Birthday Tex Mex, FlugTog and the Onion

It was an eventful weekend. On Saturday we celebrated our friend Jamie’s birthday. The festivities started out with a large group of us competing in a heated 18 holes of Pirate Mini Golf, or as we like to refer to it in America, Putt Putt. Both Veronica and I had not played in a long time, and I have to admit it was actually quite a fun time. After our team smoked the competition we all headed up the road to have dinner at Tex Mex. No, I am not referring to the kind of food, but rather the actual name of the restaurant. Texas flags adorned walls both downstairs and upstairs. However, when I looked at the menu and saw a burrito listed at $21, I began to have the sneaking suspicion that whoever owned the place was a complete retard who had never been to Texas. But I must say the food wasn’t bad, nothing spectacular, but not pathetic. An added bonus was that they made a tasty margarita. Nonetheless, it reminded Veronica and I how much we miss Mexican food. We only have a month and a half to go before we are gorging ourselves on all the Tex Mex and Mexican food we can eat though. Glorious!

Sunday we woke early, grabbed a coffee from Barefoot and caught the ferry into the city. Red Bull was putting on the first Australian FlugTog. The FlugTog is the competition where madmen run off a 20-foot platform in the hopes of flying (gliding) across an expanse of water. Since it was free, and also being held right behind the Opera House in the Botanical Gardens it seemed like a no-brainer to go check it out. And so did the other 60,000 people who showed up. Luckily for us our friends Martina and Gavin got the there even earlier than us and got good seats. We had an enjoyable day cheering, laughing, and cringing at some of the pathetic attempts at flight. None of the 36 entrants even cleared 15 meters, let alone coming close to the World Record of 60 meters. Further proof that not many Australians are likely to get recruited to work for NASA. Good times.

One last thought for the night. Veronica and I have finally found one negative from having LASIK eye surgery. Namely, without contacts protecting our eyes, the vapors emitted from a cut onion now burn’s our eyes like the dickens! Last night I cooked some pork chops, but I was ready for the onions this time. Taking extra precaution for my eyes I relied on Veronica’s swim goggles to help protect me from the vicious fumes that waft through the air. Team VM 1, Onion 0.

Cormac

Last night I finished reading 'No Country for Old Men' by the great Cormac McCarthy. If I were limited to using one word to describe the book it would be the same word that I would use for the movie, INTENSE.

The movie was pretty close to the book. Minor differences, slight changes to slim some of the dialogue down. Perhaps most telling is that the Coen Brothers had Anton Chirguh speak even less, which is a shame because the extra dialogue really pushed him into being even more insanely scary, if that is possible.

Such a good book, but I have to say I think it affected my mood this past week. Unfortunately I was already feeling down in the dumps, and this book did nothing to help it. Regardless, great read.

Monkey Creek

This past weekend Veronica and I actually left the big city to spend a weekend in the country. Or the bush as the Aussies would say. Our friends Martina and Gavin invited us to go with them out to Gav’s father’s place, Monkey Creek Ranch. Located about 30 minutes West of Taralga, Monkey Creek Ranch is a 3 hour drive from Sydney.

We headed down to the ranch on Friday night, arriving around 10 pm. Gav’s dad, Daryl, or Boss, was waiting up watching rugby on his satellite television. The house is absolutely gorgeous and was hand built by Daryl. Yeah, building homes is one of Daryl’s many hobbies. After watching the rest of the game, we went to sleep. It was a little spooky to hear absolute silence when we were falling asleep.

Veronica and I were the last to wake up Saturday morning. When we walked outside there was a huge cloud of mist covering the reservoir and much of the land. After watching the mist evaporate, we went back to the house and had a nice, hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs. It was a good thing to because right afterwards we headed out to do some work. Daryl was weighing the cattle, so we helped him out. Of course, being Texans this was natural work for Veronica and myself. J Or not. But as the pictures attest, Veronica was a natural. I mean come on, look how natural she looks in that hat!

When the work was done, we headed back up to the house for a little tennis. I hadn’t swung a racket since my days at Baylor, and Veronica had never played tennis, but we had a fun time. I was quite impressed by how quickly Veronica got the hang of it. Perhaps she missed her calling in life.

After a scrumptious lunch out on the back deck, we then switched sports and proceeded to hit some golf balls into the reservoir. Good times, especially since the balls float. Veronica and Martina then played gopher, kayaking all around the pond, picking all the balls out.

Before dinner, we played an Italian game where you hammer a nail into a standing log of wood. It sounds ridiculous, but it is an insanely fun game to play. You go around in a circle, each with one swing of the hammer, trying to be the first to completely sink your nail into the log. Trust me, you had to be there. After some good laughs we had a steak dinner, and yes, I think this weekend I put on at least 10 pounds. It felt like we were eating constantly.

Perhaps the coolest thing we witnessed this weekend was a lightning storm off in the distance. The storm was South of Sydney, and since we were about 900 meters above sea level, we had an incredible view of these huge storm clouds lighting up in succession. What made the view all the more spectacular was that the sky all around us was clear, leaving millions of stars shining down. It is hard to describe how fantastic it was seeing the clouds light up. Truly it looked like we were witnessing a city getting bombed off in the distance. Craziness.

Sunday was a beautiful day. Sunny, crisp and cool, perfect for lounging around. Didn’t do all that much besides eat and clean. We headed back to Sydney in the late afternoon, feeling refreshed and depressed for the coming work week.

Business Card of the Weak

This past week I had an epiphany of sorts regarding our blog. It dawned on me that giving an ESPN-style recap of our week must be getting a tad boring. Perhaps this realization stems from me feeling like writing posts can be a bit like a homework assignment at times. I’m not quite sure, but I know that what is missing is some quality absurdity. Often I’ve found that my fondest memories, nay, my most vivid and humorous memories stem from the little quirks and odd encounters that transpire while doing mundane tasks.

I feel that the picture of the ‘Lord of the Dings’ business card perfectly demonstrates exactly the sort of newfangled gems of humor I want to share. Please look at the photo of that card again. Laugh. Cry. Or perhaps pity the poor bastard who thought that this business name was going to really boost his clientele. Truly, are there many hobbit lovers who need car repairs? Aren’t they all children anyways? I know, I’m being hypercritical, no doubt about it. But come on, ADMIT IT, WHAT A DORK!

Incidentally, our mechanic gave me this card as I was getting our safety check done. I know last year I mentioned that registering a car in New South Wales is an expensive endeavor. This year, wow, we are getting royally hosed. Had to get the brakes replaced, new tires, a new backlight, and some rust holes fixed. All said, we are talking about 2K just to have a car for the year. Moral of the story, when you feel like the American government, or rather the DMV is a little too miserly regarding your car, just remember you could be in Australia, paying at least double.

In more important news, Veronica is settling in nicely with her new company. She is finally starting to receive work and has been out in the field twice this past week. Yesterday, while out in the field, she worked with a sub-contractor on a job. This man, let’s call him Classy, had some extremely insightful points of commentary for Veronica. Namely, ‘Have you had a breast enhancement?’ Oh, and he also felt like asking Veronica about her sex life as well. But old Classy wasn’t being rude, he was offering several tidbits from him and his wife’s sex life. Classy.

In summation I have just one question. How can such a cool, and progressive country be filled with so many absolute douche bags? Truly, it boggles my unemployable mind.

Week of the concerts

Good times were had this past weekend. Veronica and I went to see Jack Johnson this past Saturday out at Centennial Park. Before making it to the concert we went into town to have lunch at the Sydney Fish market. While at the market we enjoyed some tasty prawns (shrimp). I can say with confidence that those delicious crustaceans provided the necessary nutritional quota to carry both Veronica and myself through a long concert with nary a snack or even beverage. Well, that was mostly due to the fact that we had scored an epic patch of grass to watch the concert and we did not want to lose it, or get lost. Seriously, 30,000 people sprawled around made getting your bearings a little tricky.

The concert ended up being quite a fun time. Jack redeemed himself after his lackluster Live Earth performance of last year. Perhaps the coolest thing was G. Love and Special Sauce making a surprise performance. They played a sweet 30-minute set, which turned out to be a delicious slice of musical enjoyment.

This past week was all about music. Before Jack Johnson, Veronica, Jamie and myself went and saw Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings at the Enmore Theatre. Now everyone knows that I love two things, Veronica and surfing, but if that list were to include two other loves it might very well include the Enmore Theatre and SJ & The Dap-Kings. Firstly, the Enmore is the coolest place in Sydney to see a concert. Not only is it a great spot and the perfect size, but they also consistently have the best bands coming to play in their hallowed venue. And Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, well, if you don’t know them then I pity you. Or as Mr. T would say, ‘I pity the fool!’ These cats are responsible for bringing back the greatest music ever heard on our planet, the old school Motown sound of the 60’s. Their sound is like cotton candy; it is so sweet and addictive it very well could be considered a drug. The show was a good time, hot and humid, but a nonetheless a special time getting to hear their incredibly soulful licks live. Unfortunately, that concert as well as Jack’s has taught me something incredibly valuable. I am now approaching the age where I can’t handle the crowds at shows any longer. It breaks my spirit to admit it, but I am close to NEEDING venues like Nokia Theater. Yeah, I need a place where I can watch a show in a comfortable chair and AC.

I will hold out for as long as I can, but I have to admit it is not looking good. That or I really need to find out whose derriere I need to smooch so I can become a journalist for Rolling Stone. J

Whale Beach

I would like to extend my deepest apologies for being such a slack communicator these past couple of weeks. No doubt you would think not much has happened during this time, however, it is rather the reverse. Veronica started a new job, and in fact I started a new job as well at Video Australasia. Additionally, it seems we have been out to eat with the majority of our friends since being back. So then why no recent postings? Quite simply we have forgotten our camera practically every time we go out nowadays. Pathetic behavior indeed.

Perhaps you will be inclined to forgive us since we have been suffering through an unusual rainy and cold summer. Most weekends seem to be very saturated lately, and being forced to trudge around with the camera seems a bit pointless. Luckily this Sunday the weather finally turned around and we awoke to a gloriously sunny day. After enjoying a nice flat white at our long lost Coffee amigo Carlos, Veronica and I drove North up the Peninsula to spend a divine day at Whale Beach.

Situated between Avalon and Palm Beach, Whale Beach is the closest Hawaiian beach experience to be found on the Northern Beaches. The sand, water, lush vegetation and ambience is just tranquil. And the houses, excuse me, mansions that dot the hills surrounding the beach are the stuff dreams are made of. Trust me, if you spend a day at that beach and don’t covet at least 5 of those houses, well, then it is obvious that you are truly an enlightened being.

We ended up hanging out on the beach most of the day. Between surfing, swimming and sun baking, Veronica and I were reminded of the great beach days we used to spend out at Makapuu. Our friends Jamie and Morgan made the trek up as well. Stoked to finally get some good weather on the weekend!

Small World

It has been a rather uneventful week with Veronica being away in Canberra. However, the week became slightly more interesting yesterday afternoon when I went to pick up some camera gear from a shoot at Clovelly Beach. As I am walking around gathering gear I see a guy who looks really familiar surrounded by six women. I realize quickly that the guy is in fact Jensen Ackles. Being a tad dumbfounded, I walk up to the group, tell the girls excuse me, and say, "Hi Jensen. Matt Luttrell" and shake his hand. A look of recognition comes over his face, and Jensen says, "Dude, we need to catch up" as I continue on gathering gear.

I head outside and then when I get back in the Surf Club Jensen comes up to me and we start chatting. We mostly talk about how I live in Sydney, what he is doing out in Sydney, his show, the writer's strike, Hawaii, Vancouver (where his show is shot), and of course Dallas. It was completely bizarre seeing someone else from Richardson, Texas here in Sydney. But I guess it makes quasi sense when you factor in that I was picking up a camera from a shoot. Still, it seems proof positive that the World is in fact a rather small place at times.