When I Grow Up

It's settled, then. I'm going to be just like the little dude in the picture above when I grow up. No stress, no worries. I would only have to be awake about 4 hours a day. Good times. I took that pic at the Sydney Wildlife Zoo, and these koalas were considered "active". They were trying to get them to eat. I can't blame them for being lazy...it was too hot! :-)

Now that I'm over being pissed and disappointed, I have serious consideration ahead. Studying by distance isn't really an option for a variety of reasons, the biggest of which being $. I would technically be only half time, so I would have to start paying my student loans off. So, that's probably not going to happen. I've decided it wouldn't be the worst idea to go to Adelaide, but I'm not going to make an decisions until I see the place in April. And, if I like it and deem it's something I can do WITHOUT a car (or "ute", in Australian), then I'll consider it. I don't want to leave this program without giving it a fighting chance or for the wrong reasons.

I came here with pure intentions, and I want to leave only for the right reasons.

Now continues the exercise in patience.

Cheers

When It All Falls Apart

I really like surprises. But, I'm a conditional surprise lover. I like surprises if they're good surprises. Aren't we all that way? Well, as you can probably surmise from my last post, I was frustrated by the fact that two of my classes were via tutorial mode. Teaching myself Biochem and Sensory Science...yea, I'm still totally pumped. NOT.

Anyway, this got me thinking. Are my future classes going to be like this? Is this a common thing, or is it just this year. Australians describe themselves as in a "wine glut", so enrollment in their wine science and viticulture has seen a decrease. I wondered...is this temporary, or will my course at CSU continue in the pattern of "tutorial" learning. Good question, right? Should I continue paying all of this money to teach myself things? Or, is someone professional going to head my studies?

I'm sure this method of self-education works for some people, but I am not one of them. Now, I am going to try it this semester, and we'll see how it goes, but, I'm having a sneaking suspicion that it will not go well. But, I'm trying really hard not to have a bad attitude about it.

Anyway, my room mate, Jeremy, is a third year wine science student. So, I was chatting with him. He is currently taking 8 subjects(!) and 7 (!) of them are via "tutorial", AKA distance only internally, mode. He said to me, "The higher up you get, the worse it gets." Oh AWEEEEESOME. Then, I stopped in to talk to my course coordinator and he said that the majority of third year courses were offered in tutorial mode. You can imagine, that's exactly what I didn't want to hear.

So, I wondered...why hadn't I noticed this? Did I skip this page on the glossy book they sent me? I don't really recall ever knowing anything of this. So, from what I understand, this phenomena is relatively new at CSU, and it's occurring because the majority of students are studying at CSU via distance education. They are already working in the wine industry and getting their degrees online. They come to Sturt twice a year for "residential schools", which is where they perform all practical exercises that come with the course.

So, now I have to decide. Even though very few of my courses are going to involve actual lectures and traditional schooling, do I want to stay here and finish the degree I've just begun? Or do I want to look at other options. Do I want to look into the University of Adelaide? Do I want to come back to the states and go someplace in CA or WA?

My major malfunction is that I don't really know what I want to do just yet, nor do I feel like I've been here long enough to make a call on anything. However, I don't really have much time to waste. I need to make a decision relatively soon.

Geez, everything looked all set, and then it all goes and falls apart. So, yea, there's a little look at my past week.

Cheers

PS- I did have a copy of a pic of the opera house to use, but, I friggin' hate easyshare and it's inability to relate to macs. So, I had to borrow this one. Thanks, dude. :-)

WTF, mate?

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

So, my first day of classes was today. It was fun! I got to eat grapes in one of my pracs. Shiraz, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Cab Franc, Sultana and many more...it was cool. So I have two classes on campus, and 2 that are entirely conducted online, with the exception of a "residential school" in July when we do a marathon lab schedule.

I could pretend that I was thrilled that classes were being conducted online. I, however, am NOT. I'm NOT at ALL thrilled. I moved all the way to fucking Australia to teach myself Biochemistry?! I DON'T think so. And as I've investigated, a lot of the subjects here at CSU are "tutorial", which means...teach yourself for a ton of money.

And, my July is shot because of "residential schools". I really wanted to go home in July, because, well, it's July. Will it be as good to go home in April? I want to go home, or I won't be home until Christmas, and well, that's just too damn long. Boo. I'm pissed all to hell. This is NOT what I signed up for.

Dick Cheney

I hate Dick Cheney. I think he is the dirtiest bastard out there. Well, guess what. He's here. Or at least, he was. He caused some mighty ugly protesting and police retaliation in Sydney, too. I told my room mates and my friend Stan the bus driver that I was not-so-secretly hoping that he got stung by some sort of poisonous fish in Sydney Harbor. I don't think I got my wish. Oh well, it's better not to wish ill on people, right? Even if they are evil, rich, dirty oil tycoons.

O-week is drawing to a close here at CSU, and I'm excited. I wanna be a winemaker. I wanna learn out to make wine. That doesn't involve a week of lame activities. I am here to study, after all. My skin is officially peeling from my extreme sunburn in Sydney, and my days activities only proved to burn the freshly revealed skin. I'm evening trying to be a good kid and wear sunscreen, but, it all seems to be in vain.

Since my last entry, I've seen the winery! It's a little bit off campus. In fact, it's going to be a hell of a walk. We met the winemaker and he said to just stop by whenever we wanted to work, and then he may bring us on for casual employment. (At 19$ an hour!!) So, I'm just gonna go over with work boots on, I'm sure they'll find something for me to do. They do take on a trainee every year. The trainee works full time at the winery and then studies via distance...sounds great, eh? I am not able apply for that, though. The conditions of my visa do not allow me to switch over to distance learning. Very sad, huh? C'est la vie.

Okay, I'm beat. Time for bed. Cottages 385 is official full of all 8 people...I hear there's even another wine science person here, whom I haven't met. It's certainly a lot busier around here.

...and we're all glad Dick Cheney is gone....dodgy bastard.

Cheers!

Fucking Kangaroos

Those fucking kangaroos are right outside my house. That's right. Those tall ass things are right near where I sleep. Don't worry, they're all cute and cuddly during the daylight hours, but at night, they're just creepy. Cool point though, if you look closely, one of them has a little joey in her pouch!

Unfortunately, life has started moving quite quickly away from me and Seattle and Sydney are not going to get proper blog odes. Seattle was fabulous. We did all of the tourist-y things like the sound tour and the space needle. I got to see a few Grey's Anatomy hot spots (!) and go to the open market. It was enjoyable to see Anna and see where she lives. I could honestly see myself moving back to the Washington area to make wine, I liked it that much!

After I departed Seattle, my next stop was Sydney. The plane ride was not nearly as torturous and horrible as I thought. Met a few chatty Americans and not so chatty Tasmanians. I wouldn't call it an enjoyable experience, but I wouldn't call it painful. I wouldn't want to do it often, but, I survived.

When I got off the plane the first person to greet me was a little short blond flight attendant and she said "Welcome to sunny Sydney!" Well, she wasn't kidding. I walked up to the window to exchange my currency after I had gathered all of my luggage, and I got my first look out of the door to the outside world. I saw a group of plants that were totally unfamiliar to me, and when the doors swung open and I went through, I smelled, felt, and saw an entirely new world. I can't begin to describe it. The area was hot and humid, and had this spicy, meaty, but green smell to it. (I've come to learn that smell belongs to the gum trees!) My cab ride to my hotel was funny, it turns out that cab drivers in Sydney are just as angry as they are in the States, but only when provoked. Otherwise they are talkative and helpful.

I arrive at the hotel and went out to find some food in an attempt to fight off sleep. I came back with TimTams and a kabob. I fell asleep around 5:30 that night, and I am continually fighting of the urge to still do that. Mel arrived the following day and we did a whirlwind, sun-burning tour of Sydney. We went to major beaches...like Manly and Bondi, and also went to a huge shopping mall. Cell phone fiascos and sunburn aside, it was a very enjoyable day. ( I am still crispy from that day.)

I then took what I'm calling "The Hogwart's Express" from Sydney to Wagga Wagga, my final destination. I spent most of the ride 1) thinking about those I missed back home or 2) thinking that I was motherfucking nuts. (Olivia was right!) As we got further from the city, green got scarce and soil got red. We were being carried further and further into terrain I had never seen.

I arrive in Wagga, finally, and met some students sent to round up international students. On my way into my flat with my suitcases, the three of us travelling together heard something in the bushes right next to my flat. I reckoned that it was a big bird, as did the other two ladies. No moments later did a full sized kangaroo pop his head out of a tiny hole. I had never seen one and didn't have my camera, so that moment will have to live in my head forever! It was un-fucking believable.

Now we're into orientation and I'm trying to have a better attitude about it. I'm settled and I've hung all of my pictures of all of you around, so now you're all here with me. I was briefly homesick yesterday, but, it's so damn hot, I can't pretend to think straight enough to maintain coherent thought.

It's late, I need a rest. More later!

Cheers

Pearls Only: Two Days in The Cowgirl Bunkhouse

On from NYC, I spent two days in Boulder with SMS. I always loooove seeing SMS because there are many things that she just gets. "Should I buy this bag? Hmm, maybe..." Colorado was awesome...I saw some excellent mountains. Like I've told so many people, all of the mountains looked fake. They're so large, they looked fake. Thanks to glaciers, our precious old Appalachian mountains have been worn away to nice rounded slopes.

Colorado was in the mid 30s the entire time I was there. SMS came and got me at the airport, then we went to her (gorgeous!) apartment and then went out to dinner at the Boulder Teahouse. It was absolutely fabulous! The tea menu was at least 5 times longer than the food menu and the building was apparently brought to Boulder from Tajikistan. It was beautifully painted and carved inside the building, it was absolutely fabulous!

The following day, I had the most relaxing morning complete with SMSs home baked bread. We had lunch at Wild Oats Market and I bopped around downtown Boulder for the day. I got a wonderful new water bottle. Everyone there is physically fit and and granola-crunchy, so there are many many outdoor shops. The altitude got to me a little bit in the form of headaches, but, I definitely enjoyed the area.

I'm struggling a little with the time zone thing. I'm in Seattle, and I've been waking up around 5 am and getting extremely tired by like 9 pm. I just can't fathom how awesome it's going to be once I get to Oz.

...Which I will be flying out for tomorrow....ummmm....oh boy!

Now I gave everyone the address for this blog, so, it will be visited a little more often I think.

Time to head out! More on Seattle tomorrow.

Cheers,
C

We'll Open Up A Restaurant In Santa Fe and Forget this Cold Bohemian Hell

No one is sailing in the NY harbor right now. Because it is so f'ing cold I can't stand it! I woke up yesterday morning with a ridiculous head cold. Grrrrreat! I think that my body finally caught up with me and said "fuck you! we're slowing down for a while." So, I'm low energy and reasonably intolerant of uncomfortable situations, such as extreme cold. I am warm and happy right now though waiting in Laguardia for my flight to Denver.

While in NYC, Brittany came down and we both stayed the night with Alison. I arrived around 1:30 after an enjoyable JetBlue flight with Alison's parents. Then, Britty and I bopped around the city. We ate some delicious thai food then headed up town to go to the Museum of Sex. Verrry interesting, look for pictures soon! We then bopped around times square for a while then went to Tom's restaurant, up by Columbia. If you know what I'm referring to you either know that it's the place of reference to Susan Vega's hit "Tom's Diner" or that it's where the Seinfeld cast regularily dines. Brittany fought the urge to order a "big salad". :-) It looks very different inside then where they were, but it was, none the less, enjoyable.

I've decided, after one night, that I don't really like being a nomad! I would have much preferred to have reached my final destination, but, I will get to see some pretty awesome stuff, so, I'll just deal!

Well, I guess we'll be boarding soon. Have I ever mentioned that I really don't like flying? Okay, just so you all know... :-)

Cheers,
C