Alex and Stacey in Australia

Alex has been here three weeks and she's loving it. I also know that she never checks this blog so I can say whatever I want. Her hostel roommates are definitely the highlight of her experience to date. Those kids are great. Here are some of their more endearing features:

1) They have a DANCE PARTY! every weekend. Two weekends ago it started at midnight, went to 10:30 am and Eric Bana showed up.
2) Alex once saw her Irish hostel mate in yellow cleaning gloves, and a large green, glittery top hat reading, "Top o' the Morning!"
3) The bathroom is amazing. Features include: 1 inch of standing water, garbage on the floor in the water, empty garbage cans (next to floor-water garbage), and drains frequently clogged with ash-tray remains. (Where else would you put your butts? In the garbage?)
4) One of her recent roommates is such a good packer, she was able to fit her 6 favorite plush animals in her suitcase.

So what have we been up to? See below...

Last weekend we went to a rock show. It was poser central. Fashion alert: Flock of Seagulls haircuts are very hip in Melbourne right now.




We went to BINGO! and saw a different cross-section of Melbourne society. I won $100. Alex almost won a bag of seeds.

Our supplies.

Our competitors.

We look good in track lighting

Bingo at this place included no letters and yet, you still yell, BINGO! There were also a bunch of side games going on that we didn't get. "Okay, now it's time for your purple raffle cards...This is the super bonus round for meti-card holders...Your pull tabs are available for marking"

HEADS DOWN - is also a big phrase at Bingo. Once someone yells bingo, a girl goes over to her, reads all her numbers at breakneck speed, and the head-bingo-lady says, "That's a correct call," (except the one time I yelled bingo and didn't have all the numbers and got reprimanded. When the girl reads back your numbers it sounds like "hullabefortaugerreda" or something. After she read my numbers, the head bingo lady said, "76?, No, there's no 76", HEADS DOWN). Once it's confirmed, the bingo girl gives the person some amount of $50s. Then the head-bingo-lady says something like, "red card number 44368 HEADS DOWN."


During the month of April, Melbourne holds the "International Comedy Festival" (in Melbourne). I was gonna go see Janeane Garofolo, but the tickets were $60. I figured I could not see Janeane Garofolo for less in the U.S. However, I did buy Alex and I tickets to "Potted Potter," a kids show during which two guys re-enact all 7 Harry Potter books in 70 minutes. It includes a very scary dragon and a live game of Quidditch. There were some totally nerdy kids there reading books and shit.


Alex trying Vegemite.


At the pub 1.

At the pub 2.

At the pub 3.

My birthday present from Alex. We've already had quite the party with the Laser Party Light Show. It was rad and Eric Bana showed up.