Sunday, November 23, 2008

The First Free Week

This has been a fairly good week for me. The first week of liberation from the drudgery of university life has been quite rewarding. I was worried that I wouldn't have anything to do over the summer, but that has been sorted out. I even managed to get a good dose of classical music along the way.

On Tuesday, I went to a guitar recital put on by my neighbour, Chris. He was doing a graduate diploma in music and has just finished his program. The last thing he had to do was a recital to pass. It was very interesting as he played a selection that cut across many genres. I've listened to him play all year and it was nice to finally hear the whole thing start to finish. He really is an excellent musician. He's leaving Fenner for good as he has completed his program and I'll miss his guitar music.

I found out that ACTTAB wants to keep me on as a casual employee indefinitely. I'm quite glad as this gives me something to do over the summer and is pretty well paying. It also means that I have a job throughout the school year. It's pretty sweet; the betters do most of the work for you. I'll also, at some point, join the union. It's good to have something to do and feel that you are part of a team.

Using some new found wealth I got from my Melbourne Cup Day pay (10.5 hours at double pay), I bought a new mobile (cell) phone. I decided to get a Motorola Motorazr V3xx. When they first came out, I promised myself that I get a Motorazr and now I've fulfilled that promise. I'm keeping my old mobile as a back up, but this new phone is really great. It has a camera, a video camera, a voice recorder and a few other goodies. It also works on all frequencies worldwide, meaning I can take it anywhere. I'm looking forward to many years of good service with my Motorazr.

Today was an unseasonable cold day as a system moved through the region. It was so cold that the Snowy Mountains received, ironically enough, snow. It won't last long as temperatures are set to go back up again. It was a pretty miserable day with cold rain and a high of 15C. I hope everything warms up as I want to experience a real Aussie summer.

As if that wasn't enough, today the Australian national rugby league team lost to their New Zealand counterparts in the Rugby League World Cup championship. Australia and New Zealand compete in every sport and for Australians, there is nothing more humiliating than losing to the Kiwis. This is doubly so as rugby league was pioneered in Australia and is, more or less, an Australian sport. We'll see how long it takes Australia to live this down but in a sporting nation with long memories, it may be never.

Finally tonight, I've taken to going out some nights just to get out of the house, so to speak. Unfortunately, Canberra night life isn't the greatest and many nights the only thing open is the Casino. It's not that exciting but the food is alright. For one reason or another, Thursdays are the big night out for most people. Still, it would be nice to have some pubs open late at night. Maybe if I opened one, I could make a killing.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That's right, the Kiwis are overjoyed by their ever so sweet triumph ending Australia's 33-year domination in rugby. They are the world champions for the first time, as witnessed by 50,599rugby fans at Suncorp Stadium. The Kiwis are probably delirious from their victory and will take every opportunity to ensure that the Ozzies are aware of this win. Sport is a national obsession in both countries. The Kiwis want to savour this moment! They still are offended that Ozzies take credit for the creation of the Pavlova dessert in 1935 although the Kiwis published the recipe in 1926!