ARG

This post is a bit of a shout out to Conor (and his Mom, Mary). As many of you know, Conor headed to Brisbane early last December, returning to Portland in February to help me tie up loose ends before we jumped the pond together. Conor works for Kittelson & Associates as a Transportation Analyst. While the Australian economy is crumbling, life Down Under is not so rough in comparison to the States. We are both very lucky to be on this adventure together - not a bad time to be expatriates.

If you are not a follower of "Tomorrow: Mostly Sunny", you should be. Conor's Mom was one of my first followers and also only one of four people to leave a comment on my blog. I had no idea who Edith Piaf was until Mary left a clever note. Mary is a better blogger than most. Thanks, Mary. 

I have not sipped an "Edith Piaf" from Three Monkeys since learning of the real Ms. Piaf. I have returned to the cafe and ordered other delicious treats though. Before meeting Adam Vest for dinner on Saturday evening, Conor and I dropped by Three Monkeys for a quick cup of coffee. We spent about an hour reading the Courier-Mail. As Bill Bryson notes in his book, In a Sunburned Country, it is quite interesting to read local newspapers while visiting/living in a foreign country. Perhaps you are already aware of recent activity in the Southern Hemisphere, but if not, here is a brief summary:

1. Tropical Cyclone Hamish closed all Sunshine and Gold Coast beaches last week, with waves reaching over 19 feet

2. Swire Shipping's cargo ship, the Pacific Adventurer, leaked over 100,000 litres of oil along 500 metres of the Sunshine Coast, causing one of Brisbane's greatest environmental disasters

3. The Brisbane Broncos won their first match of the season against their Queensland rival, The Cowboys, 19-18

4. Pauline Hansen also caused waves, as nude photos of the far-right politician surface in the media

It is time for me now to prepare for my first Australian bowling night. For those of you who do not know me well, and those of you who do not know me as well as you thought you did, I am one hell of a bowler. 

This post's recommendation:

Song: Apartment Story, The National

(The title of this post refers to the three letters on Conor's shirt in the above photo. ARG for Argentina.)