Miss This

Let's be honest. I'm in Australia. Not many people can say that they have ever been here, and I appreciate that, but there are just a few things that I truly miss. So you know what? I thought I would create a blog post about the top things that I miss from Denver, Colorado and the U.S. of A in general.

$4 Movie Tuesdays
Obviously from my movie reviews I have still been seeing movies while I am down here. But they are $8. Sad face. And they aren't with Pierce. Double sad face for the bromance. I never thought that something that began just last year would become such a tradition, but honestly it was the first thing that I realized that I missed when I first got here. But luckily, one of the first movies that we get to see when I get back is a good one:

Pierce and Andy: Get. Ready.

Videogames
I mean seriously, anyone who knows me had to have known that this would be on the list. And with it being fall/winter time, all of the good, must-have games are starting to filter out. Resistance 3, Batman Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Uncharted 3, Skyrim, Assassins Creed Revelations, Saints Row III, Hannah Montana's Jam Sess -- er, I mean some other shooting game...point is, the amount of games coming out this fall is ridiculous. Luckily I have several weeks to catch up when I get back!

I mean how cool is this trailer? Rap + epic graphics + intense action = an excited Jordan

Batman Arkham City. The Dark Knight of videogames? Early reviews indicate yes.

Assassin's Creed Revelation. No. It is not possible to get more badass than Ezio Auditore

Skyrim: biggest map ever in a videogame + 150 hours to beat = goodbye life.

And MY MOST ANTICIPATED TITLE: Uncharted 3 Drake's Deception. Seriously, how good does this screen look?

The Family (#1)
And yes everybody, I miss my family. I mean how could I not miss these faces?

Oh Katy, how I've missed your late-night attitude

Great picture of both of them

How does a baby get this cute! HOW?!?!

It makes me kind of sad seeing those familiar faces and also knowing that I have missed out on so much of Lauren growing up, but as they say, "Separation Makes the Heart Grow Fonder". I know that when I see them again for the first time it will be a great experience. Even if Katy does give me attitude...

As for mom and dad and Jeramy and Ashley? I of course miss them too, but we have all Skyped several times so that helps. Plus, my dad is coming down to Australia in a couple of days so that should be fun having him come out and party with us! And, uh, sightseeing too?

American Media Entertainment and Technology
The first portion of this is dedicated towards my accusation that Australia is afraid of technology. Example #1: the school internet, while pretty fast at night, is a joke during the day. I sincerely believe that the center of Africa would have faster internet connection than UNSW at noon. And the internet in my room is nothing stellar either. Certainly no PioneerNet or ULofts connection. Example #2: when 16 of us attend a birthday party dinner for a friend in Darling Harbour (one of the nicest places in one of the most international cities in the world mind you) at the Blackbird Cafe, the bill comes to a staggering $600-something. The waiter then proceeds to tell us that he cannot split the check in any, way, shape, or form. Their computer simply isn't capable of it. This is a classy establishment, and you are telling me your computer cant complete a simple function? Even hole-in-the-wall places in New Zealand could achieve this.

The second portion of this is my sadness that along with many videogames, I am also missing a ton of TV. Chuck, Modern Family, Nikita, Archer, The Walking Dead, Community, Parks and Recreation, and The Office are among a few. Luckily I have been watching some other TV shows in my free time (i.e. Arrested Development and Entourage). And I was able to get my hands on season 4 of Breaking Bad which is literally blowing my mind. Seriously if you dont watch that show, get on it. It's groundbreaking. And I have something to look forward to in January: the return of SPARTACUS!! (R.I.P. Andy Whitfield)

Two words: Hell. Yes.

Family #2 and Friends
I miss the "other" family. Also known as Pierce, Alejandro, Andy, Micheala, Jennessa, and yes, Tori and Natalie too  :-) . It was a really fun year last year with all of these people, and I definitely miss our little get togethers and shenanigans around the DU campus. With that being said, I DO NOT miss the need of Natalie and Tori to listen to Ke$ha every five minutes. In addition to the family, I miss other friends at DU, and seeing familiar faces around the Ritchie Center, Jordan's or C&G, and campus.

ULofts #307
Now dont get me wrong, its not like my house here is a dump. But I've said it before and Ill say it again: our ULofts apartment is sick. I miss my 4 foot high bed, my powerful shower, the whiteboard, the classy bottle collection, my TV, the banana chairs, the all-glass living room, throwing my wallet down to let people up...just the little things. I am quite excited to get back to it in December.

American Fast Food and Pricing
Guess how much a $5 footlong is down here. $8? $10? No. If you want a decent $5 footlong from Subway, it is usually around $12. And McDonalds? There is no such thing as a dollar menu, there is a $5 dollar menu though! Seriously, food down here is obnoxiously priced. I would love to travel with an Australian native to the U.S. and watch their reactions to American fast food. For $8 you can get a burrito the size of your head from Chipotle! (Which, I have decided will be my first meal back when I return to the U.S.) If you drop $5 at Taco Bell you can feast like a king. Hungry at late night? Hit up pretty much any open fast food place and you can solve your drunken stupor with a dollar menu binge.

Booze
Now dont classify me as an alcoholic just yet. Let me explain myself. Here in Australia, my motto is "Booze and Shoes" because both of these are more than obnoxiously priced, they are inappropriately priced ($300 for a pair of Nike Shox? Are you serious?). It is sad how poorly priced alcohol is down here. The smallest bottle of  cheap anything; whiskey, vodka, gin, etc. is at LEAST $40 and typically around $45. For $50 in the U.S. I could get a fantastic larger bottle of Effen Vodka, as well as 2 30-racks of crappy beer. So you may be asking yourself, "So Jordan, what have you been drinking?!" Boxed. Wine. Really really REALLY bad boxed wine. It is SO BAD that the locals call it "goon" which just paints a gross picture in my head. And  since the bars here charge a lot for drinks depending on the night, we often pregame with boxed wine. Have you ever played Ride the Bus or King's Cup with boxed wine? It's absolutely terrible.

Oh my word do I miss Scary Cherries and Scary Berries

Despite me missing all of these things, I realize that I only have a month left down here, in one of the most amazing places in the world. And while I am very excited to get back home, I am also very sad that I have to leave this place for what will most likely be a very long time. But sometimes you just miss stuff. Stuff that you knew would miss, and stuff that you had no idea you would miss until it is gone. Writing this post has definitely taught me to appreciate some of the little things in life and to not take so much for granted. Cliched statements aside, I really have a new appreciation for each and every one of the things listed above and it makes me realize how blessed I am in life to be able to have the opportunity to miss all of these things.

I hope you enjoyed the post! Talk to you guys soon!