So, it's been awhile. And it will probably be a while til the next one. It's not that I don't love telling everyone what I'm up to. It's just that well, this seems to be lower on my list of things to do when I have 5 free minutes. Sorry to all you Faithful Blog Readers.
Anyway, the biggest news is that Ryan leaves.... today.... for good. Yeah, she's flying home. It's gonne take her like 5 days cause she booked cheap flights and is laying over in Hawaii for like a day. But yeah, she's peacing out tonight. It's gonna be really weird without her here. Like now I am all alone. But, I also have some friends, and the roommates, and the jobs, and the rowing, and have enough to keep me going. It might just make me all that much more homesick though... On that note: I did get a super cool care package from my parents containing Pop Tarts (mmm, yumm), headphones (they're way expensive, and you guys know how much i like listening to my music) guide books, a cd to help me connect to the Rollins Alumni Association, and a card covered in orange plants and flowers (slightly unconventional, but goes along with my love of all things orange). Anyway, enough about non-Australian things. Lets see, since September 9th (which was my last post, I think) I have, um stroked the 8 (which means I get to sit in front and set the rhythm for all of you non-crewbies) rowed in a quad (which means I had to deal with 2 oars instead of one) gone to see Wall-E and the Mummy 3 (the first was wonderful, the second umm, had it's moments) and well lots of other things.
The other day I also realized the irony of being an American working at an Australian Mexican restuarant owned by a Pakistani and whose kitchen staff are all Indian and Asian... uhhh. Yeah, I thought that was amusing. That job is still going well. People really enjoy talking to me for some reason (well, I think it's the cool American accent- yep they actually like it over here) and some older woman (probably in here sixties) decided to tell me her theory on human nature and how we can discove world peace the other day. I think it was respect, humility, and a lack of greed, or somethink like that.
At the day job I now make the sandwiches that we sell all day. Which is kinda fun I guess. I do like making things...
Umm, what else is new. Last week I went to the Royal Melbourne Show, which is basically a big agricultural show: cows, sheep, horses, dogs, etc. and rides, food, exhibits, that kind of thing. The Australians have some odd obsession with "show bags." They're like big goodie/grab bags filled with candy or toys. And they're cheaper than if you bought all the items individually. There was a whole big building filled with dozens of stalls dedicated to selling show bags. Huh, okay.
One of the highlights was the diving and racing pigs. Yup, diving and racing pigs. They have trained these pigs to run around a little race track wearing numbers and then to jump off of a diving board into a pool. The "race" was so popular that when I tried to see it the first time I couldn't even get close enough to the track to get a glimpse. And even when I arrived 10 minutes early to the second showing I had to sit on the ground in front of the bleachers. It may not have been the most amazing thng ever, but it was quite amusing.
I got a haircut earlier this week, from a very charming and talkative Korean man. He said he would basically give me the same style just shorter, and then when he finished it, he looked at me and said, "Well, that's very different.. But it looks good!"... oh, i thought... well, sure. It is much shorter at the back than it was, and a little different. But not bad. And heck, it's hair, it'll grow back.
I've also recently decided that I am going to go on a mini spring break trip and hang out on a beach somewhere for a week. After working my butt off for like 3 months, I'd say I deserve it. Might take some surfing lessons too. I think I could be good at surfing...
Oh, and this will probably seem totally irrelevant and pointless to any of you who are still reading, but I went to a weights session on monday with the rowing team. And, you know me, I think I'm pretty good at fitness things, and pretty strong, and that kind of thing. Well, this session basically kicked my ass. And I was sore for days... I'm pretty excited about that. Unfortunately the guy who does the sessions is going on vacation for like 2 weeks, so I'm gonna have to wait awhil for another killer session. I did get Shawn, the Rollins Crew coach, to send me some workouts though. So maybe I can kick my own butt for awhile.
The new roommate, who is filling Ryan's vacancy, seems wonderful. And Nicola, one of the old roommates and I have been bonding, so there is some roomie love going on. Although, because of their crazy schedules, and mine, we don't see each other too often. I also have a weekly tradition (well sort of) with some of the girls from the rowing team. We finish training on a thursday evening and head across the river to a pub for a few beer and sausages (well sausages for them, french fries for me...).
I am now watching the final of the Australian Football Leauge. The MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) is about 6 or 7 kms from where I live, and it's right in the city. It holds 100,000 people and for the final it's about filled to capacity. The Grand Final (as it's called, nothing cocky like the world series, or anything) is huge here. People have been talking about it for weeks, people have been streaming into the city for days. And today I got of work about 2 hours early because everyone was home watching the game or at a pub or at the stadium. (I still have to go to work tonight, but at least I got a few hours off). Currently, Hawthorne is beating Geelong by about 30 points. I won't explain the scoring and the rules, but lets just say it's fascinating, and Hawthorne were definitely the underdogs. Oh, and both teams are from Victoria, the state I live in. So it makes everyone that much more excited about it here.
Okay, well on a more odd note, Anna Begins by the Counting Crows is my new favorite song (you should listen to it) I'm reading A light in August, by William Faulkner (who's writing is just ridiculously amazing). Next I'm thinking Slaughterhouse 5, because everyone says it's awesome, and i've never read it. So, I should get on that. I'm very excited about October because a) I have the weekend of the 11th and 12th off to go to a regatta/rowing camp b) we have an indoor regatta on the 18th c) Burn After Reading (the next Cohen brothers movie) comes out on the 16th, and well once october is over it will be november and that's when I'm going on vacation. So, what's not to be excited about??
So, happy travels Faithful Blog Readers!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
My brief stint as a posh hotel goer, fashion show watcher, and a general discussion of very non-erica like things
So, for those of you who don't know... (not that anyone still reads this, because you've all gone back to school) but, I won a competition a while back, a raffle prize, if you will. It was to do with the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week. As part of said prize, I got tickets to fashion shows and a night in the Westin Melbourne (probably one of the nicest hotels i've ever stayed in, top 3 definitely).
More on the hotel stay later, but first- I went to a fashion show last tuesday. Yes, me... oh and i took ryan with me. I don't think the fashion world is ready for the two of us. Between us we probably have negative fashion sense... But i couldn't let all of the tickets go to waste (and they gave out free goodie bags!). The event was held in the Melbourne Town Hall. And they were serving champagne and giving away free Dove chocolate in the sort of waiting room before the show started. So we filled our pockets with very very yummy chocolate. The show itself was odd. Lots of pale, skinny girls with odd colored lipstick and wearing clothing that no one in their right mind would ever wear out in public. But I guess that's fashion for you.
Afterwards we wandered to a bar called Section 8... it's basically a rented out parking lot. A trailer packed with alcohol serves as a bar, and you sit on old crates surrounded by oil drums and graffitied walls. It's pretty spiffy. And we were enjoying our beers/ciders, when a random afghani male comes over. Yeah, an afghani male. Oh, and did i mention he's drunk? And he decides that we are two lovely young women (well after he asks ryan whether she's a boy or a girl... and then proceeds to call her "brian" for the rest of the night. And then he decides to get far too close to us, and stand in front of me and lean over, pressing his hands against my knees. And then as we run away, trying to put as much distance between ourselves and this odd drunken man, (he asks if he can come home with us) he gives me a hug and asks if he can kiss me.... um, that would be a no... really NO! So i gracefully (or not so gracefully) detanlge myself from him, and we bolt.... AWKWARD!
And then this weekend- well, Friday night, Daniel Zietlow (who was visiting from Sydney where he is studying abroad) and I got to stay in the Westin Melbourne, where people open doors for you, the elevator requires a key to go up to certain levels, there are free apples everywhere, the beds and bathrooms are "heavenly" and um a room usually costs 675 dollars a night... ouch. Oh and the breakfast... wow, practically orgasmic... hehe, but not really. All you can eat- eggs, cereal, fruit (oh fresh fruit for free... wow) bread, jams, pancakes, basically everything- and as much of it as we wanted. We had to stumble back up to the room and sleep it off for like an hour. Haha, needless to say it was quite a great experience.
Spent the rest of the day walking around Melbourne... and working... yay for working.
Sunday i got to sit stroke seat in the 8 at practice. This is very exciting (if you don't know what that means... it's basically sitting in the front of the crew boat and setting the pace for everyone else, so for a control freak like me, it's great).
The week has started well so far. I'm soon going ot be in charge of making the sandwiches at the food court restaurant where i work, which make things more fun and interesting. The coaching continues to be the highlight of my week. I only have one more week at ALbert Park Primary with my soccer boys (who are my favorites) so that's a little sad. But i might be back next term, so finger crossed. And the night job continues to be fun, a tad bit challenging, and a decent money earner (30 bucks in tips for Friday and Saturday).
So yeah, life is good. My bike still gets me to and from work, my legs still have a constant build up of lactic acid, i'm planning excursions in the city for the next few weekends, I'm getting my butt in gear to apply to some grad schools for next year, I'm saving money so maybe one day i'll be able to come home, and well i miss everybody, but am content being here.
But, I must depart and write some letters, and get some sleep. So to all (or any remaining blog readers) good night and good luck.
More on the hotel stay later, but first- I went to a fashion show last tuesday. Yes, me... oh and i took ryan with me. I don't think the fashion world is ready for the two of us. Between us we probably have negative fashion sense... But i couldn't let all of the tickets go to waste (and they gave out free goodie bags!). The event was held in the Melbourne Town Hall. And they were serving champagne and giving away free Dove chocolate in the sort of waiting room before the show started. So we filled our pockets with very very yummy chocolate. The show itself was odd. Lots of pale, skinny girls with odd colored lipstick and wearing clothing that no one in their right mind would ever wear out in public. But I guess that's fashion for you.
Afterwards we wandered to a bar called Section 8... it's basically a rented out parking lot. A trailer packed with alcohol serves as a bar, and you sit on old crates surrounded by oil drums and graffitied walls. It's pretty spiffy. And we were enjoying our beers/ciders, when a random afghani male comes over. Yeah, an afghani male. Oh, and did i mention he's drunk? And he decides that we are two lovely young women (well after he asks ryan whether she's a boy or a girl... and then proceeds to call her "brian" for the rest of the night. And then he decides to get far too close to us, and stand in front of me and lean over, pressing his hands against my knees. And then as we run away, trying to put as much distance between ourselves and this odd drunken man, (he asks if he can come home with us) he gives me a hug and asks if he can kiss me.... um, that would be a no... really NO! So i gracefully (or not so gracefully) detanlge myself from him, and we bolt.... AWKWARD!
And then this weekend- well, Friday night, Daniel Zietlow (who was visiting from Sydney where he is studying abroad) and I got to stay in the Westin Melbourne, where people open doors for you, the elevator requires a key to go up to certain levels, there are free apples everywhere, the beds and bathrooms are "heavenly" and um a room usually costs 675 dollars a night... ouch. Oh and the breakfast... wow, practically orgasmic... hehe, but not really. All you can eat- eggs, cereal, fruit (oh fresh fruit for free... wow) bread, jams, pancakes, basically everything- and as much of it as we wanted. We had to stumble back up to the room and sleep it off for like an hour. Haha, needless to say it was quite a great experience.
Spent the rest of the day walking around Melbourne... and working... yay for working.
Sunday i got to sit stroke seat in the 8 at practice. This is very exciting (if you don't know what that means... it's basically sitting in the front of the crew boat and setting the pace for everyone else, so for a control freak like me, it's great).
The week has started well so far. I'm soon going ot be in charge of making the sandwiches at the food court restaurant where i work, which make things more fun and interesting. The coaching continues to be the highlight of my week. I only have one more week at ALbert Park Primary with my soccer boys (who are my favorites) so that's a little sad. But i might be back next term, so finger crossed. And the night job continues to be fun, a tad bit challenging, and a decent money earner (30 bucks in tips for Friday and Saturday).
So yeah, life is good. My bike still gets me to and from work, my legs still have a constant build up of lactic acid, i'm planning excursions in the city for the next few weekends, I'm getting my butt in gear to apply to some grad schools for next year, I'm saving money so maybe one day i'll be able to come home, and well i miss everybody, but am content being here.
But, I must depart and write some letters, and get some sleep. So to all (or any remaining blog readers) good night and good luck.
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