Bikkies, Pav and Pud

5 am. Crap. Can’t fall back asleep. So, I do what normal people do… go for a run. Totally normal. I ran down through the King Edward Garden and the 83 steps that Bob so fondly told us of. I ran along the river, making a fairly large loop and then back through the Queen Street pedestrian mall. Apparently an American jaunting about in shorts and a bright red t-shirt was an interesting sight. People like black and business here. Not fun. 

A view of the town center in the morning

 At the end of Queen Street, much to my surprise was an adorable little farmer’s market with various fruits and vegetables as well as different pies. It was really refreshing hearing all the ozzie accents as they, of course, stared at the weird American.

Post-run the groups headed to the botanical gardens for a traditional Aborigine welcome which included much conversation (over passing lawnmowers) about sustainability. We also had some quirky little birds arguing over food... right next to the whole group. 

The group listening intently to our guest

Obviously paying attention, I managed to get a photo of the bickering pair (it quickly turned trio)

From there, a group of the faculty headed over to a nearby cafe on the river for a delightful espresso. The weather was just perfect!
I won't bore you with the gory details that followed. A short summary will certainly suffice: Grading. Coffee. Grading. Lunch while grading. Headache while grading. Near pass-out while grading.


Mikell gave a really interesting lecture about anthropology and world views- well worth the vegetative state that I assumed on the floor. It was a bizarre feeling stepping outside of the conference building and being greeted by a beautifully lit bridge. 


We hiked back uphill to our residence, re-grouped, and ventured back on the streets to the "Hub" where we all treated ourselves to some great Asian foods- won tons, spring rolls.. yum.


And then the grading resumed. Never finished.