pumpkins

Australia loves pumkin, as do I. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, pumpkin slices butterily sliding down your tongue along with the other vegetables in the meal I ordered at Thai Panic last night, just a few blocks from out apt. I love pumpkin, but not only because it is orange. Since a kid, I've always gorged on pumpkin empanadas and always looked forward to punkin pie on Thanksgiving. MMM.... Generally, I love gourds, especially gourds gone wild.

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I have a new cell phone number here in BrisVegas. (For those in Austin, my bro Jacob maintains the RIBS one.)

61.04.0393.4545 (Australia's country code = 61, "04" is the mobile network prefix, and my telly numbah is 8 digits long.) Send me an SMS! --- but only if U R hott and kool, k?

Just for fun, I went to Phonespell to see what nickname doth have my OZphone. My favorites among what Phonespell spelt:

04-0-dye-I-kill
04-0-ewe-I-kill
04-0-ewe-I-like
04-0-eye-I-like
04-03-we-I-like
04-03-ye-I-jilt
04-03-ye-I-kill
04-03-ye-I-like

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Last night's drunken grocery escapade: I've learned today that the US versions of "Raisin Bran" and "Rice Krispies" are renamed "Sultan Bran" and "Rice Bubbles", respectively. "Sultanas" are a type of grape. Limes come from Tahiti and cost $1 USD - each! Corn tortillas --- in the "ethnic breads" section of the bakery, alongside the chappati, Turkish bread, Afghan bread, and pita pockets. Further, I'm still readjusting to my geography here, as Robin & I bought organic coffee from East Timor (of which a % of every purchase goes to help rebuild East Timor), which sounds far-away, but is actually an Aussie neighbor separated by a few drops of agua. This I already knew, yet I am still trying to readjust my center of distance, where Bangkok is closer to Brisbane than is Los Angeles. Gimme a few months, mate.

TV: There is also an Australian version of the Weather Channel. As you could imagine, the only thing on the screen is the Australian continent. Also on TV, "Rickie Lake" and "Frasier", among bad US soap operas. No wonder the Aussies think that 'Mericans are nothing but backstabbing, cheatin', mistreatin', basketcase wackos. Then again, isn't "Neighbours" a slice of true Aussie life?