A new edition to my bike family

I'm looking to get into riding my bike more, particularly as a primary transportation to and from work. I have a mountain bike that I could use but I wanted to get an inexpensive road bike that would be a bit lighter and faster. Luckily, I have a good friend that builds bikes and he put one together for me with my specifications. This beauty is what I got! I am going to test my work route before jumping in, and I'm not sure how I'll fare in the rain and Florida heat but I'm determined and I've learned that's all I really need to get stuff done. In other news, I signed up for a bike/run race with Shirin in early June in Atlanta. I've always wanted to run the Muddy Buddy and now I get to. Riding to work will help train for that as well. These posts will probably stay short and sweet for a while but at least I'm keeping up.

(Female) Family 5k and Strawberry Festival

This past weekend was quite eventful. On Saturday, Natalie, my mom, and I ran in the Lighthouse 5k in St. Augustine. I have run my fair share of 5k races and they are hit or miss for me. I generally like supporting a good cause (registration for this event went toward the Junior Service League in St. Augustine) and participating in a fun run but hate running at 8am. Actually, I generally hate running. I do love all of the sideline supporters, though. I wish they were with me every time I ran at the gym. 

I'm getting sidetracked. The highlight of this race was the fact that this was the FIRST race for my mom and for Natalie - neither of which have run more than 2 miles before. We had 3 goals: 1. Finish, 2. Don't get run over, 3. Finish in 30 minutes or less (goal #1 should have been to have fun but we laugh so much at ourselves that was almost a given). We certainly accomplished goals #1 and #2 and were just shy of goal #3. I was SO impressed with both of them, nearly running the entire thing. I know I walked more at my first race (I probably walked more at my last 5k!).

Me and mom finishing strong together. 

Natalie a sprinted ahead and finished few seconds ahead of us. She gobbled down a banana after this and I thought she might vomit. Luckily, she did not. 

The next day I met my friend Jeremy in Plant City, Fl for the Annual Strawberry Festival. Apparently everyone in Florida knows about this festival except for me. Aside from the chilly 50 degree weather, it was a lot of fun. We saw a plant auction, a 4h exhibit, lots of guns, knives, and other weaponry, rides, and, of course, deep fried everything. I tried deep fried cookie dough.

Still blogging?

It should be no surprise that I have less to blog about now that I'm back in the states. My job has started up and I really enjoy it. I'm working on getting settled in my new city and learning about my new life. It stinks to have to make new friends yet again (well, its fun too) but hopefully I won't be moving again for a long time so tearful goodbyes are no where in sight. I'm already planning my next adventure to visit friends and take advantage of not working on a dissertation. I'm going to try and keep up with the blog for the sake of writing but I'm admitting now that it may not be nearly as interesting or frequent. 

A weekend with Natalie

This weekend Natalie stayed with me while my parents and Grant took off to the cabin in GA. One of the primary reasons I chose my job at UF was to be close to family so I welcome weekends like this. We tried to pack in as much as possible, running errands and going for bike rides. I hope Natalie had as much fun as I did!

Natalie is a pretty veracious reader. She is currently into Greek mythology and fantasy. 

Charlie loved having Natalie visit!

Tank loved having her as well. This is the two of them, thick as thieves, in the back yard.

We also went for a long bike ride on the Hawthorne Trail near by. Its a beautiful, wide trail that goes through Payne's Praire for about 16 miles from Gainesville to Hawthorne. I was determined to get the dogs some exercise as well so we took them along. Natalie had Tank on the Walkie dog and I held Charlie's leash. it took quite a while but we all enjoyed it. 

One of the many overlooks. I just love the mossy Oaks.

The 4 of us squeezing in for a picture. 

On Sunday we went for another ride (to test my route to work) and stopped through campus. A group of trees were painted UF blue as part of an environmental art exhibit. 

Charlie the super smart, happy, good dog

On the night after I arrived I picked up Charlie from Kate's house. That night he was happy and curious but just didn't seem like himself. I think he remembered me but his behavior just seemed a bit reserved and made me so nervous about what it would be like to bring him back to FL with Tank and a new home. Luckily, when we woke up the next day he was his old self. He has been SO very happy and well behaved and I am so proud of him. His entire body wags when he gets excited. That's true happiness. I decided to take him to group training class with our dog trainer, Stacia, to gauge how he is with other dogs since he has had issues in the past and has been an only dog for the past 6 months.

Group class is held in a park so I was walking with another classmate to the class location when an off-leash dog came walking toward us. As the dog approached I called out to the owner to please call off her dog. I nervously started walking in the other direction with Charlie not knowing how he'd react to the approaching dog. The dog eventually got right up to Charlie and started sniffing and then standing quite close in a dominant position. Basically, the dog was showing Charlie "I'm bigger than you." I went through Charlie's commands of 'leave it' and 'heel' to get him away and ignore the dog and, to my surprise, he did. Then, the off-leash dog started humping Charlie! Charlie growled a little but stopped quickly. A year ago Charlie would have growled immediately, shown his teeth, and possibly attacked the dog. At this point I am irate at the dog owner and I tell her she absolutely has to call her dog off and should put him on a leash. She pulled her dog off and ignored me.

Leash laws are created for a reason, people!

We then walk to class and twice during class the off-leash dog leaves his owner and comes up to the other dogs in class. Let me be clear. We aren't in the middle of a dog park. The park is not fenced in any way. The owner is 50+ meters away. This dog is not under control. This time a young guy comes to get the dog and I tell them 'You have to put your dog on a leash!' He replies "Yea, sorry it's not my dog." Sigh

Anyway, Charlie did great in class. He 'placed' on a big rock and was patient while other dogs walked passed him and came up for greetings. While at Brendan's he hasn't jumped on people when they walk in the house, he doesn't go through doorways unless invited, he doesn't get up from a sit unless released, hasn't barked, whined, whimpered, or growled at passing dogs/cats/squirrels, pulls less while walking, and always comes when called. Such a good dog. I can't say the same for my sweet Tank but his training is part of my new two-year plan.  More on that to come.

New house!

The day after I arrived mom and I went to Gainesville for house hunting. I am just renting for now. Even though now is a 'buyers' market I don't want another mortgage until I know the town better and I sell my GA house. Mom did most of the work for me before I arrived, setting up appointments galore with realtors. The semester started a few weeks ago so most houses are already taken, as I expected. Beyond that obstacle, I needed a house with a fenced in yard and that would accept two 40lb dogs. We saw over a dozen homes and, long story short, I found a place. It is way more home than I need at around 1500 sq ft but it has a great back yard for the pups and was clean (a surprisingly unique factor). The house has 3 bedrooms so as soon as I have a bed for one the spare rooms, you are all welcome to visit!

Living room # 1 and dining area

Living room #2. Who needs 2 living rooms? I'll make one into a dance floor. 

The beautiful screened-in porch. Outside there is also a deck. I have no furniture for either but maybe one day I will.

The big, fenced-in back yard. 

I'm leavin on a jet plane...

I am writing this on the plane from LAX to Houston, about 2/3 of the way through my looooong journey back. Candice brought me to the airport yesterday at 9:30am and after checking in, going through Australian customs, etc. I boarded around noon on the 15^th. Took a plane to Sydney then departed for LAX in the early afternoon. I had an aisle seat for the 13 hour flight- not my favorite spot but things could have been worse (like for the guy next to me in the middle seat). There were at least 3 small babies on board, one was about 9 months and sitting a few rows in front of me. He was happy and quiet for the entire trip. A few rows behind me were two more (these two in the same family), I’d estimate one was about 18 months and the other about 4 months. They took turns crying most of the night. I had so much sympathy for both sets of parents, particularly the second set that were not likely to sleep for the entire 24 hrs of travel. I also wondered what circumstances brought each family on this flight and could only imagine it had to be something quite important as to warrant bringing babies at those ages on such a long flight. Nonetheless, I did get some sleep and arrived in LAX at 9:40a on the 15^th (got there before I left, funny huh?). This is when the adventure started.

I had 2 hours to get off the plane, get through immigration, through customs, pick up my baggage (which weighs close to 100lbs), re-check my baggage, go back through security, and find my gate for my next flight. The catch is I brought kangaroo jerky (planning to share with you all!) and the US policy is vague about which meat you are allowed to bring in so it was possible I would get stopped at customs for a bit. The regulations generally restrict any meat (or meat product) from an animal that has had recent diseases, is an endangered species, meat that needs refrigeration, or that is in packaging that isn’t properly sealed. I got an express pass through customs, baggage re-check, and security because my flight was boarding so soon but sometimes my line was slower than the regular line. My jerky cleared customs and I made it to my gate as they were boarding (whew!). I have now been traveling almost 24 hrs and my eyes hurt, I need a shower, would like to brush my teeth, and am starving. At the same time I am elated to be back in the states and am happy dancing through each airport, boarding line, crowded bathroom, and my now plane seat.  I turned on my phone just before I boarded at LAX and was able to make a few quick calls. It was so nice to actually be able to call people back home again. Nearly there!  

UPDATE: I made it! I adjusted to the time immediately and went house hunting with my mom yesterday and today. I found a place to live and will hopefully move in right after I get back from Athens.More soon...

Last few days of Oz

In true Melissa fashion my last days were jam packed. With the exception of one day, I worked every day for nearly 2 weeks. I was trying to finish up tasks I promised the hospital I’d do for them, mostly data analysis and then editing a couple of papers. I figured my primary goal was to relax between the time I get back to the states and the time I start my new job so I could afford a few packed days before I left. I also squeezed in fun time. One day Candice brought me (and her husband, her brother-in-law, and her brother-in-law’s girlfriend) to her husband’s uncle’s houseboat about 2 hours NE. On the way we stopped for meat pies in a country town because Candice said my life was incomplete without trying one. I tried it, it was okay. Imagine a pot pie with minced steak and gravy inside and ketchup (‘tomato sauce’) on top. Not bad, but not something I want for breakfast on a regular basis. The houseboat was nice, mostly because it was on the water and I am happiest when near the water. On the way home we stopped by a Chocolatier and it was AMAZING! They brilliantly had free samples at the door and after trying only a few delicious morsels I bought 3 boxes and an ice cream. Don’t worry, I brought them home to share.

Myself and the infamous Candice.

I also had a special dinner with my housemates over the weekend and a special breakfast with my housemate Katrina the day I left. She made me toast with Vegemite (my first try believe it or not) and a cup of tea – very Aussie. Vegemite wasn’t bad. When applied correctly, it is just a bit salty giving the toast a salty-buttery taste. Then, she made me smell the jar. It smelled like rubbing alcohol. I mean absolutely reeked. After that I couldn’t eat it without smelling it and the last few bites were not nearly as good as the first few. Ah well, another check on the bucket list. I brought some home for everyone to try as well.  Although not featured on this blog enough, Katrina and I became good friends quite quickly and I will miss her. We’ve talked a lot about her visiting Florida one day but she is currently finishing up a master’s in architecture and so she, like many of us who pursued higher education, is short on cash for traveling. Hopefully one day soon. 

Me, Katrina, Georgia, and Sebastian

(in Dolly Parton's voice) 'I'm workin 9-5, what a way to make a livin"

I got a job! I'll be working as a research coordinator with the Institute for Child Health Policy at the University of Florida. Of the many applications I submitted, several faculty positions, this job was #1 on my list. The reasons I wanted (and am SO happy about) this job:

1. It is in Florida
2. UF is a great school with resources (people and money) abound
3. The position is research without the pressure or politics of a faculty position
4. I'm very interested in the subject matter - pediatric health care
5. My research will have direct implications for policy change
6. I will work with an interdisciplinary team of physicians, psychologists, and economists
7. There is a lot of room for growth; they encourage taking classes, teaching, or pursuing my own projects
8. I will be learning the money and governmental side of pediatric health care (in addition to the psychology side I am already familiar with)
9. Work will be 9-5. No nights, no weekends, no looming papers haunting my every thought.
10. It gives me a real pay check

I begin on Feb 1st so it will be crunch time when I get back to visit Athens, find a place to live in Gainesville, and move. That brings me to my next important news - I'm coming back early! I leave on Tuesday the 15th and will land in Jax late that night. My plan is to head up to Athens on the 18th for a week or so and then back to FL to start work. I'm so excited!



In case you missed the title reference, click here. And shame on you, you should be familiar with all of the great works by Ms. Parton.

Nearly there..

As I near my trip back, I have been thinking about some of the things that I miss most about home. Of course, friends and family (human and canine) are at the top of the list but here are a few other things I look forward to:

1. The freedom of driving. Not having a car hasn't stopped my from doing anything while here but I do look forward to being able to come and go as I please without waiting for the tram.

2. Publix, where shopping is a pleasure. My local grocery store is mediocre at best. Picture a smaller Kroger with nicer people and less smell. I miss the perfect lighting of Publix, the friendly staff, the inviting music, and most of all, the deli. I want a Publix sub!

3. Air conditioning while I sleep. We had another scorching day last week, nearly 106F, and I didn't  get to sleep until nearly 2am. That was after taking a cold shower, blasting a fan, and wearing nearly nothing. I look forward to controlling the temperature of my house.

4. Pizza. I'm not sure the primary influence on pizza here, but its crap. I know there is a large Italian culture but they didn't bring their delicious pizza. The crust here is really thin and crunchy and the tomato sauce has a weird taste. I want a nice thick crust with tomato sauce, tons of cheese, ham, sausage, and pineapple.

5. Secret (its a brand) deodorant  Most of the women's deodorant here is a spray and the few roll on seems to be an alcohol base - not my favorite powder base. It's a minor thing for sure but if we're listing things I miss, it makes the list.

Despite longing for a few luxuries back home, I have truly loved my time here in Australia. I was thinking lately about how lucky I am to have found the job I did and the people I live with. I am truly appreciated by my co-workers and boss and feel my work has value. That certainly wasn't the case in graduate school.

In other news, is there anything you want me to bring back? A tim tam perhaps?I have a purchased a few small gifts already, mostly for myself, but will be happy to bring back some souvenirs if you have any requests!