Things I have done recently:
Topic: Whatever
A fat load of nothing all afternoon after meeting with my thesis supervisor this morning. This, after having spent all day yesterday reading until I was cross-eyed because I thought I was woefully underprepared for said meeting. I continue to resist my own efforts to become one of those people who can get things done without a last-minute panic and immediately-after-last-minute burnout.

Had lunch with a friend and wrote a long-overdue e-mail. So the afternoon wasn't a loss on the social front, at least.

Giggled myself silly over the latest offering from Sars, TWoP goddess and Jersey girl extraordinaire.

Marvelled once again at the poignancy of this.

Went grocery shopping at the neighborhood's most inconsistently stocked grocery store. Always an adventure. I'd stop going there all together out of sheer frustration except that they carry a wide range of Eastern European/Turkish goodies which I enjoy perusing, even if I'm not in the mood for Kras biscuits, canned sarma or factory-fresh ajvar.

Started what hopefully will be a regular babysitting job for a local couple Mr Dr recommended me to. The kid is adorable. And possibly a bit too smart for his own good, but that won't be confirmed until he learns at least a few more words. But the way he works the gee-aren't-I-cute grin is indicative of a long toddlerhood for his parents.

Tried to muster up the energy to walk this evening after today's near-melting temperatures, and failed miserably. Plan to attempt an alarmingly out-of-character early morning walk instead. Which means the next thing I ought to do it get myself to bed.

Walking in a wint . . . whaaaaaat now?
Topic: Whatever
While out walking late in this balmy January evening, I passed by a house with lovely garden in which the gaudy gleam of Christmas decorations was accompanied by the soft sputtering hiss of a lawn sprinkler.

Is this what they mean by cognitive dissonance?

An idea that might take some getting used to
Topic: Whatever
Got an odd jolt this morning as I was walking down the sidewalk and passed by a woman in about her early 40s wearing a nose ring. It seemed very incongruous, but then I realized that I'll probably fairly quickly get to the point where I barely notice, as it becomes more common over the next few years. And in about 25 years or so, I'll have friends who will be grandmothers with nose rings and tattoos. That idea struck me as really funny, because I've been wired to think that grandmothers look like this, or (in a more updated version) like this. So if this picture of a grandmother feels surprisingly new to me, how startling is it going to be to see not only the reality of a grandmother with a row of earrings up her ear, a nose ring, and a tattoo sleeve, but the first children's book that depicts a grandmother like that? I'm looking forward to that development in children's literature.

Quiet night
Topic: Whatever
Happy not-quite New Year! It's nearly 11:30 p.m. in Melbourne, and I'm going to bed soon. I haven't felt my best all week - the remnants of the cold I wasn't quite able to shake before Christmas, plus the heat, plus the cumulative effects of all the general holiday carryings-on are conspiring to make me feel rather unwell. It's quite the evil conspiracy, coming to fruition on the biggest party night of the year. So it's a quiet New Year's Eve for me. After all, the last thing I need right now is a night that lasts well into tomorrow and takes a day or more to recover from. Although, since I put it that way, I am suddenly and entirely against my better judgement tempted to try to make it downtown by midnight. ::grins:: Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year to you all!

Play day
Topic: Whatever
And oh, what a play day it was. Gracious's other grandparents have a beach house on the Mornington Peninsula, and I was invited down for the family party for Gracious's birthday. The Good Doctors and I headed out in the late morning, and arrived in plenty of time for lunch. Spent the day watching Gracious open presents; chatting; eating; teasing Gracious and her sister, Blue Eyes; walking to the beach; sitting on the beach; walking down the beach; then going back to the house and eating some more.

It was such a gorgeous day. The weather was perfect - just warm enough in the sun, just cool enough in the shade. The water in the shallows at the bay beach was warm and crystal clear, and the beach was littered with bright, delicate shards of seashells. Unfortunately, the beach was cursed with a plague of flies, and Australian flies are a special breed. They're persistent, they travel in packs, and keeping them off your face requires a near constant lazy wave in front of your face that's known as the Aussie salute. Which I will be an expert at by the time the summer is over, I'm sure. But still, a lovely, lovely day. I could get used to this Christmas holidays in summer thing.

Whatever, WaPo
Topic: Whatever
The Washington Post ran a story earlier this month on the efforts to 're-brand' Baltimore with a city slogan that 'tout[s] the city's assets without ignoring its gritty, self-deprecating character.' The article was only mildly irritating as long as it stuck to a not-quite snickering tone discussing the crime rate and the 'quirkiness' of Baltimore. However, it ended with an anecdote about Hampden, the point of which was, basically: 'even hillbillies are horrified by Baltimore'. Whatever, WaPo. Baltimore is the city that could kick San Francisco's ass. Your sniggering disapproval is beneath notice.

Baltimore residents can snigger at slogans all they like, of course. Suggestions for snowpocalyptic slogans for Baltimore can be found here. I don't miss the city's irrational response to snow, exactly, but I do miss entertaining myself with speculations as to why it was that the merest hint of snow in the forecast resulted in local stores being stripped of milk, bread and toilet paper.

Merry Christmas, Mobtown, and rejoice in the glad tidings that you're not an Eyesore of the Month.

Something's happening here
Topic: Whatever
What it is ain't exactly clear
My comments don't work I've been told
And dates are wrong on some posts that are old

And we gotta stop, hey, this is dumb
Parodies of songs should be more fun ...

Sorry - I was trying to find a creative way to write about some minor technical difficulties, and well, that ain't it. I'm trying to figure out whether these glitches are caused by something I've done (in which case, they're likely to multiply as I attempt to fix them) or whether this is something I need to take up with Tripod. If you've noticed any problems, please e-mail me: surfacing(at)mail.com.

What I do when I don't have deadlines
Topic: Whatever
Nothing.

And it is glorious.

Granted, I would've liked to have gone shopping yesterday, but first there were bouts of driving rain, and then it was hot and muggy, so only mall shopping would've been suitable, and I was in no mood for the mall.

So instead I did nothing. I sat around reading, catching up on e-mail, and chatting on IM and the phone with various people. Enjoying the utter absence of guilt, the total lack of nagging 'I really should be doing something else' thoughts, the quiet relief of having gotten everything out of the way. I liked it so much, I'm doing it again today. And I just might do it again tomorrow.

Thankfully
Topic: Whatever
Thankfully, I handed in my last essay yesterday.

Thankfully, I have patient friends who were tolerant of my sleep-deprived fussing about how bad said essay was.

Thankfully, the semester is now officially over for me, and I will not be doing any more fussing over essays for months.

Thankfully, Dee convinced her mom to help her make Thanksgiving dinner last night, despite the heat. It was goooooooooood.

Thankfully, Dee paid attention when I said, "Please make lots of mashed potatoes." I've had my fix and I'm set until next year.

Thankfully, eating Thanksgiving dinner when it's 80 degrees out means that it doesn't feel like Thanksgiving so I don't get homesick.

Thankfully, the semester is over, and I have a possible lead on a cheap vacation in Tasmania. I'm ready to get away for a little while.

Thankfully, the semester is over!!

The race that stops a nation
Topic: Whatever
Well, at the very least, mostly stops a city. The Melbourne Cup was run today, and The Good Doctors invited me over to have lunch and watch the race with them. It was almost eerie, how quiet it was in Melbourne as I headed over to their place around lunch time. Cup Day is a holiday in Melbourne, and masses of people go to the races, either to see and be seen in suits and fancy dresses and outrageous hats, or to tailgate in the carpark and watch the races on giant screens. A bit like Preakness, except that it's a Tuesday, there's a holiday for the races, and nobody I know goes to Preakness dressed anything like this (in particular, no man I know goes to Preakness wearing something from The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, more's the pity). I love this city.

The big news this year was that Eva Longoria from Desperate Housewives turned up to do something celebrity-related (totally eclipsing the appearance of Stevie Nicks), and that the Melbourne Cup was won for the third time in a row (never been done before) by Makybe Diva, who, it was argued, couldn't win the race because she's a girl and she's too old and would have to carry too much weight. But she was the people's favorite, and the roar that went up from the crowd when she ran up along the outside of the pack to take the lead was incredible. Also incredible - her jockey's reaction. He burst into tears as they crossed the post and never came down off his high. Thanked everybody he knew about six times, including the horse. I joke, but it was actually very affecting, and it made me realize how infrequently we see expressions of spontaneous, heartfelt joy on television - the unscripted moments really stand out.