14 | August | 2010 | A Little Thinking

Well, I woke up around 6:30 this morning. And I got to sleep closer to 1:00 last night. That’s about my average, and I don’t know why I’m so surprised. I should be a lot more tired. Thing is, I’ve taken a lot of naps, almost every day for the past two months, so maybe I’m used to sleeping at odd times of the day? Maybe my body intuitively prepared for jetlag? Yeah, of course that theory is pure bollocks, but I had to give it a try.

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning. The view from my room, I can’t even describe it. Being a writer in Australia is going to be a challenge. What a weird thing to say. Writing is always a challenge. But that’s the fun of it.

I’m going to read for a bit, then have breakfast with the gang here. That means Karl and Becky. And I don’t think that’s Australian, but a word I use to describe the group of people I’m hanging out with. I’m sure somebody out there can vouch for me.

Then I might actually get ready for and go to church.

I’ve been taking weird pictures the past couple of days. My flight got delayed by about 12 hours, so the airline put everyone up in a hotel and paid for dinner for the evening. I explored Los Angeles a little bit, and the plane ride actually passed a little more quickly than I thought. Becky and Karl are gracious hosts, and they’re allowing me to adjust to the time zone by not jam-packing my day with things I’d end up sleeping through. It’s been low-key, and I’ve been extremely grateful.

They speak weird English here. I noticed it first from the unusually, strikingly attractive flight crew. One of them would serve me a drink or food, I’d say “thank you,” and he would reply, “that’s okay.” And it made me laugh inside. In the plane’s cabin, the overhead compartments are called “overhead lockers.” Also? Driving on the wrong side of the road. Roundabouts that go clockwise. It’s been a little jarring.

I’m pretty exhausted, but I just wanted to say hello, and I’m having a great time. And it’s so, so wonderful to see Becky. She greeted me with a giant hug at the airport, and I felt tears heating up my throat. My, I have missed her. But, I’m here now, and it’s already such fun. I’ve already started my candy bar collection to prove it.

Oh, here’s what I did today. It blows my mind: