So Huge In Fact

The job in paradise that Australia is offering is so huge in fact that the Web site crashed from all the interested job applicants trying to visit!

Best Job in the World

Position: Island caretaker. Duties: Lazing around Australia's Great Barrier Reef for six months. Salary: 150,000 Australian dollars ($100,000).

Unemployed, take heart — the aforementioned job ad is for real. Billing it the "Best Job in the World," the tourism department in Australia's Queensland state on Tuesday said it was seeking one lucky person to spend half a year relaxing on Hamilton Island, part of the country's Whitsunday Islands, while promoting the island on a blog.

The move is part of a AU$1.7 million campaign to boost tourism in the state. In exchange for the plush salary, free accommodation in an oceanfront villa and airfare from the winner's home country, the "employee" will be required to stroll the island's white sand beaches, snorkel, maybe take a dip in the pool — and post photos and videos of his or her experiences on a weekly blog.

"It'll be huge," Tourism Whitsundays chief executive Peter O'Reilly said, adding he expected thousands will apply.

Applications are open until Feb. 22 and 11 finalists will be flown to Hamilton Island in May for the final selection process. The job begins on July 1.

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On the Net:
Best Job in the World: http://www.islandreefjob.com/

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The Fastest Growing Sport in Norway

I'm half Norwegian and spent some time living in Oslo so I had a good laugh today when a VA-based friend sent me an email about the fastest growing sport in Norway. Watch the video of this new sport.

One more reason

I'm glad Obama is going to the White House and all, but it looks like inauguration day traffic in and around DC is going to be horrid. I'm glad I'll be nowhere near DC on Jan. 20!

Here's just a few quotes from local media and county notices.

"To prepare for this event, pretend a hurricane is coming during that weekend and expect large crowds, congestion, traffic and many delays. Getting around will be difficult at best so a common sense approach will be important. Be informed, make a plan, be prepared."

I survived Hurricanes Gustav and Hanna this year. They were nowhere near as problematic as the inauguration sounds.

"If you must drive, be sure to have a full tank of gas before you leave, or you may become stranded while waiting in traffic."

If the inauguration is anything like a hurricane the local gas stations will run out of gas before the inauguration even begins.

"A staggering number of traffic restrictions has been announced for the day Barack Obama takes the oath as president. The following provides road closures, vehicular restricted zones, public transportation and pedestrian routes:" Every bridge over every river into and out of the city as well as every major and minor roadway will be closed from 2 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sounds like a WFH (work from home) day to me!

Great News!

Crawfish Time is open for business! This extreemly popular restaurant is only open during crawfish season in Louisiana. Now let's go eat some mud bugs and suck them heads!
http://www.lacrawfishtime.com/index.html

Happy New Year!

Shane and I spent the week leading up to 1/1/2009 with the Disco Biscuits in New York City. Watch this video for a close look at how we love to spend our free time. Maybe you'll finally understand why we love this band so much.;-)

Caribbean Holidaze

The Brain Damaged Eggmen play the Beatles "Baby You're a Rich Man" at Shane's request at Caribbean Holidaze 2008.

I Shouldn't Have Checked the Weather in Jamaica

Always look on the bright side, right? At least it is supposed to be warm!

Meet Molly

Meet Molly. She's a grey speckled pony who was abandoned by her owners when Hurricane Katrina hit southern Louisiana . She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled.While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected, and her vet went to LSU for help, but LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case. You know how that goes.

But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind. He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her. She protected her injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight and didn't overload her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic.

Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee, and a temporary artificial limb was built. Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins there.

'This was the right horse and the right owner,' Moore insists. Molly happened to be a one-in-a-million patient. She's tough as nails, but sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain. She made it obvious she understood that she was in trouble. The other important factor, according to Moore , is having a truly committed and compliantowner who is dedicated to providing the daily carerequired over the lifetime of the horse.

Molly's story is a parable for life in post-Katrina Louisiana . The little pony gained weight, and her mane finally felt a comb. A human prosthesis designer built her a leg.

The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life, Allison Barca DVM, Molly's regular vet, reports.And she asks for it. She will put her little limb out, and come to you and let you know that she wants you to put it on. Sometimes she wants you to take it off too. And sometimes, Molly gets away from Barca. 'It can be pretty bad when you can't catch a three-legged horse,' she laughs.

Most important of all, Molly has a job now. Kay, the rescue farm owner, started taking Molly to shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers. Anywhere she thought that people needed hope. Wherever Molly went, she showed people herpluck. She inspired people, and she had a good time doing it.

'It's obvious to me that Molly had a bigger role to play in life,? Moore said. 'She survived the hurricane, she survived a horrible injury, and now she is giving hope to others.'

Barca concluded, 'She's not back to normal, but she'sgoing to be better. To me, she could be a symbolfor New Orleans itself.'

This is a true story.

Landslide?