Oktoberfest in Brisbane

The sun has been out all weekend and it has been in the enjoyable 70s all weekend. Oktoberfest is in town and we decided to make our way there this weekend. It was, let's call it...a cultural experience... They have them in the United States as well, but I have never been to one. It was fun to go see and experience but INTERESTING. It was basically a bunch of people dressed in the German attire, drinking excess amounts of beer while riding various rides, eating German food, and dancing to a live German band. The music was really fun though. There were wood floors in the tent with the band and everyone was dancing and stomping to music from around the world with a German twang to it.

A few days ago we went out to the "Vic" which is a bar/club in the city and the rest of our weekend has been pretty chill with the continuation of Tim Burton movie watching party and working on an Art History paper due Tuesday.

Vegetable eating has continued. Today for lunch I had grilled chicken and vegetables (potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, red pepper, eggplant, and green beans)! Woohoo

Today was one of the pretties days yet. We all went down and laid by the pool with some music and books. I'm about to go for my first run outside again. I've been running again for a few weeks now with very little soreness and am braving the outdoors now. Hopefully the terrain here won't kill me again.

Melbourne

Melbourne was absolutely beautiful. Perfect sun everyday and a comfortable temperature of about 75 degrees. We arrived late Thursday night (around midnight) to stay in our hostel we had booked...it was....interesting. (The rest of our stay we all split a hotel.) We were all split up in separate rooms and me and 3 others were in a room with some guys from Ireland. We could barely understand them. Their accents were so heavy, but they were nice. We then got up early the next day to begin the Great Ocean Drive. We rented two big vans for 24 hours. The drive is about 10 hours there and back as you make your way up the coast and drive through rainforests and countless rolling hillsides. It was stunning. We drove through Bells Beach, Point Addis, Appollo Bay, Aireys Inlet, Johanna Beach, Loch Ard and Gorge, Port Campbell, Peterborough, and Moonlight Head. We visited the red and white lighthouse in Aireys Inlet, massive cliffs in Moonlight head, bushwalks in Bells Beach, and drove in and out of Otway National Park throughout the drive. Our excursion ended at the Twelve Apostles just outside of Port Campbell. These are famous rock formations in the middle of the coast all lined up. Various legends exist trying to explain their existence. ALSO I drove in Australia! If you didn't know they drive on the left side of the road and the opposite side of the car...so it was a big deal! IN ADDITION we saw an echidna! I will post a picture just in case you don't' know what one is--kind of a cross between a kiwi and a porcupine. The next day we went to a Tim Burton exhibition that was in town. I forgot how many movies he did...James and the Giant Peach, Edward Scissor Hands, The Nightmare before Christmas, The Corpses Brides, Sleepy Hollow ect. It was really interesting and showed all of his sketches and, props, and figures for the movie. The rest of the day we explored the city and went to a live music festival. We went to bed early that night so we could get up and support Kaydee and Sarah in the Melboune Half Marathon. They did so great! Under 2 hours! It was a beautiful race as it winded its way through the city and ended in the coliseum. I was sad I couldn't run it as well but it was still a great experience. We painted shirts and made posters for support. After the race we had lunch outside and watched different festivities in the plaza. My favorite was a chinese dance that had people under dragon skeletons dancing around. They were very talented. After lunch I went to the Melbourne Markets. They reminded me so much of the Mexico markets. Stands lined up one after another, hand made aboriginal artwork, and everything else you could want. It was a really fun experience. I then went to Saint Kilda beach with a few of the people in our group. It was a nice beach with the usual clear blue water. However, it had a dock we walked out on which connected to a little island. AND there were penguins on it! It is breeding season and they were there visiting from Phillip Island. I've never seen penguins, except in the zoo of course. They were precious but grumpy. They barked at us if we came to close... We stayed there till around sunset and then headed back on the trolley (they are nocternal). The next day we explored the city to its full extent. We walked for hours up and down almost every block and visited the Southbank area which had shops and restaurants all along the Yarra River. The city has great public transportation. Instead of buses they mostly use trams and trolleys which I've never really seen. The thing I loved most about Melbourne is it had a space for anyone and everyone. It was chill and yet classy, high class and yet sporty. It had a great feel and was welcoming.

Since we have been back I have turned in 3 papers in a 24 hour span and we have had a Tim Burton movie fest! We are currently planning our accomodations and activities for the Whitsunday Islands in a few weeks! I'm looking into when I can go to Fraser Island and New Zealand with my friend Sally! We were thinking of going "Zorbing" today in Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast but it is supposed to rain so we decided not to. Zorbing is basically where you get in a giant "hampster ball" and roll down a hill with water in it? Sounds like a fun, new experience to me. We'll probably try and do it another weekend...we'll see.

Goodbye Brisbane (for a week)

Off to Melbourne till Monday!

ALMOST DONE...

Only two days until we leave for Melbourne and the school work is slowly being conquered. 48 more hours of stress and intense library time and then I'm off for a nice long weekend.

8 miles today and my knee is holding up with only minor soreness! I'M BACK! However, my burn on my hand swelled and blistered up from the run. Maybe from the pressure or blood circulation from running? Either way, it is GROSS and painful.

I'm off to bed. Night!

The Rain Continues

The rain and cloud cover continue and the library is now my second home. The integration of vegetables into at least one meal a day is holding strong. I love cooking but still loathe vegetables, but they are becoming tolerable. However, today I burned my hand pretty badly. The stupid handles on our pots are metal and I, being my clumsy self, forgot and grabbed the handle. How is the burn? Well...let's just say I am currently typing with my left hand. Burns are so uncomfortable. If I take it off ice it burns sooo bad :(.... Aside from my little mishap things are great. We did get another roommate the other day...his name is Josh. He's Australian/Kiwi/Philippines/Spanish. We'll see how it turns out...

I have been running again for the past week and my knee is holding up really well. There is only slight soreness which is completely normal. This week 8 miles is on the program for Friday :) Half marathon February 20th here I come and full marathon by the summer!

School work is currently my life BUT we leave for Melbourne Wednesday and will be gone through Monday! So far these are my plans for the remainder of my trip:

Melbourne: October 7-11

Fraser Island October 22-25 (Hopefully)

Whitsunday Islands: October 27-November 2

Final Exams: November 8, 9, and 12th

New Zealand: November 12-20 (Possibly)

My ticket to go back to the Unites States is for November 21, but I'd really like to make it to New Zealand and participate in the Woofing program. So I might extend my stay and change my flight so I can incorporate it in my trip. Or I may just go to New Zealand right after my finals are over till the day before I leave so I can make it home for Thanksgiving. We'll see how it all plays out.

First Day Back On Schedule (FINALLY)

Today was nothing out of the ordinary BUT I did start running again! I ran 2 miles and did the elliptical for 45 minutes, followed by my knee stretches. Slight soreness was expected but other than that I think my knee heeled. I registered on Nike+ today for training so I won't hurt myself THIS TIME. The training program is for the full marathon and is 28 weeks long. So my plans are to do the Austin HALF marathon February 20th (with my best friend Sydney of course) and then sign up for a full marathon around the time training ends. Hopefully somewhere cool in the states. Road Trip! 3 miles tomorrow!

The rest of my day was uneventful. I have been working on all my homework and watching...Star Wars....it is, let's say--interesting.

Vegetables were on the menu again today. I boiled broccoli, asparagus, and carrots and put them in a bowl with bow tie pasta and tomato sauce. They are tolerable, but I'm not sure I'll ever actually enjoy eating them. However, it is my goal to include some in at least one meal a day. 2 days of vegetable success so far...AND I hated them a little less today.

I'm thinking of backpacking on Saturday...where? I have no idea. Basically hike the city or hop on a train to surrounding cities. Maybe come back at night or just stay in a hostel somewhere? We'll see how far I get on my school work. I need some spontaneity.