The Small Things in Life

To some people this may be a piece of chocolate with their dinner, a smile from a stranger, a hug from a baby... in my word it's the fact that I can buy junior's sized athletic shoes - saving me around 50%. :) Ah yes it is the little things in life that make it great... and in my case, help the pocket book.

I first encountered this back in December when I was shopping for basketball shoes in Seattle with Sabrina. None of the adult shoes fit me, so I gave the juniors a go - and they FIT!! My junior Jordans have served me well so far and have actually been the cause for some envy as it is hard to find women's basketball shoes here.

My latest encounter was the other day when I was shopping for soccer cleats (or boots as they call them here). First off, the selection (as with basketball shoes) wasn't all that you'd hope it would be so I was limited to begin with. Then the sizes were extremely limited... However one of the two sizes of juniors shoes fit like a dream. Considering the adult equivalent was 100 and my pair was 40 I found this a very good sign.

You might be wondering why I am buying soccer cleats - and I must admit this morning I had the same thought - but I am actually not a certified soccer referee for the Sydney School's Football Referee's Association. There is apparently a need for more women ref's and they pay is pretty decent so I have now added a 3rd job to my current list of employers and ever Saturday morning I will be getting up at an ungodly hour to go ref soccer matches in various parts of Syndey. They even game me my own set of flags and red/yellow cards - technically I had to buy them but they're MINE!! Oh the power!! :)

Now if only I can line up a proper job and be able to stay here long enough to make this job worthwhile....

Post Graduation Update

Things are busy but not quite the type of busy I'd prefer.... I've picked up 2-3 weeks of full time work around the school so am doing that in addition to job hunting and working at the restaurant. I'm also doing a soccer referring course this weekend and will begin reffing games the following Saturday.

Graduation was okay... I say this because the ceremony was pretty blah - 1 hour 15 minutes, pretty straight forward. The after party was good to see some people and catch up but not the raging night that I had been looking forward to - apparently some of those who have jobs actually have to get up early the next morning and didn't feel like going hard. (boo!) So I've made up my mind and the next time I'm back in the states I'm having a massive graduation party because I know there are some reliable partiers who would most likely help me throw back a couple in celebration. :)

I have managed to hijack a couple pictures to show you, along with one from my camera. There are more but I'm still waiting for them to be sent to me... so I'll post those when I get them.

In front of the AGSM building - where I spent the majority of the last 1.5 years

The formal pose

The picture guy snapped this at a not so attractive point... but that's me getting my diploma!

New Take on Hunter Gatherer

Ok so this may be a one woman type of hunter gatherer, but that is what mode I'm essentially in. Which also explains the lack of posts - as there hasn't been much to update on. My days are now spend looking for jobs both here and back in Seattle (this is the hunter bit) and seeing how far I can stretch my money and food (my current version of gatherer). I often surprise myself as to how little I can spend and still maintain a fairly healthy diet and less that exciting social life. It does help that I tend to work on Friday and Saturday nights which limits my willingness to go party to the wee hours after running around the restaurant for 4 hours.

But on the happy front - graduation is this Thursday. Yay me! Their graduations are less than spectacular here and from the amount of time, effort and resources they put into it they come off as more of a hastle for the schools. Our ceremony is set to last a wopping 1:15 minutes. No speaches, no words of encouragement, no people interesting coming to present - just calling your name, getting your picture taken, then off you go -> straight to the pub :) I will be sure to have some people take some pictures of my in the cap and gown so everyone can see (especially seeing as how I didn't partake in UW's 4 hour ceremony for undergrad). And I know everyone will be here in spirit! I'll have a drink for each of you as part of the celebration ;)

Pictures from Don and Julie's Visit

Here are a couple highlight pictures from my parent's visit to Sydney.


Sydney Swans Game
Illawarra Tree Walk
Manly Beach
Ferry to Manly

There are many more pictures but I wanted to just give a quick sample. They have headed back to the states and I am back to trying to find a job and visa which will let me stay here. So keep your fingers crossed and hopefully I'll have more visitors and be able to have more posts like this!

The End of an Era

Things are changing for me. Two very special items which have served me well for 8 years are now being retired. They have been with me around the world. Through rain and shine, good times and bad. Now they have been replaced.

Yes my zebra print Reefs are being retired after 8 years of service. I bought those Reefs when I visited my friend Steph in San Diego back in 2001. It was only fitting that I bought their replacements when I was shopping with her here in Sydney. Over those 8 years those thongs have been through Europe, Asia and many areas of the states. Their tread was warn down so in rain I was more likely to fall on my face than run to the safety of shelter.

They have been replaced by the oh so popular Havainas. While the new thongs aren't as swish - which means stylish in Australian - they do serve the purpose of being the standard black thong. It will take me a bit of time to wear them in so that they have the same level of fit, however in time that should happen.

I've kept my Reefs just in case I need a black pair during this breaking in period - however will have to force myself to part with my trusty friends.

D&J Update

Mom and Dad have officially walked more than any other time in their lives... which is saying a lot since they used to walk for exercise. I'd say we've averaged around 5K of walking per day in addition to their workouts along the beach. However we have managed to do quite a few things. On our first day of walking we went down to the Opera House, the Rocks, and walked through the botanical gardens.

We've also done the bridge climb - which anyone who comes to Sydney should do, it was amazing! Mom saw the QVB and all it's shopping potential. Yesterday we went to a Swans game where they beat the Carlton Blues - this is Aussie Rules football which they thought was better than American. :) They've done both the walks from Coogee up to Bondi and down to Maroubra.

Today is a dreary rainy day so I'm trying to think of what we should do... I'll try to post some pictures, however the internet sucks here where they're staying and so I'll have to do it from school.

I hope everything is going well back stateside and will keep you posted on they adventures!

Don and Jules are safe in Sydney!

My parents landed yesterday at 6:15 AM and after a busy day have adjusted reasonably quickly to the time change. We started off by going to Bondi Iceburgs for a small breakfast while watching the surfers and swimmers. After a walk along Bondi's famous beach we attempted to get Dad a mobile phone and doing some shopping - both of them interpretted my saying "it's getting colder" as bring long sleeve shirts... They managed to stay awake till 8 PM so are well on their way to adjusting to the time.

Today we are going to venture down into the city and see more of the sites. I'll try to get some pictures off their camera to post them here so people can see and will keep you posted on their adventures.