The Weekend Update

Hello all. Well, it is currently the first Saturday of spring break here in the Land of Oz, and I am spending it how? Coding in the computer lab of course! Not that I am missing much, it is rather chilly outside today for some reason, and most people are either working or home with their families. Apparently more people use spring break as family time here than in the States.

Eric is currently attempting the trek to the Big W (which no matter what you may have heard is in fact Walmart) to secure us both a lock for our closets while we are on our trip. I have the rest of today to finish the assignment I am in the lab here for, and then as much of tomorrow as I am not using to pack up my room.

I don't remember if I talked about what we are doing over spring break, and frankly I am to lazy to open a new window and check, so I will go ahead and tell you the plan anyway. On Monday morning we board a bus and head north. On the way, we stop to say hi to the local wildlife at either a zoo or a wildlife park or something like that, then we get back on the bus as we continue our journey to... the Hunter Valley! Huzzah, more wine tasting! After that, I am not really sure what else we are doing on day one. In any case, day two I know involves a visit to an Australian ranch, where I have been promised the experience of being a Jackaroo (or Jillaroo for the ladies) for a day. I will not lie, this was one of the main selling points of the tour, mostly because this portion involves horseback riding. We also get to must sheep and some other stuff I think. The third day is a big laundry list of shorter visits (a few waterfalls, a giant guitar, something else I was excited about) as we make our way up the coast to our final destination... Byron Bay! Here we will have the opportunity to hang out with some of Australia's more nautically inclined mammals, namely seals and dolphins. After that we have the afternoon and evening to explore the town, after which there is some sleeping and then an express bus back to Sydney on Friday.

When we get back after spring break, we immediately have our first real day off (not counting the APEC summit Friday) since we arrived. I think it is Australian labour day. After that is engineering week/COFA (college of Fine Arts) research week. I have gathered that research week happens every year at COFA, but engineering week seems to be a new development. It basically means that the only class I have that week is my Australian Studies course. Well, and my drawing class, but that is just because my instructor had to move our day off to week 7 because of another course she is teaching which involves a trip into the outback. During this week, a whole bunch of presenters come and different competitions are planned. I will do my best to take advantage of them.

As soon as that is over, it will be week 11, and we will only have 4 weeks of lectures remaining. It feels like just yesterday I was walking with Eric along Anzac Parade trying to figure out what the hell was the name of the street we were on, and now we are more than halfway through. What really amazes though is not how fast it has gone, but how slow progress in America has seemed. They have only been in school a month back home and I am already anticipating the end. It seems a silly thing to measure it on, but the three shows I follow (House, The Office, and Heroes) haven't even started up yet. I know last year during both semesters I spent most Tuesday nights watching the misanthropic MD do something new, and here I am more that halfway done without so much as hearing a peep out of the guy. Not only that, but movies are being released here that I remember seeing advertised almost a year ago. It really brings home the fact that Australia is most assuredly on the other side of the world.

Anyway, I should probably get to work. It is 1:30, and I need to get as much done today as I can before the lab closes. Expect my next update to contain upbeat ponderings and a flood of pictures.