Meet Us

Welcome...just to get things started, this is a picture of my lovely partner of 3+ years Maureen (Mauzi) and me taken NYE 2004 just weeks after returning from the states. The following is the text to the New Years card that I composed but never sent. Enjoy.

Happy New Year 2004!

George W. Bush and his cabinet are a bunch of CROOKS!

Hello to you all and as always I hope this finds you well and in good health. I will begin with an apology. I AM SORRY THAT I HAVE BEEN SUCH A SLACKER. I know I promised a lot of you that I would keep in touch but as it happens…I haven’t. And for that I feel bad, especially to those of you who have kept me in touch with your lives. Ok, enough groveling! The year is young!

To catch you all up, Mauzi (short for Maureen/my lovely fiancée) and I have been back in Melbourne now for two months after a very long eight months back in the states sorting out my visa issues. This process, for those of you who don’t know, involves collecting every piece of information imaginable, which proves that our relationship is “genuine and ongoing”. I must tell you that compiling old letters, photos, bills, bank statement, rental agreements and statutory declarations for a total stranger to read and judge our commitment by was a very romantic, natural and not the in the least bit stressful stage of our relationship.

But finally, after what seemed like a mini eternity and after suffering the frugality of forced unemployment, the humiliation of moving back in with our parents (psst-“Thank’s for putting up with us Mom, Ronnie & Seamus! You are ACE!) and the spirit-breaking uncertainty of the immigration process, I am proud to announce that “I am an Australian resident!” Well a “provisional” one anyway-subclass 309. But if I am a good citizen over the course of the next two years I can upgrade to a “permanent” status and in another five years perhaps even CITIZENSHIP!

So, here we are back in Melbourne and we are so happy again. Melbourne is the best city (I suggest you check it out someday…“hint-hint”. I will supply our contact detail at the end of this letter) There is so much going on. The food is world class and worldly-within a 15 minute radius we can eat Vietnamese, Turkish, Ethiopian, Japanese, Malaysian, Persian, English (fish and chips, of course), Italian…Yum! The markets sell the freshest fish and veggies. The art is ground breaking. The entertainment is the best the world can offer. The weather is great. And did I mention, the people are WONDERFUL!

We recently moved into a new place. It is a three-bedroom house, which is pretty big and cheap for this city (real estate prices are outrageous in the cities as there are so few metropolitan areas down here and everyone wants to live in one). Consequently, it is in the suburbs which here means a 20-30 minute tram to the city. Not too bad considering. We have space for a garden and each of us has our own workspace…at least until we get a roommate, which is the plan. We only plan to stay here long enough to save up for a down payment on a place in an area we would really like to live. Anyway, it will do for now.

Mauzi has returned to her job at Ree’ Izett publicity, a local arts public relations group. She was apprehensive to return at first as in the past it meant many long hours typing media releases, organizing interviews and photo shoots. But this year the workload has been spread out and the clientele are much less demanding and far more exciting which equals fun for us both (as I am often recruited to help out). This year’s clients include the Melbourne International Film Festival (which I volunteered at last year-free movies!), ACCA, the Australian Center for Contemporary Art http://www.accaonline.org.au ustralia’s premier venue for “Art at the Edge”), AFI http://www.afi.org.au he Australian Film Institute awards (I met Geoffrey Rush-Academy Award Winner: Shine), Sydney Dance Company, Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Harlem Gospel Choir (“Stand up and clap your hands!”) ACMI http://www.acmi.net.au/index.htm the Australian Center for the Moving Image (More movies!!!) and the Morning Star Concert, a benefit for freedom for the people of West Papua New Guinea from the oppression of the I\Indonesian government http://www.freewestpapua.com/main.html .

Thanks to all our friends who put us up