What a choice

So, I got a place. It really wasn't that stressful at all. It was the third place I looked at. It's a house in a neighboring suburb with 2 other public servant types. I'm looking forward to a change. I know I'll miss my own bathroom, new kitchen, and a housemate who's hardly here, but I think I'm ready for something different. And it's 2 guys. I haven't lived with guys since early days in Atlanta. Ought to be interesting!

I was watching the local news the other night and they were doing a viewer poll for peoples opinions on late night shopping. Now, those of you in the US of A, where things are open ALL the time, may be shaking your heads in puzzlement. Late-night shopping? Is this a new consept? Is this something worth having an opinion on?

Well, let me assure you, it is.

In Oz, almost everything closes at 5p. On the dot. Making it REALLY hard to do errands after work, unless you're a shift worker. There are a few 24 hour grocery stores around and if somethings going to be open late, it's a groery store. But everything else closes at 5. Hence, late-night shopping. Stores stay open to 9, malls are open late... it feels like, well, home.

In Canberra, late-night shoping is Friday night. Everywhere else in Oz, it's Thursday night. So, there are movements afoot to switch Canberra late-night to Thursday too.

Enthralling, isn't it? I wonder how they'll ever make the decision?

I'm sure there are good reasons for and against Thursday versus Friday late-night shopping, but it just makes me laugh.

Home Sweet Home

Right now I'm wishing I could be unpacking my storage unit in Atlanta back into my own house, with my central air and heating, my yellow kitchen, my own gardens, my library.

Basically I'm just feeling sorry for myself that I'm moving again, because it's FRUSTRATING as heck to find a place to live in Canberra. The combination of high rents and low vacancy mean that it's just insane. And I don't want to deal with it right now.

I'd rather be in the house I own already.

Any chance I could get that moved over here?

Solution: go home (ha, what does that even mean?!), eat tacos and chocolate chip cookies and deal with it tomorrow, to quote another unflappable woman from Georgia.



"I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow."

Did you know that her real first name is Katy? That's right, Katy Scarlett O'Hara.

In action

From the duathlon this weekend. 5 of 7 in my age group, 126 of 154 total.

An idle brain...

So, I've been on holiday this week and I've spent the first 3 days in Canberra. I've done all the normal traiing that I normally do, but other than that I'm just hanging out. I spent Monday at home reading, watching movies, doing laundry - typical weekend day, but on a Monday. It feels even better knowing that, doesn't it? On Tuesday I went to the National Museum of Australia. One of my friends works there, and we had coffee while she told me about a telescope from the 1700s that sailed with Captain Cook on the Endeavour that she's working on for an exhibition n October. The telescpoe is in pieces in a box and is her job to figure out how to put it all back together, refurbish it appropriately, and display it. How cool is that? Today, I hung out around the house again. I had lunch with a friend who's looking for a new place to live - as am I... I have to move by the 5th of Feb, so I'll start that process when Im back from the rest of my holiday. [If you're thinking of mailing me anything in the next week or so - hold off and email me for my new address. I know you all have something waiting to be posted to me! :)]

Tonight I'm driving up to Thredbo with another friend for the end of a Bilby's training camp. I'm pretty stoked to spend 4 nights in the mountains just working out and eating. (Sounds perfect, huh?)

HOWEVER, in between all my lounging around and training, I've been secretly (or not so secretly) playing texting games and mind games with the boy from point one in my last post. And, each time I say I'm not going to text him back, he texts again. Seriously - the male species has some innate knowledge of when we've finally decided to let them go, and they weasel right back again. It is so frustrating. The most frustrating bit to me in the last week with this guy has been the establishment of hope and the oh so quick extinguishing of hope in the next instant. Thinking back, I can see that he's actually done nothing to establish the illusion of hope, just the bare minimum for me to interpret and justify and explain and make i into what we want. But I am a girl, it's impossible for us not to think that way. I just hate having to learn this AGAIN.

So, I was browsing the web this afternoon while not wanting to apear as though I'm waiting for the next text, and decided to do some online reading of 'He's Just Not That Into You", which is what another friend told me was his problem over dinner last night. And you know what, it's so true. She's so right, the book is so right, and it's so true. It makes me laugh.

This was my favorite bit - after all the stories and explanations, there is an exercise:

"Grab a pen and list five reasons why you think you have every right or good reason to call him.

Put the book aside and wait an hour. Or at least ten minutes. Then ask yourself: Do I seem pathetic? Do I sound like someone who doesn't trust my own innate hotness? Yes,you do! Now put your dialing finger away, get out of the house, and go find some fun.

P.S.: You just did a workbook exercise about a guy who hasn't even extended to you the energy of a phone call. Why would you want to chase that down?"

That's the part tha made me laugh out loud. Because over the last 5 days I've just sent texts or made phone calls with only the minimum appearance of thinking it through. Partly because I knew that if I thought it through, or waited a day, I wouldn't go through with it and then I'd 'lose my chance' to get him.

WHATEVER.

It's true - if he had wanted to see me, he'd have figured out a way to do it. He's not calling because he's not into me.

And to be honest, that's the bit that sucks. (Obviously!). Since I met him through training and my 'new' life, and I was totally me with him, and there was no alcohol involved (!), I sort of thought that would make a difference. And I know it will, apparently he's not the guy though. (Too bad, cause he was really hot!) [Not that he was an object to me.... now, maybe that was the problem!?!]

Ah well. As my friend last night said - "Onwards & Upwards!"

I think I've been here too long...

When I got home from swimming tonight, I made myself a vegemite sandwich. Because I actually was CRAVING it.

Weird, huh?

Here's the secret - just about equal parts butter and vegemite. :)



I'm blown away that that's what I was craving when I got home tonight. It's the first one I've had while down here, and I reckon it's the first of many. I actually had a small jar in my cupboard; when I arrived here my boss and his family had made a welcome package with food for my first week, including a small jar of Vegemite. I was sure I was never going to open it!!

Duathlon and soccer

Yesterday was the second triathlon of the summer series. But, since the lake was closed due to pollution with blue-green algae (ick!) the triathlon became a duathlon, which means the first swim leg is replaced with a run. I decided to do the long course, for more of a challenge. It was a 2.5K run, a 20K ride, then a 5K run.

I gotta be honest, I LOVED it.

It took me an hour, 23 minutes, which I was stoked with - I'd predicted 1:30 or 1:45. I felt like I was just hitting my stride at 1:20 - that I could keep going. I'm glad I didn't have to, but I felt like I could have! The bike leg is my least favorite, but it wasnt too bad. I'm borrowing a bike from some friends, and I've been trying to ride more, so that I don't hate it as much as I did. Im just stoked that my 5K time was around 25 minutes, and that's after the first run and ride - interval work really does make a difference in speed, even in longer distances. The transition from bike to run is hard, and it took almost 1K until my legs felt normal again on the run - gotta practice that transition a bit more!

And, technically, this distance is still considered a sprint, because the regular, or Olympic distance, for a tri is 1.5K swim, 40K ride, 10K run. Maybe by the end of the summer I'll do that. :)

After the race I chilled out, went to a birthday bbq, and then layed indoor soccer. I haven't played soccer in ages because of my training for tri, but yesterday I was around and so played. Needless to say I was a bit exhausted afterwards, but it was good to get on the field again - I do miss the soccer!

Here's my indoor team (the Spit Rods) [pics of the duathlon to come]:

Postcards from home

My mom sends me a postcard every Monday. She and a friend go into the city every Monday for a walk, and she usually writes the pscard on the bus over to the city from Alameda.

I feel like flying

Man, if ever there was a day I wished to be a bird, this is it. I want to fly around the stratosphere exclaiming to everyone!

So, why so happy today? It's a good set of things I tell you. As I'm listening to my favorite album of the moment (Enjoy the Ride, byt Sugarland) and each song is bringing good tears to my eyes, you may have some glimpse into my mood... sentimental and happy.

In no particular order:
(well, okay, the first listed has a lot to do with my mood right now, but they are all feeding my buzz at the moment)
*I had dinner with a guy from training on Monday night and it was so easy and comfortable and fun and exciting. Yay!

*Training is going really well and I have so much energy. Each session is really hard and I'm exhausted after each one, but that's part of the buzz.

*The people I have in my life in Canberra right now really rock my world. My friends through Bilbys are some of the most dynamic and amazing people I've met here. And they like me for me - as dorky, enthusiastic, cheesy, and silly as I am - they get me. And there's nothing like feeling like people get you.

*Even though I'm physically farther from my immediate family than I've ever been, I'm closer to each of them now than I ever have been before

*Work is going pretty well right now and I'm riding a wave of motivation and productivity, which is good.

*So many of my friends (here and in the US) have such good things happening for them right now - babies being born and babies growing up, weddings, new houses, fulfillment of dreams and long fought after goals - that it just makes me smile

*I'm taking next week off work to go to Thredbo for a week for Bilbys training camp. Thredbo is a ski resort about 2 hours south of Canberra and it's supposed to be beautiful in the summertime. And it's a week of training and relaxing. Sounds perfect to me.

*In February I'm doing the Overland Track in Tasmania with a friend and her husband. This is a 65ish km walk done over 5 days from Cradle Mountain to Lake St. Clair in Tassie. I've heard it's beautiful and I've never done anything like it before so I'm really looking forward to that.

I do have to say, though, there is not a day that goes by when I don't think about my impending DECISION. Do I stay or do I go?

I know, can you even believe that I'm considering staying here? I don't feel like I can make a decision right now, partly because a lot depends on the job situation back in Atlanta, which I haven't broached yet. I can extend my job here which is a comfort, but I just don't know.

All I know is that with each day that goes by lately I feel more and more like the ME I'm supposed to be (and that I want to be) and that's just addictive.

"It's my life so it's mine to make. I ain't settlin'.
I've had enough so-so for the rest of my life.
Tired of shooting too low, so raise the bar high.
I ain't settlin' for anything less than everything."
(from the song Settlin', by Sugarland)

me, waste time?

My new favorite distraction...

http://www.marklivesinikea.com/

This guy is living in an IKEA in NJ this week. How random. How enthralling.