Merry Christmas

By now everyone will have celebrated Christmas and realised that the Mayans were wrong about the end of the world, which is a relief after all the hassle we've been through to get here.  I'd have been right miffed if it had all ended before we got going at this end. 

I hope everyone had a fabulous time.  

Over here the heat (33-36 degrees) has continued - Now With Added Stickiness!  (Although still cooler than Melbourne has been, which is weird.) Intermittent rain has added to the humidity without persisting for long enough to cool the place down.  This has meant that I had to invest in a new bright red brolly.  But it has added significance because we have now left the air conditioned cocoon that was the hotel in the centre of town.  

Matt's sister, Pam, invited us to save a bit of cash and come stay at her house outside Brisbane for the Christmas/NY period.  We were going to spend Christmas with her family anyway, and most of the family are going away after Christmas to visit friends on Thursday Island (those In The Know refer to this as TI) for a week or so.  We were happy to take her up on her invite and the lack of air con is more than compensated for by the presence of a pool on the deck. 

The job search continued for a couple of weeks after we arrived but is now on hold until the new year.  Matt did a trial at a restaurant in Brisbane's West End, which is full of cool and groovy, slightly alternative eateries.  This he really enjoyed and was quite inspired at the prospect of working there.  The owner said after the trial that he had another person to interview and give a trial shift to, but that unless this person was outstanding, Matt had got the job.  I had half a mind to lie in wait outside the restaurant, waylaying any people approaching the entrance with any whiff of outstandingness about them, but Matt persuaded me that this was not going to be Appropriate Behaviour As Befitted A Newly Arrived Migrant.  Much to his detriment too, because the job went to the other guy.  He's applied for a few other jobs since then but been told that he's either over qualified or under-experienced in Australian cuisine.  

Meanwhile I got an email from QUT thanking me for my application and notifying me that shortlisting was taking place a day after the deadline and interviews three working days after that.  This rather astonished me, given the grade of job they were advertising.  At the very least you'd expect them to ask shortlisted candidates to prepare a presentation or report.  Needless to say I didn't get shortlisted.  A lot of people I've spoken to say that Universities often advertise for jobs externally as a mere formality to fulfil legal requirements, when they already have someone acting in post.  I'm also up against stiff competition, the Queensland Government having just fired something like 14,000 people from various departments and agencies, due to a recent change in government from Labor to National and this new government's discovery of a large deficit.  It seems that right wing politics over here takes as dim a view of Keynesian economic theory as that of the Tories back home.  I have another couple of jobs to apply for - both in Universities but their closing dates are after new year. 

So after stressing myself out and getting my knickers in a twist over the source of our future income, I decided that there was nothing I could do over the Christmas period, that Pam's offer of a place to stay for free was saving us lots of money, and that I should just relax and enjoy a holiday for a bit.  This works fine during the day for the most part, though my sleeping hours are filled with complicated and unsettling dreams which have all been very vivid.  The guy at the bottom of the bed thing has come back as well, but now it's a moody younger guy in a chicago bulls' baseball cap and a white ice-hockey shirt with yellow writing with a blue outline on it.  Even when I see it, and my rational mind is telling me that it's just a product of my dreaming brain, the rest of me crumbles into a gibbering mess.  

Although Pam's house is a way out of town, Matt's parents have lent us one of their cars to help us out with transport while we try to get settled.  It's great having wheels to get out the place with and will make house hunting a lot easier (we've also put this on hold until the new year).  

Our newest nephew was born on 18 November by caesarian section - Samuel Austin Goodman and both baby and mum are well.  We went to see Tim, Sharon, Max and the new addition on 22 December after they'd returned home.  Matt's parents had been looking after Max while his parents were at the hospital.  

On Christmas eve, a balmy and cool 28 degrees, we picked Gail and Bruce up from Tim's place and went to Indooroopilly (the nearest Brisbane suburb with a shopping mall to Pam's house) to meet up with a couple of Matt's friends for brunch.  We also picked up a few Christmas presents for Pam's kids.  With such a large family, the rule here is that you only get Christmas presents for children and only those you are spending Christmas with.  Then we got some final bits and pieces for Christmas dinner and headed back to Pam's. This included 3 kilos of prawns, which Matt cooked off, filling the entire house with prawny smell, much to Joey's chagrin. Gail kept us well supplied in Sauvignon Blanc and we spent the evening out on the deck with citronella candles and mozzy coils. 

Christmas day started at 5.30 am, with the kids tearing into their presents.  The following are the highlights of the day:

• Water balloons and a massive catapult launcher;
• Matt's turkey legs in cranberry flavoured stock;
• Strawberry santa clauses;
• a pink stretchy rubber thing with a face that has no discernible function;
• Battle of Hoth Star Wars Lego game;
• Angry Birds;
• Ninja game in the pool; and
• Skyping Mum and Ktk.

It's been a really surreal but enjoyable time.  Last night it rained a lot and the place has cooled down a fair bit.  With it still being rather grey outside, it's a perfect day to catch up on emails, blogs etc.  I think there is a plan to go to the cinema later today, for those not interested in the boxing day cricket.  Australia keeps back all the blockbusters over the Christmas period until Boxing Day, which means that The Hobbit is only being released today.  Not sure if we'll get in to see it today but it's definitely one on the list.  

Lots of love to everybody and I'll be in touch soon.