out finding the real

i am finishing my phd. just like i am getting a pet bird.*

2011-12-30T22:01:00.004+11:00

It is inevitable. It is ordained. I cannot wait.

*These are not my lorikeets. They hang out with me, because they know my hip hurts and I get cranky without them. I also give them super-yummy sunflowers...which is like crack for lorikeets. Don't judge.

hopefully-soon-to-be-dr.lindsay says incessant pain should be treated with incessant drinking

2011-12-13T17:23:00.004+11:00

Seventy days. Ten weeks. Two months AND a half.

Gosh, when I look at it that way, I don't know how I've made it this far.

Constant pain is overrated. I feel for all the others out there that have to deal with this sort of thing everyday. It su-hhhhucks.

The doctors have given up on me. Boo. They physios, while slightly nicer and more personable, also don't know how to help me. Boo.

I'm sad because it's not the way I wanted to remember my last days in Australia.

And the whole situation is not conducive to dissertation writing or working long hours.

...Or moving... Or vacationing...Or flying in planes...or anything really.

camels and galahs make super vacation-companions

2011-11-23T16:30:00.004+11:00

If you couldn't tell from the last post, Vincent and I went to Uluru and Kata Tjuta last weekend. It was surprisingly cold for the desert in November, but I think that ended up being a blessing in disguise. Who wants to hike around a huge rock when it's 40+degrees outside!

And of course, what would an Australian vacation be without a nice sampling of local flora and fauna. We didn't see any dingos, probably because we weren't carrying any babies or pizza with us. But we were beautifully serenaded by a flock of galahs that were chillin' out by our cabin.

Then on the last morning, at 5am, we went and trekked through the bush on a camel to watch the sun rise over Uluru. I can now say I'm not a fan of 5am, but I am a super fan of camels.

For those of you interested, here's more photos. Enjoy!

those rocks be huge yo!

2011-11-21T22:36:00.004+11:00

Central Australia, otherwise known as the Red Centre, is a unique place. It is vast, quiet, inspiring, and...well, red.

It is home to two great monoliths: Uluru and Kata Tjuta.

These rocks are big. I'm not talking, "Oh, wow, look at that big rock."

It's more like, "Me and Vincent walked around the base of this rock, and it took us 3 hours" kind of big.

Every single person should visit this ancient place at least once in their life. But maybe just not all at the same time. I think it'd take away some of the atmosphere.

9 Craziest Foreign Policy Statements from Saturday's Republican Debate - The Atlantic

2011-11-15T12:27:00.000+11:00

::ahem::

9 Craziest Foreign Policy Statements from Saturday's Republican Debate - The Atlantic

wow. so that's what that feels like.

2011-11-05T18:10:00.004+11:00

Sigh.

My hip hurts. Again. You know when I tore my labrum two years ago and I complained about that hurting. This hurts waaaaay more. And all the time. It's actually shocking and exhausting how much it hurts.

It's been like this for over a month now. I finally went to the doctor. And after a bunch of scans and a really traumatic cortisone injection, my hip is still filled with fluid and extremely painful. It hurts basically all the time when I'm awake. I reckon it hurts when I'm sleeping too, but these days I'm usually too drunk to care. I know that sounds sad, but it works way better than any of the meds I've been offered. Eh.

What's dumb about it all is that I am so SO close to finishing my PhD that I can smell it. (It smells of homemade scones and really pretty flowers). But since I can barely sit for more than five minutes, progress has stalled. ::shakes fist at sky:: Seriously?

Hips are overrated. Boo!

melbourne is delicious with running and beer

2011-10-16T16:24:00.004+11:00

Last week I ran a half-marathon. In Melbourne.

* The photo is blurry, because we were all running really fast.

This is pleasing to me for several reasons. First, I love Melbourne. Second, I've been training for this race for-&*$#^!-ever (That's 1.4 years in people time). And third, I ran it under 2 hours!

As an additional perk, I got to stay for the week after to hang out with my dear friend Gab, who left me last year for greener pastures (or at least Victorian ones). We had a blast.

We also did a lot of linguistic-y things. We are very dedicated PhD students.

Also, I have a very fast submission date approaching--which cannot be moved, because Vincent and I must go to New Zealand in January for vacation. Priorities people.

Amen Brotha'

2011-09-21T16:39:00.002+10:00

Quote of the day:

But more than anything, Obama is a product of the US political machine - from Harvard to Chicago to the White House. And you don't go through that meat grinder and come out at the other end with many principles left intact.

--Mark Levine, Al Jazeera op-ed piece about the future US veto of the Palestinian state-hood bid

so that's what it's called

2011-09-19T15:29:00.002+10:00

In Australia, people don't use a final serial comma in their writing. Honestly, I find the practice to be an eye sore. But I thought it was just me. I thought I had internalized the 'wrong' rule and that no one had ever bothered to 'put me straight'. But then today I was informed that there are just two ways of writing lists--one with a final comma and one without! Whew.

I just grew up using the Oxford comma!

For those of you who were as confused as me, please see this enlightening visual aid.

Thank you Language Log.

"one in eighty-five thousand"

2011-08-16T15:52:00.004+10:00

Yup, that was us last Sunday. Vincent and I, Agnes, Isa and Erik, Ruth, and Andrew and Anica fended off the masses to find our places in the 2011 City2Surf. We felt soooooo special and unique.

As the first official race since my surgery, my goal was simple: don't die and run pain-free. Vincent had a more ambitious time-oriented-goal, that I could not even hope to keep up with. Where's the love, right?!

The 14km (8.7 mile) route started in Hyde Park and made its way through the bays of Sydney ending with a 2km descent into the northern end of Bondi Beach. A bit hilly for my taste...well, rather, for my knees. But the 84,999 other people helped make everything exciting, so I told my knees to hold it together.

We all ran well. Vincent ran very well-- 1:01:01! I did alright too with 1:25:06--I'm happy because that's a sub-2 hour half-marathon pace, which is what I'll be aiming for in a month and a half! (Plus I didn't die and nothing hurt!)

The lovely morning was followed by pizza and beer in the afternoon. Sigh, can it get any better than that?

Next up: the Melbourne Half-Marathon on October 9th! Let me know if you're keen to join!

rain rain go away

2011-07-29T14:13:00.002+10:00

It rains a lot here. And I'm not talking the occasional drizzle or afternoon shower. I'm talking about buckets and buckets of water pouring from the heavens for DAYS.

Even though today has brought a rare afternoon of sunshine, the luck is not to last.

brought to you by the Sydney Morning Herald

NB: Yesterday, the same calendar had at least two more days of sun.

NBB: 'Low chance of rain' and 'high chance of rain' mean the same thing in Australian English.

NBBB: Come to think of it, so do 'chance of rain' and 'complete and utter sunshine', so really--maybe we're in for a month of winter paradise.

Time will tell. . . time will also beckon my Methods chapter toward completion. A week and a half baby!

puffins are dangerous!

2011-06-19T19:31:00.003+10:00

And so are infectious air-borne diseases... and clownfish. I am not making this up. They were all items listed as prohibited from being brought into The People's Republic of China. Don't worry though, pet poodles are okay! If you subject them to a quarantine with needles and people in masks. What a relief right?! What is a country if it doesn't have poodles!

i got one!

2011-06-16T15:10:00.003+10:00

Meet The Esteemed Monsieur Brightsworth. He's a baby lorikeet (you can tell by his dark beak) that seriously needs some flying lessons. I'm taking donations--because really, I'm quite concerned about him. It can't be good.

Flying or not though, I love him. Thank you to whoever sent him, because now I surely will be finishing my dissertation on time.

::ahem::

distractions!

2011-06-12T16:53:00.005+10:00

How am I supposed to submit a dissertation in December when I have to deal with this awesomeness on a regular basis. It's asking a bit much I think.

Vincent's convinced I spend half my day feeding lorikeets and praying a black cockatoo will come perch on our balcony.

He's only half right.

I mostly see galahs (the birds in the photo!) at uni, walking around eating grass and being super cool in the most laid-back way possible. They are the epitomy of suave if you ask me.

And now they are chillaxin' right outside my flat eating gum balls!

::sigh of contentment:: Dissertations can wait--who wants to get me a parrot?!

have you ever faced death and lived to tell about it?

2011-06-08T17:05:00.004+10:00

I did this afternoon, when I came face to face with the fiercest most unforgiving animal on the planet. The saltwater crocodile. Even typing the name gives me shivers of fear.

See. Behind it is Mary holding my beer. She isn't afraid because she's hardcore, and NOT because it was a baby and only like a foot long. It was also NOT because the zoo-dude had a good hold on it and had assured us a few times that it couldn't actually kill us at that size. While I wanted to believe him I knew better, so after patting his belly (the croc's not the zoo-dude's), we made our way to visit the friendlier and super adorable echidna!

Oh yeah-- THEN, we got to eat some good food and listen to the amazing and absolutely inspiring Jane Goodall speak about the environment and chimpanzees and Tchimpounga Sanctuary in the the Republic of Congo!!

A big thanks goes out to Mary for the gorgeous afternoon!

spelunking is underrated.

2011-05-23T18:12:00.004+10:00

Since I was a little girl and my family visited some caves in Colorado, I always had a part of me believe that I was destined to be a famous and legendary spelunker. Many years have passed--but yesterday Vincent and I headed up (with Agnes, Jae and Steve) to visit a very, VERY large cave system in New South Wales--Jenolan Caves.

And it is here that Steve, Vincent and I had our very first adventure caving experience. It was...AWESOME. In only a few hours, we abseiled into a sink hole and managed to squeeze, slide, crawl and pull our way through ::dramatic music:: "The Plughole." The name is fitting--several times, our eccentric but enthusiastic guides convinced us to go blindly feet or head first into very very small dark holes...promising that we'd be fine and that it was mostly un-probable that we'd get stuck or fall into a crevice. But they assured us even if we did they had a landline in "The Chapel", and so they could always call someone for help if needed.

See what I mean?

Luckily, we didn't get stuck...or fall into a crevice. And apart from some bruises--we all arrived home able to enjoy :ahem:: a couple jugs of White Rabbit.

So maybe my legendary spelunking career is just beginning--I guess the next test will be an all-day trip into the belly of Mammoth Cave... where explorers still haven't found the bottom. ::even more dramatic music::

happy 2nd anniversary to us!

2011-05-09T16:01:00.004+10:00

Picture taken at Edith Falls, Nitmiluk National Park, NT.

This year we went to the Northern Territory for our second anniversary. It was spectacular. And since we lived through it--Vincent has to put up with me for another year! BOOYAH!

the territory in the north

2011-04-27T19:38:00.005+10:00

The top end has intrigued me ever since moving to Australia. It's true outback, full of terrifying nature and gigantic scenery. I had to have a go at it before I scared myself out of it.

We went for five days to Kakadu and Nitmiluk National Parks. We hiked. We swam. We cruised around wetlands and rivers. We saw animals both big and small. We admired plants. We didn't die.

Kakadu is a listed World Heritate site for both cultural and natural values. Culturally, it is home to the Bininj; they've lived in the area for about 50,000 years! Nature-wise, Kakadu is a kaleidoscope of habitats including wetlands, mangrove swamps, and lowland and sandstone rain forests.

My favourite here was the wetlands; we took two boat cruises and got to see all sorts of interesting things. Highlights include three estuarine crocodiles and jabirus! And I mean, look at that view--nothing can be more serene.

Nitmiluk is where Vincent and I got down to business, with our 'major' hike of the trip*. We woke up super early (mostly due to our still traumatized memories of the Royal National Park incident) and headed out. Our goal was a 12km hike to Butterfly Gorge where we could swim and enjoy the company of butterflies. For reasons I will not recount here though, we ended up not being as early as we had originally planned. Looking back, this was the most fortunate of events. Because we were already late--we decided to make a quick stop to the park's info centre to check on our route. You see, we had been planning to hike there, go swimming, and come back. But the ranger promptly informed us that although the trail was open there was to be absolutely no swimming...or going near any water. They had some hikers a few days before spot a saltie around the area. That was enough for me. I get chills just thinking about it--we were totally going to go swimming.

If we had, we most probably would have been eaten by a 6 metre long crocodile.

So, instead--we did the hike stopping about 500 metres before the waterfront. Then we headed back. But because Vincent loves swimming, and because it was 37 degrees without a cloud in the sky--we decided to add to our trip an extra four kilometres...leading us to this!

This pool + waterfall was high up the cliffs of the gorge so it was crocodile free! Whipeeeeee! So beautiful. The water was fresh and the rocks around were shaded. A perfect way to refresh for our hike back.

Luckily for us, this wasn't our only chance to hike to a waterfall and go for a swim. But, I'll save those adventures for another day. You can see a picture summary of our trip here!

* We did do a total of about 11kms around Kakadu but it was all split up in little bits and we got to ride in an air-conditioned 4WD in between.

the natural order of things.

2011-04-20T23:07:00.001+10:00

::michael jackson music on tv::
Vincent ::dancing::
Lindsay: Stop that. It's not natural.
Vincent ::mimes::
Lindsay: That's better.

auckland*

2011-03-23T21:19:00.003+11:00

George and I just got back from a "conference" in Auckland. No really, we did. We both presented about our PhD research and learned lots of new interesting and linguistic-y things. I also learned about coffee. And fish and chips. And West Auckland. What an informative three days.

We stayed with George's super-awesome-friend/OF tour guide, Sarah. HI SARAH! This is her (middle)...with George (left)..and me (right)**.

We were chillin' after the conference at a Festival Garden which is short for "Beer Festival Beer Garden." I know right. Divine.

The best part of the weekend was our tour of West Auckland to a few very VERY famous spots:

I'll paypal any of my American readers FIVE WHOLE DOLLARS if they can tell me why these places are significant.

It was a great weekend--one that I'm sure I'll have to repeat at some point with Vincent. Next year. I have to write a dissertation first.

* that's in New Zealand by the way.
**Notice that range on Lindsay's hip--3 more weeks to 10 kms!

the beautiful positive.

2011-03-13T14:03:00.003+11:00

So many horrible and tragic things happening these days. Here is my attempt to find the beautiful positive*. It's the smallest leaf I've ever seen; and it's growing on my balcony!

*trademark Pascalle West.

a recent conversation.

2011-03-03T09:25:00.002+11:00

Me: You have to make dinner tonight.
Vincent: Where do you want to go?

(To his credit though, he actually went and made dinner.)

help out bru!

2011-03-01T21:53:00.003+11:00

Christchurch, NZ just had a horrendous earthquake. They need your money--ahem, your help.

DONATE HERE

i'm stressed out.

2011-02-16T10:51:00.003+11:00

Ask Vincent. He knows.
I won't bore you with details though, because I like you all more than that.
Instead, I'd like to share my balcony with you this morning.

Notice all the lorikeets who came to give me a "you can do it!" motivational chirp as well as all of my very very cool plants.

quelle chaleur!

2011-02-03T15:53:00.003+11:00

For those non-metric people, that's 103.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lindsay is going to wait for the rain before heading out on her first post-op 7km run (four more weeks and I'll be around the loop at Centennial Park).

In the meantime, I'm going to day dream about air-conditioning and wish I was somewhere with it.

priorities

2011-01-29T13:54:00.003+11:00

recent conversation with Vincent; we were discussing the possibility of our building collapsing from a weak foundation:

Vincent: If you could save one thing what would it be?
Lindsay: My harddrive (that has my PhD on it).
Vincent: Oh. I would have saved you... I see where I stand.

Oops.

the great frog appeal

2011-01-18T16:40:00.003+11:00

Photo by Robyn Moore*

Apparently, frogs are going bye-bye in a way that rivals the great dinosaur extinction. That is very bad for the earth. Help save them if you care about your (real, imaginary, future, or other people's) children. You are also allowed to save them because you love the planet!

Let the Amphibian Avenger tell you more about it

*I don't know who Robyn is, but dang, she can take great photographs of craz-diculous frogs!

tasmania, part 2

2011-01-15T13:46:00.002+11:00

Imagine with me. A lovely tasmanian forest. A bright, sunny morning. Echidnas and wallabies search for breakfast. A yellow-tailed black cockatoo makes her presence known overhead. Peaceful, right? I'd even suggest serene.

It was not to last.

The first one was an baby one, they encouraged. Just 10-15 meters. Easy-peasy. And it was. It was fun and delightful. The second one was not so bad either, although at the end of it we were suddenly 26 meters/85 feet off the ground discussing the "sturdiness" of the platform we were standing on. Hm. Hands a little shaky, we moved on. This time, it was a short run, very short--do not be fooled, they warned--this was one of the fastest. To be sure we didn't miss the end we had to break ourselves until half way. Vincent took that as a sign to be a bad-ass. Dad too. I took it as a sign to value being alive. We forge ahead and meet the longest one. We have to traverse a river valley--400 meters/1,313 feet long--and look for gigantic crayfish. I didn't see one but I didn't die either, so I'm marking that as in the "win" column. And at the very end we had to simulate a free fall and resist the urge to grab onto anything. I did anyway. Eh.

Even so, I think it's safe to say we'd all do it again--what a great adventure.

tasmania, part I

2011-01-08T14:44:00.004+11:00

Hiking in Tasmania is serious business...hilly business.

Hike #1: Wineglass Bay/Hazards Bay Circuit; Freycinet National Park.

12.45 kms / 7.74 miles
4 hours 8 minutes

A classic Tassie "walk." We had to basically go up a mountain to get to the Wineglass Bay lookout (worth it) and then hike all the way back down again to get to the beach (also worth it). Then we made our way through a swamp to Hazard's Beach and back around the mountain to get back to where we started. By the end, my legs were shaking. My dad looked pretty beat too. Vincent showed off by carrying all the water the whole way and not even breaking a sweat. Hm. I guess that's what hip surgery and old age to do people. Vincent's day will come.

Tiring as it was, the scenery and weather couldn't have been better. Little did we know how our hiking-luck was going to keep up!

Hike #2: Crater Lake/Lake Lilla Loop; Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park

approx. 5 kms / 3.1 miles
approx. 2.5 hours

I didn't bring my super-awesome-gps-running-watch on this hike, because we thought it was going to rain. Thinking back, I don't know why that stopped me since it's water proof for up to 30 minutes in metre-deep water. Next time. In any case, this hike was a bit on the fly because our originally planned hike turned out to be an un-maintained trail which would require a little extra "gear." My father and Vincent took that as a sign that I was trying to kill them. They decided we would choose another hike. No trust. Thus, we did Crater Lake/Lake Lilla loop, which basically, once again, took us up a mountain to Crater Lake and then down to Wombat Pool and Lake Lilla.

Cradle Mountain is basically an alpine rain forest! The scenery is impossible to describe--I'd never seen anything like it. 1/3 of the plant life on Tasmania is found only here. They also have wombats...and tasmanian devils.

Hike #3: Dove Lake Circuit; Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park

5.89 kms / 3.66 miles
1 hour 56 minutes

Our last hike in Tasmania. Sigh. This was our easiest hike with the least elevation change and the shortest route. It was me, dad, Vincent and Bec! The view was beautiful and the weather held out for us. But we had to bundle up it was probably in around 4C/40F in some places/at some moments (my estimation). We walked right to the base of Cradle Mountain, which of course is the main attraction!

I'm secretly (or I guess now, not so secretly) planning another trip. Lemme know if you want in!

Seals and kiwi and wine, oh my!*

2010-12-14T17:39:00.014+11:00

George, Agnes, Emily, Vincent, and I went to New Zealand this past weekend**. It was super and beautiful and delicious all at the same time.

We saw animals!

We experienced stunning beauty!

We drank beer made from hops and just the right amount of heaven, all carefully packaged in very cheap six packs! (And the wine wasn't half bad neither!)

Vincent and I even went swimming at Kaiteriteri.

Mixed in with all that goodness was a fantastic road trip where we got to hang out with great friends and meet lovely new people (and eat ice cream!)

The full trip is detailed here... if you think you can handle it.

* Other possible titles include: Penguins and tuatara and beer, oh my! or Sheep and beer and takehe, oh my! or Cows and kea and hokey-pokey, oh my!

** Technically, George and I went for three and a half days; Agnes, two and a half days; and the hard-core Emily and Vincent, two days.

i looked up and ::WHABAM!::

2010-12-06T20:46:00.004+11:00

Mildred and Bartholomew are back, people, BACK!

I'm absolutely thrilled. I had missed them for most of the spring because a silly-dilly Currawong had set up shop just in front of my balcony. Well, s/he (and the offspring) are gone and my rainbow-coloured joy-packers are BACK!

Welcome to summer!!

special populations

2010-12-01T11:01:00.002+11:00

Question: Which special populations provide evidence for the modular view of language?

Answer: Canadians, Deaf people, Koreans who were captured during the war and later released by the Japanese, and Pygmies.

a running linzi is the happiest linzi.

2010-11-06T17:31:00.004+11:00

i've been very busy lately. i went to france to see friends and family... and castles... and catacombs... and mummified cats! then, i had to go to america to be clever...and other things. then when i got home i found out that facebook finally decided to let me into my account after more than a bloody year and a half (a big thanks goes out to cecily on this one). don't worry-- i've already deactivated it; my way of sticking it to the big bad facebook. eh.

anyhoo--other than that, i've been too busy being a phd student and running. well, running mostly*. my physical therapist just gave me the all-clear (with conditions). i can't believe i hadn't run in eight months. i'm surprised i didn't die waiting--the situation was pretty dire. ask vincent, he'll tell you. in any case, i can't run long enough yet to get to centennial park (doh!), but here's a picture of where i want to be in a month or so.

stay tuned for more. more about running indubitably! but also vincent and i are off to new zealand in about a month. think: fur seals and little blue penguins. coffee and bbq's. a very cold ocean and hot springs...and of course, kiwis!

* Except if Trevor is reading this. In which case "being a phd student" has totally been topping my to-do list.

Dear America,

2010-09-20T21:37:00.002+10:00

I'm coming. Not quite yet. But soon. First I have to go make a presence in France--I know--but it must be done. I have to walk around Paris, drink du bon cafe, and hang out at a castle--because that's what people do in France*.

But then ::dramatic music:: I'll be over. Get your cheap Mexican food and fake meat ready. Put on your best customer service and your greasy Waffle House apron. I'm ready for flip flops and fancy pants. Southern accents and ASL. Best friends and family. Sam Adams and Jack Daniels.

Until then,

Lindsay

* Ask Kyle, he knows.

meet piwi the kiwi

2010-07-29T21:05:00.003+10:00

piwi is in rehab like me. except that he's already walking on a treadmill...

what a showoff!

See him strut his stuff!

when I grow up...

2010-07-28T16:55:00.003+10:00

I wanna be a leafy sea dragon

I'd float around all day and look like a plant. It'd be glorious.

* Picture: Caelum Mero / One of the top photos for the New Scientist Eureka Prize: see them all

lindsay is still on crutches.

2010-07-26T10:45:00.002+10:00

crutches make life boring. you know what else makes life boring? hip arthroscopies. they're even worse than crutches.

feel free to come over and make me less bored.

::insert witty title here::

2010-07-05T18:53:00.003+10:00

Summary: Lindsay got a hip arthroscopy and now she's a sleepy monster who eats everything in sight. She also can't wait to go running. But mostly, she thinks about nothing and has spent her last days lalala-ing about.

It should all be a bit embarrassing, but to be honest she doesn't care enough to be embarrassed. And although she tries to kind of feel bad about that--her preference for inattention cannot be dissuaded. She blames the fairly weak pain pills and her stellar intolerance for anything narcotic.

She will get on with writing blogs later. Until then, she has some brownies to bake and some tv to not really watch.

what i've been up to: alleged money laundering and watching my husband kick some crazy butt in tennis

2010-06-19T12:17:00.004+10:00

As many of you know my long awaited hip arthroscopy is in two weeks. I can barely contain myself with joy. Except when the shooting pain in my leg reminds me of why I'm getting surgery in the first place, then there is little joy. But no matter-- in two weeks time I'll be on the road to my next marathon!

In the meantime, I've been busy trying to get ahead on all my work. Also, we're in the midst of organizing several trips: France/ the States in September and October and then New Zealand and Tasmania in December! During all this funness I was paypal-ed a certain amount of money and subsequently was sent an email from the great Paypal themselves. I quote,

We are contacting you because changes to Australian anti-money laundering laws require PayPal to confirm the account information of its customers whose accounts reach a specific transaction level.

I won't go into details because they are too dumb, but I will say it was all an incredible waste of a Friday morning that I will never get back. Thank you Australia, again, for your impeccable rationale and sense of security. Really.

But don't worry my friends--the day got better! That afternoon Vincent and I headed to Sydney Olympic Park for a tennis tournament. I read about semantic structure of nouns while Vincent crushed his first opponent. Then after a short sojourn to the pub, we headed back for a second match. I made friends with some Japanese chic and we made the pieces for a kusudama ball. And Vincent won a three set match against a crazy person. Seriously. Crazy. He'd scream angry compliments at Vincent and throw his racket very very far when he missed a shot. Interesting way to play.

So, now it's Saturday and Vincent is headed back to Olympic Park. I won't be joining because it's Emily's birthday tonight, but let's hope the weather holds and Vincent plays some good tennis!

this is what more happiness looks like

2010-06-01T18:04:00.005+10:00

my acetabelum is trying to murder me

2010-05-26T16:22:00.004+10:00

Indirectly of course...which is the sneakiest type of murder

let's not kid ourselves

To make matters worse, the rest of my hip joint has been recruited for this dirty dirty plan. While I'm unsure the cause of this ill-will, I am certain that the result will be death precipitated by a hate spiral, or several.

Or maybe I'll just hurt to death. I mean, it's possible. It's also possible I'm being dramatic. But since I'm rarely dramatic, I can't help but expect the worst.

In everyday language, my hip socket sucks at its job. Specifically, the labrum, or the tissue that lines the socket and kindofsortof forms a suction that holds the head of the femur to my body, is a sissy. Stupid sissy labral tissue. It couldn't handle something-- gymnastics, water skiing, running, who flippin' knows--and now it's torn under the pressure.

Like I said, a sissy.

A deadly deadly sissy.

I'm tired.

And I want to GO RUNNING!

Instead, I have a bottle of wine and I'm stuck with some episode of Glee.

AGH! That's it. Please someone check on me tomorrow... wine and Glee can be murderous--murder without motive = un*trace*able.

As I already said: my acetabelum is trying to murder me.

this is what happiness looks like.

2010-05-24T11:17:00.003+10:00

sloth love - the amphibian avenger

2010-05-19T16:27:00.003+10:00

this is it people.

Sloth love - The Amphibian Avenger

Posted using ShareThis

and while you're at it, be super cool and Adopt-A-Sloth!

j'adore les pelicans

2010-05-10T17:23:00.006+10:00

A few photos from our day-trip to the Hawkesbury River.

(Click here to go to the photo album).

retrievers in tutus make me happy

2010-04-13T17:12:00.003+10:00

...but not as happy as ginormous basset-wiener dogs jumping over styrofoam.

The Surry Hills dog showcase, as part of the Surry Hills Festival, should not be missed. Bright and early Saturday morning all the neighborhood pooches got together and strutted their stuff. It was awesome. There was a little-sized dog race, a medium-sized dog race, and a large-sized dog race (where the greyhounds obstinately showed they were retired).

Then they had an obstacle race where the dogs had to jump over "hurdles". The crowd favourites, a golden retriever and a super large basset hound, stole the show as they simply didn't understand why their owners would want them to step over some styrofoam. The retriever finally exhausted from trying to figure it all out just laid down on the course lapping up all the applause.

I want a dog now. Vincent's mean though and won't let me have one.

hoopla!

2010-04-03T18:00:00.004+11:00

This Easter long weekend Darling Harbour is hosting a Hoopla Festival. What is that you ask?Well it's just what it sounds like: 4 days * 100s of death-defying stunts * thousands of laughs

OOoooooohhhhhh! AHHHhhhhhhhh!

There is a big top and a tiny top. Contortionists and jugglers and magicians dazzle you with their oddly-developed skills. And most said that for fifty bucks, they'd go home with you to continue the fun. Hm.

Vincent and I agree that the Controlled Falling Experiment is the best. Three guys go through a series of "experiments" of acrobatics, gymnastics, and of course...falling with all sorts of contraptions and props. It is an elegant and spectacular show. Go see it.

Controlled Falling Experiment

Aerialist Nat Harris

Bendy Em the Contortionist

linguistics is good for business...beer business, that is.

2010-03-30T17:29:00.007+11:00

Direct from www.news.com.au

A BREWER has won his fight to market a beer named after the Austrian village of F**king. The Sun reported today European Union officials originally rejected the brand "F**king Hell beer" on the grounds that it contained a swear word. But after the brewery proved the village actually existed, officials were forced to back down. Brewery spokesman Stefan Fellenberg said: "In German the word for a lager beer is a Helles Beer, so we have also patented the name F**king Hell, which means lager from F**king of course.

"I don't understand why the patents office think of something else. They must have dirty minds."

The village of F**king, to the north of Salzburg, close to the German border, has been in the headlines in the past, because of its unusual name. Now it seems the village has tired of fighting its popularity and is set to cash in. Last year Mayor Franz Meindl complained that tourists were flocking to the village to steal the road signs. The bizarre name is understood to come from a sixth century noble called Lord Focko, with 'ing' being old German for 'family of'. The German pronunciation is different from the English. Mr Meindl added: "I am looking forward to getting the first-crate. Until then I'm reserving judgement. But maybe it could be good for local industry." Read more about F**king Hell beer at The Sun.

It's all true-- GoogleMaps has verified the city's existence. Thank you GoogleMaps.

the sugar momma and the prostidude?

2010-03-30T10:45:00.004+11:00

Read the latest on Language Log about our dilemma-- or not really, but it's tangentially related and completely hilarious.

Mangling the prostidude.

I know. I KNOW. I'm supposed to be writing insightful and smart things about lexicalised depiction.

But the going is slow.

Plus, we still don't have a ceiling. And my hip is still broken.

AND IT'S RAINING.

So, why don't you cut me some slack and post it to me. To show me that you care.

... after you read about prostidudes though of course.

gettin' the sugar

2010-03-24T18:57:00.004+11:00

What do you call a pretty boy, a handsome boy; but a who does not have a job and is the boyfriend of a woman who is wealthy.

This question was posed to me today by a student working on a translation assignment (only god knows for which language or which class). The student thought you might call this person a 'gigolo,' but I suggested that might mean something else.

My first guess is that it's a sugar momma's lover. But does English have a specific lexical item to designate that person? We have sugar daddy and sugar momma...but what do you call the people getting the sugar?!

HELP! I cannot possibly concentrate on my PhD when this pressing question is taking up all my brain space. I thank you in advance for your thoughts on this matter.

glenbrook: an entrance to a wonderful wilderness

2010-03-03T19:45:00.012+11:00

When George and Agnes invited me to tagalong on an upcoming bushwalk to investigate some aboriginal cave art, I of course said yes. I mean, who doesn't love a 4 hour hike that's kind of difficult in the Blue Mountains during the summer?* And cave art?! BRING IT!

Our hike started in Glenbrook:

I knew right then that this was going to be a tough day. Glenbrook was no joke--they even had the cutest nursery right next to the train station (where I later bought some super cool plants to take home with me).

Then, not five minutes into things we see our first signs of wildlife; a blue mountain puma! Vicious for sure and just a little bit pretentious.

We hurried by, praying the little crazy cat stayed put so we could continue our hike without looking over our shoulders every three minutes. But then it got more interesting.

An albino Australian dingo (that apparently just had a perm)! These buggers are almost extinct-we could not believe our good luck! I snapped a photo before it became aggressive and started chasing us for any small children we might be hiding in our bags or bacon Cheetos. Dingos love Cheetos.

The minute we entered the national park, the scenery changed. All the concrete gave way to narrow, unkept trails with ferns and gum trees and wildflowers reaching up over our heads.

I love the forest. It's so peaceful and quiet...and green...and full of.... AGHHHHHH!!

I'm so glad Em and George had the lead at this point--and I have to admit it was quite confusing to see them running for their lives while having a strange chuckle on their faces. At first I thought we might be running from a wombat. But then I thought, "George would never run from a wombat." That's when I realised it was an 8 foot diamond python--> actually, I take that back. We had no idea it was a diamond python. It could have been the most fatal taipan on the planet for all we knew. But it was at least 8 feet long. Steve; the most bravest man I know, fended it off for us with a big stick. After that we picked up the pace to our halfway point where we stopped for some refreshments and to look at the "surely this is a crime scene" tree.

After resting a bit from the last two hours of super-excitement (oh yeah--i forgot to mention that I took a typical-linzi-fall on some slippery rocks while examining some aboriginal tool grooves etched into the river rocks), we headed to Red Hands Cave.

Get it? Red Hands? This is some of the only existing aboriginal art in New South Wales. The park has had to put a fence up around it so people don't vandalize it. Why in the world a person would vandalize an archeological treasure such as this, I have no idea. Humph. But, the cave and the art were beautiful and I'm so glad we made the hike to see it!

Halfway done. We looped back and made the final few kilometers on the same path we started on. The day was getting hot, and we were getting a bit tired. Finally arriving back in Glenbrook, some ice cream and sugary drinks went down nicely (while we waited for a few others in our party to come back from a hilly de-tour).

The best part of the day came last.

A yellow-tailed black cockatoo. Sigh.

Stay tuned for more bushwalking adventures! ::dramatic musical exit::

* Actually, Vincent might not--he blew us off to go play tennis. (To be honest, he's just probably still scared to hike with me after the incident in the Royal National Park. ::coughchickencoughcough::).

** George, Agnes, Emily, Steve, and me!

i heart cricket.

2010-03-02T20:25:00.006+11:00

Not really-- I just said that to get you interested. Lindsay loves cricket? Whaaaa?

But how can I pass up tickets to a 20/20 game between Australia and the West Indies. I mean c'mon--a three hour cricket game is as good as it's gonna get!

You see, Bec and her dad has season tickets to the Sydney Cricket Ground. And I'm about a 15 minute walk away from the Sydney Cricket Ground. Plus, they sell beer there. A match made in heaven I say.

Oh yeah. I almost forgot. Vincent came too. While I love beer, he actually is interested in the game; i.e. he knows the rules and can figure out who's winning based on the score. Bec and him talked allllllll night about hitting wickets, making sixes, and how many overs some dude got. I know right ::rolls eyes::.

I got as far as knowing Australia were in yellow and the West Indies were in red... And that Australia kicked the West Indies' butt. That's not too bad considering I never watch sports*.

Maybe there's hope for me yet. I think Bec believes I have potential because at every sporting function we go to, she calmly and clearly explains the rules to me and helps me follow the game. She's a good friend. One day she'll learn.

* Except tennis. But that's for the cute boys.

"won't" is an adverb...obviously. just like i'm a noun.

2010-02-25T16:16:00.005+11:00

Queensland rocks my grammatical world.

Go here for the full story-- Weird Grammar (via Language Log)

P.S. Who is this David Barry guy--I think I have a crush on him.

i've always wanted to know how to do that!

2010-02-22T13:22:00.005+11:00

While looking for a suitable image to use in a figure I was making of a real space blend I came across this website... that actually explains how to open a door using a key.

How to use key to open a door?

You're having a problem to open a locked door. But you're sure that you have the key to access into the place.

First, make sure that you have the key/access into that restricted place.

And of course, the door that's blocking your way. Instead of bashing or running through it, we'll use the civilized way.

By having the key on your hand, slip in the key onto the door knob's keyhole.

Just make sure that it's inside fully.

And it's optional that you can make a 90 degrees twist counterclockwise or clockwise to open the door. If you still can't seem to turn the knob and open the door, make sure and recheck if it's the correct key, else you'll break it.

Mission complete, you're in!

OMG- Thank you so much Internet! I've been waiting outside my apartment for days now trying to figure out how to get in. It's so simple! How could I have missed it?!

for the love of flamingos, get that snow out of there!

2010-02-18T14:55:00.004+11:00

This is the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia SOUTH CAROLINA. Seriously America, get your act together or I demand that you send those beautiful, super awesome pink birds to Taronga! Sydney has some heat to spare!

um.

2010-02-10T08:57:00.003+11:00

This is how our morning started. Well, actually that's not true. It really started at 4:30am when a 'new' hole allowed water to stream out of the ceiling into one of our numerous buckets (thanks to those who have lent us buckets!). Now I imagine how bad Chinese Water Torture would be. I got up to go run. Vincent managed to go back to sleep--he's insane like that. Then at 7:38 an insurance assessor came to look at the problem (who I thought would be coming at 8:30 and who would actually be a handyman come to fix it). Then, seriously, THREE minutes later the ceiling collapsed.

Two good things happened this morning. 1) I got to run in the city as the sun rose. 2) The drip drip drip has stopped.

centennial park has the best tree ever.

2010-02-09T17:57:00.005+11:00

Vincent and I went running at Centennial park the other day to make fun of all my snow-locked friends (no harm meant, y'all). It was hot and humid and generally summer-y. I love running here because there are some flippin' awesome trees. This one is by far my favourite. It is ridiculously big and the roots are super super cool. Crazy banyans (or some other kind of tree).

well hello internet, how nice to see you!

2010-02-04T19:25:00.002+11:00

We have The Internet! And because we live in the middle of the biggest city in Australia, it only took 24 days. A marvel of modern human achievement. Really.

But I digress.

Since our Christmas festivities, visiting parents/in-laws, and a trip to the land of the Queen, we've moved to our new apartment in the city! Surry Hills to be exact. The move took 17 hours of lifting very heavy things. Well, not everything was heavy--but I was sure in a sore spot the next day (I can't speak for Vincent). But now we have all our major appliances in working order and THE INTERNET. Life is good people.

We'll miss Gladesville for the good flat-company, the cockatoos, and the pretty run along the Parramatta river. But the city is good for trains, and markets, and general car-less living. Vincent is five minutes walk from his work now and only 15 minutes from tennis. Before work we have time to go out to breakfast at the "real" French bakery. I think he's happy with this. I'm five minutes walk to the train, 15 minutes from Starbucks (no judging please), and 15 minutes from Centennial Park! I'm certainly happy about this. :)

See you around... ONLINE!

queensland is worried about YOUR safety....kind of.

2010-01-09T12:25:00.005+11:00

...but no fence.

I saw one of these suckers--they were heavy and VERY spikey. Death certainly would result if hit.

"Never go alone if bush toileting--take someone with you to watch for dingos."

Also, they must have had a few incidents with dingos and children b/c there are signs everywhere warning to keep small children within arms' reach at all times.

"Symptoms such as severe back ache, muscle cramps, sweating, nausea, and dreadful feeling of anxiety and ill health may arise 20-30 minutes after the initial sting." Wow. And this isn't even the one that can kill you.

death-by-happiness

2010-01-04T21:33:00.003+11:00

These, my friends, are red-tailed black cockatoos. Welcome to heaven.

taipans schmaipans, it's the cattle you gotta watch out for

2009-12-24T11:36:00.007+11:00

Last week, Vincent and I went to Barrington Tops to stay at a rainforest/cattle farm retreat. I wanted to see koalas and platypi and Vincent...well, he wanted me to be happy. But apparently it's quite rare to see koalas and platypuses in the wild, so we had to settle for some very cute and curious possums and a brush turkey. There were also quite a number of rosellas flying around which made me happy*.

We did lots of hiking on really wild and crazy trails. One through a gorgeous rainforest/other kind of forest.

And another trail took us seriously up the cliff face of a mountain (well it wasn't really a cliff, but it was at least a 70% grade). The whole time, I was pretty sure I was going to fall off. I think Vincent was pretty sure I was going to fall off too.

But in the end it wasn't the steep mountain or the poisonous snakes that got me, it was the flippin' cattle. Yeah, you read me right. The flippin' ::insert expletive:: cattle. No one warns you about them because everyone is more concerned that you will get eaten by a giant crocodile or bit by a mini-spider with venom so strong you are unconscious in 5 seconds. Yes, they forget to tell you about the cows that are 1000kg and who will chase a poor girl down a gravel road on her early morning run. They forget to mention that these "docile" beasts are a curious sort and that they snort and have huge horns which they point at you when they have you surrounded with no escape. As a result, how does one know whether to run or to stay put? Does eye contact propose a challenge? Questions, questions--all of which were running through my head alongside flashes from my former life as an un-trampled and alive PhD student.

So, my advice to you friends is that when you come to visit, don't worry about the taipans, don't worry about the salt-water crocs or the great whites. Don't even worry about funnel-web spiders killing you in your sleep. Really, the only thing you gotta worry about is the cattle.

* Although not as happy as I would've been if I saw a koala or a platypus.

linzi makes pasta?

2009-12-20T09:10:00.013+11:00

My awesome friends George and Agnes got me a super cool make-you-own-pasta machine (because they secretly have faith in my ability to learn how to cook food). This was then supplemented with some extra parts by an acquaintance of mine down the street. In the hopes that I could actually make some home-made pasta for Vincent's parents come to visit (which is tomorow by the way), I went ahead and gave my pasta-making-aptitude a try out.

1. Mix eggs and salt with flour.

2. Knead the resulting dough.

3. I said KNEAD IT!

4. After leaving the dough for 15 or 20 minutes, take bits of it through 'The Flattener' several times.

5. Put these flattened strips then through pasta shape maker of your choice. I decided to go with a fettucini-like style:

8. After the noodles have dried- cook as usual!

Both Bec and Vincent ate some and BOTH went back for seconds. I cried a little.

Where's the mo? Oh! THERE's the mo!

2009-11-26T22:35:00.003+11:00

let's play a game.

Look at this photograph. What was not here (there) a week ago?

I'll give you a hint. One of the things involves facial hair. And the other involves permission to live and work in Australia because of me.

The week has ended well.

welcome to Tierra Santa.

2009-11-22T17:44:00.006+11:00

Last week was stressful. I am not going to go into details because they are depressing and awful and annoying and ridiculous.

Instead, look at the souvenir George brought me back from Argentina!

This superbly crafted plastic mug depicts the Parque Tierra Santa in Buenos Aires. Literally: Park Holy Land. Yup, you guessed it: Argentina boasts the only Jesus-themed amusment park in the world. Sigh. I always miss out on all the fun. It has shows and plastic oxen and plaster palm trees and mechanical angels. But on top of that awesomeness, a 18 meter (60 foot) statue of Jesus is resurrected every hour. I'm not making this up-- watch it happen here.

I can say no more.

The world has outdone itself.

Thank you George for brightening an otherwise horrendous week!

P.S. the coffee I drank out of my mug this morning was absolutely divine.

2009-11-04T17:00:00.006+11:00

Whew. The mayhem all started a few weeks back with the Australian Beer Festival. We* decided to give Australian beer another go (even though it didn't deserve it) and sacrifice our day drinking sips of Australia's most prestigious specialty beers. That night ended at the Waterloo with the purple lady singing to a jolly tune and Harry, a very enthusiastic local, being invited to Mary and Toby's wedding next year (even though I'm not sure they'll follow through--they're heartbreakers, those two). I also vaguely remember meeting a guy who is doing his PhD on why America is so awesome and his friend doing his masters on why koalas don't make good lunch meat**.

Next was a sobering week filled with reading and writing and data annotation and all those linguistic-y activities that I love so much. But since the weather is starting to not be ridiculous (although as I say this the temperature has dropped like 25 degrees), Vincent and I headed out last weekend to Sculpture by the Sea 2009--an art exhibition along the coast from Bondi to Tamarama. My favorite were the dominos and the stick sculptures. And maybe the little guy looking out to sea. And the huge wrist-watch. And...and...

Then Bec got home from overseas.
And yesterday, I went with her to the annual Flame Free Melbourne Cup Lunch at the Rose. I won 8 WHOLE dollars in the sweeps. Great food. Great company. What a lovely way to spend a Tuesday!

Now it's time to get back to work--I am presenting about sign language lexicography at an upcoming conference. Because, as you all know, that's my specialty***.

* "We" being the Germans and the Kiwis mostly, save me, the lone American and Kat, the lone Australian

** The details are a bit fuzzy.

*** Along with medical interpreting.

one...two...three....GO!

2009-10-16T09:26:00.004+11:00

For something new and exciting I joined the Concorde Triathlon Club. They host a season of aquathons (swim + run events) around the Bay area. Our first event was a 200m swim, 5k (or so) run, 300 m swim. I didn't die and I even got an honourable mention in the newsletter! Check it out!

October 14 – First Aquathon at Drummoyne Pool – Everyone races well and safely - congratulations

Our first aquathon of the season got under way under a threatening sky and cool and blustery conditions. Despite the weather, we had an excellent turn-out with 32 competitors setting off for the Brent Street Single event.

Again it was great to see many new (and I must say anxious) faces awaiting the starters gun. However, to be expected, with so many having a go for the first time with CTC without having seen one of the aquathons before. To that end, a big welcome to: Julie, Cathy, Tim, Fiona, Rosemary, Bianca, Vicki, Pauline, Sam(uel), Fiona, Mike, Steph, Steve, Brad, Helen, Nathan, Lindsay, Beccie, Dan, Anthonys, Phillip and Georgie who raced with us for the first time last night. We trust you enjoyed the experience and we will see you at more races this season.
...

Group 2 set off 8 minutes later. First home in this group was ‘Slim’ Jim Kirkpatrick - showing the benefits of some sneaky personal training in the off season. Well done Jim - looking good. Group 3 next week can be your reward! Jim was closely followed by Mike who is also a member of our sister tri club - Balance.

This group also contained our recent acquisition from Georgia USA - Lindsay, who managed to post a very respectable time despite a relaxed approach to her transitions. Leaving “room for improvement” as she noted later.

Another import - Beccie from the UK , raced hard becoming the first female home overall. Well done Beccie. Special mention in this group also goes to Anna who is showing off some new running form this season.
...
So a great effort to all who competed. Conditions weren’t easy. That head wind out made life tough for all competitors. (Wait till summer however guys, the prevailing wind is usually a North Easterly, which means you are running back into it!). The breezy conditions also made it hard for Marshals - in particular Brett, who apparently was almost was blown away with all his equipment on more than one occasion.

Next week’s event is the Duke Avenue Single; a 500m swim followed by 5.6k run. (Those concerned about their swimming might think about having a practice run over the weekend!).

At the time of writing, the long range forecast is for very warm conditions - 30 degrees. Hope to see you all there. Until then - train well.

Steve Nielsen

I guess that means I better get to the pool before next week. 500 meters, yeah--that's going to be "interesting."

road trip + wine = the hunter valley

2009-10-06T18:11:00.003+11:00

don't worry, George was our fearless and gracious DD. Thank you George.

morning orange!

2009-09-23T09:13:00.002+10:00

I woke up to million mile per hour winds and an orange Sydney this morning.
Yum.

Read more.

well, i'll be

2009-09-16T18:46:00.005+10:00

Meet my Gerbera, who decided to grace me with her presence a YEAR after I got her; My croton--and his Dr. Seuss leaves; and me and Vincent's Pot Belly Fig-- who's just too cool for school.

kangaroos love them some low-fly fuel dumps

2009-09-16T13:08:00.004+10:00

I went to Queensland last weekend with George.

We saw kangaroos hopping around.

We saw a spectacular fireworks show.

And we saw a fighter jet do a low-fly over the city...where it dumped its fuel and set it on fire.

As you do.

Oh yeah--we also did a medical interpreting workshop*, held focus groups with the deaf community**, collected data for our PhDs**, and provided an information session about the Medical Signbank**.

* I know, you can laugh--I certainly did
** Note that these activities were conducted in Auslan (small applause for Lindsay please)

you know who you are.

2009-09-01T17:16:00.002+10:00

if you're looking for a whale of a time....

2009-08-30T10:37:00.009+10:00

Bec, Vincent, I, George, Agnes, and Emily went on the Ocean Dreaming yesterday in pursuit of migrating Humpback whales.
And the whale-gods were definitely on our side because we didnt' even leave Sydney Harbour for five minutes when we met up with a pod of three Humpbacks meandering back to their homes in the south.
(can you see the one under the water--huge!)
And even luckier for us, they weren't in any hurry to be anywhere so they hung out and "mugged"* our boat a few times! Incidentally, when the first mugging was occuring another whale-watching boat came up right next to us--which is illegal and it really irritated our whale-master-guide-driver. However, to make lemonade out of lemons--it did give us a good view of how big whales really are! 'Massive' is one word that comes to mind.
We had such a lovely time! And I think the consensus is that if any of you come to visit--we'll be happy to take you too, because it's really worth it to go again...and again. :)
Here are a few other photos our new whale friends! They tell the story better than I can...

(note-this was taken by a member of the Ocean Dreaming staff--he had a waaaay better camera than we did, so Bec bought me the photos he took for my birthday! THANKS BEC!)

See the full lot of photos here!

* a mugging occurs when a whale swims right up to a boat so that it can't use its motors (we wouldn't want to hurt the fellow). The law says that it is illegal to approach a whale closer than 100m, but if it swims up to you--you must turn off your motors so not to harm the anima

for those of you considering taking a hike in the royal national park

2009-08-18T18:42:00.012+10:00

Be advised: This post is (necessarily) long due to the dramatic and harrowing adventure being recounted. Some portions may be unsuitable for children and some adults.

A week or so ago I convinced Vincent that we should go hike the Coast Walk, a 23-26km (14-16 miles) trail that meanders along the coast as part of the Royal National Park. I had been tipped off to this “day trip” by a WeekendNotes email that said it was a gorgeous hike full of beautiful everything. I was sold. The email also said that the hike can be completed in one day by fit people, even though many choose to camp-out overnight and make it a weekend away. I put it down on the calendar for Saturday; afterall, I don’t camp and Vincent and I are “fit” people. Or so I thought. This proves to be the first of many mis-calculations made by me on this trip.

The second mis-calculation occurred as we bought train tickets. I had explained to the ticket-seller-man that we wanted to get off at Cronulla but would be returning from Otford because we’d be walking the Coast Walk in between. His reply, “You can’t walk that trail in one day. It’s impossible.” As I think back now, perhaps I should have taken his warning more seriously. But at the time, I just calmly explained that my sources said otherwise and that we were in a hurry to catch our train.

After the train ride and ferry to Bundeena we made our way to the start of the trail. The day was sunny and crisp—perfect for our hike! We started at 10:30 in the morning (after taking a short detour down the wrong trail) and were immediately greeted with a gorgeous skyline of Sydney! Also, I had already started to notice some lovely little birds coloured in bright yellow, black, and white. They seemed to follow along with us, twittering among the wildflowers. “This is going to be a great day,” I thought to myself. The trail headed straight to the coast—well, at least to the very high, sheer cliffs separating us from the ocean. So, SO beautiful. The ocean here is crystal green and blue and when the waves slam into the rocks below they’d break into the whitest white. If we had just seen this view over and over the whole day, I would have been happy.

After some time, we started our first descent—to Marley beach. The water looked pretty inviting, but unfortunately we still had a long hike ahead and didn’t have time for a dip (and let’s be real, there’s no way on the planet I would have gotten into that water anyway—WAY too cold and WAY too many deadly animals swimming around. Vincent however was a little disappointed). This is where we discovered how hard it is to “hike” across golden-sandy beaches. This is also when I first started to get anxious about how fast we were walking compared to how far we had to go. This nagging apprehension would only manifest over the course of the day ultimately testing Vincent’s patience with my Type-A personality (otherwise known as the personality that likes to ensure survival from the harsh elements of the natural world—why do you think I don’t camp-out?).

In spite of this, the scenery was breathtaking (both figuratively and literally). We trekked up mountains, down mountains, up more mountains, down more mountains—winding our way through all kinds of forests, over pristine beaches, climbing our way back up more cliffs that were placed there just to challenge our understanding of the concept of “being fit.”

We reached Wattamolla in about 2.5 hours. Vincent and I took a rest gazing at the ocean eating our sandwiches contemplating the second half of our trek. Could we make it in time? The sun, we reckoned, would set around 5:30 or so—leaving us 4.5 hours to go 15kms. With no time to waste, we headed onward—leaving all the Asian tourists and families with little babies to their cars and amenities—like toilets—for the open trail. Picking up the pace we made our way into new scenery—a bit away from the ocean through this kind of bush-forest. We were sure we were going to see snakes—but I guess it’s still a bit cold for them, thank whoever-I-need-to-thank-for-that. Even though all seems peachy, I (and hopefully Vincent) was really starting to get worried about finishing before dark. We kept seeing different mile markers and we never knew how fast we were going. The cliffs we kept having to walk over instead of around was one sure factor for our slow progress—but I mean come on, we had to look around some of the time too, or the whole trip would be a waste. We started walking faster though…and it started getting hotter. The mountains kept getting steeper and bigger. I was getting tired. And we still had hours to go.

Then we reached Garie and environs. Full of little shoddy cabins—Garie would have been a perfect stopping place for the day. Right at a gorgeous beach with a canteen—sigh, what were we thinking?! Did I mention it was really hot, and we had been hiking for like four hours? As we started scaling this grassy “hill” cursing mother nature—Vincent came across our first bit of land-dwelling wildlife: an echidna!!!! These ridiculous creatures are awesome and I have been wanting to find one in the wild since I got here. The poor thing though was scared out of her mind and just froze in the grasses—so we couldn’t get a look at her face. I considered picking her up—but for all I know echidnas can spit fatal saliva or some crazy nonsense. So we left her alone—and moved forward, our spirits just a bit higher.

Our good mood abruptly, and I mean abruptly, ended when we descended to the next beach. Do you know what a masked lapwing is? Vincent or I must have gotten too close to his/her nest, because before I knew it Vincent was running like mad and screaming for me to follow him. I didn’t even see the bird. I did see his shadow when he’d attack me from behind, swooping a few centimetres from my head. We were on a beach! What kind of birds have nests in the middle of a beach!? I kept running—it was so hard on the soft sand. I didn’t know what to do. My legs were going to quit soon and I knew then I’d be dead (this may be a slight exaggeration). The bird flew so fast…I couldn’t breathe. Vincent turned around and stopped running—I fell to a halt trying to catch a breath—then as I looked up I saw his face change. He screamed, “No, he’s coming back! Run Lindsay!” I grabbed my jacket and started waving it in circles above my head—I wanted to cry—I couldn’t make it to the end of the beach. I was ready to just crumple to the ground and brace for impact when the crazy bird decided we had enough and went back to his nest. Have you seen Land of the Lost when Will Ferrell is running from the T-rex? That was us. In all of the same zigzag glory.

When we reached the end of the beach—I had had about enough. Just in time for another mountain to scale. And we had lost the trail—it disappeared amongst all the petite cottages that we were not spending the night in. I stopped to ask a group of beer and wine-drinkers if they knew where to the trail was, and a god-honest Aussie in his budgie-smugglers with his plastic glass of white happily pointed us in the right direction (while trying to convince us to stay for a beer).

Now, we had 6-10 kms to go and only a few more hours of daylight. To put it simply, we started booking it. We hurried through a scary forest of huge palm trees over some more mountains through trenches up to our shoulders (all the while questioning if we were going the right way). The signs stopped and we found ourselves squinting to find our way through the darkening sky. I, at this point, was freaking out. Vincent stayed positive—but maybe he was just trying to prevent me from having a meltdown—isn’t he just a great guy? I told him I was sorry I got him into this mess—and that if we ever made it, I would never ask him to do such a silly thing again. I reviewed my lack of research and cursed my various miscalculations throughout the day.

Needless to say, much of the beautiful scenery in the last K’s were lost on us—but that’s okay because the minute I saw the highway with cars on it I felt a kind of relief rush over me that I have rarely felt. This was a near-near death experience. I’m sure of it. We had hiked for 7.5 hours probably equalling over 28 kms (17 miles). We got to the deserted train station and waited in the freezing cold for two hours—but it didn’t matter, because we could make it back to our concrete jungle that we know and love so much.

Epilogue:
We couldn’t walk right for the next few days—I am so glad I take pilates now or I’d be in much worse shape. And I think an investment into proper hiking shoes could be beneficial. An adventure for sure, but Vincent suggested that we stick to exploring Sydney for the next few months. I agreed immediately. See the full adventure here in photos!

typical day at the office

2009-08-13T07:42:00.003+10:00

This morning at work I passed a sign that read:

WARNING Explosive-powered tools in use KEEP OUT

And I thought magpies in the spring were scary.

What a lovely day to run to the beach...

2009-08-10T09:20:00.012+10:00

Well folks, the largest running event on the planet has come and gone...fairly successfully, I might add. Vincent and I woke up early (but not as early as for the Bay Run) and headed our way to the city to meet our partners-in-running-crime, Isabelle and Erik. They, awesomely, live not far from the start line--which proved VERY useful when the bag-check proved a fiasco and we had to drop our stuff back at their apartment.

But no matter, we were destined to be awesome--and as the gatorade flowed through the streets....my shoes got very sticky and all the cups got caught up in everyone's stride. Wahoo! Race Day!

We started together. We did. But after about two minutes we lost each other--well, Isabelle and I lost Erik and Vincent. Boys. Sheesh. Whatever, it's hard to keep tabs on people when you're surrounded by thousands upon thousands of others.

*look at all the people by the church!

There was a rock band.

And Superman.

And Spiderman.

And Batman...wait, no batman, but we did see a superhero personal trainer, which should count for something (especially because Vincent and I saw him at last week's race too!).

I took some photos along the way--not that you can get any appreciation for the absolute chaos that was this race.
A nice man took my photo along the 11kms-ish mark. They couldn't believe I'd stop to take a photo. I explained that I never get to see this part of the city. And anyway, I'm not very fast.
There was a band playing a trombone, tuba, and a saxophone...I even think there were some really fluffy dogs nearby.

At the end, we got medals! MEDALS!

And miraculously, we all caught up with each other around the P-marker. This was my biggest worry because only one of us had a cell phone. (In reality, that was okay though b/c there were so many people the race advised that there'd be blackouts on cell phone use--and we all know how much that'd would irritate Lindsay if she ran 14kms (8.5 miles) with a phone and at the end couldn't use it).

The afternoon ended with greasy yakisoba and beer. Too good people, TOO GOOD.

A repeat is scheduled for next year. Please call ahead if you'd like to join.

The Bay Run 2009

2009-08-03T18:20:00.004+10:00

Next weekend, Vincent and I, along with a couple friends, are running in the biggest road race on the earth!!!!!!!

As a mini-preparation for this insane, absolutely unprecedented race (there's going to be 75,000 people in it for cryin' out loud!) we decided to warm-up, if you will, with the 2009 Bay Run. This run, much milder and quiet in magnitude, runs 7 kms (4.35 miles) around a scenic and peaceful bay. It's also famous but only boasts a mere 1,500 participants. Much more my style.

So, I made Vincent get up very early on a Sunday and head down to Leichhardt. It was so cold. Even Vincent agrees. I couldn't feel my right arm or feet until half way through the race. (I have since bought super awesome warm socks for the run next week). Anyway, after a (ridiculously expensive) coffee/ hot chocolate we checked our bag and waited for the start gun.

The race was gorgeous, and the event was organised very well for a community fun run. Very pleased.

I ran well and Vincent ran better:
Out of the 1,465 that finished Vincent placed 100th overall and I, 595th. Then, amongst the boys Vincent placed 92/ 770 and out of the girls, I got 108/693. Not bad I don't think. Then out of our gender age groups--Vincent got 38/205 and I got 34/210. So, not a bad show after a last minute entry I don't think.

Yeah!
Stay tuned for next week's race--it's going to be CRAZY.

i want one!!!

2009-07-23T08:36:00.003+10:00

sigh. aren't they just so lovely?

"The pronoun is always directed towards the referent even if the referent moves to another locus," Tom pointed out.

2009-07-22T13:48:00.002+10:00

Chuppa Chups = Good Decisions.

2009-07-16T14:39:00.004+10:00

While our internet was busy acting like a rebellious annoying pre-teen, I was very busy learning things from famous linguists and controversial bio-ethicists! Some of the highly enlightening facts from this week include:

Salvador Dali designed the Chuppa Chups logo.

Vegetarians who drive Suburbans use less energy and have a smaller emmissions footprint than meat-eaters who drive a Prius.

Ahem.

I think however, the most excellent idea from the past few days has been from Peter Singer who argues that the lifestyles of people living in rich countries (especially the US and Australia) are acts of aggression towards humanity and that they should be brought to justice.

Double ahem.

Therefore, the next time you are craving a steak, enjoy a Chuppa Chup instead. You can then congratulate yourself, because you have just helped curb humanity's effort towards extinction!

3 kookaburas, 2 lorikeets, and a _______ in a pine tree!

2009-06-29T15:43:00.003+10:00

oh I hope it's a bandicoot....or a black cockatoo!!

bananas for everyone!

2009-06-25T15:25:00.002+10:00

Morford, J. P. & Macfarlane, J. (2003). Frequency characteristics of American Sign Language. Sign Language Studies, 3(2), p. 213-225.

No, Thank YOU Lorman.

2009-06-17T16:34:00.002+10:00

-->Welcome to an online chat session at Bank of America. Please hold while we connect you to the next available Bank of America Online Banking Specialist. Your chat may be monitored and recorded for quality purposes. Your current wait time is approximately 0 minutes. You are currently 1 in queue. Thank you for your patience.
-->Thank you for choosing Bank of America. You are now being connected to a Bank of America Online Banking Specialist.

Lorman: Hello, my name is Lorman. Thank you for choosing Bank of America and our Online Banking Text Chat service. I'm here to assist you with your personal accounts today. May I have your name and zip code to begin?

Linzi: my name is lindsay ferrara. i live in australia. what zip code do you need?

Lorman: A very warm welcome to you! Lindsay. How may I assist you today?

Oh, I guess you don't REALLY need that information. Why, OH WHY did I just give you my real name?!!

Linzi: I am trying to wire money from australia to my bank of america checking account in the states

Lorman: I understand your concern. I will be glad to assist you regarding this.

This is certainly a concern, you took the words right out of my native English speaking mouth.

interlude: info for an incoming international wire transfer

Lorman: While not required to receive an incoming wire from an international source, it may be helpful to
provide this information to the sending party in case it is needed by their institution.

um.

Linzi: how do i know which BOA branch address to use?

Lorman: Let me quickly check that for you.

Linzi: thank you

Lorman: the branch address is 10775 N ORACLE RD, ORO, Valley AZ 857377015. Is there anything else that I can assist you with today?

Linzi: um

Lorman: I hope I was able to assist you in the best possible way. If you have any question, please feel free to contact us again any time. We are available 24 hours seven days a week. Thank you for being a valuable Bank of America customer.

Linzi: the address is not right. what is the city again?

Lorman: City is ORO, Valley. This the branch address.

Linzi: like BOA's headquarters?

Lorman: This is the address where your account was opened.

Linzi: no it was not. i have never lived in arizona before. am i supposed to use the address of the bank where i opened the account or am i supposed to use the address of the bank closest to my billing address?

Lorman: I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Let me quickly check once again that for you.

Inconvience, why yes Lorman, I suppose it is somewhat of an inconvenience. Although, really, to be honest, it's only an inconvenience because now I don't believe one word you type and I'm going to have to go through this dreaded process again at some other time.

Lorman: I apologize for any confusion. The branch address is 722 H ST, NE Washington DC 20023697.

Linzi: that sounds better, thank you very much

Lorman: You are most welcome. I really appreciate your understanding in this matter.

It's okay Lorman, we have only ourselves to blame. If weren't so dang cheap, we could put out for some native speakers in our own country. But no matter-- I'm glad you have a job and can now afford an education and food for your family.

pretty colo(u)rs!

2009-06-15T19:30:00.004+10:00

who had any idea that coloured lights were such a hit in this town... that's what happens when you're a million miles from everywhere :)

quote of the day

2009-06-11T16:59:00.002+10:00

"New Guineans even regularly capture chicks of wild cassowaries (an ostrich-like large, flightless bird) and raise them to eat as a delicacy--even though captive adult cassowaries are extremely dangerous and now and then disembowel village people."

(Jared Diamond- during his discussion of humanity's domestication of animals in his new book "Guns, Germs, and Steel", p. 165)

Let that be a lesson to you. Cassowaries are undomesticatable and enjoy human bowels.

I made it...almost.

2009-06-02T06:43:00.005+10:00

Georgia tried to kill me.

I swear.

I went out for a run the other day in Lincoln County, population 7. A simple out and back run from our lakeside cabin to the "main" road. I chose that route because the seven people that live in Lincoln county have probably never seen a pedestrian and I wanted to get back to Australia all safe and sound-like.

My precautions proved relevant but misguided.

Georgia, you may have won this battle, but the last laugh is on you because I'm on my way back to winter...MWAHAHAHAHA!

alligators schmalligators

2009-05-25T09:59:00.009+10:00

I went "golfing" this morning with my dad, brother, and stepbrother. This entailed me driving a fancy golf cart while taking photographs of alligators and sedges of egrets. Viva South Carolina!

I also ran along the marsh, which was just LOVELY. My knee only hurt half the way! GO KNEE!

Tomorrow, I'm going to Augusta--my eternal nemesis. Bring it!

....breathe out

2009-05-21T06:06:00.007+10:00

I am in Georgia. And in light of the events of the past few weeks, I decided this morning to take the day to exhale. I slept in (til' seven), went running (in my NEW shoes and NEW shirt), submitted my thesis proposal, digitized wedding movies, watched the Daily Show AND the Colbert Report, drafted a survey, and as you can see now--wrote a blog. It feels very good. I hope to finish this day of exhaling by drinking some fairly awful southern beer (just so I can miss the great beer I had last weekend) and chillaxin' with my bro(ther).

Highlights from the past weeks include:
1. VINCENT AND I GOT MARRIED! WAHOOOOOOOOO!

2. I surveyed LA with Karen!

3. I went to Brayde and Matt's wedding! WAHOOOOOOOO!

4. I saw Cecily and Adam!

5. I visited the Seattle aquarium and saw a puffin and a crazy octopus! WAOOOOOOOOOO!

Whew.
...Double Whew.

who knew?!

2009-05-04T14:39:00.002+10:00

This interpreter in Melbourne: I was trying to figure out where you are from.

Lindsay: Yeah...

This interpreter in Melbourne: Then I heard you say 'Eh,' and I knew you were Canadian!

Lindsay: Hahaha, I'm actually American.

This interpreter in Melbourne: No way! I totally thought you were from Canada.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I blame this COMPLETELY on George.

ATTN: cupcakes and furby's do NOT mix

2009-05-04T08:05:00.002+10:00

This is serious business. I'm flying back from Melbourne last night--and because I rarely fly on airplanes I decide to read over and memorize the safety information card. One can never be too careful (especially with Qantas' luck recently). And this is what I read:

Prohibited at all times onboard the aircraft. Devices which emit electromagnetic signals such as cellular telephones, transceivers, FM/AM radios, pocket pagers, radio controlled devices, printers, television receivers, audio equipment with wireless controls, and Furby toys.

And on top of that--they had illustrations to go along with this important request--a picture of a little Furby with a big red circle and a strike through it. I mean, wow, what could a whole species of mechanical talking make-believe animals do to an airline to irk them so bad. And, is it really necessary for them to emit electromagnetic signals? Does W.A.T.C.H know about this?!
Thank you Qantas for protecting us from the evils of those malicious emitters--where would the world be without you?

For the love of all that is PENGUIN!

2009-04-21T08:19:00.016+10:00

It has been decided: penguins R-O-C-K. They are just so spectacular, I can't even begin to think about describing them to you. So, I won't. Instead, I'll back up a few days to sum up our lovely stay in the southern city of Melbourne.

You see, it all started when Vincent's work sent him here for a month, which I guess is a good opportunity for him and blah blah blah, but whatever. What it means for me is that once again we are going to be spending a few months apart (if you add on the month that I'm going to the States). PLUS, we are supposed to be getting married in the midst of all of that. Sigh. Never the best timing, but that's how the penguins roll (haha get it? penguins.).

That's when I decided to have a great idea and go down to Melbourne WITH Vincent. I'm a PhD student after all, and one of the perks is a mobile work environment. It also helps that the project (and me) is collecting data in Melbourne, and I could help get that started --and voila: everyone is happy!

Since arriving, I've been very very busy writing my thesis proposal-which even if it kills me will be done by May, running--kind of at least, and doing a bit of sightseeing and drinking delicious coffee. My runs have been around the Royal Botanic Gardens which, I have to regretfully say, are better than the ones in Sydney. 90 acres of crazy plants and I'm sold, what can I say?

We also visited a town just outside Melbourne called Williamstown and discovered an authentic French Breton Creperie. And oh holy crepes, people, it was so delicious. I think the world I'm looking for is heaven. Yeah, and the coffee-- not even funny how awesomely lovely it was. :)

But the day didn't end with delicious crepes my dear friends-- it ended with PENGUINS! Vincent and I had both been on a mission to see penguins. It just wasn't in the cards to go see the little buggers on Phillip Island so we decided to visit the Melbourne Aquarium instead which are having an exhibit on Antarctica. And it was everything it should have been and more. Here's a short video of them....

Then of course, what's an aquarium without crazy sea animals... my OH SO FAVORITE (Leafy) Sea Dragons, tassled angler fish, and jellyfish!!

They also had gigantuan stingrays and several varieties of turtles and frogs. We also got to hold a baby starfish (well, actually- I have absolutely no idea if it was a baby--but it was small)!

If only everyday could be spent in a giant aquarium...

Alright y'all, it's time for Lindsay to go write linguistic-y things about mental spaces and medical terminology!

happy times:sad times

2009-04-08T08:18:00.008+10:00

What a month people, what A month. I think that's what happens when time gets confused as to what season it is: March thinking it's September, April thinking it's October--I mean, who WOULDN'T that confuse?!

A few weeks back, Vincent and I housesat for some friends who just happen to live in the center of Sydney. We stayed a little over a week, and it was.... fantastic! My week was chock full of Starbucks--just a 15 min walk away--writing "heaps" on my thesis proposal in a very quiet and productive environment, and running. And ohhhh the running! Vincent went a few times and I did a few long runs as well.
1. around Cooge

2. Centennial Park

3. Bronte, there and back

4. over Harbour Bridge

This, people, is what running is all about. The sun, the fresh air, the trees, the ocean. Too good. Too good to be true, even. I should have known better. But I let the week take me, and I went with it. Silly Lindsay, silly silly Lindsay.

It's been fourteen days since that last run in the city. If I would have known it'd be my last, I would have tried to go farther--you know, run to Manly or something. Sigh. Needless to say, I'm sad about this. And to top it off, Vincent's in Melbourne for all of April, I have a thesis proposal that's overdue, I'm constantly having to resist all the planning going on around me about upcoming nuptuals, while trying to prepare everything before I go to the States for a month. How can a person not run in this situation-- I swear, my will is stronger than my mind.

But, before I had a total and complete nervous breakdown--which, in all honesty, is not without merits--Vincent decided to be the perfect husband-to-be and bought me a shiny new present (Well, the verdict is still out as to who he actually bought it for--him or me, but I think we both agree that the timing was for me). His name is Marshall. He is a 20" iMac with a lot of memory and super sonic speed. His large screen helps me do awesome linguistics and it's quite fun to watch movies on. Yay!

In addition to this most lovliness, Vincent also bought me a ticket to Melbourne so I can hang out with him down there. I'm very excited about this because 1. We will be in the same city again, 2. There will be little distraction so I can focus on getting my proposal done, 3. There might be penguins to go see, 4. I can actually do work and collect data for my PhD project AND the medical sign bank project. So it's a win win all around.

Accordingly (I am trying to eradicate the word 'therefore' from my writing--apparently it doesn't mean what I think it means), I have taken the good with the bad these past few weeks. I really wish I could go running--the weather now is perfect for it, but I'll take the extra time and focus on my studies.... I guess. Everyone say THANK YOU VINCENT for being so perfect.

And our next post will most probably be from Melbourne.... unless I try to make Karen's magic bars, in which case, you might get one in between.

Ciao!

Melbourne...

2009-04-01T09:42:00.007+11:00

Because most the readers are native english speakers, I figured I would write in english (well at least try to). And my fellow french friends know english well enough to understand me.

I went to Melbourne on tuesday morning to work for a branch of Publicis, called Mojo. Mojo deals with the website graphics and they needed a developer to work on an application for Qantas. Because Digitas is the programming branch of publicis, I went to Melbourne to help them finish the project.

I am currently at work, in South Bank, a very nice area of the city. The company is next to the river and close to a nice pedestrium with lots of restaurants and shops. Also, the hotel I am staying at is a 3 minutes walk to the company which is great. And, because there aren't many people staying there at the moment I got an upgrade!

- a living room with a big flat screen TV, couches, big table and its 6 chairs around it
- a kitchen with oven, microwave, fridge, toaster, coffee maker...
- 2 bathrooms with washing machine, dryer, shower and bath
- 2 rooms, with 2 big beds and a TV in one -- you guessed that I slept in the one with the TV :)
- a balcony

I have to agree that this room is a little too big for me, but I am not complaining.

The work is interesting. We are building an application for Qantas that will ask Australians what they like or admire. Then Qantas will analyze these data and display a graphic map of Australia with what people like or admire depending on where they live. It does not seem clear, I know...
Along with that, the application will regularly retrieve data from Twitter and Blogger (Google) and parse the data to only keep the ones with the word love in it, or admire. I am working on this part, retrieving the data from these apps and parsing them to display only the ones we need.

So yeah pretty cool application, and Melbourne is quite nice so far. Weather is great too, while it's pouring rain in Sydney hehe. I will be there for about 4 weeks.

Peace out!

leaky buses rock my world....

2009-03-31T17:53:00.002+11:00

NOT!
But I don't complain, because they get me from point A to point B, with sometimes a point C thrown in there sometimes. And today one of the six that I rode actually hit a car! HAHAHAHA-- please don't be offended by the laugh (well, really you can- I don't care). It's just that I didn't really think buses hit cars. But I really think this one did. I'm not a hundred percent positive because we didn't stop to check. Poor car-- even though most of you know my stance on low-occupancy vehicles, so I'm more or less 'eh' about it. Whoever it was should learn from this experience and learn to take the bus...with me! It's waaaaay more entertaining and environmentally sound, and it also builds good character- something we all need.

Au travail

2009-03-20T08:47:00.007+11:00

C'est après près de trois mois de vacances intensives dans la magnifique ville qu'est Sydney que j'ai commence mon premier "vrai" emploi. Je dis vrai car j'ai quand même passe tout le mois de février à travailler sur des courts de tennis avec des enfants pour leur apprendre ce fabuleux sport.

Employé depuis lundi a Digitas Australie, cette première semaine s'est très bien passe. Avant toute chose, permettez-moi de vous présenter Digitas Australie ! Digitas Australie ouvre officiellement le 1er avril. Situe dans les bâtiments de Publicis -- Digitas étant la branche marketing digitale de Publicis -- dans the Rocks a Sydney, Digitas Australie a été crée par un français -- Nicolas -- avec qui j'ai travailler a Digitas France pendant le mois d'avril dernier -- J'ai réalise mon stage de fin d'étude a Digitas France, petit monde je sais bien. C'est d'ailleurs à cette période qu'il a décidé de partir à l'aventure à l'autre bout du monde.

Me voila donc à Sydney, travaillant dans une start-up, avec un manager français ! Les locaux sont super (photos à venir) et l'endroit est fantastique -- regarder sur Google Map : the rocks a Sydney. Il s'agit d'un vieux bâtiment -- vieux en Australie veut dire 200 ans max :) --, classe monument historique, avec vu sur la baie de Sydney.

Nous avons a disposition -- a disposition signifie gratuit pour moi -- un réfrigérateur remplit de canettes, un toaster avec du pain et de la confiture, miel, Nutella, peanut butter, beurre... Sans oublier le café ou the.

Digitas Australie va me sponsorise et donc me permettre de rester ici plus longtemps que mon visa courant le permet -- 1 an.

Je viens d'apprendre que l'alcohol -- bieres, vins -- etait en libre service tous les vendredis apres-midi ! Elle est pas belle la vie...

Holy Cockatoo Batman! I think we're outnumbered!

2009-03-09T20:52:00.005+11:00

You are not going to believe this...

(Get the lyrics to this song)

A mighty marvelous monday morning, if I do say so myself.

meet additions to our family at 14/2 Meriton street...

2009-03-05T18:06:00.007+11:00

I've been meaning to introduce y'all for a while now. Forgive me, I've never been good with formalities.

Everyone meet Mr. Snickers. Mr. Snickers meet everyone. He arrived last September, a gift from George and Agnes (Thanks guys!) AND He's STILL alive! Props to Lindsay.

Ms. Bounty. She arrived soon after Mr. Snickers. They are the best of buds.

Celine. The picture does not do her justice at all. She is HUGE. And she's been living in our tree for at least a month. I look for her earnestly every morning. If I ever see that she's not there, I may have to move.

Twizzler
... don't make fun of her. She's self-conscious.

and last but not least....
Steve! He doesn't hang out at the house, (not enough water or fish around), but I see him all the time on my runs past Kissing Point Park. He used to have a girlfriend, (I think--he wouldn't say), but she doesn't come around so often anymore. Cheer up Steve; don't let a silly girl spoil your charm!

Aren't they all just lovely? And we're expecting another addition in a few weeks-- Barney, a bonsai Alpine Wattle tree. He's hibernating at the moment. We're tricking him into thinking its Spring as we speak. Silly bonsai trees...

it's about frickin' time

2009-03-04T17:03:00.004+11:00

It happened so quickly that I almost missed it. Well, by quickly, I mean two hours--which is light speed in bureaucratic office time. We went to Central really to just ask someone how to get married--with us being so awesomely foreign and all. Would we be required to translate birth certificates; Would we need to get a special visa; Would we need to learn some Australian pub dance or a poem in an Aboriginal language? Did I need to wear a dress? Could Vincent wear his one pair of flip flops? Blood tests? Letters attesting our relationship from family and friends? You know, that sort of stuff. I mean, shoot, I've never married anyone before--and the more I have to interact with government agencies, the more I realise that they do not follow the same line of logic as normal people do.

Well, it turns out you just have to fill out a one page application saying you intend to get married after one month and one day. Okay. So we turned that in. Just to be safe though, we decided to give the government a bit more notice than just the one month and one day. I mean, what's the harm right? I have to go to Melbourne anyway around that time. Plus, we have to give four weeks notice to the French government--and we all know how the French LOVE efficiency, so we thought giving them a few more weeks to push paper would only be to our benefit.

Therefore, the date is set for Saturday May 9, 2009 at noon.

Of course, only after everything was set did Vincent remind me that I'll be heading Stateside just three days later for almost a month. Oops.

Figures doesn't it.

Anyway, my solution to that sillyness is that Vincent COMES to America with me--so I need your help convincing him. I need everyone to bombard him with e-mails saying how much you miss him and that you'd LOVE to see him, etc, etc. His email is xxc3@yahoo.fr and you can also reach him on FaceBook. Hehe.

Vincent and I have found out what the Koreans do on Saturday nights....and it's the same thing kookaburras do on Fridays!

2009-03-02T18:55:00.004+11:00

Can you guess?

Huh?

Huh??

Huh?!

Yeah, I didn't think so. Don't beat yourself up about it though, because it really isn't worth it. And to show you that I hold no hard feelings, I'll tell you.

They play tennis, people, TENNIS!

What a crazy world we live in. I thought Australia was insane enough with its teen-age love affair with vegemite and its un-wavering nonchalance towards living things...that can kill you...in an hour. But no. Koreans and kookaburras love tennis.

And, luckily for us, well--actually, luckily for me, Vincent loves tennis too. :)

He played in two tournaments (one in Manly and one in Strathfield) this past weekend and won all his matches-- scoring me dinner... TWICE along with some oh-so-delicious drinks. And you know what? Because of this, I think I am starting to love tennis too!

So everyone keep their fingers crossed that Vincent continues to play tennis super-duper awesomely. Lindsay needs to eat after all. And who doesn't enjoy a refreshing beverage every now and then?

stop being selfish and donate your over-valued money to people and animals in victoria...NOW

2009-02-11T13:12:00.003+11:00

Maybe you know already, but Victoria (one of Australia's states--and not the one me and Vincent live in) is suffering from massive, MASSIVE bush fires. The death toll is estimated at almost 300 so far, and the fires are still ablazin'. It is considered the worst natural disaster to ever hit Australia. So if you can spare a few dollars/ euros/ pounds/ etc, please donate here--just think how much a little bit will go with the current exchange rate!

This is all pretty sad stuff, but some stories making their way to the surface that have at least a little bit of cheer in them. Here's one about Sam, a Koala, who is helped by David Tree, a firefighter.

He said he was in the middle of backburning at Mirboo North when he saw the stricken koala. "I could see she had sore feet and was in trouble, so I pulled over the fire truck. She just plonked herself down, as if to say 'I'm beat'," he said.

"I offered her a drink and she drank three bottles.

"The most amazing part was when she grabbed my hand. I will never forget that."

Mr Tree and his brigade then received an emergency call-out to save a house, but minutes later Sam was picked up by wildlife carers.

She is one of 22 koalas, 14 ringtail possums, several wallabies and eastern grey kangaroos that have been handed into Gippsland carers.

Although Sam now is okay (and really, REALLY famous)--YAY!, thousands of other animals did not escape the huge fires or are suffering many injuries--BOO :( Wildlife Victoria is now taking donations to help care for the injured animals...if you feel so inclined that is.

I know I don't usually plea on the behalf of other humans or awesomely cute koalas and possums, but these fires are apparently REALLY bad. And to be honest, I think I'd be scared out of my mind if I was trying to escape something so big and hot. Not to mention the fact that they think some of the fires were caused by arson and/ or a cigarette thrown out a window-- sigh-- I just think we all can spare a few dollars to help those who now have to live with the mistakes of others.

it's so hot, i've been sweatin' like a koala in victoria...

2009-02-04T12:00:00.006+11:00

In Victoria, on a day when it was 44C (~118F), a very hot koala made its way into a barn (or somewhere)and so a nice lady helped him out with a bucket of cool water....

Everyone say "Awww..."

Don't you just want one?!

...to those really yummy Morningstar sausage patties

2009-02-01T11:43:00.004+11:00

As you know (or maybe not), I'm planning a trip to the States in May (because Brayde, one of my bestest friends is getting married!). I haven't booked the tickets though--partly because I need so many of them, and partly because I'm always kind of anxious buying plane tickets. In any case, I will be going to California and Washington and Georgia and South Carolina (COME VISIT ME). Two of these places I have never been, which justifies the trip entirely, however I will also get to visit my family in Georgia and South Carolina which is also cool with me.

Naturally, this has got me thinking about my former country of residence...and in particular, the things that I miss the most about it (read: what things lindsay will be buying to bring back with her). Of course I miss all my friends and family-- we all know that--so let's get down to the nitty gritty, the superficial materialistic America that we (I mean I) love so dear:

1. I miss specialty running stores.
2. I miss amber ale.
3. I miss real Targets (the ones here are basically just clothes stores).
4. I miss cheap books.
5. I miss normal sized coffee.
6. I miss Express.
7. I miss 24 hour convenient stores.
8. I miss cheese and egg bagels from Dunkin' Donuts.
9. I miss three ring hole-punchers...
10. I miss three ring binders, for that matter.
11. I miss unlimited downloading.
12. And perhaps most of all-- I miss those awesomely delicious Morningstar sausage patties.

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list-- I couldn't be bothered to sit here any longer on the matter. However, you get the point. So, wahoo, Lindsay is coming to America (if they let me in that is). I can't wait to stock up on all my favorite things.... and visit y'all (of course)!