Go Away Summer

It's hot today. I'm not happy about that.

You see, I am a creature of the cold. I LOVE the cold. I'm happiest when my nose and fingers are nippy, the wind is blowing and I'm having to keep moving to keep warm.

This time last year, I was in the US. Lapping up the tail end of their autumn, in Wisconsin to be exact, where it was cold and windy. The lakes were starting to freeze, bits of snow were falling, sleet was around most days and one had to really rug up to go outside. It was delicious.

If I had my way, I'd be over there in the US and Canada for six months of every year. I'd head over about late October (ready for Halloween) and come back at Easter. That way I could enjoy Brisbane's gorgeous crystal clear and cool winter, but avoid the sticky, humid, breath-stealing summer. I'd have a white Christmas every year (oh boy that was fun last year, I was in Michigan) and be back here to enjoy jacaranda season. I'd get to see all my lovely friends over there, but still come home to those that are here in BrisVegas.

I'm trying to keep myself cool by remembering the delicious cold over in the US. Tramping around the streets of New York City, with my purple gloves on, watching the squirrels scamper through Union Square. Walking across a frozen river on a covered bridge in Frankenmuth, Michigan, all rugged up with gloves, scarf, woolly hat and my nose turning red in the cold. Stamping in snow in Chigago, making snowmen and hitting my friend Melissa on the butt with a big snowball.

This is the picture I have on my desktop wallpaper here at home at the moment:



Yes, those are my feet, in Chicago snow.

Where the Hell is Matt?

I needed to smile. I've had a bit of a rough day, got some worrying news this morning that has had me upset, and I was feeling really ragged. So I came back from lunch and was thinking I should blog, but just wasn't feeling like it, so I looked through the little notebook I keep my writing ideas in, and I found an entry called "Where the hell is Matt?" and I knew that's what I needed to post.

So may I introduce you all to Matt:



I discovered Matt Harding way back in 2005, when he made this first video and it became a bit of a viral thing on the internet, being emailed around, cheering people up. I watched the above video and was just delighted. Apparently he made this first video for his friends and family, so they could keep up with his backpacking around the world, posted it on YouTube and it got picked up from there.

Then I heard a bit over a year later that he had been sponsored by Stride Gum in the US, to go around and make another "Where the Hell is Matt?" video to advertise their gum. Being a wise man, Matt said "Yes! I will take your money and go visit all kinds of exotic locations and do my goofy dance." And here you have Where the Hell is Matt 2:



I particularly love the Rwandan children dancing with him in the second one. I always break into a smile at that point, if I'm not already doing so.

After seeing the second video, I emailed Matt through his website http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/, and told him how much I enjoyed watching his goofy dancing all over the world. He replied back and told me that he would be in Brisbane in late October/early November 2007, and was looking for people to come and dance with him for his next video. Unfortunately, that happened to co-incide with when I was in the US myself. D'oh!! I was really disappointed that I couldn't take part.

But then earlier this year, I saw his latest video:



It has brought me even more joy. I love that he's expanded on dancing with groups of people, particularly children around the world, and that he's been able to do his dance on the "vomit comet" zero gravity experience. And I LOVE the Bollywood bit in this latest one. You can see he has indeed included Brisbane again (I believe he has lived here on and off) by dancing in front of a Moreton Bay fig tree in the City Botanic gardens.

I was delighted to see that he has included two of my favourite sights from my trip to the US (though my visits didn't co-incide with him being there unfortunately), the "Bean" in Chicago, and the "painted lady" houses in San Francisco. Proof that I've been there myself, here are two of my photos from my trip:



and



Anyway, watching Matt do his goofy dance around the world has been just the tonic I have needed today after having a really tough morning, and I hope the videos make you smile as much as they do for me.