Logistics nightmare ...

Who can really complain after spending 18 months in Australia, the preceding 6 months in Ireland and attaining a passport full of stamps. I have had some amazing adventures and created a global life for myself. I have fallen in love with the best Down Under has to offer, who could complain. I can! I'm not engaged yet and the logistics of the wedding are mounting a strong opposition. We both ackowledge the nightmare it will be to get our parents, let alone our families, in the same place at the same time. Strictly by the numbers I win (23 immediate family members) to his 4. So we have to find a way to bring his family to where mine is.

So here in lies the issue - someone would need to be flown half way across the globe or everyone would need to be flown to a neutral locale halfway between (Hawaii anyone?). We were talking about it today. I want my family in attendance but there is no way economically that they can come to Australia. At least not for another 5 or 6 years. He wants his family there but there is no way his father will come to the US. There is also the economic constraint on both sides for such an undertaking. Both of our extended families would like to be included. We could do it on our own and just have receptions in both countries but then Levi would be killed. My older brother is giving me away, regardless of logistics. And as the domino effect states, once you let one family member in - they all want it. There is also the question of order, once we go back to Oz in December it will be at least 12 months before we resurface in the US, a bit too much of a delay for a reception.

So in conclusion (ha) there is no way to satisfy everyone, including us, so we will have to figure it out at another time.

Much study to do and things to get done.

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date ...

The day has called for adrenaline and chicken sans head so that is what I have provided. In that chaotic, semi escaped mental patient, atmosphere I will keep this short. My internship applications are gone - out of my hands. I should know what/if any internships I get by mid April - woot! Tmobile finally sent me two rebates for my and Levi's shiny RAZR phones - money woot! I have a week until the sky falls in and all of my term papers are do - woot! That means in 9 days all of my assignments will be done - woot!

Remind me later to recall for you the "The Great Hunt for A4 Envelopes and Stamps" and "The Yoga pop".

WOOT!

Perspective ...

Walking to dinner tonight I looked at the sunset over Staunton and realized that ....

The hill is riddled with small roofs and high church towers, sprinkled with trees and patches of left over snow. I think its all about perspective. To be standing in one of those yards all you see is the house on either side and the sky above. From the top of the mountain I can see the patterns of nestled buildings, the serenity of the sunset and the clouds, shadows playing on the grass, and the option of having something too far beyond to see. Where we are is the fishbowl and all we know but where we are going is the adventure, the fear, the anxiety of unknown. Climbing to perspective is the worlds smallest obstacle - staying is impossible for it is no longer unknown. I think I will keep climbing for as long as my legs will carry me and naive blindness will lead me.

I'll be your sherpa if you can let your reservations and regrets fall behind ...

Leap of faith ...

Theme of the night ...

It's been a long road
Getting from there to here
It's been a long time
But my time is finally near
And I can feel a change in the wind right now
Nothing's in my way
And they're not going to hold me down no more
No they're not going to hold me down
Cause I've got faith of the heart
I'm going where my heart will take me
I've got faith to believe
I can do anything
I've got strength of the soul
And no one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith, I've got faith
Faith of the heart
It's been a long night
Trying to find my way
Been through the darkness
Now I finally have my day
And I will see my dream come alive at last
I will touch the sky
And they're not going to hold me down no more
No, they're not going to change my mind
I've known a wind so cold, seen the darkest days
But now the winds I feel are only winds of change
I've been though the fire and I've been through the rain
But I'll be fine, oh yeah

Snowy, strangely strung

< My school in warmer months

With the semester nearing its end, there is much preparation to be done. By Tuesday all of my internship applications will be on their way to various government offices. Levi and I will be living at the farm over the summer break close to all of my sisters and just a short hours drive from my parents. I am going to take pictures constantly. I finally get to take Levi to Bell Isle and Browns Island on the James. Laying on the rocks in the summer is so peaceful and so much fun. Its just not getting swept into the current of the river and ending up in Alabama that you have to be careful about.

Throwing all of that out the window I am excited to move back to Oz, to move to Melbourne and build a life. It seems that some of our friends are getting sick of Lismore and migrating south as well so we can recapture some of the amazing fun from last year. Strapping sparklers to Lulu and watching her melt anyone?

I slept in this morning with snow falling outside and had a montage of strange dreams - I have yet to interperate them . But instead of recapping them here are some pictures of the snow.

Melting, sliding, slop ...

I think I love to lust or is it I lust to love? I know I love to fall - but that is typically down a waterfall, out of a plane, or off a mountain (and usually not on purpose). That is just a theoretical that crossed the path of my brain as it slowly melts down my spine.

I left my house at 9am, had work, meetings, and classes and now it is nearly midnight and I have not yet returned home. I am either dedicated or insane and I tend to lean towards the latter. That said - there is nothing I can do to get back the many hours lost in this day. Its nearly April and we had an ice storm yesterday, it is still snowing in Boone, and it was 40 degrees for the better part of today. I must have misread my map or calendar - either we are in Alaska or it's January.

Next semester as I return to gloriously claim not one - but two diplomas, Levi will be in Washington D.C schmoozing with politicians and diplomats. And then we will globe trot through the UK and Europe and return to Oz with souveniers as late xmas presents and a very hurried plan of finding a job, a school, housing, and a car in Melbourne. Where the weather is never predictable, even after the fact.

Brain melting ... sliding .... slop ....

Cycling is the new breathing ...

Everything works on a cycle. For example China works on a 200 year cycle and has stuck to it since 300 A.D. There is approximately 50 years of growth, improvment, and peace. 50 years in a plateau, 50 years in decline, and 50 years of unrest and civil war. They are currently 3/4 the way through their half century of growth and are starting to plateau.

The job market and supply and demand of labor is also on a cycle. Across the Western world (principally the US, UK, AUS, etc) the Baby Boomer generation is about to retire. Beyond the serious questions this raises about the longevity of the social security system in the US - this will create a large void of experieced, educated people in industry and business. This also create a once in a lifetime advantage for people graduating from high education in the next several years to fill that gap.

To help me dogpile on top I have a stack of internship applications waiting to be mailed in, I frequently check the employment listings in Melbourne to see what types of jobs in what types of sectors are opening for what types of salaries, and I am accrueing a nice pile of recommendation letter from international sources.

Pre-Real World Senior-itis: the anxiety and nervouses regarding leaving the comfort zone of College and embracing the big bad world of independence and bills. (Been there, done that - now I am just hunting a job I can stand and that pays well enough to pay off my education).

Week in retrospect ...

The weekend that rang of normalcy, adult behavior, and family unity led into a beautiful monday of true spring weather. I have to say it was slightly disrupted by the freezing wind of Tuesday, family drama from Florida and diminishing bank account.

The cursed car has struck again. At auction it did not sell, can't you just hear the shock in my voice, so I called AAA and had it towed to the farm. Like many things with this car - it was supposed to be free but wasn't. Long story short, it will take me 6 weeks of paperwork and waiting to recoop the $90.

With two meetings under my belt and the compliment of being "the most prepared advisee" ever to grace Dr. B's office - I am squared away to graduate. I have taken diverse (and sometimes pointless) classes all over the world and bs'd my way into getting them counted for credit. Next semester I have to write TWO senior thesis's (one in Comparative Politics and one in Asian Studies). But beyond two 30 page original thought analysis papers I only have to take History of Jazz and Peacemaking: Gandhi and Nonviolence to complete my 4.5 years in higher education. Two degrees in less than 5 years ain't half bad.

Baldwin is bustling with preparations for the housing lottery and class registration for next year. I am aiming for a single room again, for the privacy that I have become so accustomed to. I have already had three different students stop by my room to say that they are going to be living in my current single room when lots are drawn for next year. I have three term papers to finish in the next fortnight. JI: Where they came from, where they are going, and how they will effect relations between the US and SouthEast Asia. Then I have an analysis of Colin Powell and why he is overly qualified to be President but why he has said he will never take the job. The final paper is for my Women & Politics class about the disparity in funding for women and mens medical research.

Happy St. Patricks day to everyone in the green and blue world. I have already rented Boondock Saints - it's tradition!

Monday I should have said ...

Monday was 85 degrees. The sun was shining, everyone's mood was improved and I finally got an opportunity to wear my Australia: Everything is better down under tank top/singlet.

Spending the weekend at Hope and Mikes was peaceful. Taking walks around the lake with Mike and the dogs and Ethan passed out in his pouch. Mike and I shot the shit and Hope and I finally got a chance to catch up. Have you ever wondered how much influence science fiction tv shows from the 60's and 70's (like Star Trek and Lost in Space) had on inventors of today. I mean the correlation is obvious between the communicate that Kirk used and flip phones of today. How much insight Gene Rodenberry had when writing Star Trek about technology that was in no way considered possible at the time. OK I ADMIT IT! - I am a trekkie, its in my genes. The political world at the moment can be interperated in so many varied ways that its fun to debate them and try to gleam someone biases.

Friday night Mary, Kevin, Travis, Kat, Andy, Sinque, Joey, and I all got together to play pool and drink at Murphys. I only had two drinks because the evening was split by a trip back to the farm to bottle feed the baby goats. But it was fun and actually adult - kinda, Mary got hammered. Mary's family party the next night was fairly peaceful, everyone talking and relaxing, toddlers running around hiding under desks, infants pointing at eachother curiously. The high point of the night was right before Hope, Mike, and I left. Ethan (4 months) was fussy and Jayson (3 years) leaned in and said "Don't cry Ethan, there's no crying in baseball". None of us knew the last time he saw A League of Their Own but it was one of the first times in a long time that we all (exluding Mercy) laughed together for a simple reason. I came back up on Sunday with Hope, Mike, and Ethan and we had lunch at the Crackerbarrel. Being back at school has a sombering effect on me but that should change next semester.

Crash into me ....

Far from the light dusting of snow from Monday morning, today was a gorgeous spring day in the upper 60's. In true Staunton fashion there should still be at least one large snow fall before April but I am revelling in the spring-like weather. The weekend in Richmond should hopefully be "normal".

I watched Crash tonight - I have to say it definately deserved the Oscar. Scenes make you laugh, make you hesitate, and make you uncomfortable in a well drawn sequence. The movie illustrates the karma, interconnectedness, and fear driven racism of society. It is definately worth buying or at least renting.

It's 3am, time to sleep.

The human body - an interconnected web ...

Did you ever watch that kids science show with the guy in the body suit that had all of the internal organs and vascular system on it? Not as good as Bill Nye the Science Guy, but it has a certain creepyness that I can only relate to HR Puff & Stuff.

I knew this would happen, I knew the second I finalized traipsing down to Richmond for the weekend I would get swamped with work. It's Mary's birthday and I am actually healthy and legal enough to go and play pool shots for shots at Murphy's. So I should stay at school and write outlines and do research for any one of the three term papers I have due in a month - so what! Anyway, so it's 1:45 am and I am in the computer lab, far from my television, bed, and snacks. I have 71 more pages to summarize and write personal responses for before 9:25 tomorrow morning. There was a CD stuck in the public computer that is a pretty good mix so I have been moving swiftly.

The reason I bring up the body guy is because the more tired my brain is getting, the more my right leg starts to throb. It freaking hurts and is quite bizarre. The worst I have done to myself in the last week is stub my toe (left foot) in Yoga on tuesday (don't ask how, just know I am talented) - so I don't think this is my fault. At least not directly.

Well that was the only 2 minute break I get for the next two hours so I hope you enjoyed it.

As an aside, none of SCU's websites are working - curious, I hope the school didn't burn down.

SPRINGsippyBREAKbaby

Far from being "Girls Gone Wild - Cancun", my spring break consisted of sippy cups, time outs, and diapers. I can describe my week as - fashion by indigestion and perfume by formula. I have been back at school for a few days and it is strange not to have cherrios stuck to my sock from the toddler or to constantly have an infant on my hip as I try and wrangle his brother. Not your typical college spring break, I had a great week. I gained a lot of perspective and it was a compelling break from term papers, exams, and meetings.

Getting up at 8am with either a 3 year old showing me his boogers or an infant crying, strategically taking my shower during breakfast and bottle time so no one would get cranky. Planning my breakfast around Dora the Explorer and Blues Clues. Playing in the backyard on sunny days, trying to negotiate nap times and squeeze all of my administrative phone calls into a half hour block. I have a new respect for housewives or single parents, like my sister. In my first few days back at school I felt like I should still be holding the infant, had this sense that if the toddler wasn't in my line of sight then he must be getting into something, possibly sticky.

I did have dinner with Victoria on tuesday, we laughed, reminisced, and had a nice chat with our waiter about jet lag and flight times. I convinced her that once I move back to Oz she is coming to visit and staying for a while. I even pitched to her the idea of studying or working for 6 months. I spent the night at Hope and Mike's on wednesday and we laughed so hard we were all three in tears. I am glad that all of my sisters have spawned - it gives me a lot of breathing room. It will make it a lot harder to leave though.

Sex, drugs, and rock and roll - or a lack there of ...

Before "Spring Break" I was ready to say "hi, my name is Liz and I'm a blog-aholic", but now having taken more than a week off of blogging I can justifiably hide my addiction. Over the break I turned 21, but I didn't get wildly drunk and pass out on a pool table as many of you predicted. My party doubled as an inheritance hand out, shocking family annoucement hour, and my entire family being sardined into a can of one room. My sister made a deliciously inventive mint cake and it was good to touch base with some siblings over the sounds of screaming children, something that is becoming more and more common at family events.

I stayed back after the bulk of the family left and played cards with my sister, brother in law, and friend. Levi and I have gotten them addicted to an Australian card game called "Jo" (No, Levi was not in attendance). I had a shot of rum with Travis just before Kevin drove me back to Joey's. I hate rum, I ditest rum, I once drank WAY TOO MUCH rum. But that was a long time ago and is a good segway into why I didn't get blind drunk on the day when I finally could legally.

I have been drinking legally since I was 18, just not in the US. I worked at a pub when I lived in Ireland, I lived with 5 irish guys - I drank excessive amounts and partied to my hearts content. I still get taunted because I am the only one Mary knows who has ever ordered Sex on the Beach by the pint - mmm yummy! From there I moved to Australia, drank less and less until I drank practically none over the 18 months I was there. I have done it, I am over it. I enjoy driving in general so typically I end up staying sober so others can get plastered. I mean being the DD afforded me the priviledge of driving Peter's Alfa Romeo convertible - this setup is working to my advantage.

On the actual day I slept in, played with the munchkins and lazed about. I got some phone calls from Oz, Megan and Levi's parents. I was shocked how my ear has untuned itself to the Aussie accent, Megan was suprised at how honky I sounded so I guess we are even.

As my birthday was out of character for many of my contemporaries, so was my spring break.