Roommates

I cannot remember if I have ever talked about our roommates, Lizzy and Henry. I'm sure I have mentioned them once or twice before but never spoke much about them.  Lizzy is from Indonesia and works across the street at the Indonesian consulate. Henry is from China and is also in school at UNSW.  Both of them are very nice, and probably the best roommates one could ask for.  Everyone pretty much keeps to themselves and I really don't see them too often. In fact it is so rare that I see Lizzy that I am convinced she doesn't even really live here.

My one complaint about roommates is that they always seem to be the bathroom when you need to go.  At least our toilet and shower are separate so if someone is in the shower another can go to the bathroom. But for whatever reason it seems like any time I really have to go, Henry is in there leaving me dancing outside the door and trying not to think about it. In fact, the inspiration for this post came from this exact dilemma I already faced once this morning.  The shower doesn't seem to be a problem because we are all getting up and getting ready at different times. It has happened only a few times where wanted to take a shower and it was occupied, but it is rare. 

The difference in food and cooking is another interesting aspect of our roommates. Neither Henry or Lizzy eat pork so Adam and I have to be careful about how we prepare a dish using that ingredient and to remember not to serve it to them (not that we all sit and eat together anyway, but in the casual offering of food sort of way). It is amazing how vastly different our dishes are to there's.  Adam and I have similar tastes and makes stuff that we would make in the States i.e. steaks, chicken, with veggies, etc. Henry makes mostly noodles or some type of rice dish. Although, Henry has some dish that requires him to toast pepper seeds or something in the skillet before he adds everything else. I personally hate it when he makes this dish because I'm cannot breath the air in the apartment without going into a fit of coughing. I'm pretty sure I'm breathing in toxic air when he makes that crazy dish. Lizzy makes stuff that smells really good, but I have no idea what it is. It usually entails a lot of egg.

In keeping with the topic of food, Henry has recently found it really funny to have me try some of the things he thinks are delicious and uses in his cooking. The other week he had me try tofu that had been marinated in blue cheese. Now, I like tofu and I like blue cheese however I did not like this stuff. My first warning should have been the smell. This stuff smelled absolutely terrible. I tasted it and immediately seized up in disgust. Henry just stood there laughing because he knew I wouldn't like it. So mean! There was something else he had be try the another day, but I cannot remember what it is. All I know is that from now on if Henry asks me to try something I know to say NO!   

All in all, Lizzy and Henry are great roommates and I enjoy living with them; except when I have to use the bathroom and it's occupied and when Henry is making his toxic air dish.

Last semester courses!

Again, for those of you who care to know here is a list with their descriptions of the classes I am taking in my final semester.  This semester is a little different from the previous two because I only have two physical classes that I have to go to each week.  The other two are comprised of my internship and research paper.  These I complete on my own time.  I am two weeks into the semester and so far everything seems great. I am really happy with the two classes that I am taking. They seem really interesting and are taught by people who actually seem to know how to teach (unlike some classes last semester). That reminds me that I should have posted about how things turned out last semester, but I was too stressed with school and flying home to write about it at the time. Oh well. It is in the past! I am looking forward to completing my final semester. I cannot believe I am almost done! Crazy!!

Marketing and Promotion
This course focuses on issues in marketing for those working in arts and related fields. Topics covered include methods of audience research and ways of undertaking group surveys and their implementation. How to define the unique qualities of a target institution and create a public image around this separateness are issues explored, together with detailed studies of promotional and fundraising strategies.

Education and Public Programs
This course covers issues surrounding public programs and education in the context of art galleries, museums and related institutions. It addresses questions to do with the identification and definition of audiences, examines the needs of non-specialist communities as well as educational institutions, and takes account of the practicalities of budgeting and planning. The development of programs using volunteer guides (and their training), floor talks, lectures, seminars and conferences is presented as a subject for practical purposes as well as critical consideration. Also included is a consideration of exhibitions for purely educational purposes.

Research Paper
This project allows for the focusing of investigative, analytical and theoretical skills. Topics must relate to the broad area of the internship and are chosen in consultation with a supervisor who will guide and direct the project. The 10,000 word study may include the use of film, video and audio tape or photographic documentation where relevant. While it may draw directly on experiences gained during the internship, the research paper must be treated as an independent project.

Internship*
Students undertake a project-based industry placement internship consisting of a minimum of 240 hours. This may involve more than one host institution. Internships enable students to gain practical, supervised experience of gallery management, curatorial practice, public programs, art writing and other work areas related to the course. The internship is ungraded but successful completion requires the submission of reports both by the host institution and the student. Students are also required to participate in an on-line discussion during their internship and their final report is posted on the WebCt site.

*I am doing my internship at the Sydney Dance Company. More to come about that!

Whales!

It is whale season here in Australia and I had my first whale spotting today! Very exciting. I went to visit my friend Mel and as we were sitting outside* chatting all of a sudden out in the distance we saw a big thing jump out of the water and fall back in. WHALE! It was massive and made a huge splash.  We think it may have been a mom and baby-I'm not really sure why we thought that.  Mel said it was and since I do not know anything about whales I went with it. Nevertheless it did it again and you could see the arm and tail sticking out at times.  Even though we were really far away you could also see the water being sprayed from its blowhole.  Pretty amazing and cool.  After that I stopped listening to Mel (sorry Mel!) and started intently watching for whales.  Soon after those initial two jumps they swam away from us and we didn't see them again. Sad.  It was almost like they were trying to get our attention, which they did, to say hello and then swim on.  Mel and I are planning an official whale watching day so hopefully I will get to see them up close, but today was a nice surprise. I wish I had a picture to post, but I didn't have a camera and we were too far away to get a good picture anyway.

*We were over at Mel's boyfriend's parents house and their porch overlooks the ocean. Nice huh?

America!

Seeing as I have now been back in Australia for almost two weeks, I thought it was about time that I write a quick post about my trip home.  Adsy and I had a great time.  In fact, Adsy keeps saying to everyone that it was the best trip of his life so far, even better than the one where he met me! Oh well, I'm glad he had fun.  I had a great time seeing family and friends and like usual I felt like there wasn't enough time.  It is frustrating how quickly trips go by. One minute you are on the plane heading there and then next you are a plane heading back home.  Good thing it should not be too much longer until I arrive back in the good ole US of A!!

I will take a minute to apologize to those of you who I either didn't get a chance to see or didn't get a chance to see you very much.  Obviously, I wish I could have seen everyone for long periods of time, but alas that is not how life works.  Until next time I am home!

Now back to the trip.  Adsy and I had a great time-duh. I was so happy to see so much of my family.  I think my favorite part was being at my parents house-especially when Thanna, TR, and Sam were all there.  TR has grown up so much since the last time I saw him in December.  His many new tricks, like walking, kept us entertained for hours.  I cannot wait to see what else he starts doing-like forming real words and talking!

I had a great time in Austin as usual. Although, I had one less friend there due to the fact that she is too cool for school and moved to Aspen.  Nevertheless it was great eating BBQ and tons of Mexican food.

Another highlight was going to Orlando, Florida and hanging out at Harry Potter World in Universal Studios. I am such a dork that I almost started crying when we walked into the gates for HP.  It's was all so magical-minus the thousands of other tourists. After spending a long day at Universal I realized that I don't ever want to bring kids to a place like that. I was exhausted being there with 5 other adults. Imagine having three kids with you. No wonder the park sells beer everywhere...After Universal we spent a couple of days at the beach recovering. I found out that the stretch of beach we were on, New Smyrna Beach, is one of the top beaches in the US for shark attacks. That was a fun fact to learn. 

Hogwarts at Harry Potter world Universal Studios Florida=Pure awesomeness

From there, Adsy and I split off and went in different directions. He to Washington D.C. to hang out with his cousin, I went back home to Conroe.  It was good that we split up because we both got to put in some good family time.  Overall the trip was a great success! I wish I could have had more time at home, but it wasn't possible because I had to get back to school. 

The good news is is that I may be back in a few months! Don't ask me when though because I have no idea.  All I know for sure is that my visa expires March of 2012 and unless I figure someway to stay, I have to leave.  I don't want to get deported!

One year ago today....

Wow time flys.  It seems like only yesterday my parents and I were racing to San Antonio for the birth of Thad Rossmann.  Now he is turning the big ONE year!  It has been so much fun having a new member in our family.  Watching him grow and learn new tricks everyday is incredible.  It has also been amazing seeing Anna transition from sister/daughter/wife to sister/daughter/wife/MOM!  I love talking with her on skype during 'play time' and just watching the two of them interact.

I hate that I have not been able to be around TR as much as I'd like, but at least I do get to skype with him a lot!  I am looking forward to seeing him in about two weeks! Hurray!



Gosh he was so little. Amazing how much he has changed!



'The future is so bright, I gotta wear shades...'

Or not. What a happy boy!

Bath tub=fun time!

Best friends!! This is the image I put up on my webcam anytime TR gets a bit fussy.  He LOVES this pig.  BFFs!

Thad and Anna you are so lucky to be great parents to a sweet little boy. Congratulations on keeping him alive for a whole year! Looking forward to many more birthdays that I'll get to actually participate in!  I love you all very much! Lots of love coming to you from Australia!!

TR-Sorry I'm going to miss your first birthday party! I'm sure it is going to be a blast! Hopefully this will be the only one I miss.

P.S. I am bringing home that kangaroo that TR has been asking for. Hope it doesn't get put in quarantine...

Adsy's surgery


First of all sorry for the bad quality pictures. We took them on Adsy's iPhone and then I stole them off of Facebook. 

Totally unimpressed with these wounds. It doesn't even look like he had surgery!

About to take his first shower in three days!

Adsy had his surgery on Thursday and everything went well.  We got up to the hospital at about 7:15am and then he went in around 10:30am.  He was a good sport and was not too nervous. The only thing that bothered him was that he was so hungry from having to fast since the night before. 

After the surgery I went back up and stayed until it was time to go, but then I went back up early on Friday morning.  He was released around 11am and as we were trying to get him into the car we got in a fight with a taxi driver which was amazing.  Long story short: The taxi driver got mad because he said we stole his spot, Adam called him a not nice name, the taxi driver got out of the car as if to come and fight Adam (who mind you is drugged out of his mind and on crutches, Adams uncle Paul yells to the guy to get back in the car.  Overall it was astonishing and unbelievable that this guy got so mad and got out of a car to fight a guy on crutches who literally was leaving the HOSPITAL!  I must say I just wrote an amazing and scathing email about it to the company.

Anyway, it is now Saturday and Adsy is doing really well. He has gotten the hang of using the crutches which he'll be on for at least the next two weeks.  He is still in a lot of pain, but only if he moves his knee or I bump it-which I have done accidentally a couple of times.  I look forward to him getting better and being able to do more things on his own!

Thanks to everyone for all of the love and support you have shown.  Adsy is now officially on the road to recovery for his knee and he is happy about it!

It's that time of year again!

It is officially time to travel back to the year 1901 and pull out the hot water bottles as the main way to warm my self while I sleep! For those of you that do not remember or did not read it, I have already posted on this topic once before (I also used the same picture!)

It has gotten so cold in the last couple of days. It is fine during the day when the sun is shining, but at night and in the morning it is super cold.  Thank goodness for the hot water bottles to keep my feet nice and toasty at night. Technically you are not supposed to put boiling water in them, but we do because they do not get as warm if you don't. Let's hope that I don't wake up with 3rd degree burns on my feet from a melted bottle.

If only we had central heating to warm us up...One day, one day.  Until that day comes, I'll be warming up with my cool water bottles.