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
Friday, April 14, 2006
Saturday, April 08, 2006
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.
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.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
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
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
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