Half way

Well, I've hit the half way mark. I think I'm going to hyperventilate when I have to start writing 'August' in my lab notebook. x_x The work is progressing, but I'm not going to get nearly as much done as I hoped. Basically, my time here will have been spent getting ready to do the work I wanted to do, but I can continue back at SB, so it's not that big a deal. That's all I'll bore you with here.

Still having heaps of fun. Last weekend I went dancing at some clubs with a few girlfriends. We started off with some Korean BBQ (at a place called, shockingly, Seoul), which was amazing. The only problem was that the bits of meat are so small I just kept eating. The first club we went to was Baroq House, known for fancy - and expensive - cocktails. I waited forever at the bar and didn't get to look at a cocktail menu, but then a green bottle on the shelf caught my eye and ordered anything with Absinthe in it. The young bartender didn't actually know how to make the drink, so he had to ask another guy. And then ask him again. And then bring him over to help finish it. I tipped him a couple dollars because he tried so hard. I still have no idea what was in that drink, but it was delicious. No, he did not light it on fire. Apparently, you're not supposed to do that.

I bought a small bottle of Absinthe in Prague a couple years ago but never tried it. It's never been illegal in Australia, and there's no reason it should be in the US. (More about Absinthe in Australia.) It's reputation was based mostly on erroneous information. I didn't really notice anything that was way outside the norm for a night of drinking. If pressed, I would say that maybe there was a difference in that I felt rather alert and I was not my normal silly drunken self (I think I was actually kind of boring, god forbid!). But like I said, it may not have been the Absinthe. Who knows. Anyway, I'll have to break into that bottle at home at some point and test more rigorously. :)

We wound up at a different pub at the end of the night, dancing to 80's tunes, which is always fun. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I was useless the rest of the weekend. I had to go into school on Saturday, but other than that, I didn't do much. Sunday, I laid around, read, and snuggled with Duncan. I don't know how I'm going to go back to my cat-free life in NY... >_> Might have to get one from the cat poster lady at HSC. I also don't know how I'm going to go back to my hermit life in NY.

I think this weekend we're renting a karaoke room, which should be so fun. Mary, I'm doing 'Pour Some Sugar On Me.' Count on it!! ^_^ I've been seeing a lot more movies that I normally do at home, notably Batman and X-Files. I thought movie prices were outrageous at home, but here $10.50 is the price on CHEAP days! Without internet at home, I've been watching more TV, too. Well, more accurately, I watch a few things that Gen watches, which is like 'Life of Mammals,' Simpsons, South Park, stuff like that. One show I'm in love with is 'Flight of the Conchords.' It follows two dorky Kiwi musicians trying to make a career in NYC. It's filmed a little like The Office, with dry humor but less awkward. I might have to buy a DVD before I go (as long as the region isn't fcuked).

I have been running maybe twice a week, but for significantly less time (because of my stupid foot). I just made it back up to 30 min on Monday. I'm going to try to go tomorrow, maybe 35 minutes.

Honestly, I'm going to make a post at some point more about living in Australia vs. the US - you know, something with substance - but I'm still working on it. I also have a list of things to do before I go:
-visit the zoo
-visit the aquarium
-drive down the Great Ocean Rd.
-eat at Paella, the Spanish/Moroccan place I walk past every day
-take pics of the university

I'm sure this list will grow. Oh, there are new pictures up at my Flickr photostream! Find the link on the right. There's one of me with a baby kangaroo! (No, I'm not eating it!)

Brunswick photos

Whole bunch of new pics up on Flickr. I finally did a walk-about in Brunswick with my camera. Turns out I took mostly pics of churches and graffiti, two things I love. "Neck Face" here reminds me of something Andrea would draw.

I love this neighborhood, too. There's a place a few doors north from my building that does hair, body waxing, and piercing. Probably going to get my other ear pierced there as soon as I figure out what I want. There's also an Adult Store a few doors south that I'll have to go into one of these days. Oh, and all the good places to eat and little junk shops.

I'm on the wireless at the Empire Strikes Back Cafe, a block south from my building. Free wireless and good food. I'll definitely be a weekend regular. This french toast is destroying me. ♥

Yesterday I took a jog around Princes park. I did the longer route that goes around the cemetery. It only took me 26 min, so I had to do another loop in the park. Even thought my legs have been sore from walking (I can jog 4.5 miles, but a half-hour walk everyday makes me sore WTF?), the jog felt really good. I did the sprint at the end and everything. It's been a quiet weekend. I was supposed to go shopping, but I HATE shopping and I probably won't. Sales be damned. I will, however, cook something. Yes, it'll be STEW. :d

Mmmmm... pig's blood.

I've got flickr working! View my photos here! There aren't many yet, but I'm working on it.

Went to see 'Get Smart' on Tuesday night. It was pretty fun and they didn't overuse the catch phrases. The theater was in the Melbourne Central Station. Think Penn Station on steroids. It's a real, multi-level shopping mall with a movie theater and even a gym (which is pretty smart, actually, for people who want to work out on the way to or from work). And in the middle of this mall/transport hub is an old shot tower. It was a production facility for lead shot which is now a protected piece of architecture, so they built the mall around it instead of taking it down or altering it. There's actually a picture of it in the wikipedia entry if you follow the link. I didn't get any of my own pics yet, but I'm sure I will be back in Melb Central at some point. Last night was Hot Pot. There is video of me eating coagulated pig's blood that I will have to get my hands on. Hot Pot was a blast and I ate so much I didn't even want breakfast this morning.

On the work front, things have gotten a bit frustrating. I'm trying to familiarize myself with transverse sections of embryos so I can know what I'm looking at, but the things look like blobs to me still. And it's not like this is new to me, we learn all kinds of CT sections and x-rays in anatomy. This shouldn't be that hard. But yeah... blobs. I've been helping a bit with some baby wallaby dissections. Usually, they just take a few pieces, but today I opened one up and skinned a leg for fun. I impressed everyone by making the feet clench when pulling on the deep flexor tendon. Dissecting things always makes me feel better (well, except for a few high stress dissections with Jerome, but that's because I'm a spaz and I realize that). They think I'm a good dissector! I told them about my nickname (DESTRUCTOR!). I am certainly living proof that anyone can become reasonably good at dissecting with enough practice.

Weekend plans are taking pictures of things and shopping a bit. I don't like shopping but I need a few things and the big sales that are on right now are about to end. I also need to go jogging now that I'm feeling a bit better. I am so embarrassed: I can run 4.5 miles pretty easily, but the half hour walk to school is killing my legs. Seriously, why is that??

Whiskey sour? What?

Went out for Thai food last night. It was very good but not spicy. So, is America the only place where curry = spicy? I found this in Madagascar, too. I had curry at every opportunity, but it was never like home. People scoff at the idea of Thai restaurants being authentic in MN, but I first had Thai at a little place called Na’s Thai Café, which is run by an immigrant family, so I can be reasonably sure it was authentic… I really really miss that place! I've also been to a place in St. Paul called The King and I, which is phenomenal. Maybe I just need to start asking for the curry to be spicy. That might solve it.

Met a few friends at Birdie O’Reilly’s, your typical wanna-be Irish pub. They don’t change half way around the globe, I’m afraid. Not my preferred type of place, but the company was great. There were sports games on huge screens, but upstairs was a DJ so we did a little dancing. If my ass is in a club, there’s guaranteed to be someone trying latch onto it. I gave him one dance and then ditched. I tried to order a whiskey sour at the bar and they didn’t know what it was. They asked me what was in it and I was like, “uh… whiskey and sour mix?” They had no idea. So I had to get a gin & tonic. (WOE.) None of my friends knew what a whiskey sour was either. o_O

My friend Jess brought up the fact that Australia is apparently having an obesity epidemic. I read something about it just before coming here. Something like 26% of their population is obese (compared to 24% in the US). She was like, “So do you all think we’re just fat bastards, or what?” I laughed and replied, “I thought everyone thought the Americans were fat bastards!” Anyway, from what I’ve seen, people here are very active. I always see tons of joggers and bikers. Everyone is fit and they eat horrible food all the time! After the bar, my friends wanted to go to a place just to get chips (read: fries)!! You want to eat chips at 1am? Seriously? How do these girls stay so thin?

This morning (Sunday) I had to be checked out by 10am, so I couldn’t sleep in. I stored my bags and then hit the streets for a long meander with my camera. Not a nice day here, very windy, but it was a fun walk. I got some nice pictures of the Botanical Gardens, the city, cute neighborhoods, and the Yarra River. (I’m uploading them to Flickr right now, but it’s taking forever and I only have a half hour of internet left. I think there are some cookie problems.) Anyway, the nice houses all have snooty sounding names, like Camden, Moore Abbey, etc. It’s like that in St. Paul, too. A friend of mine used to live in the only house on his block without a fancy name, so we decided to name it. Unfortunately, the first thing that slipped off his tongue was The Satan’s Asshole, and you just can’t top that. (Andrea, it was The Retard. XD Why do I still miss him sometimes?)

I was waiting at a crosswalk on Toorak Rd. and struck up a conversation with a guy (it was a looong wait), and he warned me that they will actually ticket for jaywalking around here, especially in the city proper. $55. :O Whaaat? I guess it’s not that bad, but that’s $55 I don’t need to spend on a jaywalking ticket, thank you very much. I am a consummate jaywalker, so I hope I don’t get myself into trouble. This time, I was just trying to get across a street to a bakery. Surely a cop could understand that, right?? Another dismaying thing is that it’s not cheap here. I paid $9 for a 4-pack AA batteries and $4 for a Vitamin Water this morning. Granted, I was at the 7-11 at the corner of Park St. and Domain Rd., but that is exorbitant in my opinion.

In a little while, I’ll call my new host and arrange a time to move in, probably about dinnertime. I’m going to miss having internet! I think I’ll try to find a café with wireless and hang out there on the weekends. I’ve heard Brunswick is a fun area, so that shouldn’t be difficult. In the meantime, I might hang out here at the hostel and watch those two final episodes of Battlestar (Cyclotrons!!1), or walk around some more. Not sure yet… I feel like I should see more of this area while I’m still here, but I already had a big walk this morning!