A Day at the Office

In a most peculiar concurrence, my daily route to the office connected me to my roots half a world away.

Here, along the waterfront, the Australian National Maritime Museum had mounted an outdoor exhibit on the container shipping industry: The Box that Changed the World.

An exhibit chronicling the industry that employed my dad, from its earliest days through the last of his days.

I wonder if he understood how revolutionary the indusry was? He didn't talk about it.

I think he would have enjoyed the exhibit, and he'd be awed by the massive container ships of the 21st century.

My workplace is very different. Very different. It so happened, for example, that folks from the zoo stopped by and brought some of the local fauna along. [What lucky timing!]

Not only could we observe and learn about the animals, we could pet them, too! Directionality is key with the echidna.

The fur on the ringtail possum was impossibly soft.

And all those spikes on the bearded dragon look intimidating, but its skin was really supple.

Someone generated a visitor badge for Zippy the tortoise, much to the delight of the zookeepers.

The short-beaked echnidna, though, was the crowd's favorite as it explored the room, waddling and poking about. A mammal? That lays eggs?!

Sydney

My body was saying “Okay, I know you did something here, I'm not sure what, it's some kind of trick you've played on me” ... but I wouldn't call it jet lag.

Having successfully run the visa gauntlet, I have made my first trip to Australia (to work with our local team).

I discovered it was a lovely walk along the waterfront to the office in the morning.

And a lovely walk back to the hotel at the end of each day.

One of the first things I noticed was the sound of birds I'd never heard before. I was excited to spot an Australian White Ibis perched overhead. My colleagues laughed. “Bin chickens,” they scoffed. Like the Silver Gulls (but far less aggressive), they have adapted well to feeding on our scraps.

I spotted the occasional Australian Magpie, and a pair of Masked Lapwings one day when small piles of compost were being spread on a grassy field. I never did find the source of the unusual calls, though.