Well, it only took me 3 years, but I’ve finally posted all of my pictures from my Australia/New Zealand trip back in 2006. I’ve been playing with Picasa a lot lately. I’ve got numerous photo albums all online, but they’re scattered through about 4 different Picasa or Flickr accounts. My goal is [...]
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before or not, but puppies are exasperating.
We conquered the whining problem after a few days of having Zoë. What we did not expect (ok, what I did not expect) was the run-around-like-a-maniac-biting-everything problem. I know puppies have energy and all, but really. I could really [...]
With the anniversary of my trip to the Far Side of the World (that would be New Zealand and Australia) last Friday, I’ve been so terribly nostalgic the past few days. My “1000 Places to See Before You Die” calendar featured Marlborough Sound in NZ yesterday, and even though I didn’t make it to the [...]
So for the third time in two months, I’ve forgotten to pay an important bill. The first time it was my car insurance, which I forgot about so long it eventually expired. This resulted in a strongly-worded letter from the State of Georgia threatening to suspend my registration unless I go to the tag office [...]
[My title came from this poem.]
This is my last post from Down Under and my last post of my trip (but never fear–I’m not demolishing this blog…the posts will just be a lot less interesting and frequent from now on). My plane leaves early tomorrow morning. April 1st looks like this for me:
Depart Brisbane
Fly to [...]
[My title came from this poem.]This is my last post from Down Under and my last post of my trip (but never fear–I’m not demolishing this blog…the posts will just be a lot less interesting and frequent from now on). My plane leaves early tomorrow morning. April 1st looks like this for me:
Depart BrisbaneFly to [...]
So I was going to continue my Adventures in Cairns, but I’m tired of writing such long entries, so I will sum up my last day in Cairns for you:
Rented a car. Drove as far up the coast as I could get before dark. Drove back down the coast because nothing was open because of [...]
So I was going to continue my Adventurs in Cairns, but I’m tired of writing such long entries, so I will sum up my last day in Cairns for you:
Rented a car. Drove as far up the coast as I could get before dark. Drove back down the coast because nothing was open because of [...]
Check it out, I finally finished the sweater I’ve been working on for most of the trip. Check it out:
Â
Â
Yes, that’s a hood AND a front pocket. It took me almost 3 months of knitting my fingers off, but it’s finally done. 100% NZ wool, too.
—————————–
First of all, read this–it’s an article that came out [...]
Before I start in on chapter 2 of the Great Cairns Adventure, I would just like to make a general observation. Here it is:
Do you know what I’m finding? I’m finding that the transition between school and job is a lot harder than I expected it to be. The uncertainty of everything is throwing me [...]
First of all, good luck to my friends (who may or may not be reading this) who have defenses this week or are finishing up their theses. I’m sending good luck brainwaves across the Pacific for you.
Second of all, I finally finished the sweater I’ve been working on for most of the trip. Check it [...]
I’m going to have to split the stories from last weekend into multiple parts so it’s not one gigantic entry.
Thursday. We took the students to the Australia Zoo, home of the Crocodile Hunter. Let me tell you, you could not ask for a more cheesy, kitschy tourist trap masquerading as a wildlife conservation center. They [...]
Before I start in on chapter 2 of the Great Cairns Adventure, I would just like to make a general observation. Here it is:
Do you know what I’m finding? I’m finding that the transition between school and job is a lot harder than I expected it to be. The uncertainty of everything is throwing me [...]
So I was offered a job the other day: to do the same thing I’m doing now but in Europe this summer.
I turned it down. It was the grown-up thing to do. No details now, but it was a hard decision to make.
————————————-
I’m going to have to split the stories from last weekend into multiple [...]
Well, 72 hours on the Great Barrier Reef, 5 days in Cairns, Australia, and one cyclone later, I’ve made it back to Brisbane. Perhaps you heard about Cyclone Larry? Strangest weekend ever. Too tired to write now.
Here’s a news article from the day or so before the cyclone came through, in case you were wondering
After 72 hours on the GBR, 5 days in Cairns, and 1 cyclone later, I’ve made it back to Brisbane in one piece. Too pooped to write now, but suffice to say it was a very strange long weekend. Thanks to those of you who were worried about me and emailed/commented.
(By the way, the link [...]
I’m in Cairns at the moment, having just finished my liveaboard dive trip on the reef. See if you can find Cairns on this map:
Where is Melissa now?
Couldn’t get a flight out, so I’ll be battening down the hatches and riding this out…
Schedule for the day:
7:30am: Depart for the Australia Zoo (the one the Crocodile Hunter runs)Between 9am and 1:30pm: Have picture taken with Harriet, a Galapagos tortoise that Darwin personally collected (in other words, a freaking old turtle)3pm: Arrive back in Brisbane5pm: Depart for Cairns
What’s Cairns, you ask? Only the port for all the liveaboards that [...]
I keep trying to figure out why I think Brisbane is vastly superior to Sydney. Maybe because it’s less cramped. I dunno. And oddly enough, it sort of reminds me of Key Largo (but much bigger, fewer rednecks, and a river instead of the ocean). It’s got a tropical feel to it, much like Florida. [...]
I keep trying to figure out why I think Brisbane is vastly superior to Sydney. Maybe because it’s less cramped. I dunno. And oddly enough, it sort of reminds me of Key Largo (but much bigger, fewer rednecks, and a river instead of the ocean). It’s got a tropical feel to it, much like Florida. [...]
So here I am in Brisbane. Three weeks left. New boss is here. Not sure how he’ll be compared to my other boss. I’m getting frustrated with the faculty for the Australia half of the trip (excluding the new biology professor, Dave)–they are very stand-offish and exclusive. So if I can’t hang out with the [...]
So here I am in Brisbane. Three weeks left. New boss is here. Not sure how he’ll be compared to my other boss.
There’s an awesome BBC show on TV right now about bees and wasps and other eusocial insects. Right now they are showing wood ants that can squirt formic acid out of their abdomens. [...]
1 more day of Sydney left, then it’s off to Brisbane for me. And then 3 weeks, and then I’m home again. Here are the travel phases that I’ve encountered:
1. Euphoria. That “Woooo, I’m in [insert exotic location]!” feeling.
2. Homesickness. Wanting your own bed and to see your cat and your fiance.
3. Perpetual nomadism. Feeling [...]
1 more day of Sydney left, then it’s off to Brisbane for me. And then 3 weeks, and then I’m home again. Here are the travel phases that I’ve encountered:
1. Euphoria. That “Woooo, I’m in [insert exotic location]!” feeling.2. Homesickness. Wanting your own bed and to see your cat.3. Perpetual nomadism. Feeling like you’ve always [...]
Wanna hear (read) something funny?
The study abroad program has offered me this same job for next year. Apparently my photocopying skillz are bloody brilliant.
I find it hugely ironic that here I am, being offered another expense-paid trip to the South Pacific, and I’ll most likely turn it down (unless I’m dirt-poor and jobless this time [...]
Wanna hear (read) something funny?
The study abroad program has offered me this same job for next year. Apparently my photocopying skillz are bloody brilliant.
I find it hugely ironic that here I am, being offered another expense-paid trip to the South Pacific, and I’ll most likely turn it down (unless I’m dirt-poor and jobless this time [...]
Â
You ever have one of those days where you just feel like a 16th century Chinese empress? I have those days all the time. Take yesterday, for example (see pic at left). It just so happens that you can channel your inner empress or emperor at the Sydney Chinese Garden of Friendship. They loan you [...]
You ever have one of those days where you just feel like a 16th century Chinese empress? I have those days all the time. Take yesterday, for example (see pic at left). It just so happens that you can channel your inner empress or emperor at the Sydney Chinese Garden of Friendship. They loan you [...]
Meet Trevor’s successor, the Creative Zen Microphoto (haven’t come up with a name for him yet).
He’s smaller than Trevor in size and capacity, but he can do photos and other cool tricks Trevor the iPod could never do. He holds 8GB of stuff. The one I got is a white and shimmery (the Aussie who [...]
Meet Trevor’s successor, the Creative Zen Microphoto (haven’t come up with a name for him yet).
He’s smaller than Trevor in size and capacity, but he can do photos and other cool tricks Trevor the iPod could never do. He holds 8GB of stuff. The one I got is a white and shimmery (the Aussie who [...]
While in a convenient store this morning, I came across this:
I bet they vastly improve one’s ability to endure extended hours staring at a squiggly line on a computer screen and catching solvent in tiny vials. If only I’d found them six months ago.
A few of my students invited me to go diving with them on Friday. Nice guys, but a little on the Neanderthal-guy side. E.g. communicating in monosyllables, getting pissy when a girl (me) tried to offer better driving directions than the PDA with attached GPS, that sort of thing. We went down to Jervis Bay [...]
A few of my students invited me to go diving with them on Friday. Nice guys, but a little on the Neanderthal-guy side. E.g. communicating in monosyllables, getting pissy when a girl (me) tried to offer better driving directions than the PDA with attached GPS, that sort of thing. We went down to Jervis Bay [...]
Two very sad notes to begin this entry (which is going to be a venting entry, just to warn you):
There is no 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney. There is a Wallaby Place, but no Wallaby Way. How the heck am I going to find Nemo if I can’t find P. Sherman?!
My iPod tragically died a few [...]
[There are a few entries that I missed posting over here. Go read them on my other blog. I will be cross-posting actual entries here from here on out since I'm now able to upload pictures.]
Greetings from Oz.
It’s hot here. Really hot. And humid. And smoggy. Hmm, that sounds familiar…
Haven’t seen much of Sydney yet, [...]
Greetings from Oz.
It’s hot here. Really hot. And humid. And smoggy. Hmm, that sounds familiar…
Haven’t seen much of Sydney yet, so I can’t really report on anything cool yet. The hotel is in Chinatown, so I have this feeling I’ll be eating piles and piles of noodles for the next 3 weeks. I now have [...]
Especially for you Raydees, because I like you…
I posted all of my pictures so far from my trip. Click here for ‘em. Enjoy. They should help you procrastinate for quite awhile.
So I was all bummed and stuff about having to cancel my trip to the Bahamas. And then yesterday, a job fell in my lap.
I’m going to spend an all expenses paid, stipended (if that’s a word) 3 month trip in New Zealand and Australia.
…
Yeah. I’m the TA for the GT Study Abroad in NZ [...]
