On Vacation

There haven't been any recent posts because I'm currently on spring break in Ayers Rock and Cairns. Once I get back (Sept. 28) I'll post all of the pictures from the trip. Just hang in there.

Rainbow Lorikeets

On my way to class this morning I saw a Rainbow Lorikeet nest inside a hollow tree. I brought my camera the next time I walked past and got some interesting pictures of them. At first the male was sitting on the edge of the hole standing guard while the female sat on the nest inside, but while I was standing there the female came out and took the male's place and he went back to take a turn on the eggs. All of it is caught on film. Click the photo link and look for the new pictures in the 'Wildlife' album.

Kangaroo Meat

I had a kangaroo stir fry for dinner tonight. The look and taste was kind of like beef, but it wasn't quite as flavorful. Very lean too, not a scrap of fat in it. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've eaten rodent. For everyone at home: don't worry, cows are much better :)

Taronga Zoo

Yesterday we went to the Taronga Zoo. It's a really amazing place right on the Sydney Harbor. There are all sorts of critters in there, from Australia and several places all over the world. We took a ferry and then a gondola to get to it. When you're looking at the pictures (click the link at the top left of the page), look for the Red Panda, which looks like a bushy red fox sleeping on a tree branch and is one of the rarest animals in the world. The chimps are really funny too. The city can be seen across the harbor from a lot of places in the zoo.

Powerhouse Museum

Yesterday I took a bus over to Darling Harbour and visited the Powerhouse Museum. It's a huge museum dedicated to advances in technology and design that have occurred over Australia's history. For a huge and impeccably maintained museum, the Powerhouse didn't really have many interesting exhibits. Most of them were about the design of clothing and furniture, but there were two exhibits that were worth walking though. One was about the daily lives of Australians of all classes during the 19th century, and the other detailed the history of the Australian wool industry, which is now the world's largest and most successful. None of that stuff would have been interesting if it had been about America, but I enjoyed it because it was all new to me. I've added an album of pictures from the museum. There are also a couple of new pictures in the albums 'Random Places in Sydney' and 'Wildlife'.

Pictures added

I took my camera with me to one of my classes today and took a few pictures of birds I passed on the way there. They're all over the place and aren't scarred of people. I also took two pictures in the middle of campus, but those are much more boring. The new folders on the photo website are 'Wildlife' and 'Macquarie University'. Later I'll add more pictures of campus.

Textbooks

Now that I've been to all of my classes at least once, I know which textbooks I have to get. All books here are really expensive. An average paperback novel can easily cost over 20 bucks, and most textbooks are between 130 and 200. I found out something really neat though. The university library has a couple of copies of most of the textbooks, and I can check them out for a month at a time. By just renewing every month I can keep them all semester. I've only had to buy two books so far. The library has already saved me hundreds of dollars. I like saving money. At the end of tomorrow I'll have finished my first week of classes. Everything's going well so far.