Alley Cat

One of the things I've missed most since arriving in Perth is my precious pussy, Dexter.  I find few things as soothing as  snuggling with him, stroking his head, and avoiding being bitten.  I still miss him terribly, but for now a little substitute will suffice.  

Rob's cat Alley came to us from Melbourne a few weekends ago.  At first she sequestered herself to the undersides of beds and couches, was terrified of the train passing a few blocks away, and generally wasn't really taking care of herself.  After several days of this antisocial behavior, she wasn't the sweetest smelling cat, so we decided she desperately needed a bath.  Considering what a catastrophe this could have been, I'd say it went fairly well, although I'm not entirely sure Alley would agree…  It did get her grooming again and she suddenly became a little more brazen about exploring the house, developed a new interest in eating, and was far more social in general.

 

Little Aussie Friends

One thing I've always really appreciated about Alaska is that if something's going to kill you, at least you'll see it coming.  Not so in Australia.  This morning I had the pleasure of catching a Red Back Spider (pictured here) sneaking up under my bike seat just as I was about to ride off to work.  Scared the bejeezus out of me - the idea of Australia's deadliest spider biting me in the ass as I pedaled to work was quite unsettling.  So, after a bit of flailing about and other ridiculous acts, I managed to flick it on to the ground and stomp it a few extra times for good measure.

   I wondered, after the initial shock wore off, if I hadn't overreacted just a wee bit - just how 'deadly' are these spiders, because Australians don't seem to live in mortal fear of these pea-sized murderers.  The morbidity rate from the Red Back is, in fact, diminishingly small.  It seems that they're only a real threat to children, the elderly and the infirm, and there have been no reported deaths since the development of an antivenom.  Turns out one has several hours to receive treatment after being bitten and it's only needed if symptoms get nasty (i.e. vomiting, excess sweating, pain beyond the region of the bite, etc.)  But still, I think a bite might have ruined my day.

Sunsets

Perth has an abundance of wonderful vantage points from which to enjoy a good sunset - of which it also, most conveniently, has an abundance.  Most weekends Rob and I set off a few hours before the sun starts to go down to stake out a good spot, enjoy a glass of wine or a beer, maybe some dinner, and bask in the rosy glow.  Over the past few weeks, we've shivered the evening away at King's Park, packed a picnic and played Uno along the foreshore, savored a fabulous meal on the dock in South Perth, and whiled away the late afternoon at Scarborough Beach.  

While each of these evenings had its own highlights, last night at the beach was my personal favorite.  Although we were unprepared and underdressed for the wind, the water was so refreshing and we had an absolute ball jumping in the waves.  This was actually the first time I've really been in the ocean (aside from testing it with my toes a few months ago) since I came here.  I was absolutely screaming with delight getting pounded by the waves - what a blast.  After our swim, we grabbed some fish & chips, a few beers, and a spot facing the water to watch the kite surfers play in the wind before the sun went down.  It was by far the most relaxed I've been in a long time.

Rob had a great surprise in store when we got home - the Sex and the City Movie!  I've wanted to see this for, what, six months now!  It was great to finally get my fix.

It would have been the perfect day had I not walked into a wall and nearly knocked myself out when I got up in the night… owh. :(

New Job!

It seems an insurmountable task to stay up-to-date on this blog anymore, but I'm still giving it the ol' college try.  The biggest news of the past week or so is the job I've been offered.  A few weeks ago, I interviewed for a lecturer position in applied geology at Curtin Uni, just around the corner from my present office.  I felt that the interview itself went really well, but the 45 minute public talk I gave to a hand-full of geo-types was kind of a blur, so it was difficult for me to honestly assess my chances.

When the department chair called me a couple of weeks later, the tone of his voice and the way he beat around the bush convinced me he was trying to find a way to let me down easy.  So, imagine my surprise when he told me that after careful consideration the committee had decided, almost unanimously, that I was the best candidate for the job.  They were very impressed with me and, as it turns out, they were thanking their lucky stars that I was in the right place at the right time because I have exactly the skill set they were hoping for.  It turns out that igneous petrology is an area of great need in addition to a passion for teaching.  Lucky me.

So, I negotiated my contract last week and will be returning to Perth on a three-year contract to start July 1, 2009.  This gives me just a few more months to finish up my Ph.D. and try to crank out a few more papers (woo hoo).  As sad as I am to leave Alaska, I am very excited about the prospect of teaching full time and living in Australia.

Fun-Hog Weekend Resumed

 

Now that I'm fully back on the horse at work (I actually wrote something today… and I don't think I'll delete all of it tomorrow!!!), I feel I have the luxury of picking up where I left off with reporting my adventures in Oz.  Fortunately, or not so, not much has happened in the past month, other than me turning 30 (EEK!), so it shouldn't take me long to get caught up.

So, Rob and my second kayaking experience together was kind of a mixed bag.  It was great to get out away from the city and have a whole leisurely day to meander up and down an easy river requiring only a single portage.  Unfortunately, this was the day my nasty little bug-a-roo decided to start bringing me down, so I was cranky and snappy the whole time.  Bless Rob's patient little heart for not just dumping me in the river to go off and enjoy the beautiful day on his own.

    

It was a beautiful little river with an amazing contrast of vegetation on either side.

One More Thing…

Is anyone actually reading this?

Feeling Better

I think 2008 will go down in my personal history as 'The Year of the Doctor's Appointment".  After a month and a half of feeling like complete and utter dog doo, I'm starting to feel like a normal, functional human being again.  Woo hoo.

The downside is that my body is thrashed.  Went to a naturopath the other day who told me my adrenals, immune system and digestive system are basically on strike until I chill the F out, completely de-stress and cut out the intense exercise.  So, now I get to take a pile of horse pills every day, gulp down fish oil, meditate, get acupuncture and move slowly.  It might not sound like a bad gig, but for someone with a life-long addiction to stress it's like going cold turkey for a junkie.  But hey, it might just save my life…