Life's ponderings and my quest to own a panda

Coming back

2009-02-15T17:06:00.000+10:00

I just realized how much I miss blogging. Alas, after March 25th I am going to chronicle some new activities. Stay tuned!

Strong Enough

2008-10-09T18:28:00.001+10:00

I can't help but sing this song over and over and over again. But it makes me sad:(

"Strong Enough"

God, I feel like hell tonight
Tears of rage I cannot fight
I’d be the last to help you understand
Are you strong enough to be my man?

Nothing’s true and nothing’s right
So let me be alone tonight
Cause you can’t change the way I am
Are you strong enough to be my man?

Lie to me
I promise I’ll believe
Lie to me
But please don’t leave

I have a face I cannot show
I make the rules up as I go
It’s try and love me if you can
Are you strong enough to be my man?

When I’ve shown you that I just don’t care
When I’m throwing punches in the air
When I’m broken down and I can’t stand
Will you be strong enough to be my man?

Lie to me
I promise I’ll believe
Lie to me
But please don’t leave

Pandas?

2008-09-08T20:10:00.002+10:00

So it appears, sadly, that Mei was not pregnant after all. So sad because I was really hoping to see a panda when I return in Dec.

Two more weeks left of my internship and then back to BNE! Yeah! Before I return I have a trip to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn and then a stop in Birmingham, UK (long story but I suspect most of you know why). I will post pics of my trip soon enough but to be honest, I have not spent a lot of time outside of the WHO. I know...very sad.

Happenings in Europe

2008-08-21T18:23:00.002+10:00

Once again, I am a slack blogger. BUT I have a very good excuse, I have been interning. Yes, I temp left my student days in Australia for the 8am-7pm business suit high stress days. God, I am so not ready for this. I have learned a lot so far in 2 weeks of my time at the UN. If you want to know how I feel, drop me an e-mail:)

On a sad note I have a lateral meniscus tear. I did it in yoga which really pisses me off. Of course I wouldn't hurt it running or in soccer:/ I am very sad.

Anyway, MRI pictures to come!!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Tai Shan

2008-07-11T08:53:00.001+10:00

Pleasure and Danger: Explorations of Female Sexuality

2008-07-08T17:22:00.003+10:00

That is the title of my new book. I originally bought it to help me with my dissertation but now I am totally into it. Now, I must state that I AM NOT A FEMINIST. I'm not; but I write like one. There is a chapter in my thesis devoted solely to the sexual body and external constructions of female sexuality in Cambodia. Sexuality oppression makes me want to be a feminist but thanks to my mother and grandmother, I don't feel that way back home.

Queer theory is another thing I like...along with Foucault and Mary Douglas. The whole thing about a sexual body being a polluted body makes me uneasy but is reality in many parts of the world. Actually, it is reality at home too. If a man fucks himself dead, he is a "DAWG" if I do it than I am a "SLUT". Still true today in 2008 and probably will remain that way for some time. On that same line, why do men see women as reservoirs of pollution when they are the polluters? Example: The only reason that a sex worker is dirty is because of a man's fluid...yet he is the one that put it there in the first place. Why is he not considered polluted? These are issues I am wrangling with...lucky me.

Leav'en on a jet plane

2008-07-04T08:21:00.002+10:00

It's official, I am outta here...well at least for a few months. I am going to be a UN intern at the WHO headquarters in Geneva. I am super excited!!! Not only do I get to spend time in Swisse but I get to visit London (for some shopping and dancing), Tuscancy (for my conference) and Norway. Plus, it doesn't stop there, I get to see my fam. That is an extra bonus b/c I have not seen them for a long time.

I have 2 weeks until I leave. I have my ticket, my housesitter/roomie to watch my pups, my suitcase partially packed, and a new bikini. I don't need much more than that. Well maybe some business clothes:)

Happy Birthday Meemers

2008-06-13T09:03:00.002+10:00

Happy birthday big Cappers! Mommy looooooooves you. This is how my girl spent her birthday morning. She invited herself onto my bed...bad girl.

Next on my list

2008-06-12T07:59:00.002+10:00

My next car will be a hybrid. I have made up my mind! It is funny to sit in Oz and read about gas prices in the US. People in the US I have one message for you "SHUT UP". People in the US have some of the lowest gas prices in the world. In the UK they pay nearly $12 a gallon and here in Oz we pay $7.80. Believe me, it HURTS filling up the gas guzzler. To make it worse, I am driving a 1994 station wagon that gets...ooooh, 4 miles to the gallon. I never drive anymore...ever! I just can't afford it on my stipend. However, that said...I have religiously started riding my bike. I am too high maintenance for the bus and the distance are a bit long in BNE to walk everywhere. So I bike it now. In the past 3 months, not accounting for weight loss due to stress or the end of my marriage, I have dropped 10.2lbs without even trying. There is plenty of energy in THIS tank to get me around BNE. So when I do get the funds for my hybrid I will buy it but until then I will use my ass to power me around town.

That's right bitches!

2008-06-04T07:25:00.000+10:00

Washington Earns a Spot Among the Nation's Fittest Four

Vogue

2008-05-20T21:37:00.000+10:00

Dear Vogue,
I am booked.
Regards,
Katia

4:25:11

2008-05-20T10:16:00.003+10:00

The title my friends, is my marathon time! My best time EVER despite rain, wind, hills and a broken heart. I was kick'n ass and taking names. Despite the loooong journey (the race was about 1.8 miles LONGER than a typical marathon) I still finished strong and with a HUGE smile on my face. Pictures to come!

What is going on?

2008-05-14T07:38:00.002+10:00

Is this the beginning of Armageddon? No seriously. Myanmar is washing away, China is buried, hundreds of people have lost their homes (and their lives) in a freak tornado that ripped across Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virgina, and this food crisis is reaching an unprecedented level. Then I have my own drama with the end of my marriage...but that seems really insignificant to what is going on in the world. Actually, it helps me put everything into perspective. I would rather lose a husband than lose a life. Seriously, I am going to go read some Nostradamus and see if this was predicted. Amazing!

Sooooo close

2008-05-13T08:04:00.002+10:00

Less than a week to go before marathon day! I have been checking the weather for Melbourne area and it is about 9C. It will be even colder on the coast. I prefer that to sunny QLD anyday!

Sooo...now that I am single again I have been repeatedly asked how I feel about the whole situation. There is a quote which comes to mind that sums up my feelings in a nutshell "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" ~William Congreve. Things will be ok, things are ok. I am moving on and will be stronger for all of this. Todd however...well...he'll get his:)I sure hope he picks up his clothes before trash day...

Last night on...

2008-04-30T09:21:00.002+10:00

First of all, I am NOT an Oprah person. I never watch the show. Usually when I do come across it, I am waiting for the next show on afterwards. With that out of the way...

Last night as I was waiting for Sex in the City I was watching the last 15 min of Oprah. The show was about a professor in Pittsburgh who has been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. It was about the process of dying and things he was doing to prepare himself and his young family for his death. Let me say, I LOVE his outlook on life. We view life in a very similar fashion which is live life to the fullest. I will NEVER regret anything I have done but I might regret things I did not do. That is what I fear the most about the end of my life; accomplishing everything I want to do.

This man was very straight forward about his fears (pain being one) and about what he wants to do in his last final months. He is mobile and pain free at the moment so he makes the most out of his time i.e. playing football with his autographed Steelers football, playing with his kids, and lots of sex with his wife:)

The thing that really hit home for me was the question: "How have you rearragned your priorities?" His reply was "Even before the diagnosis my priorities were always established...the diagnosis didn't change a thing." Good man! I thought about that myself. If I was diagnosed with terminal cancer today, what would I do? The answer was plain as day. Not much! My priorities are just the way I (emphasis on I) want them and I am doing EXACTLY what I want to be doing. I am fortunate enough at 30 to have seen a lot of the world. I have loved, been loved, been screwed, been fucked, made love to, laughed, cried, and screamed.

I would like the time to do a lot more of that but I truly live each day as if it is my last. I pack it all in and I never say "I will put that off until next year" (unless it involves writing my thesis).

I wear my good lingerie for a quicky and even when I vacuum the house. I can't wait for that "Special Moment"...what if it never comes? I wear my finest jewelry when I walk the dogs and when I eat out in Paris. My favorite running shirt is my $55 shirt from Ambercrombie and Fitch and all my underwear is "good underwear". I spend a lot on my running shoes because they protect my knees. I eat candied almonds that are $90/lb (I only buy a few grams!) and I like my wine expensive and tasty. My bed linens are the softest, after all life is too short to sleep on rough sheets, especially when sleeping is one of your hobbies.

Point is, we shouldn't wait. Our time might be up sooner than we ever imagined. We should do what makes OURSELVES happy, not anyone else.

I love Elvis

2008-04-23T11:57:00.001+10:00

I love Elvis:)

Its now or never,
Come hold me tight
Kiss me my darling,
Be mine tonight
Tomorrow will be too late,
Its now or never
My love wont wait.

When I first saw you
With your smile so tender
My heart was captured,
My soul surrendered
Id spend a lifetime
Waiting for the right time
Now that your near
The time is here at last.

Its now or never,
Come hold me tight
Kiss me my darling,
Be mine tonight
Tomorrow will be too late,
Its now or never
My love wont wait.

Just like a willow,
We would cry an ocean
If we lost true love
And sweet devotion
Your lips excite me,
Let your arms invite me
For who knows when
Well meet again this way

Its now or never,
Come hold me tight
Kiss me my darling,
Be mine tonight
Tomorrow will be too late,
Its now or never
My love wont wait.

Life after the dissertation

2008-04-16T22:03:00.003+10:00

If I had a nickel for every time somebody asked "What are you going to do after graduation?" I would be in Costa Rica on a beach. What made me really nervous the other day is that BOTH my advisors asked me that same question in the same week. Are they nervous because I haven't talked about life after graduation? Should I be looking for a job? What the hell do I want to do anyway? Errrrgh, these question make my palms sweat and my stomach turn. I just don't know! Not a clue! No freaking idea! My main advisor was seriously trying to tempt me to stay here and do a post-doc. Tempting. It would require very little effort on my part to secure the position and the pay ain't so bad either. Considering the state of the U.S. economy, it might be wise to stay here for awhile. Job, check...house, check...car, check...sunshine, check. Even Todd, who initially bitched about BNE, has no problem staying. His job is not so bad either!

We will see though. After my 3 months in Europe I might just want to stay north. Getting back to the states is not only a bitch flight but very expensive. Ick...no more on that topic.

Four more weeks until marathon day! Thank god! I am over this long run bullshit:( I am certainly over getting up at 0445 to be running by 0530. It is still fucking dark and we are entering autumn so daylight is only getting scarcer. Sucks...I hate BNE winters. Bring on summer!!!!!

Cultivating inner peace

2008-04-14T15:37:00.003+10:00

I know the title of this post sounds cheesy! However, my goal for the next 2 weeks is to cultivate some serious inner peace. It is tough...no lie. I figure if I can do it despite the turmoil of my professional and personal life then anything else will be easy.

When I think of peace, this poem comes to mind. I used to have it hanging in my room as a little girl and somehow it got lost. However, I always keep a written copy in my wallet. Lately I have replaced my meditation mantra with this poem entitled Desiderata.

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be
greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career
however humble;
it is a real possession in the
changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you
to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit
to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham,
drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrman, 1927

Panda Month

2008-04-08T08:49:00.004+10:00

Sunday marks the beginning of panda month at the National Zoo! How exciting! If I was in DC, I would be at the zoo everyday. Sadly, I am not:(

There is a lot happening around here but I don't have the space to put it all down. I am sure that those who do happen to read my blog already know what is up.

On a good note, I am so close to submitting my article to the Journal of Social Science and Medicine. Thank you GOD if this thing gets accepted!

Marathon Training

2008-03-26T09:37:00.002+10:00

T-minus 8 weeks before the Great Ocean Road. I did 20 miles this Sat and it was OK. I have done 20 miles before but I did not feel 100%. However, it was really humid so I will cut myself some slack. My goal for this race is to finish in under 5 hours. So far, if I maintain my pace, I will finish at 4 hours and 59 min. YIKES! No room for lallygagging as my dad would say.

Cheesecake

2008-03-20T08:24:00.004+10:00

All Todd wanted for his birthday was a cheesecake. Not just any cheesecake but my famous lime cheesecake. This cake is not for the lactose intolerant. In addition to Philly cream cheese there is a substantial heaping of full fat sour cream. Here is a picture of my finished product! It turned out so nice and super duper yummy. I am so domestic:)

Speaking of birthday, the other picture is of Todd and myself on my 30th b-day in Melbourne. Who fell asleep by the pool and forgot to cover her face?????

Has anyone seen my laptop?????

2008-03-12T08:08:00.002+10:00

I have waited, and waited, and waited for my FUCKING laptop to arrive. I am so over this! Dell called me last Friday and said they would deliver it on Monday between 9am and 1pm. I said that is an awfully long interval, but hey how can I argue when I work from home. Anyway, 3:30pm rolls around and no laptop and no phone call to say they are running late. I call Dell that night and they say the usual "We are so sorry for the inconvenience. Can we arrange an after hours delivery on Tues? The courier will be there between 5pm and 9pm" Whatever, sure...why not? Needless to say, last night I went to bed at 10pm with no laptop. I am waiting for Dell to open up so I can tear them a new one. I hope that this whole delivery thing is just some kind of "comedy of errors" but I have a sneaky suspicion it is just pure incompetence.

The thing that gets me is this...why does the delivery industry act as if they operate in some parallel universe? I mean that, if we say to a business colleague "I will be there at noon" and don't show up, it would be extremely rude and unprofessional. We would never stand for it, nor would we do it ourselves. Why do we let the delivery companies get away with it? What makes them so different? Ah, the question for my next PhD!

Laptop

2008-03-05T12:21:00.002+10:00

I bought a new one. I hate myself. I am a product of America's consumer culture:( Worst of all, my new piece of conspicuous consumption comes with a copy of Vista and all it maladies. I had no choice. I can hear the Apple people screaming "Helooooo, over here" but I had two problems with Apple. First, to get the laptop I wanted from Apple I would have had to spend twice as much as I did for my new Dell. Secondly, I regularly use 3 software programs that do not have a Mac version. These programs are SO memory hungry that I am not even sure virtual windows could do the job. Plus if the program ran really slow then I would shoot myself for even attempting such a gesture. Even the guy at the Apple store told me to get a PC (sigh).

So why did I do it? I gave into the weight factor. First of all, I should premise why weight is such an issue. I am SO over America's war for oil plan that I ride my bike everywhere (lost 9.2lb in 3 months as a happy side note). Carrying a heavy book bag with books + external hard drive + CD's was getting a bit much. My data programs and digital interviews are HUMONGOUS. I measure their size in MB. So I figured carrying one laptop as opposed to all that other junk would be easier. I have NO intention of driving (too high maintenance for the bus, so that is not an option) so I can carry more stuff. There, nuff said. Plus, with my 2 overseas conferences this year it will be nice to be connected...at least periodically.

For Vichet

2008-02-27T13:43:00.002+10:00

Vichet,
Here is the link for an excerpt from Hip Hop Girls. Sorry I could not send in an e-mail, it was too big! Give it a minute for the icon to appear.

Hottest Day

2008-02-25T08:22:00.002+10:00

It was 40C on Saturday (that is 104F for US people and 313 Kelivn for science nerds)! The heat was unbelievable! No, it was not a "dry" heat. This is Queensland! There is nothing up here called "dry heat". It was friggin humid and I wanted to DIE. Unfortunately, Saturday's are my long runs:( I got up at 4:45am and ran 25 km. I finished at 8:30 and that was about 3 hours too late. It was GOD awful! Needless to say, I came home and wanted to nap. IMPOSSIBLE because who wants to lay on a mattress when it feels like the sun in your house. And that BS about Queenslander houses being built for the heat? Biggest bunch of BS EVER. It was 41 in our house! Greta gave us salvation by inviting us over to her (cold) pool to play classic catch. So nice and my body temperature plummeted.

So you are probably asking, why didn't you turn the A/C on? Well we don't have one. We have a small floor unit that we can use but it is only half ass. Todd and I both had lots of work to do on Sat so we put it in the office and blasted it. The dogs came in and sat around the unit and Cappy put her head right in the way of the fan. It was blowing her fur everywhere. I finally succumbed and passed out on my yoga mat hoping that I would die in my sleep to end the misery. Alas, I did not and now I have about 20 pages of work that needs to be written by...oooh 3 hours from now. Thank GOD it cooled off on Sunday or else I would have bailed from this town. Amazing I tell you!

My 30th Birthday Goal

2008-02-11T16:25:00.000+10:00

I have decided that since I am turning 30 this year, and supposedly leaving my youth behind, I would do something to remind myself that I am still young and fit. So I have entered myself in the Great Ocean Road Marathon (26 miles or 45 km) in May. Hopefully, I will have what alcoholics call a moment of clarity, and realize what I have done. Until then, Happy Birthday to me!

Yoga Forms

2008-02-01T09:39:00.000+10:00

There are so many types of yoga out there. Here is another to add to the list..."Australian Yoga"

Indian Yoga

Australian Yoga

Cute commercial

2008-01-22T12:42:00.000+10:00

Gertie sent me this video and I nearly fell over laughing. I am sure a few parents out there appreciate it:)

An interesting article from the Post

2008-01-17T08:24:00.000+10:00

KITE RUNNER BANNED IN AFGANISTAN

Ugh, is there a cinema in Afganistan? Last I heard, 90% of the country didn't have electricity. WTF? Bizzare news.

2007 Round Up

2008-01-04T11:54:00.000+10:00

So another year has passed. I feel old because the year disappeared on me. My elders tell me that time goes by quickly when you get old. This is not good for a procrastinator.

Anyway, here are some highlights of 2007!!!

KP's Birthday with Gertie in Port Douglas, Queensland

Mossman Gorge, Port Douglas, QLD

Casey's Birthday at New Farm Park in Brisbane

Chinese New Year with Wei Loong

Mornington Peninsula vineyard; Melbourne, Victoria

Wine tasting Katia style

Moreton Island sand dunes (10 stories tall!) Moreton Island, Queensland

Angkor Wat sunset; Siem Reap, Cambodia

Cambodian friends!

Todd, Katia and Tobey on Day 1 of trek to summit of Mt. Kinabalu; Borneo, Malaysia

Summit of Mt. Kinabalu in the FREEZING rain! (Note: We started in tropical rainforest)

Day 8 of our 10 day bike tour of New Zealand. Crossing of 45th parallel close to Cromwell. New Zealand, South Island.

Lake Tekapo (glacial lake) on Christmas Day in New Zealand.

Milford Sound cruise for New Year's Eve; Fjordland National Park, Milford Sound, New Zealand.

New Years Day 2008! Milford Sound.

Long time no see

2007-11-29T20:05:00.000+10:00

I have turned into the kind of blogger I hate the most, someone who does not update their blog! However, I have a good excuse...I have been in the jungles of Borneo followed by a romp of the Cambodian countryside. Can't help it...I like to spoil myself:) I am in Cambodia at the moment trying to get some work done but my busy social calendar is making that difficult. This is a town where there is lots to do and great ways to procrastinate:(

As soon as I get home i will be sure to post some pics of our amazing adventures.

Busy busy busy

2007-10-16T09:21:00.000+10:00

We have had a very busy few weeks. Todd's mom came for a 2 week visit and we did a lot of sightseeing. Todd and Mary went up to Port Douglas and the GBR for a little R and R. I stayed behind and defended the fort:( We did embark on numerous little day trips in and around Brisbane. There is really so much to see in this area of Queensland and it was nice to have a reason to go exploring.

Todd and I just celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on Friday. We went on a yoga retreat to Murwillumbah with his yoga studio. It was the second time we had gone and we had such a lovely and relaxing time. I spent plenty of time by the pool, eating, walking, eating some more, and stretching. Murwillumbah is on the NSW-QLD border in one of the most breathtaking areas of Australia. Lucky for us, it is only 1.5 hours from our house. Picture undulating green hills full of sheep and cattle. Everything is bright green and lush. Ahhh, say it with me "Gorgeous!"

I am now in super panic mode. I leave next week for India for my conference followed by a trip to Borneo and then on to Cambodia for a month. I expect to be back in Brisbane sometime in mid-December. Needless to say I have a lot to do before I leave. Anyhow, enjoy the pictures...I must get to work!

Todd and Mom at GBR

Todd and Kids at Glasshouse Mountains

Waterfall at Springbrook National Park

Kookaburra chill'n

Can you spot the koala?

Posing in the Brisbane Botanical Gardens by Mt.Cootha

Tagalooma Wrecks off of Moreton Island, Brisbane. The Brisbane City Council sunk these dredging vessels in the 60's to create an artificial reef. The area is full of colorful fish, dolphins, and dugongs (relative of the manatee). We did some snorkeling.

Moreton Island

Todd on Moreton Island beach

Katia coming down one big ass sand dune! It is 10 stories high!!!

Dolphins racing our boat, so cool!

New Picture

2007-09-24T09:59:00.001+10:00

My friend Ian took this picture of me back in July. I wonder if the monk and I are looking at the same beast???

More Cambodia pics

2007-08-30T10:39:00.000+10:00

I have decided that I have WAY TOO MANY Cambodia pictures. Therefore I will devote 2008 to visiting more SE Asian countries. I have my eye on Laos and Burma (Myanmar). I think Burma will early next year with my friend David but Laos evades me. I have no idea when I will have the time to fit it in! Plus Lisa wants to meet up somewhere "different" for her spring break. Perhaps Kiribati, outter islands of Japan, Manado, I just don't know! God help me when I get a job. I will be so miserable:(

Some Wat in the middle of nowhere

Bai! Or rice to the white folk.

Typical house in the countryside

Hashers! Those crazy people:)

What I will never become

2007-08-29T13:45:00.000+10:00

A mother who hangs out with her baby and other "mommies" at the mall during lunch time. They drive me CRAZY and crowd the Starbucks!

and I am home again...

2007-08-14T11:59:00.000+10:00

So nice to be home! I am relaxing to Thelonius Monk and trying to procrastinate a little longer. My trip was a success and I want the high to last, but I know that reality is going to set in soon enough. I had a reality check the other day when I realized that in order to gradute in Dec 2008 my dissertation needs to be submitted by Oct 13 2008. That gives me about one year to write up my thoughts. Folks, I have A LOT of thoughts. However, I have much planned for the rest of the year so I think I will start Jan sometime. I will be out of the country starting Oct 2nd and not coming back until Jan 3rd so the idea of starting something only to put it on hold seems foolish.

Anyway, here are some pictures of my last trip.

Women in my focus group

local kids

me on my hash run

common running obstacle

My friend Ian and I next to our ghetto broke down tuk-tuk

Favorite pic from the zoo

More updates

2007-08-02T13:52:00.000+10:00

Well...let's see...what have I been doing? Actually, best to ask "what haven't I done?" I am exhausted from all the work. Seriously, I want to go home and rest. The data collection is really in full swing but the days are long and the heat is punishing. I spend most of my time hiding from the sun or wiping my face. Seriously, Cambodians DO NOT SWEAT. It is the most amazing thing to me.

I have been engaging in some runs with the Phnom Pehn Hash House Harriers. The runs have quenched my appetite for rice paddies. If I see another rice paddy I will vomit. They are so lovely though and the kids LOVE to chase us through the fields. Cambodians are FAST! My social calendar has also never been more full. That could explain a lot of the late mornings:/ I have also enjoyed hanging out with my friend Ian, from England, who makes PP so much better! It is really the people around the place and not the place itself. Actually, PP is a dump and few people would argue with me. However, I have had a better time socially here then in the US or Australia but the living is hard.

I did receive good news that my abstract for the 4th Annual Conference on Reproductive Health and Sexuality in South Asia was accepted for a 30 min oral presentation! I am super excited and this will be the largest (and most significant) presentation yet. It is in Hyderbad, India in October. All I need now is $$$ to go...but I am working on that.

I will post pics when I get home. I am working off my very old lap top and I am afraid that if I hiccup the thing will stop working. Come on baby, hold together for a few more weeks!

It looks like I will head home next week, which is good. I miss my boy, dogs and bed!

Cambodia...again

2007-07-11T14:04:00.000+10:00

Well I am back and playing researcher again. Pretending is a lot of fun:)

I have not written much b/c I am BUSY most of the time. Here is the update:

In Phnom Penh until mid August. I am house sitting in the lap of luxury. I have a cleaner, a security guard and a gardener. My friend Ian from the UK is also living with me!!! Yeah for friends in Cambodia. This house is so huge that it feels eerily empty with just me, so it is nice to have some company. I also have internet which means I can surf anytime and bother my friends with endless Skype calls that cost about $0.021 a minute. Super cool! I am sold on Skype plus it is the only way to make an international phone call, so I don't have much choice in the matter.

Let's see what else...I joined my local sports club (rubbing elbows with Khmer high society) and my little yoga studio down the road. I even went to the Phnom Tamao zoo. We broke down in our tuk-tuk about 20km from PP and were stuck for an hour until the carburetor got fixed. That was not good. Too bad having all these neat things doesn't enhance my research. On the contrary, I have so many other fun things to do that my research...is well...slow. To even make matters worse I was asked to go on a 5 day trek around the Mekong Delta which is hard to say no to. I will be very pissed at myself if after a month I have done nothing:(

I miss everyone and will posts some pictures soon.

Happy Birthday Cappers

2007-06-14T10:00:00.000+10:00

My big girl is 3 (21 in dog years)! Happy Birthday to my baby!

Why I do not practice yoga at home...

2007-06-12T11:15:00.000+10:00

Casey preparing my mat for me

If I wriggle in this way maybe she will see me

Ok maybe I will try this way

Please mom just touch me!!!!

Good video

2007-05-22T14:05:00.001+10:00

At first I really didn't know what the message would be. However, you quickly catch on.

Why girls are EVIL!

2007-05-22T13:51:00.000+10:00

Procrastination

2007-05-10T12:30:00.000+10:00

I am the QUEEN of it! I have decided to stay home and "write" today...hah, what a joke. What "writing at home" really means is: trip to the coffee shop, food shopping, walk with the dogs, cutting my toe nails, cleaning the mold from around the sink faucet and washing dirty dish towels. All this and it is only noon. Tommorrow, I am going back to my office. I will never get anything accomplished if I work from home!

Two more years!

2007-04-30T14:43:00.000+10:00

Tai Shan is going to stay until 2009! That is the best news in the world. I am going to spend plenty of quality time catching up with him in May. I have the biggest smile on my face...HURRAY for the National Zoo!!!

He is now 1.5 years old and 125 lb. They just inseminated his mom, Mei, so perhaps a sibling is on the way! I will have to move back to DC if that is the case:)

Recent happenings in Bris-Vegas

2007-04-23T19:52:00.000+10:00

My friend Stephen "Gidget" came to visit from Melbourne. I met him in '98 at James Cook University in Townsville. By the way mom, are you jealous of Todd's t-shirt?

Todd, Greter, and Katia at a b-day party at the Story Bridge Hotel. CHOICE view!

"Moooommmmmm....dad is hurting me with clean water and soap!!!!"

Another sad week

2007-04-20T14:14:00.000+10:00

Violence in this world is never ending. Now a tragedy that struck close to home. We all know what I am talking about. I was reading through the names and info about the victims and they all grew up next to me. Many of them went to my high school and lived down the road. So very very very sad. My heart goes out to all of the students and parents.

Go Hokies!!!!

curious photos

2007-04-16T19:28:00.000+10:00

I am holding a contest! $5 USD to the person who can tell me what is going on in these two photos.

Photo 1. Cambodia: I took this picture of the car next to me. I am looking down at the driver. What is so fucked up about this picture?

Photo 2. A night out on the town in Cambodia. What is that white stuff on my dress? Before you say cocaine...draw a line on a map from Colombia to Cambodia and ask yourself how likely that is.

...and I am home again

2007-04-13T11:00:00.000+10:00

No place like home! Strangely enough I miss PP, I really do. I stopped by Singapore on my way home for some retail therapy and numerous espressos at Starbucks. Yes, we do have Starbucks in Australia but not Cambodia. Plus Singapore has EVERY major clothing store from America. So I shopped at The Gap, Vic's Secret, BCBG, etc. We don't have those stores in Australia. So it was like a little piece of America excpet that gum is illegal and it was much cleaner:)

I am home for the month and then off again May 23rd for Melbourne and the US. It is never ending and I have meetings already booked for September! I will take a long nap after this PhD circus is over!

Weekend in Sihanoukville

2007-04-02T17:40:00.000+10:00

Here are some pics of my weekend down south in Sihanoukville. I had a lovely time in my little bungalow perched above the sea. I filled my day by starting out with a breakfast by the sea, followed by a snorkel, a nap, then a swim, then another nap. Finally I had a nice seafood dinner every night and fell asleep to the sounds of the sea under my protective mosquito net. It was heavenly and so much better than PP.

The pictures are of the beach, my bungalow, and moi:)

A trip to the post office

2007-03-29T19:15:00.000+10:00

Among my other observations is that PO boxes don't have locks on them. More like "cubby holes" where someone "drops" your mail. No security, no nothing. Just your mail sitting out in the open for anyone to take. I was standing in line watching some bored man look through the boxes and reading mail. Nice right?

Anyway, I wanted to send a postcard back home. I arrived at the post office with my 2 postcards. It is supposed to be a 1900 riel stamp. They inform me that they are out but can give me a 3000 r stamp. I am not in the mood to be ripped off anymore so I rebel. I can clearly see that she has numerous 1000 r, 500 r and 100 r stamps. I tell her in my broken Khmer, "Why don't you just give me 1 1000 r stamp + 1 500 r stamp + 4 100 r stamps. She quickly says "no"! I am curious why and she informs me that there is only 1 stamp box on my postcard (you know the little square in the top right hand corner on a postcard). I am so utterly confused for the longest time and then it finally clicks what her problem is. I tell her that it doesn't matter how many boxes there are as long as I have the correct postage. She won't relent, so I leave. I am determined to win this battle! I go home and draw more boxes on my postcards. When I return to the post office, she seems to think that this is satisfactory and sells me my postage stamps.

This reminds me of a saying I once heard: "Simple minds require simple solutions" This is by no means limited to Cambodia, no sirree bob, it just seems more obvious here.

Week 3-Discovering logic

2007-03-28T13:58:00.000+10:00

I was told at the start of my research that I would learn the most just from observing. I was skeptical at first but not I am a believer. My observation notes far surpass any notes from my interviews. I find Cambodian "logic" very...interesting. The old me would say "illogical" but I am developing my inner anthropologist and that is not the correct thing to say. I am merely a stranger in a strange land observing how people think and construct their own reality.

1. No one walks anywhere. I am constantly hounded by moto-dops to take me 50m down the road. I have learned that walking is a sign of poverty and I walk everywhere. This confuses most locals b/c they see Americans as rich and therefore willing to pay to have someone take you across the road.

2.Porn is King! All the men watch it like they are watching the news. Case in point: I am at the Internet cafe last night and the web was slower than usual (i.e. 8 min to load up hotmail vs the regular 5 min). I ask the guy what is going on. He says "it is video time" I am like, "do you realize that streaming video slows down the web" he looks at me like I have 2 heads and replies "I will tell them to watch their videos on the small screen" Sure enough 15 guys minimize their streaming porn from full screen to half screen, like this is going to speed things up. It seems that between the hours of 8-9pm it is prime Internet porn watching.

3. Women are the cooks in a Khmer family yet I have not met one woman chef at a hotel or restaurant.

4. Children are free to leave the classroom whenever they want. When I ask about this people say "they must be bored and want to watch t.v." This does not seem to bother anyone. The school yard is often full of kids doing nothing while the teacher is inside teaching.

5. The Pill makes you gain weight? Many women in Cambodia fear taking the pill b/c it makes them lose weight. My question is "what birth control pill are you taking, b/c I want some of that" Being skinny is also a sign of poverty and nobody wants to do anything that might make them lose weight. This is totally unfounded but a much believed urban legend. Better to be fat and pregnant, than to be skinny and childless.

Week 2 in the Penh

2007-03-21T12:32:00.000+10:00

So week one was uneventful and week two is shaping up to be the same. Not that this is a bad thing. I have interviews everyday + meetings + yoga + eating good food. My days are packed.

On Monday I visited an orphanage for HIV positive children that one of my friends directs. It was a great experience and lots of fun. The kids just love any attention that comes their way. I had a nice day and it was nice to be loved on by strangers!

So not much else is going on, just a lot of talking and writing. I promise that if anything cool happens I will let everyone know!

Living in Cambodia

2007-03-13T18:13:00.000+10:00

Ok I have been wayyyyy slack on the posts but the speed of the Internet leaves a lot to be desired. Not to mention that it is 98 outside and 101 in the Internet cafes. It drops down to a cool 81 each night but by that time I am clean and tired, going outside to the cafe to send e-mails has little appeal.

Everything is good in PP. Better than last time. I feel like a local now. I know my way around, I speak ok Khmer, I know where to eat, where to do laundry, where to send e-mails, even where to grocery shop. It is alllll goooood. I could live here...seriously. Once you get in the groove, it is like living anywhere else. Except here it is BITCH ass hot and dusty. Hmmm, kind of like DC in August.

I have learned a few tricks since being in PP and I would like to share them with the world.

1. Underwear not needed. Yep that is right. Stupid to wear it cause you will change it AT LEAST twice a day. Ladies it is a must to change it 2 times a day but if you don't wear it than there is nothing to change. It is too hot to wear it and it gives your butt a rash. Yes, even cotton underwear will do that.

2. Babies don''t wear diapers and it is not because people can't afford them. I was amazed last time I came how many Khmer children don't wear diapers. I just chalked it up to poverty. Nooooo not true. Now that I hang out with expats, I see that none of their children wear them either. It is SO FUCKING hot and humid that the diaper rash is rampant and painful. Solution: get wood floors or tile and remove the diaper. Babies don't have that much volume of waste and I am told it is much easier to clean up after a 1 year old than treat diaper rash all the time. Very jealous that I can't run around naked like that. Well I could but...So Cambodia is full of nude babies, brown and white, and it has nothing to do with poverty.

3. Best way to wash clothes is to wear them in the shower. That's right. I put my underwear on my head and lather my scalp at the same time (on the odd occasion I do where it) and I put my socks on my hands a scrub my body. I put my shirt and skirt under my feet and let the suds soak them. Then I SMASH them down like grapes. Saves water and a trip to the laundry lady. I am starting to think like an expat and I was appalled that the price of a basket of laundry went from $0.60 to $0.80. I am boycotting.

4. Magic word: CIPRO. Cures everything from anthrax to extreme diarrhea. I am more concerned about the latter. You don't need a prescription for anything is this country. Just walk up to the pharmacist and put in your order. Amazing they even have doctors anymore! There is nothing worse than being in a developing country and having the runs. Trust me on this. I will worry about my year long yeast infection when I get home. It is unavoidable...6 weeks of 1000 mg a day will surely do me in. Small price to pay for not having to sit on the toilet. Which leads me to...

5. Squatting toilets are really the best. I used to avoid them because they were just weird. Now I am sold. One word: Gravity! Since I don't have the runs it always helps to have a little gravity on your side. Did I mention that women in SE Asia don't suffer from incontinence the way Western women do?

More tips from Martha Stewart's Cambodia living next week!

Creation

2007-03-02T14:49:00.000+10:00

A good friend of mine just lost his 13 year old dog to cancer. I remembered this poem that someone had given me at one time. Although, I do not believe in God nor the 7 days of Creation...it makes me want to. But I still don't:)

Creation
When God had made the earth and sky,
the flowers and the trees,
He then made all the animals
the fish, the birds and bees
And when at last He'd finished
not one was quite the same.
He said I'll walk this world of mine
and give each one a name.
And so He travelled far and wide
and everywhere He went,
a little creature followed Him
until its strength was spent.
When all were named upon the earth
and in the Sky and Sea,
the little creature said "Dear Lord,
there's no name left for me."
Kindly the Father said to him
"I've left you to the end.
I've turned my own name back to front
And called you DOG, my friend".

Author Unknown

Casey's First Birthday

2007-02-26T20:47:00.000+10:00

Happy Birthday my big boy!

Video from Casey's Birthday! (there is sound!)

Birthday Success

2007-02-20T11:08:00.000+10:00

I had an excellent birthday in Port Douglas! Here are a few snipets.

Mossoman Gorge

Trampy person

Sunset and dinner on the inlet

Our pool

No swimming outside the nets. The ocean is for viewing purposes only!

View flying into Cairns

New Camera

2007-02-13T16:03:00.000+10:00

I am so proud of my new purchase! I just bought, wait...let me preface that statement...I just bought with Todd's paycheck a brand new Canon IXUS 60! It has 7 mega pixel and 3X optical zoom. Very nifty. Plus it has a very clean sleak design which appeals to my inner sense of camera feng shui.

I bought it for many reasons, but my top three are these: 1. I have been without a camera for the past year. I have bought multiple (about $20 a pop) disposable cameras. At this point, I would have bought my new camera over twice. 2. My birthday in on Friday and dammit I deserve something for being pretty and 29. 3. I really want something to take good pictures of all my travels to Cambodia and S.E. Asia. What a shame it would be to visit places like Angkor Wat with a Kodak disposable. I would kick myself in 20 years for not shelling out the cash. Actually, shelling out Todd's cash. Thanks baby I love you! I will break the news to him when he comes back from the states on the 5th. I leave on the 9th to go to Cambodia for a month, that way if he is mad I will only have to deal with it for 4 days.

Coldness

2007-02-07T14:32:00.000+10:00

Here are some pics of Brisbane for those of you have e-mailed:)

Queen Street Mall (main pedestrian mall downtown)

Arial shot of Bris-vegas (thanks UQ)

Thanks to all you N.Americans who rub it in my face how "cold" it is up there and how fucking hot it is here. So what I have no A/C and I am forced to take 3 showers a day and drink 4 gallons of water just to stay alive? The fastest way to drop 10 pounds I tell you:)
So as you get cozy next to your fire, take note that when it gets hot I just ask myself if I should head north to the Sunshine Coast beach or south to the Gold Coast beach. Such terrible decisions.
Ahhh, enjoy my pictures!

Gold Coast

vs

Sunshine Coast

My pups

2007-02-02T21:25:00.000+10:00

After yoga I like to unwind with my dogs...they relax me.

Pictures of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Hanoi, Vietnam

2007-01-28T10:44:00.000+10:00

I stopped in KL for 2 days on my way up to PP. I had a blast! I could so live there!

Petronas Towers-right out front of my hotel window!

Orchid Nursery

Lily Pond at the Orchid Garden in the Lake District

Out front of the Hao Lo prison in Hanoi. Better known as the "Hanoi Hilton" Talk about propaganda. They have a huge picture of Jane Fonda in one of the 2 rooms they have set up for the exhibit about the American POWs. There is some major spin going on. Basically they said that they treated the prisoners better than the American's treated the VN POWs. They bragged about how well they fed and clothed the POWs and there was NEVER any tourture, despite what the US gov't says. I just cracked a wry smile and say "Riiiiigghhhht"

John McCain's flight suit and parachute

Dinner with fellow UQ-Vietnamese students in Hanoi, the guy with the mustache is my advisor Peter!

Pictures of Cambodia

2007-01-21T08:50:00.000+10:00

I have finally got around to posting these pictures. Just in time for my next trip in a month:)

Grand Palace in Phnom Penh

Sisowath Quay (main drag along the Mekong River)

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum-Cambodia (used to be the Phnom Penh High School before the Khmer Rouge turned it into S-21) This is where the KR took suspected traitors, which was nearly everyone, to interrogate and torture. IF you survived the torture you were subsequently taken to the Killing Fields for execution

Torture room-and yes those are blood stains under the cot

Famous picture of mother and daughter taken in 1978 at Tuol Sleng

Choeung Ek Memorial at Killing Fields

Looking into the memorial

Looking up the memorial (view from inside) 4 stories of skulls

I will leave it at that now that I have thouroughly depressed myself this Sunday morning. I swear I do have happier pictures.

First Uterus Transplant in US

2007-01-15T14:57:00.000+10:00

Yes, you read that correctly. A team of surgeons in NYC are planning the first human uterus transplant. Why you ask? Good question. It seems somewhere in our society we have attached a women's "worth" with her ability to bear children. This only seems to be reinforced by our own medical community. One doctor was quoted as saying "For many women being able to bear children is an essential part of their lives" Essential? Really? Will I die without having a child? Essential...Holy SHIT! They never told me that. Oh...he probably means essential in an emotional sense. Oh thank GOD, now wait...that is even more ludicrous! Alarm Alarm! We have crazy women who find it ESSENTIAL to bear children. Give me a fucking break. Shame on him and shame on those women! Both parties put suffrage back to the stone ages. "Oh Katia" you say, "we already had women's suffrage and that sentiment only exists in other cultures!" (I should mention that this whole uterus transplant thing started in Saudi Arabia but we seem to be propagating similar views on women...I won't say anymore.) Hello, lets examine our own culture today: many women think they will be beautiful when they are size 2. Yeah, right! Has anyone looked at that Beckham chic...ugly and she is a zero. Anyway, I am getting off track.

So I agree with one expert that our society puts too much emphasis on this 9 month incubation thing. A woman's identity should not rest on her ability to carry a child. Come on people, being pregnant will be the easiest part of parenting. I don't even need to be a parent to see that.

Secondly, is it really ethical to perform a major surgery that could impact the life of the mother and fetus, not to mention being on immunosuppressive drugs to stop organ rejection, all the in the name of "bearing a child"? This is non-medically necessary and it does not enhance a woman's biological condition. It might satisfy some emotional need but I say do what the rest of us do: have sex with multiple people and take drugs!! If this was really about having your own child than use your eggs, your partners sperm and get a surrogate! Many couples do it! It is the in thing. Shit, I probably could carry my own child, but due to my vanity and time constraints, I would prefer to have someone else carry that burden for me (no pun intended).

Thirdly, I hope these women get a THOROUGH psych eval. Anyone who is that desperate to bear a child has some hang ups. Granted we all have our own but it seems to me that if bearing live young somehow enhances a women's life than she has a sad life. Pathetic really. There are other ways to enhance one's life. Do I really have to name them?

Finally, I leave you with this. Kalhil Gibran said that "Children come not from you but through you" That through you can mean in utero but it can also be through one's heart. It should not matter how a child came to be but if they came to be. As of today the UN estimates that there are 15 million orphans in this world. That is a very sobering number. So while we spends millions of dollars to outfit a woman with a new uterus we could outfit a family with a needy child free of charge? This should not be a question of "can we" but "should we"?

New Pictures of my adventures

2007-01-12T09:17:00.000+10:00

Todd and Greta at Halloween! This is what happens when I leave my husband in the care of my BEST FRIEND!

Dinner in Bulimba with G and the boys

Brad and John's new puppies!

Greta with pup

Katia trying not to steal a pup

Happy 2007

2007-01-08T09:55:00.000+10:00

I have been a slack blogger, many apologies. Actually, I only like to blog if I have something to say and lately my mind has been strangely quiet. Blame it on the holiday booze!

Now that 2007 is upon me I am gearing up for a lot of travel. The ethics approval for my research is in the pipeline and it should hopefully be approved by the end of Jan. Then I will be free to begin my field research. I am planning to head back over to Cambodia in March for one month. Fingers crossed.

So the holidays were...whatever. Don't get me wrong we had a BLAST at all of our get togethers but I am looking for something different for next year. Next year we are going to skip the parties, dinners, etc and go on a bare foot windjammer cruise around the Whitsundays. This year Todd (home in Feb) and I (conference in DC in May)will both satisfy the family visits home but after that our feeling is "come to us". We are not going to spend anymore money or vacation going back to the US...EVER! It pains me to sink $2600 into a ticket to go back to a place where I came from. That same amount will give me 7 nights on a cruise around the Great Barrier Reef. Can you blame me people? Therefore, any visit to the US will be for my studies only and any extra vacation time will be spent in the QLD tropics.

On another note, I am taking a bread making class! One of my New Years resolutions is to be able to make authentic challa. I wonder if Australians even know HOW to make Jewish bread. At last count I think there were 2 Jews in Australia:)

...and I am home again (take 2)

2006-12-13T16:14:00.000+10:00

So I have returned from my tour of Vietnam and Cambodia. Very tired and I have come home under the weather. Actually under the weather would be an understatement considering I have come home with dysentery. Won't go into it but if you are interested click.

So...where to start. I learned a lot for starters. It was a mixed bag honestly. Some things I was not prepared for other things I was quite pleasantly surprised. For example, most homes don't have running water (or clean water for that matter) yet there is an internet cafe on every corner. Land phone lines are non-existent however everyone has a mobile and they are cheap. BTW if you want to make a land line call and you dont have a mobile than you must go to the Ministry of Communications or a post office. Nice right? Oh yeah, the temp is like a billion degrees with 90% humidity. The air is so thick with moisture that if I tripped and fell, I would never hit the ground. Shit is like soup...no joke.

I met a lot of good people and my network is up and running. I understand now why people would pay big bucks for me because this network stuff is hard FUCKING work. Half the people I wanted to talk to have left (I learned the turnover rate in Cambodia is really high...gee that is weird). Plus I have learned that you can't just pop in and be like "time to work". No way...not Cambodia. It will take me awhile but I know at the end of next year I will be in there like swim wear. Plus I am cute:)

I like the Khmer's, they are very friendly and smiley. Not like the Vietnamese who scowled at me. Maybe they didn't smile at me cause they are still angry for the war. Who knows? Amazes me that the Khmer's have so very little and have been through 7 years of genocide and still seem very happy. I could not help but envy them in some way. It is like they have something that I do not, something that money can not buy. Its like an inner contentness and acceptance. Family is priority number ONE and that is all that matters. I am envious because I don't seem to have that "happiness" that they have. God, the word happiness is so over used I will have to find a new word for the Khmers.

I promise to post some pictures later, I have tons. For now I am trying to recover and rehydrate.

More later

Varekai

2006-11-22T12:45:00.000+10:00

We saw it! Wooo hooo! I love Cirque du Soleil. All I have to say is that I am inspired to runaway and join the circus:)

I see Jesus!

2006-11-16T09:56:00.000+10:00

Lori sent this to me. Hillarious!! Thanks girl! I love the website too:)

I see Jesus, do you? At least this time Jesus got creative in his "sightings"...toast and cheese are so cliche now. This morning in the dog park I kept my eyes peeled for Jesus. Damb...I saw Jesus everywhere!

Picnics

2006-11-14T09:32:00.000+10:00

I had been in placed in charge of the annual PhD student picnic. Due to tighter regulations concerning alcohol at student events, everyone was limited to one drink each. Greta, though she is not a student, was asked to help. She was in charge of buying the cups... can you tell?

Table for SALE (small penis not included)

2006-11-08T09:10:00.000+10:00

Gee...how can you tell this table is for sale by a man?

...aaaannnnd I am home again

2006-11-01T05:36:00.000+10:00

So my whirlwind tour of Washington DC has come to a close. Fine by me, I need to go back to Australia and dry out. Ok, does that sound weird to people? Let me say it again, I am going back to AUSTRALIA to DRY OUT.

Anyway, I am slowly adjusting back to local time. Sunday night I went to bed at 8pm, adrenaline keeping me up most of the day. Monday however, not so good. I started to decline around 2pm, left work to go "chill" at home with my dogs, napping by 3pm, and just decided to keep on sleeping at 4pm. SO I slept from 4pm to 7am the next morning. Not to shabby...Tues I actually did a full day of work and went to bed at 9pm but it is 5:30 am right now and who is up blogging? Fuck!!!! When will I be normal?

Everything was fantastic in my trip. It was nice to see my friends and even my family. Too short but nice to know I will be back in May. My one complaint was security. It was baaaaaaddddd. It took me 1 hour and 58 minutes to clear security at Dulles on my flight to LAX. Yes people, almost 2 hours. Lucky for me I arrived 3 hours ahead of time for my domestic flight:/ I don't seem to be the only one to think the wait times are bad because I just read an interesting piece in the Post about it. Ick.

All I have to say is thank GOD I am flying next to a developing nation where they have no security:)

Dog parties and disposable income

2006-10-16T02:19:00.000+10:00

OH MY GOD! This is SOOOOOOOOO Todd and I! Same with our friends (well excluding Amy and Tad...they had to be "different":) No kids but plenty of dog parties. I love it! Check out this Post article.

By the way on Tues Oct 17th 2006 the US population will be 300 million! As an epidemiologist I find that quite remarkable:)

Back in the US of A

2006-10-15T03:49:00.000+10:00

SO I made it. I survived a grueling (emphasis on) 23 hour journey home. My flight from BNE to LAX was 12 hours +2 hours of customs BS, then another 4.5 hours on home + 1.5 hours to moms house. I was so tired last night that I was having trouble dialing the phone. Seriously...no joke. It felt like I was 90ft underwater scuba diving trying to right my name on a waterboard. I popped a Xanax, washed it down with a Pinot Grigio and called it a loooooooong day. Then I woke up at 3am with the MOST excruiating back spasm (gee wonder how that happened?), it hurt so bad my eyes were watering and my legs were shaking. I called Todd to make me feel better and he informed me that he was cutting burrs out of Cappy's tail and he would love to take a break. At least things are normal back home!

Here I am in Winchester chillin, literally. In my bookbag I have 2 bottles of sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, a 4 kinds of lip balm depending on the strength of the sun. No need for ANY of that here. Geez it is friggin cold. After I take all my Brisbane gear out, I have a wallet and some poop bags (for the dogs...thank you dirty minds). It is good to be back and it is somewhat comforting to see that nothing has changed. There are more leaves on the trees than when I left but still the same ol same ol.

Mom bought me a very swanky purse as a coming home present. I will post pictures of it soon. Greta will be WAY jealous and I will have to try my hardest to keep it away from her:)

Australia's baby bonus

2006-10-09T13:29:00.000+10:00

Well Australia, much like the rest of the developed world, is going through a population "slump". They have a fertility rate of about 1.5 children per couple which is well below the replacement rate of 2.1. Singapore has a f.r. of 1.06 among ethnic Chinese and Japan is hovering around the same rate. Anyway, to encourage people to have kids, the Australian government is offering a $4000 baby bonus to perk up some interest. The slogan goes "One for mom, one for dad, and one for the country!" according to Peter Costello the treasurer.

Now lets step back for a moment. First of all, like any public campaign..."Who do you intend to target?" Mmmm, yes... who are you intending to target Mr. Costello? The poor and uneducated? Yes, I was thinking the same thing. What about the boom of babies being born to unwed teenage mothers. Yes, that group would be nice too! So lets see, we have poor, uneducated, young people who are breeding now. How is that supposed to be good for Australia? They were proclaiming that the policy is working because there were 15,000 more births in 2005 then 2004. I see it as 15,000 more potential dole recipients. Someone should check the economic status of those people who are breeding. I can assure the government that educated people making a decent salary are not enticed by $4000. I am not enticed at least.

At least America is not alone in its quest for the award of "Most stupid public policy". It goes right up there with Ashcroft requesting that Lady Liberty's breast be covered up.

All I have to say is "What the fuck"

2006-10-03T09:24:00.000+10:00

...and people ask when I am coming back to the states. If the Amish are not safe from our societies psycho's, why would I be? After reading the Post article, I don't think I want to come back.

Monster Months

2006-09-26T14:18:00.000+10:00

Ugh, I think the madness is about to begin. I have 4 plane tickets on my desk right now and a few e-tickets in my mailbox.

Oct 13-29 Washington, DC

Oct 30-Nov 10 multiple local overnight trips for OTD stuff not to mention Research Higher Degree (presenting) and an abstract due for the Global Health Conference in 07 (have not even started)

Nov 19-21 Sydney for OTD workshop

Nov 23-27 Hanoi, Vietnam for Health Policy and Reform Workshop

Nov 28-Dec 15 Phnom Penh, Cambodia for dissertation research

Rest of Dec will involve sleep then January is the beginning an intensive 3 months of field work in Cambodia.

Maybe we can do lunch next May?

Panda photos

2006-09-25T10:37:00.000+10:00

Pictures are from the National Zoo

Well my little Tai is a hefty 69 pounds now! Ah how fast they grow up. I heard that the new Asia Trail will be opening Oct 16 and will house some sloth bears (including the new baby), otters, slamanders, clouded leopards, and of course the pandas. It sounds really nice and will be substantially bigger than the exhibit now. When I go back to DC in October I am going to check it out! So excited!

Pictures from Inskip Point

2006-09-15T15:56:00.000+10:00

A few weeks ago we went up the Sunshine Coast to Inskip and camped on the beach. The water up here in Queensland is the color of sapphires and emeralds, not that dingy brown of the Atlantic. You can see your toes in 5 ft of water, just like a pool! We had an EXCELLENT time and we really look forward to doing it again, and again, and again. This weekend we are buying our friend's station wagon. I am so SIKED...now we can go camping all the time!

"Look out Todd, it's a SHARK...oh, never mind, it is just my dogs!"

Dog's fast asleep on first night...they were WHIPPED!

Strange man who kept following me around

Beach out front of our tent!

View from the campsite

On our way home

Jaguar

2006-09-12T09:38:00.000+10:00

I have decided that my present to myself, after I finish my PhD, will be a Jaguar XK coupe. I have always wanted one and Todd said that if I make the "big money" I can buy what I want. Well duh...of course I will! Many people my age start saving for their kids college but I say "fuck that!"...I haven't even paid off my own! Plus a Jaguar sounds so much more sexy than college:)

Ugh, the fight of the fertile

2006-09-04T20:25:00.000+10:00

I am soooooo over birth control! Over it, done, finished, I am calling it quits. I can't get my fucking NuvaRing over here, which is the only thing that did not give me any side effects, and I tried Implanon (little plastic rod under the skin of your arm). It has been in Oz for a number of years and just introduced to the US this past July. FUCKING BLOWS...stay away! Not that this is a blog about my libido, but has anybody seen it? I can not find it anywhere? This seems to be a common side effect: "a small decrease in sex drive has been reported by a small percentage of women in our study..." Uh hello, no one said it would take a holiday!!!

However, that is nothing compared to the 11 pounds I put on in 2 months! E-L-E-V-E-N!!! This is where things get wacky. I am actually exercising 2X a day in prep for my triathalon. My diet is stellar and I STILL put on the weight. VERY VERY frustrating. I called up the doc and she said "A small percentage of women do gain weight rapidly for no apparent reason"! Reason? Jesus when they said weight gain was possible, I was thinking the normal 1-3 lbs a year (which most women gain regardless of being on BC). But 11 in 2 months? As an aside, why does everybody always use the word "small?" So I have made an appt to have the sucker removed even though it has only been 2 months. The nurse wanted me to wait and I was like HELLLLLLLLLLLL NOOOOOOOOO, do you want to see if I gain another 11?

So on that note I told Todd that I was giving up on sex...just not worth it. I take my chances with 11 pounds or take my chances with a screaming baby and stretch marks...hmmm abstinence doesn't seem all that bad anymore.

Confirmation of Candidature-COMPLETE

2006-08-31T09:24:00.000+10:00

Ah, thank GOD that is complete! My first year of work, condensed into 6 months. I had my doubts but somehow I pulled it off. It was the 4 months of writing condensed into 4 weeks that scared the shit out of me. So anyway, I am no longer a provisional student but a PhD candidate. Yeah!

The presentation went really well and I got a lot of good questions and criticism. I welcome it ALL! In the end it will only make my dissertation better. To celebrate, I took off Tuesday and played with the pups all day long and had a nap. However, now it is back to the grind. My project coordinator position ends in 2 months and I have a lot of stuff to finish before that time. Plus, I will be in the US for 2 weeks in October so that does not leave me a lot of wiggle room to wrap up a project that has been going on for 2 years.

In the mean time I will bask in my accomplishment as a form of earned procrastination:)

IT IS ABOUT TIME!

2006-08-25T09:39:00.000+10:00

Thank FUCKING GOD Plan B was finally approved. The rest of the world, including developing nations, have offered Plan B over the counter for years. Even Thailand is 10 years ahead of us. God we are pathetic...but perhaps we are making strides. Well maybe not a stride but a shuffle. Check out the article at CNN

Remembering N'Awlins

2006-08-24T09:38:00.000+10:00

It is really hard to believe that Katrina struck nearly a year ago. About this time last year me, Greta and Lori were having a great time in N'Awlins. I found this pic of me and Greta clowning around in the French Quarter. As you can see we were up to no good. We spent the day walking around the Quarter, attending various Happy Hours (we love the 3 drinks for the price of 1 special that abounded), meeting a Voodoo priestess, etc. I think back to the guy who took our picture and I wonder what happened to his studio. Is he there? Did he bail? The soul of NO is the people. The buildings are nice and all, but could NO ever be the same without its soul? Part of me wants to go back but part of me does not want to ruin the memory I have on NO.

I was reading in the Post the other day about where we are 1 year later when it comes to disaster preparation. Nearly 50% of those polled thought we were prepared for this years hurricane season. Uh hellooooo out there. NOTHING, Nada, Zip, has been done to the NO levies. They merely patched up the holes and most experts agree that a category 2 could easily destroy the levies. Great...such a stupid false sense of optimism my country has. Ick, makes me sick.

Weekend, wonderful weekend!

2006-08-19T09:14:00.000+10:00

It is a SUPER DUPER Saturday morning here in Bris-Vegas! Just spectacular. It is 9am and about 80 with sun outside. For the first time in months, I don't have to put my sweater on in the morning. Spring is on its way!

Casey is looking up from between my legs under the desk begging. "Where is my piece of kiwi fruit". He loves fruit, actually he loves anything for that matter. Cappy is asleep at the door keeping an eye out for dad to wake up. Ahhh, such a classic tv show morning. To top off that morning, I am going to write all day. Ick...not so nice. I am working on some revisions for next Mondays confirmation and I dread what Peter will give me next week.

To punish myself further I have given up bread for the next month. I am such a carb-o-holic that I can easily attribute the 5lbs (and tightness in the jeans) I have gained to bread. When I lost those 40lbs in 1999, I gave up bread and it just dropped off. My body is fucking addicted to that stuff. It sticks to my thighs. Not fair. It actually gets easier everyday, so I just have to stick with it.

Ekka day!

2006-08-15T10:09:00.000+10:00

Wed is a public holiday for Ekka (short for exhibition). Usually I am not into that kind of thing as I have a great fear of carnies, small children with ice cream, and ferris wheels. However, the thing is literally being held across the street from my work and it seems alright. Everyone goes and everyone really seems to like it. So I thought I would succumb to peer pressure and give it a try. It runs for 10 days with Aug 15th being the official day off. We are going to go to the dog show (I missed the golden showing last tues) which will be an "open" session of all dogs and pups. I am super excited about that. We are going with Phil and Glen who are Ekka experts. So this will be my first taste of the "REAL" Brisbane. Hey why not? Anything to get me away from this lit review!

Ah speaking of that. It is coming along. I am in super writing mode which is a god send. Sometimes it is sooooo hard to get started. The GIS component of my research is also coming along, thanks to UNESCO Bangkok for the map and Greta for her GIS expertise. At least that is one less thing I have to worry about.

We did go camping this past weekend up to Inskip Point on the Sunshine coast. We camped on the beach and played in the surf all day long, I even got a tan. It was beautiful and Todd's first taste of "tropical Queensland". I am trying to convince him that the rest of Australia is not like Brisbane. While the city is nice, it is not as tropical and restful as up north. The dogs had a blast playing in the water and Cappy was in it NON-STOP. We literally had to drag her out by her collar when it was getting dark. I swear she was taking a nap while she was floating. Strange dog.

Confirmation coming!

2006-08-08T19:32:00.000+10:00

Oh god, I am overwhelmed! My inital date for my candidature confirmation was supposed to be middle of November. However, due to a scholarship requirement for next year I have to be confirmed by August 31. So long story short, I am condensing 4 months of writing down to 4 weeks. Plus work a part time job, spend quality time with my husband and dogs, and find some time to sleep. This is turning out to be very difficult and tiring.

My office is filled with diagrams, flow charts, and literally a 2 meter stack of papers in one corner. If it fell over on a child, it would kill him. NO joke. Let's see what else...1 week of styrofoam coffee cups, an Everest size pile of water bottles, napkins, and coke cans. Lovely...it smells good in here too. Oh yeah, that must be the 1 week stack of gym clothes that I keep forgetting to bring home.

On that note, I am going to bed. I am whipped!

Madonna night at The Globe

2006-07-23T17:31:00.000+10:00

All I need to say is Madonna night at The Globe and show a couple of pictures; and the rest is pretty obvious. Greta and I had a great time dancing NON STOP! From the moment we arrived to the moment we left our feet were moving. IT was the best night out I have had in...well years! However the hang over the next day was BRUTAL ugh, just thinking about my headache gives me a headache. Eh, it was worth it!

Bad National Geographic!

2006-07-20T15:17:00.000+10:00

Nat'l Geographic got me all excited with news that Mei Xiang and Tai Shan were going to be on the cover of the July issue. Well it seemed that they don't know how to count. They held a poll on 3 potential covers and the "Rome" one got the most votes but under the panda cover it says "Editor's Winner". WTF? I got online last month and RENEWED my subscription soley for the purpose of seeing my panda on the cover of FUCKING National Geographic. But NOOOOOOOOOO...now I have a subscription for something I get for FREE in the library. Errrrrrr I am SOOOOOO MADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD! I want MY PANDA ON THE FRONT COVER! Who would vote for skulls over a panda face? Bastards...I hate you!

Now in case I have this all wrong, help me out. In Australia the cover for NG July is the picture of the skulls. Can SOMEBODY confirm that this is true for the US? I figured that there was only one edition...but I have been wrong before!

Picture Time!

2006-07-20T09:56:00.000+10:00

Here are some new pics to add to the collection!

Front Garden

Backyard Heart Garden

Cappers swimming

Bad Cappy who rolled in dirt after her swim (she is Todd's dog when she does that!)

Todd and Greter

Casey with a bun he found on his walk (did you know there is also a sock in there too!)

Material things I miss

2006-07-19T09:51:00.000+10:00

I don't miss the US per se, but I do miss some material things from the States. These are some things that I not only miss but CRAVE!

1. Black beans
2. York peppermint patties (I did find some at a "speciality chocolate" shop down town and I bought a bag for $15.00! YOWZA...I used to buy a bag at CVS for $0.99)
3. Bath and Body works Rosemerry/Peppermint body wash and lotion
4. A-1 Steak Sauce
5. Girdelli brownies
6. Playtex tampons
7. Mom's chicken pot-pie
8. Listranni's pizza
9. Good coffee
10. Roosevelt Island
11. Inexpensive paperback books (I have no IDEA why books are so expensive over here!)
12. Ditropan XL for my overactive bladder (not approved and never will be)
13. Inexpensive CDs
14. Whole Paycheck (I mean Whole Foods)
15. Being able to get to another major city quickly (not possible in Oz)
16. Last but not least my friends

In all fairness, these are some things I LOVE about Brisbane
1. Close to the best beaches
2. All the fresh fruit and veggies you can eat
3. Excellent wine (and very affordable)
4. No huge crowds
5. Lots of space
6. Perfect weather
7. Close to Greta
8. 36 hour work weeks (well ok, not for me at least)
9. No hustle and bustle of DC
10. Clean air
11. Being able to afford a yard AND be a student at the same time
12. Line drying my clothes (no one owns a dryer in Queensland!) and feeling evironmentally responsible for doing so.
13. Ease of recycling everything
14. Composting
15. Year round garden of veggies and flowers
16. New friends

Power and Sex: Sex in the city?

2006-07-13T14:45:00.000+10:00

I have been inspired by Foucault to add another dimension to my studies of Cambodian adolescent health. Adolescents, particularly female adolescents, are vulnerable to power differentials. I am curious how this tranlates into sexual encounters and the decision making process of whether or not to have sex. I am perplexed though because because I know so little of power and sexuality in my own culture I am not sure where to start in another. My mentors both agree that not addressing power and sex in my thesis would leave a big hole, so I have to find away to address it with what little knowledge I have of Khmer culture.

So what does Foucault think of sex? He believed that sex in the western world " has broken with the tradition of ars erotica and bestowed upon itself a scientia sexualis by adapting the ancient procedure of the confession to the rules of scientific discourse." While S.E.Asia, S. Asia, Rome, and to some extent the Middle East have enjoyed sex as erotica, the Western world got hung up in the belief of sex as a dirty sin. This was no coincidence as after the Enlightenment there was also the rise of the church and the redemption of confessions. The confession has spread its effects far and wide; we confess our crimes, our sins, our thoughts and our desires. Whatever is most difficult to tell we offer up for scrutiny with the greatest precision. We confess in public and in private to parents, educators, doctors, loved ones in pleasure and in pain, things that would be impossible to tell anyone else. The confession can be voluntary or wrung from a person by violence or the threat of it. Sex, albeit hidden we are told, has been the privileged theme of confession from the Christian penance to the present day. We have made sex "scientific" and something to be analyzed. He was very interested in why we even talk about it and for that matter so am I. We talk about it but usually in medical terminology and negatively. In Thailand for example it is something very private but also pleasantly mysterious. Perhaps talking about it would lessen this privileged locus?

While Foucault did not believe in sex being repressed per se, but what is repressed is the act itself. In Victorian times anything pleasurable was repressed including sex. Therefore sex outside of marriage, outside of the bedroom, outside of the purposes for procreation was greatly frowned upon. Subsequently the only outlets for repressive feelings were the shrinks office and prostitution. Then the government got interested in sex and it all went downhill. So how come we can talk about it, but not really talk about it? This is an important issue I want to address with these female adolescents. I want to know where the power lies in discussing sex and the act of having sex. Who has the power? Who/what represses? Discourse is important because, language and knowledge are closely linked to power. Speech and writing are not simply the communication of facts that occurs in a vacuum. As important as what is said is who decides what is said. Foucault develops a complex body of thought out of the old saying that "knowledge is power." Whoever determines what can be talked about also determines what can be known. Whoever determines what can be known effectively determines how we think and who we are. According to Foucault, then, language and knowledge always have a political edge. So is relation to my question, who are those who hold the knowledge about sex in Khmer culture and how do they control it. Since they control the knowledge they also control the power. As they say "knowledge is king"!

Happy Birthday to Tai Shan

2006-07-09T19:13:00.000+10:00

My big boy is 1! Happy birthday big guy. I miss you and I can't wait to see you this fall. I hope your fruitcicle rocks and you get lots of presents. Check out the link to the Post about his birthday party.

Missile and Dicks

2006-07-05T11:00:00.000+10:00

Ah yes, I believe some posturing is going on between N. Korea and the USA. N. Korea is saying look at how big my dick, I mean missile, is and look at it fly. Only it didn't. It went limp...how embarrassing. W on the other hand sounded like a complete fool in his press conference when he said (and I quote) "A missile test by a hostile nation is a bad thing and we will have to look into it further." Hmmmm, I think we all know that W, thanks. Of course W's penis is quite small, so he sends Rumsfeld and Cheney out to display theirs. However, Korea does not seem impressed. So here we are. A bunch of men with small peniss' and big missiles. I believe this is a recipe for disaster.

Now a woman would get on the phone and be like "Bitch, why do you have to be so agro? Why you got to flaunt your shit in front of my man? Probabably fake too...Yeah that's right, I called your missles fake. No REAL missile would stand straight up like that... Oh you want to scrap? Bitch be at the corner in 2 minutes and I will bust your ass!" That is how women would do it. With their fingernails and hair pulling. Fair and square.

All I have to say is Katia for North Korean Ambassador!

My heart garden

2006-06-29T10:36:00.000+10:00

Some girls get flowers and chocolate from their man, I get a whole garden. Yes, I am lucky. Who needs flowers that last a week when I can have a Mediterranean garden! Todd is growing me eggplant, pumpkin (ok, Australian), cucumber, basil, tomato, and blue flowers along the edge. My favorites! What makes it even better is that I have someone else weeding and watering it. This is a picture taken a month ago but with all the rain it has grown quickly. I am so spoiled!

Phuket Laguna Triathlon

2006-06-26T14:48:00.000+10:00

So I am toying with the idea of doing the Phuket Triathlon in December. I really, really, really, want to complete an Olympic distance triathlon this year, but the Australian race scene is very quiet at the end of the year. Could it be because it is summer and oppressively hot? I wager to guess "yes". So I was checking out the rules and under the running section it says that "you may run, walk, or crawl on the run section of the race." Holy smokes...CRAWL? Jesus, what kind of race is this anyway? I was pretty impressed to read that the winner gets an elephant ride. Oooooh an elephant ride. I wonder if the loser gets a panda.

In the news

2006-06-22T09:48:00.000+10:00

Well it seems inevitable, DC is going to blow up. Who wants to bet that North Korea has their missile locked in on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave? I am willing to put my money on it. Let's see what else, 2 soldiers were found dead in Iraq from apparent torture (according to the Post "barbaricaly tortured"). They were 23 and 25...nice. Iran is well on their way to fueling up the next test missile. Who wants to guess where that will be targeted at? The WHO announced that even though we have spent trillions of dollars in HIV/AIDS mitigation, we really have nothing impressive to show for it. What I want to tell the fucking WHO and all these other rich nations is that FIRST and FOREMOST you must address poverty. If a mom has to have sex to feed her kids, guess what prick head male leaders,...she is going to prostitute herself. No amount of bible speak or Christian rhetoric is going to stop her child from crying of hunger. WAKE UP! I would do it and so would most of you.

On that note, I am a bit distressed over my own research. I just read a bulletin put out by UNESCO which talks about reproductive health programs in South East Asia. Not good news. Basically, NGO's are pumping in huge amounts of money but the poverty is so overeaching that safe sex and family planning take a back seat. Unfortunately, women who have lots of kids are in poverty. Such a viscous cycle! So where does that leave me? I have no idea. How can I address reproductive health in a country where poverty has only INCREASED since they became liberated from the Khmer Rouge. Capitalism has done nothing (surprise surprise) to help Cambodians...especially women. So I feel like I am merely putting a band-aid on a femoral hemorrhage. How can I convince readers that RH is an important issue, if I don't really think it is anymore?

On a good note, researchers in China believe that there are more pandas in the wild then previously thought. Through DNA testing of panda feces they are able to track migration, numbers, and mating. I love DNA! Now that is one good piece of news!

The biggest birth event of the year!

2006-06-14T13:19:00.000+10:00

Many of you are thinking Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie...no try again. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes? Nope! Amy and Tad Dunn take the front page with the new addition of baby Andy. Born May 26th at 7:05 am and came in at 8lb 12oz. Love the black hair! Ooooh how cute! Cody is now a proud brother! Congratulations to all of you guys!

Speaking of birthday, Happy birthday to my Cappers...she is 2!

Queen's Birthday

2006-06-13T09:56:00.000+10:00

We had an excellent long weekend, which we celebrated in style. For the first time in months, we actually got some rain. It POURED on Saturday, which was a welcome sight. By Sunday it was clearing and we decided to head down to the Brisbane Botanical Gardens. The gardens are next to the river and it was a lovely morning alone...without any dogs. We had some coffee and lunch down town before heading back up to the house for some massive cleaning. Being that it was super wet and muddy on Saturday, you can imagine the state of our floors with 2 dogs by Sunday afternoon. Yeah, you don't have to imagine to hard. So we cleaned and cleaned on Sunday afternoon...all day...for a long time. Then I made a tasty snapper dinner and we went to bed early, very nice.

Monday was a beautiful day for a BBQ. We had Greta and Mr. T up plus our new friends Phil and Glen. They brought over their dogs too and we had a great time. We ate and drank for 5 hours. Then we topped off the day with an intense round of Bocci Ball in the park. Such a nice weekend. It sucks to be back in my office with no wine and cheese for lunch. Damn these long weekends!

Adventures in Brisbane

2006-06-07T11:28:00.000+10:00

So Todd is in Hawaii doing what he needs to do and I am in Brisbane watching the homefront. How hard can that be? Sheesh I am super woman! My GOD when does he return! I am doing well but damn this single parent shit sucks.

Let's sum up some of my adventures:

I left Bruce (the beta) too close to the stove top the morning after Todd left. His glass bowl was really cold and I guess the heat contraction was just too much. I heard a crack and a hiss, as I was turning on my new vacuum for the first time, and I could not figure out what the noise was from. As soon as I walk in, his glass bowl falls apart and Bruce cruises across the hot range on his way to the floor. I save him off the hot burner and dump him in the dogs water dish. Well the dogs loved that. Fish in the bowl and nasty algae water EVERYWHERE. Being water dogs, they start playing in the water on the floor and continue to get really frisky and chase each other around the house. Meanwhile I have the bowl above my head trying to save Bruce from the dogs. I run across the floor to escape the dogs and I slip on the water which sends me hurtling into the family room. However Bruce remained unharmed. I still have to clean up the algae foot prints. Bruce was ok but a little stunned. The dogs were happier then pigs in shit, covered with algae water and chewing the sea grass. Nice...

I later try out my super duper vacuum. Serious Electrolux stuff. I spared no expense on this one. This shit has a car motor in it which means super suction power and heavy use. I need both in this house. I turned it on and went around the corner to move a chair and the puppy got to close. Sucked half of his little body right up. I was seriously afraid I would have to retrieve him in the HEPA filter. He was freaked out as I was trying to get his leg out of the hose. It didn't occur to me to turn off the vacuum first. Fucking house work...not for me! I nearly sucked up the dog.

So after a few days without Todd, cereal for breakfast was getting old. I decided to go marketing and fix myself something warm. I found my way around the supermarket ok and proceeded to cook myself a nice meal. I bake, not cook mind you. I burned the chicken, turned the broccoli into paste, and charred my potato. The potato caught on fire and I had to throw it out the window. The puppies thought that was great! Now there are bits of charred potato all over the yard. I ended up ordering pizza, it was safer.

I almost washed ANOTHER gecko! I saved him though. That will learn him for hiding in my sock. Todd would never forgive me!

Cappy is moping that Todd is gone and she insists on sleeping on the couch. She is clever and gets up there at 3am when I am not around. Last night I put on her Frontline behind her neck. Guess what slept on their back on the couch last night? Yeah...you are right. The couch is now ruined and I already am pricing having it re-upholestered. That oily mess will never come out. Great...

On a better note, we did get our crate and I put the bed together all by myself! I put the allergy cover on, set up the frame, and hoisted the oversized queen mattress on it myself. I am so proud of myself.

Introducing...

2006-05-29T10:35:00.000+10:00

Todd and I have been engaging in un-protected sex and we created a puppy. IF ONLY! Actually, the truth is we fell in love with his big black eyes and decided to take him home with us. His name is Casey and he is a 12 week old golden (weird, another golden.) Cappy hates him. She is so jealous yet aloof at the same time.
She refuses to accept my pets/scratches when he is close by. Either I give her my full attention or none at all...she is such a diva. Oh well, she will come around. After all, how many first born children like their siblings at first? Not too many.

Dad is Bailey-the dark golden
Mom is Lilley-the light golden
and Casey is the little guy

Casey is from the country, about 1.5 hours south/west of Brisbane. He is very scared of cars and the noise from the cross walk signal. Not too many of those out in the bush. It is ironical that we got him. His grand father came from America (only 4 registered American Golden Retrievers in Queensland) and his mom is an Australian golden. The difference is that the American type are darker in color and bigger. The Australian (actually English type) are smaller and very light in color. He will fall somewhere between we think. He has a great manner and he is such an attention hog. Not like Cappy at all. Even as a pup, she was not very attention needy or cuddly. He is all that and more! We love him, even though he is a winger!

Ah yes, the literature review

2006-05-24T11:19:00.000+10:00

Dun, dun, dun...it has arrived. Time to sit down and really comb through the literature. Ugh, my procrastination abilities are in full swing. I have re-laced all my running shoes, cleaned my trash can with a q-tip, clipped the dog's nails, browsed the internet for further ways to procrastinate, and now I am blogging. I just can't seem to organize my thoughts as to what I need to extract from all the readings. My mentor tells me that I should be asking critical thinking questions about the current literature and what methods they used. Oh GOD, that could take me years to ask questions like that! I am despairing, what do I do?

Supposedly the lit review is 1/3 of my PhD work. Greaaaaat...so in other words, don't fuck it up.

I am so tired it is pathetic. I have been going to bed at 7pm (hmmm, sub-conscious procrastination?) and sleeping until 7am. 12 hours...huh? Who needs that much sleep? Certainly not someone who sits in front of a computer all day! I really knocked my head last week and I am wondering if that might have something to do with it. After my run in (no pun intended) with the bike last week I have been unable to run. So I popped on the elliptical trainer for a workout. Nearly killed myself! I bent down to scratch my leg and the handles (which move with your feet, and my feet were still moving) knocked me on the head and I fell off the machine. I have a huge bump on my head and sometimes it throbs. Exercise is going to kill me! Sheesh, I can't even procrastinate by exercising!