30 hours on a bus with no air conditioning later I am in Cairns. I spent the first day looking around the town. I went in to an aboriginal art shop and knocked down a display of hand carved and painted boomerangs, purchased two things out of guilt, signed up for a dive course that cost me 700 dollars, purchased goggles, a snorkel, and a head strap thing for another 150, spent two days in a pool, smell like chlorine, met Bob, am sitting at the McDonalds on the internet...with a stranger, and am going on a boat tomorrow to complete 9 dives in 3 days at depths of 18 meters and one time to 30 meters.(this is 90 feet for us)

I can now, theoretically, SCUBA dive. I also know that I could theoretically lose my air at a depth of about 60 feet and can do nothing but dump my extra weight and breathe out on my way to the surface. This will assuredly result in the Bends where Nitrogen bubbles will come out of my blood and collect in joints thus causing me to scrunch up in pain...horrible pain. If I don't breath out then the gas in my lungs will expand and escape my lungs possibly getting lodged in my brain and killing me. I could also, theoretically, not have anything bad happen to me and spend 3 wonderful days seeing one of the 7 wonders of the world. Let's go with the second option.

Bob is a man I met tonight at dinner who is here in Australia for the third time...bird watching. We discussed the coldest weather we've ever been in and seen, where we are going, where we've been, and what we are doing here. Bob is from New Mexico and won't go back to South Africa because "three big Zulus stepped out from behind a car, sandwiched him, and pointed an automatic gun in his face and told him to leave as quickly as possible."(that last little bit was paraphrased)

I've eaten more peanut butter and honey in the last week than I did in 4th grade...and that was a lot. I'm staying at JJ's Backpackers which costs me 24 dollars a night for room and free breakfast and dinner. Dinner is provided by a place called the Woolshed which gives us free food, expecting us to drink in excess...I do not participate in the optional alcohol purchase. I think the Woolshed used to actually be a woolshed...kinda cool. Last night I witnessed the international goldfish racing championships. This is conducted by placing two goldfish in parallel troughs and then letting their "jockeys," who purchased the chance to be a jockey through an auction and are really just people with straws, blow bubbles behind the fish to convince the fish to go in a given direction. Ireland destroyed the competition and the USA lost to Canada in a stirring performance after annihilating an earlier opponent. The winning "jockey" won a free bungy jump...cheers to Ireland.

The mullet is popular in Cairns. I guess it makes sense...business up front...party in the back. I am personally disturbed.

I am playing a game where I stare people down who are walking by and I see who has more guts based on who makes eye contact longer. I win most of the time because I actually am aware of the game. Plus, they are moving so sometimes I get the added benefit of seeing them stumble after foolishly trying to challenge me. They are then forced to break contact and I win. I did lose once...he was a worthy opponent.

The beaches would be nice here...but there are salt water crocodiles...who will kill you...and stinger jellyfish...who will kill you. This results in ironic "lagoons," we call them pools, in the middle of town, in paradise.

Australians like to do things differently than normal people. They drive on the 'wrong' side of the road. Bed linen is called Manchester. Everyone is a mate and college is high school with upper education being university. (I like the mate thing and now movies look strange because they are driving on the 'wrong' side of the road. Life is relative.)

I am slowly learning to do live translations and speak the language...you know, English...it's a work in progress.

Thank you for the words of encouragement, jokes, and just words in general. It's nice to know that people read this thing. :)

I've given up being a wayward cowboy and am now on to become a beach bum. My hair is growing and I believe at the minimum length required to step foot on a beach in North Australia. I plan to attack Cairns, pronounced Care-nz not Canes despite the Australian's inability to pronouce the letter 'R', with the force of the North and leave them wondering how a country boy from North Dakota could possibly be such a natural at SCUBA diving. My one concern is what will happen to my face when I get a tan with a goatee and then shave it off when I get back to America. Look for one of the strangest "farmers tans" to come out of Australia in the last decade soon.

I am currently staying with some friends of the family, Kathryn and Frank, of Toowoomba. They are beautiful people and have welcomed me with open arms. While here I've visited a Japanese Garden and been to the Cobb and Co. Museum. Today after my visit to the home of horse and buggies that is the museum, I had my first Lamington and my first Double Sasperilla softdrink. After drinking that black licorice in a bottle I travelled to the post office and discovered that to send less than one Kg of stuff consisting of two books, a cd of pictures, and a computer lock home it will cost me 23 dollars and change. I opted to send that stuff and leave a chain, some velcro, and a poncho here. Leaving the stuff you don't want is a good way to thank you right? I've discovered that Toowoomba is a large place. It is my belief that I've done more walking in these two days than in all of my time spent as a bull chaser/feeder. It is, fortunately, more flat. Appreciate life's little blessings I suppose.

Finally, it was brought to my attention today that this neat little idea of taking pictures with a cowboy figurine might have taken a turn for the pathetic. I was struck with the problem of explaining how it was that I took pictures in one of those frames where all you see is your face and some other body today as Bully and I switched 'bodies'. I realized that the picture of me setting up the camera to delay the shot and then rushing behind the wooden cutout with a ceramic figurine like some lunatic with an imaginary friend might just cause some people to pause. Thankfully those who witnessed the debacle went on their way with no comment. I have no doubt, however, that I was the topic of people's conversation this afternoon. Maybe not for long, but I definitely made the the discussion board and that is something to cherish.

Think about the last time you know strangers talked about you in an odd way and smile because it didn't hurt you any and it brightened someone else's day. Wish me luck down under in down under as I learn to breath canned air. Cheers!

ps: I found my fingerless gloves. Thanks for worrying...

Everyone is gone, I have no plans, and it’s a little scary. I’ve found that it doesn’t happen very often in my life that I have absolutely zero idea about where I’m going next. I know what that says about my personality. I’m a control freak and I probably need to let go, a little, once in a while. That being said, I am very uncomfortable with the idea that tomorrow might come and I won’t have a plan to deal with anything other than “we’ll see how this works out.” As of now, here’s what I know:
1. Tomorrow will result in me not knowing anyone in Tamworth
2. I do not currently have a destination
3. I do not currently have a job
4. I do not currently have enough money to fund the rest of my 1.5 months in Australia
5. I do want to continue working as a Jackeroo
6. I would prefer to do so in the North on a large station
7. This is difficult because Jackeroos do this as a living and I am doing this as a summer job
8. The fact that nothing is open on the weekends is inconvenient
9. The fact that nothing is open at night is inconvenient
10. I always land on my feet, a little worse for the wear, smelling like the proverbial rose.

That last point is important because if this were not the case, I might have much more reason to “freak out” as the kids say these days.

Now for an update as it has been a while since I’ve been allowed to interact with you civilized folks in the real world. This last week marked the end of many things. It marked the end of my first job in Australia, the last time I would see my five friends the bulls, and probably the last time I will teach someone else how to ride a horse. It also marked the beginning of some great things. I now have a person in Norway that has offered me a good time should I ever get there and seems like a really good guy. I learned my first Norwegian. “Jeg skal knuse deg!”(pronounced: yai skull knooseh die) means “I will crush you!” I finally feel as if I have some accomplishment when it comes to horse riding and this is the first time I can remember being kind of excited about lack of direction in my life…shocking isn’t it?

The last horse I rode was named Matrix. She is the most dominant horse in the herd and it shows. There is not a moment when she is not trying to own you or another horse. She is also extremely responsive and well trained. She was a pleasure to ride and work with, once you got past that nasty habit of biting, and is now represented in a bracelet I had made of the horse’s I’ve ridden tail hair. It’s pretty cool if I do say so myself…and I do.

Most of the scars I’ve made since going to the farm are now fully healed and mark the places where I proved I can really work…or that I’m just not that adept at working with my hands. Whatever way you look at it, it’s nice to be whole once again and I plan on staying that way for a while…not that one ever plans to lop off a finger. I am however short a few items and long on some others. In my haste to pack yesterday I forgot my dress belt, a pair of fingerless gloves, and a jacket. You might ask, “why do you want a dress belt on a farm, what do you need fingerless gloves for, and which jacket?” or you might not. The point is I wanted them with me and now they are not…with me. I also need to send some things home. It turns out that after you’ve read books, you don’t want to carry them around with you for the rest of the trip…weird. I am also still stuck with a bobble-head moose and two shot glasses that are supposed to be presents but are currently dead weight. Aye aye aye…woe is me. Serves me right I suppose…that’s what I get for thinking that anyone but a Minnesotan would want a moose bobble-head. Maybe I’ll pawn it for food money…

I hope that this post finds those of you who read it well and wish me luck as I embark on a diet of McDonalds and peanut butter and jelly.
Peace out,
Nicko