1 brick, 2 brick, red brick, blue brick

so everyone knows about the wildlife of Australia. The rare creatures, the crazy jumping mammals, and how they have lots of birds. However, the loads of birds they have... they sound like babies crying and kids screaming… at first… then once the mind processes that it is a bird… their calls become little prettier. Just a little.

And I haven’t seen a kangaroo yet, but I’m on the lookout. I’ve met a Canadian here, and that’s our mission. To see a kangaroo.

Also, they don’t really say ‘loads’ or ‘lots’ here.. it’s “heaps”. Everything is in ‘heaps’. Heaps of books, heaps of homework, heaps of people who don’t wear deodorant. Which I’m sad to say, is so true. I wish deodorant was mandatory if someone wants to be set loose in public. And then, when you get in the elevator with one of those people who don’t care for others’ nasal passages, it’s even better.

So I went to the gym yesterday, and on the weight machines... the weight blocks were numbered. 1, 2, 3… with no markings of their individual weight.

I was like ‘what is this?’
my friend: ‘oh, that’s how much weight you are gonna lift. You know, 1 brick, 2 bricks..’ (they think I don’t know anything because I don’t say mobyle or toots.)
Me: yeah, but how much does a ‘brick’ weigh?
My friend: oh I don’t know… just try a few and see how many bricks you can lift

So I sighed and used 5 bricks with my legs today. I’m thinking each brick is probably about 5 kilos… which would add up to 55 pounds… but I also don’t think I could do 3 reps of 55 pounds…. So I have no idea. But maybe I can! Or maybe the world should measure weight the same.

Also at the gym, the cardio room is fairly nice. Good amount of machines of different activities, and a stretching area. It has 6 tvs and each work out machine has a tiny remote type deal, where you can plug your headphones in and be patched in to any of the tvs. So that was cool. I put it on the ‘music’ tv and got to hear:
The fray, daughtry, gwen stefani, meth-face (more popularly known as fergie), the fray, gwen stefani, with a few others in between. They really love their fray and gwen here. I should have listened to Bill Bryson on my ipod.

Anyway, it has huge windows that over look the creek... and across that creek is the ‘beer garden’… the outdoor huge patio attached to the university bar in the middle of campus… this means… when one is drinking in the middle of the afternoon, such as many were today (it was 2:30 people, c’mon!), they can glance across the creek to watch people doing their cardio. Or, the other way around, the only thing the cardio people get to watch, are people drink beer on park benches. I don’t envy either side of that creek.

Even more so, with the 200 dollars I paid today to join, that’s not free admittance to the group classes. That’ll be another 110 dollars please.

But on the plus side, my friend has a car here. Which is so magical. We went and saw Music and Lyrics last night and I liked it. But I’d like anything Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore were in. and a song in it “Pop! Goes my heart!” is very catchy and we were singing it all night.
On the way home, we were driving on the freeway and she has a giant plastic card hanging on the inside of her windshield on the passenger side that has a big P on it that faces the outside. So I point to this and ask what it is…

her response: oh… that’s for construction
Katie: oohh, oh…kay… thought it was for parking or something
Her: you can’t park on the freeway!
(obviously we aren’t talking about the same thing)
Katie: no, I mean this giant card…
Her: ohhh, well when you first get your license you have to hang an L (for ‘learners’’) from your window until you get your actual permit (the P), then for the first 3 years you have yours you hang the P.

(By the way, when I pointed to the windshield she thought I was pointing outside… to the construction cones lining the highway. I swear, they think I’ve been living under a rock.)

For homework, I only have a few chapters to read before next week… out of books that are not in stock at the co-op, and probably not in the library. So this weekend will be full of searching for said books.

By the way, the other night, the fire alarm went off. Not mine… but someone’s on the second floor. So the entire building piled out onto the streets, and many people took the ‘lift’ down… as I did (best plan for a fire) and waited outside for the firemen to arrive. And it just so happens that the room that set the fire off was facing the front, so we watched the firemen enter… look around... and save the building by opening the room’s windows. So hey, if you are making some food, and it’s burning, open your windows… that way you won’t disturb 450+ people at 10:00 at night. Moreover, when we got back from the movie last night, everyone was exiting the building. Another fire alarm. Due to cooking. Oh dorm living.

By the way, like Europe (I think)… there is no tipping. And it is so nice. I feel like I save so much money! I love it at the bar: 2 drinks please. 4 dollars? Here’s a 5. oh wait, I get 1 in return. And I get to keep that 1. I love it.
I did tip a cab driver once in the rain… a whole $1.85. I feel kinda guilty when I don’t tip… but I have to remind myself that they aren’t expecting it and nobody does it. It feels weird… but I still love it.

And can somebody PLEASE explain to me their coffee system
So on menus they have white and black coffee.
My mother and I figured white was for cream or milk in it… that’s what we think, we aren’t sure yet.
But moving on to the more complicated ‘black coffee’… for the same price, you can have a Long black coffee or a Short black coffee… what is the difference? And I’ve asked a few people here, all 18 years old, and they are like ‘oh, I don’t know, are you sure they are the same price?’ and yes, yes they are. I’ve checked at numerous locations.