Good News, Bad News, Good News

Good News: My shipment finally arrived today! I rang up the removalists in Sydney on Tuesday, and they told me that my stuff had been freighted by rail down to Melbourne and should have arrived on December 30th. Keep in mind I had no idea it had cleared customs since they never called. So I rang their Melbourne office and sure enough, it was there, and I scheduled delivery for today. If I hadn't called them, I wonder how much longer my stuff would be sitting in their warehouse... In any case, I've opened about a third of it, and no broken glass so far. Big thanks to Lynne for her help with packing and cushioning all the picture frames. I haven't done the kitchen stuff yet, so we'll see if all the glasses and dishes made it intact (one box looks a bit dodgy). Only bummer is that my box of files with all of my school worksheets, etc. has gone missing. They better find it. Update: Only one broken glass in the entire shipment!

Bad News: Yesterday my iBook decided it was time to die. I did have slight warning on Tuesday when all these lines started to appear on the screen, but I was able to shut down and reboot, and everything was fine- so I thought. On Wednesday morning when I went to open up my laptop I was faced with a black screen. I thought it was just the screen that had died, but it turns out that the logic board was fried and there was a real possibility I would not see anything on my hard drive ever again. However...

Good News: My wonderful and talented friend Ben was able to rescue all my stuff off the hard drive! It took some time, but the iBook had a glimmer of life and he was able to get everything- Thank God. This is a reminder that you should always back up your data. At least I had my address book on my iPod in case things didn't turn out ok. So how am I typing this message, you ask? Well, I am the proud owner of a brand new 15" PowerBook G4 that I got for about half of what it would have cost me, thanks again to Ben, who got me a ridiculous deal. I am forever indebted!

New Year's Greetings

While I sweated my way into the new year (it was 43 degrees C/109 degrees F on New Year's Eve), my family and friends in the Bay Area had to deal with torrential downpours and flooding. I hope you made it into 2006 in one piece! A new year allows you to step back, take stock, and start fresh. Resolutions or goals help you to focus on what you want to accomplish, and writing them down is one way to make sure they happen and keep yourself honest. So here are my goals for 2006:

1. Find a Job
The job hunt so far has been unsuccessful. Each school does its own hiring, so when I see postings I apply for the position. There have only been a couple of postings for government school jobs, and I'm hoping that will be changing soon as people return from holidays and start getting ready for the new school year at the end of this month. I have applied to quite a few Catholic schools, but since I am not accredited to teach religious education, I think that has hurt my chances of getting hired. I would really like to have a permanent classroom position for the start of the school year, but if all else fails, I will substitute teach through an agency. This would allow me to get to know some local schools and more than likely result in a permanent job. At least they pay substitutes twice the amount I would get in the States.

2. Finish Decorating my Apartment
There are still some small little things I would like to get. I also need to rescue my belongings, which have been stuck in customs and quarantine in Sydney since the ship docked on November 18th. All my posters, photos, and picture frames are in there, along with my dishes and pots and pans. I know there were big computer issues at the docks a few months ago, but I would have thought they had straightened it all out by now. Time for another call to the removalists who are handling my stuff.

3. Have a Consistent Exercise Schedule
I have been a member of the YMCA Brunswick City Baths since I moved in to my place. They have a great schedule of exercise classes to choose from and are just a short walk down the road. I usually go 3 - 4 times a week, but I would like to get more consistent and make it there 5 - 6 times a week. I already do Body Pump (weights) and RPM (cycling), but I want to add in kickboxing and yoga on a regular basis.

4. Better Communication with Friends
Moving half way around the world can make it difficult to stay in touch with people. You get busy with the day to day events and pretty soon it becomes weeks since you last spoke with someone. I really want to make the effort to stay in contact with my friends and family. This blog lets you know what I am up to, but without e-mail or phone calls, the conversations get lost. I want to do a better job of corresponding, so I promise to respond back in a timely fashion. And don't be afraid to write to me- I love hearing what people are up to. As for my Aussie friends, I should be seeing and talking to you more frequently than I currently do. We are finally living in the same city together (well, most of you are at least), so let's do something fun.

I hope you and your family have a fantastic 2006! Maybe I've inspired you to write your own list of goals for the new year.

Living Room

The good people at Freedom have finally delivered all of my living room furniture. I have a couch, tv stand, coffee table, side table, and desk chair now! At last I can lounge and watch the telly. Happy day indeed. I'll put up some pictures soon so you can see what it looks like.

Happy Birthday Ruth

Last night Ruth's birthday celebrations continued with a big night in downtown Melbourne. We started off at the cocktail bar Murmur on Warburton Lane. They had lots of designer drinks which were quite tasty, and a cool vibe. After staying there for an hour we headed over for dancing at the Chaise Lounge on Queen Street. Saturdays are 70s, 80s, and 90s nights, and considering he had three decades to choose from, I wasn't that impressed with the DJ's music selection. The place was packed though, with a line out the door when we left around 1:00 am.

Today is a mellow day of relaxing and building furniture for me. My IKEA items arrived yesterday, so I will be assembling bookcases, a desk, and file cabinet. Yesterday I got my chairs and dining room table put together (I finally have seating!). Tonight the ARIA awards are on tv. These are Australia's Grammys. Should be a good show.

All Moved In

I am officially at my new residence now. Last night Michelle and I brought over all my luggage, and today I unpacked while waiting for deliveries. I got my bed, fridge, washer/dryer combo, microwave, tv, and recordable dvd/vcr. I was quite proud of myself for the prices I was able to get for these items. Now if only I had some furniture to sit on.... that stuff doesn't come for another couple weeks. I didn't make it to IKEA today to order the rest of my furniture to get delivered, so I will be doing that tomorrow. However, the cupboards are now stocked with food. At least I can eat!

A Place To Call Home

This is the outside of my new home! Since the search for a decent house was taking too long and not very successful, I decided to check out some of the new apartments that have been built in Brunswick. I got word today that I have been approved for an apartment. It is in the Brickworks development, which was an old brick factory. There are apartment buildings as well as townhouses. It should be a good place to live, and it's located near both the trains and trams. I get to pick up the keys on Monday.

Since the house hunt is over, it's all about furniture and appliances now. I went with my friend Will to IKEA today and picked up some kitchen stuff to tide me over until the boat arrives with the rest of my belongings. I've also priced out some furniture, which I will be ordering for delivery.

Besides the trip to IKEA, I had brunch with Will, his girlfriend Helen, and their dog Bella. It was great to catch up with them, and I got to see their house in Abbotsford. If you are in Australia, you can check out Helen on Tuesday nights at 10:00 p.m. on the ABC tv show Vulture. She is a panelist on the show, which discusses art and culture.

Moving

Thomas Wolfe said that you can't go home again... but I have! The past weeks have been spent packing up my belongings, deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, and putting things into boxes. Yesterday the movers came to put my stuff into a container that will be taking the "slow boat" to Australia. The good news is that everything fit (and there was extra room)! Unfortunately, I was not able to bring any furniture, but everything else will be coming with me to Melbourne. This gives me a good excuse to have fun buying furniture and decorating my new place- when I find it.

Now I am back in my old room at my parents' house. It's not that bad being home again. My dad and I did some cleaning at the apartment today, and took care of financial stuff. Trying to tie up all those loose ends before I leave. I only have one week left in the USA. It's all a bit scary.