DCoE: Live from Melbourne!

So, after a long-ass flight (BOS to SFO to AUK to MEL) I finally arrived on Friday. I flew most of the trip on Air New Zealand and thought they were good- everyone gets their own personal tv screens to choose from with dozens of free movies and shows (I watched The Last King of Scotland and whole bunch of sitcoms to lighten the mood). I also had signed up for a lactose-free meal, which was fun because I had totally forgotten about it until my meal arrived special delivery ahead of everyone else's. Yeah, suckers! Oh, and they serve nice New Zealand wines as well, so bonus points for that. On the downside, it's a 23 hour journey, not including layovers and time change. Gross. On the upside, it's hot and sunny and beautiful here and the people are quite pleasant and have cute accents. The driving on the left thing will take some getting used to- I've had occasional fleeting moments of panic when a car passes by and OH MY GOD THERE'S NO ONE IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT! oh wait that's the passenger seat.

I'm currently scrambling around doing all those things one needs to do when one changes countries- new phone, new bank account, and now I'm in the midst of the Great Apartment (whoops, Flat) Search of 2010. Although I'd prefer to live alone, it isn't exactly practical considering the fact that I don't currently possess anything other than a bunch of clothes, a laptop, a cooking scrapbook, and Old Spotty. So, apparently that life window of "sure, I'll live with strangers" that I deemed closed around age 27 has been reopened. Until I find something, I'm staying with an internet friend from Metafilter and her boyfriend- a situation way more normal than it sounds; they are super nice and the place is great. I haven't hunted for apartments since Eri found the old East Broadway digs back in 2003, so I've forgotten what a pain in the butt it is. I probably should have allotted a few more free days for the task, but I start my new job tomorrow. Wish me luck!