LOVE/hate

There's a new ad showing here, I think from Nike, or maybe Asics, that draws attention to the love/hate relationship that is running.

This morning I LOVED my run. Which is good, because for the last couple of weeks, as I've been getting back into it after rehabbing my shoulder, I've HATED my run.

The weather was perfect, my legs weren't tired, and the shuffle on my iPod was going great guns (thanks to Maggie and Jed's wedding soundtrack and Fred's Sing-Along and Travel BeatBuzz for Katie).

Bye Bye Flannel Sheets!

Hello cotton sheets and a new spring-themed doona!



And hello to spending afternoons by the window, reading in my most favorite IKEA purchase ever.

Flower time

I spent yesterday afternoon at Floraide, Canberra's flower festival that takes place every spring - the theme this year was Australian Films. Basically it's a riot of color and flowers in Commonwealth Park, and the flower displays are set up to represent whatever the theme is. Hard to really tell unless you can get above the displays, which you can't.



I went last year with Maggie and Jed - hard to believe that was a year ago that they were here! I went my first weekend in Canberra too, back in 2006 - it was a yucky, grey, rainy day then - yesterday was gorgeous - even hot. Although, I'd just come back from Darwin, so it wasn't that hot! But it was hot for Canberra.









The Captain Cook Memorial fountain in Lake Burley-Griffin


Sunset in Darwin


Since I was only in Darwin for 2 nights (well, one and a half, given the red-eye flight back on Friday, I didn't do too much. Thursday night I went to the Mindil Beach Markets and had the best 3-chilli paw-paw salad (papaya salad) I've ever had and the most gorgeous mango for dessert. Yummy! On Friday night I went to their outdoor cinema (The Deckchair Cinema) and watched Death-Proof - a Quentin Tarantino grindhouse film. First grindhouse movie I've seen - I liked it.

Red eyes

It's 1:30 in the morning and I'm in the Qanta Club in Darwin, waiting to fly back to Canberra. This is the definition of bleary eyed. Far out man.

I arrived here about 30 minutes ago, only to be told that I was on an 8am flight, not the 1:40 am flight I'd been told by my travel person. Excuse me, what? Not the best time to be toying with me Qantas man. But it turns out someone had changed my flight (to a more reasonable hour, mind you) without telling me.

I've been able to change to another ridiculously early flight and will get back to Canberra at 11 am rather than 9:30 am, but that's infinitely better than 4pm, which the changed flight would do for me. I've got a grand final bbq to get to this afternoon. (Go the Cats!)

Ah, the sadness of my over-privileged, spoiled, jet-setting lifestyle.

Not that I need another reason to vote Obama

I just read my first ever senate bill.

On 29 July this year, Obama introduced Senate Bill 3358 - "A bill to provide for enhanced food-borne illness surveillance and food safety capacity" AKA the "Improving Food-borne Illness Surveillance and Response Act of 2008"

You can get the full text here, if you're as dorky as me.

I like reading about things I try to get happening every day in my job.

Some Katie Context

Here are some random pictures:

A couple shots of my room in my share house.


This shows off a recent IKEA purchase - the strips of postcards hanging on the wall - my mom sends me a postcard a week so I rotate them in and out of the hanging frames. ANd there's a picture of Spencer in his Uluru shirt!


In this one you can see another IKEA purcahse - a very comfy chair to sit by the window and read. Very civilised. You can also see that it's still winter in this shot - 2 doonas (a down and a wool one) and the stand alone oil heater in the middle of the room. Those and my uggs helped me survive this winter. Of course, now that spring is here I can't remember ever being cold. So fickle!



A shot of me in my office, with my new haircut. (It's looking better each day - it was a bit flippy on this day.)


At the Sydney Running Festival yesterday - ran 9K across the Harbour Bridge to the Opera House. Tough run since I've only just got back into running after my shoulder, but a gorgeous day in beautiful Sydney. The second one is with my friend Wendy who did a personal best in the marathon, in very warm conditions!

Feeling Settled

I wonder if 2 years was the magic moment.

I've been feeling settled the last couple of weeks. It also helps that winter seems to be over and there is more sunshine in our days - always guaranteed to make me feel perky. And I got a new haircut that I'm loving, which also helps (pictures soon).

But I do feel like there has been a shift in me - my job seems to fit me now and I have more days where I feel on top of things. I'm grateful for the great friends I've made over the last 2 years that make Canberra feel like home.

I was lucky enough to catch up with some Atlanta friends in the UK a few weeks back and it was so wonderful to see them. It was like no time had passed. And despite my feeling homesick for my Atlanta people - I know they'll always be there for me (even if they aren't necessarily in Atlanta) and that real friendships stand the test of distance.

I'm happy and feeling a little sentimental.

Two Years!

Well, 2 years ago tonight, I landed in Canberra, was met at the airport by Martyn, handed a box of food, dropped off at the serviced apartments in Kingston, and started this adventure in Oz.

Hard to believe it's been 2 years.

Not quite sure how to feel.