Tv to go

Just before I head overseas, it looks like a bunch of TV things I'm going to want to watch will be on. Torchwood, Dr Who, other interesting new shows I can't remember the names of, all the things I currently want to watch. I've decided I won't program my VCR because I'll run out of tape (even on long play) by week 2.5, plus some of these shows change start times from week to week. Instead, I'll show my mum how to record on my VCR and leave a list of times, channels and programs. Hopefully she'll remember most of the time.

Things I have eaten covered in chocolate

Why? Because I can.

licorice
red licorice
cherries
strawberries
melon (of various kinds)
cheese
all your usual chocolate bar fillings
coffee beans
red claw (Cherax quadricarinatus)
hmm, I know theres more, but I can't think of them at the moment

Things I am yet to try
ants
carrots
...you know, this list could go on for some time.

pouring with rain

Hmm. I think that some of you might think I'm in the UK already. Not so much - thats next week, I leave here on the 24th June and come back on the 20th July. However, it is pouring like I'm in the UK and I have a runny nose and sore throat. I'm aiming to get rid of that just in time to get somebody elses germs on the plane.

here I sit..

..when I could be at home. I was getting nothing done, so I decided to go home early, have a nap, then try to read through some work with more alertness. But I'd left my lights on and now my battery is flat. I'd left my lights on because it was overcast and raining this morning. Its still overcast and raining but now I am waiting in my office for the RACQ guy to ring and say he's arriving, so I can take my umbrella down into the cold wet weather and shiver at the crossing till he turns up to jump start the car. I'd get my father to do it but he has a miserable cold and I don't want him getting wet

my new job

Yes, I too will have a new job soon. The paperwork has gone through to the point that Leigh told me yesterday to expect something to sign soon and Lorraine (HOD secretary) showed me my new office in the hernia (aka the pod, or the black hole of calcutta). I will be sharing a rather small office with another junior lecturer. It has one small window (about a meter wide) in the corner of the room, facing east. The rest of the room is brick walled. When the lights are off and the shade is down, you can't see a thing. Still, better than some of the offices with no windows at all, or windows facing onto a brick wall about a meter away.

How much will I be earning? Umm, not sure, I think I'll be on academic A ranking. How long is the contract? Umm, possibly three years, will know when I get the contract.
What is the job? Umm, I've been told that for the next six months (probably) I'll be supporting lecturer A on Mon and Tues, Training grad students on the use of expensive lab equipment and otherwise monitoring and repairing said equipment on Wed. and supporting lecturer B on Thurs and Fri. By supporting lecturer, I think it will mean taking over lecturing certain subjects/sessions, running practicals, marking students work, tracking down information for curriculum design (which is what the lecturers are going to be doing while I do their lectures). Of course, not all of these at once or even all of these at all if thats not what they want - they only get me for 2x 8hr days a week each.
The grad student stuff is the part I'm most cheerful about, since I've been doing it for free while I did my PhD and now I'll be damn well paid and appreciated for it. It also means that I might be involved in some of the projects to the point that my name will end up on papers (without me having to write the papers :)
After the end of this year, I'll more likely be helping lecturer A for more of my time in semester 1, but the equipment supervision will most likely continue for the whole contract. I may also take over lecturing some other subjects (I forsee epidemiology) at certain points as we are really, really short staffed at present. Anyone want a job? BTW qualified & suitable physiologists will almost certainly be offered positions if they poke their noses in and enquire (we need about 6).

stardust

I found Neil Gaiman's Stardust novel in Big W for $2.95 on saturday. Good timing to actually read it before I see the movie. I always like to read the book before I see the movie, that way my imagination isn't stifled by the movie makers interpretation of how things look. Which it always is if I read the book afterwards.

finally, a video camera

I finally bit the bullet and bought a mini DV tape sony video (entry level model but thats all I need). I did much study on the issue and decided that I am not a prosumer, will primarily be using it on holidays where I do not have easy access to a computer for downloading and would like to play with editting later. So DV tape it is. Adding a spare 6hr battery, case and DV tapes piled a bunch more onto the price, but its still less than what I paid for my first and only digital still camera (now available for about $150). Tonight, as well as playing big city, I will be playing with my new video - it has touch screen controls and all! (Disclaimer to other big city players: I may be somewhat distracted tonight)

seconds from death...

At good header which also has the advantage of being true. I was housesitting last week and my massage therapist suggested I have a good soak in a warm bath with epsom salts to encourage my muscles to relax. So I did. Big bathtub, could lie down completely in it if I wanted to, very nice. Then I got out, pulled the plug and turned on the shower next to the bath to rinse off. I estimate I'd been out of the bathtub about 30 seconds when there was an almighty crash. My first thought was that the drainage pipe had pulled away from the bathtub and fallen over downstairs(I have no idea why I thought this). When I looked round the corner of the shower, I realised that a section of tiles had fallen off the wall and into the tub (50cm wide by 1.5m high). My next thought was "Crap. I've broken their bathroom." I would say it took me about 5 minutes to realise that all the tiles had fallen where my head had been, in quite a deep bath. At least deep enough to drown in if I had lost conciousness (my best case scenario for a bucket worth of large tiles falling on my head).