day 4 in Perth

So today I get a surprise day off since baby's grandparents have taken him for the day. The perk of being in Perth is that both sets of grandparents live close by and will presumably be taking the baby off of my hands here and there. As luck would have it, the weather is shit. So here I am at the local coffee shop again and I might as well tell you about yesterday.

Yesterday evening after the mom got home, I got out of the apartment and went on a run along Swan river, the main body of water in Perth that the city is built around. It's actually really pretty and there were tons of people out running, biking, and having outdoor boot camp-style fitness classes. Anyway, it was really scenic and the sunsets are beautiful here, so at the end of my run I sat on this swing at a playground in front of our apartment and watched a group of yuppies play cricket. They were all drinking and I was kinda watching trying to figure out what the hell was going on and then after about 20 minutes of weird looks, I realized I must have looked like some kind of stalker/sexual predator on the playground so I got up casually and walked around for 5-10 minutes before going up to the apartment. Awkward. Also, I never figured out what the hell cricket is all about.

Side note: just now it took me 5 minutes to figure out how to open the ketchup packet. Then it burst all over my stuff.

Here are some other things I've noticed or have forgotten to write about:

-the first day in the hotel in Sydney (within an hour of being in Australia) I got lost/locked in the stairwell
-there's a weird type of bird here that makes a noise I can only describe as a "human-like cat sound". it freaks me out every time because I like neither cats, nor humans recreating their sounds
-the sun here is INTENSE and you can get burned walking down the street. apparently, there is a hole in the ozone right above Australia
-the crosswalk signals here make really funny space gun sounds when it is time to cross the street. it's really funny and bizarre but I actually think it's a really good idea because even if you have ADD like me and forget why you are standing on the side of the road, it reminds you. and makes you laugh
-there are TONS of flies here. and they get in your face, eyes, mouth constantly. it's gross.
-American TV shows dominate Australian TV. Seriously, for every one Aussie show, they show 35 American TV programs. It would be great except for the fact that they are all a season behind.

obligatory photo of me in front of the Sydney Opera House

Swan River with my apartment building in the distance

this photo doesn't do the sunset justice



That's it for day 4, but it's only 11:30 am here in the future, so the day is young. and I, still a foreigner.