The benefits of working at 'The Australian': free drinks & dodgy Australian celebrities. Here's me with 'Human Nature'. [View Full Entry]

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Brace yourselves .... the Halloween Special has arrived! New York is awash with the stench of rotting pumpkin and candy. I'll let the pictures do the talking, but suffice to say there's been a loooong lead-up to a washed out grand finale. A few points of interest along the way: * We carved our first pumpkin last weekend. (A swarm of fruit flies made it their home within a day). * As virgin Halloweensters, we learnt a valuable costume lesson this year: wings, props, and crowds don't mix! * Face painting is not a good option either. * The West Village [View Full Entry]

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Again it's been a while between drinks since I sat down and put in my two cents worth so here it is. Lots and lots to talk about. I've lost and found new employment (kind of) (I will expand on this later in the blog) Met new and interesting people, finally escaped the five boroughs of New York City (other than for a sports game) and finally succumbed to the Winter that lies ahead. I am still wearing shorts though and being called crazy by workmates. The two things that do stay the same are 1. I'm still a major sports [View Full Entry]

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Life in New York is a living fantasy. You literally weave in and out of alternate worlds as movie sets spring up en route. Yesterday, after meandering through the heady aroma hot apple cider in Madison Square Park's Fall Festival, I was denied access to a street crossing. The hoard of burly black-clad men sporting secret-service headsets should've tipped me off, but I was still in pumpkin spiced latte land and hardly noticed a street full of screeching yellowcabs and cameras .... that was until a round of fireworks sparked a trio of stuntmen to backflip across moving cars with Samuel [View Full Entry]

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A caustic chill is brewing in the air. A fortnight ago Dave and I were cruising through our local farmers market in shorts and a tan. We went to sleep one night and awoke in a spectacularly frozen stupor. Wrapped in thermals, gloves, beanies and knee-high waterproof boots, our morning stroll through Central Park has transmuted into an epic battle against the harshest elements. I think I might be to blame. After 3 days of roadtripping through frostbitten French Canada, the Miller-King family and I farewelled boring Montreal (with gigantic smiles), lost a passenger (Robot) and inadvertent [View Full Entry]

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Today was bound to be a good one when I woke up to the whiff of burnt giant pretzels. I love that smell ... It's so New York! And judging by the latest breaking news in the city, it's a blessing to be smelling something so good when the stench of rabid skunk is loose in Manhattan. Who even knew the skunk population was normally kept under control in the Bronx thanks to the bobcat and coyote presence? (WTF is a bobcat?? I could've sworn it was some sort of heavy machinery). And who would've guessed that the skunks have pioneered [View Full Entry]

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Meet Legs Malone - The Girl with the 34 and a Half Inch Inseam (and the perfect antidote to a vacant birthday). Dave's turning 31 a week from today, and in true Penny style I'll be missing his big day. (Some of you may remember the "Ill-Fated Year That Dave's Girlfriend Forgot" ... I still blame it on Peruvian altitude, time zone confusion and an anti-malarial brain freeze). This year poor Dave is dealing with pre-meditated neglect. I'll be taking a road-trip to Montreal with Danielle, Cam, Jack and Sam. Yeeeehhaaaarrr!!! (The benefits of unemployment are kicking in). So to make [View Full Entry]

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If you know me, you'll know I've always dreamt of becoming a writer, and here's my first published article! It only took 30-odd years ... Check out Page 11 of Cityscape Creative Cities: "Taking a Bite Out of the Big Apple" (my favorite topic). Apparently I'm the new 'North American Correspondent'! http://www.cityscape-news.com/OCT-2009.pdf [View Full Entry]

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How lucky are we??? For 12 weeks only, Bond & Wolverine are starring as a pair of Chicago cops in Broadway's - 'A Steady Rain'. As you can imagine, this play was SOLD OUT almost immediately, (unless your prosperity allows for premium seat tickets retailing at $452 each!). But thanks to Dave-the-bartender's innate ability to chinwag with beer-swilling locals, we scored insider tickets & saw the boys live from Row C last night. Yeeehaaar! Dave and I both agree 'A Steady Rain' is the best performance we've EVER seen. Hugh Jackman has proven himself on Broadway countless times, and he certainly [View Full Entry]

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Manhattan excels in random meanderings. No plans necessary. Just walk, explore and the city reveals exactly what you need at that moment. Overwork and conflicting schedules have left me and Dave with no time to hang together for months .... until this past weekend. We ran the (quiet) bar together all day Saturday, and a surprise 3pm blast of freedom set us cruising Downtown purpose-free. A warning to all you coffee-crazies out there: Americans make millions selling watery silt whilst soiling the good name of the nation's favorite beverage. It's so bad I now have a strict 'iced only' policy [View Full Entry]

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