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Monday, November 19, 2007

The big wind down


Well I recall that the Spring Carnival heralds the arrival of the Silly Season in Melbourne and then everything at work begins to wind down, except for things that have end of year deadlines and still have budget.

It seems the catalyst here was Halloween, and now with a short week for Thanksgiving (2 day hol + early closing), people's attention spans are shot. Add in Columbus Day and a holiday for the start of the hunting season in some states, and then parties for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I don't imagine this month will be the most productive.

The iPhone weather icon this morning showed a new graphic: sleety snow. It's already as cold as it ever gets in Melbourne during winter (today's high is 6c, with a low of 3c.) and it has started raining. Short heavy bursts or spitting. The streets are finally empty of tourists and the city smells crisp and fresh. It's now actually pleasant to stand on a subway vent and get a rush of warm air, and those over-sized hot pretzels are finally looking appealing.

On Thursday Jus and I head to Curacao for our last blast of sun and sea before we embrace the winter wonderland. We've decided to go to Vermont for Christmas to stay in an old inn, which a colleague suggested. It's supposed to be a snowbound, sleepy, hot choc and Falls Creek skiing kinda place. We'll hire a car or catch the train and make our way up there on Christmas Eve.

(Vermont is home to Ben & Jerry's Icecream, maple syrup, cider and cheese. You can see why east coasters thinks Californians are strange, with their sushi and juice bar and egg white omelette obsessions. Most states' specialities are a homage to fat & cholesterol.)

Jus is researching a ski trip for February in the Rockies (yep, we're milking this US experience to the fullest). There are great flight/accomm/lift ticket packages available if you book by the end of November. If you're interested get in touch.
And if you haven't set yourself up on Skype yet, now is the time. Jus and I love the sentimental, sunk-a-bottle-of-wine, late night, long distance call. It's free. And we have a web cam so you can see our smiling faces :)

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