Preparation and Trepidation

Who'd have thought emigrating from the country would require so much planning?

I suppose the circumspection isn't really required - I know I could step off the plane having given no thought to my next move and get along fine - but I feel an obligation to my current lifestyle of structure and order to organise at least the first few days into some semblance of a plan, and to have a vague idea of what else I might want to do in the following year.

So far though, I don't have much.

I want to use this journey as an opportunity to change my outlook on life, and my goals and ambitions for the future. Move away from the humdrum and the rat race that I'm currently a part of, and get back to experiencing the things that happiness of the soul truly emerges from.

So with that in mind, what have I got planned for my first week in Australia?

I'd love to have a list of plans so exciting that you're immediately convinced to regularly come and check this blog to find out how I'm getting on with my croc-wrestling, wreck-diving, emu-riding, and training for the international off-road pogo-stick mountaineering championships – but so far, the only concrete plan I have is… a job interview. I depress myself.

So the search for activities to indulge in whilst in Australia has begun. I arrive in Sydney so I suppose I should take advantage of that… A trip to the Opera House has to be made! Maybe oysters under Harbour Bridge before catching a show. I understand there's good drinking in the city… so I'll be on the look out for a nice bar or two. Then there's the Blue Mountains not far from Sydney… my time in Edinburgh has got me used to hills - I reckon I'm ready to tackle a mountain.

Has anyone been to Sydney before? Heard anything about the place? Can anyone make something up? If you suggest a plan: a place to go, a thing to see, a drink to consume, or a person to throw jelly at – I'll do it in your honour!

Wherever I may roam

It's been a while since I last got in touch with a lot of my friends. I've been rubbish as usual. I could come up with a dozen excuses: working hard, being too tired to get from my sofa to the phone, new girlfriend living with me - but in reality, whilst most of those aspects have an element of truth - I've been sitting on my arse smoking lots of pot and watching copious TV. (Just finished the second series of Battlestar Galactica actually - absolutely awesome!)

So feeling very ashamed, I decided to write a bulk email – something I generally detest – to get in touch with my estranged friends, and to put a bastardised version of that email online, which I hope to turn into a relatively interesting blog documenting my newly defined plans.

There were two things that have prompted this new-found impetus. Firstly, I'm reading a book: The Yes Man by Danny Wallace. He realised he was saying 'no' to too much and never did anything with his life so he started saying 'yes' to everything. Everything! And he went from watching Eastenders and eating crisps on his sofa to meeting hundreds of new people, travelling the world, and discovering uncountable new experiences. I like the fact that such a small change helped him reaffirm friendships and make new ones. So I'm making my own small changes! Well - it's only been one or two so far, this blog being one of them, but it's a start.

The other thing that prompted me to write a few emails and get in touch with people I haven't spoken to for a while, is also on the same theme: wanting to have new experiences and find new places to explore (new to me - not necessarily untouched by Man). I realised I should probably get in touch with my friends in the immediate future because yesterday I bought myself a one-way ticket to Australia. I am leaving at the beginning of October.

Some of you may know that it was the fact that Sian was going to Australia that made me first consider the idea. And for that, and everything else she has brought into my life recently - I think I will always be grateful! I don't know what adventures may await us, but when I look forward I can see many great things happening! [I re-read and re-wrote that paragraph many times, and try as I might - I can't find a way of saying what I want to without it sounding so incredibly cheesy. But if you've ever had a conversation with me before, I'm sure that won't be much of a surprise!]

I may have discussed Australia with a few people, but until yesterday morning, I wasn't at all sure if I would be going! I'd been toying with the idea for a while... well - maybe a couple of months - and I'd almost decided that it was going to be too costly, has come at the wrong time in my life, and generally come up with a whole bunch of other excuses not dissimilar to those I used when convincing myself I didn't have time to call my mates or drop them a line; But I figured I'd always have some excuse - so like preparing for a sky-dive or bungee jump (both of which I am hoping to soon be able to comment on from recollection rather than supposition) the best way to accomplish your ambitions is to close your eyes and jump. So I bought my ticket!

Since then I've starting looking into life in Australia a lot more, mate. And one of the things that I'm looking at, mate, is how to fit in with the locals, mate. I found one site, mate, which suggests using the word 'mate' a lot more, mate. Apparently, mate, there was even a proposal to include the concept of 'mateship' as part of the constitution for the Australian Republic in 1999, mate.

But to be honest, I've already annoyed myself in just that one sentence. Maybe I'll concentrate on swearing and drinking more beer. Both of those seem to have been close to getting a mention in the constitution as well.

I'm flying out of London on the 1st October into Hong Kong. I arrive very early on the 2nd, and will spend the day there, then off to Sydney on an overnight flight - arriving very early on the 3rd. I wonder how much I'm going to be able to cram into a day in HK. As long as I get a good traditional bowl of fish heads for lunch and can drink my way through the jet-lag I reckon I'll be OK.

I'm going to be in Edinburgh for most of the summer - I have lots of shows booked for the Fringe (maybe I should be saving money, but I'm a sucker for comedians and cheap beer) - and my contract runs until the beginning of September, but then I'll be done with Scotland for the time being. I want to spend a lot of September travelling the UK and saying "g'day" to people I might not see for a while. Maybe go on a few trips.... anyone got any ideas? I think it was Clive who suggested a week camping somewhere... I know a few friendly cows and sheep who wouldn't mind sharing their fields with us if we promise to keep them entertained with stories, jokes, and music.

Whilst I'm away - and in the weeks and months leading up to my departure - I intend to keep a blog. And I hate blogs. Too many people voicing their half-baked opinions on nothing of any real consequence. The pseudo-word 'blog' has for a long while become synonymous with 'detritus' in my mind, but I'm hoping to add to the miniscule fraction of blogs that actually have something interesting to say. So sign up if you're interested in what relatively exciting experiences I might decide to share. And do please tell me if I'm just adding to the hordes of irrelevant crap clogging up Da Interwebs and I'll take a spaghetti-rake to my face in some kind of ritualistic self-punishment. And then probably write another equally-irrelevant entry about my experience with pasta-serving utensils.

Get in touch if you think you can get up to Edinburgh before the summer's gone. Not that it has arrived in Scotland yet, but I've been informed it might be on its way. If you want to stay with me whilst the Fringe is on we'll be bound to have some fun! Otherwise, I'll have to look you up when I'm next in your area. Or in September when I'll drag you all out camping!

Peace and bruises,

Rick

The weblog begins

I've never really understood blogging. The thought that someone else may be interested in the banal ranting of my or any other demented and/or deluded mind is one that I don't easily comprehend.

Occasionally I come across a video on that site which features some bored self-obsessed teenager who has decided to make a vlog (I can't believe I acknowledge the existence of that contraction) which consists of a two-minute discussion on how they have nothing to say! It would appear they can think of nothing better to do than personally contribute to the billions of gigabytes of useless, pointless, and thoughtless wastes of space and time which I have to sift through in my essential day-to-day web browsing.

And with that in mind, I commit my own irelevant rant to the ethos.