Ponderings from the motherland

So I have been back a month or so now, after having submitted my thesis for examination...and feel it is now time to try and remember what I did since the last time I posted...

During my editing phase, I really did get bored. Terribly bored. I was lounging at the poolside, as you do, in Carlton, one Sunday afternoon. I was joking with Valere and Dan about Val needing to get a job but he couldn't find one. I suggested he go into tv ads or something in the meantime. Ha,ah, we all went....

The following week, Dan sent around an email (Dan is in PR and may explain why he received this..) about casting for The Pacific being produced by Spielberg and Hanks. They were looking for males between the ages of 18 - 25 who were fit, etc. Val, another mate Ron and myself found ourselves at the casting for the movie. The same day we were cast as US marines (Ron regrettably had to pull out). I jumped at the chance because I was SO bored of editing my thesis.
So for the next two months (approx) on and off Val and I were US marines in The Pacific. We should appear in four episodes: Okinawa, Iwa Jima, Palau Airbase and another one - the theme of which escapes me. It'll be out in 2009. It was seriously good fun, lazing about, being fed continuously, and so on. There were some trying times: over 40 degree heat on black sand, lying face down (Iwa); being hosed down and then standing in a puddle (Okinawa). I did manage to convince my aunt who's from Japan to try out and she too got a part. She features in Okinawa and has a superb hair-do. I wonder whether this is the beginning of a movie family dynasty? I digress...

So in between this and editing my thesis (it was excellent time out) . It took up most of my time until the end of March. One week was particularly memorable as Mimi had a barbecue one Monday night and I went straight from set (I usually left home around 4am and returned about 7pm) to the barbecue. We had a great time. There were many new faces at the barbecue and we all got on famously. This turned into a week long binge and party and some acting in between. I still wonder how I pulled it off but managed to, no worries. Then we had several nights out and random things happened, most of which I can't remember....Is that why I started a blog, so I wouldn't have to??

Then came the farewell tour. Johannes and I planned a trip to the Red Centre and to WA. We were joined by Amanda on our Red Centre trip to Uluru, King's Canyon and the Olgas, which were all brilliant. We spent the first night at a campsite near Uluru and woke up early to see the sunrise over Uluru. Unfortunately, some guy in our group, tripped over the fireplace in the middle and snapped his forearm (both bones). He came stumbling towards me screaming and as he came into the light of the food tent, I could see that his arm, was indeed, very much broken. I was unable to finish my banana. Luckily we had Amanda (a pediatrician), a nurse and another doctor in our group...we later found out that they just offered support and that the real business would begin in Alice Springs. The guy was taken by the flying doctors up there but there wasn't any room for his wife. They were on their honeymoon. All the sights were amazing and you should see them...

Then I went back to Melbourne to teach on Tuesday and then flew out to WA the day or so afterwards. Aditi, a mate from Purdue, is living in Perth and she arranged her house-warming to conincide with our arrival. It was a great night and the next day we went down to Margaret River to taste some wine and eat some great (although pricey) food. We did this for a few days, and managed to fit in some kayaking as well.

Then came my farewell, which was awesome. I managed to see most of my mates on one or two nights, which were great fun. One night was held in a pub and the other was a smaller intimate dinner at Mimi's. I also managed to get to the track one last time on Saturday with Michael and his friends to see if I could win some money...that didn't happen but I did have some enjoyable drinks and company.

Michael arranged a barbecue for a ceremonial handover (I gave him my beloved weber) but the weather wasn't too good and so he cooked salmon instead, which was excellent. From then on it's all a bit of a blur, another farewell dinner and a drive to the airport, meant my farewell had been and gone...I will miss Melbourne and the friends I made there terribly and only hope that we will once again get together...

On the way home I stopped off in Dubai and caught up with Charlie, Eric, Seif and Stacey, friends who are living and working there. I also met some fantastic people and had a great time eating drinking and winding down, wondering what will happen next.

At home there had been some very sad news and so my return was definitely a solemn occasion. I have been home about a month and managed to surprise my dad for his 70th in Spain along with my sisters and 4/5 of his grandchildren.

I have also helped Leeko move into his new pad in Heath, Cardiff, which has been fun, catching up and all.

I also went to Mia's wedding which was splendid and caught up with her and some school friends. It was a big event so I am sure that facebook will satisfy you in that. Some of us stayed at the premier inn and we had a fire alarm at 7am the next morning. Luckily someone took the cardboard cut out (life size) of Lenny Henry so he didn't go up in smoke...it wouldn't have been fitting for someone know for going down in flames...(bad joke...)

Okay, so I will sign off until next time when I have some more to report.

Piece de resistance

Well, I tried my housemate's new tea she received from friends in France. We finally worked out the translation as verbena tea. We then sat down to chat / shoot the shit (such a terrible phrase). We got on to office chat. These conversations are always amusing especially when you are living in a foreign country as you soon learn levels of appropriateness.

This story cracks me up. So Claire, my house mate, arrived at work and was talking to 'Big Boobs'. 'Big Boobs' informed her that she was happy because she had just had sex. Claire was taken aback by the forwardness of the comment but laughed it off. I bet she regrets doing that now. I bet she wishes she had nipped it in the bud. 'Big Boobs' went on to inform her that as her and her partner only had a short time they had to use lubricant - to Claire's absolute horror. Then 'Big Boobs' went on to explain why she needed to use it. As for levels of appropriateness in an office environment with others you don't know well at all...

If you want you can tell me what your reaction is. Blokes always wonder what girls talk about when they are together. At least now we know the kind of things they talk about in Carlton, Melbourne.

The other funny story is, again, from Claire. [I don't get out much these days...]. She told me how her office mate has a weight watchers calendar and uses it quite often. This office mate said she wouldn't eat a chocolate muffin for breakfast each morning as a start. Then Claire tells me that in her office she was told that if she was hungry and didn't want to eat, she should stand, naked, in front of the mirror and eat. The hunger feeling would quickly pass as a result... Honestly the lengths people are willing to abide by the old wives tale 'eating is cheating', never ceases to amaze me!

Okay, over and out.

Editor's ramblings

So it's a new year - 2008 - and a year of change for me. I am on the final stretch of my PhD and am trying to edit it. It's a very time consuming and deadly boring experience. I have been working on this thesis for three years now. I am not sure how others take longer without getting tired of the same project. I am lucky enough to still enjoy my topic but I may not be saying the same thing a few weeks from now as the editing phase takes its toll. I should be submitting it in the next two months for assessment.

Once I've submitted my thesis I will start actively looking for jobs. Where? Who knows. At the moment, job satisfaction is more important to me than location. The last non-academic job I had was in London working for a charity, which was unrewarding in every way. Hopefully this time I can find something interesting enough to keep me entertained for longer than six months.

You can tell when I am carrying out boring tasks as not only do I ramble on but I also start to wonder why people haven't invented certain things or why something happens.

My thought for the day is: Why hasn't someone invented dissolvable chewing gum? It would be great if the rate at which the flavour of chewing gum disappears, so does the gum. A mate reckons that would be a mentos but they aren't that chewy and don't last that long either.

Maybe another ramble in a few days when I get sidetracked again...

In the beginning

Okay, so I've just signed up to the blogger as I wanted to comment on a friend's blog, who has a distinctly more exciting reason for starting her blog - when she was 25 she found out that she was a Jew and has started blogging on her experiences with Judaism as she finds out more. My reason? Well, it's Sunday and am slightly hungover after another friend's 30th birthday and I am sat in front of my laptop rather than the T.V. as I don't have one in my apartment anymore.

You can find why I am here and hungover by visiting www.thenewjew.blogspot.com

Where this will take me or what shape it will take is something that I may (or may not) figure out along the way...welcome to the ride..