Yesterday – or maybe the day before, it’s very confusing for me now – I got an e-mail from Cameron who said he’s coming to Toronto soon. I actually knew that, I heard about it through the grapevine (Toronto is a small village) but to avoid having to deal with Australians in my adopted hometown I immediately escaped on a flight to Australia. I’m now at my aunt’s place in Melbourne, and I’ll also visit my sister in Sydney. She (my sister, not my aunt) has been working at USyd since the monday after Richard left. She’ll leave August 8, and at least I managed to time my travels in such a way that I’m actually there before she leaves. However, by doing so I am missing out on my friends’ wind quintet from Holland, who will be touring Canada and hit Toronto on August 6. I helped find them a location to play (Little Trinity at King/Parliament, 8PM, August 6 – be there, it’s free), but I can’t actually attend.
In traveling, I crossed the date line in such a way that July 14, 2009 did not exist for me at all. That is weird, because somehow I managed to actually do something on that date. The last unfinished bits of my thesis went up on Nature Precedings on that very day. Yay! Now it finally feels like I’m done. (I actually have one or two 2nd author papers coming out as well, but those are other people’s to worry about, so they don’t take up valuable brain space.)
Bloggingwise, I’ll try to update a bit of a travel blog which can best be followed by RSS
No photos yet, because this computer runs on molasses vegemite.
On my way to Australia, I had a layover in LA, and the entire day was (quite disturbingly) reminded of Henry . First of all, to go to the train station from the airport, you need to take the G bus. That’s right – “the gee bus” goes to the station. Then I also saw paleontology in action at the Tar Pits, and I visited the end of the (Santa Monica) pier before returning to the airport for the rest of my trip.
In traveling, I crossed the date line in such a way that July 14, 2009 did not exist for me at all
on your way back, you realize, one day will exist twice.
Yeah. Weird.
My dad once missed his entire birthday this way.
Those of us who cross the Pacific regularly get used to it… eventually. It plays havoc with administrators here who can’t get their head around the concept of it being a different day somewhere else in the world. Try explaining that a Friday afternoon deadline in Australia means Thursday evening here in Canada. It’s even more difficult getting people t understand the “reversal” of seasons between northern and southern hemispheres… “what do you mean it’s winter in Australia now, its July!?” oh dear
Eva, can you check out that Coriolis/plug hole thing personally, while you’re down there? I’ve heard it’s an urban myth.
I am traumatized by that urban myth. I once (while thinking it was true) mentioned it too loudly in a physics class in undergrad, and the professor overheard, and made it very clear towards the whole class that I believed in an urban myth.
Yeah, but have you actually checked? Maybe we’re all being duped.
I checked, but they made me swear not to tell when I left.
I wanted to hear it from a reliable source.
I haven’t yet had an opportunity to unplug a filled drain, and other things (running water, flushing toilets) don’t seem to have much of a direction.
(I did help my aunt with the dishes – I feel I need to mention this – but I dried so didn’t deal with the sink part of things.)
Pfft @Jenny.
Not good enough Eva. You need to seize this opportunity. Seize it I say.
Methinks it ith a myth
S. Curry B.Sc. Physics (Hons)
Oh hush, do, Stephen. We’re having fun here.
Eva – I was going to suggest that we meet up for a coffee when you get back, but it seems inevitable that I will be in Iceland at the time, or something.
Note that Eva and I worked in the same building for several years, and I never, to the best of my knowledge, met her. Plus ça change, etc.
In traveling, I crossed the date line in such a way that July 14, 2009 did not exist for me at all
That’s my birthday you missed, making me a year younger to you? :)
Have fun in Melbourne/Sydney!
A myth?
A MYTH?
But… but… Michael Palin said it was true!
My faith in teachers, schools, and the BBC has just been irrevocably shaken. Thanks a bunch, Stephen.