Friday, January 16, 2009

Passports arrive in record time!

We received our passports in yesterday's mail, despite the online tracking system never having registered receipt of our applications. Two weeks (considering the New Years holiday) from the courthouse to our mailbox!

More Bites in Florida than in all of Australia

In preparation for our upcoming move, a comparison of risks. Evidently more swimmers are bitten by sharks in Florida waters than in Australia. Granted there are likely MORE swimmers in Florida's waters than in comparatively sparsely populated Australia, perhaps distorting the implied risk. Fatalities associated with shark attacks are higher in Australia. Personally, if I am to get bitten by a shark, I think I'd likely pass out and drown before bleeding to death. But its far more likely that I'd die in a vehicular crash than be bitten by a shark in the first place. Uh-oh. There are a lot of cars on the road, but there's no spine-tingling theme song that comes to mind when I see a Hummer.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Accepted the Job, Now the Real Wait Begins

I accepted the position at QUT a little over a week ago, and, to a great extent, it doesn't feel real quite yet. It seems I've been taking citizenship, and the right to work it conveys, for granted. We applied for passport renewals last month (waiting), and the university has sent my nomination to the Australian government which begins the visa process (waiting). So I've returned to working on my dissertation full-force, but with renewed motivation. John and I are researching neighborhoods (proximity to campus and farmers markets), modes of transit (bike maps, ferry routes), discussing desirable apartment features (windows, dishwasher, and bizarrely, closets), and looking at photostreams on flickr (graffiti, national parks, pythons which have snuck into people's bedrooms). Altogether exciting, and it helps with the waiting.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Contemplating move to australia

I've been offered a faculty position at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, which has prompted me to think about the accumulation and disposal of thirty-odd years worth of possessions and what went through Major Tom's mind as he was stepping through the door - excitement, disbelief, and perhaps, a little fear. I've got to decide which emotion predominates before January 5th.