Sunday May 31, 2009

Week Twenty-One / Day One

Much has happened, this week; it's been extremely tough, actually; the dynamic cultural transition has been through no small amount of strain (on Friday, my Chiro put his hands on my neck and exclaimed, "WTF happened at work, this week, Mate!?"), things have been extremely busy, egos have wrestled and clashed, learning has happened, there's been some enlightenment...we have had our extremely successful "Meet the Team" soiree at the company HQ.

Far too much and too intimate to delve much deeper into the maelstrom of politics, assumption and misunderstanding that made this week so arduous; and I'm happy to blame it all on the end of Mercury in retrograde, ending yesterday. I believe we got through it and, as I mentioned, much was there to learn on myriad fronts.

Growing pains: personal, professional, cultural...

As I was scrolling through iPhoto in preparation for this post, I came across the above shot of of Matthew Cusick in the midst of "Exclusion" at the '06 Soldier Field Opening Ceremonies and -- given events and experiences of this week -- it resonated most powerfully with me, just now... Ergo, I share it.

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Did I mention this was also the occasion of the First Annual In-House Company Olympics? Well, it was. A single event; but one of great stress, dexterity, strength and skill. Below, you see Claudia preparing Judi, who runs our Perth office, for competition: 

The Wrong-Handed Gold Lame' Weighted Handbag Toss.

The competition was fierce, I tell you. First the athlete is blindfolded, then turned around three times and placed at the opening of the playing field, which is set out akin to a shotput pit. Then, weighted bag in hand, the competitor must -- using the "other" hand (right handers toss left, and vice-versa) -- toss that handbag as far as possible...hoping to at least stay within the boundaries of the pit.

We were lucky, in that there were no drag queens among us; our clocks would've been cleaned...

But, Judi did a fantastic job of clock-cleaning, on her own. After all, she's a kickboxer, hovercraft instructor, master chef, outstanding producer and hot chick. She easily captured second place... 

The next evening, she and the rest of us were all smiles at our Meet the Team event in our iconic, South Melbourne offices. Formerly a fire station (as you've seen in an earlier post), then a Starbuck's training facility, it has been transformed by us into a hotbed of creativity and a space that is unusually conducive to exciting event experiences and the housing of the brains that create them.

As I was cruel enough to show you Judi in a blindfold; I share with you, here, a shot of her at the soiree. Tall, easy on the eyes, sweet lookin' and she can kick your ass. Now, THAT's a Producer!

The night was a smash. We'd installed a circular bar in the center of our downstairs reception area and these guys put ol' Tom Cruise ("Cocktail") to shame. These were great bartenders; so much so that they remembered the preferred cocktail of every single guest after the first order. Impressive.

Sheesh; there was a  time when I couldn't even remember my first order!

But, when these guys got hot, they got HOT. Suddenly, two or three times during the night, there'd be a blast of heat coming from the bar and one would turn to see an entire ring of flame and these two gents in the center, spinning flaming molotov cocktail-looking bottles and spewing several meter-long tongues of fire from their mouths, across the room and at one another. 

Truly a show of shows; this is probably the best time I've had in a bar...well, certainly since I overdid it that last time, in December of 1991...but probably ever...

The reviews were universally of one tone: the night was fantastic and an exemplary representation of who we are and how we do things. We do 'em right; and we do 'em the best they can be done.

The man behind it all, he who shanghaied me and brought me downunda, knows how to keep his clients entertained and happy. This is him; and this is me...at the Party...

...and, at our Olympics... What's that in my hand, you ask? With what is he presenting me, you might wonder...? Why might I be looking so smug...?

Why, that would be the trophy for First Prize in the Wrong-Handed Gold Lame' Weighted Handbag Toss. Would I let my country down?!

Not.

A.

Chance.

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Sunday, May 24, 2009

Week Twenty / Day One

Well, check this out; those flowers I bought last week are STILL in the process of most fragrantly opening up... I believe these may well be the freshest flowers I've ever purchased; and they sure make my hovel-in-the-sky seem  more like a Home... 

Yesterday, I went to the Bose Store to talk with them about current converters and the preservation of one's investment in electronics; as I have already melted two lamps and my Bose Wave Radio. Before I plug my wonderful surround system into any walls, I want to be sure I'm not going to destroy it by doing so. I had thought that the little plug-into-the-wall transformers would do the trick.....but, um, no..that does not seem to be the case.

Anyway, got to the store only to learn that it's closed on Saturday but open on Sunday. Okay. I am not even seeking familiar logic, anymore, with respect to hours of operation of anything. Banks and Post Offices: ONLY 9 - 5, weekdays...no Saturday hours. The markets are open ONLY on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 6am to 3pm and Sunday from 9am. To me, makes no sense: but, I am the outsider...

So, as the Bose Store is mere blocks from the famous, fabulous and HUGE Victoria Market that I mentioned, last week; I strolled on over...

...a Madhouse. I got there right about 1pm, when all the prices begin to be cut and the hawkers were populating the aisleways with signs and shouts of sales on everything. The South Melbourne Market could fit inside the Victoria Market ten or twelve times over - this place is HUGE, with entire pavilions for just savories or only wines, condiments and olive oils...one for fruits and vegetables, one for clothes, one for leather, another for meat and ANOTHER for seafood...yet more for baked goods and for deli and prepared foods. 

There's really no need ever to leave this place...well, sleep, perhaps.

As I entered, as pictured above, one could hear the hawkers shouting, "everything half price, ladies and gentlemen" around the meat and seafood counters; "this entire rack of ribs for only $15.00, people! Grab 'em while you can!" The cacophony is exciting and energizing - and the vibe in the place just had me smiling, broadly, as I wandered through the place. And this is GOOD stuff...

I found one of the best filets I've ever cooked, yesterday. A full half-kilo with the bone, and easily two inches thick for about US$5.00. 

There's no rushing, here. Over and above the simple negotiation of crowds, there is no such thing as a quick purchase; at least, not in my experience...
I bought some Honey Dill and Lemon Dijon Mustard from a stall called SAUCED Fine Preserves...became engaged in conversation with the garrulous proprietess and learned where to get the best bread, pasta, cheese...AND was seduced into a jar of Boysenberry Grand Orange Jam in the process. Check 'em out...www.saucedfinepreserves.com 

I wandered past a few of the bakeries, but of COURSE wouldn't even consider a slice of carrot cake or piece of baklava... On the other hand; what's another week on the treadmill, anyway...?

Seeking pasta, I encountered Vicky (on the left, below) and her neice, Sonya. Born in Italy but moved to Australia at 6 years old; Vicky considers herself an Aussie of Italian Stock. Her kids are all, as she puts it, "skippies"...meaning Aussies, through and through. As with nearly every purchase, though there is conversation going into the transaction...there is even MORE conversation, after the deal is done. I must have spent an additional fifteen minutes with Vicky, after buying the farfalle, tasting cheeses and sauces and hearing recipes "for the next time you come by..."

There's a lot to be said for this culture. There's a lot to be said IN this culture...

New York Cheesecake. Well, perhaps... I didn't try it.

Aussie Colloquial Update:

Getting some "Kip" is resting up/taking a nap...

"Rug Up" means grabbing a sweater or coat..

If something is "the dog's bollocks" it's pretty darn good....obviously.

...and, when one encounters another on the street or in pretty much any greeting; where I am used to saying "howya doin'?," the Aussies say, "How'rya goin'?"

"Hey, how'rya goin'?"

So, yesterday after the gym, I met up with a friend and his son for coffee. As we walked down a side street toward his special cafe, I THOUGHT I heard something faintly familiar from my past. As I passed this car and looked in, I was surprised to learn that I had NOT imagined the bleating of a goat in the middle of the city!

Yep; right there in the rear seat of a four-door sedan was old (well, as it turned out, young) Billy. Bleating away and wanting his dad. As I whipped out my trusty iPhone to take these pictures, his owner came up and jokingly demanded $10.00 for the photograph. He said it was a long story, how the goat happened to be in the back seat; but that he was young and didn't like being away from his owner, so he rides in the car -- to the point that he even sticks his head out the window as a dog does...
Afterward, I chuckled as I told my Aussie friend that this didn't do much toward the eradication of some Australian stereotypes...

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Australia doesn't feel like home, yet; but it feels better than it did, a few months ago. I have a solid date to get together with Mr. New York, later in the year, and we iChat every week; something that offers me calm and security at my core. Having that, I believe I can pretty much handle anything else...

Which is a good thing, as situations, contexts and environments continue to evolve, at work; and the ground seems to shift, day-to-day. Underneath, I am fairly confident that my work is respected, that I am respected, and that there is albeit slow but forward movement toward me being in a secure position to effectively do what I have been asked to come here and do, what I am exceptional at doing.

Meanwhile, I try to not sweat the small stuff, keep my head down and focused on the actual work and -- while not always being happy with the way some things are going that are outside my purview -- keeping aware of the context and not being affected by that which I cannot affect.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Week Nineteen / Day One

A trip to the South Melbourne Market

Yesterday, I did some shopping. 

There is a strong "marketplace" presence, here in Melbourne. While there are stores and shopping centers and districts throughout the city; there are two places that are well-known as offering the best in fresh produce, meats, baked goods, processed meats and cheeses, exotic and local oils, sauces, condiments, savories and sweets...PLUS flowers, furniture, clothes, haircuts, massages, tools, hardware, books and records...all surrounded with small cafe's and food stalls.

It doesn't look that way from the outside, but the South Melbourne Market - smaller than the more famous Victoria Markets, though much closer to my home - shelters all of the above and far more under its nondescript and inner wall-free superstructure.

A city block wide and about four blocks long, this place is a cornucopia of condiments, a maelstrom of munchables, a whirlwind of wearables, a..... you get the picture...

From wherever one enters, the aisleways stretch into the distance, lined with stall after packed-to-the-rafters stall of everything from the exotic to the mundane. From shirts or pants that one wouldn't be caught dead wearing to tourist-targeted tschotchkes, then from the most mouth-watering pesto gnocchi to the hottest pepperoncini...

One never knows who's gonna be hangin' around...

Meditation Aids...
Couture...
Books and recordings...
Foods and spices to rival an Egyptian Bazaar...
...and the people are at least as interesting as the wares, on sale...
Fantastic Deli counters, end-on-end...
Probably ten or so, lush seafood counters...

...and, easily twice that many fresh and prepared meat and poultry displays...
...with nearly every conceivable nationality represented....
By the time I got through this aisleway, my hands were full: I had sixteen chicken breasts to bring home and cook for the week (US$44.00 - and the guy threw in a dozen organic eggs just because I'm new in town), a new, handmade laundry hamper (US$15), a stick of old-spice deodorant (US$4 - one can't find Mennen Speed Stick in Australia!), two pounds of pesto gnocchi (US$8 and don't tell my trainer!), and two-dozen long-stemmed Stargazer Lilies (US$18), the first cut flowers I've bought since arrival.
So, I didn't even make it to the produce sections or past the cafe's; something I didn't realize until I began to gather these shots for the blog, this morning. So, just imagine a few mountains of produce, nut shops, bakeries and cafes and multiply all this by about ten and you'll have a sense of this place. 

Now, I'm home; having used my brand-new vacuum and placed the lilies in a big, blue vase. I've begun hanging pictures on my walls - a few at a time. The place looks good, smells good and I feel good as I write this, looking out over the park to the water and sky. 

I know how I'd LIKE to spend the rest of the day... But, as he's in NYC, I think I'll go to the movies...

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One night, last week, I simply couldn't sleep. As I lay in bed, watching the lights outside my window, the litany of cringeworthy moments from my entire life began cycling through my mind. For hours, really, I re-lived scores of moments I'd prefer to have handled differently.

Moments when I may have been too candid with someone, times when I have thoughtlessly hurt or offended, bad decisions made, times when I should have spoken rather than written, times when I should simply have kept my mouth shut, oversights, some egregiously misconceived speeches (I've given some good speeches and presentations...but there are a couple of times I've spoken before audiences, back there, that make me CRINGE!!!). Each time I'd come to a pause in the stream, I'd think, "...that's it, Kile; enough -- what are you doing to yourself..." But, then another awful memory would rear it's embarrassing head.

By dawn, I was ready to go on a wrong-righting quest to seek out the army of people I've hurt or offended in my life and find ways to make it right. There are so many; the sheer magnitude of error I've been able to accumulate in over 50 years is just daunting. 

I have done some good things in my life, and have been able to make positive difference, now and again. But lest I ever start to eyeball any pedestals; I'll have to climb over a mountain of mistake to even get close. 

My psychic has told me that this is my last life: that I will not be returning here, after this one. Although, if we do return to this life to work out mistakes made in past lives; I think I'm due for several more trips through this plane...

Holy Cow.

Sunday May 10, 2009

Week Eighteen / Day One

No revelations to speak of, this week...

Although, I have come to appreciate that the progressive levels of affect that a move such as this one to Australia can have on an individual are more profound and slow to ease than one might realize - certainly more than I had expected or foreseen, coming in. Weekly, daily, regularly, I will notice a hurdle crossed that I had not seen coming or even noticed I was subconsciously negotiating. This is far, far different than any of my previous moves within my own country.

I think, too, that the fact that we speak a common language (uncommonly!) might actually make this transition more difficult, more disorienting. The fact that everyone looks familiar, that I can read all the signs and speak and understand the language offers a false familiarity and expectation of comfort that doesn't yet exist. Were this Japan or China or Indonesia or any other non English-speaking country, one would expect not to fit; the disconnection would be expected and accepted and the length of transition to comfort-level would seem a naturally-protracted thing.

...and, it works both ways. As I look and sound so much like a native, I think there is an unarticulated expectation that I will know my way around; in particular, through what is a rather daunting bureaucracy. There is a pronounced absence of guidance and advice in areas unexpected. So many questions, I don't even know to ask until I run up against some system or other; then must virtually back up and lay new groundwork before I can make something work or access some service, here.

Much frustration and doubt, much testing and feeling my way in a place that feels as though things should be easier to accomplish. Now, I do see why large companies have entire departments dedicated to supporting international relocation of personnel.

Okay, enough wingeing.

We've expanded our team in Perth and moved into new offices very near one of the more popular venues, there; which will support the sense of Team among our Perth-based crew and I think further articulate our presence in that city.

We are beginning, overall, to function more as a corps of specialists and a team of professionals as, through working together, the specific value of each individual relative to each project and the work, overall, becomes more evident and appreciated.

I think I'll keep it brief, this week...

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Week Seventeen / Day One

My furniture has finally arrived! A mere four months after my departure from NYC: only four months of living in an empty apartment with nought but a futon, small chair, chaise-type sofa and a television. Not hard to figure how it's been rather depressing, a little disconnected, at times...

But, it's here, now; and that's truly all that counts. The guys showed up at 9:00 am on Thursday, and by 11:00, everything was in the apartment, unpacked, the packing materials were gone and the crew had departed. 

I sat here for a moment, surveying the static pandemonium of my life's accumulations, and was hit with a brief and overwhelming moment of melancholy. Everything is here, now: the completeness, the finality of that morning's delivery was massive, tangible evidence that this is where I now live.

There is only one, vital thing missing; and he isn't pack-and-ship-able!

After wallowing in the mood for a bit, I started going through boxes and organizing; which immediately lifted my spirits. There are things, here, I had completely forgotten that I possessed...and I hadn't realized just how much had been hanging on my walls, in New York. I have over 60 framed pieces to hang! Many are small; but there are at least 40 large canvases and framed posters (including my collection of Academy Awards posters from the past 30 years) that need to go up. 

This should keep me busy for the next few weekends...

I have a CD rack that I bought from Design Within Reach, several years ago. Industrial-style, with lots of metal rods and racks and the like. I felt quite accomplished, when I originally put it together, in New York. I was very careful, when disassembling, to keep all the rods and nuts and bolts and screws organized so that I didn't lose anything. So, Thursday, that was one of the first projects. I carefully unpacked all the little bags of bolts and stuff, laid it all out, meticulously put the rack back together...and ended up with an extra piece!!! WTF??

The rack is complete; standing behind me, holding 2500 CDs; nothing out of place, all slots filled with tabs and all holes filled and nutted and bolted...and I have an extra rod. 

Not. A. Clue.

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It has dawned on me that I am listened-to, very differently, here. The fact that I now have a respected, credible advocate in the man who has imported me - that I am implicitly and explicitly endorsed as a part of this company; worth importing from the US - and that I am repeatedly and regularly introduced to long-time and prospective clients as an unique, creative and skilled individual changes the interactive dynamic, profoundly. I now no longer need to "sell" or attempt to articulate the distinctions between my approach to this work and that of most others. People accept me as credible and look to me for solutions and renewal...and to break ground in the realization of vision and production.

I like this feeling... I like entering a meeting and being virtually embraced; looked to for creative solutions to evolve an experience beyond historical audience expectation. I like not having to sell me, and to engage with clients in a more open, "...what can we do to make it better...?" approach than what has often been the more cautious, often paranoid and skittish, even defensive reception I have sometimes encountered, historically.

I think a lot of this can be attributed to the Aussie, "...let's give it a go..." mentality. As a culture, they are simply more willing to go out on the proverbial limb in most areas...and not see it so much as going out on a limb. Risk of change is appreciated, and there is sometimes trepidation; but it is more often mitigated by trust and simple openness to the new.

Whatever it is, I sure like the way I am received, down here. 

Right now, I have a number of projects in the pipeline; directing some, writing others, Exec Producing some... Many roles with a common goal; increase business with happy clients...preferably, thrilled clients: and, that's what we are doing, we are thrilling our clients with possibility and results.

There ain't a lot wrong with that.

Now, I have pictures to hang...

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P.S. That's me in my First Leather Kit, up top. 

Dan'l Boone was My First Hero.