Well, i haven't gotten myself into quite as many ridiculous situations as the previous report, thanks to work starting and keeping me busy most days of the week, but I have gotten to work on some pretty cool projects here! In fact, the most recent one is actually online at www.nbl.com.au. i did the banner graphic with the players and the "2007 Grand Final" writing at the top of the page:) I also got to make the cover for the Grand Finals media guide, and create the slideshow for the annual league awards dinner! Basically i've been playing in photoshop a TON... who knew all those hours i spent fixing pictures would actually turn into something beneficial!:)
Last week we got to see an NBL game (probably will be my only one, unfortunately). It was definitely a different experience! Picture a DIII school with about a high school playing level... Unlike in the states where most of the pro teams have arenas that are also used for entertainment events, here it's the opposite. Some of the teams don't actually have permanent venues and even so, they're mostly entertainment venues used for sport. So a few of the typical stadium items were obviously missing: jumbotron, electronic signage around the arena, stadium concourse... quite weird! It definitely felt like more of a theatre than a stadium. The other obviously missing part of the game (well, obvious to me) was promotions. Normally there are promos run at every quarter break, timeout, halftime, etc. and the prizes are usually sponsor-donated. The only sponsored promotion at the Kings game was a Philips cheering contest for a set of headphones. Philips is actually a league sponsor, not even a team sponsor. (sorry, that was completely uninteresting to anyone not working in sports...)
Up for this weekend is a BBQ with my friend, Rachel's, friends. Rachel and I met in Europe actually, when i was travelling, and wreaked some quality havoc in the city of Athens - but she's from Sydney so now we get to hang out again! Saturday is the huge Mardi Gras festival... it's not like the Mardi Gras you're thinking... this one is a gay pride parade complete with nudity, drag queens, and some bold political statements! I'll be sure to get some pics posted...
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
my first blog!
ok, so i decided to join the rest of the world and use a blog instead of email (hotmail has been getting on my nerves!). i just sent the following as an email, but since i need something to post, i'm putting up here too!:)
The Semi-Summarized Updates from Down Under:
FIJI (jan 22-25): well, primarily a logistical nightmare, but quite beautiful! We learned that pretty much everyone working on the islands is psuedo-related - which means they basically can all screw you over money-wise and there's nothing you can do about it! we had some knowledge of this going in, but nonetheless there were definitely some additional dollars tacked on where they probably shouldn't have been. anyway, in our half-daze at 5am (fiji time), La and i decided that we only had enough time for one island, so we chose one in the Yasawa chain of islands, called Waya. The Yasawas are further north than the islands most people we knew had gone, but we liked the idea for that reason - and because these islands are known to be younger, more volcanic, and have prettier overall scenery. Definitely were! Waya has 3 villages on it, and i think 2-3 resorts. The villagers on the island essentially are all related through their great-great grandparents (who apparently were all cannibals, according to the Fijian guy that took us trekking up a mountain... good thing to learn when you're alone on a mountain top! gulp!...) we spent most of the days laying in the very hot sunshine, sleeping in the shade in a hammock (the BEST pastime ever!), or taking random trips to the nearby village. we got a tour of the village the first day by one of the locals. we actually had to make sure to wear a sarong and t-shirt in order to blend in more with the locals. nonetheless, the little village kids stared at us like a sideshow attraction. the village was pretty incredible - completely self-sufficient! they grew all their own fruits and vegetables, and killed animals they'd raise for meat. there was a small boat they'd take to the mainland to get some staple items, but they survived for the most part on stuff they grew. the mountain climb, described to us as "an easy walk up the path," was not quite the stroll through the park the locals made it out to be! our guide did it barefoot, while alana and i literally climbed hand and foot up the dirt and hugged a rock for dear life! obviously the views at the top were worth it, but we were laughing at how much we had to struggle to get up there. our accommodation was little less than we'd hoped... food was included because obviously there's no restaurants anywhere on the island. anyone who knows my tummy knows that that's always bad news... thank god for protein bars! they were at the end of their supplies when we got there, so until lunch the last day, we literally ate: pasta, ramen noodles, french fries, toast, and rice. yeeeeeah. our private "burre" (little thatched hut) that we paid extra for was far from what we expected... it had mosquito netting over the beds (which apparently is normal, and the "better" the place you stay, the less holes in the netting!), a shower, and a toilet inside. the "doors" for both were ratty shower curtains falling off their hooks -- which was highly entertaining because you could see right into the hut! also, the water doesn't really run -- like, small trickle at best from the faucet -- so i "showered" using our water bottles, filled up from the outside spicket. i literally lived in my bathing suit and washed by jumping in the ocean for 2 days. stinky!! our last night in Fiji turned into quite the interesting adventure... (note: this will sound REALLY sketchy but it wasn't as bad as risky as some may think...) ok, so we met an aussie on the boat on our way back to the main island, where we were supposed to be crashing at a hostel and leaving for the airport early the next morning. this guy was hysterical and such a typical aussie that he definitely got me excited for getting back to sydney! he's the executive chef at a place called Turtle Island (www.turtlefiji.com) which goes for $2500/couple/night, minimum 6 night stay. all celebs and honeymooners. prior to that he was the executive chef at a restaurant called Jordan's in Darling Harbour - also one of the more expensive places in sydney. we had a great chat with him on the boat ride, and it turned out that he was on his way back to sydney for a few weeks to visit his girlfriend and friends and was on the same flight as us the next morning. somehow or other he decided La and I were quite entertaining (go figure!), and told us he'd get us our own room at the sheraton that night so we could relax and clean up from our 2-day island adventure. we clearly thought this sounded a little nuts (why on earth would he offer to pay for a hotel room for two random girls he just met??.... yeah....), but upon talking to him further realized that he just had cash to spend! he paid for nothing while he was working on the island and got a local rate at the hotel. we obviously had quite a few backup plans should something turn out WAY wrong in this situation, but everything was incredible! we had an amazing night at a GORGEOUS hotel -- watched the sunset in the pool on the ocean, had an amazing authentic japanese dinner (on him again! plus it was really neat eating dinner with a chef and listening to him describe his opinion of the food and wine), and got a little drunk at the hotel bar (ok, i was a LOT drunk cause i'm a lightweight, but whatever). the next morning we all departed for sydney! sadky, we didn't get to run into him again while we were here, but i'm hoping to have a chat with his girlfriend about hooking me up with a job at one of the posh restaurants in Darling Harbour, where she's still a manager!
SYDNEY (with Alana, jan 25-feb 8):La and i were incredibly lucky to have an amazing friend who let us stay with him and his roommate in their apartment in maroubra beach. we were literally a 2 minute walk from the beach! Cam (our friend from college 4 years ago) was actually moving out of his apartment february 5, and his awesome roommate (Wazz -- short for warrick) told us we could continue to stay with them until feb 8 when we left for our respective locations (La back to LA and me to cairns for orientation). so it was a bit hectic and the new roommate had two more roommates when he was moving in. these guys are the best:) we got to sydney the day before australia day (which is jan 26) and spent australia day with wazz mostly, tagging along with him and friends to BBQs, the beach, and various bars. it's sort of like fourth of july, but probably with a lot more alcohol... :) anyway, had a great day of sunshine and new friends and fun drinks! we spent the rest of our time hitting up all our old haunts and realized that all the bars we used to think were cool weren't so great anymore, and remembered that they don't really listen to hiphop here -- it's all house music at the bars. very disappointing! we went to a hiphop class at sydney dance company (just like old times), wandered oxford street and people watched at a cafe till 1:30am (all i have to say is drag queens...), did the coogee to bondi walk (a gorgeous cliffside walk through the major beaches on the east coast), shopped the markets, and caught up with old friends. it was so strange going out to the same places we went when we studied here and then running into people we knew from back then! apparently people don't leave:)i had a fanastic birthday weekend too! friday night we took our friend Cam to dinner, then managed to hit 10 different bars that night! (only drinking at about 2, but really just popping our heads in to reminisce) :) that was also the night we ended up people watching on oxford street (the dupont circle, or belmont & halsted, of sydney). saturday night La and I dressed up and went to a nice dinner in darling harbour. we ended up sitting next to a table of 4 guys, one of whose birthdays it was that night (feb 3). they brought out a huge chocolate cake and sang to him, and wished him a happy birthday -- telling him that mine was the next day. 5 minutes later, our waiter brought us each a piece of their cake! they had told him it was my birthday too and wanted to share:) it was adorable, and i got cake for my birthday! after that we wandered to a bar with a great view and 130 different cocktails on the menu. cocktails in australia are incredible because they mash up so much fresh fruit in them! its sometimes like drinking an alcoholic smoothie:) yummy! so, the bartender made up a drink for me for my birthday that had fresh mango, raspberries, and passion fruit, plus butterscotch schnapps, vanilla vodka, vodka, and triple sec, and shaken with apple juice! :) put it this way: we got the drinks 15 minutes before midnight to toast in my official birthday, and i had to get another before midnight because i'd finished mine while we were waiting for La's drink at the bar! it was so yummy:) sunday (the actual bday), we walked from coogee beach to bondi beach, spent the day laying out, shopped the bondi markets, and went to a yummy dinner and a drink with our friend Cam. did i mention i LOVE that i got to spend my birthday warm on a beach???:) i'm such a warm weather person! monday morning we roused ourselves earlier and headed to the rugby club with the boys to watch Rex grossman play like an ass in the superbowl -- not a good bday present from you, rex! did anyone see any good commercials?? we didn't get those here...La and i followed one of the Lonely Planet walks on the north shore of the city one day and were amazed at the incredible houses all on the water! they go for somewhere in the millions... (talk about something to strive for, sheesh!) neither of us had been over to that area before, so it was very cool to see a new part of the city -- especially when we thought we knew it pretty well!
MELBOURNE (jan 29-feb 1):halfway through our time in sydney, we went to melbourne for 4 days and had a fantastic time shopping our way through the city! we stayed with La's cousins out in caulfield (jewish suburb south of the city) and they were wonderful! totally hysterical and entertaining too:) we spent one whole day shopping at the markets and fun stores in the city, spent another on a great ocean road tour, and the final one wine tasting in the macedon ranges. the great ocean road tour was just like i remembered, but it was nice to have pictures in the sunshine. wine tasting was incredible! there were only 5 of us: me and La, and a cute danish family of 3. i was WASTED by lunch, of course. we ate at this delicious restaurant/vineyard where we got to taste all the wines before deciding which one we wanted to accompany our meal. the meal was tapas style but quite gormet, and dessert was the largest, fudgiest piece of chocolate cake i've ever laid eyes (or mouth) on! :) i learned that wines from victoria are not as sweet as ones from NSW because it's not as warm there (makes sense obviously). it was interesting though to taste some drier semillons and reislings. their unwooded chardonnay is delicious too! and for the pinot drinkers in the house, that's the specialty of the region. so look for pinot noir from victoria at your local wineshop!:)
CAIRNS - ORIENTATION:the same day La went back home, i flew up north to Cairns for the official orientation for my program. (yes, i FINALLY started the real reason i came out here)... there were 8 of us doing the internship program and everyone was actually pretty great! we had two formal orientation sessions regarding expectations and preparation for the workforce here, and spent the rest of the time enjoying ourselves! Cairns was having horrific weather -- tornadoes and storms for 2 weeks straight! -- but we were INCREDIBLY lucky and got the first sunny day in two weeks to go out snorkeling and diving on the reef! i'm not certified as a diver, and i initially wasn't going to do scuba dive, but the reef ended up being further below the water surface so i thought it might be cool. um, yeah, it was!! they basically show you the basics and then say, OK, let's go! so it was me and one instructor and since i was comfortable he just let me swim around and took me everywhere! we chased a sea turtle and i pet it:) we touched all these different kinds of coral and anemone (nemo's home!), picked up sea cucumbers, saw stingrays, stuck our hands in giant clams.... it was surreal! so yeah, big fan:) the underwater pics are fantastic too!! yey for kodak disposable underwater cameras! (i'll try and post them soon... but this internet situation SUCKS)
SYDNEY:headed back to sydney february 10 and finally moved into my "flat" at the unilodge! it's actually a hotel and apartments, in a sorta dodgy part of town, but not too bad. there will be tons of american study abroad students very soon, which i'm dreading. the room is a bit of comedy... no AC which SUCKS at the moment. our beds are lofted and you go up a very narrow spiral staircase to the little platform. they're both TINY and on REALLY rolly wheels though, so they move all over the place! we definitely played a little bumper beds when we first arrived!:) the "kitchen" is a mini fridge, microwave, and sink and we have absolutely no dishware, cookware, or utensils -- or really anywhere to cook anything either. the "gym" is a small area near the indoor pool (that part's nice!) that has a treadmill, 2 ghetto cross trainers, and a weight machine.... uuuuh, yikes?! clearly i joined a real gym so as not to lose my mind! i started work on feb 13 and it's been awesome. out boss is a total nutcase and is without a doubt more energetic than i am! (though his is fully caffeine induced.) he's been really great about asking us what we're interetsed and letting us get work to do in the areas we like. it's a pretty small office, considering there are four organizations and staff housed under one roof: basketball australia, the australian basketball association, and men's & women's national basketball leagues (like, NBA and WNBA). everyone seems great so far and it's definitely really relaxed (which i clearly LOVE!). the commissioner of the NBL (the mens pro league) is actually an american who started the sports management program at University of Oregon. it's so neat to be working in the same office as the commissioner (like saying David Stern and I work together); but at the same time, basketball here is NOTHING like it is in the US. it's definitely more of a 2nd or even 3rd tier sport. I worked the women's grand final game today, mostly doing promotions and setting up the corporate post-game party. LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED it!!!!!! it felt much more like a division III college game than a pro game (especially a championship), but that was part of what i loved:) the venue was SO ghetto -- about 45 minutes outside of sydney and no AC! apparently the olympic venue, which they wanted to use, was already booked for today. not sure why they wouldn't just try another day, but whatever. so yeah, very very hot and sticky, but so much fun being out on the court again throwing out balls and revving up the crowd! (ah yes, i'll always have a little of that cheerleader in me!) ;)
so that's pretty much it so far i think. if i remember any other fun stories i'll add them in, but the rest of them mostly have to do with the nightlife, so i'll spare you:)hope all's well back in the states!Cheers,Lisa:)
The Semi-Summarized Updates from Down Under:
FIJI (jan 22-25): well, primarily a logistical nightmare, but quite beautiful! We learned that pretty much everyone working on the islands is psuedo-related - which means they basically can all screw you over money-wise and there's nothing you can do about it! we had some knowledge of this going in, but nonetheless there were definitely some additional dollars tacked on where they probably shouldn't have been. anyway, in our half-daze at 5am (fiji time), La and i decided that we only had enough time for one island, so we chose one in the Yasawa chain of islands, called Waya. The Yasawas are further north than the islands most people we knew had gone, but we liked the idea for that reason - and because these islands are known to be younger, more volcanic, and have prettier overall scenery. Definitely were! Waya has 3 villages on it, and i think 2-3 resorts. The villagers on the island essentially are all related through their great-great grandparents (who apparently were all cannibals, according to the Fijian guy that took us trekking up a mountain... good thing to learn when you're alone on a mountain top! gulp!...) we spent most of the days laying in the very hot sunshine, sleeping in the shade in a hammock (the BEST pastime ever!), or taking random trips to the nearby village. we got a tour of the village the first day by one of the locals. we actually had to make sure to wear a sarong and t-shirt in order to blend in more with the locals. nonetheless, the little village kids stared at us like a sideshow attraction. the village was pretty incredible - completely self-sufficient! they grew all their own fruits and vegetables, and killed animals they'd raise for meat. there was a small boat they'd take to the mainland to get some staple items, but they survived for the most part on stuff they grew. the mountain climb, described to us as "an easy walk up the path," was not quite the stroll through the park the locals made it out to be! our guide did it barefoot, while alana and i literally climbed hand and foot up the dirt and hugged a rock for dear life! obviously the views at the top were worth it, but we were laughing at how much we had to struggle to get up there. our accommodation was little less than we'd hoped... food was included because obviously there's no restaurants anywhere on the island. anyone who knows my tummy knows that that's always bad news... thank god for protein bars! they were at the end of their supplies when we got there, so until lunch the last day, we literally ate: pasta, ramen noodles, french fries, toast, and rice. yeeeeeah. our private "burre" (little thatched hut) that we paid extra for was far from what we expected... it had mosquito netting over the beds (which apparently is normal, and the "better" the place you stay, the less holes in the netting!), a shower, and a toilet inside. the "doors" for both were ratty shower curtains falling off their hooks -- which was highly entertaining because you could see right into the hut! also, the water doesn't really run -- like, small trickle at best from the faucet -- so i "showered" using our water bottles, filled up from the outside spicket. i literally lived in my bathing suit and washed by jumping in the ocean for 2 days. stinky!! our last night in Fiji turned into quite the interesting adventure... (note: this will sound REALLY sketchy but it wasn't as bad as risky as some may think...) ok, so we met an aussie on the boat on our way back to the main island, where we were supposed to be crashing at a hostel and leaving for the airport early the next morning. this guy was hysterical and such a typical aussie that he definitely got me excited for getting back to sydney! he's the executive chef at a place called Turtle Island (www.turtlefiji.com) which goes for $2500/couple/night, minimum 6 night stay. all celebs and honeymooners. prior to that he was the executive chef at a restaurant called Jordan's in Darling Harbour - also one of the more expensive places in sydney. we had a great chat with him on the boat ride, and it turned out that he was on his way back to sydney for a few weeks to visit his girlfriend and friends and was on the same flight as us the next morning. somehow or other he decided La and I were quite entertaining (go figure!), and told us he'd get us our own room at the sheraton that night so we could relax and clean up from our 2-day island adventure. we clearly thought this sounded a little nuts (why on earth would he offer to pay for a hotel room for two random girls he just met??.... yeah....), but upon talking to him further realized that he just had cash to spend! he paid for nothing while he was working on the island and got a local rate at the hotel. we obviously had quite a few backup plans should something turn out WAY wrong in this situation, but everything was incredible! we had an amazing night at a GORGEOUS hotel -- watched the sunset in the pool on the ocean, had an amazing authentic japanese dinner (on him again! plus it was really neat eating dinner with a chef and listening to him describe his opinion of the food and wine), and got a little drunk at the hotel bar (ok, i was a LOT drunk cause i'm a lightweight, but whatever). the next morning we all departed for sydney! sadky, we didn't get to run into him again while we were here, but i'm hoping to have a chat with his girlfriend about hooking me up with a job at one of the posh restaurants in Darling Harbour, where she's still a manager!
SYDNEY (with Alana, jan 25-feb 8):La and i were incredibly lucky to have an amazing friend who let us stay with him and his roommate in their apartment in maroubra beach. we were literally a 2 minute walk from the beach! Cam (our friend from college 4 years ago) was actually moving out of his apartment february 5, and his awesome roommate (Wazz -- short for warrick) told us we could continue to stay with them until feb 8 when we left for our respective locations (La back to LA and me to cairns for orientation). so it was a bit hectic and the new roommate had two more roommates when he was moving in. these guys are the best:) we got to sydney the day before australia day (which is jan 26) and spent australia day with wazz mostly, tagging along with him and friends to BBQs, the beach, and various bars. it's sort of like fourth of july, but probably with a lot more alcohol... :) anyway, had a great day of sunshine and new friends and fun drinks! we spent the rest of our time hitting up all our old haunts and realized that all the bars we used to think were cool weren't so great anymore, and remembered that they don't really listen to hiphop here -- it's all house music at the bars. very disappointing! we went to a hiphop class at sydney dance company (just like old times), wandered oxford street and people watched at a cafe till 1:30am (all i have to say is drag queens...), did the coogee to bondi walk (a gorgeous cliffside walk through the major beaches on the east coast), shopped the markets, and caught up with old friends. it was so strange going out to the same places we went when we studied here and then running into people we knew from back then! apparently people don't leave:)i had a fanastic birthday weekend too! friday night we took our friend Cam to dinner, then managed to hit 10 different bars that night! (only drinking at about 2, but really just popping our heads in to reminisce) :) that was also the night we ended up people watching on oxford street (the dupont circle, or belmont & halsted, of sydney). saturday night La and I dressed up and went to a nice dinner in darling harbour. we ended up sitting next to a table of 4 guys, one of whose birthdays it was that night (feb 3). they brought out a huge chocolate cake and sang to him, and wished him a happy birthday -- telling him that mine was the next day. 5 minutes later, our waiter brought us each a piece of their cake! they had told him it was my birthday too and wanted to share:) it was adorable, and i got cake for my birthday! after that we wandered to a bar with a great view and 130 different cocktails on the menu. cocktails in australia are incredible because they mash up so much fresh fruit in them! its sometimes like drinking an alcoholic smoothie:) yummy! so, the bartender made up a drink for me for my birthday that had fresh mango, raspberries, and passion fruit, plus butterscotch schnapps, vanilla vodka, vodka, and triple sec, and shaken with apple juice! :) put it this way: we got the drinks 15 minutes before midnight to toast in my official birthday, and i had to get another before midnight because i'd finished mine while we were waiting for La's drink at the bar! it was so yummy:) sunday (the actual bday), we walked from coogee beach to bondi beach, spent the day laying out, shopped the bondi markets, and went to a yummy dinner and a drink with our friend Cam. did i mention i LOVE that i got to spend my birthday warm on a beach???:) i'm such a warm weather person! monday morning we roused ourselves earlier and headed to the rugby club with the boys to watch Rex grossman play like an ass in the superbowl -- not a good bday present from you, rex! did anyone see any good commercials?? we didn't get those here...La and i followed one of the Lonely Planet walks on the north shore of the city one day and were amazed at the incredible houses all on the water! they go for somewhere in the millions... (talk about something to strive for, sheesh!) neither of us had been over to that area before, so it was very cool to see a new part of the city -- especially when we thought we knew it pretty well!
MELBOURNE (jan 29-feb 1):halfway through our time in sydney, we went to melbourne for 4 days and had a fantastic time shopping our way through the city! we stayed with La's cousins out in caulfield (jewish suburb south of the city) and they were wonderful! totally hysterical and entertaining too:) we spent one whole day shopping at the markets and fun stores in the city, spent another on a great ocean road tour, and the final one wine tasting in the macedon ranges. the great ocean road tour was just like i remembered, but it was nice to have pictures in the sunshine. wine tasting was incredible! there were only 5 of us: me and La, and a cute danish family of 3. i was WASTED by lunch, of course. we ate at this delicious restaurant/vineyard where we got to taste all the wines before deciding which one we wanted to accompany our meal. the meal was tapas style but quite gormet, and dessert was the largest, fudgiest piece of chocolate cake i've ever laid eyes (or mouth) on! :) i learned that wines from victoria are not as sweet as ones from NSW because it's not as warm there (makes sense obviously). it was interesting though to taste some drier semillons and reislings. their unwooded chardonnay is delicious too! and for the pinot drinkers in the house, that's the specialty of the region. so look for pinot noir from victoria at your local wineshop!:)
CAIRNS - ORIENTATION:the same day La went back home, i flew up north to Cairns for the official orientation for my program. (yes, i FINALLY started the real reason i came out here)... there were 8 of us doing the internship program and everyone was actually pretty great! we had two formal orientation sessions regarding expectations and preparation for the workforce here, and spent the rest of the time enjoying ourselves! Cairns was having horrific weather -- tornadoes and storms for 2 weeks straight! -- but we were INCREDIBLY lucky and got the first sunny day in two weeks to go out snorkeling and diving on the reef! i'm not certified as a diver, and i initially wasn't going to do scuba dive, but the reef ended up being further below the water surface so i thought it might be cool. um, yeah, it was!! they basically show you the basics and then say, OK, let's go! so it was me and one instructor and since i was comfortable he just let me swim around and took me everywhere! we chased a sea turtle and i pet it:) we touched all these different kinds of coral and anemone (nemo's home!), picked up sea cucumbers, saw stingrays, stuck our hands in giant clams.... it was surreal! so yeah, big fan:) the underwater pics are fantastic too!! yey for kodak disposable underwater cameras! (i'll try and post them soon... but this internet situation SUCKS)
SYDNEY:headed back to sydney february 10 and finally moved into my "flat" at the unilodge! it's actually a hotel and apartments, in a sorta dodgy part of town, but not too bad. there will be tons of american study abroad students very soon, which i'm dreading. the room is a bit of comedy... no AC which SUCKS at the moment. our beds are lofted and you go up a very narrow spiral staircase to the little platform. they're both TINY and on REALLY rolly wheels though, so they move all over the place! we definitely played a little bumper beds when we first arrived!:) the "kitchen" is a mini fridge, microwave, and sink and we have absolutely no dishware, cookware, or utensils -- or really anywhere to cook anything either. the "gym" is a small area near the indoor pool (that part's nice!) that has a treadmill, 2 ghetto cross trainers, and a weight machine.... uuuuh, yikes?! clearly i joined a real gym so as not to lose my mind! i started work on feb 13 and it's been awesome. out boss is a total nutcase and is without a doubt more energetic than i am! (though his is fully caffeine induced.) he's been really great about asking us what we're interetsed and letting us get work to do in the areas we like. it's a pretty small office, considering there are four organizations and staff housed under one roof: basketball australia, the australian basketball association, and men's & women's national basketball leagues (like, NBA and WNBA). everyone seems great so far and it's definitely really relaxed (which i clearly LOVE!). the commissioner of the NBL (the mens pro league) is actually an american who started the sports management program at University of Oregon. it's so neat to be working in the same office as the commissioner (like saying David Stern and I work together); but at the same time, basketball here is NOTHING like it is in the US. it's definitely more of a 2nd or even 3rd tier sport. I worked the women's grand final game today, mostly doing promotions and setting up the corporate post-game party. LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED it!!!!!! it felt much more like a division III college game than a pro game (especially a championship), but that was part of what i loved:) the venue was SO ghetto -- about 45 minutes outside of sydney and no AC! apparently the olympic venue, which they wanted to use, was already booked for today. not sure why they wouldn't just try another day, but whatever. so yeah, very very hot and sticky, but so much fun being out on the court again throwing out balls and revving up the crowd! (ah yes, i'll always have a little of that cheerleader in me!) ;)
so that's pretty much it so far i think. if i remember any other fun stories i'll add them in, but the rest of them mostly have to do with the nightlife, so i'll spare you:)hope all's well back in the states!Cheers,Lisa:)
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