Bad news

I know I promised a post and some photos yesterday, but my computer has broken down earlier than project (I was hoping it'd last until December...) So I'm trying to get it fixed to keep everyone updated and giving all my fellow students the opportunity to procrastinate, but its not looking very good.

A weekend of lessons

This weekend afforded me a kind of learning outside of the classroom, taught through experience trial and error. Here's a quick recap of both the weekend and some lessons learnt in Australia.

1.) I need to get more sleep (saying this whilst I'm tired but sitting here typing this blog to keep everyone updated) and so does anyone planning on training for triathlons. Friday I started my new training program, I'm quite pumped about that still, but after a day of only 24 minutes of swimming and 48 minutes of climbing in the saddle, I went to bed too late and slept through my alarm. If you're keeping up to date, this alarm was set to start the morning off proper before surfing with a good breakfast and making it into the city so we could get the car and go. Well, thankfully, Saturday was an amazing day and the sun shining into my room to wake me at 8h16. I called Simon and set everything up, and was in the car and on our way to the beach by 10ish. The drive was epic, the company great and the pictures will prove this all, uploaded by the end of the week.
2.) If you're first experience wasn't that great, don't fret about it and try again. My first surfing experience in Australia was great, but it still left something more to be desired. Mostly more time up on the board, and better waves, and better weather, and just an overall better experience. Well, I learnt by going again this weekend that things come with time, and me up on a board is going to become an all to common sight from this point forward. The day was amazing, absolutely incredible, and I even unveiled a treat for the crowds to see, you'll see this when I throw the videos online.
3.) I don't need to eat as much as I think I do. No one does. Overeating is a pretty big problem, for guys especially I think. Its a kind of unhealthy habit that guys get into when they become teenagers, awkward, acne covered bottomless pits that you can't fill fast enough. This has to stop eventually, and I think thats exactly when you turn 23. Or that's when it should stop.
4.) Wearing thongs (sandles) to the bar is just plain old not acceptable on a Saturday night. On Tuesday I'm planning on writing a top 10 about this night, so keep tuned in.
5.) Wearing football jerseys makes you popular with the blokes and even cab drivers, who sometimes let you hire them specifically on the team you're wearing. But in contrast, European people have a lot more 'style' than Canadian/American people. They're much more willing to pay top dollar for clothes and look good because of it. This is unfortunately infectious behaviour, and makes me in turn want to spend money on clothes so I have more than one different pair of pants in Australia, and perhaps get a haircut. These aren't ridiculous notions, but also not my style had I been at home.

Those are five solid lessons, although they might not seem all too great. Summed up to be;
i) Get sleep, keep yourself relaxed.
ii) Don't just try things once, try them twice.
iii) Enjoy eating and fuel your mind and body properly.
iv) Know what's going on around you so to not waste your time.
v) Wear more football jerseys and don't be so cheap.

Week catch up and AFL

*I'd forgotten to actually post the draft I wrote for last weekend, if you're that interested in my life, scroll down and figure out what I did.*

Right now I'm writing this while the AFL season opener is just getting under way. Australia football league, called footy down here, is known as Aussie Rules Football at home for the few that have heard about it. 18 players per team on the field, as far as I know on the fly substitutions and each team has about 40-60 players on the sideline or something extremely ridiculous like that. Its a big news story here because of one player, Ben Cousins, was a star player, captain of the championship club, that got mixed up with drugs and the spotlight and was eventually suspended for more than a year from the league, and just now is making his return to the league after not playing for 18 months. A lot of energy around the event on the tele and whether they planned it like this or not, its him versus his old best mate playing against each other for the first time as I can gather. Fun stuff. That player I was talking about ended up playing decent but tore/stretched his hamstring on a bad coaching decision to put him back into the game, which was a blow out, after lodging the injury...

So since Tuesday things have been kinda quiet. I realize that the last post maybe wasn't the most positive, although I don't really remember what I wrote, but I was reading another guy's blog today and he mentioned he tries not to be negative in his blog nor in life, and I think I'll take a page out of that book from now on. Its going to be easy starting with today; you should have seen the weather today. If not to go to Australia just to sit out on the school grounds and read some great literature. I'm still making my way through the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, its been a while, almost three weeks with this one. I just don't find it as good as Tom Sawyer, but thats because in Sawyer I really appreciated the language and description of the settings where the story took place, where as in Huck Finn is more concerned with telling the story instead. Although the story is better, the artistry is somewhat removed.

That part was written on Thursday, where while writing those words I got a call from Annette wondering if she could borrow my computer. I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to borrow this thing; more and more it gives me countless lessons in patience and being thankful for what you had in the past and still have, because on some days when its really slow and not really working, you realize how good the days are when it is working properly. I think the computer knows that its retirement is on its way, but I really hope that we'll be able to be together until December maybe, where a little help from Santa could make the successor more affordable. But, moving on to describing the week passed, I'll start chronologically on Wednesday - a bad day for training. My Wednesday are now quite free with the exchange of classes, and I was really hoping to get in a nice run and maybe a swim, but the weather was just awful; spitting rain most of the day. I eventually made it out for a run with a break in the weather, and mostly from my relaxed schedule (it had been about 5 or 6 days since exercise) and the lack of stretching that week as well, it was a terrible ordeal. Getting started was rough enough, but fifteen minutes into my run my calves are just seizing up like rocks, no flex in my ankles at all. It was awful. I had to stop and walk a bit, and then ran back home but it was a brutal 5 k. During the night we went to watch Dagny play her first squash match with the Norwood Squash Club, and it was good of people to come out and watch and she put up an effort, and I can guarentee very shortly with just more competition and playing more she's going to be a lot better. The guy she was playing, yes guy, was no slouch either so that didn't help her being it was her first game in some time I imagine.

Thursday - A couple hours of class and practical, followed by...I don't really remember. I made supper for some friends, good enough chicken schnitzle and potatoes, with macaronni salad and, oh yeah, as I said above watched the season opener for the AFL. As far as I remember it was a pretty uneventful day and besides a movie after the game, I'm not really sure what it was that I did during the day. I think just a lot of 'Mark Twain and me' time.

Friday - Finally, I can start my new training schedule. I didn't want to start until Friday because Friday's are going to be my short days, and the schedule goes as such. Short swim & short ride day, short run day, medium swim & cycle, medium run, long swim & cycle, long run, rest day. Mixed in during that seven day line up two or three strength workouts, and of course regular stretching. Must remember and commit to that one. So today started with a gorgeous day, awoken early by the sun shining through my window. This starts me in a proper mood right away. Then another good evolution class (I forget to mentioned that Wednesday's evolution class was amazing, followed up by another good one - this was the class I was most excited about taking and quickly the one I was most disappointed in, but its starting to get really good not neccessarily because of a change of teacher, the last was good and this one even better, but because of a change in context) and followed by going to check out where I'll be doing my swimming for the next couple months, as well as strength training. The facilities at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre look pretty great, and it has everything I could really want, even treadmills and stationaries if I get hit with a really bad rain day, even though I'll avoid using these at all costs. The actual lane pool was closed for a swim meet, but they have a diving pool and set up some 25m lanes in the back there. I took a different approach to a swim workout and just went for a complete endurance test. Is it possible to just swim straight for the whole time, no stopping. Proud to say I did it successfully, although you may have noticed I've omitted the actual amount of time that I did it for. It sounds a little embarassing by the small number but (hopefully) great success comes in small steps. This new training program is based on minutes, not mileage, for an Olympic distance triathlon, which I plan to compete in when I feel I'm ready. So the first short day of the program only asks for 24 minutes swimming and 48 minutes cycling. The 24 minutes of swimming was easy enough, which was great, and in retrospect I could've certainly pushed the pace more. The cycling was not easy in the slightest. I bounded up what is now officially my favourite ride I've ever done, and I think I'll do it every week, the Norton Summit. Here's the route on mapmyride.com, it doesn't look like much but you can see all the fun switchbacks and the elevation is quite decent if you ask me. Click to zoom/see full image.
I watched another Aussie Footy game tonight, Hawthorne versus Geelong, and I really really like this sport. Its really cool and pretty simple as well, and I'd love to give it a try when I get the chance.

Well tomorrow (Saturday) is an early surfing trip so I better get to bed after a decent stretch, we're renting a car for $30 and filling it with whomever was to come, or so I thought originally. Going is Simon, Kim, Trine and I and our fifth was supposed to be Hannes but apparently waking up an hour earlier and seeing his girlfriend is more important, weak. But it'll be a great trip and very cost effective.

A not so typical weekend in Adelaide

And it wasn't for training!? I know, what the heck was I thinking. But, there is an explanation for everything. This weekend was great, and very different then most I've spent in Australia so far, which is encouraging in its own right to veer away from the many weekends spent at bars and struggling to awake in the morning to get on the bike or in the pool. I left you last on Friday, where I especially felt cheated by school to be in classes most of the day with some of the best weather of the week falling on that day. Friday evening and night were quite uneventful, but I got together with a friend down here from New York State, if not just to be able to speak full on fast, never wondering if they really understand what you mean, not cutting down on your vocabulary English with someone else. As much as I love all the Euros I've met, its a learning experience for us both really, for me to understand the intricacies of conversation with someone where English is often their second if not sometimes third language and after too much of it I feel like the world's biggest foreigner in an English speaking country. I still can't get over the fact that they can speak two or three languages though, I think that is just absolutely incredible. It really makes me feel cheated by my ease to be able to make it through the world on English alone, which really is quite possible because it has seemed to become the language that connects the rest of the world, Europe especially. But it increases in me a vigor to wish to pick up French again, and who knows when I'll find the time to do this but I really do want to, if not just to be able to understand those rare AM radio stations back home and TV5 and those other obscure channels that you find at the end of your cable.

So Saturday morning I rose early for a full day. I recently dropped one class in exchange for another down here. Research and Methods in Environmental Biology for Evolution and Diversity of Insects. Research was supposed to be my easiest class down here I'd assumed, and it ended up being my hardest. The teachers weren't all that impressive and the material was something that I know I'll have to just take again when I get home, so I figured I'd switch to something easier and not offered at Dalhousie. Cue Evol. and Div. of Insects. Two great professors, really excited about their class (which I think only has 13 students in it, which I think can help) and a supposed easier work load. In this class we do a collection project though, which will end up taking about 40 hours of extra school work to complete. We have to collect and properly display and identify at least 150 different species of insects. Aparently, actually finding them should only take about 1 day, but that would be someone trying hard and knowing what they're doing. On Saturday we went out as a class I found maybe 10 in a couple hours...lot's of work left to do. But I didn't really completely understand what I was doing, having never been to an actual class yet, and didn't really have my bug catching spirits with me that day. But after a switch in locations, I found quite a few more, and afterwards the professors brought us to a pub and treated us all to a pint or in my case, two. It was great, for the first time speaking with one of the teachers, Andy (they call all their teachers by their first names down here, and the profs encourage it) I actually felt like it wasn't me telling someone about Canada but someone asking me about Canada. I often notice that I talk about home and find myself wondering if whom ever I'm talking with actually wanted to know at all. So that was a great day that I didn't really have high expectations for, and I even got to know a couple of my classmates outside of just knowing eachother in class. Afterwards I met up with Simon to see a film at the cinema, Duplicity with Clive Owen and Julia Roberts. Not that great, but not a waste of time, just nothing I'd really rent again.

Sunday I woke up even earlier to make it down to Simon's before Kim and Trine got into town. We were all headed to the Clipsal 500, the inaugural V8 Supercar Championship Series race in Adelaide. Its a lot like Nascar, being stock cars, but on a street course. To my knowledge, that only happens once a year in Nascar, but it seems is much more common down here. Although I haven't seen a Nascar race live, I definitely prefer the oval circuit than a city track, mostly because I would think most places you sit, you'll see most of the race. On a street course, you have to strategically place yourself (and we spent from 9 until 2h30 when the race started scouting locations) to have the best spot for when the race begins and runs its length. The day was still really fun though, and the weather couldn't really have been better. We did a lot of walking around and checked out different areas, and then settled down on turn 5 to watch the race. What Adelaide does great with Clipsal is to really make it a festival event. The race runs four days, one day of test racing, one day of poll placing with multiple cars on the track, then two days of racing (even after haven't it explained to me numerous times, I still have no idea how it works). But after each day they put on concerts and our night was cursed with two really crappy bands and two really good bands, and a heck of a fireworks display afterwards. The concert really made the day at the end, and was a great way to finish off the weekend. For viewing pleasure, I'm posting some videos that I took at the race, one of the actual race, one of the third band, The Getaway Plan, and one last one of the headliner, Wolfmother, and every ones reactions to being in front of the camera. I find that when you have a camera on people, they really just have no idea how to act, which just adds to the hilarity.

Wow, after trying to upload said videos, it looks like it'll take a really long time so I'm going to figure out a better way to do that. Add them sooner than later.

Waking up early on the weekend?

And it wasn't for training!? I know, what the heck was I thinking. But, there is an explanation for everything. This weekend was great, and very different then most I've spent in Australia so far, which is encouraging in its own right to veer away from the many weekends spent at bars and struggling to awake in the morning to get on the bike or in the pool. I left you last on Friday, where I especially felt cheated by school to be in classes most of the day with some of the best weather of the week falling on that day. Friday evening and night were quite uneventful, but I got together with a friend down here from New York State, if not just to be able to speak full on fast, never wondering if they really understand what you mean, not cutting down on your vocabulary English with someone else. As much as I love all the Euros I've met, its a learning experience for us both really, for me to understand the intricacies of conversation with someone where English is often their second if not sometimes third language and after too much of it I feel like the world's biggest foreigner in an English speaking country. I still can't get over the fact that they can speak two or three languages though, I think that is just absolutely incredible. It really makes me feel cheated by my ease to be able to make it through the world on English alone, which really is quite possible because it has seemed to become the language that connects the rest of the world, Europe especially. But it increases in me a vigor to wish to pick up French again, and who knows when I'll find the time to do this but I really do want to, if not just to be able to understand those rare AM radio stations back home and TV5 and those other obscure channels that you find at the end of your cable.

So Saturday morning I rose early for a full day. I recently dropped one class in exchange for another down here. Research and Methods in Environmental Biology for Evolution and Diversity of Insects. Research was supposed to be my easiest class down here I'd assumed, and it ended up being my hardest. The teachers weren't all that impressive and the material was something that I know I'll have to just take again when I get home, so I figured I'd switch to something easier and not offered at Dalhousie. Cue Evol. and Div. of Insects. Two great professors, really excited about their class (which I think only has 13 students in it, which I think can help) and a supposed easier work load. In this class we do a collection project though, which will end up taking about 40 hours of extra school work to complete. We have to collect and properly display and identify at least 150 different species of insects. Aparently, actually finding them should only take about 1 day, but that would be someone trying hard and knowing what they're doing. On Saturday we went out as a class I found maybe 10 in a couple hours...lot's of work left to do. But I didn't really completely understand what I was doing, having never been to an actual class yet, and didn't really have my bug catching spirits with me that day. But after a switch in locations, I found quite a few more, and afterwards the professors brought us to a pub and treated us all to a pint or in my case, two. It was great, for the first time speaking with one of the teachers, Andy (they call all their teachers by their first names down here, and the profs encourage it) I actually felt like it wasn't me telling someone about Canada but someone asking me about Canada. I often notice that I talk about home and find myself wondering if whom ever I'm talking with actually wanted to know at all. So that was a great day that I didn't really have high expectations for, and I even got to know a couple of my classmates outside of just knowing eachother in class. Afterwards I met up with Simon to see a film at the cinema, Duplicity with Clive Owen and Julia Roberts. Not that great, but not a waste of time, just nothing I'd really rent again.

Sunday I woke up even earlier to make it down to Simon's before Kim and Trine got into town. We were all headed to the Clipsal 500, the inaugural V8 Supercar Championship Series race in Adelaide. Its a lot like Nascar, being stock cars, but on a street course. To my knowledge, that only happens once a year in Nascar, but it seems is much more common down here. Although I haven't seen a Nascar race live, I definitely prefer the oval circuit than a city track, mostly because I would think most places you sit, you'll see most of the race. On a street course, you have to strategically place yourself (and we spent from 9 until 2h30 when the race started scouting locations) to have the best spot for when the race begins and runs its length. The day was still really fun though, and the weather couldn't really have been better. We did a lot of walking around and checked out different areas, and then settled down on turn 5 to watch the race. What Adelaide does great with Clipsal is to really make it a festival event. The race runs four days, one day of test racing, one day of poll placing with multiple cars on the track, then two days of racing (even after haven't it explained to me numerous times, I still have no idea how it works). But after each day they put on concerts and our night was cursed with two really crappy bands and two really good bands, and a heck of a fireworks display afterwards. The concert really made the day at the end, and was a great way to finish off the weekend. For viewing pleasure, I'm posting some videos that I took at the race, one of the actual race, one of the third band, The Getaway Plan, and one last one of the headliner, Wolfmother, and every ones reactions to being in front of the camera. I find that when you have a camera on people, they really just have no idea how to act, which just adds to the hilarity.

Wow, after trying to upload said videos, it looks like it'll take a really long time so I'm going to figure out a better way to do that.

Where I should be living..

Before I get this ball rolling, I just wanted to sincerely thank everyone for their feedback/comments on the blog, and just thank people for the occasional messages and emails. Although I'm having a blast down here, because of meeting and hanging out with so many international students that came down here to improve their English I sometimes just crave a nice solid conversation or get a little homesick because you feel that much further away from home. Its really great learning about how the world works in other areas though, I'm relishing the experience in that regard, but I do have to say I'm kind of disappointed at home Canada is viewed on the world scale. I realize that we're not one of the top grossing countries in the world, but we're still in the top twenty. We're in the G7 and G8 and G20 (they are, believe it or not, all separate different organizations) and still aren't getting much world recognition? While writting this though I have thought of one very good explanation as to why maybe Canada is more educated about the world than the world is educated about Canada. It all comes down to our national identity being one of a "cultural mosaic" as the term they through around in the big fancy schools now. While a lot of European countries are full of multi-generational families, Canada is full of newly immigrated and 3 or 4 generation Canadians, so we're just introduced to and naturally are interested more in other cultures/countries. I could be completely wrong and it was just an idea that popped into my cranium, but it kinda makes sense, especially had I explained it a little bit better.

Anyways, as for a little recap of the week past, its been quite uneventful. School is getting more into swing now and it just seems wrong to be sitting in a classroom all day down here, it feels like I'm cheating myself of the experience. I'm sure I'd feel significantly better had the material we were covering me a bit more stimulating, but either way on a beautiful day like today in the high-20s and just the right amount of clouds, you can't help but feel that anything you learn isn't going to matter as much as enjoying the weather would. While you cross North Terrace to walk onto campus from the city, there's a small spraypainted phrase on the footpath to cross the street that always makes me smile. It says "Nice weather, too bad about the climate". Extremely clever. But it hasn't been all classes this week. It was a week of good homemade meals, on Tuesday I made the girls of Kent Town and myself some braised lamb shanks which tasted great but even after slow cooking for three hours, are extremely tough to eat. The monday Dagny made some sort of curry chicken concoction that turned out great, and her and I shared the leftovers on Wednesday. Then came the highlight of the week - Kim and Trine's delicious meal and hospitality.

Kim and Trine (Kim's another Danish guy, Trine (pronounced Tree-na) his girlfriend) are two people that I've met down here that are quickly making it to the top of my list as my favourites. They insisted, once learning that I had to pay more to come down here then it would be to stay back at home, that I should come over once a week for a free supper. In Denmark, even on exchange, you don't pay for school. In fact, you ever get paid a little bit by the government. Not enough that you don't have to work (the taxes in Denmark near 50% and everything is expensive there by the sounds of it, so cost of living is quite high) but enough to help out some, and there are even scholarship fondations that just give you money once you apply and you don't have to pay it back. [If anyone knows about said organizations existing in Canada, hook me up, I could use it] So the first best thing of the evening; where Kim and Trine live. They're sharing a one bedroom apartment in Glenelg, the closest beach to the city, where they literally just walk out of their foyer and they're on the beach, and just up the street, walking distance, are fresh meat, bakery and fruit/vegetable markets. I was initially looking for a place there and someone advised me against it, and I'm definitely shooting myself in the foot for that one now. Every evening they get to look out of their private patio to the sun setting over the sea, and the actual furnishing in the apartment is nicer than anywhere I've ever lived, all modern and swanky. And you figured they're be paying an arm and leg for this, but they pay only $50/month more than I do. So after seeing the place, we went down to the beach for a lie down and a quick swim, then Kim showed me the pool on the second floor, accompanied by a jacuzzi (they have one in their room too), a steam room, a sauna, and work out facilities. Then, to top off the evening, we head upstairs and because their kitchen is rather small for four people (it was myself, Kim, Trine and Simon) I could only sit, enjoy some wine they bought from a South Australian Vineyard, and watch the Aus. National Swimming Championships on the tele while waiting for the second most delicious burgers I've ever had (No. 1 still goes to Uncle Bob's burgers, Bob Bonham's creation from heaven). After supper where I stuffed myself we went downstairs to the bar to play some pool, and then to the bar on Jetty Road (the major strip in Glenelg) for just one more. Before ending the night. It couldn't have been more perfect.

Toronto FC - Season opener 22 Mar 2009, 20h30EST

*In recent conversations with the home country, I've found that some people are getting the impression that I'm doing a bit too much drinking down here. There are truths and faults to this. When I go out to the bar, as I did today after classes and as I did last night in Glenelg, its often for just one beer to enjoy the weather on the patio or for the conversation. I have admittedly been thinking about my consumption lately though as having an impact on my bank account but more specifically the off setting of my triathlon training (which, unfortunately, has declined this week due to health reasons - two or three days in a row of waking up with a tickle in my throat told me to take it easy for a few days and get some proper rest to avoid anything bad coming). But, to ease the minds of grandmothers and mothers that read these pages, I have already made a pact with myself to cut it down, train harder, which in the end makes beer more effective if I'm looking to have one of those nights and thus cutting down costs in two ways. But seriously, its the spirit of Australia and the warm weather, and Gramma if you knew how much mom has on her ski weekends, you wouldn't be as concerned for me hahaha.

Prepare to be taken off topic more than once

So, during the first week of international orientation week, they tell you that it is very common to feel homesick, and on the reverse very common to at first feel an elated state quickly followed by a crash - the Honeymoon phase of moving into a new country/new culture/new area/new experience. I mean, they tried to back it up with all this hoopla about how it was psychologically proven or something like that, but me of course I'm sitting there thinking "Yah right. Who the heck would want to leave Australia after being excited about it for a month" I think it helped that when I initially got here in February, I wasn't all that pleased anyways. It was kinda weird to be living out of a hospital, trying to find somewhere to live and having to tell your story to every person you met, an almost exhausting excercise when done often enough. Who would ever want to talk about themselves that much, but when you don't know someone, and they don't know sports, what the heck do you talk about? Culture and Canadian culture is me. Moving on...

So there I was sitting there thinking No friggin' way, not gonna happen, not me. Then, Saturday we went surfing in Australia - the pinnacle of any Australian trip. I'd actually forgotten this, but in the hardcover book I have that I jot down important stuff; triathlon training, books I've read, quotes I connect with, people's addresses, directions to someones's cottage (originally I'd written that it was Nash's, then made a whitty comment about how somethings were clearly more important than others, but then I realized the directions lead you nowhere near Wiarton/Owen Sound, so I've partially omitted my comment). Well, accompanying all this hardly categorized random information is a life's To Do List:
- Sky dive
- Go to France for the French Open and Tour de France in same trip (yes, it is possible)
- Cycle the red woods of California
- Sleep under the stars in Africa (maybe I'd consider a mosquito net, see malaria)
- See Newcastle United Game at St. James Park
- Ski Marble and Sundance (and after what everyone has been telling me, Cdn Rockies are a must as well)
- Surf in Australia
- Train hard enough to qualify for 2012 London (this is completely unattainable as I'm slowly, painfully, frustratingly realizing, but I'd settle for my professional card...)

Thats the entirity of the list, and there's other stuff I've been meaning to add but that is all of it at this current moment. 1/8 done as of last Saturday (although with my weak performance because I really don't know all that much about what I was doing on that ocean until about 15 minutes before we left where the light bulb went on, I'd hardly call that successfully completed). So getting back to the point...

There is clearly no way I was dipping out of this honeymoon phase. I don't know if it was the three days, almost four, of crappy.cloudy.WEAK.spitting weather (I would never call it rain) or if it was just the psychologists in the world proving themselves right, but I hit this slope on the downward. I couldn't believe it, but Sunday and Monday were filled with such disdain, such unexplainable melancholy. Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit, but I was easily aggravated and just didn't want to see or talk to anyone or do anything. And I couldn't put my finger on it either, I was just pissed for no reason. Little things were really getting to me, but hopefully I hid that the best I could. I know this will make some people back at home happy; I even started missing some of you people I flew across the world to get away from (kidding, of course). Specifically (she really wanted a shout-out) my mom. But that's mostly because she doesn't even attempt to email me because she has nothing new to say, haha.

Well, as you can probably guess from the context of most of this post, I've ridden myself of this funk. I don't know whether it was me just getting some peace and quiet for today, or getting in the outdoor pool and getting a great workout in the sun, or just the phase had run its course, but I'm better now! Still of course miss people from home, but won't be making anymore late night calls as they cost me way too much money, all for some trivial Disney information. Good 'morrow folks.
*Pictures can be accredited to Pam, the first two from the Adelaide Cup which I just posted to show people back at home how Canadians should dress all the time, and this one because its just fun to climb stuff.

Surfing in Australia, more than just physical activity

I'd almost feel bad for not posting since I think Tuesday but then again, I'm sure everyone remembers where I am haha. Luckily, atop of the blog I keep a personal travel journal to be able to look back at everything that I've been up to. Also, in my defence, all the blogs that I follow haven't been updated in quite some time either, only Whitfield's. So I can excuse myself a bit but I Know how busy these other people are (Meyrick Jones is training with the Cdn National Cycling team - damn). So Wednesday was a pretty normal day, gorgeous outside with a full day of classes and a frustrating practical but followed up with coming home and going for an amazing ride flat ride along the ocean side, a good workout too because the headwind really made it that I had to push pretty tough to keep my speed up, and then that always means that when you turn around you've got the wind pushing you from behind, so you're flying down the street. No hills, staying legitimately infront of the few cars I saw so I know my speed was up there in the low fourties probably. Came home for a great supper and got ready for the next day. Also that night got little sleep because I found a new comedian who is priceless. See the procrastination link ->

Thursday was a great day, again gorgeous weather followed by a great barbeque. All the Euros really hadn't had an Aussie barbeque yet but also hadn't had one in general (thats where I come in...). So got 2.5 kilos of fresh steak, and did what my mom does best; barbeque with steak, potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms/onions. It definitely wasn't even close to her calibre, of course, but all that was negated by the quality of the meat. Amazing. This butcher and I will certainly become good friends this year haha. After that it was a really fun night on the town, and maybe we could say that moderation wasn't my greatest strength, but I made it to classes the next day.
My participation was extremely lacklustre, if I was even awake, but I was there regardless. I spoke to a professor about how easy one of my classes seemed so far (unfortunately, the one I was most excited about - Evolution and Paleobiology) and whether it got any better throughout the year. I didn't know this, and won't be telling my institution back at home, but this class is an introductory class for evolution, which I'm already well versed in. But, instead of searching for another course, it might be better to have an easy one. I'm finding another class that I was counting on being easy - Research and Methods in Environmental Biology - to be much more challenging and so having an easy course would be really beneficial.

So after taking it easy on Friday and taking the day off training and going to Gran Torino again, I woke up early and went surfing in Victor Harbour. It was a great day, amazing. The weather wasn't the greatest but good friends, great food, and a great tour guide made the experience really something. I went with Sactuary Surfers, a Christian group that offers surfing lessons, a drive to Victor Harbour and free barbeque for cheaper than other companies, and on top of that I had a great discussion about different Christian sects and a term that really makes sense to me, in explaining the difference between Christianity and "Churchianity" - or the difference between what the Church teaches and what the Bible teaches. Many people have a problem with the church, there's no denying that what so ever. But I do find that people still have faith in a higher power, something greater than the rest of us. Talking with this guy, Luke, was great because it was a fresh perspective that I hadn't ever thought of. Promoting the church through the correction of the ideals, correction of labels. Something as simple as promoting the church by not saying its the church, believing in Biblical and Faith based community, not church. I don't know how much that makes sense but its certainly something I would hope everyone would take even just a second to think of.

Altogether though, surfing was great. The whole day was great, and I can only hope that I'll get the chance to go again soon.

I love Mondays and Tuesdays

Having this much time off during the week is amazing. You can really do whatever you please (of course after taking time to study) and still not be pressed for time the next day. So let's start with Monday. Monday was a state-wide holiday in South Australia (SA), and is called Adelaide Cup Day. The Adelaide Cup is SA's premier horse race, and in true Aussie fashion, everyone takes the day off work to go grab some beers and dress up fancy to watch a couple beautiful animals run around in a circle. In true visiting students fashion, of course we all went. What an atmosphere. Everyone in a great mood, tram to the track, which was absolutely massive, so much so that even in the front row you can't really see the horses on the opposite side of the track, they look the size of ants and the starting gates are just an obscure white structure on the grass oval. So we get there and enjoy the day, a couple of us win some of our bets, most of us didn't. Especially myself, four horses let me down that fateful day by all placing but none winning, and the payout would've funded my drinking for the day. But alas, somehow heading home after Race 9, which was actually the Adelaide Cup, I get into one of those situations you know in about two hours you're very much going to regret. If anyone knows this as well as I do, its Spencer Burley (some of you reading are starting to clue into now as what is coming).

We were on our way for supper, and someone said to me that we were going to a schnitzel place, where they serve really big schnitzels. As everyone reading knows, a "big" meal to me doesn't exist unless you have a third serving (thanks ma and dad, allowing me to lick the plate clean when I was growing up). So Philip, another Danish guy, gaurentees I'll barely be able to eat one, and I refute by telling him that I gaurentee I can eat two in an hour. At the restaurant I had one done in less than twenty minutes, and upped the bet if I finish in 45 minutes I get a free cigar as well. Well I left the heavier one for second, and after 45 minutes I had three slices left, small stuff. But I just could not do it. The hour finished with just one-sixteenth of the meal left. The bar had said it had never been done before, and was only attempted once and the guy failed pitifully. The bartender even brought me out a beer as 'encouragement' during the meal, free of cost. I formally apologize for the people that had put faith in me to finish. I really did think it was going to be done, and I had Philip and Martin, the guys who I made the bet with, counting their cash getting ready to pay for the meal. But atleast I still live to eat another meal and make another stupid mistake like that one someday.

So onto my fourth day of the weekend, Tuesday. Great day, because it was just full of stuff I love to do. I got to sleep in, then went out to a gorgeous outdoor pool and swim 3200m, then buy groceries for the week staying below ten dollars/day and health too (all salads and bulk meat). This was after dropping off more resumés and actually getting a 'trial' day (so I'm pretty confident that means I'm hired) at a 24hr bakery/coffee shop/bar. And then the bike ride. I did the same Norton Summit that I did before, but a little bit later in the evening. Yet again, I'm going to go on and on about how amazing this ride was. The uphill is a struggle, but I was faster this time than I was last time, so that's a positive. Then I took a different route and got to fly dhill for a bit before realizing it'd been about 57 minutes into my ride and I gotta turn around, and make it back up all the down I'd been going, and ontop of this before the sun starts to descend on the wonderful day (29 degrees mid-day, swimming in freshwater during in an outdoor pool, what an experience). Well after my second approach to the summit, this time from the other side, I see one of the most picturesque sites I've ever seen. I'm at the edge of a basin-like valley, so covered on three sides with elevation, and you see this valley set out in front of you, vineyards in the middle, another valley beyond that, and beyond that one you can see the outline of the highrises of Adelaide in the setting sun. For these moments, and many others, I'm trying to find myself a lower quality, cheaper digital camera to be able to share with everyone.

Some photos stolen from other people (thanks Joske) from the Adelaide Cup (thats only one of the two schnitzels):

Devils in the outback again?

Wow. I had no idea it'd been four days since I last posted. Well I guess technically three as I'm writing this at 12h05am on the 9th. I don't really even know where to start, I last left you with the epic ride up to the Norton Summit I think, and since then I've gone on yet another incredible ride to a place called Windy Point. The climb wasn't nearly as steep which was great, and conveniently at the summit before hitting all the rollers there was a servo (gas station) and I picked up a Powerade, which probably kept me from certain death. I had woken up after a perfect decent night of watching a Aussie Rules Football exhibition game for free, followed by Casino Royale in the common room with friends and neighbours and then walked back into town for some beers with friends at an Irish bar (unfortunately this particular night playing 90s pop music by a live band who just wanted the crowd to sing along). After that, I woke up and headed out, nothing in my stomach because I wanted to get going early enough to make it to the beach. The weather ended up being really cloudy and not that warm out, so I never made it to the beach and instead just hung out with some friends and got ready to go out again that night. But the ride, again, was amazing. I messed up my route a bit and missed out on the chance of going up to Windy Point, then down some seriously fast streets (keeping up with cars on a 60 kph road, very quick dhills) and had I not turned when I did, could've rode most of the way back along the Ocean Rd in view of all the beaches and coastline. But still had a good ride, and when I got back I was still buying time before we went to this international student's house party (which ended up being huge, 200+ people and a decent time had you brought beer with you). So I decided to go for a run, thinking I won't have to spend as much money on beer that way, and had a pretty good 7k route. It was after this run that I was getting changed, dressed to impress of course, and I looked in the mirror and boom, here I am with these two perfectly lined burns from the cloudy day of being on the cycle for three hours. Never felt a ray of sun when I was out there, but aparently my skin did. The picture definitely doesn't do it justice, the red under arm is close to a faded Cdn flag hue, while I'm still quite white under the shirt, but am slowly coming along.

Then today woke up after a great night out with the Euros, as I affectionately refer to them, and went to watch the South Australia Primiership Cycling Circuit on the invitation of aforementioned Darren O'Grady, and saw some gorgeous bikes. Finally the weather has picked back up to beach weather, so I got to enjoying that and stayed in the sun for about 4 hrs before grabbing some pizza for supper. Then came back home, and while everyone else was struggling to stay awake I was getting a second wind. Good news, because this afforded me to be able to go on a wonderful night run - 11k in the nice cool weather. Couldn't be happier with all the training I'm getting in.

On the school front, I finally have found a good class. Not sure if I mentioned Wed as to whether the first classes that day were sort of brutal, but the trend continued on Thursday until Friday, the class I expected the least out of, wowed me. Concepts in Ecology - the class was okay, but the seminar was great. We got started already on a group semester project that I'm really excited about. I teamed up with two Aus. girls and we were talking about things that could interest us in the ecological spectrum of things. We have to develop a research proposal as you would for a masters or phd, and I suggested something along the lines of what I would actually love to do with my degree - a wolf reintroduction program back into Ontario and further east in Canada. Well we actually ran with this concept of successful reintroduction programs of native species, which aren't uncommon in Australia, and decided our topic was going to be a proposal of doing research to find the effect on small mammals and competitve species for the reintroduction of Tasmanian devils back onto the mainland (yes, they're not just a funny carton character). Well its late now and I've got a busy day planned tomorrow, so for those of you that I was going to reply to your emails tonight, I very much apologize. Maybe tomorrow night?

I'll leave you all with a photo of the new, now completely healed tattoo I got when I was back home in Ontario. My dad got the same one above his chest, which may sound nerdy but who cares, now we share his only tattoo and one-half of his genes. The yellow wristband is for the Victoria Bushfire's that were just coming to a finish when I was getting in Australia and still very much a fresh pain for Australia and specifically Victoria, where they happened, when I was in Melbourne.
*One of my new Danish friend's read the blog today, and I had to recognize her for doing so, pretty much because the first time I met Nina, I thought her named was Lena. So here is the editorial correction and her own little mention.

Worth the ride

My goodness gracious. What an absolutely incredible ride I just had. Yesterday I went in and got my stem switched around so that my aerobars were about, who knows, 3 cm higher than they were before. Well it sounds like such a small change, but it actually made for an incredible ride. After the switch I put in an hour in the saddle on the city outskirts, but it wasn't really that great of a ride because there were so many stop lights along the way and too much traffic around so I couldn't really let loose. So today I took a ride up to Norton Summit from Kent Town, and if my camera weighed any less, next time I'd bring it up there. The sights were absolutely incredible, I can't even describe it. In Kent Town and Magill, you'll rolling by shops along the Parade and Magill Rd and then you start the ascent through 4 or 5 hair pins. I left early enough that none of the cars were really out yet, or maybe this route is just very different then Old Norton Summit Rd that I took a couple days ago that was extremely busy. I think that makes sense because there weren't as nearly as many hairpins on those routes. Well, topping out at a 575m elevation climb with a TT cycle is no easy feat, there were plenty of times where I thought I was done for and only once when I needed to actually stop but that was more allowing myself to lose momentum and then trying to power out again and quickly had to take a rest (buying what bottles/holder tomorrow). So anyways, all of a sudden you take the second, third hairpin and you've gotta view across the entire city of Adeliade, absolutely breath taking. Then you're climbing up past vineyards tucked away in the hills and you hit the quaint, 20 person establishment of Norton Hills, and you're feeling so great and think you're nearly at the top anyways that you just keep on going. Absolutely incredible. I'll borrow a friends camera and take some pictures from the top next week.

Today I also did something I was assuring everyone that I wouldn't do again; reactivated my facebook account. I did it so that I'll get a chance to hear from everyone back at home because besides a few great folks, I haven't heard too much from anyone and with school started and things slowing down, I've been wondering what everyone else has been up to. Hopefully it works all for the best, and if Sean - you ever read this or email me back - I'm sorry, I know how much you and I equally despised facebook and now I've joined them again. Please forgive me, but atleast I still haven't bought a mac, yet.

Two things that can really get to you

So I've sent two emails back home today, if you weren't one of the lucky few be sure yours is slowly on your way. But during these emails, I tried to explain about my new bike purchase, and my trying to stay positive about said purchase. The bike is not that bad at all, it was a great price and two years removed from slowtwitch.com's "Entry level tri bike of the year" which has many good attributes to it. But I can't help from subliminal messaging and advertising and their proven track record, and the fact that they have to be one of Canada's greatest rising companies, I really wanted to get a Cervelo. Well, just like a shot in the guy, I picked up a triathlon magazine I purchased to day and started reading through it, and happen upon an add from all3sports.com and here dawns the bike I was interested in purchasing as a complete build for $1750 (Cervelo P1), and even the Cervelo P2, an up grade from that, starting @ $2000. I spent about $1800 including pedals and shoes (neither of those included either) but man, to know that there was an outside chance of owning a piece of Canadian triathlon history...that can really get to you. I figure this is a very common reaction to spending a good chunk of money on a single thing, and I have to say, I hope it goes away. Here sitting in my room looking looking at the beauty, I can't help but know I'm gonna put in some serious km's and hours in its relatively uncomfortable saddle. The uber excitedness of the bike made me take this picture right now, as proof that yes, I do infact own it and not just a picture from the internet (hence my shoes and boxing wraps in the background). I think had I purchased the same bike at another shop, I'd feel more comfortable about my purchase. I really haven't been too happy with the company I purchase from, but they were one of the only clubs that TT/Tri bikes in stock and I certainly wasn't going to order something in without being about to atleast sit on it. But now I've found a place that I'm really a big fan of, and I've got them looking at bike computers for me and Aero waterbottle holders. Who says just because its entry level I can't take it seriously?

So that was one thing that really got to me, here's the other. I am out of cycling shape, but thats not the worse part of it. I had a 1.5hr scheduled ride ahead of me, supposed to be a relatively easy hill ride, but hills and tri bikes are hard in the first place. So 28 minutes in, I decide "heck, maybe I'm not the intermediate I thought i was (referring to the program I'm trying to follow), and I allowed myself to drop down to the Novice level, who were being asked for just a 1hr ride today instead. So up the hills I went, and hot damn, it was tough work. I head back down and head back up a little bit ways again, and head back down. I'm close to home but 8 minutes are remaining in the hr, so I take a turn and head down another way, thinking that I know where I'm going. Well, in closing, my ride ended after 1hr51min. I got so lost, I was somehow on the other side of Adelaide without actually going through the city. How does that happen?? So net time, its going to be a planned route (next time being tomorrow, either a 1 or 1.5 hr ride depending on how novice/intermediate I'm feeling haha). Well, in closing, what gets to me is that you get lost, in Norwood, where you head up into the hills, then back down, and then back up the hills you thought you were just in until you realize that Norwood is in the middle of a valley and there's hills in both directions. Boo.

View from the edge of the Pinnacle lookout, in the Grampian National Park, taken on the Great Ocean Road trip.

I knew this day would come...

Waterfall along Great Ocean Road trip.

So today was very unfortunate. I knew it was coming, I knew it was inevitable and I would be facing it soon enough, but I didn't anticipate for us to meet so quickly. Today was the first day in Australia that I was bored. It feels wrong, I feel like I've cheated the entire experience of my Australian Adventure, but let's face it. I've got 6 months down here, and it was inevitable one day, especially after the past 3 weeks have been adventure filled, that I was going to be bored one day. The trouble is that classes haven't even started yet. And I knew this about my schedule while looking at it before school would even start, I could foresee Mondays and Tuesdays as being a little lack luster. When you go to school less days per week than you have off, that already spells trouble. And I saw the full force of it today. Now, mind you, I wasn't bored outta my boots or anything in that regard. I made three of the best meals I've had in Australia thus far, and they were also the three cheapest as they were homemade. But, especially with taking a necessary rest day from training, I was filling time with playing the violin and walking down into town to pick up something, and then walking back home and back again just because I had nothing else to do. I did want to sit and read some Mark Twain today but unfortunately the weather wasn't even permitting that. I also was faced with the first rain in Adelaide since I've been here. You can hardly call it rain, as they barely get 1mm/day, its just light spitting thats a nuissance. You'd have to be sitting outside all day long for you to actually get wet.
Now, I have one way of fixing this problem tomorrow. And thats 1.5hrs in the saddle exploring the Adelaide Hills. Very excited about that, and going by the outdoor pool thats walking distance, although tomorrow is supposed to "rain" as well, so they'll probably shut down the pool in that case.

In other news, on my flight back from Melbourne the airline informed me that you could book before March 4th for a flight in the month of March and only pay taxes. So I told all my friends about it, and we were planning a trip to the Gold Coast for the last weekend of March. It was going to be weird because some people would fly out Wednesday night while I had to fly out Friday night, but I could stay until Tuesday while they had to be back on Sunday night, but as the promotion ends on the 4th, we got together and looked for flights today, and there was absolutely nothing to the Gold Coast left for cheap (before they sold out, you could go there and back for $56 taxes in). So, I helped everyone else plan a trip to Hobart, Tasmania but unfortunately, they're leaving Wed morning and coming back Monday morning, and well, thats when my classes start for the week. So I had to decline the offer, and the sale was okay but not that great, $120 both ways. I wish them a good journey of course, but know if I hear enough good things I'll make it to Tasmania by myself.

Tomorrow; applying for a job, going for a great ride, and maybe walking around campus so I know where I'm headed Wed and the rest of the week.

*For those thinking my schedule sounds amazing having only three days of class, Wednesday I'm in school 9am - 6pm with 2 hrs of break in there, Thursday 10 - 5 with another two hours of break, and Friday 11 - either 4 (no break in there) or 6 (one hour break) depending on the week. So fear not, all is well and I am still in school. Aussie's haven't really grasped the scholastic logistics though, my schedule is and absolute mess with no repeating in it; as in MWF at 10 I'd have ecology, that doesn't exist here. Here its evolution at 9 Wed and 11 Friday, ecology 2 hours straight Friday, Research Wed 11 for two hours, and this is the greatest and least explainable - Freshwater ecology from 10-11 and then from 12-1, same teacher, same classroom, just a one hour break for tea and crumpets? Silly Aussies.