* Creative Crafty Chemist *

Resolution

2009-01-09T19:01:00.002-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
my one and only resolution
to blog

it cant be that difficult...right? but as we have all seen from the previous 9 months (yes, 9 months and how many posts have i published???...) i guess it IS that difficult.

i am going to say i will plan on blogging...oh...at least once a week. honestly, my life isnt that interesting. mon-fri = work, gym, home. saturday and sunday maybe something fun. in the end i only constructed this blog to keep my fam and friends posted on what was happenin' in Australia.

I just returned to Australia from a month of work/fun travleing. France, Spain and the US. now i need a holiday from my holiday. but its back to the grindstone because i am going to Germany in 10 days or something like that (for work)...and my compounds arent ready yet.

i will post pictures next time i blog...waaaaay too much to attempt to do before the trip.
peace out!
xo S*

I will always be a bad blogger

2008-10-14T20:36:00.009-04:00

Wednesday October 15th 2008

First let me apologize to everyone who has been scolding me for not updating.
Keith, Aubrey, Beans, Cathy, Mom, Mom, Courtney, Nina...and more...

Its almost summer here and i try to fill my time with uni and the outdoors.
Its fabulous here and i guess i could write tons of words about it, but i will post pictures instead.

I miss you all. Especially Keith and my happy little animal family back in Syracuse!

The Stride Group at UNSW

Niisha and I at Darling Harbour for my bday. It was a good night!

Mohammad and Amy, silly!

Niisha, Libor and Me

Sugarloaf Bay
Pelican, he didnt want the bread we threw him, he just wanted to be involved!!

Beautiful sunday with friends...and food!!! yummy!!

Castle Rock Bay
View of the city from Taronga Zoo

View of Harbour Bridge from Taronga Zoo

Sunset at Castle Rock Bay

Thanks all for putting up with my lack thereof!!
xo S*

I'm a bad blogger

2008-08-14T04:53:00.004-04:00

Thursday August 14th 2008
sorry guys. thats it. im a bad blogger.
i never could keep a journal or a diary...

ive got tons of things to tell you all (just to keep you in suspense and hope you guys will come back!!).

first.
i got a haircut.
before...

after...
yeah...and a blowdryer helps too...

thats all for today...
its shopping thursday and ive got to window shop!!

drop me a line and let me know if anyone still checks this out...

xo
S*

posting again!!

2008-05-27T04:00:00.004-04:00

Tuesday May 27th 6pm

Remember a few posts ago when i said it was fall and cold...well i lied. Its almost winter and not cold. When i wrote that post it had been raining forever and thats why it was chilly. its been like a splendid northeast spring day ever since. the breeze makes daytime a little brisk, but not the fall brisk those of us from the northeast are used to.

this fall is a fraud! its not fall! its fake fall! thats alright. i will just appreciate autumn much more when i get back to the states. it is my favorite time of year...aside from summer...summer is always fantastic! i am however, not looking forward to summer here; its supposed to be really hot and humid. i am sure i will be posting my misery when that time rolls around.

today is tuesday...so we all know what that means...MOVIE NIGHT! yay. theres a handful of us from Uni going to see Indiana Jones. It better be worlds better than last weeks movie.

i have also been feeling a bit nostalgic i suppose and have been trying to find people from my past on myspace and facebook and whatnot. perhaps it might be my way of dealing with a mild case of homesickness.

Mohammad and i went out friday night to Pavillion in the city. He was amazingly indecisive that night and didnt know if he wanted to drive in or take the bus. so we get in the car and drive to the petrol station so he can fill up so we can drive to the city. then he decided that it would be a better idea to take the bus. so in the end we just got in his car to put petrol in it...BUT i like to think there is a reason for everything. the petrol station had a car wash...here it is...

If we did not drive to the petrol station just to get petrol...we wouldve never seen the Ho wash!!

Sunday, I met up with Erin and we went to Paddys market. i bought some socks. we tried to haggle a little because thats what you do at the market...but they werent having it that day. perhaps we need to practice a little more. There were Chinese dancers on the sidewalk (Paddys is in Chinatown) and they were performing for donations for the earthquake victims.

Some of you have been yelling at me a little cuz i dont post pictures of myself. But, in my defense it is difficult to get in the picture you are taking!! i promise i will try to do better. for now i will post i picture i took of myself in my bathroom on saturday night. yes, i was absolutely bored and attempting to amuse myself.

Hello everyone!!!
xo
S*

Congratz!

2008-05-23T03:17:00.003-04:00

Friday May 23 520pm

This post is for Courtney!
Happy brand new baby day!!
Haley Pellett...beautiful.

Melissa sent me pics and i am sooo very happy to be an "auntie" again!

i love you
Congratulations!!!
xoxoxo
S*

a welcomed theobromine overdose

2008-05-21T02:09:00.008-04:00

Wednesday May 21 2008 410pm

Yes. i just posted. but i have actual stories to tell now! i figured it would be good to separate the ShoutOuts or the post would be very long and no one would read.

A bunch of us from Uni went to a Sydney Swans game at the beginning of the month. They are the local AFL (australian footbal league) team. Looks like rugby, same ball as rugby, but not rugby. Its Aussie rules. Basically, these tall, skinny, muscle guys run and kick the ball to each other on a round field. the point is to kick the ball through the two tall posts at either "end" of the circle. its really a fantastic, fast paced game. virtually no penalties and the guys throw each other around and fight for the ball and everything. best part; no padding or helmets!! Also, since i am not a student i had to get an adult ticket. There were only two of us there with adult tickets, the rest were student tickets...naturally they called us mommy and daddy the whole trip. kinda cute. the names seem to have stuck; at least in my research group anyway.

Went to the movies to see Iron Man. Mohammad likes to remind everyone he is gold titanium alloy man. funny funny. Good movie. That movie i was happy to see in the theater. Stoj, Eli, Mohammad, Grace and I also went to see Shutter. Awful. Please dont waste your money. Dionne, i know you LOVE horror movies; i promise this one is a waste of your time. Honestly, just watch The Ring and The Grudge back to back.

Heres Eli, Stoj, Mohammad and Grace last week when we all went out to dinner. we then went to Brighton Beach or La Peruse Beach (they all run together, i dont know where one ends and the other begins!)

I also want to send a big big terrific hello and thank yo to Nina! ha! she sent me a care package from da 'Cuse and it was everything a NYer in Sydney could ever want. Yummy chocolates (most of which have been consumed by now) of the exotic variety and Reeses!! There isnt any peanut butter & chocolate here...i have to combine Nutella and peanut butter myself! Neosporin (cuz im not going to a doctor for a prescription!) salt (if you know me, you know i hate salt and i hate it when YOU use too much salt!) oh and THANKS MATT; Nina said the salt was your idea! and a squished space needle penny. I adore squished pennies. Also included was a card hand made by her sister. Its not in the photo, but shoulda been, cuz its so darn cute!

Work has been going ok. The porous formates continue to be stubborn and do not want to be prepared. I am getting a quad box in order to do some calculations. thank goodness; progress here i come!!

miss you all and love you
xoxo
Sharon*

ShoutOutz!

2008-05-21T01:44:00.005-04:00

Wednesday, May 21, 2008 344pm

Hey again.
Yeah, i realize im not very good at this blogging thing. it might help if i get internet in my apartment. someday. right now i am kinda cavewomaning it. no tv, no phone, no internet, no pots, no pans...and guess what! its fantastic! for the most part.

i have updated my myspace, facebook and friendster accounts recently. i figure if i actually want to keep in touch with people i suppose i should give them a way to find me.

I have a bunch of ShoutOuts to make as well. Here it goes!

First MATTY WATTY!!! happy birthday (May 3rd) AND even more important, congrats on passing your second year oral examination. I had no doubts!! rock on! you will soon be Dr. Matty Watty!

Melissa dearest happy birthday to you too!!! (May 4th) I am super sad that i wasnt able to celebrate with you. Hope your weekend was great!

Cousin Lauren is the big 13! (May 4th yes?) so shout out to her and i hope all her wishes come true for her big teen year! xoxo

Mothers day was May 11, so happy mothers day to Mom, Grandma and Mom Keith! yay for moms!! cuz if it werent for them life wouldnt be as cool.

Happy Wedding to Carrie and Nish (May 17th). I hope it is everything you could ever want and more!! horray!!! promise i will visit soon and make you show me pictures.

Happy Happy birthday to Tom J. (may 17th) if i was home he woulda gotten a phone call and Keith and I woulda made him come out to hear a local band!

Brendans birthday was monday (may 19th) so super happy birthday to you! Havent seen you since your fantastic wedding; hope everything is terrific!

Emmanuels birthday was tuesday (may 20th) so i send birthday wishes to him as well!! Hope everything is great with your adventures to the land of MDs!

phew!! thats it for this month i think. of course if i left anyone out it was not on purpose, you just were not written in my date book. so lemme know and i will put you down for next year!!

of course i have to holla at Keith because he always deserves a ShoutOut. always thinking of you xoxo love you!!!

xo
S*

Tooooo Much to Doooo!

2008-04-29T02:33:00.007-04:00

Tuesday April 29th 2008 430pm
Yes, i have...tooooo much to dooooo! and also the title of the latest single from Sparkadia. A local Aussi band i had the privilege of seeing last wednesday evening. I'm not a huge fan of Indi music, or concerts for that matter, but i had to get out and see new things!! This was fantastic! If you like their music (on the myspace page, i havent been to the facebook one) they are even better in person. if they ever come to the states check 'em out! and if you like them their album is on itunes...i checked!

I went to the concert with Erin (middle), Aniesha (right), and Natalie (left). They are the girls i met at the beginning of my stay here. We hang out maybe once a week or so. Very nice and fun girls! sorry about the pic. we were in a pub and i didnt use the flash!

I figured i should post a pic of the other girls that i hang out with. Remember the previous post about the segregated Lebanese hangout? well, these are some of the girls. I like visiting them very much because i feel very comfortable, welcome and they are super fun. of course the boys arent in the picture because they are inside playing cards. thats what they do. cards.

Saturday was a lovely day finally. we had 14 days of rain in a row. it did not rain constantly, but usually in the afternoon and the evening. absolutely annoying and depressing!! argh! i couldnt even do laundry for that time because if i hung it outside darn right it was going to rain!

but the point is...lovely day saturday! Mohammad (the Lebo guy i work with and go to the Lebo house with) and i went to bondi beach and walked around and talked. i put my feet in the sand! it was cold and soft!!

Heres a pic of bondi beach!

yes...its fall...

xo
S*

it's Fall!!

2008-04-15T03:39:00.006-04:00

Tuesday April 15th 2008 540pm
It is cold here! Cold, rainy and windy. The wind is steady and just brings a chill right to your bones. The weather, besides the drizzle of rain, is ok...but the wind! it just grabs you!

It is fall here and i have seen one tree. One that has decided to bring me a taste of home.

Its leaves are beautiful colors. red, golden yellow, green, brown. They are even dropping to the ground in a rainbow of fall colors, creating a beautiful autumn blanket beneath it. But thats it. just one tree. I bet there are more somewhere.

There are also bats. tons of bats! the photo below was taken at the botanical gardens in Sydney by the opera house. This is just one of the trees with bats. all of the trees in the garden area have tons of bats in them. you can hear them squeaking and clacking as you approach.

There are also bats in my neighborhood. i havent taken a picture because it is not as amazing as this. you can see them flying overhead and they hang in a tree down the street. you can also hear them. they sound like you are twisting two pieces of glass together. its something i have never really heard before. and they are large! ive seen a small bat back in syracuse who perished by the back door of the loading dock at SU. these bats have huge wingspans. They must be the ones people write about...getting caught in your hair, sucking your blood, all that jazz.

Speaking of bats, there is also a rumor here that there is no rabies. i have not confirmed this with any research, but it is interesting. so i dont have to worry about any rabid animal approaching me.

Here it is also customary to purchase 3 ply toilet paper. in my opinion if they just made the 2 ply better you wouldnt need 3 ply. it is definetly a waste. the 1,2 or 3 ply lack any good quilting.

Everyones work day ends at 5pm too. no one really stays late, no one really comes in early, 10am maybe. the doors to the building downstairs lock at 5pm, so i need to use my card to get in. i find that interesting. they are very nonchalant here. come in late, leave early. eh, whatever. its kindof nice! but as you can see i will be here after 6pm.

the only downside to leaving after 5 is it starts to get dark here and i have to walk home. so today i will be walking home in the dark. i am ok with it. it is very safe. actually i am more concerned with walking along the uneven sidewalks and breaking myself than anything else!

research is going ok. my synthetic abilities have escaped me and i cannot make any porous formates. its frustrating, but i will continue trying. also, i have to use a bunch of different programs to visualize and work up data. which is fine, but not only am i working on a new project, but now i have to take the time to use all these different programs! argh! i better learn fast. GSAS is my new best friend...i only wish i was good at it!

tomorrow at group meeting i have to give my defense talk. that should be fun...

well, happy end of tax season and i hope you all get mad loot back from the govt!
Happy Birthday to Alex (april 11)! hope your weekend was super awesome!

miss you guys!
xoxo
Sharon

holy socks!

2008-04-01T02:09:00.002-04:00

Monday April 1st 2008 5:09pm
Happy April fools! However there were no jokes or tricks today...so much for fun!
I do however, have an interesting bit to tell...

Lately I have been noticing my left sock has a hole at the heel when i remove them to go to bed. At first i thought, hmm, better get some new socks. then i saw it a second time, in a brand new pair of socks and i thought, hmm cheap socks. then i saw it a third time, for the third day in a row!

Being a scientist, i have come up with a hypothesis that my shoes, a type of slip on sneaker thing, is causing this hole. On the fourth day, i periodically peaked at my left heel and there it was, a thin spot in my sock! by the time i got home it was a hole.

So there you have it my sneakers are making holes in my socks. only the left one though. which leads me to believe i either a) walk funny and uneven or b) my left foot is a smidgen longer than my right one.

i have a feeling i will be returning to the US with a lot of holy socks!

xo Sharon

sorry its been so long!

2008-03-29T23:53:00.008-04:00

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??

2008-03-14T05:43:00.006-04:00

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!

2008-03-12T05:38:00.010-04:00

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!

2008-03-10T05:12:00.004-04:00

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!

2008-03-09T13:37:00.004-04:00

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

2008-03-09T04:28:00.011-04:00

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

2008-03-08T18:26:00.008-05:00

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*

I'm done!

2008-01-28T21:00:00.000-05:00

Those were the words i spoke as i fumbled to thank everyone that deserved thanking at my PhD defense talk. I'm done.
Thank goodness!
All that is left is tweaking my dissertation writing a little and washing all my horrid glassware. Plans are to leave for Australia early March. I have been trying to organize things a bit around the house so Keith doesn't freak out looking for things.
Perhaps I will attempt to make some time to post some pics...yeah? Maybe, no promises!
Thanks Mom and Andy for making the trip over to Da Cuse to attend my talk. You guys rock!
xo S*

been a long time...

2007-10-26T11:41:00.000-04:00

Well I haven't posted pictures or kept up with this blog thing. I will (no promises...) though, fairly soon. However, I have been writing my dissertation. I've got to get a move on though because I need to defend by December 3rd. I just found out the boss is leaving for England 12/5 and returning 12/24. Yep, gotta finish before he leaves. I wanted to take this very important quiz (link below) because it might aid in my writing. Thats a big lie, but check it! HOTPINK! One word too...I wonder how reliable it is. Regardless, hotpink is a spectacular color. I just wish it looked good with my complexion. I don't know if I agree with everything hotpink says about me, but I still like it!

you are hotpink
#FF69B4

Your dominant hues are red and magenta. You love doing your own thing and going on your own adventures, but there are close friends you know you just can't leave behind. You can influence others on days when you're patient, but most times you just want to go out, have fun, and do your own thing.

Your saturation level is medium - You're not the most decisive go-getter, but you can get a job done when it's required of you. You probably don't think the world can change for you and don't want to spend too much effort trying to force it.

Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Just the beginning

2007-09-11T20:55:00.000-04:00

I always said I would never blog. However, in light of my recent acceptance of a postdoctoral position in Australia, I decided it might be a good way to keep everyone who cares updated! I am starting now so I can figure out how to use this darned thing. So, over the next few days, when I should be writing my dissertation, I will post pictures of family and previous travels. For now, I'm off to revise my neutron scattering chapter. Night!

Today is the 6th anniversary of September 11, 2001. You are all always in my heart; never forget.