Well well! What do we have here? The “For Shame” section returns! Calling out manufacturers and advertisers on their bullshit. Here, Verizon asks $20 for a flip phone with a $50 month to month plan. But they’re bundling in “unlimited web” with it, which is a joke. What possible meaningful web browsing can you do on a flip phone? It just bloats out the package to make it seem worth more than it is and takes advantage of less informed customers. For shame.

Stepping onto the train platform, the long island rail road experience is just the slightest bit discomfiting. I’ll tap the touchscreen of the ticket machine and ask myself, peak or off-peak? Eleven dollars? It used to be nine fifty.

All aboard and the train is filled with the kinds of people I might rather have forgotten about. A bit too rotund, a bit too disheveled, a bit too hood. A bit too much animal behind their eyes. But then again, I’ve always been a bit paranoid, a bit suspicious, a bit elitist.

I’m going to check the status of the Occupation, among other things. The people of Liberty Square were evicted just days before I left Melbourne. They have returned, and I’m curious to see if this is a place I may spend more time. I’ll join them for a general assembly.

This is a test of my blogging capacity from my new phone. I had fully intended to continue using my old Palm Pre but upon return found it to be completely borked. Screen was dead, some keys wouldn’t function. I enjoyed that phone but oh well.

Anyhow, my thoughts are legion upon returning. I’ll get them down eventually, but for now I’ll ease myself back into the swing and update you as I may.

Until we meet again.

I am sitting in Costa Coffee, Terminal 3, Beijing International Airport, not quite half-way through my return trip home. In choosing my flight I, being who I am, searched for the most penny pinching of fares. Continuing with the theme of growth by doing things the hard way, that means a total of 42 hours in transit. It is 6am Beijing time, I landed from Melbourne via Shanghai about six hours ago, and I have another six hours to wait before boarding my sixteen-odd hour flight to New York.

I’m a bit all over the place at the moment. A bit exhausted, a bit excited, a bit afraid, a bit joyful. How many bits can one person carry?

To those who are interested, in one of my moments of cabin-fever and agitation on the nine hour flight to Shanghai, I was able to slip into some Yogic breathing and meditation. After watching Captain America and Transformers 2 on the in-flight entertainment that is. It wasn’t easy to get the process going, but after a bit of counting down to myself and deep breaths, I arrived at a lovely and simple image of stillness, which was that of a Mantis on a leaf, sitting before a flower, awaiting its prey. It is not anxious, it is not agitated. It is still, swaying with the breeze. I do not believe this small creature has anxiety. Merely a state of patient waiting, without prey in front of it, and then a brief state of action when prey appears. No need for long drawn out concern over what kind of prey may appear, will it be too big, what if it isn’t caught, what if the Mantis itself is being hunted. It simply waits. No surprise that the Mantis has been a feature of the Eastern Spiritual aesthetic for centuries.

So I attempted to become as the Mantis, with success.

I was then reminded of the trio of Devil Rays I saw hanging like ghosts in the current below Malapascua. They were ethereal amidst the particulate and deep blue water. They too were patient, barely working against the stream. This too helped calm me.

Then I looked out the window and saw a bright star, or perhaps it was Venus, sitting just over the wingtip, seemingly alone. I remembered the great distance of this object, and that it too was simply there, existing, without worry.

And then, thankfully, so was I.

I am a bit anxious again. I should know better than to finish this large cappuccino, as it does nothing for my sleepy head but rather stresses my nervous system and wreaks havoc on my emotions. And while this pretty speech may offer consolation, I am aware that some vigilance is required in nurturing the better, calmer aspects of my worldview.

I will attempt to rejoin the company of the Mantis this evening.

Although this depository for my thoughts has sat quietly for yet another month, I feel it worth checking back in and noting that as of today, it has been one year exactly since I left the United States.

The time feels so compressed. It’s jumped the tracks as it were, and no longer sits in a neat timeline in my mind. All the things that I’ve done this past year. How many different places have I made my bed? Those people I met here or there, which relationships have lasted?

The silty optimism which beget these travels has settled into the seabed, and rests quietly under the deep pressure of my recent thoughts and actions. I am waiting. Waiting to return home to “normal” living.

Naturally, there are mixed feelings about returning. How to describe my current mood:

I feel as though I rest on my knees, chained to a cold hard floor, while a massive cement truck buries me with its contents and I sit powerless to stop it. Eventually I will be locked in place, hardened, trapped.

There is quite a lot of anger and frustration. How dare you all ask so much of me? How dare I ask so much of myself. Poor boy.

I know that this life will go on. That this time will pass. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.

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I’m in Australia, so I can’t do much here, but I can tell you about a little movement to help bring about some meaningful change in our government.

It’s called Occupy Wall Street and it’s a grassroots, artist inspired movement to take over lower manhattan for a few months and demand that real action be taken to separate the influence of money on politics. It’s non-partisan, angry at both political parties.

If I was still living in New York, I would be down there, sleeping on the street, and organizing food and services for people, I really would. So if you’re a friend of mine, and you care about the future of America, I hope you’ll do the same in my place.

Here’s some ideas:

After work, go downtown and see what’s up. Ask around to see what people need. It might be water, food, a shower, what have you. Help provide it for them. Give up your daily cups of coffee during the protest and spend that $10 on bulk slabs of water and food for them instead. Offer them your apartment or sneak them into your offices for a quick shower and refresher before going back out and hitting the streets again. Keep at it. Make it a part of your routine. Organize shifts and rotate through occupation duties with friends. Create a roster.

And spread the word! If I can feasibly make it back to the states while it’s still going on, I’ll join you.

This is the backyard of the house where I’m currently living. We recently did some spring cleaning and will soon plant a vegetable garden.

These are the flowers on the gum tree in the front yard. They are popular with Wattle Birds.

This is a spider who lived in the front yard as well.

This is what the flowers look like on the Rosemary bush which grows in our backyard. Rosemary loves the Victorian climate and thrives everywhere you walk. If you ever need a sprig of rosemary for a roast chicken, simply walk down the street and snip one overhanging a neighbors fence.

I’ve recently been paying closer attention to plant life and food thanks to a number of recent books and films. This is what the flower on a Rocket plant looks like.

I recently saw a talk by Virginia farmer Joel Salatin, who was featured in Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma and the documentary film Food Inc. This is Joel speaking at CERES environmental park.

This is the tent we were sitting under at CERES environmental park.

This is some of the property at CERES environmental park.

These are some of the chickens who live at CERES environmental park.

I recently spent another weekend in the town of Daylesford.

Our friend the Kookaburra wasn’t there this time, but we did meet a Cockatoo.

From Daylesford, we took a trip to Hanging Rock, a unique formation which far exceeded our expectations. This is a kangaroo that was exploring the grounds.

This is another Kangaroo (with kid) that was being a bit of a layabout.

I underestimated the rocks, and went without a proper wide angle lens. My pictures don’t capture the beauty.

I instead focused on the very small. This is an ant found at Hanging Rock which I identified as Leptomyrmex Darlingtoni

This is another ant we passed along the way. It is commonly known as a Bulldog Ant, because of its aggressive personality. It bites you with its enormous pincers, refuses to let go, and repeatedly stings you. Yes, it has a stinger – like a wasp.

Here’s another shot of the grounds at Hanging Rock.

This is the most beautiful picture I’ve taken in a while. I have not manipulated it significantly.

We recently went to an engagement party in Torquay. When I say “we” I mean myself and my boyfriend Michael. Here is a view from a café where we had breakfast.

This is a latté we enjoyed.

This is erosion on a beach we walked along.

This is a decomposing penguin which we walked past.

A few weeks later we spent another weekend a bit further down the coast, along Great Ocean Road in a town called Fairhaven.

The beach is rather epic.

This is a Magpie.

They have a unique song. They are also evil.

We drove a bit further down Great Ocean Road but did not make it as far as the Twelve Apostles.

We stopped at a seaside town for lunch. We shared the company of more Cockatoos.

Though in truth, we shared more than company.

This is another friendly Kookaburra who visited the house.

We shared some lunch with him too.

Then we returned to the comfort of our home, and the company of our dog Archie.

And that’s some of what I’ve been up to lately in Australia.

Well, after a couple months of talking it up, tomorrow is the big shoot! At precisely this time tomorrow, me and my D7000 will be at the rental house, collecting a 14-24/2.8 and 3  SB-900′s, to head down to Port Melbourne and photograph the interiors of a multi-million dollar house, in a project that could very well start a career as a real estate photographer.

Once again, this is a project that came my way through the grace of my previous employer, the furniture maker. I had been in the house before, and taken some shots of his pieces in the context of the house. Here’s an example of a silver leaf A/V cabinet he built.

So this shot was taken using available light, and I’m pretty happy with it, though in hindsight I’d say that the cabinet could use a little more breathing room in the composition.

In any case, I’ve got some practicing and creative visualization to do. Wish me luck!