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July 30, 2004
Flotilla Weekend Has Arrived!!!
For those of you planning to be in or near Avalon, NJ this weekend:
You’re Invited to the
5th Annual
FLOTILLA PARTY
Corner of 21st and Ocean
Saturday, July 31, 2004
Noon
Bring Yourself
(bathing suits optional)
Bring Your Floats
Drink Our Beer
BEER****BOOZE****ICE LUGE****LIVE MUSIC
Stay tuned for pics after the weekend!!!
Posted by jimkimmel at 01:57 PM | Comments (2)
July 25, 2004
Rainy Days in Avalon
I ended up down in Avalon again this weekend. The big questions that came up (at 10:30am) was what do you do on a rainy, gray Saturday in Avalon? The answer, apparently, is simple. You play cards. Then you drink. Then you play cards and drink. Then you run out of beer. Then you go to the Princeton and do two shots and buy more beer. Then you drink. Then you play cards and drink. Then you go to a Christmas in July party. Then you play cards and drink. Then you go to the Princeton. Simple...
Only 6 more days until Flotilla (July 31st!). Stay tuned for the complete coverage...
Jim
PS: Oh yeah, and then you take pictures, and let everyone else use your camera to take pictures, of everyone doing all of the above - including yourself, apparently... :) Check out the pics.
PPS: Henley got married??!!??
Posted by jimkimmel at 06:14 PM | Comments (0)
July 20, 2004
Push Productions...
So, I was checking out the website of the production company in New York, that my brother is a part of, Push Productions, and saw pics from the show that they're bringing to Philly in September (see last post for more information), when I came across the following picture:
Now, you may ask yourself what is so interesting about that? This is actually a picture of my Father's Sea Isle City sweatshirt (that my brother ripped off from the beach house in, you guessed it, Sea Isle), although that is not my father acting in it. And since this is probably the closest that I'll ever get to having something that my family has being worth something in terms of entertainment memorabilia (until my brother strikes it rich and famous and I can sell off his baby pictures - after I rip them off from my parents house as well), I thought I'd point it out to the whole world...
And maybe, just maybe, the sweatshirt will end up on eBay after the Philadelphia Fringe Festival - but don't tell my Dad - I swear he loves the damn thing... ;)
Jim
PS. You can now enter your e-mail address (check out the link to the right) to be notified automatically when I update this site (which usually also means new pictures have been posted....
Posted by jimkimmel at 03:43 PM | Comments (0)
Mansfield, Kimmel, Philadelphia Fundraiser!!
My brother and his friends at Push Productions are holding a fundraiser for a show called "It's Not Even Past" (written by Tim Mansfield and directed by my brother, Michael) that they're bringing to Philadelphia for the Fringe Festival in September.
And, in case you're curious, this is what you're saving my brother from having to do (yes, that's really him)...
Details for the fundraiser are available by clicking below. Check it out and spread the word!!
Thanks!
Jim
From Tim Mansfield and Michael Kimmel:
Every once in a while, an event comes along. This is one of those times…
Everyone,
In preparation for the Philadelphia Fringe Festival in September, Tim Mansfield, Michael Kimmel, and everyone involved with “It’s Not Even Past” would like to invite you, your family, your friends, and their family and friends to a throw-down, gala fundraiser for the play. Seriously, everyone is welcome; the more the merrier; you get the picture…More details? You got it, friend:
When? Saturday, August 7th, 8pm-Midnight
Where? Briarcliffe American Legion in Glenolden, PA (*simple directions below)
What? A fundraiser/silent auction to support “It’s Not Even Past,” which is running from September 2nd to 12th at the Walnut Street Theatre - Studio 5.
How? (As in, how does this help the play?) The cost for the evening is $12, which will go to Push Productions, the non-profit theater company producing the show. Money raised at the door and from the silent auction will help pay for theater rental, rehearsal space, and housing for our actors, as well as lighting, props, and transportation costs.
What else? Hmmm. Okay. Let’s see. We’ll be auctioning off lots of cool things, including: Phillies tickets; Cuban cigars (please don’t call the ATF on us); dinner for two in New York; golf outings; gift certificates for haircuts and colors for the ladies; and other items that will take your collective breath away. On top of that, you get a night of music, loads of food, courtesy of Tony Luke’s, and a shot to win some money in that grandest of fundraising traditions, the 50/50.
And if your throat gets dry during the evening, we have a contingency plan for that, as well! Beer, wine, and soft drinks will be available all night at extremely friendly rates.
What should you do? Mark August 7th on your calendars, reserve the babysitter, and get ready to spend the night eating, drinking, and bidding with us. Also, give Tim a call (484 459 9001) or drop an email to mansfield9@hotmail.com so we can get a general idea of how many people to expect. Thanks so much in advance for helping us to bring the play home. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone there…
Best wishes,
Tim and Michael
*Directions to Briarcliffe American Legion: 29 Bartram Ave, Glenolden PA (610 461 7224):
From West Chester: Take Baltimore Pike (Rt 1) or West Chester Pike (Rt. 3) to the Blue Route South (Rt. 476); Blue Route to MacDade Blvd (Exit #1); make LEFT onto MacDade; go approx. 4 miles and make LEFT on Ashland Ave; go about a half mile, RIGHT on N. Bartram Ave.
From Northern Delco, Main Line, Manayunk: Take the Blue Route (Rt. 476) to MacDade Blvd (Exit #1); make LEFT onto MacDade; go approx. 4 miles and make LEFT on Ashland Ave; go about a half mile, RIGHT on N. Bartram Ave.
From I-95/NJ/NY: I-95 South to Exit 9B (420 North); take 420 N to MacDade Blvd; turn RIGHT onto MacDade (at Nifty Fiftys); go approx. 1.5 miles and turn LEFT on Ashland Ave; go about a half mile, RIGHT on N. Bartram Ave.
Posted by jimkimmel at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)
July 19, 2004
Another weekend in Avalon
It was another great weekend in Avalon - parties at Marcy's house and Sheila's house on Saturday. Hung out with some friends of Irish Dave on Friday night. Check out the pics
Only two more weeks until Flotilla!!!
Also, if you're reading this, please be aware that I'm having some issues with the photo gallery as a result of some changes that my host made to the server the website runs on. Hopefully, I'll it corrected and cleaned up soon!
Later!
Jim
Posted by jimkimmel at 11:25 AM | Comments (0)
July 09, 2004
Friday is Beach Day...Bondi Beach that is..
So, today is my last day here. It's kind of a bittersweet day - the weather has changed from rain to sun so many times at this point, I've lost track; I love it here and want to stay, but part of me is ready to go home (even if I'm not quite ready yet for the flight).
Wednesday night, Will and I went to Scruffy Murphy's - an Irish pub, to watch the State of Origin match. I got back to the hotel at around 4am. The match, obviously, didn't take that long, but the fact that the pub is open 24hours and that there's a nightclub downstairs that opened around midnight, didn't help matters any. Personally, I don't know how Will went to work (although he did leave much earlier than I did). Thursday was, well, honestly - a blur. I had a hard time moving (combination of being sore from all the walking on Wednesday and all the drinking Wednesday night), so I didn't.
Today is now the last day, so I decided to do the one thing left on this trip - go to Bondi Beach (and for those of you, like me, who suffer from APD - Australain Pronunciation Disorder, it's pronounced BOHN-DYE, not, as I've been told a number of times, BOHN-DEE). I lucked out because it seemed like it was raining everywhere else in Sydney but there. Unfortunately, I blew the schedule for the day by forgetting the battery for my camera on the first trip out (it's two hours round trip on the Bondi Explorer tour bus), so I had to head back, grab the battery, and hit the bus again. I had a late lunch at an outdoor cafe in Bondi which was excellent (fish and chips again - I thought I'd be able to pick out which was my favorite among all the different place I've eaten lunch, but, frankly, I can't). Then back on the bus and back here.
It's now 5:15pm local time, and I've got to get ready to head out for my last dinner in Sydney with Will and Susie in Balmain (uh oh - the last time Will and I went to Balmain - last Friday, it was a long night). Then get up in the morning, pack and head to the airport for the long flight home.
I gotta say though, it's been worth every penny that I've spent since I've been here. It would have been worth it even if I had to pay for the airfare (luckily, work was sending me here, anyway). Sydney is definitely one of my favorite places in the world now, and I can't wait to get the chance to come back!!
Well, when next I write I should be back home in the States, getting ready to soak up some sun and figure out how the hell I'm going to readjusted back to the time zone....
Later!
Jim
Posted by jimkimmel at 03:15 AM | Comments (0)
July 07, 2004
Aussie Wednesday...
Hello to everyone reading this (probably all two of you - if I'm lucky). Sorry for the lack of posts yesterday - not really much happened. I decided to take it easy on Tuesday and walk around the city. There's a huge (actually, it's, from what I can tell, two or three that are all combined into one large) shopping mall which kind of reminds of me of the Gallery in Philadelphia, although these are much much nicer and have about 3 or 4 train stations attached at various locations. Altogether, I think it was about 6 or 8 blocks long and at least 2 blocks wide (although it's hard to tell comes some areas sort of loop around and back on themselves).
Today, I got back on the sightseeing horse and got took a ferry out to Watson's Bay. Watson's bay is known for Doyles which is one of the oldest restaurants in Sydney and the only beer garden that sits almost right on the harbor. From Watson's Bay, it's a quick walk up the hill to the Gap Bluff which has a view of the cliffs on side of the heads at the entrance to the harbor, so the water in the pictures from there is the Pacific again.
After a quick outdoor lunch (and it was pretty cold), I got back on the ferry and headed to Taronga Zoo (I know I've mis-spelled it a few times around here, but I finally got it right now). On the way to the dock at the zoo, the ferry had to make quick stop in Chowder Bay, so I grabbed a few pics there since it's named for Americans. Apparently, because the US beat the English to gain independence, American whaler ships were not allowed to dock at the main port (Circular Quay, Darling, etc), so they would dock here. The American sailors would make a version of clam chowder that, apparently, was popular enough that they named the bay after it - Chowder Bay. The name has pretty much stuck since (which is obvious, or I'd be calling it something else, wouldn't I?). Anyway, that's your Sydney history lesson for the day - brought to you at no extra charge.
Onto the zoo where, surprise, surprise, there were Kanagroos and Koala bears. I was floored. They also had seals and the usual round of zoo animals. The layout is pretty cool - start at the top of the hill and work your way down to the bottom and get back on the ferry. Not a bad setup. Also, there's a picture in there that looks kind of like a fox mixed with a raccoon - that's actually a Red Panda (another little tidbit of information...). After the zoo, I got back on the ferry and went back to Darling Harbor to look around a bit more. Tonight, there's a big rugby match - State of Origins III (the rugby players go back to there home states and play for that state's team). Tonight is the final game - Queensland vs. New South Wales (which is where Sydney is located). Will and I are going to watch the game from a pub in the city, so I picked up a NSW jersey to wear (when in Rome, right??).
Anyway, that's today's update. Tomorrow, I think I'm heading to Bondi. The vacation's starting to wind down, so while I'm not looking forward to leaving (or the flight home, for that matter), I am kind of getting ready to be home...
Later.
Jim
Posted by jimkimmel at 03:11 AM | Comments (0)
July 05, 2004
Monday Fun...er, Fish Day...
So, it's Monday, and I decided to make my way over to Manly (which is the northside of Sydney Harbor). Manly is a small town where you can basically walk from the Harbor down the main street to the beach (Pacific Ocean, that is) in about 4 blocks. Manly is pretty much known for it's beach (which was pretty nice), it's parks (there's an aquarium called Oceanworld that specializes, apparently, in the dangerous creatures of Australia. Anyway, it was okay. I had lunch just off Manly beach (fish and chips, of course) at an outdoor cafe that was awesome (food and scenery wise). Then, since it only took me a few hours to do all of that, I got back on the ferry boat (easiest way to get to the main parts around Sydney) and went to Darling Harbor.
Darling Harbor is home to the Maritime Museum (which I didn't go to, but may add on later in the week - they have a battleship, similar to the USS New Jersey in Camden) and a submarine (I've never been on, so that would be a cool thing to check out). Darling Harbor is also home to what I like to call Aussie Disney. The locals (and, actually, everyone else in the world) call it Sydney Aquarium. They have some awesome displays of fish life from all around Sydney, including the Great Barrier reef. However, and I know they're catering to kids with this, they went a little overboard, in my opinion, with the Nemo references. Yes, they have clown fish and almost every other fish that makes an appearance, but really... The only disappointment at the Aquarium (apparently due to the fact that it was late afternoon when I got there) was the Seal Sanctuary since there weren't any seals present.
Anyway, the pictures are posted. Check 'em out. Tomorrow, I think, will be the Opera House and Botanical gardens and maybe, just maybe, the Tsonga Zoo. But, hey, I'm on holiday here, I reserve the right to alter my schedule (in fact, to not HAVE a schedule) at any time...
Later!
jim
Posted by jimkimmel at 03:38 AM | Comments (0)
July 04, 2004
Happy Birthday To Me!!! :)
So, yesterday (being Saturday down here), I got to Sydney. I'm staying at the Marriott Sydney Harbor which is an excellent hotel - great view, nice room. It's right next to Circular Quay (pronounced KEY for those of you, like me, who can't seem to catch on to Australian pronunciation). Anyway, since technically it was the third, a bunch of people from the Merck site here took myself and one of my co-workers from home, Dana (and Dana's mom) out for a pub crawl to ring in the 4th (although there are no fireworks in the planning down here, unfortunately) and to help me celebrate my birthday.
Big shout outs to Will and Susie (as usual), Tony, Bryan, and Julie and Susie's boyfriend, Dave, for showing us a great time at the Rocks last night. I think the final count was 6 pubs (I really stopped counting after 2)...A great time was had by all!!!
For today, being my birthday, I decided to take a 3 hour tour on the SS Minnow. Actually, it was a 2 hour tour of Sydney Harbor on the Magistic. The pics from the tour are in the gallery. It was great! Nice views of various beaches, the Opera House, the Bridge, and some awesome looking houses that I had to take pictures of (although I'd have to hit the Powerball lottery to even consider affording them).
Anyway, so far, a great way to spend my birthday. I think I'm going to go out tonight for a nice dinner and maybe celebrate some more. Tomorrow or Tuesday, I'm planning on spending the day at Manly (one of the popular beach towns on the north side of Sydney)...
That's it for now. More coming tomorrow....
Jim
Posted by jimkimmel at 02:09 AM | Comments (1)