First snow for the winter - just in time to leave

Hi everyone.

This morning we woke to the first snow of the winter. It was -7 degrees celcius and the weather channel said the wind chill factor brought it down to about -12. It was a lovely reminder of the winter about to hit. Luckily we are leaving very soon for Australia!

Here are some pictures of our car this morning. The car is called Eli because it seems that Eli is a common name around here. There is Eli Yale who donated money to the University to have it named after him and Eli Whitney who invented the cotton gin and henceforth cemented slavery into the US culture. Anyway here is Pete sweeping snow off Eli:

I am off to a conference in San Francisco in a couple of days. It won't be snowing there thank goodness.

Not much other news. I will see many of you very soon! Can't wait to be warm again.

Thanksgiving

November has been a very busy month... well at least the last few weeks have been.

Mid month we met up with my old Sydney flatmates, Mel and Elisabeth, and Mel's husband Brian, in Boston. We got tickets to a Yale-Harvard football game. By three quarter time we still couldn't figure out the rules and there was no beer being sold at the event, so we left. Because the drinking age is 21 here they have started to ban alcohol at Uni events which is just WRONG! Yale won by the way. The half time entertainment was a sight to behold. Marching bands and songs. And a skit by each team. Apparently God smote Yale but loves Harvard...?

Cheerleaders

Thanksgiving is huge in America and most people go home for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner which is a lot like our Christmas tradition. We went to a dinner at Yale the Monday before Thanksgiving so we could experience the 'real thing'. It was very yummy! Turkey and roast vegies with cranberry sauce and some sort of corn bake. I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie though - it doesn't have much taste except for the cinnamon. At the dessert stand I asked the server if I could have half a slice of pie. "No" she replied. "I don't care if you throw half of it away, you have to take the whole thing." This was especially odd as the event was held to raise money for the starving people in New Haven. Sorry they are not starving, they just have 'low food security'.

We took advantage of the fact that no one in America wants to travel Thanksgiving day (like Christmas day for us) and got a great deal to Washington DC. We flew there and spent 3 nights at the Hotel Washington which is pretty much across the road from the White House. We had a fantastic holiday! It is a beautiful city with lots of parks and the Smithsonian Institute. I thought the Smithsonian would be just a science museum and an art gallery - boy was I wrong! There are about ten museums/art galleries that are absolutely huge - and they are all free. Plus about ten others not associated with the Smithsonian. We love that sort of thing and went to the air and space museum, the Natural History Museum and some art galleries. We ran out of time to see them all. I was a bit disappointed that the Natural History Museum had a display that said the earth was cooling. We found the Academy of Science museum though and it had an awesome display about global warming so I was happy. Shame we were the only ones in it!

We found the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials quite interesting and learnt a bit about American History. OK, so I had to go read the kids' books in the tourist shop to figure out some of it! Ignorant Australian! Apparently Thomas Jefferson set up the National Academy of Science to advise the government. Shame he didn't specify that the government was obliged to listen.

At the start of our holiday we spent a bit of time walking around trying to find the White House. We weren't sure what it looked like and didn't like to show our ignorance by asking someone. Eventually we stumbled across it, and took lots of photos.... only to realise later it was the back of the White House. Ignorant Australians. Needless to say George wasn't in the back yard and didn't invite us in for a drink.

I met a White House Intern in a bar one night and had a very interesting chat. He told me he makes coffee for George. My instant reply was 'Do you spit in it?' By the look on his face, I don't think anyone had asked him that before. Nevertheless I spent a good hour explaining global warming over a few drinks, so feel that I may have made some contribution toward getting the US to sign Kyoto. Hey - its the closest I'll ever get to George's ear.

I am back today from giving a seminar at WHOI. For non-oceanographers. That is the Woods Hole Oceanography Institute at Cape Cod which is about 3 and a half hours drive away. It went OK, but I enjoyed Princeton more. I did get to have a big chat with Joe Pedlosky who is lovely and very encouraging.

In less than 2 weeks I leave for a Conference in San Francisco and Pete is off to Australia. Looking forward to getting home. Have been feeling a bit homesick lately. After having to eat out in Washington and Woods Hole for the last week, I've discovered that I've become a fussy eater. I refuse to eat hot dogs, hamburgers, jumbo shrimp, buffallo wings, cheese pizza, high fructose corn syrup and American chocolate. Hence there isn't a lot of choice! Can't wait for lunch at Sugo in Salamanca.














The back of the White House The front of the White House

Halloween

Last night we went to our first Halloween party. Halloween is huge here - bigger than Easter. Whole shops have opened up selling just Halloween costumes and decorations. You don't have to dress as something scary like a ghost though - you can be anything. It seems more like a time to dress as your favourite sexual fantasty. Most of the costumes are nurses, school girls, S&M etc.

It was quite a dilemma what we should dress up as. First we thought of going as Americans, but as Americans really don't know how to laugh at themselves we decided this wasn't wise. We then thought of going as Vegemite as it has been recently banned in America. In the end we thought is was best to laugh at ourselves as so we went as feral Tasmanians - complete with stripy thermals. I had a lacy slip on the outside. I also added extra underarm and leg hair. I think the most well recieved part was the map of Tasmania I had stuck underneath my skirt.


Tuesday is the actual day of Halloween. We have bought lots of candy (lollies) so we'd better get lots of kids coming.


Other news this month... not a lot. Busy working. I went to Princeton University to give a talk which went really well.

We've decided that for thanksgiving we are going to Washington DC. Las Vegas is too far away for a short trip.

Happy September

I have just decided to quit Hip Hop classes. I've been a few times in an effort to learn to be an American. My conclusion is that I'm not hip enough and these classes aren't going to change that!

September has been a fantastic month. Pete has been at his new job for a bit over three weeks and seems to be loving it. He is helping the professors make their courses work online.

The first weekend in September my old flatmate from Sydney, Elisabeth, (who now lives in Manhattan) came to stay. We ate and drank and on Sunday morning Pete and I went in our first 5km fun run. I was very excited cos I managed to run the whole way - though fairly slowly! Pete did really well, and needless to say finished well before me. Elisabeth was upset that her camera died just as I came to the finish line - but I was somewhat relieved!

The next weekend we did another run, both beating our best times by about 90sec. If Pete had been a girl he would've got a trophy. I was just happy that I beat the 81 year old guy.

The third weekend we found a lovely beach track to run. I like this much better as the fun runs are a bit stressful. Pete has started doing his own runs for about 10km around town in the evenings. As I said, I've decided to drop Hip Hop, but I still do aerobics twice a week. I enrolled for what sounded like a fun class earlier this month called NIA. It turned out to be too new age for me - too much feel the energy flows and not enough ab crunches. I've found a better one now that leaves me quite exhausted twice a week.

Last weekend we went on a geology field trip with Yale. I am in the Geology and Geophysics department so we thought we should go and learn something about rocks. Pete was especially keen to go and I think he was the most excited student there, asking heaps of questions and banging rocks with a hammer. Connecticut used to be about 20ft under lava flows so it was pretty interesting learning all about that. We were also supposed to be looking for dinosaur footprints - but what they found was fairly tenuous.

This weekend we've been in Vermont. It is fall here and we went leaf-peeping. The hillsides are gorgeous - completely covered with pink, yellow and orange leaves. We managed a 3 hour hike this morning but the day before it rained all day. Instead we went touring cheese factories and wine tasting. We are eating the cheeses for dinner now as I type. I really wanted to see a woodpecker - but we only saw the holes in the trees. We went to a great American diner for tea one night. I had a locally farmed bison burger and biscuits and gravy. Biscuits are like dumplings that you would have with stew. We could hardly eat the next day.

So as you can tell, life has gotten pretty exciting since we got a car and two incomes!

Next month we are thinking of going to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving - there are cheap flights in the afternoon, the same as there would be Christmas afternoon in Australia. Thanksgiving is a big deal here so everyone tries to go home to be with their families and eat turkey.

We also have the Yale-Harvard football game in November which Elisabeth, Mel and Brian are coming to. I am giving a talk at Woods Hole on the 23rd November so it will be another busy month.

Our plans for Christmas are to visit Tassie the week before and then fly to Mildura Christmas eve until the 30th. We get back to NY just in time for new year's eve. It will be a rush trip so apologies in advance if we don't get to catch up with everyone. I will be giving a talk at CSIRO on the 21st Dec.

Stay tuned for October's adventures - hopefully a quiet one with November looking so busy. So far the only plans are that I am giving a talk at Princeton.

Photos

This is Pete at the East Rock outlook.












This is Pete before his job interview.

He got the job!

Quick post: Pete got the job! He starts on either the 5th September or the 11th (ominous). Huge relief.

Pete has an interview

Pete had a phone interview last week at Quinnipiac University. He has a face to face interview next week. We are optomistic as they seem very keen to talk to him. The job is overseeing the implementation of online university courses. Its not the same as his last job but there is some overlap that makes him very employable at this one.

We have found a car to buy. A friend is leaving and wants to sell hers. It isn't quite the convertible I'd like but it will do the job, especially if Pete gets this job cos he'll have to drive to work.

Its been really quiet here. Lots of people go on holiday over summer, I think I'm the only one that hasn't. School goes back soon so it will get busy again. The peace and quiet has been good for getting work done even though its been lonely. I've now submitted my third paper and the first two have been accepted.

Pete has been busy stocking the freezer with homemade pesto and baked beans (not together). I suppose that is what we will live on when he starts work! I will miss having him at my beck and call. Really there should be a law that once a man gets married he shouldn't be allowed to work.

Our running is progressing well. We left the treadmills for the indoor running track and this week have even ventured to outside running. I am doing almost 5km and Pete does about 8. The fun run is in a fortnight so we should be well and truly ready for it.

We love it, we hate it.

The last couple of weeks have been an emotional roller coaster on the work front for Pete.
He finally got his work visa - Yay!!!! So now he can legally get a job in the US.
Then his social security number arrived. Yay - Pete exists as a real person in this country.
AND THEN - he got a job interview as a science teacher at a local high school.

We thought our problems were solved until a letter arrived from the Connecticut department of Education. Pete can't be certified as a teacher as his undergraduate degree is not adequate. He has to go back to Uni and take three courses, one in US History and two out of English, Fine Art and foreign languages. Needless to say we were fuming. He was happy to jump through the hoops and pay all the fees to show he was qualified. But this is just ridiculous - why do you need to know US History to teach Chemisty? &*(^%ing America. It will also cost about $5000 US and a lot of evenings and weekends studying to go through this process. No cheap education in this country - especially for foreigners.

This morning he went to the job interview anyway. They offered him the job - but not on full pay. It turns out they can hire him as a long term substitute teacher on a bit more than half the salary he would get if he was certified. They also encouraged him to do the Uni courses while he teaches and they will employ him at full salary when certified.

So now the dilemma....what to do. I couldn't bear taking useless undergrad courses myself, especially with those fees and I don't think he wants to either. We are searching around for other alternatives. There is private school but they don't seem to be in need of science teachers at the moment. There is also community college - which is looking like a good option. It is a bit like a TAFE where you can take Uni degrees. You only need a masters to teach there which Pete has.

On a happier note, the weather is exciting. Today was about 33 degrees with really high humidity. The weather channel says it 'feels like' 38. Now there is a huge thunderstorm. We get lots of thunderstorms and the radar images are really high resolution so you can watch the storms come. The rain is just like Darwin - you can stand in it and it feels like a warm bath (yes I'm the only one in the street who stands in the rain). Tomorrow is going to be 35 without the rain. We don't have an air conditioner either. I wonder if we did, whether we would save money by buying less beer?

Despite the heat we went to the gym this arvo. It is air conditioned - but not very well (Actually the best place to hang out is the supermarket). Anyway we are in training for a 5km fun run in September. This will be easy for Pete but still a challenge for me (some of us have to go to work in the day rather than hanging out at the gym).

Time for tea - Pete is cooking corn on the cob (in the microwave) I won't let him use the stove cos its too hot. Actually I suggested ice cream for tea but he wasn't in to it.

Hopefull the next blog entry will be about Pete finding a really cool job.

New York, New York

Never a dull moment around here. Two weekends have passed since I last blogged, always busy doing something.

The Sunday before last we went to New York for the day. I had a meeting at Princeton (New Jersey, south of NY) on the Monday so we decided to spend the day in NY on the way down. We spent the day with my flatmate from my Sydney days, Elisabeth. Elisabeth lives in Manhattan on the route that the 'Sex and the City' tour bus takes. She has a cute apartment with a great view of Manhattan. NY city is a crazy place though. Elisabeth's apartment has a guy who has the job of spinning the revolving door when you walk through! And you have to give each of them a big tip at the end of the year. There are people walking round the street with their dogs - in prams! There was a gay pride parade on the day we were there but it was pretty disappointing compared to the Sydney Mardi Gras.

That afternoon we went to the Guggenheim. Elisabeth could get us in for free cos she a free pass from her work. I'm glad we didn't pay cos the main exhibition was crap. I'm also glad Elisabeth was there to keep me company while Pete looked at things! The exhibition was by an architect - though we only found one of her designs that had actually been built. Most were pretty weird.

After that we went to a Mexican restaurant and Pete had cactus for tea. The best bit was catching up with Elisabeth though.

I headed on to Princeton and Pete went home. Princeton is pretty much just a University town, not much else there. It is lovely though with lots of trees but a bit dull. I met with George Philander and his group and talked work. That evening we went to George's for a drink. It was a great example of the multicultural nature of oceanography. There were no Americans there, instead George is from South Africa, his wife Argentina, there was guys from Italy and Uraguay and Alexey (Russian) and me.

On the way back to New Haven I had MacDonalds for the first time in the US. Pretty much the same as in Australia - though I haven't eaten at MacDonalds for a long time!

The last weekend was totally hectic. Friday night we had dinner at Alison and Jon's. Jon is Australian and we were invited with the hope we would bring an Australian dessert, so I made a trifle. Jon has been in the US for years so I think he was a bit homesick. Alison told me he was eating left over trifle for breakfast the next couple of days.

Saturday morning we went to the gym. Pete has become a bit of a gym junkie - he goes to the gym which is about every second day. I'm worried about the effect this will have on the grocery budget. After that we went shopping. Pete has put us on a monthly budget which is very painful. I hate not having the money we used to have in Hobart! Saturday night we had dinner with a work friend Steve Sherwood and his family. His wife is from New Zealand.

Sunday morning we went hiking with Steve and Tracy and Tracy's Mum. There is a place called Sleeping Giant, along the lines of Sleeping Beauty in Hobart without the breasts. In fact we climed to the highest point which was called his 'knob' and was positioned somewhere near his knees. We are standing on his knob in the photo. The whole hike was about 4 hours long so we were pretty buggered after that.

Tuesday was Independence Day - the fourth of July. Fireworks all weekend. We spent last night on top of the geology building watching the local fireworks. Next year I think we will try to go to Boston or New York where the fireworks are much more spectacular.

Happy Fathers's Day

It is getting hot here. Today is supposed to be 31. We are trying to see if we can survive without an air conditioner - tough Australians!

Happy American Fathers' Day to all the Dads.

Pete's latest adventure was getting a haircut. Trying to get the full American experience he decided to go to the barber around the corner. Let me just say that normally Pete goes to Tease or Nishler in Hobart. It turns out that this particular barber is African American and doesn't seem to have ever cut a white person's hair. In fact he doesn't have any scissors - just clippers. The barber got out his clippers, put them on number 4 and somewhat randomly trimmed Pete's hair. It looks ...ahhh.. different. Next time he should probably ask for braiding, that seems to be more the thing around here for men.

At the moment Pete is studying for a teaching exam. There are three parts. One is maths multiple choice which he should be fine at. The only difficulty is that they word the questions differently to in Australia. There is an essay question that seems quite simple and the sample answers that do well are very basic - so he should be fine. The comprehension and grammar section seem to be the trickiest as they are multiple choice and ambiguous. I think they are 'stupid' which is why I did a science degree. We are trying to do the practice questions but I think having a science background is a disadvantage as we keep approaching them analytically. Have a go yourself ....

Work is still going well. I'm starting to get some interesting results on one of my projects.

This afternoon - after Pete watches the Australia vs. Brazil soccer game - we are going for another walk through the black neighbourhood. This time to visit a bar called 'Tas-maniacs'. We don't know what it is about. People seem to know about Tasmanian Devils though - I suppose that is thanks to Walt Disney and maybe also the zoos.

baseball and a busy culture week

Its been a busy week. Pete is still settling in and trying to figure out how to get a job in the US.

Last Tuesday we went to the baseball in the Bronx. We watched the Boston Red Sox vs the Yankees. New York is only about 90mins away by car so we could just go down for the evening with my work friends Bryan and Florian. Bryan is a huge Red Soxs fan but kept suitably quiet as we were surrounded by Yankee fans. Before the game we went to a diner which looked just like in the movies. We had hamburgers. Pete of course had a vegie burger and they even asked him how he wanted it done. The burgers were pretty gross and we were still full at lunch the next day. When we tried to get into the stadium I got stopped cos I had 2 bags - by handbag and my groovy red cloth bag that I take everywhere to avoid plastic bags. The bag had chips and drinks in it. The security person said I could only take in one bag. So I called Florian back and put my handbag around his neck (Florian is German and looks like someone that could feasibly have a man bag) THat wasn't allowed cos Florian was a man and couldn't bring in a bag - only women were allowed to have bags. So then I put my handbag into my red bag but that wasn't allowed either. The guard was getting shitty at this point and directed us out of the line. A different securty guard explained that my red bag could be used as a weapon. So we got a plastic bag and put the chips and drinks in (plastic bags are allowed and were supplied) I didn't even try to explain about global warming and America being addicted to oil, I just politely took the bag. A guard suggested we could just hide my red bag in my handbag and try to get back in. I was too scared though - NY security guards aren't friendly. So we went back to the car, dumped the red bag and went back in with my handbag and the plastic bag of chips. A true American experience.

The baseball was better than expected. It goes a lot faster than cricket. Half way through we got to stand up and sing God Bless America - only one verse though - I don't think the attention span is long enough for much more. A guy ran onto the field which is a $1000 fine - just like in Australia you are thinking - but no. He was fully clothed. (And the Americans thought I was strange cos I was disappointed that he was clothed.) The other difference was that at least 15 cops ran onto the field and tackled him. They could've just formed a circle around him, but no they had to try and dislocate his neck. Baseball was fun to watch though.

On Thursday we went to happy hour which was cheap beer and 20c chicken wings in 32 different flavours. Yum!

On Sunday we went to the US equivalent of a neighbourhood watch BBQ. We learnt that we are just around the corner from a place that helps down and out people. They have an international night once a month so we might go and talk about Australia sometime.

After that we went for a walk down Dixwell Ave which is through the black neighbourhood (yes segregation is alive and well). I felt conspicuous but Pete didn't. I felt like I was intruding. It was pretty interesting though and I hope Pete gets a job near there somewhere so we can learn more. There were kids everywhere outside playing and riding bikes. Is this because they can't afford an x-box or is it a cultural thing? There were lots of beauty parlours. African American women often have really elaborate braiding. We also walked past a lot of churches. Some that sounded like night clubs! And the men outside were wearing suits that were purple or gold etc, not boring black. Lots of people were also sitting on their front porch. It actually reminded me of life when I was a kid.

Big news - my first paper has now been accepted with minor corrections. Trevor tells me one down 99 to go before I retire. Seeing as it has taken 6 and a half years for one I'm not too hopeful of early retirement. I shall tell myself it is quality and not quantity.

By the way, we managed to find some summer clothes for Pete.

Pete is home!

Pete finally made it home. He was on time when he got to NY but then the plane crashed into a fence while it was trying to park so he got stuck on there for what seemed like forever. I went to meet him in NY.

I am leaving work early today to go to the mall now. Pete needs some summer clothes -its pretty hot here. We also need to buy an air conditioner. It is only about 26 degrees but humidity is up around 80-90%.

Gotta run to get the bus.

Jaci xx

One more sleep

One more sleep till Pete gets home! Apparently Americans don't count 'sleeps', maybe it is an Australian thing. They think I am 'cute' when I do. Actually I'm continuously being told that being Australian and my accent is 'cute'. I've never really considered the Australian accent cute, or our behaviour!

Pete tells me that heaps of Hobartians are reading this blog. But none of you are posting comments! Please click on add comment and tell me if you are reading this. I'm curious to know who I am talking to.

I'm off to the mall (shopping centre) now. Trying to keep myself busy cos I'm too excited to sit still!

I'm legally allowed to drive!

This morning I became an official member of the American driving public. No I didn't buy I car, I passed my driving test. I was a bit nervous on account of having failed my Australian Ps the first time round. First I had a 14 question computer exam. I got two questions wrong the first was "What percentage of fatal accidents involve alcohol? a) 60%, b) 50% or c) 40%. I'd thought it was 40, but didn't think they'd make the correct answer the lowest, so guessed 60. It was actually 40. Not sure how knowing this makes me a better driver. Is the difference between 40 and 50% statistically significant anyway?

I was most nervous about the actual driving part of the test. Which began with me going to the passenger door instead of the driver's. You don't fail for that though. I made a big show of then adjusting every mirror, even though I'd already done it before I got there. The drive was easy, just did a big block. Had to stop on a quiet street and do a three point turn. When we got back the tester asked me if I was good at parking. I said 'sure, I just don't LIKE doing it.' He didn't have a sense of humour. He asked me to parallel park in a spot that had no cars either side. It is actually tricky cos you don't know where the lines are and if it was real life you would drive in forwards anyway. I asked him if he would like to get out and pretend to be a car but he didn't find that humourous either. So the park went fine. I had been worried that I would have to reverse into a 90 degree park which is what they usually get you to do. I'd been practicing heaps but then didn't even need to do it. So passed with flying colours except once he reckoned I didn't use a blinker.

Dad had advised me to wink at the instructor (such faith in my driving skills) but it wasn't necessary. I had about 4 blokes in the office wanting me to teach them to say 'No worries mate' and how to pronounce 'sheila'. Apparently Australians do a lot of infomercials here.

So now I have 6 days before Pete gets back to get the car I want before he can stop me!

It has been a busy week prior to all this car business. My PhD supervisor Stuart and his wife Trish came to stay last week. It was great fun. I didn't realise how much I missed having someone else living in my house. Stuart and I worked on some papers from my PhD which seem to be shaping up well. We are hopeful the first two will make it through round 2 with the reviewers and we are working on the third. The third may be chopped into two papers, depending on what else we come up with. Stuart and I also discussed my new project on permanent El Nino and have come up with some ideas about how to approach it. Poor Trish had to sit through our non-stop work chatter. I wish it had been Pete so I could get revenge for all the teacher-talk I've sat through! Trish made us pizza from real pizza dough, not the ready made bases from the supermarket. I will have to try doing it myself. We also went to a great Japanese restaurant which I have probably mentioned before. It is called Miyas and has crazy sushi rolls with fillings like cranberry, goats cheese, banana and so on. It is my favourite place to eat but not usually in my budget (Yale shouted that one). It was also refreshing to hear some good old Australian cynicism about politics. People don't really bag George Bush here, not like we do.

Saturday night I went to a night club for Cathy's birthday. Cathy is one of my workmates. I haven't been out dancing for a long time. I'm getting old. Had a ball. There were a bunch of hens nights on so I took it upon myself to try and hook up some of my single male friends with them. I did succeed in getting one guy to do a shot out of a bride-to-be's belly button (how is that for alliteration). At one point I was chatting to a girl about my two mates. She said to me "You have such a cute accent, its awesome. I'd wouldn't mind %^&$ing you!" (Not my objective for the evening, but it sucks being married sometimes!)

Speaking of being married, Pete is back on Monday and so my married singledom ends. I think it has been very good for me learning to live alone - I haven't done it much. I can't wait till he gets back though!!! At least when he is around a packet of saltines (dry biscuits) and a bowl of ice cream is not considered dinner. I haven't resorted to eating the icecream straight from the tub which would be true Bridget Jones singledom.

This weekend Billy Kessler is visiting - he is an excellent oceanographer from Seattle. I also have to scrub the apartment so Pete thinks that it's always that clean when he isn't around.

More later - post Pete arrival. At least when he is back I'll be able to add photos to this blog.
See ya

Angry

This makes me very angry.
http://streams.cei.org/

17 days to go.

Only 17 day still Pete gets back! He has been gone nearly eight weeks and I'm a bit sick of it now.

Steve's wife Tracy has left for Mississippi for two months so we are bach-ing together. Last Tuesday I cooked dinner for him and tomorrow he is cooking ribs (not something I normally get at home.)

Happy hour at work has become a weekly Wednesday event here which saves cooking one night a week. Last week we went to a great sushi place that does weird stuff. You can get sushi rolls with fillings like banana, cream cheese, brocolli, cranberry, all sorts of unexpected things. The week before was free burittos and half price margaritas and next week we are going to a museum opening related to the geology department with free food and wine. Its just like being a student all over again.

My PhD supervisor Stuart and his wife Trish are coming in a couple of days. I'm really looking forward to it, and hopefully we will clear up a few issues on some of my papers so I can get them published - Finally - I'm so sick of them.

Next weekend Steve is going to give me driving lessons in preparation for my driving test. I'm pretty nervous about it. What if I fail???

Then the next weekend Billy Kessler is coming to visit. And then the next day Pete will be back!

Hmmm, what else is news? I'm slowly getting the hang of the US so not as many dramas to report.

I'm proud to report that my electricity is coming from hydro, wind or nuclear. Well actually I think I may be getting duped, but I pay more on my electricity bill which I think subsidises the cost of alternative energy sources.

Did I tell you that the president of China was here a few weeks ago? It was pretty exciting. Protests etc. I learnt all about the Falun gong and went to a really good discussion panel on the problems facing China.

There are so many talks on. I went to one last week from Sir some-or-other about how scientific discoveries are made. Unfortanately I missed one at the same time from the Chief of BP's science division. There was even one by the guy who invented the Dyson vaccuum cleaner.

Talking to Liss on MSN now, bye!

House warming party

Hmm, the novelty of blogging is wearing off. Or maybe I just have more to do now.

A couple of weekends ago I had my housewarming party. Quite proud of myself really - first party I've ever held all by myself. Australian food went down a treat. I finally got the Anzac bikkies to work along with the Lamingtons. Had some Cadburys chocolate, vegemite sandwiches, date scones and fairy bread. It seems fairy bread is Australian, no one else there seemed to know it. One small disaster.....went to buy the alcohol Sunday morning before the party. Only problem - can't buy booze on Sundays in New Haven. Luckily Steve and Tracy had some at home that they brought along. They also brought a friend that had just arrived from Australia and she'd brought Tim Tams and Jatz bikkies with her. Yum!!

Last weekend, my old flatmate in Sydney, who now lives in Boston, came to stay with her partner Brian. We mostly ate and drank. Got drunk on Sake and ate lots of ice cream (not at the same time).

I have just arrived home from happy hour (on a Wednesday) - having trouble typing. Half price margaritas and free burritos. After drinking we went back to friends' apartment for more drinks. It so happens that they live in the apartment that the Bush's (snr) lived in when they went to Yale. Yes I was in the room that George was conceived in!

Can't figure out how to get photos off my camera and on to the laptop. So hopefully when Pete gets back he can do this (26 days to go). Maybe I have just had too much to drink.

Bye!

Trying to cook..

My new apartment looks great. Everything works now and the toilet finally flushes properly.

The latest drama is trying to bake. I'm having a housewarming party next weekend and promised to provide some Australian food. Lamingtons are the obvious first choice. I can't find anywhere to buy slab sponge though so decided I should cook my own. I finally found the ingredients, note that corn flour is called corn starch here (I hope) and I can't find custard powder. I think custard powder is an English thing and you have to order it on special websites. Haven't cooked the sponge yet, will let you know how it goes.

I also decided Anzac biscuits would be a good idea especially as it is nearly Anzac day. I even got some golden syrup shipped in especially! There was no desiccated coconut so I thought I just get the sweetened type they have here which is in larger shreds like grated cheese. It tastes like its been soaking in condensed milk. So I set about making the Anzacs only to discover I didn't have any mixing bowls. Went to the Family Dollar store which is a bit like chicken feed and stocked up on cooking utensils. To cut a long story short, the biscuits didn't work. They just sort of melted and boiled and taste a lot like toffee. I think that the desiccated coconut normally soaks up a lot of the liquid, which didn't happen in this case. So I now have a batch of sticky not-quite-Anzac biscuits. Not sure what I'll do with them. Have ordered some desiccated coconut on ebay, not sure if it will get here on time.

Tablespoons here are smaller than in Australia. They are only 15ml instead of 20 - a trap for the unaware!

Am having trouble adjusting to only having one person in the house. I have too much food in the house and no one to eat it. Especially as I've been out nearly every night.

On Wednesday a friend from work, Bryan had me and another guy from the lab, Florian, over for dinner. He cooked us a big steak and acorn squash. The acorn squash looked like a pumpkin to me, but Bryan says its different and anyway Americans don't eat pumpkin straight, they only put it in pies and stuff. So he cut the squash in half, scooped out the seeds, and in their place put about 1 Tbs butter, 1 Tbs maple syrup and 1 Tbs brown sugar, and then you bake it for an hour. Despite sounding atrocious to the Australian palette it was actually quite yummy!

Last night we went to happy hour which comes with complimentary 'buffalo wings'. Which are chicken wings marinated in a foul bright orange sauce. Not my thing really.

Tonight I am going to dinner with Steve and Tracy at a Japanese restaurant. Looking forward to it but at the moment I am still full of burnt Anzac biscuits. Hopefully I will get hungry again soon.

Today is Good Friday - which you would assume is a public holiday. Not so. I am supposed to be at work today. The postman doesn't have the day off either it seems. They even have to work on Saturdays!

Am off to 'Edge of the Woods' now. Its a small shop that has organic fruit and vegies - a bit like Eumurrah in Hobart. I'm hoping it may have desiccated coconut.

bye,
Jaci xx

Disillusioned

I'm in my new apartment! Yay! It is so big compared to the last one. As soon as I find some batteries for my camera I will post some photos. I have the usual hiccups of moving into a new place - the biggest is that I can't get my internet connection to work. The technicians are coming again on Sunday but they are pretty useless.

I am at work on a Saturday today at a forum on carbon sequestration (that means pumping carbon dioxide underground to reduce global warming). I was invited to the forum dinner by the guy in charge cos I am one of those 'environmental people'. He thinks I am odd because I insist on bringing my own plate to the Friday free lunches instead of using the disposable plastic ones. The next talk is from a guy who works in Europe on helping countries implement Kyoto. It is very interesting to think about why Europe so willingly takes on Kyoto but the US doesn't. Americans feel they have 'rights' such as the right to drive an SUV. Whereas I get the impression that elsewhere people have a stronger social conscience. The individual's right for an SUV is not as valid as the rights of everyone in the world to live on an earth that is not destroyed by global warming. So in Australia it seems we've been trying to educate the public to change behaviours while here they think this can't be done and the only way to combat global warming is by economic pressure and technology. It is also interesting that when the scientists here talk about political change, they don't even bother with the Bush Administration. They are targeting the people who are likely to be in power next.

In summary, I am too idealistic to live in this country!

My first lecture went well last week. I spent a good part of it explaining the southern hemisphere. A mistake I did make was assuming too much knowledge about El Nino. The students told me they knew what El Nino was - it turns out they didn't know much at all! I'm giving another next week so will start a lot simpler. This time it is on the Indian Ocean.

Where are the Easter eggs?

It is finally warm here and the sun is shining. When I say warm I think it is about 14 degrees C but after having 3 or 4 it feels like the tropics.

I've been packing up the apartment ready to move in a couple of days. I hardly fit in here with all the extra furniture. I can't wait to get into the new place and set it up. I feel like a Uni student again buying second hand cheap furniture and salvaging things from next to dumpsters. Steve and Tracy are going to stop by Tuesday night and help with some of the heavy things.

Today is Sunday. I really notice Pete not here on the weekends. At other times I usually pretty busy. I'm not sure what I'd be doing differently if he was here anyway.

I've been preparing a lecture today. I'm filling in for my boss for two of his lectures. I actually sit in on the class so it is a bit strange jumping up and giving the lecture. It is a course for PhD students which is also strange because I'm about the same age as them. The first one is an intro to El Nino. My biggest problem is how to keep the lecture to an hour. There is definitely a southern hemisphere perspective in my slides though. It seems the ocean only exists from the north pole to the equator over here, so I have an hour to remedy it!

Off to lunch now with Steve and Tracy. We are going down to Wooster Square which is New Haven's Little Italy.

4pm.
Back from lunch. We ordered a meal at the restaurant which was supposed to be for one person. We shared it between three and it fed us just nicely! Have learnt here never to expect to be able to eat as much as they recommend. Not sure what everyone else does. I think people don't expect to finish their meals or to take home left overs. We then went to a lovely bakery for cake - the best I've seen so far.

It's not long till Easter and there are no Easter Eggs to be seen! In Australia I'm sure the chocolates have been out for months. There is nothing like it here, and no hot cross buns. It is surprising that the US doesn't cash in on this commercialism. Can't figure it out. Don't they have the Easter Bunny here? Don't worry, I will still buy chocolate for myself!

Jaci xx

First week on my own

Pete has been gone for a week now. He is glad to be in Hobart with his Mum who seems to be doing a lot better.

I'm discovering what its like to live alone again. Actually I don't think I've ever really lived alone before! I have been rebellious this week - like cooking meat and buying heat and eat dinners. This weekend was a lot quieter than normal though and unfortuanately the rubbish doesn't take itself out anymore.

Steve and Tracey have been looking after me and taking me out which is really lovely and keeping me occupied. Otherwise I have been busy buying things for the new flat. I'm really excited about moving. Next weekend I'll be packing and cleaning and the weekend after that there is a carbon sequestration forum on.

I'm thinking about volunteering at the YWCA down the road to keep me busy and meeting people. They have an after-school tutoring program.

The batteries in the camera keep dying so I haven't been able to take any photos. Pete will send some replacements soon - I can't find them in the US.

Bye,
Jaci xx

Pete off to Australia

Pete left this morning for Hobart, the trip will take 40 hours and he is currently sitting at LA airport. We had a return ticket for LA to Melbourne so we only had to change the date. That was a feat in itself. Flight Centre said we had to change the ticket through the carrier - United Airlines. United Airlines said they couldn't change it cos it was a Lufthansa package deal. Lufthansa said they couldn't change it cos they had no record of it because it was a United Flight. Numerous phone calls later back and forth between the two (of course they couldn't simply ring each other) we had reached a stalemate. Eventually we found a 24hr helpline for Flight Centre and it turns out they could change it after all. Moral to the story though is if you are flying international before you go get the Amadeus number of the flight and ticket numbers and everything else you can. If we hadn't had cell phones and the internet we would never have been able to change the flight!

We are not sure how long Pete will be in Hobart. It depends on how well his Mum is going. We move into our new place in a couple of weeks so he has conveniently got out of packing and moving! It is probably a good thing though. It means that I will have plenty to keep me busy while he is away. It also means I get artistic control of the furnishings. Yesterday we did a mega shop at Ikea and it should all be delivered on the day I move in (fingers crossed) We were there 5 hours and managed to spend over $1000 and still don't have everything. We went first to the seconds room where we got some good deals on furniture that was still in boxes but the boxes were damaged. There are also lots of garage sales (called tag sales here) at the moment. The University year is almost over so there are plenty of bargains. So far today I have bought an iron, ironing board, bedside drawers, side table, photo frame and floor protectors for the bottom of the furniture, oh and I just bought a 21'' TV that will delivered tomorrow. - A total of about $100. I am an expert bargain shopper!

I am planning all the things that I'm going to do while Pete is away. I decided I should cook instead of eating take out and frozen dinners the whole time. I googled recipes and guess what I found - baked bean casserole! I'm not the only person that makes it. Did I tell you we found real baked beans - in the international section at the supermarket.

I no longer have Pete to carry my shopping so I'm going to have to get a shopping cart for when I go to the supermarket (grocery store here). You know the sort that only old ladies have? Well lots of people use them here - all ages. Though Pete says when he comes back he isn't using it.

I had another wacky American experience a couple of days ago. I was sitting out the front of our Apartment building waiting for someone, sitting on the concrete steps. I reached back to get my cell phone out of my back pocket just as a big black lady walked past. She said, in a rather loud voice - "Honey I know AHHLLLLL about hemorrhoids" and she went on to tell me all about her hemorrhoids. I didn't have the heart to tell her I had just been getting my cell phone out of my pocket. The scariest thing was that it didn't even occur to me that this was odd till much later.

2 months in

Its been a difficult week.

Pete's mum, Pam, has become quite ill. Pete has decided to go back home for awhile. We are not sure for how long. It will be hard without him here. Especially as we are moving apartment in a couple of weeks! Hopefully I will be able to use the time to get lots of work done. I'm not sure if I will fly out. We will wait and see how Pam goes over the next few weeks.

We are off to Ikea again tomorrow to do a mega-shop for furniture.

Pete finally looked into why his work visa hadn't arrived and rang immigration. Apparently they sent it on the 7th Feb but we didn't ever receive it. You would think this means that they would send a replacement card, but no, he has to reapply, pay another $180 and wait up to 90 days.

I will post more blogs and photos over the next few weeks when Pete is away.

Jaci xx

St. Patrick's Day Parade

I had to tell you about the parade we went to today. It was supposed to be for St. Patrick's Day but seemed to have little to do with Ireland. One of the rules for being in the parade was carrying an American flag. There weren't floats like we would expect in a parade (maybe I've been to the gay and lesbian mardi gras too often). It was two hours long and consisted mostly of marching bands and the armed forces. I didn't know somewhere could have so many marching bands. The strangest thing were some of the marching girls who, instead of twirling batons, were twirling wooden guns or knives. There were lots of army people, fire people and police. Some army people were carrying muskets and some even shot them every 20 meters. It freaked me out to hear gun shots in the middle of a crowded street in the US.

They were also selling toy guns to the crowd. This is also weird. I suppose
Australia has fazed out toy guns for kids so you don't expect to see kids running around shooting people.

There was one float - helmets to hard hats. This is a program to retrain ex-army people and find them jobs I think. Dad - you would've been really impressed - the men were sitting up high on scaffolding with no harnesses.

Another week

Not a very exciting week. Pete is still sick which is very unusual for him. He is slowly getting better but is quite tired. It has finally got warm; 17 degrees today. With the warm weather though has come bad hayfever which has slowed me down.

This week we've been searching for apartments. We've finally decided on one - one of the first we saw. I wrote about it last week. We still had to look around and make sure though. We're not sure when we are moving in. The present tenent wants to break her lease, so as soon as she can get out, we can get in. Here is a picture of the outside. Don't worry, the inside isn't that colour!

I think this weekend will be a trip to IKEA to start buying/sourcing a few essentials - like a bed to start with. We still don't have much of anything.

Week 7/8

I'm late posting this week's blog. We are busy looking at flats to rent. Ours is a very small one bedroom that is furnished. It was only ever meant as a temporary stop gap until we figure out where we want to live. Our lease finishes on the first of May but we are hoping to organise something now. We were hoping to get a two bedroom flat but it seems that we can only afford a crap one. So we may go with a flash one bedroom - with a very good sofa bed for visitors of course! We have found one we really like that is quite large and it has a decent kitchen - it even has a dishwasher. It is with the same real estate company as we are with now, so we may be able to break our lease early and move soon. There are pictures on the web of it, but I don't want to publish our address on the web like this - Mum has the URL if you are interested.

I am quite fussy about flats too. I refuse to live somewhere without a washing machine - I'm not sitting in laundromats all weekend. Heating is a consideration as well. It is quite expensive in some places. One flat quoted $500 a month in winter! We hardly heat our flat at the moment - being in a large block of flats and on the third floor it stays quite warm - infact sometimes we have to open the windows to cool it down.

It is Sunday morning and Pete is in bed sick. I am thinking about going to go to the gym. The gym is quite incredible. It is nine storeys high and I've heard that it is the biggest in the world, but I'm not sure if that's true. (Correction: the gym was the world's biggest when it was built in 1932 - though the architecture is a faked 1700s look - so from the outside you think it's a church - click here for a picture). It has to be big because it is too cold to exercise outside. In true American style I catch the lift up 4 floors to get to the fitness center and avoid the stairs. I got an Ipod nano for my birthday so I listen to that at the gym. I quite like talking books to listen to - otherwise it gets a bit boring. We live only two blocks from the gym which makes it very easy to go often. Pete goes most days. I would like to go every morning but I never wake up early enough. I used to be a morning person in Australia, but have turned into a night person lately - very bizarre. Maybe it is due to my new American lifestyle of drinking lots of diet coke!

It has snowed again, which is unusual for March. It still a bit weird to us. The other day I took my lunch to work, which started to freeze on the way - I put it in the fridge to warm up. When buying a bottle of red wine the shop owner told me to make sure I warm it up before I drink it.

Hair styles are also a bit of a puzzle. There are very few women my age with short hair. It seems the uniform is hair, at least shoulder length, tied up in a pony tail. I think this is a 'New England' thing. (New England is the name of the region we live in, being the northeast of the US). I think short hair is more common in other parts of the US. New England is a bit old school - think country clubs. Older women have short hair. I think the idea is that you have long hair until you get older and then it is respectable to cut your hair short?!? Still trying to figure it out.

We feel like we are getting the hang of this place though. There are lots of PhD students at work so plenty of people to hang out with. The biggest annoyance is having to live on a PhD student type budget again. My pay is less than what I got at CSIRO, and Pete is still waiting on his work permit. He has received the first document, but the second is taking ages - we thought it would only be a matter of days. We are back to learning where the free dinners are on campus and the cheap/free beer. Our yuppie lifestyle of Hobart is very far away - certainly no Saturday morning breakfasts at Sugo. I'm not sure how anyone copes as a postdoc with kids. Once Pete starts full time work we will be rich again - teachers of course get paid more than postdocs!

OK, time to get dressed for the gym before we look at more flats this afternoon.
Jaci xx

Week 6 - Jaci

Another crazy week. Pete is in New York at the moment meeting up with his PhD supervisor - so you get an unedited blog from me this time! Actually Pete can edit this from New York so he may take out the good bits.

Big news that I forgot to tell you! Pete got permission to work in the US! We're still waiting on one document to arrive, but otherwise it is all go. Naturally he was devastated as he loved having an excuse not to work for a few months. I really like him not working too. He was often stressed in his last job and now he has much more time to spend with me! He is thinking that he will do some relief work part time till the school year starts in September.

OK, this is what we've been up to. Friday night began at a south east Asian night (which had free Thai food) with Tracy and Steve. We then went on to find a bar. I had an arguement with a bouncer who wouldn't let em in cos I didn't have ID - you have to look 28 otherwise they card you, which was actually quite flattering since I turned 28 the weekend before.

We ended up at a groovy bar/cafe called Cafe Bottega. It had an excellent jazz band (though they didn't know any Australian songs and were insulted that we asked). There was a gorgeous black woman there who took a bit of a shine to Pete and got him up dancing (something I've never been able to do). She then tried to teach Tracy and I to dance. Apparently 'Yo gotta dance like yo makin love to yor man.' I don't think Tracy and I were very good at it and I'm really going to have to rethink 'how I make love to ma man' cos I've never done it quite like that before!

Saturday we had lunch at George Veronis' house with another of the scientists here, Steve Sherwood and his family. George has delivered beer to our house a couple of times because we don't have a car. He has certainly won Pete! It seems the Australian beer drinking culture has preceeded us.

Saturday night I went out to a martini bar with the girls from the lab. It really is a novelty to have 'girls from the lab'. I suppose being joined with meteorology and geology helps that, instead of maths and computing.

So as you can see it was very much an alcohol weekend. Then on Sunday morning we went to the gym to try and burn some of it off.

Monday night - another night out I've just got back from dinner at Morys with some work people. This restaurant has to be seen to be believed! You have to be a member to get in. The walls are lined with photos of yale sporting heros and other groups that seem a bit random but they all look important. The bookshelves that line the walls are filled with year books. Then to top it off there is a special Yale boys choir that comes around to sing for you - songs about how good Yale is, and how Harvard isn't. Surprise surprise - they have a serious little sister complex here.

I've been discussing with a few people how the work culture is so different here and not what I expected. I'd been warned that US scientists work long hours under lots of pressure. This is totally NOT the case. They are so cruisy. Sure they work, but they're not stressed about it. CSIRO people were always running to management meetings and writing proposals. Here they come to tea and cookies every day and there are seminars on all the time that people attend even though they are often not in their field. You always feel like people have time to talk to you. Why is this? Are we so strapped for funding in Australia? Hmmm, there are aspects of the US I'm really starting to like...scary.

My job is good fun. At the moment I just get to read and talk and think...no programming or writing. Heaven!

Week 5

Is this really only the fifth week we've been here? So much has happened. We are still on a bit of a rollercoaster of enjoying it and wishing we were home. I (Jaci) set up her new laptop to cycle through photos from home (farewell BBQ, wedding, Simon's party, Cairns etc.) but it is making me too homesick so it will soon get turned off.

Last Friday we went to the movies with our Australian friends Tracy and Steve. The medical school (just down the road) puts on movies and it only costs $10 for the whole semester, so that may become a habit for Friday nights.

Saturday morning we went to Boston to spend the weekend with my old flatmate from Sydney, Mel and her partner Brian. It was both Mel and Jaci's birthday on Sunday so we celebrated together. Saturday we went out to dinner at an Afgan restaurant followed by cocktails. Sunday we mostly stayed in as there was a huge snowfall overnight and during the day. (see photos - Jaci is almost knee deep in snow!) We hope to catch up with my other ex-flatmate Elisabeth in New York sometime soon.
Grandma - the scarf you knitted me is coming in very handy.
Mum - the bag you made may have to be put away till it gets warmer - it would get covered in snow then the snow would melt so it would get quite wet.

We now have cable, our own internet access and a landline phone. After one night we decided that we should probably get the cable service switched off - it is all crap. We will give it a few months till we move to the next place though. We have found an old movie channel and are watching James Bond movies at the moment which are OK. Otherwise it is just repeats of sitcoms like Seinfeld. Watching ads is fun at the moment - will we ever think the ads are normal?

The phone is also proving to be a burden. Apart from Pete's Mum Pam, the only people that have rung us are telemarketers - and they ring constantly - so we think we should get that disconnected too and just use our mobiles which financially is a better idea anyway.

Pete had an interesting run in with one telemarketer trying to get donations for the police force. Pete was quite confused about this as the police are paid by the state. With your donation you get a car wallet holder advertising your donation- which we infer is for when the police pull you over - they know that you have donated money to the police force to fund their retirements. Pete suggestted this was corruption and tried to engage the telemarketer in a long debate. The telemarketer asked Pete how long he'd been in the country and then promised not to ring for a few months till he'd got the hang of American culture. If only it was that easy to get rid of all of them. We have signed up to some website to stop them ringing but we figure there is a delay before that kicks in.

Can anyone explain shoes to us in this country? Jaci has been shoe shopping but can't find any shoes that fit. They are too long but not wide enough. The last pair she bought here she had to resort to buying mens' shoes. She has wide feet but it was never a problem in Australia! This place is full of Cinderellas.

The other dilemma is codeine. Jaci stocked up on migraine tablets before we left but didn't think about buying extra panadeine. Turns out codeine is a low level addictive drug here and you have to have a script for it. They also monitor how much is prescribed. Americans with migraines are just told to take Nurofen and go home to bed! No way would Jaci cope with that. The doctor here has agreed to prescribe Jaci some though. Not sure why you would take codeine if you weren't in pain - it gives you terrible constipation.

One of the Australian guys at work has just been back home and returned with a can of baked beans which we are saving for a special occasion.

Today we got our first internet delivery of groceries. While it was wonderful to not have to leave home to get groceries, the number of plastic bags they arrived in is a serious problem for our greenie conscienciouses. They typically had two items in each bag but double bagged - so effectively one bag per item. Without this though we have to go to the supermarket every few days as we can't carry much home at a time. It will be easier when we get a car. Don't even start me on how big the cars are...

Miss you all and thank you for the birthday wishes.
Jaci and Pete xx

Jaci's reflection on language barriers

Here is a joke we were sent that illustrates a bit about the language problems we are having:

> SAN FRANCISCO MAN BECOMES FIRST AMERICAN TO GRASP
> SIGNIFICANCE OF SARCASM
Chuck Fullmer, 38, yesterday became the first American to get to grips with the concept of sarcasm. "It was weird" Fullmer said. "I was in London and like, talking to this guy and it was raining and he pulled a face and said, "Great weather eh?" and I thought - "Wait a minute, no way is it great weather". Fullmer then realised that the other man's 'mistake' was in fact deliberate. Fullmer, who is 39 next month and married with two children, aged 8 and 3, plans to use sarcasm himself in future. "I'm, like, using it all the time" he said. "Last weekend I was grilling steaks and I burned them and I said "Hey, great weather."

It means we have to be careful cos people take us literally. They also don't understand when we insult them to be nice. Here are a few examples:

Jaci was listening to a woman tell her about something terrible that happened. Jaci's response was "No!" Which in Australian means 'That's terrible, I feel sorry for you.' In American it means 'I don't believe you, I think you are lying.' Such a simple word can get you in a bit of trouble.

We saw a woman twice in two days and she said "Wow, this is fantastic. Its like you are part of my family." Pete's response, "oh well, you'll soon be sick of us." Her shocked reply "No, I could never get sick of seeing you." (Vomit)

The science common room has VERY unattractive pictures of past great scientists. Jaci said "Hmm, I suppose they are there to inspire us." American's comment (without any trace of sarcasm, but some trace of confusion) "Yeah they're great aren't they?"

Pete has great fun stirring up the locals for his own amusement.

People seem to be a lot more aware of position and seniority which is often lost on us. When they talk they will speak in awe of someone just because they are in a more senior position and feel somewhat honoured to be in their presence. We don't respond appropriately and don't actually realise until later. I suppose this is the Australian lack of respect for authority. I think in Australia someone has to really earn your respect rather than just be in a more senior position. In fact in general if someone is more senior we are inclined to chop them down. (Imagine if we were actually respectful to Trevor!)

I wonder how many faux pas we've made and we don't even realise it?

Week 4

As we have received so many emails from people saying they don't think they'd like to visit America, we feel we should begin by saying some positive things about New Haven and the US in general:

• We have mobile phones now and they are great. The plans are much cheaper here. The same goes for internet connection.
• There is a Uni shuttle bus that runs even on the weekends. Whenever you are need it, you ring the shuttle, it comes and picks you up and takes you home.
• We are pretty privileged - Yale provides heaps of support and facilities that make our lives easier. Lots of things we are only finding out about like $10 season tickets to the medical school cinema
• Pete has found a great Uni course to sit in on that discusses one of the books he is studying for his PhD.
• Being a Uni town, it is fairly relaxed. There are very few women walking around in high heels and make up.
• In general the people are pretty cruisy too! It is quite easy to make friends.
• Internet shopping is fantastic. You don't have to leave home to buy groceries or any house type stuff.
• Pete was impressed that in the men's toilets at the ice hockey game there were two doors - one 'in' and one 'out'.
• The flats are always really warm, due to excellent heating and insulation. We have to have a window open in our flat to keep it cool.
• Good wine is cheap and so is beer.
• Health insurance is great, you don't pay a thing - if you work for a good company that pays for it.
• No one around here seems to have voted for George Bush. Not that have admitted to it anyway.
• You can sell your eggs for up to $50000 ($10000 on average)! Very tempting but I think a bit emotionally challenging!

Sometimes though I'd just like to put my red Dorothy shoes on and click my heels three times! I think the homesickness will wear off in time though.

Its been a busy week. As we've said before there is lots to do. Wednesday we went to a function for postdocs with free food and drinks. Being Australian we drank our share of the alcohol, but we rekon we were the only ones. Thursday night was a forum on race and ethnicity in the US. It was rather feeble though, didn't really touch on issues we needed to know about, and the free drinks were only orange juice - how terrible!!!

Saturday night we went to the play - the one CSIRO people got us the tickets for. We loved it! The theatre was lovely inside. We are curious as to how it was directed differently for a US audience. As it was written by an English guy we think there were more jokes, but they just weren't emphasized. We will try to get an English version out on video to see.

On Sunday we met up with our new Australian friends, Steve and Tracy, to watch an ice hockey game. We don't know the rules but it was good fun. It doesn't seem to involve a lot of skill, just a lot of body slamming. One player even broke his hockey stick. It is much like Australian footy and they have a water truck in the breaks just like at the speedway. Yale won 4-3 to to Uni of Connecticut. Apparently Yale isn't very good at sport. Someone told me it is because Yale takes students on academic ability not just sporting prowess. Then again maybe they are poor losers. We then spent the rest of the evening in the pub with Tracy and Steve. We know it is bad form to go to another country and then hang out with Australians, but it is a relief to be around normal people every so often. (See later post on language problems.)·


Tomorrow we get cable TV! Then we can watch Oprah and such. For the moment we are watching a lot of DVDs. We have also discovered that we can listen to Australian radio and watch the ABC News.

For those that asked about the fashion here - We don't think New Haven is the fashion capital of the US but we can tell you what seems to be different. Women are wearing 3/4 slacks. Not casual ones, but formal slacks with knee high boots underneath. It looks a bit odd. Hipsters aren't as low as they have been - which is a relief. And there seems to be a new trend for tops. You wear a long top and then a long sleeved bolero type top over it that does up just under the bustline. Pete says that it doesn't seem to matter what you wear as long as you are talking on your cell or looking preoccupied and rushing somewhere you're OK.

Pete has put in his application to work but it will take at least 2 months to process. Keep an eye on it if you like. Pete is under I765 - All other applications. The present applicant being processed sent theirs in on the 29th October. When you see the 25th January - that's Pete.

We have also made an appointment to take a driving test. The next available was the 23rd May, so we have plenty of time to practice.

We have joined the library (where you can borrow out new release DVDs) and the Yale library which has 3.5 million books (and a card catalogue to search if you can't deal with computers).

Jaci applied for a credit card today. They are giving us a 'pretend one' so that we can build up a credit rating. That is, we pay a deposit of say $500 and then we can have a card with a $500 limit. I don't see what part of this allows them to call it a CREDIT card. But anyway apparently the IRS doesn't know that it isn't a credit card and so we can get a credit history which makes life a lot easier and cheaper. Car insurance for example is about $1600 for 6 months on a $2000 car if you have no credit history.

Week 3

Hi,It's us again!

We have decided to post to a blog site so you can read our updates when ever you want to.

I finally have a computer on my desk and am transferring all my CSIRO work on to it. In typical Jaci style I had the computer only for about half an hour beforeI broke it. It seems to be working now though.

Last weekend we went to an Australia Day BBQ. We met another postdoc and her trailing spouse husband. Pete was happy to find out that he is not the only male trailing spouse. They both had strong QLD accents which were refreshing to hear. The other Australians had asian accents and one had a very distinct private school twang. We ate Tim Tams which are $7 a packet over here. The BBQ was a bit disappointing as they don't have sausages in the US, just hot dogs which just aren't the same. We really enjoyed the half a glass of Crown Lager that each person was given. I didn't think I'd miss Australian beer so much. Good wine is quite cheap though.


As we've said before, there is heaps to do in New Haven. On Wednesday we have a social night for international students, Thursday is a free dinner and discussion panel on race and ethnicity in the US (it is for international people, to provide a forum for them to ask politically incorrect questions) and on Sunday we are going to an ice hockey game.

On Saturday night we are going to the theatre thanks to the CSIRO people who bought us tickets. We are really looking forward to it - we love the theatre. We went down to the Long Wharf Theatre on the weekend to check it out. We were expecting something like Elizabeth Pier with a few restaurants and bars etc. Well there is a restaurant. But there isn't any water as the land has all been reclaimed. Most amusing though is the fact that the theatre is situated in the middle of a meatworks. The smell is not too bad though. That is typical New Haven - nothing is what we expect.

We were also told about a street that they call 'Little Italy.' We were expecting something like Lygon St in Melbourne. It is actually just two dingy pizza joints. But we're told the pizza is the best in the US. New Haven suffers terribly from trying to be New York.

Pete is able to sit in on any lectures in Yale that he wants to. He has found two courses that interest him in Philosophy that relate to his PhD. He has been working on Americanizing his resume with the help of the international office. He is thinking about doing some volunteer work in schools in the meantime.

Jaci's Work talk:
There are some really great aspects of working in a University, but some things I miss about CSIRO. There is more bureaucracy here believe it or not and certainly no staff credit card! Today I tried to get paper for the photocopier. You have to go and get it from the secretary one ream at a time. Apparently if they leave it near the photocopier, people steal it. There is also a lot more travel funding at CSIRO but this may be because we have to travel further. I think the idea is that you have to try and source your own extra funding (hmm,not sure if my creative efforts will be appreciated here).

I'm really enjoying the work. It is great to be employed to sit and read textbooks and papers. I am on a steep learning curve about climate in the past 3 million years. Rather different to considering decadal variability!!

The camaraderie is great though. I think it may be due to all the free food and drink. Wednesdays there are seminars followed by free beer (Australians are known to skip the lecture and just turn up for the beer). Every day there is free coffee and cookies at 3.30. And Fridays it is all you can drink from the keg for $2. Thursdays there is a meeting where we take turns to present a paper or some of our work. So lots of socializing if you are up for it.

More quirky things about Yale:
In the graduation ceremony, when they get up to the PhD awards, they switch to speaking in Latin.

Week 2

HI again,

We are now into week 2 of our US adventure, though it feels like we've been heremuch longer. I had a 'new staff day' on Monday where I learnt just how patriotic Americans can be. The more interesting things I learnt are listed below.

We are slowly figuring things out and getting ourselves set up. We have found edible bread though I think we will give up on baked beans till we get back to Australia. On the weekend there is an Australia Day BBQ which we may go to. Apparently they have Tim Tams which are highly sought after in the US. They are only available in specialty shops and are usually sold out.

There is a great support system at Yale for international people. They are helping Pete Americanize his resume and organise lots of social events. That is the advantage of being at a big institute I suppose.

We had our first experience with the US Health system last week. I cut my finger on the new kitchen knives and had to have five stitches. Not that any of the staff cared until they had established who would pay the bill! Luckily I managed to miss the major nerves and tendons. I have now be banned from the kitchen (damn).

We now have Internet access at home as there are so many cafes nearby with wireless so we can just hook in for free. We still have a couple of weeks to wait before we get TV or a phone though. We are on MSN and skype if anyone wants to chat.

For those who care:My job is looking pretty good. I'm going to be working on the energetics of ENSOas my first project. That is the potential energy of the thermocline and how that varies and dissipates. I'll also have another project that is a bit less concrete looking at the possibility of a permanent ENSO. There is a research assistant who is supposed to be setting up a coupled GCM at Yale for me to use but she is having trouble getting it to run on a Linux cluster. I've been asked to help her (hahaha). Hopefully it is just a problem with the gridspacing and time step she's chosen. I still don't have my own computer yet.

Much to my disgust I think I'm getting a bit of an American accent. It means that people can understand me better though. We are even picking up the habit of saying 'Your Welcome' EVERYTIME someone says thank you. I am also learning to tone down my swearing. It isn't polite here, especially for someone of my 'station'. The Americans don't seem to use our intermediate swear words, its nothing or everything for them. No one knows what 'bugger' means and they don't even say 'Bloody hell'. You also have to say 'restroom' because 'toilet' is crass.

Pete has put his application in to be allowed to work but that will take a few months to clear. He is pretty busy though just getting our lives set up. I don't think he's even had a chance to start his PhD.

Our next challenge is getting a drivers license. You need to sit a test so we'll need to practice a bit I think.

Quirky things I've learnt about Yale:

1. Yale is the second US Uni after Harvard. It formed because of religious differences at Harvard. The final straw I'm told was the pronunciation of Amen,should it be Ar-men or Ay-men? So Yale University began.

2. It was named after a bloke called Eli Yale. There was another guy, but his last name was Dummer, which isn't a good name for a Uni.

3. The buildings at Yale look old (1700s), but most aren't. One was built bysome rich lady in the 1930s who designed it after Cambridge and Oxford in England. To make the building look as old as those in England (and therefore as prestigious), she buried roof tiles in different areas to make them age first. She then got workmen to climb on the roof after it was built and crack them up a bit. The windows also looked too new so she got the workmen to put cracks in them. They had a competition to try and see if you could get Y (Y- for Yale) shaped cracks, so there are many of those about.

4. The residential colleges are surrounded by moats. This is to symbolize that you are leaving the real world while you study. ???

5. Hamburgers and thin-crust pizza were invented in New Haven. The Pizza is good too!

6. George Bush junior and senior went to Yale. They are proud of this at Yale. I've even seen the house where little George used to live.

7. Apparently 'You don't just get an education at Yale, you become a leader..'They are a bit over the top sometimes!!

Lots of love,Jaci

Week 1

HI everyone!

We finally made it to the US after an extra night in Germany due to a missed connection. My new email is jaclyn.brown@yale.edu. We have a flat where we will stay for a few months until we figure out where we want to live.It is just a tiny one bedroom but is fully furnished which has saved a lot of stress.

This is my second day at work and have mostly been filling in forms and setting up. My computer won't arrive till next week and will be a Linux system.

We can't get mobile phones until we get a social security number which will be in March sometime I think. - On Feb 7th we will get a home phone and TV and internet connection. Until then we are feeling very lost!The first day we were here was quite warm ( about 10 degC). The next day it snowed and with the wind chill factor, got to -15 degC. Being stupid Australians we decided it would be fun to go for a walk in the snow. But then the weather got worse and we got REALLY cold. Lucky there are plenty of corner coffee shops to dash into. Our next stop was the mall to buy some sensible winter clothes and shoes.

The culture shock has been worse than expected. I thought the US would be much like Australia but there are lots of little things we miss already - mostly the food. It is hard to find fresh fruit and veggies at a reasonable price, especially ones that haven't already been pre-cut and wrapped in plastic.- Tins of baked beans come in bacon and/or maple syrup flavour. Eventually I found 'vegetarian baked beans' which are the only ones not cooked with pork.- Loaves of bread all come with extra sugar added. Our toast tastes more like cake! Hopefully we will find a good foreign bakery soon.-

We are yet to find a good breakfast cafe ie. something that does poached eggs on toast. So far everything comes with extra cheese and fat.-

Shopping is difficult cos we don't know where to find things. It seems everything is in mega-stores. If you want a computer you go to the computer mega-store etc. But without a car it is a bit tricky to find the right mega-store.-

I can't find an electric kettle. There are heaps of coffee machines but no appliances to just boil water. I don't think anyone drinks tea. There are no electric woks either. I don't think the asian influence is as big here as it is in Australia. Every block seems to have a pizza place and a Dunkin donuts though.

Joyous moments included finding an organic veggie shop and finding an asian supermarket (which has what we call normal food in it).

There is also lots of 'stuff to do' in the US. There are endless social groups to join and clubs and special talks and events. I was happy to learn that Yale University is trying to meet Kyoto targets, and I may try and join a greens party while I'm here. Can you be deported for that?

Our flat is feeling like home so we are pretty happy there. We found IKEA and got a few essentials at bargain prices. Everything except healthy food is quite cheap.

Our accents are proving troublesome! I took your advice Catia and use my TV voice and they understand me better. A lot of the time we need to fake an American accent to be understood. One thing we need to learn is how to say 'Peter' in American. Our pronunciation comes out 'Pee-da' I suppose whereas they emphasise the 'er' at the end. We also have trouble with our address which by the way is 80 Howe St Apt 305, New Haven 06511 for the next couple of months. Anyway we can't get anyone to understand us saying '80'.

I am able to take whatever classes I want while I am here. I will start with one on climate and learn about the northern hemisphere! Later I might take fluid dynamics with George Veronis.

Still don't know what I will be working on here, but will figure that out later.

Miss you all,

Jaci and Pete