PantheaCon program.

Friday at PantheaCon

I am officially on my way to Australia, but first, PantheaCon! PantheaCon is a Pagan festival in San Jose, California. The problem with PantheaCon is that there are so many exciting workshops and events going on that it’s hard to decide what to do. After a relaxing morning and an overpriced lunch, I went to … Read more

Watch out for drop bears in the gum trees.

Drop bears

When I told my father that I’m going to Australia, he said, “Did you know about the tiny spider that children step on and die?” I’m surprised he didn’t mention drop bears: the bears that drop on your head and then you die. A few weeks ago I blogged about spiders and other deadly Australian animals. … Read more

Vegemite, Australian food.

Australian food

What’s Australian food like? I’ll find out soon enough. So far, I’ve tried two Aussie favourites: Tim Tams and Vegemite. A Tim Tam is a cookie, or a biscuit, as Aussies say. It’s two layers of chocolate malted cookie separated by a light cream filling, and coated in chocolate. Yes, it’s heavenly. Vegemite is a … Read more

6 cute and dangerous Australian animals that can kill you

Last week I blogged about 12 dangerous Australian animals. Most of them are pretty obvious – spiders, snakes, sharks. But Australia has also cute and fuzzy animals that can kill you. They are especially nefarious because, well, they’re so darn cute. Australian Dingo: “Who’s a good boy? You are! Yes, you are!” Aw, look how … Read more

Blackboard that says, "Do you speak English? next to the British flag. Australian English.

English translation

I need more than one English translation. English is not my first language. I was born in Havana, Cuba. When I was almost three years old, I emigrated to the US with my parents and sister. We came on the Mariel boatlift just like Tony Montana (Scarface) except that none of us of went on to … Read more

Wineglass Bay, Tasmania.

Tasmania

We’re going to Tasmania! My partner Theo has a client who owns a holiday home there. They’ve kindly offered to let us stay there for a few days. Tasmania is an Australian island and state about 150 miles south of the continent. Tasmania is promoted as the “natural state”. About 37% of Tasmania is reserves, … Read more