vindicated!

ok, so in aus lit today we read the man from snowy river. it was AWESOME!
plus, my prof lady was all about the movie, said it captured the spirit of the ballad brilliantly, was visually beautiful, and tom burlinson ideally captured the "australian myth"
(aka, what it is to be an australian)
THUS my years of love and dozens of viewings were all for the best. so maaaaybe it would be better if i could quote lines of the ballad rather than every line of the film, but thats besides the point. ha!

im in my cafe again, this guy decided to take over the piano so the management turned off the overhead and im listening to him plink out random bach preludes. hes rather good actually.

i talked to jacquelyn today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it was fantabulous. and im in a ridiculously good mood as a consequence.

check out my photosite! i dont have too many pix up yet, but will faithfully add as the spirit moves me. i stole a few from my friends just now and uploaded them. i like the ones from the plane the most.
well those and the one of me totally taking rok down. hee hee.

that one was from when we went to the beach last weekend, he told me there was no way i could ever take him down. i pointed out that my being almost 6 inches taller than him *might* be an advantage he couldnt deal with, but apparently those were just fighting words and he ended up trying to body check me to the ground. it didnt work. i ended up flipping him on his back (as documented)
it was great, he was humiliated and insisted i cheated. im still not sure how. =)

not much too report. ive been kicking it around (oooo, bach sonata now ... i cant remember which one it is, but we all played it ... or maybe its a mazurka ... [now ill stop before joseph gives me more grief]), read a book this weekend, need to read a play now and 80 pages of for. policy. blech.

oh yeah, today in security and strategies this kid suggested that america and israel were creating the war on terrorism by attacking countries (something like hezbollah only existed after everything started in lebanon (sp?), and alquaeda (dang, i really cant do that one) only started up after we attacked afghanistan). it was off topic so not discussed, but judging from the facial expressions and head nods around the room, its a general viewpoint i guess.
my point is that my parents should be proud of me, esp since i was labeled unpatriotic and anti-american all break. just because i cant stand politics doesnt make me unpatriotic you know. but yeah, my POINT is that even though i really dont care, my total reaction was to turn and say "you're kidding me right?", like even if you dont agree with the whole 'war on terror' you honestly think that terrorism only started after whatever countries went to war? or something like that. not that i said it because first i have no idea what im talking about, i just know thats not right, i dont know what is though. and second because i dont want to sound like some american on a power trip. but honestly, its a different world here.
i like their attitude to politics in general here. it has nothing to do with love of country. almost all the aussies ive met are deeply patriotic in the sense that they love australia, the physical country itself. their sense of national identity has little to nothing to do with government or politics, its a deep connection with the land and environment itself. its fascinating seeing the way european australia has come about, from the viewpoint of literature, film, theatre, politics, and history classes. so much of the 'australian identity' has to do with the convict past, seriously. that and a (probably unintentional) assimilation of some aboriginal philosophies regarding the country itself. its really intriguing, and fairly seductive, not going to lie.
like, when people talk about america with stars in their eyes, it can make sense if they come from an oppressed nation or something, the whole 'american dream' ideal. dont get me wrong i love it too, but in a way i feel like i relate more to the australian type of patriotism, instinctively at least. like, i love the NW, it has very little to do with the government or politics of the place. its a love of the landscape, an intense relationship with the culture of "what it is to be" a NWer. i think thats why ive become so enamored with the whole fishing culture, native american history, etc. it doesnt matter how liberal or conservative portland or seattle are, that has nothing to do with the land itself.
or something like that, i need to think about it more.
(the irony here [for me at least] is that its not until i come to australia that i realize that my real home is the NW. i cant help it. like i know i hate the midwest, but i just figured that was a homesickish type thing. but if im going to be at home anywhere besides the NW, its going to be here ... and i dont know, ive only been here three weeks and all, but while i still admire and love australia, its just given me the chance to see that im in love the with NW)

ok, my battery is about to die. enjoy the pix. love you all.