Ode to my small Abode

Hi All,

I can’t believe it’s nearly February already.  I hope everyone enjoyed Australia Day, the sunshine and the opportunity for a long weekend.  Though clearly not a public holiday in the US, we held our morning tea in the office.  It went so well and we had around 60 or 70 turn up … there’s only around 120 in total in the office, so we were very happy with that.  We put on meat pies, sausage rolls and lamingtons – all supplied by Aussie owned “Tuck Shop” in Downtown; ANZAC biscuits (made with molasses instead of Golden Syrup – who knew Golden Syrup was Australian…),  pumpkin scones, pavlova, fairy bread and of course Vegemite Sandwiches (some with cheese, some without).  The food was a hit – people were pleasantly surprised and we even have some new Vegemite fans!  We decorated the room with an Aussie flag, a big map and some Aussie sporting items – Sherrin, Rugby ball, cricket bat and ball; and milo and vegemite.  We got so many nice notes from people in the office and we’re hoping we’ve kicked off a trend.   St Patricks day is in March and we have a few Irish Americans who have said they’ll take on the challenge, and well, I have Irish roots so I said I’d help out if they want.

I did my fly in fly out of Toronto.  We got snow – in fact as soon as the plane landed it started snowing, so timing wise we were very lucky.  I found my new most favourite bed in the world at the hotel I stayed at….mmmm…. it may have felt that way given that I got up at 4:30am and went to bed at midnight, at which stage any bed would be awesome, but putting that aside, I really do think it was the most comfortable I’ve slept in.  Couple that with the doona from the Conrad in Hong Kong and you’ve got the perfect bed… 

So, now I’m back in Miami.  It’s so nice to not have to be loaded up with a coat and scarf and gloves and hat and, and , and…. I’m here for the week for three meetings, two of which I’m running.  It will be pretty intense, but there are worst locations I could be.  And terribly (sigh!), I have to come back at the end of February (my birthday week actually) for Finance and Operations meetings.  Why Miami?... I hear you ask.  Miami is a central hub for everything Latin American.  All flights from around Latin America go directly into Miami, whereas flying to NY requires connections, so it makes it quite convenient for everyone in the region.  In saying that for our friends in Argentina, it is still a 13+ hour flight.  I was looking on the map the other day and to give some context the latitude of Buenos Aires on the map is pretty much between Melbourne and Sydney.  Interestingly, when I was there last year I discovered that they used the same power adapters as us – the only place besides NZ that I’ve found do.  They thought they were the only ones as well!

So this is officially my last week living in the shoebox before becoming an official Jersey gal next Monday.  To officially commemorate this moment, I thought I would write a short “Ode to my small Abode”.  Enjoy…..

I leave this abode with feelings of joy and sorrow,

But know that this is a chapter in my next tomorrow

I crave some green and crave some space,

And I’m looking forward to stepping back the pace.

A place where it’s possible to relax and unwind

In midtown Manhattan, that’s almost impossible to find

The vibrations from my windows 4am daily will not be missed

And the sagging couch, the cause of back pain, is not on my list

My life of convenience will be mourned

As will my short commute that I absolutely adored.

I leave behind my tiny bathroom with stage room lights,

My heating systems that sends dust in flight.

My awesome oven in the even tinier kitchen that cooks to a T

And a fridge that could fit in even me

But most of all I leave the place where my NY journey did start,

And the 300 square feet will forever hold a special place in my heart

Signing off for another week...

Michele