Write something.

I must say, after so much adventuring, life just seems so dull. It's been pretty difficult coming up with things to do. Jeremy and I have been sitting at home sans money and looking for work online which has yielded nothing. Nothing. After 30, 40, 50 applications? Still nothing? I was getting pretty discouraged looking for work since no one was responding to my resumes and cover letters. And you know, when you spend a good two hours writing a well-crafted cover letter, you would really like something in return, even if it's just a rejection letter. It really bites to put in so much hard work and get nothing back for it.

So, tired of playing hide-and-seek with the other unemployed (it seems that lots of people are looking for jobs these days) I went out to the backpacker district and just handed out tons of resumes at every bar, restaurant and cafe that I came to. I kinda put this off for a while because I was really hoping to get something with better pay and a little closer to home (Fortitude Valley--the backpacker/nightlife area--is a good hour away) but the desire for money and something to burn energy on was the deciding factor. Even if I spend half of what I earn on transportation, some money is better than no money. And lucky for me, I got somewhere with it.

I walked in to Bella Donna Gelateria and was told to come right back on Tuesday and meet the manager. That went well but there was competition there too: a girl from Italy named Sandra. Knowing we were both being evaluated as we practiced scooping ice cream and serving customers, I just took the lead. No Italian girl was going to take that job from me!! And I think I impressed them; They asked me to come back Wednesday night and try out the closing shift. That went well too and I was able to make good conversation with the manager, greet lots of customers, remember most of the gelati flavors, and I had fun doing it all. So they asked me to come back one more time--Saturday morning--and try the opening shift. I really think this job is going to work out! I guess I'm not really hired yet until I've practiced both the opening and closing shifts (because there's only ever one person at the shop) but the manager said if you make it through both shifts, you'll probably be hired. YAY! And it seems like a pretty relaxed place to work too. You can even read and bring your own music to work! Heck yeah!

All this has me feeling pretty good. I did have another interview at a restaurant called Grill'd today (coincidentally, it's next door to Bella Donna) but it just wasn't right and honestly, Bella Donna is going to give me more hours and a better work environment. Oh, and gelato of course. :)

But things are still a little slow around here. Jeremy and I are in charge of dinner one night a week and tonight I cooked tacos--a big hit. Our other happenings include running every other day but we're thinking of making it an everyday thing. I think it needs to be. It seems to me that taking a day off between runs is actually hurting my performance and keeping me from building the strength I need to run these monster hills around here!

In other news, Jeremy and I have started reading a book out loud together every night (the excitement never ends around here) called The Year 1000. (Hmmm, I don't know how to underline in this thing...) But really, it is interesting. It's all about what life was like for the average English man and woman in the year 1000 AD. So far we've talked about the Gregorian calendar, the development of the English language, lots of Bede, and King Alfred. It's kinda like trivia in novel form!

Photos are at a standstill since I don't leave the house too often and the Internet upload speed around here is so slow that I might out pace it by posting my letters to Flickr. But be assured, as soon as I have a job and some money to spend, I am heading straight for the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary! (It's about a 10 minute drive from here.)

Hmmmm.... What else? (As you can see, I'm trying to fill the blog void of this last month with something interesting.) I've been making a list of stories I want to write and publish in the next month or so. I'm also trying to put together a photography portfolio because getting a spot in a gallery is pretty high on my to do list. I also got to thinking and decided today that I need a website. A real one. I want to showcase my writing and photography and give future publishers and employers a good look at how professional I can be. Though I haven't the foggiest idea how to do this. It might take some research. Or maybe just a web nerd who likes to make web pages. Know anyone? Unfortunately, that isn't really Jeremy's thing...

Jeremy is doing well. He's been busy working on applications too but like myself, hasn't had much of a response. He's kinda stuck in a rut with work. He left Australia just after becoming a qualified solicitor to teach in Korea and since the market is kinda cooling here in Australia (though I should add it's not nearly as bad as everywhere else), no one's really looking for anyone with less than 4 years experience. But he's trudging along. I really am proud of him for not giving up and for continuing to send out resumes and make calls about jobs. And he has really been an encouragement when I wanted to give up. I'm really lucky to have him in my life. :)

Oh! And we're both ADDICTED to The Biggest Loser. Have you guys watched it? O.M.G. Inspiring stuff! Sunday is the Australian version's finale and we're getting pretty excited. It really is SO much fun to sit down and have a ritual show together. I love that hour or so every night when we can watch tv and discuss other people's lives for a change. We once said that we weren't going to get a tv or bother with cable when we got our own place... Maybe that should change??

Well, I guess that's about all. I'll tune you all in again sometime soon when I've collected enough tidbits to compile a whole post again. :)

Dumduhduhdum!

Okay, so not much is happening around here but I'll give you the highlights of the lowlights, yeah?

The big crash.

A week ago, Jeremy's mom (Hanya) was sitting in the kitchen, drinking here tea, when all of a sudden the patio table exploded. As in, really exploded. Was it a bird? Air temperature? A rock? No one knows what happened but there was glass everywhere. What a disaster! Luckily their insurance is covering it and the repair man came to pick up the table today.

Moving on up!

For a while Jeremy's grandparents (Norbert and Margaret) were living here. Shortly before we came, their house sold rather unexpectedly and they needed a place to stay until their new house was ready. So, we had some good times hanging out around here but now they're gone and all is quiet again.

Run Forrest, Run!

I want to be like Forrest Gump. Jeremy and I have embarked on a new journey to be fit, healthy and ready for the next adventure (Annapurna Trail??) so we started running together several weeks ago. I believe we're currently on week 5. I was also inspired by my friend Ruh, who recently completed the NYC marathon. I was so proud of her and encouraged by her journey that I decided I want to do it too (it just might take me longer). I used to be a runner and I think that I could be again. Let's see where this goes. We're also doing a 200 sit-up challenge which is so far going well. If you want to check out our super sweet running program, go here. Oh! And I LOVE having a large selection of food again! Bring on the veggies!!! (It was so hard to find good vegetables while traveling...) This week I convinced Jeremy that spinach is yummy. Yay! And my cute new running shoes (Jeremy calls them the Ronald McDonald shoes)--I think they're spicy!!

Jobs, blobs.

No real luck yet with the job search. I've applied to LOTS but have only had one interview (and because I hassled them with a million phone calls). They said they would call back if I was short listed but no call back. Bummed. It was a good day though and at least I felt good and productive for once! Yesterday Jeremy and I went out and handed out resumes in cafes and pubs. Most people weren't hiring but I did get one interview set up for tomorrow at a gelato shop! Yay for ice cream! Lets hope I get this. Apparently there is another girl coming in too for the interview but there are two positions open--maybe I'll get one? I hope! Life is hard when you have no money, just a few old clothes, no space of your own, and nothing to do. I'm really looking forward to a bit of independence again...

Change is good, right?

So, I updated this blog and put a cute backgound on it. What do you think?? Place your vote in the right hand column.

Where the Green Grass Grows

Why did the turtle cross the road?

The answer: he was lost.

While at the UQ campus, we found this little guy wandering around a bus stop and drawing quite the crowd. Poor thing. He was walking in circles and looking quite lost. On top of that, there were lots of buses coming through the round-about and sooner or later some unsuspecting bus driver was bound to hit him. Many were dodging the guy but he would be pretty easy to miss if there hadn't been such a crowd. On top of that, everyone just watched and it seemed like people were waiting for him to get hit.

*Enter super hero Kortney*

I've got a pretty soft spot for animals and seeing this guy lost and trapped beneath a curb on a busy bus spot broke my heart. I worried that he would bite me but I decided saving his life would be worth the bite. So I started trying to move him. First I kinda herded him to the curb in hopes that he would crawl up and over but the thing was just too high for him and he crawled into his shell, scared of the person towering over him. Then I tried picking him up but I really was scared he would bite me and he started rocking back and forth with his head inside. (Did I mention he had SUPER long claws?) But then, the light bulb came on and I decided to use my bag. I had a large over the shoulder bag with me to carry my camera stuff so I emptied it out and used it to scoop the little guy up. It was perfect! Comfortable for him, safe for me and only the bag got dirty! I moved him a couple meters away from the car park and next to some nice, big, deep grass near the lake. Mission accomplished. One turtle life saved.

I honestly felt so proud of myself. So many people are too afraid to touch wild animals and often do terrible things to them out of fear. I was reading an article the other day about a new state of the art animal hospital at Australia Zoo that takes care of any animal by any means possible. One person interviewed told some pretty gruesome stories about people hitting kangaroos on purpose, about a baby koala that was kicked around a construction site like a football (it died at the hospital), and a guy who found a python and dumped paint remover on it to kill it. Of course that didn't kill it but started burning the poor snake's skin; he immediately saw the pain it caused and rushed the snake to the hospital. The python spent 10 weeks there having his skin cleaned each day. Now, even I don't like snakes and it's on a VERY rare occassion that I will say, "Poor snake," but that's pretty cruel. Animals have feelings too. I wish there was more I could do for all those helpless animals... But at least I'm doing something.

If you see an animal in the road or an abandoned baby, please don't leave it. Do something. Call someone.

Welcome to the wild kingdom!

We haven't had too many outings around here (cause neither of us have any money) but we did make it out to the University of Queensland campus Sunday afternoon and managed to track some pretty exciting wild life! Okay, not that exciting, but when you consider Jeremy and his cave-dwelling brother David to be the only animals I see on a regular basis, these birds seemed pretty cool.

I love this photo. It looks almost like a water color painting.



And some cool lizard chilling out by the lake... I had to get a few photos of him. :)

Australia Zoo

Sunday, Jeremy, his parents and I went to Australia Zoo--home of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter--to do the tourist thing. I was so excited! Look at all the cool animals!!

We walked around the crocodile pens and saw a crocodile show in their stadium. These things are SO big! Wow! And I'm amazed by how prehistoric they look... Impressive. This is a saltwater crocodile or "saltie."

This is a cassovary--it's roughly the size of an emu. Beautiful, eh?

The coolest part of the museum, though, is the kangaroo enclosure. It's basically a fenced in park filled with kangaroos that basically sleep and eat roo food from tourists all day. They don't care at all if you just walk up and pet them or sit down beside them.

I was in animal heaven.

One kangaroo had a baby in it's pouch and though we couldn't see the little guy's body, you could definitely see him moving around! It was so amazing to see the kangaroo's belly buldge and move in wave like motions as the little joey moved around. Pretty spectacular. And one the amazing things: this kangaroo let us pet her too while she had her joey inside! That's how tame these guys were!!

And I've decided that I LOVE koalas. (Just and FYI: they're not bears; they're marsupials.) I love this photo--it's like you're looking up his nose. :)

They are so funny. They just curl up in little balls and fall asleep in trees. Some seemed to fall asleep even in the middle of chewing their food! They're incredibly slow too. Though I didn't get to hold one (that's probably have to wait until I go to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary), I did get to pet one! Their fur is super thick but very soft--Jeremy's mom said it felt like an Ugg boot. lol

And if you're wondering why koalas look so doped up all the time, it's because they are. The eucalyptus leaves that they eat have a mildly intoxicating effect on them. So really, this koala is saying, "Dude, these leaves are sweet!"

Other cool animals I saw: wombats (think prarrie dog/tank), echidnas (like an ant eater/porcupine), red kangaroos (bigger, and redder than the others), lizards, emus, and a komodo dragon. Unfortunately, the tasmanian devil was hiding and I didn't get to see it, but maybe next time. :)

Brissie

Not much going on here these days... I applied to two jobs this morning, both in marketing. They seem to have some promise so hopefully someone will hire me soon. Jeremy is still on the seach too. Neither of us have a car and neither of us have much money, and his parent's place is kind of out of walking reach of the city so day trips have been limited. Pretty much the only time we get out of the house is at 5:15 each afternoon when we go for our run/walk around the neighborhood.

We did, however, manage to make it out once last week and did a bit of walking through Brisbane as well as hopping around on the City Cat. City Cat is basically a catamaran ferry that transports people up and down Brisbane River. Appearently Sydney has a vast City Cat network too. Here's a couple photos from our day out.

The tallest building just left of center is where Jeremy used to work as a lawyer with Phillips Fox.

This is a City Cat! Talk about fun! You just kinda glide across the water and move at some pretty high speeds. It just might be more fun than the Washington ferries...

Updates

What did you say?

I've decided that Australia is really just an America counterfeit. Example: We were in the store yesterday and I came across some Rice Krispies--except they were called "Rice Bubbles." Yep, the same three guys we love--Snap, Crackle and Pop--on the front of the box. They just changed the name. Fraud, I say!! And then, the other day I was reading the newspaper and came across an add for Cheerios--but it wasn't Cheerios! It was little sausages alla 'Lil Smokies style! Seriously. Mass confusion on my part. Oh, and another time I was having dinner with the family and poured myself a glass of juice. It tasted a little weird but I thought, "Oh well, you get to drink it now." Then Jeremy's mom said to me, "Did you just pour a whole glass of concentrate?" I was massively confused; the jug said nothing of concentrate. As it turns out, "Fruit Cordial" means "Fruit Concentrate." Cordial? Really? I thought "cordial" was a way you treated other people, as in, good manners. This is truly the Land of Oz....

Now, hold my hand...

Jeremy said to me in the car last night that in a few weeks, if we're bored and have nothing to do, maybe I could practice driving on the left side. I still need to walk on the left side!!! I was trying to practice with the shopping cart in the store and had several near collisions (I almost T-boned a lady in the cereal aisle). I'm not sure I'm ready for the road just yet. In fact, I have problems with sidewalks! I walk in the wrong direction, I run into people, I create unnecessary confusion. When I cross the street, I look the wrong way. Pretty soon I will a helpless pile of mush on the road next to a former Cane Toad.

The Joys of Being Unemployed

1. You get to sit at a computer all day (just like a real job) except no one yells at you when you spend two hours (or more) on Facebook.
2. You're never far from the refrigerator.
3. Extra long lunches!
4. TV on your "work breaks."
5. There are "sleeping rooms" upstairs if you get burnt out in front of the computer.
6. You get to brag about yourself all day in cover letters and resumes.
7. Who's the boss? You're the boss!!

Of course this is just me trying to convince myself that I don't want work. In truth, I really, really do. Jeremy does too. We want money for movies, shoes, books, trips, and savings. I would like to get a haircut and fix this mop that Singaporean hair dresser left me with! (Still seething...) I canvased a mall a couple days ago with resumes and cover letters only to find that most places won't accept resumes on site and that I would have to visit their website if I wanted to apply. (In other words: I wasted two hours walking around the mall with no money in high heels and a skirt that kept sticking to my sweaty butt.) So, yesterday I applied online. I applied to at least 8 jobs (primarily in retail). Today I'm going to apply for big-girl jobs (editing positions, magazines, publishers, pr agencies, non-profits, etc.). But truthfully, I know that as long as I'm an American in Australia during a global economic crisis with a working-holiday-only-lets-me-work-a-single-job-up-to-6-months visa, I might as well start a lemonade stand and pay cute kids peanuts to sell the stuff on the street.

Will you be my friend?

The silver lining in my rain cloud is that Jeremy's family and friends are awesome. The other day I was sitting in at the kitchen table with his grandpa, listening to his war stories about being captured by the Americans while his grandma made me lunch. I felt so at home and welcomed. It reminded me how much I miss my own grandma and grandpa and how lucky we are to have grandparents and know them too. We hung out with Jeremy's friends again last weekend and that was fun too. At one point I was really worried they wouldn't like me but that all seems like silly talk now--of course they would! I love Jeremy and of course, Jeremy's friends are just like him, therefore, I love his friends too (and vice-versa). We all had drinks, ate lots of chips and salsa, chowed down some GORGEOUS Indian fare, watched silly YouTube videos, and shared stories from the last two years. It really was a good night and even though I was the foreigner in the room, no one seemed to noticed.

Kortney Thoma, Foreign Correspondent

In other news, across the seas in the USA, my younger brother, JJ Thoma, is getting married this month. His wife-to-be, Nikki, is with child and due late October. I am seriously SO excited for them! For a long time my brother has been kinda goal-less, but since he met Nikki, he's been a different guy--surprisingly responsible! She is a wonderful girl (I guess that now she's getting married and having a baby that makes her a woman...?) from Wenatchee who's studying nursing. I'm really happy for them. It's too bad I can't make it home for the wedding though. :( NO money+NO job x's the Pacific Ocean=NO flight. But the good news is that flight prices are coming down for routes in and out of Australia. I recently saw a return ticket Sydney-Seattle-Sydney for less than $800!! If you would like to contribute to the "Kortney has no money but want to come home" fund (KHNMBWTCHFund) please let me know!