Old Friends and New

Someone once told me that the only certain thing in life is change. Part of the Expat learning curve is confronting the painful truth that family and friends in Houston did not put their lives on hold when we left, breathlessly waiting for our return. Change is part of their lives too! And it has certainly been true for the Perth Vetters this month, starting with our address. For those who want to send us cool things in the mail, our new address is:

Unit 6

152 Mill Point Road
S. Perth WA 6151
Australia

We packed up our old apartment before going on our Houston holiday, but we didn't count on Vince having to return to Houston two weeks after our vacation ended. So it's been nonstop lately. As I stayed in the US longer, we had only 3 days together between the time I arrived home in Perth and the time he left for Houston again. We used the time to finish the travel laundry and pack up the last few bits of our apartment. Then Vince rented a truck and we moved our things a couple of blocks up the road to our new place. We didn't have THAT much stuff, but the exercise still left us exhausted. The next morning Vince was off to Houston again and I began the journey of getting the gas, electricity and phone turned on. We have a land line now, which means we can try skype soon! If you have a skype account, please let us know so we can talk live via webcam.

Our new apartment is completely unfurnished. I am proceeding cautiously, looking for bargains on gumtree.com (Australia's version of Craig's List) and Quokka, Perth's version of the Green Sheet. So far I've bought a small leather sofa and 2 matching chairs and a double bed. I am grateful for new friends who willingly offered their truck to transport my finds to our new home. And of course, IKEA has featured prominently in my travels this week. They're just the best when it comes to solutions for storage and organization.

Tomorrow Vince returns from Houston to Australia, but instead of going to Perth, he'll stop in Brisbane to attend a conference. I will join him and finally get to see some more of Australia. I am especially excited about this trip because in addition to seeing Brisbane, I will be visiting my longtime friend Pat, who was my flatmate in London in 1984. We lost track of each other for a while but I found her last year, through her daughter's My Space page. She looked so much like her Mom that I took a chance and wrote her a note explaining how I knew Pat. Fortunately she didn't think I was an axe-murderer or online predator, and Pat and I reconnected last summer. We had no inkling that we would actually meet again, and in Australia of all places. But life is amazing and... full of change. She lives in a town called Hervey Bay (pronounced "Harvey Bay" which in photos looks a bit like Clear Lake/Kemah. So... another reunion and a great reason to explore some of Australia's east coast.

And speaking of old friends, it was wonderful to reconnect with Rick Wacula, "my intellectual friend" from USC days. Thanks for getting up early on a Sunday to have breakfast with Alice and me! And as if two friends from the past turning up wasn't enough, a third friend has also re-entered my life. Lisa Kraig, a friend and mentor from my Pregnancy Help Center days is now living in Perth (her husband works for ConocoPhillips) and looked me up recently. The city is filling up with Texans -- yay! Now all we have to do is teach folks here how to make real enchiladas and brisket.

It's late and I still have to pack, but I'll sign off with some photos from Dr. Bartner's 40th Anniversary gala at USC. Fight on!

Dr. Bartner thanking everyone for celebrating him, accompanied by this year's Trojan Marching Band, also known as TGMBITHOTU (The greatest marchingb and in the history of the universe!).

Prior to the gala was a reunion and memorabilia display. Here are the uniforms we wore back in the 70s. They didn't make gold boots in size 11 back then, so I bought white ones and spray painted them gold before every game! Note the white windbreaker in the far right corner -- you had to march for two seasons to earn it.

Just for fun - here is that 70s flag girl uniform in action at the USC vs. Cal Berkeley game c. 1974 :->

And today ... with my sister Alice who flew down from San Francisco to attend the gala with me.

Coach John Robinson, star quarterback Rodney Peete reminisce about special moments with Dr. Bartner and the Trojan Marching Band. Rodney Peete began the tradition of quarterbacks coming to band practice and conducting from the "God Tower." The band loved it and it really psyched up the team.

Friend and squad member Jeannine "Chickie" Zakaryan Barba and her significant other, Craig. Her nickname refers to her practice of bring along her favorite rubber chicken to many of our parties, dinners and other events when we were in band together.

The grand finale. A wonderful end to a glamorous and joyful evening!

California Dreaming

Can it be only 5 days since I arrived in Los Angeles? Feels like I've been here for years. Familiar landmarks made me feel at home: the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, The Hollywood sign, Palm trees galore and traffic-choked freeways, Inn-n-Out - the best burgers and fries anywhere. Time to visit the Knutson side of the family including my Mom, two sisters, niece and nephews. The pink UGG boots went over big with Michelle, and we all spent an evening at Miceli's restaurant on Cahuenga and Vine, where the waitstaff break into Italian arias and Broadway standards at the drop of a fork or by request. The wall of 8x10 glossies in the waiting area attest to the influence of "the biz" here. Young and talented dreamers still flock to this town in hopes of being discovered.

The next day took my Mom and me to Porterville, a small rural town nestled in the cetnral part of the state, south of Fresno and a short drive from Sequoia National Forest. We visited with my mom's friend and future traveling companion and talked about what to see and do in Australia. They did more visiting than planning, but at least they've got their passports. We can do the rest later. Then it was back to the San Fernando Valley, known as simply "The Valley" to Californians. I spent the next two days clothes shopping with my sister Dianne and hanging out with her family. A pleasant surprise was the affection shown by their cat Clover. I enticed her with a plastic ring from the top of a milk jug and she let me pet her. Maybe I'm on the rebound from Oscar and Finney's rejection, but I loved my moments of chin-scratching and playing with pieces of string. Clover is a few cards short of a deck, but she let me pet her and she thinks I'm okay, which was a big help to me. Guess I'll always need a cat in my life, even if it's 2,500 miles away.

The showcase of this visit was the 40th Anniversary gala celebration of the Director of the USC Trojan Marching Band, Dr. Arthur C. Bartner. They put on quite a show, with guest appearances from former coach John Robinson and notable USC alumni including football great Rodney Peete, Olympic gold medalist John Naber, singer Monica Mancini and musician Arturo Sandoval and many others. One of my favorite moments was the mini-concert given by the rock band War, who invited us all to sing along with them to the songs "Why Can't We Be Friends" and "Low Rider." It was wonderful to reconnect with so many fellow band members from the seventies and share what we've all been doing for the past 30+years!

This visit has been fun and rewarding, but it has also confirmed that Perth is now my home. I've enjoyed my time with family and friends but I miss Vince terribly. And I'm ready to drive on the left again, resume my morning walks along the Swan River, and play Mahjong with my favorite ladies.