We have arrived in Sydney and are on Day Four of our humbling search for housing.  There is perhaps no faster way to become acquainted with a new city than to be given a desperate timetable to solve an impossible problem.  Our problem is of course getting a good home which meets our budget, is close enough to public transport for the only one of us currently employed and at the very minimum passes the cuteness test!  Compounding these issues is the fact that Brian starts work next Monday, and I am crippled temporarily by my eye condition- the doctor says no heavy lifting for at least two weeks.

Now the situation is not as depressing as I make it seem. We do have two potential contenders from the seven locations we visited today. One of them is a furnished apartment in the northern suburb of Elizabeth Bay, only a few blocks from the major Kings Cross Station and around the corner from a waterfront. This neighborhood really made me think of Westwood near UCLA when I shared an apartment one Summer with my friend Dat, as the lush vegetation shades pedestrians and the smell of night blooming jasmine waftes in the air. There was only one worry about the place, which is the incessant cackling of some kookaboora birds in the palms across the street. I found them to be thrilling and lovely but also terrifying in considering they might never actually shut the hell up. And Brian is one grumpy old man when it comes to being rudely awoken.

The other place we were seeing ourselves in is a dark but cheap and somewhat spacious loveshack in Bondi Junction- close to transportation, inexpensive shopping and most importantly the beach!  This pad was cute if you squinted just right, ignored the ant infestation outside and pretended you were in college again. It really reminded me of something I saw a lot while at UC Santa Cruz- these sort of pot-den university party blocks which often lended themselves to co-op style piling of 12-13 people in a run down house by the ocean.  There were no hippies to be found here though, thank gawd. Instead a chain-smoking german girl with too much make up sat on the stoop and explained that is was really quite a peaceful neighborhood, while another dude sat in the doorway of his apartment with a crazed ear to ear smile and really interesting techno blaring from within his place.  Just like home!  As for the apartment itself, it also was furnished but with far less taste and we really stretched the imagination to see ourselves making it work here.  But you know, it wasn't that hard of a stretch!

It's really been fascinating to wonder what type of life lies ahead for us. If it might be a constrained budget in a fabulous neighborhood like Surry Hills or Darlinghurst- near all things gay of course. Or will it be settling for something a bit less central to nightlife but close to the beach and work for Brian- oh the sunny afternoons we can have barbies (BBQ) with our neighbors and share cocktail recipes after swimming!  Or maybe instead we will live a quiet and understated existence in the upscale suburban areas near the Sydney harbor, perhaps spending a bit more for our access to gorgeous scenery and (yawn) notable flora and fauna. But really, no matter which way you look we can't really lose. Because we are in a world class new city with the prospect of infinite possibilities before us- and to make matters all the worse we have the curse of Summer approaching just around the bend!  So don't feel sorry for us, even if I can only see half of the beauty of it all at the moment.

Amazingly, Brian has not shouted at me in the last 20 minutes of writing this that we should be focused on looking for housing.  Well it can't be all work and no play   Off to happy hour.