I arrived back in D.C. late Tuesday night. My Mom's 60th birthday dinner was last night (her 2 sisters and husbands took her to a nice restaurant in D.C.). I had it all planned with them to have an extra seat at the table and surprise her. When I tapped her on the shoulder and said "Hi Mom" it was quite comical. She was in shock where she was looking at me and her brain wasn't registering it was me (she still thought I was coming back in March). After a second or two everything caught up and she was elated. My sister and I bought her a family vacation anywhere she wants to go...the 3 of us...so we're going to start planning that. I'll update this blog posting with pictures from the dinner at DC Coast tomorrow...I forgot my USB chord to my camera today.

Life is Good...

So I'm really hitting my stride here as it's getting closer to my departure date. I've met some amazing people and loads of new friends. In the perfect world, I'd live here for 6 months and in the states for 6 months every year the rest of my life. It's a great time to buy real estate here as well....so it's definitely something to shoot for. I've met a ton of UK people and they are by far my favorite people. Just not a care in the world except having a laugh and anything goes. I definitely look forward to getting over to London for a long weekend because I'd have the full hookup of places to stay and go which I haven't had there before. Pictured above is my roommate Elliot and his UK "friend". haha.

Bondi Beach Sunrises (Part II)

It rained today so no pics, but the ones from yesterday were slightly better than the day before. It's pretty clear though my camera just isn't up for the challenge. Still pretty nice though....these sunrises remind me a lot of the sunrises on York Rd in Baltimore with the homeless peeing in the streets and shouting jibberish.

Bondi Beach Sunrises...

So I am in the habit now of waking up at 6:00AM for the sunrise and running back and forth along the 3/4 mile promenade. The beach is super-packed at this hour with all these workout clubs. There is an amazing sunrise picture I want to buy (from the same professional that took the one above)...the problem is it costs a $1K, so I'm trying to catch my own. My camera is good enough for it and has the mega-pixel size needed, but the weather is not cooperating. It's been overcast here 2 straight weeks and the morning sun has not been able to break the clouds...but I have gotten some decent snaps. Here are the pictures from yesterday.

Here are some more from the professional photographer I'm trying to get.



Although now that I think about it, my camera probably will never compare to his Canon 1d MkII ($7500). oh well.

Hunter Valley Winery Tour

So I did an all day trip today to the Hunter Valley wineries, which is about 2 hours north of Sydney. We stopped at 5 different wineries. I skipped most of the white wines b/c I just really don't like white wine. I tasted some pretty nice Shiraz's, Cabs, and several other types I had never heard of. Here are some photos of the winery trip. One of our stops was at Drayton, which a few weeks ago tragically had a large explosion where their they lost 2 people, including the wine maker who was a Drayton. They had just re-opened after making a make-shift new cellar door (room for tasting wines). We could still see the shredded building and busted vats. Sad story.

Anyone that has visited me in DC surely knows about the bottle of 'Brennivin' (which translates to 'Black Death') I brought back from Iceland.


Well, it took us a year but we finally finished the bottle. It was pretty brutal. So since that challenge is over, it's time for a new one. On the wine tour today this one brewery had some funky different schnapps, and OF COURSE...I bought a bottle for us all back in the States. It's called 'Dragons Breath' and is a Chili schanpps. I had some and it's not that bad...it was actually this winery's best selling bottle, but it definitely packs a punch. Bottoms up! (and yes, that is a chili pepper floating in the bottle).

Ewok Book Club

So Oprah's book club is crap, not that I have ever seen it once, but I'm sure mine is better. I've read quite a few books since I've been out here and I'll give you the quick reviews. I'm a non-fiction guy...I personally find stories much more interesting when they are true. Anyway, below are my comments and my lame 1-5 star rating. 5 being the best and which I rarely will ever rate a book. (scroll down...)

Running with Scissors: A Memoir (Augusten Burroughs)	Absolutely hysterical book. Very quick read. Two scenes were a little too explicit for my 'conservative' taste, but that does not take away from the creative writing and amazing story of this childhood and how Augusten ended up to where he is today as a writer. 4 stars.
The Young Che: Memories of Che Guevara (Ernesto Guevara Lynch)	I knew very little about Che Guevara and was intrigued to know more. This book was written by his Dad and explained his childhood and documented all the letters Che wrote to his family (which is the majority of the book) as he traveled up South America and eventually into Central America and Cuba. It was a very good read and quite interesting to see 1.) his progression toward Socialism and 2.) "the other side of the story" to the effects American imperialism had on the everyday people. In short, their life was not good. It documents how he met Fidel Castro and their relationship before and after the invasion of Cuba. Very good book. 4 stars.
Eight Lives Down Chris Hunter	This is probably one of the best books I have ever read. Everyone and anyone should buy this and read it. It's written by a UK bomb expert (IED - the roadside bombs) who is based in Basra and is the only man that knows how to diffuse them. He is so good at what he does the insurgents put a bounty on his head. The stories of him traveling through the villages are astounding. You'll also learn a great amount about Iraqi culture, Iran's involvement, and how incredible the sacrifices these troops make are...all while trying to hold on to a marriage and family. 5 stars.
Fear and Loathing Las Vegas Hunter S. Thompson	I'm probably the last person on Earth to read this but what a phenomenal book. Truly a one-of-a-kind writer. 4 stars.
The Beat: Go-Go's Fusion of Funk and Hip-Hop Kip Lornell	So I finished the Eight Lives Down book faster than anticipated and had to hit a small bookstore in Queensland. The only book I saw that interested me was about the start of go-go music in D.C...following the story of Chuck Brown, EU, and the Junkyard band. Sounded cool. Wow, was I wrong. The author (white guy) spoke on HUGE lengths how about black music originated in tribal Africa and never got to the heart of the story. He repeated himself so much I could not take it anymore after 3 chapters. 0 stars.
Losing My Virginity Richard Branson	Anyone that wants to start a business, but doesn't have the nads to do it (me) should read this book. A lot of good lessons here and just a cool story to see how one person can start from nothing and build an amazing empire. He would have not made it ANYWHERE without the help of his one friend who was in charge of discovering and signing new bands. Branson comes off as a very reasonable person who rarely raises his temper and always tries to compromise. There are a few biographies out there that paint a VASTLY different picture so I'll be curious to read those. Anyway, the major point is that Branson failed in a LOT if not most of his attempts, but the ones he hit, he hit big. 4 stars.

OZ Super Bowl Coverage

So the Super Bowl was televised on local (free) TV here. The game was broadcast by Dick Stockton and Sterling Sharpe which was extremely painful, though I would rather deal with Sterling Sharpe than Joe Buck. I have never in my life have seen one announcer SO TIED and pulling for one team more than Sterling Sharpe for the Giants. I wish I had wrote down all of the idiotic things he said. Some that stood out were:
- "Wes Welker is more valuable than Randy Moss." Um, if Moss is not on the field, than Welker would not be in single coverage with the safety tied to Moss.
- The other annoying thing is that with any questionable call, Sterling ALWAYS took the Giants side emphatically.
- Anytime there was a big play, Sterling would prefix his sentence with, "Like I said...". I mean, everyone loves to hear someone say how right they were even though their previous statements were very general.

In regards to the game, there were no commercials. Instead, they would kick it back to these 3 Aussie guys who would comment on the progress of the game, one of them a former NFL player. As bad as they were, it was nothing as close to as bad as Steve Salisbury so I could put up with it OK.

One of the 3 commenters was Sav Rocca, who used to play for the Australian Football League, is the punter for the Eagles, and probably took the biggest lick of the year. Rocca was asked how he got along with the marquis players like McNabb, Westbrook, and Dawkins. Unsurprisingly, he said they ignored him and that NFL players don't have the comradery that the Aussie sports have. Haha. Like if I was a punter for the Skins I would really want to hang out with Fred Smoot and Clinton Portis.

Queensland Trip Pictures

Fraser Island
http://picasaweb.google.com/ewoldt/Fraser/photo#s5159335905705892866

Whitsundays
http://picasaweb.google.com/ewoldt/Queensland/photo#s5161789891105038194