Help Wanted Signs

On the topic of jobs, here are 14 hilarious "Help Wanted" signs....enjoy

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/11/the-13-funniest-help-want_n_493654.html?alacarte=1#s73651

Basketball, Background Checks, and Days Off

So I am really upset that I am missing out on KU dominating in basketball. It's one of those things that you wouldn't understand unless you went to KU and were enthralled in the culture that is Kansas Basketball.

I've been updating my resume and looking for jobs back in Dallas and I had this brilliant idea to join careerbuilder.com and monster.com as options for myself. Turns out careerbuilder.com has a connection with a company that does background checks and it is one of the steps of joining so you know exactly what to report. I wish I came up with that idea because it is so smart.

Today, I barely lifted a finger because I took today seriously as my day off. I did end up "making dinner" by putting the lasagna in the oven and the only difficult part was making the salad because if you know me, I've never made a salad before. It seems to have turned out well so Check on the salad making. I got a lot done in relation to updating my resume and looking for jobs. I'm sure my dad will agree as I had sent him about 5 or 6 emails today about it. Now I just need to apply. Yea!!

Victor's back so hopefully we'll be dancing to Shakira later. I hope to be getting a flip video of it so stay tuned

Aussie word of the Day :

Flash: Nice, cool, flashy "The iPhone is a real flash phone"

Back to work tomorrow. I am on the grind to get this one pasture finished before I leave. It's in bad condition but I'm using my magic touch and it WILL be finished before I leave. Positive steps...

Guinness Book of World Records

So the other day two guys in London broke a world record for probably the weirdest thing ever.

Two guys set the record for the "Longest Embrace" by hugging each other for 24 hours straight. All I have to say is wow.....

"This is Jeff. He goes by Jesus"

So next weekend we are going to a horse show. Stephen is competing and I am just going along for the ride, kind of like this entire trip. Ness has been searching high and low for trucks and trailers to get the horses to the show. She finally found a truck that would hold two or three horse and has living quarters for Stephen and I. We were so excited because apparently these things can be really fun in the trailer area. The catch is the entire truck is HOT PINK!! Needless to say we've been trying to figure out ways that we would explain the truck to the other riders but oh well.

Yesterday, a few girls came to look at horses and Ness introduced me by saying, "This is Jeff. He goes by Jesus." This is because her mom thinks I look like Jesus and my beard is getting pretty long. I have been laughing about it ever since.

Stephen had gotten me all excited for tonight which he thought was St. Patrick's Day. We had everything covered for tomorrow morning and I was going to take the entire day off and work on my resume and send it out and do some applications. To bad, it's on Wednesday. Kind of a downer but oh well hopefully we can push it back or something

Aussie word of the day:

Cuppa = Cup OF (Tea or Coffee)

Aren't You Glad This Isn't Your Son?

I almost forgot, I read an article about a guy who wasn't embarrassed at all about who he fell in love with. If I was related to this guy I would not tell anyone that I was. Take a look

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/6922013/man-marries-pillow/

More Random thoughts and statements

Hello everyone,

So last night we definitely did it, we watched "This Is It" and it was actually pretty amazing. Glad that MJ went out as a genius instead of a creepy weirdo.

I have been hesitant to start any new big projects because I only have a few weeks and change left here and I'm a little tired but it's all good. The place is in tip top shape and it makes me feel good that I have accomplished so much in my time here.

Today, the farrier came and I had to help a little bit with holding the horses and what not. If you didn't know, a farrier is a person who puts horseshoes on. I was incredibly interested in what Glen, the farrier, was doing. It is one of those things that you understand but never really know how much goes into it until you see it, much like horse breeding but trust me, you really don't want to know the half of what goes in to horse breeding. Plus, it was probably the first time I had ever seen a portable anvil pop out of the back of a trailer before. It was pretty cool. I felt like I was the guy from Dirty Jobs.

I have been trying to update my resume and am having trouble with what I should use as my job title for this experience. I currently have Facilities Manager but I am not dead-set on it. I feel like there should be an "and" or something like that. Feedback is much appreciated.

Aussie Word of the Day:

Arvo = Afternoon

that is all

Random thoughts from an ADD Kid

Hey all,

I abandoned the third-person talk, if you hadn't guessed. Lately, I have just been trying to figure out how I am getting over to the airport to make the 7 am flight that my parents have scheduled for me to meet them at the Great Barrier Reef. That's probably a 4 am wake up call. Yikes!

The other day I was working in a large wood/ mulch pile, not really realizing what I was working with until a day or two later when I realized that there was spiders I hadn't seen yet and bugs I hadn't heard of. Then, I found the Inch Ant, one I had tangled with before but not in such proximity. I was working around a nest apparently and ended up finding one close to my zipper. To preface, these ants latch on and bite you so hard that you feel like you have been shot by a gun. Thank God I was able to get that ant away from me without any bites. Whew!

I got a watch the other day. It is a pretty terrible little thing but it does the trick. Only thing is, it tells the correct time. Something I haven't been use to and really don't like. It's curious that when you haven't been able to tell time, it goes by so quickly. You realize that the day is over when the sun is set, but with a watch you look and it's 6pm and you're like "peace, I'm out. The day is over."

Time goes by so much slower now with a watch and with my parents coming in a few weeks. It's terrible. I feel like my grandfather on my dad's side, my Papa. I come in contact with so few people that when I know that someone is coming in advance I am just going crazy. They should've just surprised me because the anticipation is just killing me.

We are going to a game reserve in South Africa or something, not really sure anymore. Just letting Stephen be in control because its the Pitts-Rogers way...Diane, you know it's true, haha He wants it more than I do and well, it probably matters more than I do.... oh well, I'm sure I'll here about it tomorrow.

If anybody knows about jobs that I would be qualified for in Dallas, please let me know because I am looking and needing a job. I love my parents but I'd rather not live with them forever. haha

till tomorrow

Pissing Contest

"Pissing Contest" referring to guys and their never ending competitions of who is better at what, smarter, knows more movie quotes, and on and on. Well, of course, being that Stephen and I have known each other for for almost 2 decades we are well into our "pissing contest". The latest competition was "quotes from Captain Planet". We tied, if you were wondering. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

I have spent the last two months working really hard to clean up the property. I am trying to get it to where all the hard stuff is finished so that anything that is left to do can be done by anyone else. I have lost around 15 pounds and feel great. You can sort of tell in my face but my beard is really long so its a little hard to tell i guess. I almost shaved it and my head as well but decided that I could wait until I get home. I am hoping to lose 10 more pounds before i get home so that I can be under 200 pounds. Its kind of a New Years resolution/ personal goal.

Stephen hurt his wrist. He fell off a horse and was inactive for a few days. He is fine now so don't worry. Its been raining on and off for the past few days, probably because of the craziness that is going on. We are pretty far inland so we are ok.

My parents are coming at the end of the month and I'm meeting up with them. Then, its off to South Africa to a game reserve and stuff like that.

Aussie word of the day:

Cool As: more than just cool, really cool....i guess

Adventure to Leeson's

Before Jeff and Stephen left for New Zealand, they took a trip with Ness over to Leeson's house where he has been designing and building a show jumping course. They were running late as always and by the time they got there Leeson was drunk.

He had spent the previous two days mowing a path through his land so that he could so them his vision for this olympic calaber course. They hopped into the Subaru, Mable, as Leeson guided them through the course.

He was directing Stephen who was driving every which way and it was quite hilarious because they were so specific and so often of directions that they were kind of wondering why he chose to mow this specific path when there were so many hazards that they had to be aware. He also directed Stephen to turn into areas that weren't even mowed or turn into a fence then told him to turn directly after he had just turned. It made very little sense. He also didn't realize that the others, especially Jeff and Ness were getting a kick out of Leeson directing Stephen around in the manner in which he was doing it.

They get back to the house and meet Leeson's two sons who hopefully take after their father instead of their mother because both of them were giants. To back-track a little, Leeson is about 6'5 and broad. His oldest son is 6'4 and the other is 6'8 so you can see why it is more likely that they take after their father than their mother...at least we hope.

Ness and Leeson went into the office to discuss business while Jeff and Stephen were left with the two sons and their friend. It was a weird situation for them especially because they were ready to go back to the house and eat. They made small talk and finally Ness and Leeson came out and it was time for the three to venture back home.

On the ride home, Ness explained that Leeson proposed to her or at least tried to and how awkward a situation it was. Then the three of them blasted the Footloose soundtrack and sang at the top of their lungs out and hanging out of the windows. It seemed that Jeff and Ness were probably a little over served.

It was really one of those things that someone would have to experience to really get a kick out of it. It was also just another odd night in Goornong for Jeff and Stephen that they could add to their list.

Also, the other day Ness's mom, Nancy, told Jeff that he looked like Jesus. This was taken as a compliment because Nancy is a Christian writer. She keeps going on and on about how hansome he looks now. Everybody has gotten quite a kick out of it.

Aussie word of the day:

Boot = trunk of car

Smart people doing stupid things

So last night Stephen decided that he would do one of the dumbest things that he has done in a while. I know, I know "Stephen doing dumb things? that's not like him."

Well, the way that it was told by Stephen was that he touched the stove to see if it was still hot. Now today, he has a blister on his hand. Jeff distinctly remembers Stephen doing the same exact thing when the two of them were around 5 or 6 years old in Stephen's kitchen. I guess it takes a few times before he can catch on or maybe he's just not a sensory learner.

That is my new section that I would like to call "Smart People Doing Stupid Things"

As some have you may have noticed by my last blog, I have decided to switch to a more narrative style, referring to myself in the third person. This is part of my stepping up my game that I previously mentioned.

If you like this style please comment ON the blog. I would like more constructive comments so that I can grow from this. As I have said previously, I enjoy writing and I would like to become even better. I know, I know "But Jeff, how could you ever become better?"

Well, there is always room for improvement.

Tomorrow's blog will be all about Leeson and our interesting adventure to his property right before we left for New Zealand. Make sure you are strapped in for that one because it is going to be an interesting ride.

Aussie word of the day:
Bloke: guy (you probably already know this one but I have just spent the last week in New Zealand so lay off)

New Zealand Adventures

Two childhood friends embark on an adventure to New Zealand on February 20th, 2010. They got into Auckland around 12 am and went straight to their hostel for the night. The next morning they went back to the airport to catch the shuttle to the camper van rental place only the two men ended up at the wrong place. When they eventually got to the rental place, they were surprised at how horribly terrible the van was. Stephen and Jeff looked at each other and laughed realizing they were in for an adventure that they would never forget.

As the two headed off on their journey, the first thing they did was name the van. It was Jeff's idea to name it Ingrid and the name stuck. After loading up on groceries, the two of them decided that they would head over to Rotorua to eat lunch on the ocean. There was an asian family that was infront of the van that was ironically feeding the seagulls next to the sign that clearly said "Do not feed the birds". They would feed them and run away. It drove Stephen crazy.

After lunch, the two pushed on down the west coast of the North Island, stopping every so often to try and capture the magnificent beauty that they were beholding and failing every time because something as beautiful as New Zealand can hardly be captured by a picture. The two made it to Waitomo, where they would go black water rafting the following day, around 7pm. Not fully understanding the camper van culture, they paid $15/ person to park in a hostel's yard. Stephen's idea was that the two would meet people, soon figuring out that camper van people tend to keep to themselves, so they followed suit.

The sleeping situation was like something out of National Lampoon's Vacation. The comical nature of the situation probably eased the pain that Stephen endured sleeping on the foot-wide space between the bench seat and the sink, which Jeff aptly named "the Hallway". Jeff slept on the bench. The bed did fold out but it was barely larger than a single so that situation seemed to be better. Jeff didn't complain.

The second full day began after the alarm rang 3 or 4 times and the two got the hint, it was time to get up. They ate their toast and took the 30 second drive to the caving place (it was next door). The first trip was tubing in a glow worm cave. It was amazing. The glow worms lit up the caves. The trip took four hours and they ate a quick lunch and then went on their afternoon adventure. This adventure included repelling and rock climbing in caves, through waterfalls and squeezing through holes that Jeff thought that he would never be able to get through. They were going to fast to even have the time to be scared, zipping through tunnels. By the time it was all over, the two were both knowledgeable about caves, glow worms and completely exhausted. Not only were they lucky enough to be the only two on the trip, which meant that they got to do more, they also got 10 pictures for free that would have cost $100 or so. The two packed up and headed to Stephen's cousin's house.

On their way there, they happened upon the most beautiful sunset they had ever seen and Jeff made the first of many toasts, saying, "Here's to things our friends will never be able to do."

They pressed on and reached their destination at around 11, parked in their driveway, cooked dinner and went to sleep. Jeff thought it would have been so funny if they were parked at the wrong house because there was so much confusing with where it was.

They woke up the next morning, Feb. 23, and were happy to find out that they were in the right place. They met Matthew and Inge and the kids. They talked for a while, took showers and took off down the west coast because they were hoping to get to the South Island by the end of the day. They went to the closest beach and at breakfast. It was the first time the two of them had ever seen black sand beaches and it was beautiful. They pressed on and made it to Wellington where they had to go standby on the ferry. There was a cancellation and the two ended up getting on the ferry. It took three hours and was the most boring trip that they had to endure. After the ferry they drove down to a seal lookout point and camped in the parking lot, Jeff sleeping in the bedroom and Stephen in the hallway.

The two woke up on the 24th and took pictures of the seals, then headed off down the coast hoping to make it all the way to Queenstown by nightfall. They made a few stops for pictures and for dinner. It took them a while to find a spot for dinner because little did the two know, camper van people are very territorial and one questioned why the two were so close to him. That made it weird so the two left and found another spot. They made it into Queenstown at 1am and parked in a parking lot.

The 25th brought about the most exciting part of the trip or at least the two thought that they would be having the time of their lives that day. They rushed around to find the sky diving place and finally found it. They signed in only to discover that the trip had been delayed until 11:20 from 9:20. So when 11:20 came around they went out to the drop site, got on their gear, got in the plane only to have the trip delayed again until 3. When 3 came around they were told that all trips were cancelled for the rest of the day and that they could reschedule or get a refund, which they found out that they have to go through the online company to get the refund instead of in the store. This only reaffirmed their belief that customer service isn't high on New Zealand's priorities. Needless to say, the two were upset. Not really because they didn't get to go sky diving but because an entire day was wasted waiting on trips to be cancelled. The two decided to go up the east coast this time, which happened to be the quicker route. This was the first day that Jeff clocked some hours behind the wheel and he safely got the two to Kaikora, where the two slept on the beach.

The 26th started out like one of the days before. The two went to a seal colony but were actually able to get right up next to them. One of them hissed at Jeff and so they figured that they would keep some distance. They raced up to catch the 1pm ferry to the north island and made it. This time the two were prepared and brought Stephen's laptop and some DVDs. They watched Shawshank Redemption and by the time the movie ended the ferry was dock and it was ready for the two to get back in Ingrid, the van, and head out. Stephen was also freaking out about changing his flight and booking skydiving. He wasn't able to change his flight but he was able to get the two booked for sky diving Feb 27 at 8am. They rushed to Auckland and parked down the street from the airfield.

The final day of the trip and they were actually going to jump out of a plane. The two got strapped up and in the plane. To continue an ongoing theme of Jeff's life, his tandem partner asked him if he was drunk.

"Of course not," Jeff said.

He said, "Good. Me neither."

This was slightly confusing for Jeff to understand but what he really wanted to say was, "No, I'm just about to jump out of a @#$#@$ plane. I'm a little nervous."

Stephen was the first to go and then Jeff went right behind him. It was a thrilling feeling falling through the sky and through clouds. It also started raining. Both got queezy but only Stephen threw up. Jeff, being the heavier of the two, naturally made it down before Stephen. He was there waiting for him with a smile on his face. They were lucky because the rest of the trips were cancelled for the rest of the day because of the weather. The two showered up and returned their Ingrid. They got to the airport and Stephen got on his flight while Jeff waited 8 hours for his flight. He had a few annoying people talk to him while he was watching a movie on a laptop. He also got a good laugh at a person describing where Seats A, B and C are and what rows are what. What really grinds his gears are flight attendants that insist on seeing your boarding pass and direct you to your seat as if you can't read the numbers and letters above the rows or be able to count to 8 and know the letter A.

Aussie/ Kiwi phrase of the day:

Sweet as: I confirm that your recommendation is fine by me

THE BEST SHOW EVER!!!

I was wondering what I wanted to write about tonight and I had no idea. I've been doing the samething for the past couple of days. Spending a lot of time on the tractor which is the best! Nothing new though until I saw this show on TV...

So watching TV for the few hours of the day that we are able to we happened upon the greatest TV show for men ever. It is called Top Gear. It is this one Guy named Jeremy Clarkson who drives fast cars and drives them fast. Tonight's episode was tailored to the Winter Olympics. They raced a car with a bobsled, they sent a mini down a long jump course with rockets on the back and best of all they had a hockey game with little suzuki cars and a giant puck...it was amazing.

that is all

Can't Stop, Won't Stop...Laughing

Hello all,

Since we last talked there have been several things that I have been able to just sit back and laugh about. Most of these events have involved Stephen which just make it all the better.

First, Stephen and Ness took Lorena to the airport Wednesday night and I was pretty mad that I didn't get to go. Instead, I had to stay and pick up tree branches...in the rain. A few hours go by and they still aren't home and I haven't heard from them. I get more mad because I am starving and I figure that they probably stopped for dinner but didn't bother to tell me. A few more hours go by and the phone rings. In my most professional voice, I answer the phone, "Equine Sports Breeding, this is Jeff. How may I help you?"

"Very nice," Stephen says.

"I know," I say, "I'm really putting that Communications Degree to use!"

He laughs and explains that the clutch is broken and they are stuck at the airport. Paul drove out there to see if he could fix it, but I get a call 20 minutes later that tells me otherwise.

"Equine Sports Breeding, this is Jeff. How may I help you?" I say.

"Hey, it's me again. Paul couldn't fix the car so he is towing it with his car and I am steering. Help. This is the scariest thing ever," Stephen said.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!! To top it off, it was raining soo hard. I let go of my anger and couldn't stop laughing. It was exactly what I needed. What makes it all the better is that when Paul looked at the car the following day, he was easily able to fix it just by screw a bolt back on.

Story Number Two: earlier today I was looking for the other walkie talkie for Ness and I asked Stephen where it was. He pushed his chair back (a wheelie chair), trying to look as cool as possible and one of the wheels got caught causing him to fall over. There he was sitting on his ass on the floor, probably realizing that he's just not as cool as he thought he was. I, on the other hand, was literally spitting out my sunflower seeds, I was laughing so hard. It's the little things that get me through the day.

During the time when Stephen was trying not to die as he steered the car, which I named Mable, I got really bored and decided to reconnect with several people on facebook and I found out that several more people were actually reading my blog than I thought. Needless to say, I was pretty excited. That along with the fact that Stephen decided he would write his blog more like mine in which it would be a more day to day thing, so I figured I have to step my game up. So I hope I did well. I will try to put more pictures up on the blog and facebook. Any more comments would be great.

Today and yesterday I help Paul spray herbicide which means I got to drive the tractor!!!! Awesome!

Aussie word of the day:

Ring = call

Great Ocean Road and Fun in Bendigo

Wow, I have a lot to get through. This past weekend Lorena, Stephen and I went into Melbourne to meet up with Scott, Evan and Andy for Evan's birthday. It took us forever and we almost ran out of gas getting there but we pulled up to the hotel and knew that the night was going to be great. Scott gets these free VIP hotel rooms at the Westin every two weeks and we managed to sneak our way into his. It was awesome. We didn't end up going out until 1:30 am and when we got to the club the bouncer asked us if we had been drinking (singling me out specifically) and then one of them took me over to the side and explained to me how and why they knew that I was drunk. The funny thing was that I had a glass or two of wine and was probably better off than anyone there. It seems to be an ongoing theme for me I guess. It's really frustrating because it's not like I am out of control. I am really just standing there.

So we get into the club and three girls keeping looking over at me and smiling. They were moderately attractive from across the bar so I smiled back. Eventually they made their way over and told me that they were from Norway and one of them told me that they thought I was super cute. I, on the other hand, did not find them that good looking from up close so I made small talk and they eventually walked away and I got back to dancing. I got pretty mad when I saw a creepy guy dressed head to toe in something out of a Marilyn Manson music video with pig ears on top of his head dancing around and I was the one that was questioned at the door....interesting.

We end up going to another bar at about 2:30am to meet up with this girl that Andy wanted to see and we had a lot of fun at that bar. Stephen and Evan were trying their hardest to talk to these two girls but they weren't having it. A few other girls approached me and asked me if I was the guy from the Hangover and, of course, I said yes. Wouldn't you? I took a picture with them and it was all good fun. At about 4 am they started playing Motown hits and we went crazy. It was awesome! We ended up getting into the hotel room at about 5:15 am so us waking up early was doubtful at that point.

We ended up leaving our room at 11 or 12 I think. We parted ways with Stephen and headed off to the Great Ocean Road. Saturday was fairly overcast and a bit cold. Lorena was freezing but the rest of us were alright. The sun finally came out towards the end of the day and we saw a Kowala Bear in the wild! That was about as exciting as the drive got because all of the landmarks were after the place we were staying. So we get to Apollo Bay, the town we stayed in, and went to our hostel. Scott had never stayed in a hostel and wanted to check it out before we paid. That didn't fly with the angry German lady who was running the place and after that she pretty much hated us. We went out that night to the Apollo Bay Hotel Bar. There was live music and the most rediculous people there. One guy drank his drink out of his boot, another guy fell over the speaker and random people wanted to talk to us because we were American, I guess.

Sunday, We did the rest of the drive. We couldn't have asked for better weather. Although, we all got incredibly sunburned. The flies were horrible but it was all worth it because the coast is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. We ended up having to rush back to Melbourne so Lorena and I could catch the train to Bendigo at 10:15 pm. We made it just in time and we got on the train only to find dozens of drunken teenagers who had just got finished with watching the Cricket match. One of the kids didn't stop talking the entire 2 hours. We literally were plotting ways to kill him.

Monday morning, we watched the Super Bowl and because we are in the future here we already knew the Saints were going to win! I was happy that they won and that we actually got to watch it live.

Yesterday, we went into Bendigo because Ness wanted to buy some electronics. I told her over and over again that she needed a Flip camera so she decided it was a good idea so she got one and I also suggested that it was pertainant that we had walkie talkies so that we could be in constant communication so she got some as well (Stephen and I had so much fun with them). She also got a new computer. We went to a camping store as well and it was like kids in a candy shop for Stephen and I we literally wanted to buy every single thing in the shop but we didn't...don't worry.

Today, we went on a tour of the gold mine that backs up to Ness's proerty. It was awesome. We got a VIP tour down into all parts of the mine, to the processing area, and everything like that.IT was interesting to see the contrast of the old mines in Colorado that you can take tours of and this actual working mine. It is a lot more sophisticated. It's pretty crazy that every 3 days produces one gold bar...it almost seems like a waste!

Lorena goes back to Sydney tonight but likes it so much here that she wants to come back and go to New Zealand with us as well. We told her that she has to plan the New Zealand trip if she comes because we couldn't be bothered.

My parents are putting their house on the market and want to be all moved into a new place before I come home. I am coming to terms with that and actually getting really excited because that means I won't have to do any moving what so ever. I'm guessing Matt is kicking himself for moving back to Dallas at this time!

The trees out here are amazing. They are all several hundred years old and are these great massive things. I don't know if its because I have worked with kids for so long or I'm just a kid at heart or what but the only thing I can think of when I see these giant trees is "Man, that would make a SWEET tree fort!!!!" Stephen and I go around some times and pick out the best ones...haha. Maybe we've just gone crazy.

Aussie word of the day:

Fair Dinkam (Not really sure how its spelled) means really like "Oh really?"

Yesterday, it rained on and off all day. It was pretty crazy. It would rain for 30 minutes or so then it would stop and then 30 minutes later it would rain again. It did that all day!! So the temperature dropped about 10 degrees today. It feels so great.

We went and saw Ness on Wednesday in Shepparton. She is actually up and walking (with a walker). Its pretty amazing. She shares the room with 3 other women. One old lady who had a more convincing beard than I do. I couldn't help but stare. It also seemed like she was sleeping with her eyes open or at least I hope she was sleeping because that would have been pretty awkward. The lady in the bed next to her was nice but she kept to herself. The other lady, Annie, is a 70 year old Canadian who just recently began her 3rd marriage. Her new husband was also on his third marriage. They were the funniest people, aside from Ed, that I have met since I've been here.

Last night we dined at the Goornong Pub. We made up the majority of the business that night, all 3 of us, so needless to say it was packed. The postmaster, Cheryl, was there. She knew who we were before she had even met us. That's a small town for you I guess.

We watched Friday Night Lights the other night and I really miss football. Thank God the Super Bowl will be broadcast over here or else I would flip out. Ed is really excited for it. He is ordering a slab of budwiser for the occasion and he can't wait for us to explain the game to him.

Today, I think Lorena and I are painting one of the buildings. Tonight, I'll finish my tree job and then we are heading into Melbourne to celebrate Evan's, Stephen's friend, birthday. Tomorrow, Lorena, Evan, Andy, Scott and I will be taking off on the Great Ocean Road. Stephen didn't want to go because he has already seen it. More pictures to come.

Aussie word of the day

Full stop = period

Haha...I love My Life

So today...This morning. Stephen and I were feeding everyone and something happened...so revolutionary that it was one for the record books. There is a magnet on the inside roof of Ruth, the Ute, and there is also a horse shoe and a bunch of other metal things that I like to put to the magnet whil.e we are checking the other horses, well today I got my wish and the horse shoe flung off and hit Stephen really hard on the head...hahahhahahahahahahahahha....I couldn't stop laughing for an hour or two,

Lorena got here about 1. She loves the little baby horses and she would probably be happy to be just with them all day... she has one of those mondo cameras that matt would prob enjoy. Don't worry bro I'll talk you up.

I chainsawed and fixed fences because after the rain there were some fences down.

The other day I watched Paul cut a tree down link by link it was so crazy....

no ausssie word but more tomorrow

Sawdust and Rain

Last night it rained. It was wonderful. It hasn't rain here in more than a month and it was needed. Ness left for the hospital this morning for her surgery. She made it through fine and she is in recovery.

Lorena, our Sydney friend, is coming tomorrow. We cleaned up the place and made sure that we got rid of all the cobwebs because she is deathly scared of the funnel-web spider and is convinced that it is out to get her. She google Goornong, where we live, and nothing came up...haha.

I cut down some trees today...well I assisted. It was a nice relaxing day and everything went smoothly.

Ellie, the puppy, ate my flip flop the other day. So needless to say I was a little pissed about it and I let her know that. So on the shopping list is flip flops, along with beer and goons (if you've been keeping up and learning the aussie words of the day, that's wine).

Hillary, my sister (if you didn't know), obviously read my blog because she facebooked me and told me that I looked like Keenan Thompson from SNL (he's black) so she was being silly. I told her that if she were wearing a metallic white wig she would look identical to Lady Gaga...hahahahahahahahah...the tables have turned.

Tomorrow, I think I'll wake up early. Feed up cut up a bunch of trees and fix a fence or two and probably call it a day.

hope all is well


Aussie phrase of the day:
Blind off me face = really drunk

Look a like

So the other day before we went to Sydney, I was thinking about how I always thought it was funny when you tell someone that they look like a famous person and they get offended because they think that they look nothing like that person.

It wasn't so funny when we were in Sydney and I was told that I look like Zach Galafanakis, Alan from the Hangover. Needless to say I was a little offended. So the tables have turned. I just thought it was funny that I was thinking about it and then it happened a few days later.

Not too much going on here in Goornong. Ness has her surgery tomorrow and I'll continue to smash rocks and pick up sticks. I finish my tree job later today and looking forward to continue my role as lumberjeff....

I almost shaved my beard yesterday but I didn't want to break the promise I made to myself that I wouldn't shave the entire trip. I might shave my head though. It's really hot here.

A couple of days ago I went to Echuca which is a small town on the Murray. I don't remember if I told ya'll about it or not but it was pretty neat. They had river boats and cool little shops. I looked at a few boomarangs but didn't get any because they are expensive so I'm not sure how many people will get one for they belated Christmas present.

lots of love

Aussie word of the Day

Esky = cooler

just a few thoughts

So this past weekend we had a discussion about how people from Texas are obnoxious and I agreed but explained that it was for a good reason. The conversation came about when I asked if it was ok for us to wear our Texas Flag button-down shirts out to the bars. The reply wasn't "You really have a Texas Flag shirt?" It was "No, you're not allowed to wear that out with us!" as if to assume that we both each had one, like it was given to us as a part of our citizenship in our Great State.

Which brings me to my next point, it is a well known fact that anyone born in Texas has at least one Texas flag hanging in at least one room of their house, especially if they live out of state. I remember this as we got back to the farm and there hanging on our door is a Texas Flag...I rest my case.

Tuesday was Australia Day and I was kind of hoping for the day off like the rest of the country, but I guess since I'm not Australian, I do not get that luxury, oh well. I had a pretty good day regardless.

Yesterday, I raked and weeded and gardened and cleaned our little house. I was a dress short of being a woman...haha.

Today I went to Echuca and saw the riverboats and then I helped Paul cut down some trees and i'll be getting paid!!! Ness has her surgery on monday instead of yesterday and we are still getting ready for that. One of our friends from Sydney is coming to stay with us for a week and we are happy about that. That will keep our average number of contacts consistent with the usual 3 people per day.

I hope you enjoy thursday because I know I did.

Aussie phrase of the day (It's my favorite...I try to use it whenever I can)

"Couldn't be bothered" as in "I couldn't be bothered to email you back because I have to much stuff to do"

also, "Pervin' on Sheilas" = Staring at women...haha

talk to you soon

A Much Needed Weekend

Hello friends and family. I am back on the farm as of yesterday afternoon. We had an amazing weekend...it was expensive but amazing. Here's the rundown of how it happened:

Friday morning we were dropped off at the Bendigo Station to catch our bus to the airport. I didn't even realize it but Stephen knew that we needed to go to the international terminal. We both get up to the counter and hand the person our ID, my passport and his Texas ID. The man told us that I could check in but Stephen couldn't since we were on a leg of an international flight he needed a passport. So we rushed over to the domestic terminal to make sure that he would get on another flight, with a fee of course. He was able to get onto a flight at 4:40 and getting into Sydney at 5:15. This was our last resort so we said ok and I ran to catch my flight.

When I landed I found out that Stephen went standby and ended up getting in about 30 minutes after I did. I love it when things work out! I took a bus over to the domestic terminal and met up with Stephen. Then, we were on our way to Bondi Beach.

After two trains and a bus, we were standing out on the street meeting up with a girl that Stephen had met once about a month ago and I had no idea what she even looked like. She recognized Stephen and we walked all the way up the hill to her apartment. It was an incredibly hot day and I was in jeans and boots because, in true Jeff Dunn fashion, I packed 5 pairs of clothes into my backpack and remembering what I learned from our night out in Bendigo, I needed closed-toed shoes that looked somewhat nice and a nice pair of jeans. So, I thought it would be a good idea to wear my boots and jeans on the beach in the summer...maybe I didn't think about it at all.

We got to her apartment (Her being Lorena) and found out that it did not have air conditioning so I immediately changed into shorts. Lorena shared a one room apartment with a college friend of hers named Nina. Both of these girls are Americans, went to Penn and are friends of Stephen's friend Evan (who you may remember from earlier blogs was the guy who was going to pick grapes). Lorena left and went out to dinner with one of her friends as Nina came home from work. We made pasta (a theme of the weekend because we spent all our money at the bars). Then Chloe, the only Australia that we hung out with the entire time (who lived for sometime in Canada so she isn't a true Australian), came and picked us up to go into Sydney for drinks at the Opera Bar. It was a really amazing bar across the water from the Opera house. We had a pretty good time but felt kind of left out so the three of us left and had a drink at another bar, then we went back to Bondi to meet up with Lorena and Nina because at 12 it was Nina's birthday.

We picked up Lorena from the restaurant and then swung by the apartment and picked up Nina. We started the birthday celebration at Ravesi's and that is when I learned how expensive the drinks were but I figured it was ok because we earned it. We met a few more Americans and a few British guys that the girls hung out with. Then, We went to another bar that I don't remember the name where the animated pictures of me started. The group dwindled and Stephen, Chloe and I decided that we needed to get some drunk food so we were able to get into a Kabab place as it was closing. We got to boxes of chips (french fries) and a free Kabab, thanks Shawn (Shawn is whoever ordered and bought the Kabab but didn't claim it). We parted ways at about 4am-ish screaming lines from "the Hangover" because Chloe thought that I looked like Zach Galafanakis, another theme of the weekend.

Saturday we spent a good portion of the day on the beach and then we went to a place to have a birthday brunch for Nina. We ended up staying there, drinking for 3 or 4 hours with the whole group of Lorena and Nina's friends, funny enough, they were all American. The four main guys that were telling jokes and playing games, and oh yes, quoting lines from "the Hangover" were Stephen, Brad, Ernie and I. Lorena, Nina, and Hannah were in on it as well. When we were a few drinks in, someone brought up the best drinking game I have ever heard of. It's called "Coming in Hot". It is where everyone at the table is drinking beer and they have to have their hand on their beer or else someone can swoop in and steal their beer, only after saying "Coming in hot!" The person who steals the beer has to chug or skull the beer in order to "win". If they chug the beer then, the person who's beer was stolen has to buy himself a new beer and a beer for the person who stole it. It is an amazing game! We were also labeled as the loud Americans by everyone else there. Chloe came a little later and told me that I needed to stop drinking because I looked drunk and I wouldn't be able to come to her birthday party so of course I had a few glasses of water and kept going because as some people know, I get mistaken for that all the time. Plus, I think she was mad because I "came in hot" on her beer as she was learning the game.

We went back to the apartment and got ready to go over to Chloe's penthouse for her birthday party. We get there and it is more amazing than I thought it would be (in my recently added pictures on facebook, it is the really nice place). The whole group came over plus her family and a few more friends. We had an authentic Australian barbecue! Afterwards, we went to The Club in King's Cross where we were VIP. We had a lot of fun dancing and playing around as well as making fun of the girls that were just way into dancing on the stripper poles.

Sunday, we woke up at about 2 pm and made omelettes. Stephen, Lorena and I walked on down to the beach where I made a sand castle. Everyone on the beach was jealous but I'm sure you all knew that from the pictures. We stopped by Chloe's for a little bit to exchange pictures and talk about the weekend and I also had to do the hair flip that Zach Galafanakis does in the Hangover because Chloe decided that my nickname was Indiana Jones. It came from the line about the man purse/satchel only she called me Indian Jones...haha.

We relaxed the rest of the day and made more pasta for dinner. We watched a few movies and it was a great end to an amazing weekend. I am so glad to have made some new, fun friends. If we weren't hanging out with mostly girls then I probably wouldn't have any pictures so you can thank them for that because they took most all of the pictures.

Sorry its just a run through the weekend but I just wanted to get it all into one blog before I forgot. I promise tomorrows will be more thoughtful.

Aussie word of the day:
Skull = chug

Tribute to My Uncle Jay

In the mass-confusion that is my life, trying to keep up with yesterday (again, that is where you are...because I am a day ahead) I found out that my Uncle Jay had died. He had lived a fairly long life considering his condition and the care that he took of himself and of course his timing was impeccable because only a few short hours before I found out that he had died, I was writing a blog about trying to be a "glass is half-full" kind of guy. So, I have never seen such a designed test from God as this for me, but I figured that I can find the good in it all even though it was more difficult than I thought it would be.

You see, because of my uncle's condition, which I'm choosing to leave out, I had prepared for his death long ago or at least I thought I did, but anyone who has ever experienced a death of someone close knows that you are never prepared for what is coming. My uncle has spent almost the last year in Mexico and had kept telling us that he would visit. Turns out that he was progressively getting worse and finally gave up but didn't want us to worry so he kept telling us it was alright.

When I talked to my mom on the phone, I thought that I was alright because my uncle and I weren't really that close. We did not agree on really anything except for history but that is a different story all together. I really thought I was alright, but when the phone conversation was over and the phone dropped to the floor, I was swimming in tears and couldn't understand why. You see, I don't cry or at least haven't in a long time because I have trained myself to forget about anything that would make me sad. That is why the day before when I was in a bad mood and got over it. I thought I was ok but I was really bottling up everything inside until one event happened that I just couldn't hold everything in anymore and I cried, a lot. I'm not ashamed to say it either. I really will miss him though

My uncle was a lot of things to a lot of people. You may have known him as my crazy uncle who drank a lot and told good stories or that crazy guy who started talking french to you even though you never said you spoke it or that guy who was sitting at the kitchen counter on his computer during the holidays....well to me he was all of that and more. He was my weird uncle who didn't ever really care what anyone thought and put so much effort into everything that he did for us that it really made you smile. He was that uncle that helped you put together your new G.I. Joe headquarters that you just got for Christmas that you were too young to put together yourself. He was that uncle who thought he was so cool that he told you to call him "unk" because he thought you would think it was cooler. He was that crazy uncle that no matter where he was, he was never to far away to give you some sort of advice or throw in his two cents because, for all its worth, (and he is probably laughing in delight as I admit this) he was a very intelligent guy who had seen a lot of things.

Yes, he was Weird Uncle Jay, but he was my Weird Uncle Jay and I wouldn't have changed him for the world. He made my family normal (and by normal, I mean absolutely crazy because what is a family without its craziness).

It is just hard being over here in Australia when most of my family is together right now and they are trying to figure everything out because I have always felt like the glue that has held the family together. I get along with everyone and seem to be the mediator in every situation. Glue needs to be strong if it is going to hold and I felt like by crying, I was not being that strong glue...Stephen, not James Taylor put it in perspective for me by saying "dude, sometimes you gotta let it out...its ok". Luckily we were the only two on the property for most of the day.

Today was the first day that I missed home. Not really for any selfish reason, I just wished that I was there for my family to console them and help them figure out anyting and everything to do. I think the hardest part about this is feeling so useless on literally the other side of the world.

He will definately be missed and I love him to death. This blog wasn't for any informative purposes or to help any of my family through this difficult time. It was merely for me to vent and let out everything that I was feeling because as I had said before, this is a release for me and it makes me feel better. Even though I say it's for no one but me I know that when my mom reads this she will cry in a totally Emo- Em fashion.

I love you family and friends and I hope that this gets figured out with relative ease. We are off to Sydney early tomorrow for hopefully a fun weekend for a few girls birthdays...I can't wait!

We had dinner tonight with a few couples, one who doesn't live to far away and it was wonderful. They were so nice and we just had the best time. Some human interaction was just what the doctor had ordered. One of the wives was originally from Ireland and I thought about my mom's horrible irish accent and laughed...Mom, I thought you would enjoy it. Plus, I heard "ain't no mountain high enough" on the radio the other day and couldn't help but think of you.

Remember everyone, the glass is half-full no matter what....

talk to you in a few days

oh, the glass IS half-full

So, I generally consider myself a "glass is half-empty" kind of guy. I can find the negative in absolutely every single thing there is just by having one very insignificant detail of the overall thing that could ruin it all. I tell you this, to address my last blog post. You see, something that I am really trying hard to work on is becoming a "glass is half-full" kind of guy again, but having all this time to be by myself and think does not help with this newly added new year's resolution.

This morning, still in a bad mood (whether it was because of last night or because I didn't have my usual morning cup of coffee I am not sure), I started to think about everything that I did yesterday and what I love most about being here. That along with, first some heavy metal, followed by James Taylor (who always seems to put things in perspective for me), I was able to be released from my bad mood. I find it really funny that one very small, very insignificant thing can eclipse an otherwise perfect day that ended with a few glasses of wine, watching the beautiful sunset while swimming in the dam. Life's good and that's all there is to it.

And if you are nosy like my mom and are still wondering why I was in a bad mood yesterday, well it's none of your damn business and i've forgotten all about yesterday...which coincidentally is today for everyone back in the US so it gets a little confusing.

Moving on to more light-hearted subjects. Stephen apparently has the magic touch when it comes to anything Australian. I couldn't get one of the cars to start the other day and He just hopped right in and turned it on. He also got the chainsaw to work as well and at least a few more things as well. I'm going to file "Stephen's Magic Touch" under "Things that Annoy Me."

When I was out cutting trees, I realized something and couldn't help but laugh out loud to myself. I had the beard, I had the chainsaw, I had the trees. I was just one flannel shirt away from being a Lumberjack....haha.

Speaking of Lumberjacking...Paul needs my help cutting down some trees next week (it's his job if you didn't know) and he has offered to pay me. I am excited because this is my first paying job in Australia. Stephen wants a cut of the money, but I don't think that is going to happen.

I've been working really hard lately and that is part of the reason why I was in a bad mood yesterday. Sometimes I feel like I'm in the Shawshank Reemption, only there isn't a well-spoken, older black man to narrarate my life for me. This weekend will be a nice break for us. We get to just relax on the beach and take it easy. It is a much deserved holiday for the two of us.

I hope that cleared things up...I tried to be as eloquent as possible. I love writing and it is a great release also it is a great chance for me to sound smart without having to open my mouth because people generally think that I am high all the time because of my slow, monotone voice but that's just the way that I talk so deal with it.

On today's agenda is filling in more potholes, raking and watering plants. I'm not trying to strain real hard because my body aches...it needs a rest. My list is almost done and I have some painting to do when we get back from Sydney.

Some more good news, because I'm kind of into good news these days, I look thinner. I'm not really sure if I've lost weight or not because we don't have a scale here, but my guess is that I have lost fat and gained muscle which means I weight around the same but hopefully I will keep getting thinner. My beard has gotten pretty long hopefully I will be able to stand it for 3 more months. My hair is also starting to get long, hopefully I can stand THAT for 3 more months.

Don't worry I'll make sure to take lots of pictures in Sydney and post them. I hope all is well in the US.

Aussie saying of the day:

Aussies tend to leave out the word "the" when they are talking. For instance, "I'm going to hospital tomorrow" or "Do you need anything from store?"

weird, I know....till next time

What did i do today?

I smashed rocks...that is all. Not really in the mood to be funny or try hard at blogging. Going to sydney this weekend and hopefully I will be able to have a good time. I should, we are going to a penthouse party for this girl's birthday on the beach....more tomorrow when I'm in a better mood

Aussie word of the day:

Stuffed = tired

forgot a few things about last night

So Victor brought in a CD from his car and because none of us could really understand him we were like "ok put it in." It turned out to be two doctors talking about something related to medicine and we all thought it was going to be music. We were laughing hysterically and I don't think that Victor quite understood why we were laughing but after that Ness put on Shakira and that's when things got crazy.

It was Ed's birthday yesterday. He forgot...haha. We had cake but as we were bringing it to the table and singing, the candle fell off and we had to relight it and start the song over. It was pretty funny.

Oh I forgot the Aussie word of the day as well

Sorted = figured out or together as in "Do you have the cutting of the trees sorted?"

Meant is used a lot as in "I am meant to be cutting down trees today" or "Those potholes are meant to be filled in"

"I have no idea what Victor just said!"

So among the many people who came by today, Victor is staying the night. He is someone who has to be incredibly British because I have no idea what he is saying and of all of the nights to bring the fl,ip camera out tonight is the worst night to leave it at the house because Shakira came on and Victor, a slightly larger, older man who loves dancing when the right song comes on, dance rivaled Dr. Steve Miller....watch out because Victor is in the House!!!!! hahahaha. ... Guess what I did today... If you guessed cut up tree branches and smashed rocks and jammed out to my sweet playlists...you were right...congrats. I tend to kind of go off by myself and do all of these projects for some solitude. I guess I don't talk very much but I am trying to come out of my shell a little bit at a time...

So when I last left ya'll, Ed had done something hilarious. Well, Stephen got him to drive us from Ness's to our house last night and as he was driving away, he turned on his indicator (blinker) to go around the round yard...inside the farm hahahahahahahhahaha...I wish I got to see Ed everyday because he is so hilarious.

What am I doing tomorrow? If you guessed cutting down trees and putting them in a pile, you were right. I was using Paul's chainsaw and am kind of confused on which one I was suppose to use instead plus stephen and I broke his drill...I think he'll be ok but I always claim that I'm not from here and half the time it works haha

till next time

Night Out on the town in Bendigo

So two nights ago, Stephen and I went out on the town with Nicole. First, we went over to Nicole's and barely got there because of her horrible directions. When we got there, Nicole had a box on her head and her 17 year old sister and her 16 year old and 15 year old friends were wasted...we were stone cold sober. We played some drinking games and her dad dropped us off at a club. Word to the wise, if youre ever in Bendigo don't wear flip flops when you go out. The giant bouncer, who had a flat head and was definately on steroids...he kind of looked like popeye on steroids, at the club almost wouldn't let us in because we were wearing flip flops. Luckily, he was a lot nicer than he looked and let us in because we were American and we "didn't know better". There was a bar band that was playing and it was pretty awesome because they were playing the most random mix of songs ever. From Blink 182's "Dammit" to Footloose to just about any other cheesy song you could think of.

We ended up going upstairs after a while and it was straight techno, not my favorite but it was fun anyway. We stayed until about 4am then walked possibly to the other side town to get one of Nicole's friend's roommate's car which didn't start. Luckily we were on a hill and rolled the car about 3 to 4 blocks before we called a cab from the gas station where apparently Joe Dirt works...spitting image of him. I couldn't stop laughing. Finally the cab came, we took it to a public pool that was closed because Nicole wanted to swim. By that time it was about 5:30 and the sun was coming up she swam with her friend as stephen and I stayed outside because we decided that we were to old to climb up over barbwire. After about 10 minutes she called her mom who picked us up at around 6am. We went to her house and slept until 12 then went into town.

Stephen and I went to target because he had a $50 gift card. To bad they don't take American gift cards haha. Stephen got the Hangover and we watched it when we got back to the house. I was amazed at the fact that I couldn't stay awake for one of my favorite movies, but i guess we are getting too old for all-nighters. It literally took us an entire day to recover.

Yesterday was Ness's real birthday and Paul and 3 of his kids came over and cooked dinner. We had a really good dinner and Ness's was trying to set up one of her neices with one of Pauls sons. they're 12. It was pretty funny.

I chainsawed a bunch of trees today and of course I ran around like Leatherhead from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I know, really safe but I always have to do it. I also raked for about 4 hours.

Tonight we had dinner with Ed. He just said that he didnt want the last muffin because he was already sweet enough as it is...hahaha. He cracks me up. I will try to get a picture of him and post it.

Aussie word of the day
Sussed = figured out

Stephen's accent and the strangest thing

The big truck is the Tipper (because the back tips over), clever, I know and the baby truck that Stephen is standing next to is Ruth, the Ute...she's not much but she'll do.

So, today was pretty interesting. I started driving the land cruiser today. It was pretty interesting. I drug the harrow behind the cruiser to rip up all the weeds and what not in one of the paddocks so the horses could go there. It was fun and rewarding seeing how I made the harrow. I also played the longest game of pick up sticks ever...and I won if you were wondering but then again I was the only one playing...

I noticed this the other day but by the end of the day I usually forget all the funny things that have happened. Stephen answers the phone a lot and I laugh so hard when he does because maybe its because of the nonverbal class I took where I learned about convergence or not but stephen tends to try and speak in an Australian accent whenever he answers the office phone. It's is an Emily Dunn-ish version of an Australian accent. I get such a kick out of it.

So, the strangest thing happened to me while I was picking up sticks. A fly flew into my mouth and got stuck in between my two front teeth....I can't say that that has ever happened to me before. The flies here are horrible. Apparently the flies are horrible all around australia but especially worse around horses. They are so persistant, they never go away. Apparently it gets worse in March!!! I can't wait!!

So I was wrong in my last post when I said Evan Faram was in Australia. Turns out another Evan that Stephen knows is here and just another example that Stephen isn't ever listening when we are talking. We literally had a 20 minute conversation about how he was here and I was like "So he gave up on acting" and Stephen said yeah and other stuff. I don't know...i wasn't really paying attention. haha

Here are some pictures like I promised:

These series of pictures are Stephen and I being goofy. Stephen is pretending that he doesn't realize the steering wheel is on the other side.

Aussie Phrase of the day: (sorry, I come in contact with about 3 people a day on average now so I'm running out of Aussie words)

"How you going?" = How are you doing?

She'll be right = it will be ok

till next time

when cheesy sayings actually apply

So Stephen , I'm sure, is really annoyed with me lately because with my quick wit I have actually been able to use cheesy phrases apply to the given situation. Yesterday, Stephen was waiting for Ness (Vanessa) to help him work a horse and she told me to tell him to wait a second and she would be right there. I found that to be an opportune moment to tell him to "Hold his horses!"...yup! that just happened! I couldn't stop laughing. Then, this morning I opened our fridge and the milk had spilled. I told Stephen and he sounded worried, asking "How'd that happen?" and yup, you guessed it, I came back with the ol' "No use crying over spilled milk" response. It made my morning! Then around noon or so Stephen said "Hey" and yup, you guessed it again. I told him, "Hay is for horses!" that was awesome. What made it even better was that I did it as if I was an announcer at a monster truck rally, you know the guy who is like " SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!!" ...go ahead and try it, right now, say "HAY IS FOR HORSES" with that voice. I bet you'll laugh

On a serious note, I found out that Evan Faram is in Australia as well. He was in Sidney but it was too hard for him to find work so he has moved to a small town. He applied to a donut shop and included a cover letter! hahaha he didnt get the job so he is moving to a small town to be a fruit picker. Random. I think we are going to try and see him at some point.


Ness is going to have surgery on Jan 27 and will be gone for several weeks, so we are getting prepared for that. There will probably be some others that will come stay on the farm and help us out but I'm not sure just yet. Stephen is dying to be in the operating room during the surgery so we might go but the catch is that I have to watch Ness's sisters kids or something like that. Oh well, it will get me out so I can see more of Australia.

I fixed a harrow today... and then attached 11 tires together to go on top of it to drag behind a car to tear up weeds and break up sticks and stuff. I also moved more rocks and made nice pathways to 4 yards. I'll post a picture or a video of the harrow tomorrow so that you won't be completely confused on what I am talking about. I am still trying to take pictures but it gets to be sundown and I have forgotten again. I will try harder tomorrow. Isn't it really sad that I make promises like posting pictures and videos to a blog and i can't keep them. Oh well till tomorrow

Aussie words of the day:
Poof: gay person
Roll: sandwich

hard at work

Today I smashed rocks. Stephen took a video of it so that will be up soon haha. Vanessa went to the doctor today and it looks like she will be getting her hip replacements by next month which will be great because we will be here to run the farm while she recovers. I think Stephen and I are planning to go into the great town of Bendigo Friday night to see what this crazy night life in rural victoria is like.

I got a large list of projects to do around the farm. There are about 30 things, some of them are very easy, most are difficult. It is soo hot here and its a dry heat so it is just awful. Not much excitement here. I'll try and take a video of where we live and give ya'll a video tour of the farm if I have some down time.

Aussie words of the day:
Heaps = lots, tons, used all the time for everything and generally a one word answer
Duffer = silly person

good times in goornong

so the clinic is over and we had about 40 or so people come in yesterday for Vanessa's birthday party at the Goornong pub. It was a lot of fun. Stephen and I had formed our own little group of young people that were at the clinic and they were the ones we hung out with. After the pub, we came back and Stephen and I taught our little group how to play some American drinking games. I don't know if I have previously said anything about the 17 year old couple that always had their hand all over each other. Well, that was always fun making fun of them and what not. The girl's parents came and I thought it was so awkward that the parents knew that they were sleeping in the same bed and taking showers together. They said several times "Oh I bet they're taking a shower together" weird!!!!

I think its really weird that no matter what country I am in, no matter what city im in, when I say my name is Jeff people assume that my name is Jeffrey...almost everyone has called me Jeffery and I made sure that they knew that that wasnt my name. It drives me crazy. If I say my name is Jeff why do people insist on saying Jeffery when they could just say Jeff.

We went down to the river today and swam. We had salmon and cheese and crackers by the water with champagne...life's good. I'm just going to start finding projects to do to keep me busy all over the farm. I've been getting better at driving manual but Im not confident enough to drive off the farm. Maybe in a few weeks or a month or so. That way I can go on little adventures.

Aussie words of the day:
Goon = bag of wine...franzia
Ute = utility truck
Float = horse trailer
Box = stable

Hope all is well in the US!!

puppysitting and roo killing

Sorry its been a few days since I last blogged. There's been several people here for the clinic and we have been eating dinner or tea as they call it here by our house instead of in the main house where the Internet is so I haven't really felt like going all the way over to the main house to get on the Internet. Since I last posted, I told several of the riders that I live in a dungeon underneath the house I live in because I am just the slave labor since I am not a rider like Stephen. I also told them that I have slowly been stealing hay to weave myself a straw mat to sleep on. Everyone had a good laugh about it and I think some of them are still unsure if it is true or not. One of the riders named Jackie brought here puggle puppy and I almost stole it from here. His name is Pudge. He is so cute but really crazy. I puppy sat him this morning. He drove me crazy because I had him from about 6:45 to 8:15 in my bed and he wouldn't stop biting my hand and I didn't really want to get up. A few hours ago a kangaroo tried to jump through one of the fences and broke its back. Sam and I went out there and put it in a giant bag and attached it to a tractor and it got dumped into an old gold mine that was filled with water so it would drowned. So if you're counting that's a dead horse and a dead roo in the first week. I also find that I am doing to good of a job at everything and I'm learning everything too easily that I keep taking on more and more jobs so I end up with a lot of work which is fine because I didn't come over here to sitdown and do nothing all day, I came here to work. I am starting to find projects to do on my own just because I get bored while everyone else is riding and I have nothing to do. We are going to go to the river soon to swim and tomorrow is Vanessa's birthday party which will be a lot of fun. I still haven't left the farm apart from going to the river so hopefully today I can coax stephen into going today since most everything is done for the rest of the day.

I am going to start something today for my blogs for the rest of the time I'm here. It's an Aussie word of the day. Today I'll do a few because I pick up about 20 everyday.

Gas bottle = propane tank
Mozzie = Mosquito
Pram = Stroller

more to come. also check out facebook for the videos i have uploaded

My New Years Resolution

So for my New Years Resolution I decided it would be to make good decisions. Although it was difficult leaving a place and time that I felt comfortable in, I feel like I made a geat decision in coming to Australia. I've been making a lot smaller but still good decisions that help out in my over all goal of working towards a forward track of good decisions that will put me in a place that I want to be. Another resolution is to be open to new things or at least giving things another try. Last night I had salad and if you know me at all... I DO NOT eat salad. I liked it. I may have been because I was so exhausted that I didnt really care. Today for lunch I had an egg sandwich and an apple. AN APPLE!!!! I DO NOT eat apples either! I was amazed with myself. I'm sure my family is really confused on that one but oh well. I guess my good decisions resolution is rubbing off on my brother because he has decided to move to Dallas and I'm really happy for him. I think it will put him in the right direction. Tomorrow, the farm is doing a clinic so I'll probably have a lot of down time. I think Stephen and I are going into town so I can get a few things and see the booming towns around here. I already know everyone in Gornong. They all work on the farm or are at least here...all 5 of them. Stephen the other day was telling me that this girl that he met here on the farm one day was stalking him and facebooked him and everything and my initial thought was oh some fat ugly girl wants stephen and he doesn't know how to handle because let's face it, stephen is too nice of a guy. Well, I was wrong and stephen is an idiot. I met the girl today and she is a very pretty blonde girl that is really nice and cool and i was like "whats wrong with you???!?!?!?!" Anyways, same story different song or however it goes. We went swimming in a river today on Ed's property. Ed is this hilarious guy that lives nearby and is always at the farm. He's really only hilarious because he is so weird. He has more of an obsession with ebay than Marc Miller does...haha. We are about to have an intervention i think but I kinda messed that up because I helped him bid on stuff last night oh well. till tomorrow

I have no idea what time it is because my iPhone forgot how to tell time

So yesterday I realized that my iPhone was not telling the right time because after 10 hours of work the clock on it said 11:23am. I figured that that couldnt be right or at least i hoped it wasn't right because I was about ready for bed. It ended up being about 9:30ish at night. I turned my phone on and off a few times and it didn't correct itself. Of course I would need my computer to sync it up to and of course I didnt bring it. That sucks but oh well. I guess I need to buy a watch but it has been working out pretty well because I never know what time it is so time goes by so fast. I woke up this morning to "Celebrate Good Times" and laughed because I thought of my mom dancing around the farm to the song... it's one of her favorites. I am sunburned in the weirdest places: the tops of my ears, my elbows, the sides of my neck, the lower half of my forehead. Such random places led me to wear a t-shirt over my headto block most of it from getting further burned. I played the longest game of pick up sticks today, only it wasnt a game... I was literally picking up sticks from one of the yards and will probably have to do more tomorrow. I also painted logs white for some horse thing on wednesday. I get to put strips on them tomorrow! The people here are great. There is this 15 year old named Sam who is the wittiest person i know. Vanessa, who owns the place, is also hilarious. I really hope i get to work in the shade tomorrow because my arms are on fire and bright red.Im not use to it being summer in January!! I almost lost my brand new sunglasses today. I put them on the hood of Ruth, the utility vehicle and this kid drove of not realizing. Once i realized, I ran all over the farm looking for them and finally found them right next to where I was working with barely a scratch on them so besides a watch I also need to buy a cheap pair of sunglasses. I'll keep y'all updated on all that I can remember. Its almost 12am here way past my bedtime. Till tomorrow

It's the Future Here!!

So I got here in Australia on January the 2nd. I completely missed New Years Day and after a total of 27 hours of traveling that was the furthest thing from my mind. I hardly slept on the airplane but I wasn't tired at all. Once I got to the farm, I pretty much started working right away. Well, there's no other way to put this but basically the first thing that happened while I was here was taht a horse was put down...shot in the head! It's a lot different than I thought it would have been. Today, my second day, I woke up early and put mulch in the flower beds for most of the day and painted towards the end of the day. As well as being a day laborer, I also learned how to drive stick... it's so much easier than I thought it would be. I am having a lot of fun and the people here are so much fun...They are hilarious! Sorry if this post isn't very well written or funny but my mind is scattered and I am trying to type this after getting done with work around 10. Well, hopefully I will post another here soon and i'll make sure to remember some funny stories.