America the Beautiful

I think I've earned the award for worlds worst blogger.  But, I will also note, as I type this we JUST HAD ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE.  Is the world ending because I'm blogging?  Or is that just because it's 2012?  Mull over that.

In the next few weeks, expect more posts, sisterwife #1 Alyssa will be here on TUESDAY and we're going to have so much to do!  Since you all probably don't want to hear about my day to day adventures on database management, (or do you?) I haven't had much to report as of late.  After Alyssa vacates back to the states (if i let her..wha ha ha) there will even be a newwwww interactive blog to look forward to, compliments of an accidental co-operative idea from the lovely nicole of RWU fame!

If there is anything that I am longing for like nobody's business, it's American food.  In fact, Shawn and I have been on a great quest since we've arrived in Melbourne, if for nothing else then to find a 'normal' hamburger.  (they are always sneaking weird ingredients into the mince here, it's not just like...ground meat and cheese, it's spiced meat.  stop spicing the meat, and stop putting onions in it.)  After not having delicious American food for so long, i have turned into a looney tunes character marooned on an island and now sort of see everyone like this:

Better hallucinating hot dogs than turkeys?

To quell our US food cravings, we insisted on celebrating the 4th of July here.  Shawn, as a surprise to me, went to the USA grocery store (seriously this was an epic feat, it's like 2 hours by bus from our house) and got me tons of US treats.  Sadly, they were all out of cheezits.  (re: someone friggen send us some cheezits. I am NOT kidding)  But he did get:

 The Reeses and the Wheat Thins STILL exist in the house.  I am rationing.  Nutter butters....were gone in .43 seconds.

 We had a proper 4th of July meal, with hot dogs and potato salad and corn on the cob.  Delicious.

Even a little burnt

BRAND NAME CONDIMENTS!

Still, every few weeks, the craving for American food is nearly unbearable.  And thankfully, Shawn's school friends wanted to go out for dinner AND they wanted him to pick.  Shawn stumbled across an American style diner, (run by an ex-pat), so that's where we headed.  The burgers weren't so great, but the milkshakes, (real, real, real milkshakes, made with ice cream!) were AMAZING.  This may or may not have had something to do with the fact that mine was Peanut Butter and Captain Crunch.  But Shawn's Junior Mint and Oreo was pretty good too. And since I wanted American food so badly, I broke two cardinal rules this night:  1) I got dessert even though I had a milkshake.  It was Key Lime Pie.  I couldn't resist.  2) I shared dairy.  Please understand what a gigantic deal this was for me.  I let someone else (WHO I HAD JUST MET!) drink out of my milkshake.  I am trying not to dwell on this.  Moving very quickly onward.

Shawn's friends were a complete delight, and took lots of pictures.  I'm excited to hang out with them again, they were adorable!  (and my height and we all know how much I love having friends that are the same height as me)  The waiter of the joint was an American too and yup, just sliiiiiightly rude.  Awww, reminds me of waitstaff back home :) 

We felt Pey's dessert needed MORE American flags

HORSE DRESS.

Challenge Burger.