Finishing Uni

It's official! I've passed my Bachelor of Science (Environment and Health) degree.

It's such a relief for it to be over and I'm very glad to see that I'd passed everything. I was worried it might be close for Health Promotion Settings as I just scraped by with the first assignment (which was worth 20%). Now I've just got to focus on my job now. I might go back to uni next year. I'd still like to study something else, maybe do a masters if I can. I'll just have to see how it goes. For now though, I'm just going to relax.

Flat Photos

The front door of my flat. Number 27 on the first floor.

The lounge area.

The Kitchen (more of a kitchette I guess).

The bedroom.

The ensuite.

The views of the range is right outside my window.

Here today, knicked tomorrow

Last night was the second night that I spent in my new place. I spend the evening cataloguing the many changes to the inspection report that the property manager did not include. I don't think that she actually inspected the flat since the last person moved in as there were some rather big changes. It was a quiet and unevenful evening. Or at least I thought it was. This morning when I left the flat I looked up at the hills. They were sparkling a burnt orange that is so common for the range. It was quite a lovely sight. My eyes moved down the range, to the stairs and I started to walk towards them. My eyes moved down to my bike. Actually, they didn't. I should say that my eyes moved down to where I'd left my bike the previous evening. My eyes moved down to where my bike should have been this morning. It wasn't there. The previous evening I'd chained the bike up to the railings. Someone had obviously been able to bust the lock on my chain and then knicked my bike. It appeared that none of the other bikes outside any of the other units had been touched. It was just mine. I'd like to say that I was suprised, outraged and offended by the theft. The truth though was that I wasn't in the least bit surprised. It was not a shock. While I was mildly annoyed it was due more to the inconvenience of having to walk to work in the hot sun. Alice Springs is no longer a safe town. I'd been hearing people tell me this ever since I'd arrived. The guy I replaced had two push bikes and one motorbike stolen in the three or so years he was in town. It was almost expected. I don't hold much hope of ever seeing it again. Not that the person who took it will probably hold on to it. They probably just took it, rode it for a short distance and then dumped it somewhere. When I bring my car out here I'll have to make sure it has full insurance. As for another bike. I won't be getting one any time soon. Instead I'm thinking that I should just buy some rollerblades instead. That way I can lock them up in my apartment at night. Welcome to Alice Springs!

From Hong to the Hills.

Today I finally moved the last of my stuff from the departmental house in Hong Street into my new flat. One suitcase, one large backpack, two small backpacks, five boxes, two crates, six plastic bags and I left the partridge in the pear tree as I couldn't be arsed carrying it up the stairs. My flat is on the first floor. It's basically one big room that is cut in two (by a wardrobe) with a bathroom off to one side. It is semi-furnished with a sofa, dining table, bed, fridge, etc. It's big enough for me although now I've got to go shopping for more things to fill it with. First on the list is a massive wide screen digital LCD television and xbox. Of course, with only a push bike to carry things on I think I might have to leave that until after Christmas when I have my car out here. Might make things a bit easier.

Little-button Quail (Turnix velox)

Button Quail, originally uploaded by Ryan McLean.

He may be have a funny hair style, but he's as cute as a button.

Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus)

Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus), originally uploaded by Ryan McLean.

It may be called horridus, but really it's quite cute.

My first day as an EHO

Today the culmination of three years of university study. Today I began my new career as an Environmental Health Officer. Actually, today was like many others that I've had in the four months or so that I've been here with the exception that I'm now responsible for sampling of vector insects in areas of high risk in Alice Springs. That basically means that I go out to the swamp and set traps for mozzies. After I'd sent them up to Darwin it was back to my usual administration role. I'll be doing the two jobs for a little while while I'm learning what I'm supposed to do as an EHO. Over the next couple of weeks I'll also be going out on inspections with the others in the office. Now for the steep learning curve, let's hope I can make it up!

House Hunting

The house prices in Alice Springs are ridiculous. It was good to hear someone else voicing my views. I was standing in line at the real estate office listening to the rental manager explain why it wasn't the fault of the real estate agents (even though they 'value' the properties and give their prices to the owners) but instead it was the property owners who thought they could get what ever they asked for. It made me smile. Everyone appears blameless. When I left Alice Springs I though that prices were expensive. It might have just been my wage making everything look out of reach but now I've returned I realise that now things are ridiciously expensive.

I'm house hunting at the moment. To share, or not to share. That is the question. But what is the answer. I don't know. Sharing has its benifits. Instead of paying full price for a rental plus utilities you only pay a part of it. Most of the share places are around $200 a week where you share with 2 or 3 others (including the bathroom). The cheapest one bedroom rental property is $250 plus utilities. I don't know which I should choose. On one hand you get everything included but you have to share with 3 strangers. On the other you have to pay out even more money which drastically reduces your savings. In the end it came down to 'eenie, meenie, minee, mo! With that I'd chosen to get my own place and not share. That is the plan at the moment. I'm supposed to be spending a bit of my time out bush as part of my job so it might be a lot to spend if it turns out I'm not there much. For the next few months though I'll be in Alice learning the ropes so I'm sure it will be nice to have my own place and be able to do what I want when I want. We'll have to see how it all goes. It's so hard to see if the right decision has been made when you don't know what the future holds. I guess I've just got to wait and see.

Finishing uni and continuing work

Last week was exam week. My last exam was all about Health Promoting Settings. Stewart was kind enough to 'invigilate' my exam for me. As I pushed my chair back from the desk after writing my final paragraph, my had was aching and my head was spinning. If all went well, I told myself, that was the last exam of my degree. It was a sobering thought. I only had one assignment to complete before it would all be over. That assignment took me the rest of the week and most of the weekend to finish but when it was over, it was over. It didn't feel it though. When I was at uni and finished an exam or assignment there was great relief. Not this time though. This time it didn't really feel as if I had finished. Of course my evenings were a lot more relaxing afterwards. I could sit down and watch telly and let my mind just fade away into oblivion. Before I'd be up until the wee hours (or at least around 10 or 11 o'clock) doing my readings, writing notes or drafting assignments, or at the very least thinking about what I needed to do. But it didn't feel like I'd finished. I guess that's because I'm now working full time (and have been over the last semester). Uni took a bit of a back seat in things as work took over. Now I've got to wait until my results. Then I'll see if I can get the bit of paper to make me and EHO. In the meantime, I start work as an EHO on the first of December. No relief, just fear.

Taking Procrastination to a new level

I just bought a new vaccum cleaner in order to clean my house better the next time I procrastinate. As it's coming up to exams it's needless to say that my house is the cleanest it has ever been!

The mystery of the missing wheelie bin

It was about 1:30 in the morning when I awoke to a loud banging sound. It took me a few minutes to realise what it was. As I looked outside I saw a group of around 7 or 8 kids milling about outside the front of the flats. I say kids but they were probably around 15 or 16 years old. The banging continued. It sounded like they were trying to break down the fence that stood at the end of the row. Why? Who knows. I'm sure they didn't even know, it was just something to do. I was just wondering if I should tell them to leave when one of the neighbours yelled out of her bedroom window that they should move along. After a short argument (with lots of short four letter words) the boys departed into the street with my neighbours wheelie bin where they proceeded to make a racket for the next 15 minutes or so giving each other rides and chasing each other up the street. When they got tired of that, they went on their way. When I first moved into this flat my wheelie bin was missing. I'm pretty sure I know what happened to it now. Lucky my replacement was full of stinky rubbish otherwise I think they would have taken mine as well. Lucky I forgot to put it out to be emptied this week.

The Floating City and Sydney

Floating City, originally uploaded by Ryan McLean.

Overnight this ship docked at Circular Quay. It dwarfed the ferries below and even stood it's own against the skyscrapers. You can see why they are called floating cities.

Visiting my new Niece

The next morning before the city had started to rise (it was about 8 o’clock but it was a Saturday bear in mind), I was sat on a train heading for Newcastle, to visit my new little niece (and of course Lewis and Naomi). It was a nice train ride up there. You leave Sydney through the back end before turning north. Before you know it you’re travelling through forest and along the Hawkesbury River. I arrived at the station and, with the help of my iPhone map application, found my way to Lewis and Naomi’s door. Inside Edie was just waking up and before I knew it I was holding her. She certainly was small. She just sat in my lap and stared up at me. I thought I was facinating her but it turns out that it was just the light she was looking at. At the moment to her, I'm just a blur. I’d arrived early so Lewis was out on a bike ride. He returned before long and we went out for lunch at one of the local cafés.

After lunch Lewis and Naomi took me out to the local wetlands centre. They'd been past it many times but as I was there they thought that they'd go in and have a look. The wetlands were filled with birds. There were sacred ibis, splendid fairy-wrens, welcome swallows, many other species of bird all living in the wetlands. I took lots of photos as we walked around. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

Lewis and Edie

A Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena)

Lewis and Naomi with Edie


Lewis and Naomi going for a stroll

We left the park when it started to rain and headed back home. After gorging myself on many mulberries from the tree in their backyard, I headed back down to Sydney.

To the Zoo

The next day I went to Taronga Zoo. Taronga Zoo is perched on the hill on the banks of Sydney Harbour. The zoo had everything that one would expect in a zoo. Lions, tigers, giraffes, elephants, seals, penguins, kangaroos, birds and reptiles. What I really enjoyed was the setup that they have for the platypus. There was a massive tank set up like a creek bed. It was well put together and the platypus was swimming up and down. The Australian Nocturnal house was good although it made me wonder. They had the sounds of the night being piped in to the background. I think that they must have been going for show rather than realism as on several occasions the wail of a coyote came through the speakers as I stared at ring-tailed possums and phascogales. A coyote is not something you expect in the Australian bush. By the end of the day I was exhausted. Another day of walking, but well worth seeing (again).

A cormorant sunning itself in the aviary

An Indian Myna (Acridotheres tristis) outside the Zebra enclosure

A Peaceful Dove (Geopelia striata) sitting on a rock

A Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

A Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles)

The view of Sydney Harbour from the zoo's amphitheatre

To Sydney

After nearly a week on the Sunshine Coast I flew off down to Sydney. I arrived in the morning and took the train into town. From there I found my hostel, dumped my stuff and went for a wander around the town. And wander I did. From the hostel near central station I walked to Circular Quay then through the botanical gardens and back along the waterfront to all the way to Darling Harbour and then back up to the Observatory before heading back to the hostel via The Rocks. It was a big walk!

Sydney Harbour Bridge from the Observatory

Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House


Bridge climbers

The hostel itself was like any other hostel. Big, noisy and full of strangers. I was sharing the room with seven others. I think that I’ve just about reach the age when I’m over hostels. I’m over sharing a room with seven flatulent, snoring strangers. Still they’re cheap, I guess that’s the main thing.

Presenting at Uni

I left Alice Springs around lunch time today bound for Brisbane. This was one of my trips back in order to give presentations as part of my continuing uni course. As I was sitting in the airport waiting for my flight I listened to the people getting called for their flight that had already boarded. It seemed there were quite a few. The calls kept coming until the boarding gates were empty, yet still all of the passengers hadn’t arrived. The plane ride was uneventful as was the lunch that was offered onboard the aircraft. The plan was for Stewart to pick me up from the airport and then I’d head up the coast and start preparing the presentation which would take place the following day.

That’s why on a sunny afternoon I found myself inside a cavernous lecture theatre in front of 40 bored faces as I began to give my presentation on the Photovoice community engagement strategy in practice in Alice Springs. I talked about the project, my group, the photographs taken and finally how the practice went and what the conclusions were. After saying “the participants used photovoice” seven times on the one slide and “basically” 38 times throughout the presentation, I sat down amongst the audience and tried to melt into the seat as the next presentation started.

Freezing in Alice Springs

It's just past six o'clock on a wet and windy Saturday afternoon. The sun is still out yet you wouldn't know it. Sitting in my flat I can hear the wind whistling through, under the doors, through windows and anywhere else through which the wind can flow. It's 11 degrees here at the moment and has hovered around there for the the past couple of days. We had a bright and sunny spell a couple of weeks ago and I really thought that spring had arrived. Now, as I'm sitting here wearing two jumpers, it seems like that was just a dream. I've been sitting here listening to the rain and watching it splashing against my window as I try and work on my assignments. My mind keeps wandering onto other things leaving me with a blank page after an hour sitting in front of the computer. I'm blaming the weather.

Lots of assignments

The assignments are now coming thick and fast and so I've been trying to do some and finding out how to do others. Yesterday I uploaded the reflective essays from the first 17 days of my work experience. As this is only worth 10% I was wondering how many more essays will I need to do to pass. The course outline is written very vaguely and so I have to keep asking the teacher what is required. This seems to be quite common leaving me wondering what I'm actually supposed to be writing about in my assignments.

My subjects are taking up a lot of my time and I don't seem to have any to spare. Every night is spent doing readings or writing long and pointless essays. As I say, it is hard to know what amount of effort to put in. I don't think there is much use trying for more now my time is limited and the past marking variability of assignments does not mean that a lot of work will pay off. Even so, it's hard to juggle it all. I actually wrote this in a letter to one of the teachers. It's taken three years but I'm finally realising how annoying and frustrating it is.

Spring has sprung!

Today is the first day of spring and already I can feel it. Today was the first morning I've been able to walk to work without a jumper on. It's kind of nice that it is warming up as it makes it so much easier to get up. On the other hand, the fact that it is starting to warm up means that soon it will be very warm. There is no real middle ground when it comes to weather out here. It's either freezing or hot. Still, hopefully there might be a couple of cooler days before it really starts heating up. We'll have to wait and see.

The book has finally arrived!

After waiting nearly a month, my text book, Health Promotion: principles and practice in an Australian setting, has arrived. I ordered it a month ago through Fishpond.com.au and it was supposed to arrive on the 10th. It certainly wasn't quick. I received books from the UK that I ordered after this one, before it arrived. Still, at least I can start my uni (or at the very least look for another excuse).

Counting the votes

Today was the day of the Federal Election for 2010. Currently I’m sitting in the Lingiari electorate. The sitting member is currently Warren Snowdon. I met old Warren on one occasion when I attended one of their fundraisers (after being strongly requested to by my housemate). He appeared to me to be your typical politician. Kind of slimy, only really interested in making you like him. That was enough for me not to vote for him and so today when I cast my vote, I didn’t. Apparently I’m sitting in a strong Labor seat with a large enough margin not to worry him. The Liberals candidate was surrounded in controversy with him allegedly breaching a restraining order. Currently across Australia the Liberals have about 43% of the primary vote with Labor at around 38%. Labour is still expected to win however on preferences. The Greens have around 11% of the primary vote.

Voting signs out the front of Gillen Primary School where I cast my ballot.

I voted for the Greens for both the House of Representatives and the Senate. My preferences around the independents and other minor parties. Neither of the major parties were going to get my vote as I believe that both the major parties are out of touch with the real world. Across Australia it looks like the final result will be pretty close although currently the ALP is in the lead (ALP – 64 and L/NP 56 with 3 independents). We’ll have to see how it goes. Julia or Tony?

Uni by distance

The third week of uni has now been and gone. It went so fast I hardly even realised. Things start being due at the end of next week so I've got quite a bit to do to catch up. If I wasn't working then it would be so much easier as I don't seem to have any time at the moment. This weekend my plan was to work on my stakeholder plan and my EH governance exercise this weekend. In the end I managed to get quite a bit done on the governance exercise (even though I'm still not too sure what I'm really supposed to be doing). I've still got to choose an organisation to do my stakeholder analysis but I'm going to get that done by Friday. Hopefully...

New Bike

Last week I became the proud owner of a new Southern Star 'Apogee' 18 speed mountain bike. It has all the trimmings including 'grip shift' gears and front fork suspension. I was in two minds whether to get it or go for a more expensive one from a proper bike shop. This one I actually bought from K-Mart. It was a bargain price of $99 or around $350 for another one through a proper bike shop. I've ridden the bike once and already I'm thinking I should have spend a bit more. That one ride flattened the front tyre, the seat (despite being too thin for my bum) won't stay in place and keeps slipping forward or back, no matter how tight I tighten it. I could go on about the stiff gears, the unaligned brakes and gears, etc, etc. But I won't. Well, not any more than that anyway. Of course I can quite easily fix these things with a spanner and a bit of money but that's just it. I wouldn't have had to do these things if I just bought one from a proper bike shop rather than just a shop that sells bikes. Of course, all things considered I've still saved myself about $200 so I guess I can't complain. I'll just have to see how it does in the future. I'm looking forward to getting out in it and going for a ride again.

I'm an uncle, again!

I’ve just heard some great news. I had a text from Lewis not 10 minutes ago saying that Naomi has just had a “full term female infant by caesarean section at 2105 hours”. With those no nonsense words a smile spread across my face. I’m an uncle again!

Lewis, Naomi and their new little girl.

Regulation Workshop

As soon as I arrived in Brisbane from Melbourne I was once again up the coast and sitting in class once again. As part of my final semester I had to attend a 3 day intensive workshop on regulation and Queensland legislation. It certainly was interesting, if not a little dull. Still, when I’m qualified that’s what I’ll be doing for the first couple of years at least. Applying the legislation to real life. First of all I’ve just got to learn the legislation!

Emergency?

Fire Engines, originally uploaded by Ryan McLean.

We were sitting around with a cup of tea this evening when I heard sirens outside. I went out onto the balcony to have a look and was surprised to see that they stopped right outside my sister's flat. The first fire engine turned up and the guys got out and ran into the building. Then the second engine arrived. By this time I was wondering if they knew something that we didn't. Either way I stayed outside watching. Then another engine turned up. This time they firemen didn't rush inside so I figured there was no need to worry and went back to my cup of tea.

Wet and windy Melbourne

My first day in Melbourne visiting my sister and her husband. And of course my new (or at least 6 month old) nephew, Max. This morning we left the house. It was a typical winter day, windy and overcast. We head to the Studley Park Boathouse for lunch. It was picturesque little house at one of the many bends of the Yarra River. Unfortunately just as we sat down it started to rain. With the wind as well, it was cold. Still, we had a nice lunch before we went for a drive around Melbourne in order to settle down max and put him to sleep. It seemed to work wonders. It rained for the rest of the day so we couldn't really get out and about.

The next day however, Laura, Max and I walked into the city (well, Max was in the pram). First of all we had breakfast at a place called the 'Auction Rooms'. I'm not used to all of these trendy cafes that are dotted around Melbourne. It's quite nice to just go for a wander and then being able to stop at a little cafe. After breakfast we went to a group called 'Songbirds'. In which all the adults in the group sang songs in order to entertain the babies and infants present. The kids seemed to enjoy it as they were clapping and singing away. I held Max during the session and he seemed to be enjoying it. Whether he understood it I'm not sure but he certainly enjoyed the music. After that we did a bit of shopping in the city before walking back home. We did a bit of walking. All up it must have been around 7 km and we had a breeze blowing at us from every angle as we walked down the streets. My feet are sore now but it was a nice day for walking. Tomorrow I'm heading back to Brisbane and back to a week of uni.

Heading to Melbourne

I've just arrived in Melbourne. I flew on Tiger Airways from Alice Springs arriving in Melbourne around 10 o'clock. The flight was alright. The Tiger staff were not unfriendly, but then again not as friendly as those on other airlines. They looked like they had all had a long day. Inside the plane everyone was crammed in like sardines. I was so glad to have a window seat that way I could have a bit more room as I leaned over to the window. I needed this extra room as there was a guy sitting in the middle who was built like a brick... outhouse. I could also see the lights of Melbourne twinkling below as we came closer to land. From my view above the city, the sprawling streets below went off into the distance until they were just a blur. Whether this was to do with the rain or the fact that I wasn't wearing my glasses I do not know. Either way, the city looked big. Streets of orange, yellow and white lights ranged off in every direction. We flew over this mass of light for about 20 minutes. Before getting gradually closer and closer to the ground. Before I knew it we were on the ground and taxiing to the terminal.

The terminal reminded me of cattle being loaded onto a truck. We were herded across the tarmac and down a walkway with fences on either side. There were security guards sanding on the other side of the fence (some even leaning on the fence) ushering us down towards the terminal. The terminal was itself a big shed where the passengers milled around, waiting for their bags. Having only hand luggage I walked straight out and in 5 minutes Paul had picked me up and I was on my way to Laura and Paul's house.

My first impression of Melbourne is that it is cold. There is a cool breeze blowing and my thin jacket wasn't much protection. I would have liked to have brought my big, thick, windproof one that I had in England but unfortunately I only had hand luggage and that was full with my computer, camera, papers and a few clothes. I should have had a bigger bag but by the time I'd packed in on the morning I was to leave, I didn't have enough time. As you can see, I was really prepared. I'll be in Melbourne a couple of days before heading off to Brisbane and then back up the Sunshine Coast to attend a regulation workshop as part of my uni course. Maybe I'll have to do a bit of shopping as well. Get myself another jumper.

Mixed results

Today the results for semester one of 2010 came out and I had both good and bad results. The good were very good, but the bad were quite perplexing. I really thought that I'd get a better make for the SRP. I'm phoned up the supervisor of the subject to ask where I went wrong. She didn't mark it so she didn't know. Instead it was marked by another teacher. I'm going to have to ask him as I'd really like to know. I'll just have to see what he says.

My results for the first semester 2010.

As for the rest, I can see why I didn't get a good mark for epidemiology as it was a tough subject. I had a great group for my Integrated Environmental Management class so getting a HD was not impossible and I'm totally amazed that I got a HD for GIS. Even now I only know the very basics and still am unsure as to what exactly metadata is. All up the results were okay and I'm quite pleased but I'm just amazed that I didn't do as well as I thought for the SRP, especially as each assignment took twice as long and had twice the amount of work than any of the others did. It's especially bad as I took my final report to the teacher to look over it in order to get the best mark that I could. Obviously that plan backfired.

What a racket!

I believe that everyone should have a smoke alarm in their house. However, I do believe that they should be easy to turn off and that people should not install them in places that are going to be in the path of steam rising when one opens the bathroom door. That’s what happened to me tonight. I’d just had a shower and came out of the door to the bathroom. I hadn’t wandered two metres down the hall way when I heard this deafening BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. I looked up at the ceiling searching for where the alarm was. I couldn’t find it. That’s a tip for when you move into a new house, find out where the alarms are. As the incessant beeping continued I spotted it and reached up to push the ‘hush’ button. Nothing happened. I pushed it again, and again, a little harder. I pushed it again yet still the beeping continued. I must point out here that I am fully blaming the beeping for jumbling my brain, for I continued to push the buttons for about thirty seconds more, fully expecting a different result! In the end I gave up and reached up to remove it. I couldn’t reach. BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEEEEEP! Still it went on. I ran down the stairs and grabbed a chair and raced up again. I climbed up and had a look at the alarm. ‘Slide to remove’ it said. That sounded simple enough. It wasn’t. It took me a full 2 minutes of cursing, threatening and pleading with the smoke alarm to stop, all the time tugging, twisting and tapping. At this time I was prepared to start hitting it with the chair to make it stop but with one last tug I wrenched the thing from its bindings. With in two seconds I’d removed the battery but still the sound continued. It took me a couple of seconds to realise that it was just the ringing in my ears. Now, 10 minutes later it is just subsiding. I might put the battery back before I go to bed. However, if it happens again I’m going to have the hammer ready!

A cold, wet day

Yesterday was rather cool. Actually to say it was rather cool is a bit of an understatement. It was cold and wet. The town of Alice Springs broke a record yesterday. It registered the coldest day ever recorded with a maximum of 6.4 degrees. I had to keep my jumper on all day, even when inside!

Splendid Central Australia

Yesterday I went for a wander around Alice Springs. I walked from my place in Hong Street up to the telegraph station taking the eastern route up and the western route back down into town. It was surprisingly quiet. I saw a few tourists at the telegraph station and a couple more on my walk back. However, as I was walking up to the station I saw no one. I remember noticing how quiet it was with only the birds and the wind to be heard. It was quite a pleasant walk. There was slight cool breeze blowing but the sun was warming in the morning air. There were quite a few animals that I found on my walk from kangaroos to grasshoppers. I found a tree with about eight crested pigeons sitting in it. I managed to get a couple of photos before they flew off.

A Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes) watching me.

The Alice Springs Telegraph Station.

When I arrived at the telegraph station I was surprised to see that there was quite a bit of water up there, although I could still cross the river without getting my feet wet. From the telegraph station I climbed Trig Hill which is where they placed the first measurement marker when originally surveying the centre.

A Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus) that was checking me out.

The trunk of a River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) that was growing beside the Todd River.

A Central Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps) that was sunning itself on a rock.

My white legs sitting on top of Trig Hill.

On my way back from the telegraph station I took the Bradshaw Walk which winds its way through the hills instead of following the river. Along here I was amazed to find a splendid fairy-wren. These are bright blue birds that flit around and are quite hard to get a photo of. I've been wanting to see one of them in the wild for quite a while but until yesterday only ever saw them in wildlife parks.

A male Splendid Fairy-wren (Malurus splendens musgravei).

It was a nice walk and good to get out and about in Alice Springs. Even though the surrounding area appears very dry, the recent rains have brought many animals out and have made the red centre a bit greener.

Firecracker Night

I'm sitting here listening to fireworks going off all around me. The smoke trails can be seen shooting up into the sky exploding into reds, greens, blues, golds and every other imaginable colour. The fireworks are a way of celebrating Territory Day which is tomorrow. I like fireworks. Didn't buy any this year instead I stood out in the street with the other neighbours who were watching the show.

The fireworks show from my door step.

I was surprised to find that fireworks are quite expensive. Especially for something that you are going to set alight, even if it does provide an impressive show. The cheapest set of fireworks that I found was $20 and contained a few rocket types and a twirly sparkler. At the moment I can still here them going off in the street and they have been going off for the past two hours so it seems that everyone here has plenty of money. It looks like I won't be getting much sleep tonight, but for once, I don't really mind.

My first day at work

I've just finished my first day at work. As soon as 4:21 pm came around I shut down my computer and made my merry way out the door. Well it wasn't exactly like that but it wasn't exactly a tough day. It's scary how I was able to slot back into my old role as soon as I arrived back and even scarier how easy it was. Nothing seems to change. Not in Alice or the way the government runs. When I arrived I turned on my computer and found I had not been given access to the databases that had been requested the week before when they were setting up my computer account. It was for that reason that I didn't really have a stressful day. Instead I just had to try and get my head around the filing system of the person I was replacing and trying to make it suit me. The rest of the day I spent filling in forms. Forms for ID cards, forms for keys, forms for swipe cards, forms for pay, forms for superanuation, forms to fill in forms. I wonder what my second day will hold. If the past is anything to go by, much of the same.

Arriving in Alice Springs

I'm now back in Alice Springs once again. I arrived about 1:30 this afternoon and was picked up by Julie, one of the EHOs in the office, and taken the the flat that I'll be staying in for the next couple of weeks. It's hard to know if Alice Springs has really changed that much since I left. It seems a lot busier and the housing prices are amazingly high but apart from that I don't really know. I dropped my stuff off at the flat and immediately headed into town to pick up a few essentials (cleaning products as the flat was a mess).

The Hong Street flat where I am staying.

After that I walked back into town and bought myself a pillow. Since I arrived back in Alice Springs I've been thinking that it would be nice to have something like a home comfort to make my stay easier. Also while I'll gladly use the sheets, a pillow is more personal. I'd rather not have my head pressed against someone else's dried dribble as I sleep. I'm glad I did. I used the voucher that Laura and Paul bought for me. At the moment I'm just thinking of my time here will hold however long that will be.

The plane that I arrived on being unloaded at Alice Springs airport.

Walking around town I can see that the social problems around Alice have not improved at all over the previous three years. I saw a lot of broken glass around and a lot of indigenous people just sitting around with nothing to do. One thing that I also remembered which hit me as soon arrived. The smell. It's not so much smell of Alice but more of the smell of some of the residents. It's a mixture of dirt, wood smoke and weeks of built up sweat. It was obvious. As I say, on the surface, it appears that nothing has really changed even with the intervention that started before I left and is still continuing. At the moment I really don't know whether or not it is good to be back. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how it goes.

I'm leaving, on a jet plane

Don't know when I'll be back again. Hopefully thought it won't be too far away. I've been thinking and although I quite liked Alice the last time I was out there I would like to try somewhere different. Of course I know what is out there so it's much easier for me to go out there in the first place. I think if I was going to head somewhere different then I probably would have just stayed up the coast. Either way tomorrow at 5 am Mum and Dad will be taking me to the airport for me to catch my flight. I've spent the day packing and wasn't able to pack anywhere near what I wanted to. Lucky I'm coming back in three weeks, I'll be able to pick up everything (or a bit of it) next time. That's another thing. Now I'm getting a nice collection of stuff. Alice is kind of far away for me to take it all out there unless I either drive it out myself or pay someone to take it out there. That being the case. For the next six months it looks like I'll be living out of a suitcase.

Heading to Alice Springs

The time has come for me once again to leave the east coast and head into the centre of Australia. On Monday I'll be catching the 7 o'clock flight to Cairns and from there to Alice Springs. If all goes to plan I should arrive in Alice around 1:30 in the afternoon. At the moment I'm packing. I don't really know what to pack as I can't really take that much out with me as I'll be flying out there. At the moment I've just filled up a suitcase with clothes. I want to take a lot more but can't seem to find the room to put it all. I'm kind of sorry to be going, I think I'm getting to the stage in my life where I want a bit of stability and not to keep moving around. I'd like to find a place to make my own. Still, that's a long way off. First I have to get a job and earn money. Unfortunately that needs to take precedence over everything else at the moment.

There is NO democracy in Australia!

Kevin Rudd is no longer Prime Minister after only two and a half years. It was an unexpected turn of events. Kevin Rudd was removed as prime minister by the Labour party. At the moment I'm just watching an interview with Julia Gillard. She says that it was a hard thing to do and how she did it for the country. It just makes me think, what a load of crap. Apparently Kevin Rudd when and spoke to Julia last night where he questioned her loyalty. She seems to have just proved that she doesn't have any loyalty. Her saying that she did it for the country is just false. She saw that she had the support from the people who run the Labour party (and probably also run the government), and took it. She wanted the top job and was able to use the past few months as a good excuse. Kevin Rudd wasn't even given the chance to see if he could win the next election. That is probably the worst thing about it. The people don't get to say who's leading their country, it's the Labour party. We didn't vote for Julia Gillard as PM. The fact that she keeps saying that it was in the national interests to take over in my opinion, makes it sound even more like an excuse. She saw an opportunity and took it, the anti-government adverts of the mining companies may have helped with the bad poles for Kevin Rudd. Does this mean that the mining companies are going to win? It certainly looks like they have benefited. Julia Gillard said that she is opening the doors of the government to the mining industry. Is that literally what she means? They have won? The proposed tax as it stands is no more. So it certainly looks like they aren't sad to see Kevin Rudd go.

Now, I'm not a supporter of either of the major parties but it certainly makes me feel sorry for not only Kevin Rudd, but also Australia. It goes to show that democracy is just a show in Australia. It's the people who run the labour party who really run the country. Now they've just put in another stooge to do their bidding. Now I guess we'll just have to find out what happens in the election later in the year. Not that who we vote will Necessary be the prime minister. It will at least give a chance to send a message. The vote in Australia, I now believe is nothing more. It is now worth a lot less.

Farewells

This evening was my last proper evening on the Sunshine Coast and so me and a few friends went out to dinner to celebrate/commiserate my departure. We had a few drinks and went to dinner at a restaurant called 'Thai Seasons' in Mooloolaba. The food was good and in my price range (relatively inexpensive).

Me looking very surprised to receive my leaving gifts from Karen.

Darren and his birthday gifts.

Cadence, Hannah and Darren.

Chantal, Karen and Chris.

After that we went for ice Cream and coffee which was a really nice way to round off the evening. It's kind of sad to be going. I was given a card that everyone had signed which was a really nice gesture. Makes me sad to be going.

Final Exam

I've just finished what I hope will be my final exam at uni. This one was for GIS and I must say that I'm not really confident with how I did. It was one of those exams where we had to write down as much as we could remember. Unfortunately, as soon as I walked in there, as is the usual case, everything automatically left my head. Everything about the shape of the earth, coordinate systems, vector and raster data models, all of it was just gone. So I sat there for an hour and a half trying to remember and writing down what I could. I left with about half an hour to go. If I pass then that will most likely be my last exam of my uni career. I really hope it is and I really hope I pass. Fingers crossed!!!

Final Scientific Report for the SRP

I've finally finished writing my final report for the SRP subject that I've been doing. It seemed to take me ages. I've been working on it most of the week, sometimes staying as late as 1:30 in the morning. Of course the usual time I've headed home was around 10:30 pm. I've just emailed it off to the supervisors and I'm glad it's over. There wasn't much guidance with the whole subject so in the end we all just seemed to be fuddling through, just hoping that we were on the right track. In the end, I still don't know. Our group did a presentation yesterday which went for nearly an hour about our research into the source water toxicity we were investigating. Once again I was pretty nervous about the whole speech but didn't use my notes as Darren said to do. Instead I just got up there and talked using the power point presentation to guide me. In the end I think it turned out okay. Really I don't know though. We were asked some questions at the end. I was asked why I was surprised that the nitrogen levels didn't change throughout the treatment process. Why was I surprised? I though that it was obvious that I though they were going to change! Why else? Still I said this and then the examiner started talking about how it is total nitrogen and the only way it is going to change is through microbiological digestion where evaporates it off as ammonium. Very interesting but I still couldn't find anything about that on the internet. What I could find wasn't really much help so it was quite time consuming finding out information about the process. In the end, I hope I passed the subject. I don't know but I think I did.

Late night study sessions

I spent most of this afternoon in the computer labs trying to finish the write up for my SRP subject. I've got to produce a detailed lab report regarding the tests that we performed on the sample. For the past three days I've been researching and working on producing the report. It's now just past midnight and I've been here all afternoon and evening trying to get it finished. Unfortunatly though, it doesn't look like I will get it done as I've been stuck on the results section for most of the evening and even now I still haven't analysed all the results. I've got to concentrate the EC50 and make a dose response curve. It's due friday but I want to give this to one of my supervisors to have a look at and make sure that I am on the right track. I've still got tomorrow to finish off the slides for the talk but I'm much rather have it done this evening. One of my team members and me have been sitting here for a while trying to nut it out. Maybe another hour or two and it will all be sorted.

and a sea cucumber!

Or at least I believe it is. It is either an inconspicuous sea cucumber (Holothuria difficilis) or a Blackfish (Holothuria atra). I'm never too sure with my black, squigy blobs. Any ideas?

I poked an anemone!

Why not? Everyone should poke an anemone.

I believe that this one is a Green shore anemone (Aulactinia veratra).

Learning GIS, or not

After a week of working on my GIS assignment I believe that I am finally getting the hang of the basic applications. The GIS software does not appear to me to be very user friendly. At the moment I am not able to tranform shapes to shapes that are contained within a shapefile which is what I want to do. I'm not sure how people go about cropping maps but using the ArcGIS software it seems to be impossible. I just hope I can learn enough about how to use it to pass. That's my aim now.

A screen shot of my GIS map for the Orange-bellied Parrot.

Searching for GIS data

At the moment I'm sitting in the computer labs trying to work on my may for my intro to GIS subject that is due on Friday. I'm having real trouble with my project. We have to design a map on something and I chose to do the Orange-bellied Parrot. I was going to show the feeding grounds, breeding grounds, migration routs, treats and human interference. I've been looking for data to use for the past 3 weeks and so far haven't been able to come up with anything useable. This is disappointing as when I chose this topic the tutor told me that I should be able to find everything I needed. That didn't turn out to be so. Now I'm sat here wondering whether I should continue. I want to have this map completed by Monday giving me the rest of this afternoon and tomorrow. Should I choose another topic? What would be good? If I do change I think I'll have to do something based in Buderim as there is some basic data available from the tutorials. I'll just have to work out what kind of project to do it on.

Doomed SRP

Today Anne basically told me that Peter and her weren’t expecting much from our assignments that we did down at smart water for our SRP. Is that right? A teacher saying that she doesn’t expect a lot from you. I thought that teachers were there to encourage you. When I spoke to her it seemed to me that she didn’t care how we went. I was certainly shocked to hear it as I'm working pretty hard on my assignment and am trying to get it as good as I can.

Decision time

Deciding whether to head back out to Alice Springs has been a long and confusing process. There are many choices, many sides to the argument and many reasons. It was a really difficult choice. I've enjoyed my time on the coast and although I enjoyed my time in Alice things might have changed in the time I've been away and if I go back it will be to a town that I don't remember. In the end I decided that I'd go back to Alice Springs and work as the office AO2. At least I'm almost guaranteeded a job in six months time then. No I've just got to get everything ready for my departure. When I get out there I'm going to start searching for a place to live. The rental prices are a lot higher than the last time I was out there. Where I was thinking of staying (was $150pw) has now gone up to $245pw. At least I'll be staying in the Hong Street flat when I first get there so I won't have to rush into finding a new place. I just hope that I can find something in my price range. Looks like I'll be sharing for a while longer.

Shocking shadows

It took 3 years but I’ve finally seen it all in these apartments. I’d just turned out the lights and crawled into bed. I was laying there thinking my thoughts when I heard someone walking on the stones outside my window. I peered out over my covers and saw a shadow standing there, leaning against the window. I put my head down. Sometimes people wander along outside the window. Tonight however was different. A few moments later the first silhouette was joined by a second. I could hear them talking with American or Canadian accents. Then the noises changed. I could hear them kissing and moving around outside on the stones. I lay my head back down on the pillow and closed my eyes. Nothing new. That had happened once before. Soon however the noises changed. I could still here them moving on the stones but now there was a slight banging on the wall. I looked up again. The shadows were still there. I could still hear the stones. I listened a little longer and stared at the shadows. They were moving. The rhythm was unmistakable. The silhouette were having sex. I couldn’t believe it. The noises got louder, the guy was starting to grunt softly while the girl was squeaking. I was just about to say something when the sounds stopped. They started to talk softly. It was over. How romantic I thought. I closed my eyes and tried to get to sleep. I couldn’t help over hearing the girl say, “I hope you didn’t cum on my jeans”. There was a pause. “You did, I can feel it”. With that I head the girl brushing down her jeans trying to remove the spillage. I closed my eyes again. A moment later I heard them walking away talking softly to each other. Geez, Canadians!.

To go or not to go

Yesterday I met with one of the teachers of a course that I'll be doing next semester. I wanted to find out if I could do it by distance. After the emails that I'd received from the course coordinator I was quite surprised when she told me that she could work something out. Now I've just got to hear back from my other course and I'll be able to make a decision on whether or not to go. It's quite a difficult decision to make. I don't know how I'll do out in Alice. Will I be able to get my studies done out there? Will there be enough time? What will it be like when I return? Do I really want to go back to Alice Springs? I know that it's a good opportunity and will give me some much needed funds. I'm tired of getting to Christmas time and not having any money or not being able to buy new shoes without stressing over the cost. If I was to stay on the coast I'd probably have to get a part time job anyway. I really dont' know what to do. Part of me wants to go but another thinks I should stay and finish my degree. Alice Springs will still be there in six months time.

Presentation nerves

I was very nervous this morning. Not because of anything that I should really be nervous about but because I was to do a presentation. I arrived at uni around 6:30 and met my group members, Darren and Hannah, on the first floor of ‘C’ block. The subject was Integrated Environmental Management. Our task was to present a talk on an environmental issue. Our group chose to talk about the Gunns pulp mill that is in the process of being built in Tasmania. We covered the background, management strategies, problem analysis, solutions and evaluation. Both Darren and Hannah gave their speeches without any problems. When it was my turn I stood up and started to talk. I must say that I was rather nervous but I trembled my way through. The feedback was quite good and we were given 13 out of 15 for our talk. We had to change a diagram and in the talk and I presented two separate solutions but apart from that it went well. Now we just have to hand in a report and I will have finished that subject.

Smart Water and Microtox

This past week I have been down the coast at the Smart Water centre. This centre is owned by Griffith University and used for doing water testing on many different subjects. Recently they have been doing a lot of work into estrogens and androgens in the water. Our trip down there started on Wednesday where we took our samples down there to perform microtox testing on them. This basically means using luminessent bacteria on the concentrated samples to determine whether there is anything toxic about the chemicals that we extracted.

Me preparing a plate of luminessent bacteria for the microtox assay.

For the most part the samples went well and we had all of them done by the Friday when we returned back up the coast. Now comes the fun bit. We have to analyse all the data from our samples and construct dose-response curves for all of them. The analisys of the samples will be put in to the final report that we need to write about the samples due in a couple of weeks. It will take quite a few weeks to write so I'm going to have to start soon. Unfortunatly with all the other assignments also due in the next few weeks time is one thing there won't be much of. Still, that's what uni is about.

Jessica Watson – sailing around the world

Jessica Watson, a 16 year old girl from the Sunshine Coast has just completed an around the world trip becoming the youngest person ever to sail around the world singlehandedly. Today I watched her triumphant arrival back into Sydney harbour. It was quite impressive to watch. It seemed that hundreds of boats turned out to escort her to the dock in front of the Sydney Opera House with thousands more lining the shores of the harbour and at the opera house itself. As the boat pulled in and she stepped off onto dry land for the first time in seven months a cheer rose up from the crowd. Supported by her father and brother she walked along the pink carpet that had been rolled out for her arrival. The PM and Premier of NSW were there to greet her and there was a big ceremony with speeches about her arrival. Everyone was saying she was a heroine for doing the trip. It as funny for her to turn around and say that she’d have to disagree with the PM on that one. She did not consider herself a hero. She said “you've just got to have a dream believe in it and work hard”. Very true, but I think that having a bit of money also helps you achieve your dream. There is no doubt though that it was an impressive feat. Makes me think that I’d like to do something like that. Maybe I should learn to sail.

An offer of my old job

I've just got off the phone after speaking to my old boss in Alice Springs. Apparently the replacement that replaced my replacement is leaving my old job. My old boss suggested that I might want to take it and work in that position before until they have their next round of recruiting (later this year). This would mean that I'd have to finish my degree by distance. I'm going to look into it. It would be nice to have a bit more money and get on the job experience when finishing off my final six months. Hmmmm, what to do...

Grey water sampling

The past week has been spent conducting water sampling for my SRP subject at uni and so have been getting up before the sun every day. It seems odd to be getting up while it's still dark but usually there is quite a nice sunrise to make it worth it. The water samples I have been collecting have been from a grey water system in Bli Bli. I have been sampling the influent and effluent tanks which will not only let me know what toxins are present in both the samples but also if the membrane filtration system is working. The particular system hasn't been serviced for about a year so it will be interesting to see how it goes.

Me preparing water for the solid phase extraction.

The rest of the day (and I do me the rest of the day) was spent in the lab filtering the samples. The samples have to be filtered through a special filter that collects the toxins in the water. Unfortunatly this can only be done in 6 mL lots and so filtering the samples takes quite a while (on average being about 5 or 6 hours depending on the amount of particulate matter in the samples).

A sigh of relief

I've just come back down to the uni to quickly finish an assignment that I started yesterday. It is a analysis strategy for my biostatistics class. I was expecting to have an all nighter (until 5 am tomorrow when I'd have to leave to head up the coast to collect some water samples) but instead I came in and found that we have a weeks extension. I'm so glad. This means that I'll be able to finish it on the weekend with a lot less stress.

10 Things to do before I'm 32

Here is a list of the things that I want to do before another year has passed. While there are a lot to choose from on my bucket list these are the ones that I think I can accomplish given the fact that I am a student and have no money. I'd like to be able to look back at the past year and say, "yes, I have accomplished something this year" as in the past I feel I haven't done enough. They are in no particular order but I want to be able to do all of them before my 32nd birthday:
1. See a platypus in the wild
2. Be able to touch my toes
3. Climb Mt Coolum
4. Stay up all night long and watch the sunrise
5. Make a fire without a lighter or matches
6. Be able to do a handstand
7. Reduce my BMI from 38 to below 27
8. Be able to run 1120 metres in 6 minutes 30 seconds
9. Pass all courses at university
10. Grow a beard (and make it look good)

Not so weakly wandering

I've just done my walk again and this time and I mustn't be as unfit as I thought. This time I was able to walk the 3.2 km in about 35 minutes with an average speed of 5.43 km/h. I did the walk at about the same time of day and at about the same pace and now I'm here I don't feel as tired as I did before. Must have just been a bad day.

Weakly wandering

I've just walked to the university from home via Woolies and I've just arrived at the uni. I've got to say that I'm absolutely exhausted. So much that my legs were shaking. I must be even more unfit than I thought. That's what uni does to you, a few weeks of no physical exercise (but lots of mental exercise) leaves so unfit you can't walk to the shops and back. It only took about half an hour and wasn't even hilly. Tomorrow I'm going to have to make the effort again to get out and exercise. By the end of June I want to be fit.

31 Today

I'm now officially on the wrong side of 30! Still, today has been a nice was to head over to the other side. This morning started with a nice cooked breakfast which was very nice. The breakfast kept me going for most of the day so there was no lunch but we took Dad to the airport. He is flying down today to visit Laura. Mum and I went to see 'the Clash of the Titans' this afternoon. I've heard that it didn't get a really good write up but I enjoyed. It was action all the way and some amazing special effects. After that we finished of the evening by heading over to Red Rooster. It's been a nice relaxing day. After the busy week I've had at uni this week, I needed it. I think I must be getting old.

Flu shot

Yesterday I had a flu shot. I had one last year and I think it helped. Of course I'm not too sure but as they give them out for free and they are supposed to do you good then I thought It would be beneficial to me if I got one. This year the vaccine contained both the current seasonal influenza virus but also the H1N1 (Swine Flu) Influenza A virus. I was told that I might experience some side effects such as a fever, sore arm or aches but as yet I haven't felt anything. I'm not sure if it will work but I figure I might as well try to protect myself and do my bit for those around me as I wouldn't want to give anyone the flu as well as wouldn't want to get it from anyone.

Wasps in the backyard

It's the Easter holidays now and last week I went back down to Brisbane to visit my parents and friends. I'd been there a couple of days before I noticed a colony of Brown Paper Wasps (Ropalidia revolutionalis) that were setting up a home on one of the pot plants around the house. I managed to get a couple of photos that didn't come out too badly.

A brown paper wasp (Ropalidia revolutionalis)

These wasps weren't at all aggressive and let me get quite close to take photos. I guess they would attack me if I was to touch the nest but they were happy to just watch me as I snapped away.

The nest itself was about 10 cm long with lots of honeycomb egg chambers running down its length.

No good assignment

I’ve just been into to see the academic advisor at uni as I wanted someone to look over my literature review before I handed it in. I came out thinking of what he told me. It was about one sentence specifically. He basically told me that it was crap. I believe that his actual words were that it was no good. The sentence is below:

“Military equipment may have played a major part in increasing the range of the vector mosquito, inadvertently providing receptacles for rainwater in which Aedes aegypti mosquitoes laid their eggs. This equipment was then moved across Asia and the Pacific. Soldiers too were moved across the region and the dengue virus continued to spread. These two factors combined to not only increase the range that dengue fever was able to spread but also provided the means through which the vectors could travel”

I thought that was a bit harsh, especially when I thought that the sentence added to the paragraph. While I wanted to know if my review was okay I guess I was hoping for more constructive criticism. Instead he said the particular sentence was useless. Apart from that all he said was there needs to be more references even if that means on every single line instead of just at the start or end of the paraphrased section. He obviously thought that he had been too harsh as when I was leaving he said that the assignment was very good three times before I left. Good but no good. Now that's confusing!

Here comes the rain

It is now March and it has been quite wet here of late. Usually it’s bright and sunny but for the past couple of weeks we’ve had rain. Just when you think it is clearing more rain comes over. Not that I’m complaining of course. I really do like the rain. When it’s cooler it is a lot easier to study and it is just a nicer feeling. I do like the sun when it comes but I haven’t seen rain like this for quite a while. Now there is even a cyclone going to hit up north so I’m sure we’ll get a bit of rain from that too. Everything here is nice and green and quite a few places inland have flooded. As I say, it makes a nice change.

Starting my 3rd year at uni

Here I am sat in the library once more. This week is orientation week. A time where the new people startin uni learn about the campus. Therefore I'm not totally surprised that there is only two other people here other than myself. Outside a few people mill around the cafe drinking coffee and chatting with one another, but for the most part, the campus is empty. In the library all I can hear is my tap-tap-tapping on the keys as I type and the wirr of the air conditioning. When I first came to uni I thought that the campus would be packed and busselling with people. This however, never seems to be the case with this uni. It is quiet and quite peaceful. Next week I imagine this will get busier, but never by as much as you think. This campus is not the place to hang around. You just do what you need to and then get out.

This year will be my third and (hopefully) final year. This first semester I’ll be doing Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Geographical Information Systems (learning how to use a mapping computer program), Integrated Environmental Management and a Special Research Project on Ecotoxicology where we will be sampling and testing an alternative water source such as grey water or storm water. I hope it all goes well.

Heading to St George

Last week my friend Stewart and I went on a bit of a road trip out to St George in Southern Queensland. We went out there for three nights looking for any reptiles or amphibians that we could find. So the first night we headed out to St George looking for a rare snake called a Woma. I would have loved to find one but unfortunately luck wasn’t with us. We managed to find a sand-swimming lizard and a western brown snake but that was it. That night we camped by the side of the road under the stars. That night the wind started to blow.

Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbata)

The next morning when we woke up and it was overcast. We packed up all are stuff and jumped back in the car heading to a place called Glenmorgan. It’s a small town about 5 hours from Brisbane. It’s still out in the bush. On the way there it started to rain. It was a nice drive on the back roads to get out there. Everything was green from recent rains and there were quite a few birds about including rainbow bee-eaters. They are a kaki coloured bird with blue and yellow stripes across the face and a downwardly curved beak. You don’t see them in Brisbane and for me, they just are so unexpected (although quite common) for me in the outback.

That night it rained. I was glad that we were staying with a couple of Stewart’s friends out there in a house. It was nice to lie in a warm bed listening to the rain falling on the tin roof. The next day it rained. It was our last night out and it wasn’t a good start. We started to head back to Dalby (the biggest down on the way out west after Toowoomba). Our campsite for the night was going to be Lake Broadwater. When we arrived it was raining. It was only drizzle, but with the gusty wind that was blowing made it feel like it was about 18oC, which is quite cool for being in the middle of summer. As it started to get dark we tossed up whether to stay at the lake. In the end we decided to pitch our tents under the covered area. It was actually a nice spot on the verandah of the hall fronting onto the lake. When you looked out east you could see across the lake and the next morning I woke up with the sun as it tried to poke itself between the clouds. That was the last morning of our trip. Stewart had to start work that day on a mine site doing a wildlife survey so I dropped him off in Dalby and headed back to Brisbane. It was a nice trip. We didn’t get to see much wildlife (except for lots of frogs that were out in the rain) but it was good all the same. I always like getting out of the city. Everything seems more relaxing in the country.

A Rufous Songlark (Cincloramphus mathewsi) that I hit when driving away from St George

It was a nice trip but unfortunatly there was a casualty on the roads. I hit a bird as we were leaving St George. A pair of them flew across the road, the first one survived but this one wasn't so lucky. As I heard the thud on the grill I knew it was too late. It is a shame that I killed the bird but I couldn't avoid hitting him. It just goes to show that you've always got to be extra careful when it comes to wildlife.

Probabilities, t-tests and z-scores

I've just finished exam for the statistics class that I took over the summer semester. In in we learnt about some of the statistical tests that can be run on data to find whether it it significant or not. My preparation for the exam involved going over and over the practice exam that we were given performing the same questions over and over again until they sank in. The test itself was challenging. Most of the other people that I've spoken to about it feel the same. The test had questions on t-tests, z-scores, chi quared, binomial probabilities and distribution curves. By the end of the two hour exam, only two people had left the auditorium after finishing the exam. For me, it was the first exam that I have had to write from start to finish. Now I've just got to wait for the results which should come out in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed!

Looking for a new home

Since being back up on the coast I've been pretty busy. Not, as you would think with my uni summer subject but instead, looking for a new place to live for the coming year. I checked out one place yesterday and have another couple to look at over the coming week. The place I visited yesterday was avertised as a "granny flat". In essence though it was a room under a house with an ensuite bathroom. There were no cooking facilities which was a major bother for me. I'd like to be able to cook dinner there and basically use it like a normal flat. I was told that I'd find out by Sunday if the lady thought that I'd be acceptable but at the moment even though it is private and only $140 a week, without kitchen facilities it's not really what I'm looking for. And so the search goes on.