From: Jhalpert
Sent: June 22, 2006 10:31 PM
To: Pbeesly
Subject: Cairns Day 5
Pamela Jane Beesly, you little con artist, you! Administrative Assistant AND a two dollar raise! I bet you gave him that mournful little look…I know just the one. Emotional distress…I love it!
We’re gonna need a bigger boat. Or at least another suitcase. I can’t cram all of my stuff in here, no matter how I try. I guess I bought a lot. And I still haven’t hit the duty free shops at the airport. Maybe if I just throw out all my clothes. Or maybe if I tried folding them. I just had to take a break from packing to rant and ramble a bit.
Did I tell you about the breakfasts here? There’s no congee, like in Sydney, but there are baked beans and spaghetti. Apparently, these are considered breakfast foods in Queensland. There is also the usual great bacon, and various eggs, and different cereals, including Wheat Bix. The British call them Weetabix, I think, but they are the same thing. I tried them once, thinking that they would be like shredded wheat, but they melted into glop as soon as I put milk on them. Yuck. The fruit is a little different also, with kiwis and passion fruit in with the usual pineapple and melon. I’ve had kiwi before, and really like it, but never passion fruit. It looks a bit like a small orange with brownish, very hard skin. You cut it in half, and inside is this orangey pulp filled with seeds. That’s the part you eat. The seeds kind of pop in your mouth and the pulp is very tart, and with a weird consistency. It’s not bad, but I don’t think I’ll be putting in an order at my local grocery store at home.
The restaurant is huge and opens out onto the pool, though there must be a wall they can put down in case of really bad weather. This really is a pretty place. There is also a family of Bandicoots living here, but I only got a glimpse of one once, as he scooted across the path.
I’ve finally gotten used to the whole duvet concept, which was the same here as in Sydney. There is a bottom sheet on the bed, but no top sheet, just a quilt which is covered with a sheet-like duvet cover. This quilt is folded in half on the bed every morning. It certainly makes bed making easy. However, the downside is that my feet tend to stick out of it at night. But maybe if I found a really long one, I could use that system in my apartment. It really is neat and easy.
Oh...the Australians are really into conservation and recycling. In the hotel rooms, you have to put your key card in this slot on the wall to keep the electricity on. Colin says it’s like that all over Europe, too. I wonder if we have that in the US? It wasn’t in the Hampton Inn or the Marriot in NYC, but they are older hotels. Maybe the new ones have it. Anyway…my first day in Sydney it took me forever to figure out why the lights wouldn’t go on, because the desk clerk forgot to explain the card thing to me. I finally had to call downstairs to tell them I had no electricity. I felt like a total doofus.
Oh well, back to packing. I’ll see you at Kennedy airport. I’ll be the one with the goofy hat and 20 suitcases. I love you and can’t wait.
Jim
From: Pbeesly
Sent: June 22, 2006 11:29 AM
To: Jhalpert
Subject: re: Cairns Day 5
How dare you call me a con artist!!! Okay, so I might have mentioned how really nice your new apartment is, and how lovely Stamford is and how there are going to be a lot of job opportunities for me after this internship, and how Stamford is just a hop skip and a jump from New York. And well, yes, there was the mournful face. But just remember who it was that convinced Dwight that his suit jacket was infected, or that it was Friday when it was really Thursday, or who got him to dye his hair blonde that time. If I am a con artist…I have only learned from the master!
I am taking half a day off tomorrow and all of Monday. I still have a few days left of my vacation, what with not having a honeymoon and all. I think I’ll pack my cooler up with some perishable things like milk and eggs, and stuff for dinner, so we won’t have to waste time shopping when we get back to your apartment, and we can get right to the gifts! I’m just kidding, but I am eager to see what you bought. Be sure to keep all of your receipts together, in case you need them for customs.
Oh damn…I just looked at the clock and it’s not even lunch time yet! Will this day never end? I’m going over to Janice and Ted’s house tonight after my water color class. Isn’t that nice? We can talk about you behind your back.
Oh well, I’ve got to go back to administrative assisting now. See you tomorrow! I love you.
Pam
Jodithgrace is the author of 17 other stories.
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This story is part of the series, Jam Sessions. The previous story in the series is Toast With Jam. The next story in the series is Definition Of Home.
