I'm a lookin both ways before I cross

Est-ce c'est possible? Is it. Did I leave? Did I go to Australia for 8 months, pick bananas and gain "life experiences" only to come home and feel like I never left? I think so. There is evidence to the contrary of course. Like sometimes even if I don't say it out loud I am thinking "Ya reckon" I know yuck. Also I made some friends over there (the only concrete evidence of this is on facebook) and also several near death experiences from looking the wrong way when about to cross the street (you know left then right, well I'm all looking right then left) But there are things that make me feel like I never left too. The way I picked right back up with everyone, the easy and instant way I felt at home in San Francisco. Oh and (sorry Mom, Dad) my parents bathroom, that beast of a 20 square foot project (insert sarcasm here) that was one year in the making before I left isn't finished yet. Neither is the gas firepit in the backyard. Weirdly I remember using it during my farewell dinner. I won't dwell on these little confusing facts that make it appear as if I never left...I might get kicked out of my free digs if I do and I just finished unpacking so that would be unfortunate.

I'm not sure how you're supposed to feel after an extended period of time away from home. I thought maybe I would have a little more to show for it than a haircut and a new allergy but anyway I'm onto the next thing. A house in Tahoe City awaits, 5 months for some new adventure. New job, new city, new something to pack for. If all else fails at the end of this one I can probably cut my hair again, I might just have enough grown back to do something new!

In the meantime I have been re-writing my resume to include the 4 years of swim coaching I did from 2000-2004 which has just taken me on a wild trip down memory lane in which I recall even tans, swimsuit confidence I would pay for today and getting to play with kids who loved us coaches. Is there anything better than that?!

More on dream jobs that pay peanuts later. I'll talk to you soon, maybe from Tahoe if this whole snowing into the month of June thing stops. In the meantime my bed awaits.

*The photo above was taken late night walking home through Hyde Park in Sydney. I only got like 8 crazy looks.

The Most Delicious War Ever.

I know, I know you just heard from me. The thing is I was watching the news this morning and only the most amazing of any news story fell upon me. Click on the below link to read all about it!

The Hummus Wars

I've never given you a recipe. I'm not going to turn into a cooking blog. There are others that do it far better than I ever could - read Smitten Kitchen and Pioneer Woman, their links are on the left hand side - but here I will bestow upon you my fathers hummus recipe, greatly modified by me - actually only in the quantities of garlic used. The good thing is most ingredients are simply to your taste.

The Krikorian weakness for garlic is evidenced at every family dinner during my 25 years on earth. You eat Hratch's hummus, delicious and spicy as you inhale it because it is laden with garlic but the whole rest of the night you have to walk around with your hand over your mouth. So beware of the garlic trap, there's a fine line and sometime you need only add an additional half a clove of the blessed stuff.

This will make a generous serving for 10 people as a starter. Or throw it in a tupperware and eat it all week. It's even better the next day.

• 2 16 oz Cans garbanzo beans (same as chickpeas) drained
• 3 to 4 Tablespoons Tahini - which is sesame paste, you can find it at a middle eastern market and actually I have seen it in the grocery stores lately! A small jar will last you a long time. The costco size tub is a lifetime investment -
• 1 Lemon - minimum of half but if you're me or my brother probably the whole thing
• Water for consistency
• 2 1/2 Cloves garlic - or for my Dad's version 4, 5 or 6 Cloves -
• 1 tsp Salt to taste

Throw the beans, tahini and 1/2 a lemon's juice into the cuisinart and blend. Add water until the consistency is as you like. I prefer it a little thicker but don't add more than 1 can of water or you'll have hummus soup (which doesn't sound too bad to me...but I love all things hummus) Throw in the garlic and salt. Start slow, start small and taste often till you get it how you like it. It's never beyond salvaging unless you put too much salt. Mix on medium, scrape the sides because the garlic will hide there. If you want some added deliciousness, my personnel favorite garnish is pinenuts toasted in Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It takes two seconds - don't burn the pinenuts, it is really easy to do. Or instead you can sprinkle Cayenne pepper or just plain olive oil. But the toasted nuts add another dimension and cleverly disguise it as more than a healthy snack.

This could be you. My Dad has the exact same bowl as them in miniature size.

I propose to be their quality control. I mean anyone can fill an enormous plate of hummus full but what does it matter if the Tahini to Garbanzo bean ratio is off?

What they really need is the world largest Cuisanart because you can whip together a batch delicious hummus, twice as good as store bought for half the cost in ten minutes.

It's easy as but good luck anyway and let me know how you go!

Irish Soda Bread, Coffee Shakes and My Left Shoulder is Sore from Hole Punching

The hole punching speaks to how important my job is. Sometimes I go for it and put over 10 sheets of paper in. Then it takes two hands to push down and if it had a longer fulcrum this really wouldn't be an issue. See physics, I took physics to get my degree. It's being put to use...obviously.

If I tweeted, which I don't because I don't really get it - My "tweet" would go something like this.

"Am leaving Australia in 3 days...Holy Shitcakes"

Today we had a farewell "Tea" for me. Also referred to as "smoko" here down under. The 10am breaktime. Martin had his wife make Irish Soda Bread AND Brown Bread, then tried to take credit for it. We had coffee. I ordered a Skinny Cap - my barista put a tablespoon of chocolate shavings in it. Something is wrong here no? Skinny milk extra chocolate shavings. Whatever, anyway 8 pieces of soda bread with delicious butter, two long blacks, one gazillion hole punches and 900 copies later I am red in the face and I can't figure out if it is the coffee or the manual labor. Either way it's something to be concerned about. I wish I was capable of leaving the poor suckers to deal with the stacks of paperwork I leave lying around my desk to make myself look busy - but sadly I am not - so I have been desperatly trying to finish this, that and the other so it looks like I did something in the 9 weeks I was here. Proving more difficult that it seems. I did get to go to the contract signing of the first project I ever priced start to finish all by myself. It was yesterday at the Architect's office...in the Rocks which is a gorgeous old area of downtown Sydney. The building I priced work on was the tallest in Sydney for like 70 years, at 12 stories tall which is how it should have stayed I think. Most of the work is being done off of ropes - here's a new one for you "Abseiling" which is basically repelling - I almost stuck around just so I could go off ropes with them but what can I say Casa Gourmet's burrito pull is stronger than even I would have thought.

This weekend will be spent in farewell celebrations, which will be more fun than tearful. But you know me, crying is not really my thing (except that time my mom left Sydney and she cried and I didn't...until she walked through the portal and I was walking back to my car and then suddenly the tears poured out of me, I don't know why it was an unusual occurence reserved mainly for Corina Corina, Pretty in Pink and okay yesterday I was snorting snot back into my nose at the show "Calendar Girls" but some of that had to do with the cold weather...)

Milan is cooking dinner for 15 out of the hostel kitchen. Miracle. He is rolling spring rolls over a movie as we speak. Not to change the subject but I just found out the what I thought was the cute apartment building across MY alley way from the hostel is actually a brothel. Yes brothels are legal in Sydney. So there's this...that and the other. This news, bestowed upon me 2 days ago has disrupted my world a little. As in all that time I spent painting my toes out there really could have been way more entertaining...you know what with people profiling and judging. I'll be giving myself a pedicure tomorrow even though it's effing freezing outside. So Happy Friday anyway.

*Last day at the office pictured above. I was busy...you can see this.

Dear Tatted Coffee Barista,

Thanks for being my friend. It doesn't even bother me that three weeks and you didn't know me then the day after I came in with short, (very very short) uneven (asymmetrical said my stylist) hair was when you started acknowledging our daily 1pm coffee date - I guess my hair would look good with your tats, no? I know I haven't made our relationship easy on you, ordering on the fly anything from long black to skinny cap, and sometimes but only on cold days when I have a sweet tooth a flat white. I know I make it difficult. You look at me expectantly and try and guess my mood but you're rarely right. It's not your fault.

I don't know how to tell you you put too much milk in your latte and you're cappuccino foam is lackluster. You don't make leafs or hearts and sometimes you're grumpy and I can tell by the way you say "what will it be today?" brusquely to me. Also you have bleached tips in your hair...why? But it's OK because you remember me when I come in and dare I say you will miss me when I am gone? I dare...I dare. I'll miss you too but I have to tell you, it's been 8 months and 7 days since I have had a brewed coffee and I can't freaking wait. OK I know I said I am going to miss the "prettiness" of coffee here, and of course the cafe culture but I am not as shallow as I seem.

So my barista who knows nothing about the art of coffee. I'll miss you, and I am not quite sure how to tell you I'm leaving you. I'm not losing sleep over it yet but it feels insensitive to leave you in the lurch. After all who else is going to hang out with you for the 2.5 minutes it takes you to make my warm milk with a splash of espresso and take my $3AUD at 1 in afternoon?

XOXO,

One O'clock w/ the Uneven Hair

This is neither here nor there but turns out I have been single for 5 years and 5 months and apparently it shows so brace yourself for some religion

5 years and 5 months not counting a couple flings. See what I am doing here, making you feel some sympathy for me while still maintaining I am not completly and utterly pathetic. Which may or may not be the case. But here is the case. I bring it to you.

On Monday night while minding my own business walking through Hyde Park after a glorious walk/run - which was primarily a walk with brief spurts of stair climbing...very brief - This old woman asked me to walk her through the park because she didn't feel "safe" as a thinly veiled attempt to have 5 minutes to discuss how much she loves Jesus with me. I told her to suck it and risk the well lit, clean and patroled park, cause she ain't seen anything till she's been to San Francsico.

Just kidding, actually I walked her through and she told me how good her evening mass was and how if I prayed to god he would send me a man. Apparently he listens to heathens like me too. All this unsolicited, I didn't even tell her I was single. She just new damnit. Then, as if reading my skeptical mind she said, okay this is exactly what you say.


"Dear saint Joseph and good Saint Anne send me a man as quick as you can"

I tell you, ask you, beseech you not to dwell on why this prayer/poem - which is incidentally quite catchy - actually crossed her lips in relation to me as a honest suggestion of how to get myself a man but what I want to know is will it work? I'll let you know, feel free to try it yourself and report back. How long shall we give it? He really only has one week to deliver anyway if I am to be convinced to stay in Sydney. Which is how I think this all came about?

So in other news I made a carrot cake last night, cousin S doesn't have a cupcake pan which is not that surprising to say the least. As a soon to be mother she will most definitly need one won't she? I would get one for her, and a pair of baby uggs as a parting gift for hospitality but I'm pretty sure she'd never speak to me again. But baby uggs are so cute. Almost makes having a child worthwhile...almost. The carrot cake would have been fine in cupcake form but was medium rare in the middle which is distressing to find out after you have served 8 pieces to your coworkers. The frosting was a big hit though. Might as well have not grated up all 6 of those carrots and just brought in a bowl with frosting and 8 spoons. We went for drinks to celebrate or mourn a coworkers departure which was all fine and good until I got back to the hostel and found myself watching the sunrise in time only to grab a quick shower and hop on a bus which definitly took longer than walking but I think it hurt a lot less than the alternative. My only consolation is I am not the only one who looked a wreck when I rolled in an hour late to work this morning. Woof.

And in one hours time I should say it will be the perfect time to try a little hair of the dog action. Lunchtime that is. I hate that expression "hair of the dog" but what else is there?