This entry is dedicated to Nichoel.
Who recently asked me, what happened?
Aren't you blogging anymore?
I am fully morphing back into a student and living in my little academic bubble of a world! I have a list in one of my sketchbooks of all the things I plan to blog about...but it keeps growing and I keep putting off new posts.
But, as Michelle showed me, this blogging biz is easy-peasy...so I'm trying to take baby steps here and get back at it.
School is good but has been going through some more intense periods as of late...and then once I got past those, I just wanted to veg/go out/do sudoku/overthink crush potentials...you know, the uuu-sh.
Work has also picked up...first meeting with the REAL client tomorrow! I'm going to wish myself luck en espanol now...bueno suerte!
more to come, promise ;)
Friday, April 30, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
random facts
I only have one key on my keychain. It's very odd. Just one key is all I need for everything here in my life at the moment (hopefully getting a bike in the next month or two, so then I'll have at least one more for its lock).
D got me an official University of Sydney keychain/necklace thing, where my one key resides, and I also have a metallic purple bottle opener on it with STATravel's website on it.
* * *
I didn't realize until last night that Australia is still technically a British colony. Does that make me quite dense? I mean...I get that the Union Jack is a part of their flag...but I thought that was just a friendly gesture. I knew they have a holiday for the Queen's birthday...but again, just assumed it was a traditional thing. I could've sworn Australia was an independent nation of its own.
I'm living in a British colony! Crazy...no wonder they are semi-obsessed w/all things Britain here.
D got me an official University of Sydney keychain/necklace thing, where my one key resides, and I also have a metallic purple bottle opener on it with STATravel's website on it.
* * *
I didn't realize until last night that Australia is still technically a British colony. Does that make me quite dense? I mean...I get that the Union Jack is a part of their flag...but I thought that was just a friendly gesture. I knew they have a holiday for the Queen's birthday...but again, just assumed it was a traditional thing. I could've sworn Australia was an independent nation of its own.
I'm living in a British colony! Crazy...no wonder they are semi-obsessed w/all things Britain here.
living with gentlemen
I tease my housemates quite a bit about being barbarians...but I have to say...their mums did good. I've never had to put the toilet seat down once. (yes, I am going to usurp the British English, thank you very much!)
I feel really lucky to have landed a spot in this house and feel incredibly at home here...even after only 2 months of being in Sydney and less than that of being at 58 Myrtle St.
come visit!
I feel really lucky to have landed a spot in this house and feel incredibly at home here...even after only 2 months of being in Sydney and less than that of being at 58 Myrtle St.
come visit!
PSS
PSS- there are still a sh*tload of cockroaches. though we've mostly banished them from our kingdom. last week after a green drinks thing my housemate took me to (that was REALLY fab, PSSS)...we grabbed a bite to eat at a lebonese place on the walk home. at one point mid-meal I JUMPED up and accidentally threw down my fork...a cockroach was crawling in my lap, on top of my napkin! EWWWW! gives me the heebie-jeebies just typing about it...
but...I quickly tried to retain any remaining composure...the waitress came over and asked what happened...I explained I'm new here and not used to the bug thing.
approximately 30 seconds later I felt something on my bare toe, looked down, and there he was again. bastard! so of course, I jumped again. waitress came over again, napkin in hand, asked if I wanted it 'taken care of' ...inside my head I was silently screaming HELL YEAH...but I said, oh, no, I think he just likes my chair...because by this point, he was crawling on my chair (I was still standing)...and then he moved to the next chair...and then she got him.
how is one supposed to react in that sitch?! didn't want to be rude...this cafe was really cute and though we were technically sitting inside, they had these HUGE doors open to the sidewalk. it didn't strike me as a dirty place at all and I wasn't worried about the food...but seriously...those buggers can get really big and just make my heart race...and not in a good way!
but...I quickly tried to retain any remaining composure...the waitress came over and asked what happened...I explained I'm new here and not used to the bug thing.
approximately 30 seconds later I felt something on my bare toe, looked down, and there he was again. bastard! so of course, I jumped again. waitress came over again, napkin in hand, asked if I wanted it 'taken care of' ...inside my head I was silently screaming HELL YEAH...but I said, oh, no, I think he just likes my chair...because by this point, he was crawling on my chair (I was still standing)...and then he moved to the next chair...and then she got him.
how is one supposed to react in that sitch?! didn't want to be rude...this cafe was really cute and though we were technically sitting inside, they had these HUGE doors open to the sidewalk. it didn't strike me as a dirty place at all and I wasn't worried about the food...but seriously...those buggers can get really big and just make my heart race...and not in a good way!
funny smell...
PS- the owner of my house performed a 'heroic' duty pre-bbq. [he loves using that word, especially in relation to himself and usually referring to his tennis playing]
it all started 5 or 6 days ago...I noticed a really funny smell in the kitchen. now, since we do have chuks running around and sh*tting all over their side yard (you have to be careful when you enter their domain...and even out in the garden since we let them run around there daily [and by we I mean me or the owner's girlfriend])...and there's hay in there area...when a breeze is blowing in a particular direction and you have the louvered windows in the kitchen open...well...it can smell a bit like a farm.
sometimes I even wonder if I smell people sh*t in the backyard (the house is not connected to the city sewer, all of our sh*t gets filtered and held in a tank in the back garden, under the deck, and once a year a guy comes to vacuum it out, and the owner 'sprinkles' it on the plants all around our neighborhood)...it doesn't smell that bad...just a faint sulphur...really faint.
and we have a compost bin adjacent the kitchen sink...the garbage drawer has 4 bins in total - 2 for recycling, 1 for true waste and 1 for compost (plus the chuks eat kitchen scraps, so usually I like giving them the good scraps). occaisionally that drawer gets a slight funk...
but this smell was much stronger. and difficult to pin point. it wasn't the garbage drawer...it wasn't the compost...it wasn't coming from the sink drain. where the heck was it coming from!?!?
I commented on my observation to the owner. He said, ah...yes. The smell of death.
We've had rats I guess...I couldn't tell but he'd seen some hiding under box in the chuk's side yard...so he did a bunch of research and put poison down in a couple of select holes...and the poison was successful.
Thank G*d we had the bbq...it forced him to do something about the situation in a jiffy. By the time he took action, a second (observed by me, of course), was spotted in the hen-domain.
Dead rats smell foul.
The worst part is apparently that's not all of 'em...the other student heard a bunch outside his window last night.
And it has me just a teency bit uneasy as I have a window in the loft above my room that's cracked...so if they wanted to, they could come right in. I've been told they're afraid of us.
I will be shutting that window soon. Maybe tomorrow.
Now it's too late! Agh! Drinking wine late means you spend time doing things you probably shouldn't!
cheers,B
it all started 5 or 6 days ago...I noticed a really funny smell in the kitchen. now, since we do have chuks running around and sh*tting all over their side yard (you have to be careful when you enter their domain...and even out in the garden since we let them run around there daily [and by we I mean me or the owner's girlfriend])...and there's hay in there area...when a breeze is blowing in a particular direction and you have the louvered windows in the kitchen open...well...it can smell a bit like a farm.
sometimes I even wonder if I smell people sh*t in the backyard (the house is not connected to the city sewer, all of our sh*t gets filtered and held in a tank in the back garden, under the deck, and once a year a guy comes to vacuum it out, and the owner 'sprinkles' it on the plants all around our neighborhood)...it doesn't smell that bad...just a faint sulphur...really faint.
and we have a compost bin adjacent the kitchen sink...the garbage drawer has 4 bins in total - 2 for recycling, 1 for true waste and 1 for compost (plus the chuks eat kitchen scraps, so usually I like giving them the good scraps). occaisionally that drawer gets a slight funk...
but this smell was much stronger. and difficult to pin point. it wasn't the garbage drawer...it wasn't the compost...it wasn't coming from the sink drain. where the heck was it coming from!?!?
I commented on my observation to the owner. He said, ah...yes. The smell of death.
We've had rats I guess...I couldn't tell but he'd seen some hiding under box in the chuk's side yard...so he did a bunch of research and put poison down in a couple of select holes...and the poison was successful.
Thank G*d we had the bbq...it forced him to do something about the situation in a jiffy. By the time he took action, a second (observed by me, of course), was spotted in the hen-domain.
Dead rats smell foul.
The worst part is apparently that's not all of 'em...the other student heard a bunch outside his window last night.
And it has me just a teency bit uneasy as I have a window in the loft above my room that's cracked...so if they wanted to, they could come right in. I've been told they're afraid of us.
I will be shutting that window soon. Maybe tomorrow.
Now it's too late! Agh! Drinking wine late means you spend time doing things you probably shouldn't!
cheers,B
a real aussie barbie!
the only break I took from my sequestered study intensive was this past Sunday...and it was awesome. me and the housemates threw a bbq party...we cleaned up the house and the back garden (and by we I mean me), the boys did good on the food - nathan on salads and michael at the grill. I was in charge of drinks. I suggested a kegger (just like the Oakdale days, MT & O'Riley)...my roomies gave me looks of, 'huh?'.
turns out like everything else here, kegs are f*ing spendy.
take a guess...dare you.
nope...higher.
I mean, I really should've known...
$325 was the cheapest I found.
!!!
so we bought a few bottles of Aussie wine and regular old bottled beer. and our guests were gracious and supplied plenty more wine and beer. and a cheesecake! Mari & Ollie brought a cheesecake...gawd bless 'em! delish.
it was a smashing success...even the chuks were out and about in the first few hours (here chuks = chickens = hens). of course I didn't take any pics (doh!)...but my gay boyfriend showed up with camera in hand (as always)...so hopefully you'll see a few on FB soon :)
we have plenty of leftover alcohol...come on over and have a drink w/me, please!
cheers!
turns out like everything else here, kegs are f*ing spendy.
take a guess...dare you.
nope...higher.
I mean, I really should've known...
$325 was the cheapest I found.
!!!
so we bought a few bottles of Aussie wine and regular old bottled beer. and our guests were gracious and supplied plenty more wine and beer. and a cheesecake! Mari & Ollie brought a cheesecake...gawd bless 'em! delish.
it was a smashing success...even the chuks were out and about in the first few hours (here chuks = chickens = hens). of course I didn't take any pics (doh!)...but my gay boyfriend showed up with camera in hand (as always)...so hopefully you'll see a few on FB soon :)
we have plenty of leftover alcohol...come on over and have a drink w/me, please!
cheers!
paper paper...
sorry I've been MIA...been buried under a pile of books for the last week and half. we had a lovely week off for Easter Break (I kept calling it Spring Break...fall break...whatevs). a handful of people took fun trips to fancy places...I read books and discovered the brand-spankin-new law library (it's pretty pimp). kept meaning to go but didn't get there until my german-social-butterfly-friend invited me for a study date.
BUT...I sent a rough draft of my masterpiece to my tutor today for review! And it's not due until Monday...so I will forget about it for 24 hours...and then editing and wrapping it up should be easy-peasy...phew...
The topic was how do we change our existing built environments built in the fossil-fuel-era to be more sustainable without adding to the problem, and how do we live in a world without oil?
There is no easy answer, let me tell YOU! I invite you to think about how incredibly different your life might be without cheap oil...and maybe start thinking about plan B now. I'm concerned there aren't enough people (especially those more intelligent than me, which is a lot)...thinking about this...that it's RARELY in the media (environmental issues are, sure, but not finite oil depletion issues).
And maybe start thinking about gardening (food supply will probably be an issue)...
Okay...enough Debbie Downer! I read a really great paper on how to best prepare for post-oil we'll need clear heads and good mental capacity/effectivenes...and one of the best things you can do for your melon is to take a walk where there is nature.
Luckily there is lots of lovely nature in Sydney! And tons to explore...
cheers-
BUT...I sent a rough draft of my masterpiece to my tutor today for review! And it's not due until Monday...so I will forget about it for 24 hours...and then editing and wrapping it up should be easy-peasy...phew...
The topic was how do we change our existing built environments built in the fossil-fuel-era to be more sustainable without adding to the problem, and how do we live in a world without oil?
There is no easy answer, let me tell YOU! I invite you to think about how incredibly different your life might be without cheap oil...and maybe start thinking about plan B now. I'm concerned there aren't enough people (especially those more intelligent than me, which is a lot)...thinking about this...that it's RARELY in the media (environmental issues are, sure, but not finite oil depletion issues).
And maybe start thinking about gardening (food supply will probably be an issue)...
Okay...enough Debbie Downer! I read a really great paper on how to best prepare for post-oil we'll need clear heads and good mental capacity/effectivenes...and one of the best things you can do for your melon is to take a walk where there is nature.
Luckily there is lots of lovely nature in Sydney! And tons to explore...
cheers-
Monday, April 5, 2010
blog help
someone needs to help me layout this sh*t...I hate how that last post turned out. boo. help me!
rugby!
I went to my first rugby game!
Anna, a lovely Dutch girl that MT introduced me to, was going with her boyfriend & a bunch of their friends, and had an extra ticket. It was raining, though we found covered seats...and apparently there are TWO rugby leagues here...and I saw the snootier, higher class (?) one...which is supposed to be more gentleman-ly and slightly slower moving.
Unfortunately, I know nothing about the game and Anna doesn't, either...and the girls we were sitting next to were not very warm and fuzzy. Luckily, she'd already warned me about the sitch. One of the girls, who we ended up talking to later and quite a bit at the after bar, was really sweet and had some hilarious stories. She's a stylist and lived in LA for a year. So we discussed Rachel Zoe. I knew that time invested in Bravo would pay off somehow ;)
On the upside, we saw the Sydney Waratahs (a flower, not very manly)...and I have a crush on one of their star players, Berrick Barnes (don't ask about the name...sounds really odd, right? Except it's only one letter off Derrick...which sounds a bit more normal). Hmm...
Will learn more about rugby soon...must be able to converse with hot Aussies about topic...or better yet...find myself a handsome tutor!
cheers...
south american Sydney...
It's funny that when I was considering jumping the border for experience abroad, I was seriously contemplating both Sydney and South America (w/the Peace Corps).
I kind of ended up with both here! 99% of my friends are international, and there's quite a large contingent from South America (Chile, Colombia, Ecuador) + some spaniards + a handful of super cool Mexicanos.
Last week, on Thursday night I went to a lecture on planning for sex work (quite interesting in and of itself - prostitution is legal here in Sydney, and throughout most of Australia) (and by the way, somehow I ended up sitting near some of the "professionals" ...which was apparent almost immediately...though they both introduced themselves as being sex workers during the Q&A session at the end)...then went out w/a bunch of latino amigos! Juan Pablo from Chile lives in Kings Cross (my first adventure in that part of town, too)...has a pimp roof deck...so we picked up some beverages, he brought up his laptop & speakers and we pre-gamed for quite a while. Went to a nice club nearby afterwards...and then the party split up, I went with the group that was heading closer to home, and walked home.
But I am not losing my spanish skills over here! Fun to practice...though I can't really understand the authentic sh*t to save my life...esp. cuando esta muy rapida!
hasta luego...
I kind of ended up with both here! 99% of my friends are international, and there's quite a large contingent from South America (Chile, Colombia, Ecuador) + some spaniards + a handful of super cool Mexicanos.
Last week, on Thursday night I went to a lecture on planning for sex work (quite interesting in and of itself - prostitution is legal here in Sydney, and throughout most of Australia) (and by the way, somehow I ended up sitting near some of the "professionals" ...which was apparent almost immediately...though they both introduced themselves as being sex workers during the Q&A session at the end)...then went out w/a bunch of latino amigos! Juan Pablo from Chile lives in Kings Cross (my first adventure in that part of town, too)...has a pimp roof deck...so we picked up some beverages, he brought up his laptop & speakers and we pre-gamed for quite a while. Went to a nice club nearby afterwards...and then the party split up, I went with the group that was heading closer to home, and walked home.
But I am not losing my spanish skills over here! Fun to practice...though I can't really understand the authentic sh*t to save my life...esp. cuando esta muy rapida!
hasta luego...
two other random observances...
1) a term with negative connotations is 'pudding' as in, he's a pudding. no back bone. old fashioned way of saying douche, perhaps? (Nichoel, you are not a pudding either! Just looked at your blog so I could become a 'follower' [which almost has religious connotations, BTW])
2) you can find people walking around in bare feet all the time. in both summer and fall. and not just homeless people (though, have seen a few shoeless guys wandering around)...think it's part of the surf/beach culture...maybe. or just another way aussie guys are cowboys...like, yeah, screw it, we don't need no stinkin shoes!
and a third...they throw shoes over power lines here, too. there's some on a perpendicular street to mine, about a block down. pretty sure it's not a sign for gangs. might be a sign for drugs? though, still could never get a straight answer on what it meant in Chicago, either.
oh, and speaking of drugs, for the first time I overheard someone being offered drugs. wasn't to me...but for the first time, I went to the sketchier train station near Uni (with 3 other people, safety in numbers!)...Redfern. The guy offered another guy acid and weed I think...seemed like an odd association of product options.
no worries! still drug-free ;)
2) you can find people walking around in bare feet all the time. in both summer and fall. and not just homeless people (though, have seen a few shoeless guys wandering around)...think it's part of the surf/beach culture...maybe. or just another way aussie guys are cowboys...like, yeah, screw it, we don't need no stinkin shoes!
and a third...they throw shoes over power lines here, too. there's some on a perpendicular street to mine, about a block down. pretty sure it's not a sign for gangs. might be a sign for drugs? though, still could never get a straight answer on what it meant in Chicago, either.
oh, and speaking of drugs, for the first time I overheard someone being offered drugs. wasn't to me...but for the first time, I went to the sketchier train station near Uni (with 3 other people, safety in numbers!)...Redfern. The guy offered another guy acid and weed I think...seemed like an odd association of product options.
no worries! still drug-free ;)
small world...
It's quite a small world here...which is really fun.
I run into people from school on the city streets pretty frequently. Just today coming back from yoga, ran into a guy from the salsa club. He loves to dress up, and wow, he was dressed to the nines today! I asked where he was going, to which he replied 'oh, just meeting a friend from biology'...so...I guess it's not only the hoochy ladies in Kings Cross that get dolled up...generally all kinds of people here like to spruce up!
I've also run into a couple of people that know someone else in Minnesota! I typically say that I moved here from Chicago...thinking it's an easier city/landmark for people to recognize (or pretend to). But if it goes further, I say that I grew up in Minneapolis.
This one guy who was hitting on me in a club in Kings Cross a few nights ago (no, sadly, not a hunky surfer dude...just a tipsy indian dude)...his sister lives in Eagan. Crazy.
It's fun to feel connected...both to new ties here and my old ties back home...
cheers!
I run into people from school on the city streets pretty frequently. Just today coming back from yoga, ran into a guy from the salsa club. He loves to dress up, and wow, he was dressed to the nines today! I asked where he was going, to which he replied 'oh, just meeting a friend from biology'...so...I guess it's not only the hoochy ladies in Kings Cross that get dolled up...generally all kinds of people here like to spruce up!
I've also run into a couple of people that know someone else in Minnesota! I typically say that I moved here from Chicago...thinking it's an easier city/landmark for people to recognize (or pretend to). But if it goes further, I say that I grew up in Minneapolis.
This one guy who was hitting on me in a club in Kings Cross a few nights ago (no, sadly, not a hunky surfer dude...just a tipsy indian dude)...his sister lives in Eagan. Crazy.
It's fun to feel connected...both to new ties here and my old ties back home...
cheers!
got my Easter egg..
Happy Belated Easter peeps! (and I'm not specifically referring to the marshmellow ones, fyi, haven't seen those suckers sold her)
I showed up at church quite early for the first time in my life...on 2 accounts...first, I thought I wouldn't get a seat otherwise (last week was quite crowded, and when I showed up late I had to do the walk of shame about halfway up the church to find an opening)...and second, I forgot about the time change. Oopsy!
For the second time I was at the biggest Anglican cathedral downtown...which isn't that big, really...but they have a lovely choir and the music almost brought me to tears it was so beautiful (well, that, or it was the heavy fog of incense in the air...but, whatever) (I was actually seeing dance to the music...which sometimes makes me think I need to chuck this all for choregraphy...but that's another entry ;)
There were two beautiful gay men sitting a row in front of me...seriously, the blonde one...I would've made babies with him in the balcony if he asked me to. His genes appeared to be THAT good...it'd be taking one for the team (for the entire human race, really). Gay men really should procreate...we're missing out on some serious attractiveness, I think.
I also received a large chocolate easter egg directly after finishing my communion...from a handsome altar boy who was handing them out from a large basket. I almost laughed...I couldn't believe it. Sweet!
Easter's a big deal here. Friday and Monday are public holidays, too. Friday, EVERYTHING WAS CLOSED. I was almost out of milk...no wine [ :( ]...and needed cash but luckily got some from a cute little indian-run grocery store.
WHERE I ALSO bought my first package of TIM TAMS! D! I probably should've tried them sooner...but just didn't see them. OMG...I ate 4 that first day. So delicious.
Plenty of good chocolate options around these parts...Cadbury products are everywhere (missed that from our Europe adventures)(oh, and they have Magnum ice cream bars here, too!)...I have a private supply in my bedroom. Out of the reach of my landlord!
Okay...super long. Hope you enjoyed a nice meal or at the very least some decadent chocolate.
cheers!
I showed up at church quite early for the first time in my life...on 2 accounts...first, I thought I wouldn't get a seat otherwise (last week was quite crowded, and when I showed up late I had to do the walk of shame about halfway up the church to find an opening)...and second, I forgot about the time change. Oopsy!
For the second time I was at the biggest Anglican cathedral downtown...which isn't that big, really...but they have a lovely choir and the music almost brought me to tears it was so beautiful (well, that, or it was the heavy fog of incense in the air...but, whatever) (I was actually seeing dance to the music...which sometimes makes me think I need to chuck this all for choregraphy...but that's another entry ;)
There were two beautiful gay men sitting a row in front of me...seriously, the blonde one...I would've made babies with him in the balcony if he asked me to. His genes appeared to be THAT good...it'd be taking one for the team (for the entire human race, really). Gay men really should procreate...we're missing out on some serious attractiveness, I think.
I also received a large chocolate easter egg directly after finishing my communion...from a handsome altar boy who was handing them out from a large basket. I almost laughed...I couldn't believe it. Sweet!
Easter's a big deal here. Friday and Monday are public holidays, too. Friday, EVERYTHING WAS CLOSED. I was almost out of milk...no wine [ :( ]...and needed cash but luckily got some from a cute little indian-run grocery store.
WHERE I ALSO bought my first package of TIM TAMS! D! I probably should've tried them sooner...but just didn't see them. OMG...I ate 4 that first day. So delicious.
Plenty of good chocolate options around these parts...Cadbury products are everywhere (missed that from our Europe adventures)(oh, and they have Magnum ice cream bars here, too!)...I have a private supply in my bedroom. Out of the reach of my landlord!
Okay...super long. Hope you enjoyed a nice meal or at the very least some decadent chocolate.
cheers!
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