One of the rides was closed, so we only got to go on the Big Shot and the X-Scream. We went on the Big Shot first and exactly as the name implies it shoots you straight into the air at 45mph. It was all over very quickly and “4Gs” felt pretty tame. The X-Scream was a different story; it had me sweating a little. Basically you slide down a railing over the edge of the tower and are left hanging with nothing between the ride and the pavement below. I’ve since read that in 2005 the ride broke down and everybody was stuck hanging over the edge for an hour and a half.

After the tower experience we went and played a short session of poker. I had one cooler hand against a short stack, otherwise not really much to report. The most interesting hand at my table involved a drunk guy who had about $600 when I got there and was down to about $350 when this hand came up. The board was KQ4T3 and he shoved about $200 on the river. He then exposed his K5 face up, on purpose!!! And the other guy snap called with KJ… WHAT A GIFT!

We started out by getting up bright and early, checking out of our overnight stay and heading to Dubbo’s Open Range Zoo. We hired a push bike each and headed out along the track, doing a full circuit of the whole place. It was a great time of day to do it because there weren’t many people around. When we were about to leave the crowds were starting to build so we were glad to get it out of the way.

The highlight of the zoo would have to be the Galapagos Tortoise. There was hardly any fence around them, there was no one around and they were so close we could touch them. Other than that the zoo wasn’t that great. Things like the giraffe and elephants were really far away and the Lions and Tigers weren’t that active.

We finished at the zoo around midday and from there we went an had lunch in the city centre. Beyond that it was an epic car ride from Dubbo to Warwick, which saw us crossing the New South Wales/Queensland border and changing our clocks because they don’t have faylight savings here. We had dinner in Goondiwindi, one of many places with near unpronounceable names that we went through today. We didn’t end up arriving in Warwick until 9pm (10pm AEDT time). Night time driving is far more draining than I could have imagined. I was really glad to get here and relax.

Tomorrow we only have a short drive to Brisbane, so we will be able to have a bit of a sleep in. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow night’s game between the Lions and Collingwood. The game is a complete sell out, which is amazing and should provide for a great atmosphere.

Well, two and a half months ago it all started in Los Angeles, California. I still have a clear memory of my first impression of the country and how I felt like I was learning a lot of things for the first time. The weird thing about LA is the thing that is most clear in my mind is the traffic. Just how crazy the drivers were and how weird it felt having to look in the opposite way to what I was accustomed in order the cross the road. If I had to choose one highlight of LA it would be Venice Beach, closely followed by the TV tapings I went to. I am proud of the way I got out and did things, braved the public transport and wasn’t afraid to walk places in a city renowned for the car being its main form of transportation. Sure, I got lost on occasion, but it was all part of the adventure. It should not be understated how different LA and indeed all the cities were to each other. The Mexican influence in LA is not overstated; whenever you would walk into a shop or anywhere really people would be speaking in Spanish. While this is true in other places, no place is it more evident than LA. If you compare LA and NY they are almost like a different country. I’m not quite sure which I prefer, but my lean is towards LA, that could just be because it was my first stop and I was excited and enthusiastic about it though.

After LA it was onto Las Vegas, by far the best stop of the trip and probably the only place I would consider ever going back to for any extended period of time. There are a number of things I would do differently if and when I do go back, it wasn’t a place that was best for my physical health with the buffets and lack of exercise, but I got through that. The atmosphere, sun and fun will stick with me for a long time. As will the experience of realizing my World Series of Poker dream, even if it was short lived and uneventful. Poker is a game in which ego plays a major role, and I pride myself of the fact that I don’t buy into it as much as others do. I didn’t have any expectations on myself going in, I enjoyed it for what it was and there’s no disappointment in trying your hardest and nothing rolling your way. Tournaments are not my number one suit or priority for that matter, but as a poker player of any variety it is still a dream to play in the largest congregation of poker players in the world and the most prestigious event. The cash games in Vegas were fun as well, playing my style in a live game became a grind after a while, but I learned a lot about myself and capabilities. Cash games are my strong suit, and I delivered in the place where it counts, Las Vegas.

The East Coast part of my trip began in Boston, a complete change in environment from Las Vegas in so many ways. What struck me about Boston is firstly how small it is, it is such a well known city, yet I was so surprised to learn that its population is little over 500,000. That being said it was a place that had a lot of character and the time I spent there will be held in high esteem. The Red Sox games I attended will be remembered highly on the list of sporting events I have attended and were a dream come true. Staying next door to Harvard was a surreal experience; I can now proudly wear my Harvard shirt and say I attended… Yeah, that’ll fly.

New York certainly had its ups and downs; I’m going to focus on the positives. The number one highlight was seeing a taping of Conan O’Brien’s Late Night show, that is for sure. Every weeknight for four years I have gone to sleep right after laughing away my daily troubles watching Conan and to see it all happening in person was worth the time and effort I put into getting into the show. In New York I also got to see some of the most famous landmarks in the world. I woke up every morning at the foot of the Empire State Building, I broke a sweat running through Central Park, I took the Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty and I walked with all the suits down the surprisingly narrow Wall Street. My memory of Manhattan though will be this, walking the streets and it is amazing just to look down both ways and see the buildings lining the street for what seems to be an eternity.

My trip probably went a week or two too long; I didn’t need to stay in New Jersey for as long as I have. New Jersey is an interesting place to say the least, wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. I’m probably being a little harsh, there has to be nicer places in the state, but Newark is a place to steer clear of.

So, was it all worth it? What did I learn from my experiences? Would I do it again? I think the whole experience was well worth it. It was expensive, both in time and money, but I think it was good value and taught me a lot. There aren’t too many bold enough to take on such a trip on their own, at such a young age and in such a fashion, but I am different. Of course, it would have been nice to not to have to take on so much of the trip n my own, but at the same time that was part of the fun. A foreign country, conquered all on your own, that is an achievement. I had to deal with everything that came my way, with no one to lean on and I think I did a pretty good job. It was confidence building, it was character building and it is something that I think will hold me in good stead for dealing with the coming years of my life. It was a large step towards independence, but it also made me cherish the dependencies I have on others. I would do it again, I would do some things differently, but I could have done a lot worse.

So where to now? Well, I am at an interesting point in my life, it kind of feels like a new chapter is about to begin. At some point in the coming months I am going to have to choose a career path and go down it. That isn’t at the forefront of my mind just yet, I am mainly focused on the immediate future of the things I want to achieve as soon as I land in Australia. I am not happy with my physical condition at the moment, and the first thing I want to do is get a good diet happening and getting my body into tip top shape. Part of this will be running, training for a marathon off of a very short run. I am going to give it my best shot, but I am week aware I might not get there, and if the time comes and I’m not prepared I am going to reset my goal to a half-marathon. At this time though, that feels like a complete cop out, so I won’t be pulling any punches in going after the big prize. I am hoping to work my way up in short time to running 70km a week. Aside from running I am looking forward to getting back to my beloved Agent Orange Indoor Soccer and Indoor Cricket teams. They’ve been having fun without me, but I am pretty sure they are ready to welcome me back with open arms. Being away from the team has made me appreciate the team and the opportunity to play in one every week. I’ve really missed cricket, and am really looking forward to getting back in the Cricket nets with Brad, Gordon, Paul, Mike and whoever else is up for it, even though it is still the middle of winter. Another thing I am missed is the AFL season, I’ll be honest I was missing it a lot less when the Lions were playing like a bunch of no hopers, but the last couple of months have been nothing short of amazing. We are still in the top eight, but fighting an uphill battle to make the finals in my belief. It is a shame we have such a tough run home, because I think we deserve to be there and have the potential to actually do some damage unlike some other teams that are in the running. Being back in time to catch an exciting point of the season is good though. The Storm are also cruising to what looks like another successful season, if the Lions fail I’ll be looking for them to go all the way to sooth my pain.

Most of all I am looking forward to getting back to family, friends, Melbourne, my routine and normal life. These are the things I have come to appreciate most while being away from home. I always knew I was lucky, but it always nice to be reminded of how good that you have it. America may be the ‘land of the free’ and the ‘greatest country on earth’, and I’m happy to let them go on believing that, but it’s a load of crap. While the people and most of the places are great, this country is completely messed up and corrupted in so many ways. For a land of freedom it sure does feel weird that for the last two and a half months my career has been hampered by the fact that the US has banned online gaming. For a nation that preaches democracy and tries to spread it through force it sure is weird that their system of government can be so corrupt and that money can play such a major role in politics. For a country of such wealth it is shocking the amount of poverty and crime that I have been exposed to, and that is just as a tourist. I’m not saying Australia doesn’t have its problems, but I’m bloody glad to be Australian and I feel like now that I have been away for so long I can say that with a little more authority.

Finally, thanks to everyone that has been following me throughout my adventures. Blogging was as much about recording my memories and thoughts as it was anybody reading them, but it was reassuring all the same to know that people are taking an interest in you. Hopefully, you have gained an insight into my life and learned something by following me and maybe I can be following your blog someday soon!

Thanks,

Eureka Kid

I spent some time in Barnes and Noble picking out some reading material for the hours of waiting around I am going to have to do on the changeover on the way home. I spent some time reading in the park, learned a few things (poker books naturally). From now until I go home is going to be pretty uneventful, I think I’ll just be working a whole lot and spending time in the gym. I’m looking forward to getting home; I’ve gone from no sign of homesickness for pretty much the whole trip to and now I want to go home so badly that time seems to be dragging on.

I am more than ready to come home at this point, the countdown is now on and the days are in the single digits. Now that I am feeling well again hopefully the time goes by a little faster.

I’d purchased my ticket online so I had to pick it up half an hour before the tour was set to start. The tour started from the NBC Experience store, basically a huge gift shop with items from all the NBC shows. They had Donald Trump’s Apprentice t-shirts with “You’re Fired” on clearance sale, since the Donald himself ironically got the axe earlier this year. They didn’t have anything Conan that I liked, not that I have room for much more in my suitcases anyway.

The tour got underway with a video about the history of NBC, it started out as a radio station and then became a TV broadcaster when that came along. The first stop on the tour was the famous Studio 8H where they record Saturday Night Live, a live sketch show that has been running since 1975 and has been the discovery place of talents such as Eddie Murphy, Dan Ackroyd, Billy Crystal, Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell. This was probably the highlight of the tour, it was explained how the sets where erected inside such a small space.

Next we were taken past the main control room, which is responsible for beaming NBC out to over 200 affiliate stations around the country. There was only a couple of guys in there, they aren’t responsible for any of the cutting or censoring, just making sure the right feed goes to the right city. The room has an interruptible power supply that is composed for 75 batteries under the building, which will keep it running long enough for diesel fuel to be pumped to the generators on the 70^th floor of the building.

Walking through the halls of the building they had signed photos of every guest host of SNL throughout the years as well as lots of props and other artifacts. We were next shown a make-up video about how SNL has such a short time to work in. After that the group was taken into a mini studio and two people were selected, one to read the news off the teleprompter and one to do the weather in front of the green screen.

The final stop of the tour was the set of the Today show. That was pretty boring, but its pretty similar to the Sunrise set in Sydney so if you can imagine that, that is what it was like. The tour had listed Conan’s studio as a stop, but I assume it was skipped because they would have been in rehearsal. Still, it was good tour and worth the money.  It was good to get back to the safety of the hotel though; it was a pretty draining day.

Upon arrival at North Elizabeth station, I was greeted by a run down parking lot with the station’s windows being punched out and glass all over the place. Once I was out on the street, a grubby looking guy on a bike pulled up beside me and asked if I spoke English. I hesitated for a moment and said yes, he then launched into a speech about how he fell asleep on the bus with his pregnant girlfriend (who he pointed in the direction of, but there was nobody there) and he needed $3.60 for a bus to get back. He told me he had just found the bike… I wasn’t believing this for a second of course, but I was feeling a little threatened with nobody around and all my bags containing everything I own on this trip with me. I reached into my pocket and just grabbed some random change, I didn’t want to pull my wallet out. Once I agreed he suddenly said he needed $3.60 for each of them… I quickly handed him whatever was in my hand and hustled off. So, needless to say New Jersey was off to an interesting start.

Next challenge was to the get to the hotel, it was getting pretty hot, over 30 degrees I’d say and I knew it would be a fair walk. I got to a point where I thought I should be turning off, but there was no street sign confirming the name and it wasn’t really a street, it was a highway. I went into a store and bought a drink just so I could ask for directions. I got confirmation I was in the right place and started heading down the road, after a couple of blocks the sidewalk completely stopped. So I asked an old guy how I could get around to the hotel, his response was random jibberish and animated pointing…It was starting to become a bit surreal and weird what was going on.

After walking around in a circle and starting to drip with sweat I was forced to walk down the side of a highway with oncoming traffic flying past me for about half a mile. If you could just imagine how ridiculous I looked a man in a funny hat and a Harvard t-shirt with all these bags walking head on into traffic. The first gate of the hotel was closed, so I had to walk even further, eventually I got here. By this time it was midday, check-in time is 3pm and they don’t do early check-ins. I dropped my bags off and went back in the same direction I came towards a supermarket I had seen on the way. I picked up a few supplies and headed back, stopping for lunch on the way.

The café was pretty empty when I got there, but the time I’d finished it was buzzing and there was not one word of English being spoken. I don’t think I’ve even seen a Caucasian since I got here actually. The menu that was existent on the wall was all Spanish so I had to ask for and English one. Lunch was good though and now I am back here sitting in the lobby waiting to check-in. There was supposed to be free wireless, but I can’t seem to get onto it. It looks like food is going to be a bit of a challenge around here, I don’t particularly want to walk those streets after dark looking for dinner so I’ll have to be prepared. The good news is, it isn’t that far to walk to the train station when you don’t have heavy bags so the trip into New York a few more times shouldn’t be a problem. I’m starting to count down the days to getting home now, I’m really looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and who knows maybe seeing the Lions make a run for the finals.

I am really bummed that I missed the Collingwood game last weekend, I have used the wonders of the internet to make sure it will be on my foxtel IQ to watch when I get home. I wish I’d recorded the West Coast win a few weeks back as well. Finals are a fair way off and we have a tough fixture with Kangaroos, Hawthorn, Geelong and Sydney, but we have the momentum and a few home games. If only we hadn’t drawn with Richmond, I’d be a little more optimistic given our excellent percentage.

Once I got to the line up area, the next person didn’t arrive until 5:45am, so I could have slept another hour and a half, but I wasn’t taking any chances today. After five hours of standing in the one spot, I was eventually rewarded at 9am with my standby ticket with the big number one written on it. After that I came back to my room and tried to get some sleep, I failed, but at least felt a little rested.

Arriving back at the studio there was a little more waiting around, but the show was so close I could taste it. Inside the studio is like a fantasy land, as with the other TV shows I’ve been to on this trip, everything looks bigger on TV. I got seated in the second back row on the desk side (opposite to the side the bands on). As soon as everyone was seated they started rolling highlights of the show over the years. After that the warm-up guy came out, he was pretty good, he is a regular feature on the show playing some of the characters in skits.

Conan then came out for a few minutes before the show officially started and talked to a few people in the crowd. He wasn’t as interactive as they other talk show hosts were in LA. Oh yeah I should mention the Max Weinberg 7 got the crowd going with a few songs before things got underway.

The show itself played out just like you would expect, sitting in the second back row there are about 16 TVs above your head and its hard to stop yourself watching on the TV rather than the reality. The monologue was pretty unfunny and he seemed to struggle through it. I’ll put a link up to download the show, or it will be airing in the Comedy Channel on Wednesday Night/Thursday Day. The guests were Andy Samberg (from Saturday Night Live and the new movie Hotrod), Harry Shearer (the voice of Mr. Burns, Smithers, Principal Skinner and Ned Flanders on the Simpsons) and musical guest Teagan and Sarah. Everyone in the audience got a free t-shirt, which I will be treasuring. Before I leave the country I am going to go on the Studio Tour, hopefully that will give me an even more up close experience. Overall, it wasn’t an all-time classic show, but it was just a real thrill to see my favorite TV show in person and another life goal I can check off. Hopefully I can stay awake to watch it on TV at 12:35am. *yawn*

So I got back there a bit before 3:45 and went up stairs as instructed. At that point they noted my number and told me to come back in half and hour. So I went to the place instructed about ten minutes early and the lady there had a real attitude, informing everyone that they couldn’t linger around, you have to keep walking around the building until the exact time. So at 4:15, weary from a long day they said that everyone beyond 30 was no chance of getting in so they could get home. Throughout the day I had heard that 30 was usually the magic number, which gave me some confidence, but I was always dubious.

The next step was a line upstairs, where 30 of us waited for about 15 minutes (so much for no more waiting time). They still hadn’t filed in the regular ticket holders, they said once they did that they would count the seats and see what’s left. And in the most sadistic way possible informed people 19 and beyond that, upon initial count, showed they would not be needed. I had survived by one! That was close, but I started to get a terrible feeling in my stomach and thoughts of missing out by one started to flow through my mind. I love Conan and all, but I don’t like to think of myself as a groupie or anything, just the entire process of the day left me with thoughts of vomiting if I missed out. Sure enough, after waiting for 20 minutes to die and slow and painful death they told us to come downstairs to go through the metal detectors. Halfway through a group of girls, 4 spots in front of me, they suddenly halted proceedings. Goodbye! You can go home, thanks anyway. Ugh.

The whole Conan O’Brien ticketing system just plain sucks. Compared to the shows I attended in LA it is ridiculously bad. The phone ticketing is a disaster so I was resigned to standby. And the way standby was run today was just a poor reflection on NBC and a gross mistreatment of such loyal fans.

I’m so tired of being negative on New York, I am in desperate need of some good fortune here and it starts tomorrow with a 4am wake up and getting myself first in that line, I’ll be well and truly prepared for my 5 hour wait. I met some really nice people in the line, I felt sorry for the girls behind me who were from Finland. Finland is a Conan hot spot because he looks exactly like their (female) Prime Minister. This was their last day in New York and they got the cut. Tomorrow is my last day in Manhattan, I will be able to get the Subway in after that but I don’t exactly want to be doing that at 4am. The best part of the day was when La Bamba, the Trombone player on the show walked past me in the food court. Later on I saw him and the trumpeter Mark Pender.