sorry its been so long!

Sunday March 30th 2008
Hello all
Sorry its been so long since i last posted. I have yet to purchase internet in my apartment and i feel mildly guilty about blogging at work. So i have come to work on a sunday to tie up some loose ends and post some pictures!

I went to the aquarium (Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta still #1) on Easter Monday. The Uni (what they call university here, the word college is used to describe some other form of education, like high school or something) was closed so i took the opportunity to go to Circular Quay (pronounced key) in the city. The Opera House and Harbour (not a misspelling) Bridge was right there at the quay. Fantastic! Unbelievably beautiful up close. Here are a few pics. If you want to spend the money, you can actually climb the bridge and walk across the arch. if you look real close you might even see people on the bridge in the picture! These pictures were taken from the ferry ride from Circular Quay to Darling Harbour, where the aquarium is located. super fun!



Also, i have to post some pics of my apartment. I did not take a picture of the kitchen yet because there are always dishes! but its a kitchen. maybe someday i will post a pic, ahh the suspense!

This is the only window in the apartment. it looks out to the front of the house which is taken over completely by flowering shrubs. fine with me, light and privacy. plus the pretty stained glass windows are well...pretty.

You might be wondering what the room above is. well, its my living room. i have a lawn chair and a tv stand! yes, thats it. and in the doors are all my clothes. so, i guess its like my closet...only they are all folded and on shelves because i dont have a real closet or a dresser. I dont have a real couch yet either. i am looking for a futon, because then its a couch and a bed. thats all i need for all of you when you come visit!!

you might also notice my fantastic artwork above the mini closet doors. instead of having to buy frames and nails and a hammer and whatever i saved the cardboard inserts from when i purchased my bedding. i covered the cardboard with wrapping paper i found at Target (dont get too excited the Target here isnt nearly as wonderful as the Target in the US) and then taped the pictures to the wrapping paper. I poked holes in the corners, put ribbon through it and hung it from an existing nail in the wall. all together, 6$ spent. I have another photo display in the kitchen and plenty of wrapping paper, ribbon and cardboard for more!

friday night i went out with a coworker to his friends house. it was like a little segregated gathering. girls over here, boys over there. Believe it or not it was one of the warmest welcomes from a group of girls i have ever experienced. most of the time girls are mean because they think your intruding on their territory. these girls were great! i felt very comfortable. we chatted about accents, and the US, and the AU government (really, on a friday night!) but it was nice to get out of my apartment and see other people. other people that arent scientists.

saturday night i went to the city to meet a girl i met at the womans meeting, Erin. We walked through the botanical gardens, went to The Rocks, Pitt St Mall, Paddington Market, Oxford St, tons of places. we made a whole afternoon out of it. it was really great fun and shes a fun girl. i am happy to know i have at least one friend! we might get together again this upcoming weekend.

I will leave you with the Wollemi Pine. It was thought to be extinct until they found one...so it wasnt! Keiths mom told me to find one and take a pic. I didnt even know they existed until she told me about it. (its the tall tree in the middle of the pic) This ones for you Mom Sharon!


xo - Sharon

What happens when you cant wear your favorite shoes??

Friday March 14th 845pm
i saw my first roach today. gross. lucky he was outside. he was one of those flying ones though. if he wasnt a roach he was the biggest darn beetle ever. (definitely a roach)

also my sandals broke today. my most favoritest comfortablest shoes in the whole wide world. i was close to buying another pair before i left the states, but alas, i did not. i guess i will be on a hunt for not only furniture but another pair of super spectacular sandals. They lasted a long time, i think i bought them at kohls while i was at purchase. soo at least 5 years if not more.

i moved a bunch of my stuff over to the apartment this evening. its a lovely and safe walk from the lodge. and i think it will be just the same to the uni. Thats what they call college here, Uni. i stopped and treated myself to ice cream and people watched for a while at The Spot. then i headed over to the used bookstore. Pook you woulda looooved this bookstore. very quaint and tons of used, inexpensive books. many of them were very recent too, not smelly at all.

i also got my staff id. i took a lovely picture that day. notice i am being sarcastic. but i can get in the building and lab so thats all that matters. i started some research today, but thats really not that interesting. the lab is different and its difficult to find simple things like stir bars and the stir bar picker-outer. but i think (and hope) that i will adjust soon.

my boss said he had an extra bed in storage, and would let me borrow, buy or have it. we havent really decided yet. hes very long winded and can go off topic really quick. i dont help any because the conversations are interesting and i like to hear about things. we began talking about the bed and were still in conversation about a half hour later and we were talking about the housing market in the sydney area.

if anyone ever decides to come down this way everything is pretty expensive. some things are comparable but what i have noticed is whatever you think your going to pay for something, double it. so a bottle of water 2$, the small ice cream i had 5$, lunch 10$ at a cheap place. i have yet to go out to dinner, but there are some Thai restaurants, an Indian restaurant and an Italian seafood restaurant i would like to try down at The Spot. i guess i will have to save for them.

thats all the non-exciting stuff that happened to me.

no pictures of birds today, but i did find this picture of Frankie at camp this past summer on my camera the other day! it makes me soooooo happy!!

goodness!

Wednesday March 12 840pm
Yesterday i signed the lease on the apartment. horray! The landlady and her family are lovely. The other tenants on the property are also very nice. The apartment is quirky. its certainly not a new style. but the point is it is a safe neighborhood, safe and quick walk to work and affordable. I will take pictures when i remember. maybe tomorrow. and i will send my address in an email, i dont want to post it.

yesterday there was a censure of the Prime Minister here in Australia because he did not promise to give a lump sum of 1600$ to the care givers. He was thinking about splitting it into 4 payments throughout the year. From what i understand a censure is a pretty serious thing. its a big mandatory meeting where the legislative people yell at each other because they disagree. if we had one every time our parties disagreed we really would never get anything done.

i also went to Bondi Junction yesterday and today (nope Aubrey, not the beach...). The bank and The Body Shop are there. It was my first experience with the bus and it was very easy. The Body Shop here in Australia carries the exact same products that the US Body Shops do. In fact, we have more stuff. I purchased coconut milk lotion because i looooove it!! and paid about 8$ more for it here. the only thing that is better is their bag for life. super usable. it has a flat bottom so i plan on taking it to the grocery store instead of using plastic bags.


Today I purchased a fridge. A second hand fridge. Most important it is clean and it works. i priced out renting a fridge of about the same size and it would cost me around $800 for 15 mo. This one was $200 and they delivered it AND carried it into the apartment for me. Sorry Aubrey, not a Bondi boy. These guys were French but one of them couldve qualified as a surfer long as he didnt speak.

i also, of course, have pictures of birds. the birds really are different and beautiful here.


This bird was on my walk back to the lodge from my apartment. I think its a magpie. It makes a sound almost like a cat or baby crying. Even her beak is black and white.


This bird was crazy. i was sitting at a bench ON CAMPUS and here comes this bird walking right towards me. i wasnt eating, i was just sitting. i busted out my camera, took some picks and hightailed it outta there because i didnt want him to go crazy on me. check out that beak. imagine if that started pecking at you!

I will end today with TimTams. yum yum yum. some of you may know one of my super fav things from england are caramel chocolate digestive cookies. well, no digestives here, but there are TimTams. chocolaty chocolate goodness! they even have a kind with caramel in them. those will be next.


xo S*

There ARE dumb people!

Monday March 10 815pm
Normally i would begin a post with the beginning of my day however i just stepped in from outside from an encounter with some "locals". There were 6 of them and they were sitting listening to music at the picnic table in the courtyard. I was engaged in a meaningless conversation with a girl from Louisiana (the first American i have met here) and one of the locals who were her friends over heard us and proceeded to ask me why i hate men. What? I wanted to be like, are you dumb? Youre dumb arent you? Apparently he thought he could confront me on NOTHING just to seem cool. I felt amazingly uncomfortable being around dumb people and said bye and left. Hope those kids grow up someday. dummies.

anywho. I might have an apartment!! I only visited one on saturday and it was interetsing. There is no fridge because that constitutes furnished. I have no furniture and frankly dont care as long as i have a place to live. There is also an interesting "skylight" in the kitchen. its sort of a green and clear plastic roof thing. the sun shines through and there really is a green tint to everything. i have to go get money tomorrow and sign paperwork. wish me luck!! before i received the good news i was calling and calling and calling places for rent. They were all either taken or applications pending. the housing crunch here is evident, so i am going to take what i can get.

i then went for another walk and found a mall-ish like thing! horray! the clothes were kindof expensive and not very good quality, but i did try some on. then i found a store that reminds me of Stars. Does anyone remember Stars? Theyve got clothes, towels, sheets and pillows for pretty inexpensive. Good thing i found that because i am going to need some soon!! i also found a store that reminds me of Big Lots. i bought a roll of tape, a stapler and scissors.

then the highlight of my trip. silverware!! i bought a higher quality knife, fork and spoon from a store called Cucina which reminds me of pier 1. only this store is 1/10 the size and has a little cafe/bakery in it. my new silverware are super simple, but i like the heft and the way they balance in your hand. there are pieces i can add of course, like a cheese peeler and dessert spoon.


One thing that catches me off guard is the unit difference. I went to the grocery store to get some fruit and juice. I bought a peach at 4.79 per kg. all the fruits and veggies are around 5$ per kg. well, i stand stunned at the price for a moment and go oooohhhh, 1 kg = 2.2 lbs so its about the same. My peach was 79 cents. phew! also 1 km = 0.6 miles. sooo my new apartment is only 1.2 miles away from school. horray!!

xo S*

Today!

Monday March 10 '08, 440 am
i Managed to stay up until 915 pm or so last night thanks to The Wedding Crashers on TV. But, since its 140 pm in Syracuse i am awake. Its only 440 am here in Sydney. lucky for me the Today show is on. I love the Today show!! They are talking about tax preparation at the moment. Why do people in Australia need information on tax prep? I would really like to see an Australian morning show. Perhaps i will make some tea and try to go back to bed.
xo S*

Now Meet the Press is on and its current! Definetly not going to bed now. i love meet the press.

A little sunburn

Sunday March 09, 730 pm
Yes, i know what you are saying. jeez, shes blogging again. what a loser, shes in a totally different country and on the computer. yep because i am exhausted! its 430 am in Syracuse and only 730 pm here in Sydney. i am doing anything possible just to stay awake for a little while longer. i went outside and read a magazine, went for a walk and had dinner. I want to try to make it till 9 pm before i fall asleep. thats my goal.

so i will tell you what i observed on my adventures today.

I went to Coogee beach. If you think that name is funny Woolloomooloo actually exists. It was a lovely day out, 24 C which is 75 F. But i think they are lying because that was the friggin hottest 75 F i have ever experienced in my life. it felt like one of the hottest days i have ever felt in Syracuse. But i guess the sun is more potent here, latitude or longitude or whatever. hmm, is statement even scientifically correct?... you know what i mean.

One thing i noticed was a fair amount of garbage lying about at the beach and along the walking trails. a beer can here, a beer bottle there, a chip bag over there. I am probably being too critical however because there are so many people who frequent that beach. the garbage/people ratio is probably pretty small. Here are a few pictures from my beach trip which yielded sunburned cheeks.



There are also none of those heat bugs. You know the bugs. They sortof buzz saying "gee its hot out" when its hot out. Like if you had a disease and you couldnt feel temperature, these bugs would tell you it was hot. (way too much explanation for the bugs i know you know i am talking about)

I also saw a few birds along my walks. Here is a pigeon-like bird. I was kind of chasing them around like a maniac today trying to get pictures. Our neighbor, Ms. Jessie, loves birds and was always talking about all the pretty birds i was going to see. This ones for you Ms. Jessie!

I hope to see lots more birds, and hopefully more exotic birds as well. oh yeah and i want to hug a koala bear! i dont know how environmentally friendly that is though...its through a zoo, i am not going to run into the brush and grab a koala, but i guess it could be analogous to a petting zoo... whateves, i am hugging a koala.

There must be a helmet law here in Sydney as well. all the motorbikes i see have a driver and passenger with a helmet.

The cross walks make a sound like you are pacman (or pacwoman) and can go eat the ghost guys when its time for you to cross the street.

neosporin (or bacetracin or triple anibiotic ointment) is a prescription here in australia. thats a pain because i was going to buy some. but noooo. whoever comes here first needs to bring some neosporin.

After i returned home from Coogee beach i had lunch and then walked to the Shops at the Spot. It was really more like Food at the Spot with a beauty salon, used book store and movie theater. i think i counted 5 Thai restaurants, all with names like Thai-rific! Always a clever play on words.

well, i am off to choose one of the 7 pairs of khakis to wear tomorrow. thank goodness its 815 pm.

i will leave you with this picture of pods. There is some vegetation in the small courtyard on the side of the lodge. The pods are on a vine that happens to be wrapped around a bush. The lady at reception did not know what vine this was, or if the pods are flowers or seeds.


xo S*

Eggs on a shelf

Sunday March 9th ~11am
I have arrived in Sydney. The plane landed around 7am Sydney time Saturday morning (about dinner time friday Syracuse time). Breezed through immigration, baggage claim and customs in about 20 minutes, which is absolutely unheard of in London. When we would go for ISIS experiments we would wait in the immigration line for at least an hour...pure torture. The first thing i did was purchase a phone from vodafone at the airport. Heres a pick of the thing compared to a normal size card; its too darn small!!

But they include a hands free device with your phone because its illegal to drive and talk without it. Thats what i call smart. If you want us to use it, give it to us when we purchase the phone.

Dr. John Stride from UNSW picked me up from the airport. So far he's a cool guy. Easy to talk to, funny, smart, considerate. We will see tomorrow how he is as a boss! I think its going to be just fine.

Then i checked into High Cross Park Lodge in Randwick. Nice place, a good size, inexpensive, clean, and your own bathroom and kitchen (fridge, toaster, kettle, sink, dishes), and actually across from a park. Heres some picks of my room. So far the Sydney metropolitan area reminds me of Boston... we will see.

Theres the little kitchen! and the moo cow Keith won for me playing the bowling game at the fair this last summer!

The bathroom is nice and big! Large shower stall too!

A little desk and fireplace. Super cute. Notice the window is closed because it looks out into someone elses window...yummy!

Then went out for a walk. Got a 3 dollar newspaper thats good all weekend! At least i dont have to go buy another one today. Bought Australian Vogue for 8 $! argh! and is 1/4 the size of this months US vogue. Bought a 4 dollar iced coffee. Yes iced. i was too friggin hot for regular coffee. Then went to the local grocery store.
ahhhh, the grocery store. I spent 36$ and bought one reusable bag full of groceries. One. My mom will be happy...the store is called Coles. My mom loves Kohls!!
One thing is for sure, with these prices i am going to be broke sooner than later! at least i dont have to buy petrol, which is twice as expensive as the US, but half the price of England.

Then i inspected an apartment in the Randwick suburb that is about a 15 minute walk to UNSW. It was a cute place and in my price range; 250 per week. But i am sure its going to go fast and i would like to look a little more.

By this time it was only about 12 noon.

I decided to watch some tv. They have some of the same commercials we do. Like the V8 commercial where there is a man and woman at the dinner table and the man gives his veggies to the dog and then the dog bops him in the head. EXACTLY the same commercial, only everyone has an Australian accent. Thats not the only one either. I saw the today show this morning.

i also saw my first bug. Nothing impressive, but i am not dissapointed, i dont really want to see any at all. And my first bird. Crow like in structure and color, but with white on the outline of its body and wings. pretty.

I got up this morning around 5 because of the jet lag. I thought it was 6 because i had set my phone an hour fast at the airport when i got it. oops. who needs to set the time and date on their phone anyway. Its supposed to automatically appear when your phone and the satellite talk to each other...

I unpacked all my clothes this morning and put them in the drawers. I did not use the closet because the handles are grimy and it smells funny...eeeww. i also packed 7 pairs of khaki pants. 7. i dont even like khaki pants that much, but apparently they remind me of warm weather. Maybe i will send some back to Keith...eh, probably not.


i will leave you with this. The cars here are like the US. The food here is like England, and they sell their eggs on a shelf in the isle next to the granola bars. Blech! put those things in the fridge! they dont sell that fast! It would be better if the cars were little like England and the food was yummy like the US.

xo S*