NaBloPoMo: October 2010, Day 3

This marks the first weekend in many many months where I have been able to:
1*. not have my heater on at night
2. open up all the windows and doors during the day
3. hang my washing up outside and expect it to dry before it got rained on
4. sit outside reading a book, become engrossed in the book, forget the time, and end up with ridiculous-looking sunburn lines.
Good times.

I really really don't like winter. It depresses me. Not like I actually suffer from depression, but it makes me less inclined to go outside, play sport, go shopping or to the beach, spend time with other people if it involves me leaving the warmth and comfort of my house, etc. I am a boring, sooky person in winter (but I do get caught up on my books and tv shows).

Every year I throw up my hands and say I'm moving, and one day it will not be a joke. I can not handle this cold-weather shit for the rest of my life. I am (pale-ass skin notwithstanding) a shorts and singlet, out in the sunshine, no need to grab a jacket kind of person.

Daylight Savings started today, and I am taking that and the getting-to-awesome weather we've had so far this weekend as a sign that summer is on its way, and I can be happy again. Yay for the sun!

*Shut up. It's a tradition.

The weekly thing that made me roll me eyes before I realised it was the most Awesome Thing Ever

It's currently like -853905 degrees here at the moment, so I've been looking for a new winter jacket. For some bizarre reason, like I cannot even fathom what the designers were thinking, almost none of the jackets I've found and liked include a hood. Seriously, why?

This is where this product comes in:



I know what it looks like, and yes, it is actually a beanie attached to a scarf, but you know what, kooky head-slash-neckwear designers? You have achieved what, for some reason, the crackheads over in jackets have not been able to.

ETA: And also? It's gloves!

Heroes Of The Roads

Today at work my Crazy Manager was all, "I hope my tire isn't flat when I go home" and "It was on a lean" and "I noticed when I went to get petrol last night." Dude, last night? You went to get petrol, your car was on a lean, and you didn't feel the need to pump up your tires?

Turns out, she'd never done it before, and since my hero of a father forced me to learn how to pump up and change car tires the second I got my Ls, I could be the hero of modern women everyone by spreading the independence a little and teaching her how.

(Not to mention she got to be my hero by driving me home instead of me having to catch the bus then walk from Marion in the cold and the rain and the dark.)

Then on the way home we were stopped at some lights when we saw a car heroically not run over an old man, and cause a three-car rear-ending for his trouble.

PS: Today I bought a car and I will get it on Friday. Emma-From-Work (who is selling her car to me) is my hero!

Water Play

I'm back from Darwin now, in freezing cold Adelaide. Bleh. My fingers are in the first stages of frostbite (not really, because we have our gas heater on here in the study, a thing we never used the entire time it was a BoyHouse, and ... why, exactly?) so we're just going to focus on the thing that was my main focus while I was up there: water.



My hostel had a pool (I stayed at a backpackers in the city, it was fun and cheap) and I spent some time there just chillaxing. The new-look Leanyer Water Park now has a bucket AND waterslides, and the brand new (and not just to me) Wave Pool opened the Saturday I was there.



Now, Adelaide has waterslides, but they are at the Beach House at the Bay and they cost, a fair bit. Darwin water slides? Free. Niiice.



Adelaide does not have a wave pool, and I'm not really sure how many there are in Australia. The only one I've ever been to was at Mountain Creek Water Park while I was at summer camp (which, it turns out, is in New Jersey. Did I know I'd been to New Jersey?). Darwin's wave pool? Eight bucks for a full day. I am certain you will not find a wave pool that cheap in many other places. (Although I just looked up Mountain Creek's prices, and it's possible I overestimated how much these places would charge. Hmm.)



Good work, NT Government. We do love our water up there.

Take A Moment

Well. That was certainly an experience. My computer did indeed crash, about as hard and as far as it's possible to do. For some unexplained (which I'm not too thrilled about) reason, the hard drive was/became/got corrupted (which of you was teaching my precious computer bad words?) and consequently, I lost everything except the little voice that was left there to tell me nothing was there.

I now have my computer back, restored to its factory condition. Except for several programs that were installed for me after I bought it and before I took it home, and the fact that the battery no longer holds its charge, and the way that it manages to heat up to a bajillion degrees and that's not even because we're having a ginormous heat wave and just had the third hottest day EVER.

I've spent the day downloading essential programs, continually reassuring my computer that although it may be correct in supposing Norton 2005 is slightly out of date, we will soldier on regardless, and enjoying/cursing out all the new versions of things.

Life without a computer was odd - like, as if we'd have a physical train timetable lying around (especially since the trains are not currently running anywhere near schedule due to their likelihood of falling off the tracks into the ocean) - but clearly you all kept on with life as normal, as evidenced by the 1374 new posts I have to read. Good one, guys.

I am sad that I have lost over three years worth of photos (although some are still on Facebook and Flickr) and a bajillion songs worth of music (although, in a strange psychic experience, I loaded the best ones onto Skywalker's PSP just before everything went to crap), but starting over has a nice cleanliness to it.

Feel free to update me in the comments on everything I've missed out this past week or so.

The End?

So it would appear I have become really crap at this whole bloggy thing. I have to confess it even crossed my mind that there would be a nice symmetry in starting and finishing something (say, a blog) at the start and finish of my time at Flinders. But no, there will always be topics which make me say "I wonder what the internet would think" and "OMG I MUST COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS TO THE INTERNET."

Today is not one of those times, unless you count the fact that I just had to tell you that I might not be posting so much anymore, but I thought an update would be nice, just to prove that I remember how to type things and hit publish with little regard for content. (Check, check, and hell check.)

I have been working at my sports store job four days a week. Which is nice. We're getting busier as everyone realises that their kids are demanding scooters and those wheely shoe things and whatnot, but we're all pretty much all friends now, and three of us went shopping and movieing yesterday even. (I saw Four Christmases twice in two days, what with having uni friends and work friends, not because it was that awesome. It was funny in parts.) I also got a job at a bookshop, the orientation for which is next week. That is also nice.

Graduation is also next week, and I still haven't found my imaginary shoes, but I think I've found some acceptable ones. Our work Christmas party is on this weekend, and I found a pretty purple dress for that so we're all set for the dress-uppy events.

Turns out I am invited to family Christmas, which means that I have to go Christmas shopping (dammit) for random relatives. What do you get for the boyfriend of a cousin you see once a year? Christmas shopping for the boys did not even necessitate a trip to Marion. I am that good (and lazy).

I'm still going to the gym on the days that I don't work. My treadmill routine isn't particularly hard anymore, and I've added some random balls and weights but I'm too scared to use any of the machines or go to classes because I will for sure look like an idiot.

Planning for our Great Ocean Road Trip is pretty much done, without contributions being made from all members of the travelling party, which is great. It will be awesome.

Summer had not kicked in for real yet, and I am not thrilled about this. Although it does seem to be putting in a little effort to overcome the clouds and rain, I would appreciate the sun's appearance more often and continuously.

I still read your blog, I promise, but I think I've left three comments in the last month. I am terrible, Muriel.

A Sign From God

Today did not go as I intended. For one, I had to skip the gym, which I was actually looking forward to, since I had a less than stellar day there yesterday, even though I finally got on the constantly-occupied rowers, so I wanted to make up for it, but word on the street is god did not want me to go to the gym today.

As I was forced to admit last summer, the Scarlet Lady does not enjoy the heat as much as I do. And with summer becoming increasingly assertive, I'd already decided that she wouldn't be ridden to work (40mins away) if it was over say 35°C (95°F). Short trips like to uni and Marion, no worries, anytime.

Today? It was 32°. We rode to uni. And she pitched a massive shitfit. That big steep hill up to campus was just too much for her. I had to leave her there while I went up and handed my assignment in, then crossed my fingers she could make it all the way home.

Turns out? She couldn't.* I definitely give her points for getting across the South Road intersection, which is about nine lanes across, but I would have appreciated it even more if she could have made it all the way home. Luckily, I found a place to leave her til it was cooler, even if she protested slightly at the temperature not being below thirty even at 6:30 at night.



I could not make this up. She happened to finally throw in the towel outside the carpark to a chuch bearing that sign. I couldn't not leave her there.

*She is home now, and grounded at least for the weekend, since I have to work, and tomorrow is supposed to be 37 degrees (98.6°F). If only she and I had more in common!

Happy Again

If someone was making a movie of my life (and come on, Road Trip II: BlogHer08 is just begging to be made), September would be the montage section, with cuts to me typing steadily, taking notes with books spread out all around me, and sitting in front of the tv eating. A lot.

I would get dressed in my thesis-writing outfit - trackies and many many layers of long-sleeved tops - have breakfast, type, eat lunch, type, etcetera but supersized. There was a lot of "Oh god, I'm so fat." Basically, winter was crushing my spirit.

But then came the awesome hotness of the start of spring. I decided I could no longer wear trackies to work, so I bought a pair of SHORTS and wore them at work that day. And oh my god, the difference that made. Hi legs! Wow, you look so good! Hey there calves, I'd totally forgotten you existed!

(This story doesn't really have a conclusion or a point, so I'm just going to put some stars here and pretend there an awesome finish which was also a wicked good segue into the next part.)

***

As I may have mentioned, my usual essay-writing method is to type and type and hit word count and type some more and oh look, we're at the word limit, type a conclusion, hit print. That's some quality work ethic there, dude.

And as I am totally sure I have not mentioned, not once, never ever, I am type-type-typing away at my thesis. Yesterday I did a bit of consolidation and editing (which seriously, re-reading my own writing? hate. never do it) and got an accurate word-count for the first time. (It's supposed to be 12-15000 words, but I always thought it was 10000, which is quite enough thank you, so that's what I was aiming for.) With a 2000 word conclusion still to go (which, hi, seriously? how do you write a 2000 word conclusion? usually my entire arguement is barely that long), I'm at 9800 words.

Which means I am totally on track, and if I stop messing around here, I could essentially have the whole thing written by tonight. OK FREAK OUT. Back to playing on the internet!

Blah Blah THESIS! BEACH! SHOPPING! Blah

I am still writing the never-ending thesis. It has still not come to an end. But we're getting there, and I actually suggested to someone today that "If I get my thesis done early..." HAHAHA and then we all died laughing, but at least it seems like it might maybe end, someday in the future.

Also never-ending? My list of things to do in November. Man, I am going to be busy, but seriously, November is going to ROCK THE FUCKING HOUSE. I'm thinking of adding the list to the sidebar, just so I can remember what I wanted to do, because I keep thinking of new things, and The List is as yet not written down anywhere, and you just know I will get distracted by the first thing on it (Beach!) and forget about the rest. If you think of anything I should be doing once I'm free (Freeeee!) let me know, k? Thanks.

I do need to go shopping before November, because we're going to the Living End concert on Tuesday, and I really have no idea what to wear. SUGGESTIONS, PLEASE.

Oh yeah, Reason #1 why November is going to kick arse:



THIRTY DEGREES TODAY, HELL YEAH. (86°F) Did I mention the beach already?

More things no-one told me about Adelaide

Darwin doesn't have a winter. Okay, it has a Dry Season, where it - gasp! - sometimes gets below 20°C (68°F), but nothing compared to what I have suffered for the past eternity several months here in Adelaide.

Luckily, before it got too bad, I bought my favourite thing in the world right now: a heater.

Last night I was told very nicely, if a bit too subtly at first, that our electricity bill was likely to be a more than usual this ... month? quarter? whatever. I was all, 'I'm sure we can all put in a bit more rent this week, it'll be a small price to pay for being warm.'

Except: it's going to be an extra couple of hundred dollars. And also, I am the only one in the house with a heater. (Which, how the HELL did they SURVIVE?! I wasn't even here for the worst of it.) Who knew heat (HEAT!) was worth that much!

I am still on board with sharing the cost. After all, I am going to be SO MUCH BETTER than them at coping in summer. I bet I won't even to have my fan above 3. I am just that good.

It's cold on winter mornings, give me a break

(Basically, I only chose that title so I could show you this, which I have already complained about to anyone I spoke to, emailed, texted, sat across from in the computer room, happened to pass in the library, sat next to at the traffic lights ... well, you get the picture:



Hail. HAIL. Seriously, Australia, get your act together. Bring on summer!)

ANYWAY. On to the actual post.

I am pretty much a snob. I might as well admit that. Uni students' clothes? Oh my lord, I CANNOT STOP JUDGING. Casual, sporty, wintery would be one thing (well, three). But seriously. Those jeans. And those shoes. So not cool. And those jeans WITH those shoes? Ick. And PS, your grandma wants her cardi back. And your boyfriend wants his socks back. And ... no-one wants that jacket.

And then I'm like, would it kill you to put on some make-up. Moisturiser? Lip-gloss? You are (apparently) intelligent adults. You could try to look like it. Brush your hair even.

And then I'm all, half an hour extra sleep in? HELL YES THANK YOU. And all, co-ordinated outfit what? And then, beauty routine who? And then I'm all, never mind, uni people.

Welcome Home

After flying for 9,908,547,592,380,390,853,290 hours, I finally made it to Adelaide Airport. I went through duty free, where a bottle of alcohol cost me as much as it would have normally cost in the US.

I caught the slowest taxi EVER home (like, the reason you go Tapley's Hill instead of Marion Road is that it's 80 instead of 60 there. This is negated by the fact that you did 60 along there anyway) and worried that I wouldn't remember directions to my house. When I did get inside, my house had changed. Did they paint the walls? Was the hall always this wide? And oh my god, my walls are so bare.

After being in other people's gorgeous houses for three weeks, dude, my room is SO BORING. Maybe it was with this in mind that I stole four posters from the video shop when we went there last night, even though I haven't seen any of the movies featured. I don't think movie posters is the answer, but I am doing something with this wall:



Help me! Ideas!

Shelle and Jollan came over to help me celebrate. We made a birthday cake which, hmm, I would not eat the bottom of it if I were you - let's just say cranking up the heat to reduce cooking time might not be as effective as it sounds. But the rest of it was absolutely delicious and I love you guys for humouring my need for birthday cake.



Also, the chip packet told us to do this:



Today, I am trying to sort out categories in my Bloglines, which is essentially a pain in my arse, but when it is done the organisation-loving part of my heart will be so happy. I am uploading all my pics to Flickr, and tagging them all carefully is making up for all the current Bloglines chaos.

I am also making my way through this ...



... and I should have thought of a couple of things before I started. Namely:

1. There is never going to be enough room on the line for all those clothes.
1a. Also, what, is there a world peg shortage going on?
2. It is winter.
2a. Which means it is constantly raining and cold.
2b. Even though I don't care if my clothes get rained on, I still need to be able to hang them out so I can say I DID MY LAUNDRY.
Which all amounts to
3. How the hell do you think you are going to get all these clothes dry, ever?

I am also ignoring the fact that I am expected to be at uni tomorrow, ready to learn things, and the fact that I am, oh, a bajillion months behind on writing my thesis. "Work on it at BlogHer" my arse. But I still feel like it's my birthday - because I am insane like that, and because I had a bajillion Facebook messages to the tune of, "Facebook totally makes it easy for us to wish you Happy Birthday, even though we never would have remembered and don't know how old you are and really are not that concerned over any of this, but still, have a great day" - so I am happy.

And also because I got like the greatest birthday present ever this morning. (Equal greatest. I got this from Tiffany - like, the person, not the jewellry place - before I left. Pretty, right?) Here is Holly, in all her drivers licence glory that she denied the internet.



I love you guys!

Let The Rain Fall Down

When I was young, we were down here on holidays one year, and we went to lunch at the house of one of my cousins. I remember Lou taught me how to make flowers out of napkins.

At one point there was a huge thundering sound that wasn't thunder. There is nothing exactly like hail on a tin shed roof. We could hear it coming towards us and then all of a sudden, it was hailing!

Coming from Darwin "Fine and Humid" NT, this was my first experience of hail. It was incredibly exciting. To honour the occasion, I made a hail man. Like a snowman, y'know? He was about 10cms tall.

What? I was a kid. Although here is our weather forecast for today ...



... and I have to say, if it does start hailing tonight, I can't promise that tomorrow won't bring a post entitled "Haily II."

In the meantime, I will be curled up in my bed reading (what else is a rainy day for?) either White Noise (for uni) or Promise Me (because Chris reminded me that Harlen Coben is pretty awesome). You can guess which one will be read first.

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go*

Have you guys tried this?

It's this cool little thing whereby you can search for places by average temperature. How brilliant is that?!

(In case you're wondering where all this is coming from, Adelaide's heat wave is over, and it has occurred to me that I may not be properly warm again until summer kicks in again sometime around November.)

After searching for places with an average temperature of between 25 and 40 degrees, I have concluded that I am moving to the Caribbean. (Honourable mentions to Egypt, Florida, Greece, Spain, and the UAE. Nice try.) Who wants to come with?

*In hindsight, this may cause some title repitition problems in around 106 days 18 hours and 9 minutes, but we'll deal with that then, mkay?

Lessons and Observations for the Week

I composed a lovely bullet-pointed post sometime. Maybe on the bus or when I was having a nap. I don't remember what it was but it was awesome. It went something like this:

A game where people don't even score any goals can still be kind of exciting.

It can also be a bit boring. (You can tell this because even the boys are admiring the sunset over the stadium instead of that awesome kick thing that player dude just did.)

Adelaide does know how to rain. Very very coldly. (Incidentally, how can it be only 16 degrees at 5 in the afternoon? That should not be legal.)

Plan a better way to get home than 'we can walk it.' There may not be a 'we' and then where will you be? (Ans: At the hall. Under Jollan's loft bed. Thanks hun, so much.)

People will give you Easter eggs around Easter time. Like at the Hall, at uni. Not at work though. I feel ripped off. Maybe on Saturday.

This will be my first Easter in my new house. Also my first Easter all on my lonesome. Do you think the Easter Bunny will find me?

The End

After 15 days in a row of over 35 degree* temperatures, looks like Adelaide has realised it's not actually meant to be having summer anymore.



Damn. I'll miss you, summer.

*95°F. I think the maxiumum we got up to was around 41/42°C - 106°F.

Heat Wave

Ok, I bow down to the heatiness that is Adelaide.

Darwin can do it more consistently and wayy more humidly, but when Adelaide decides to be hot, it really goes for it.

From ABC News:

Adelaide will get its longest hot spell since records began if the temperature gets above 35 degrees Celsius today.
[It did.]
Adelaide has sweltered through an eight-day heat wave eight times in the past, but there has never been a nine-day run.
[Until now. And here's the kicker...]
The hot weather is expected to continue for another week.

You know what this means! Beach, pool, and more beach!

The World Is Crazy

- SuperTiff.com has been hijacked! Stop by for some babbling. (Everyone: We get that here, durrrrr.)

- We walked to Brighton today. For everyone NOT in Adelaide, that is a long way. Not as long as Jetty Bar to home, but long. Especially in 40 degree heat. (FENIA: That is HOT.)

- The BA Office has sent me two letters, in which they:

(a) offered me admission to the BA [which ... I already have] and subsequently informed me that
(b) graduation is in April [which ... first of all, I want to do Honours, not graduate, and second of all, you just offered me admission, think I'm going to get through four years in two months?] and also were happy to tell me that
(c) I am eligible to apply for Honours [which ... I ALREADY DID THAT].

So I've filled out the form that I already filled out and gave to them, and now I have to see the convenor I already saw, and hand the form in at my their earliest convenience.

HOPEFULLY, after all that, they will then send me a letter telling me I'm in. For reals this time. No seriously.

Starting the year right

That's what I'm talking about!

You see what I mean?!

How weird is this?



Darwin is nice and calm and stable. Adelaide is frickin' schizophrenic.