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And how good it is.

Also, Project Valor IT is back on.  Go Navy, Beat Army!

Whats to come

I have finished my Thesis presentation and all my class work, and now just two exams stand before me.  So between soccer, packing, studying, and moving things, I'll entertain everyone with some more posting.  Some of these posts have written themselves in my head over the past week or so, generally in the shower.  Turns out its winter Down Under, and the only warm places in my house are the shower and my bed.  So in the interest of not being in bed all day, I shower.  Similarly, I eat a lot of oatmeal.  Not because I am necessarily hungry, or worried about my cholesterol, but because oatmeal is warm.  Which is all silly, because, really, its not even cold here

So to motivate me into actually writing all these thoughts down, here's what I plan on posting about:

Australia:  Her Majesty's Sovereign Nation
Australia:  Blokes and Sheilas
School and Things Webb Never Taught Me    (Warning:  Massive block of text!)
A Million Miles From Here   (Warning:  Massive block of text!)
The Exchange Student Anxiety Spiral
Blogging

I think I'll sticky this post and update the other posts as links as I write them.  Or maybe not.  We'll see how much packing is getting done.

UPDATE:  All done with finals!  Just a soccer game and a flight home to go.  Last two will go up on Tuesday probably.

UPDATE 2:  Just hours to go now!

Blogging

The end of my trip brings on a conundrum of sorts.  What is to become of all this.  What are blogs, what has this blog meant to me, and where does it go from here.

The Exchange Student Anxiety Spiral

During the two weeks of orientation that they made me come here for originally, and again in the end of studies brochure that they told us to pick up, there is something called the exchange student anxiety timeline or something like that.  I work in spirals, being a navarch and all.  But it goes something like this:  excitement, anxiety, [change location], excitement, home sickness, acceptance, excitement, anxiety, [change location], excitement, exchange country sickness, acceptance.  I always looked at that, and thought sure ok.  But having been most of the way through, I’m not pretty ok with it.  So much so that I won’t even say nah, not me, I won’t miss it one bit.

A Million Miles From Here

I have lost track of the number of times I have been asked, why here, why Adelaide.  When I first got here, I sort of made things up, I really didn’t have a good idea.  There were lots of reasons, some that were my own and weren’t worth explaining.  But as I have answered the question more and more, the answer that I have come to give, and even believe goes something like this.

School and Things Webb Never Taught Me

So, after a year and a half, 8 courses, one Thesis (sorry, Research Project), and only a handful of all nighters, I am now a Master of Marine Engineering.  That’s what I came for.  That’s what I’ll leave with.  (Actually, I wrote the travel post before this one.  That’s really what I’ll leave with.  But I digress.)  So, what did SNAME, ASNE, time, sweat and a really crappy American dollar buy me?

Australia: Blokes and Sheilas

First off, in full disclosure, I really don't know that many Australians very well.  Australia is a very young nation and has a lot of immigrants.  The people I lived with at the Village were all foreginers, not even immigrants.  Alot of the people I worked with or went to school with that I actually had interaction with were generally European or British.  I was told last weekend that Brits don't count as Europeans.  The nearby Brit fully agreed, with relief to not be counted among that continent.  Sure.  Ok. 

Australia: Her Majesty's Sovereign Nation

The title for this post is slightly in jest, and inspired by celebrating the Queen's birthday as a public holiday this week.  Also, some of it inspired by a recent discussion on Collins over at Neptunus Lex

Coming Soon...

Me, to America.

But also some posts as I close out my great Australian adventure.  Right now thesis presentation stands before me.  But after that, I should be able to get some thoughts together.  On paper at least.  The thoughts have been running through my head as I see the light at the end of the tunnel get bigger and brighter. 

Cross Country the Long Way

University of Illinois sponsors a cross country bike ride for cancer at the end of each year.  I just happen to know someone from UofI, my first semester roommate at The Village.  And he is one of the ride leaders this year after his graduation.

So Congrats to Marc on his graduation and good luck on his cross country trip.  You can follow him through his tumblr or the Illini 4000 website and his blog entries there.

Its been a while...

... since I have posted anything.  Terribly sorry about that.  I'll get to it.

But its been even longer since I did a do a good deed post!

So, courtesy of Blackfive. 

Welcome home First Lt Cory French

Use your Facebook-ing powers for good!

And Letters for Lyrics and Lets Say Thanks are still up there to the left.

Also the 2011 Warrior Games are going on.  Go Navy, Beat Army.  Check the Navy Live site for blog updates from that.  I don't know why it doesn't update in the blog roll but its at the bottom.  

The Rise and Fall of the Scorpion Whisperer

On my first dive at Southwest pinnacle in Koh Tao, I was introduced to the elusive scorpion fish and the important dive concept of beer fines.  Over the week, a legend was born, and then quickly fell.

Searching for the Big Fish

One of the goals for diving in Thailand was to find the big fish.  Whale sharks are known to frequent the Gulf of Thailand in April and May and occasionally, very lucky divers get to spend time with them.  Just reading about it and looking at pictures psyched us up.  There was probably a better chance that we would not see one, but we told ourselves we would.

The Even Higher Life

After my good times in the Qantas Lounge pretending to be a upper class flier I headed off to the gate.  I was on a British airways operated flight going from Syndey to Bangkok and continuing on to London.  It was a little strange when we began boarding and the announcers said first and business board at your leisure and then a bit later, everyone got to board.  No from the back, or by zone, just everybody go.  The first lady checking passports greeted me by first name which was a little weird.  Usually I find that they see the Frequent Flier tag on the pass address me by last name.  But sure.  The Mr sounds weird anyway.  The guy in front of me had some issues getting his boarding pass to scan so I waited a bit.  And on my turn the machine made some terrible noises and red lights came up.  The attendant went shuffling through a stack of boarding passes and handed me a new one.  I had moved up 13 rows.  Interesting.  It wasn't until half way down the jet way when I noticed at the top 'upgr'

As I boarded, there seemed to be no room between the business class seat where I entered and the economy some rows back for a Premium Economy.  And sure enough, 20G was the final row of Club World, BA's business class.  The person in front of me as we moved to our seats asked if there were any seats in that section free, pointing to business.  The attendant laughed and said something along the lines of, Yes, free for about 2000 pounds.  And then I sat in one of them.  And he kept walking.  Absurd.

Dinner was a 4 course meal of duck, salad, coconut baramundi and cherry streudel.  I enjoyed an Argentinian red wine which was topped off quite often by the attendants.  A port was opened for me for dessert.  The charming British flight attendants said cheerio and called me love.    I relaxed in my pod although I didn't try out the full sleeping position.  My flight into Bangkok arrived at an awkward time before my bus ride to the ferry.  I wasn't really sure whether to sleep or stay awake.  I ended up staying awake.  BA had a pretty good selection of movies, more than Qantas I'd say.  Arriving in Bangkok I received a customs express lane ticket, although there was hardly anyone there.

Bangkok airport is quite an interesting building and I'll try to take pictures when I return to Australia.  But for now, I have found a decent hotel near the ferry office where I need to be in the morning.  I got a discount since I'll only be here a few hours.  But they have free wifi and a shower to wash off the plane.  Even business class doesn't prevent the 9 hours of flying from getting to you from a hygiene standpoint.  The hotel and ferry office are on a busy street.  The cabbie explained to me that during the day he would be able to drive down, but at night there were too many people.  Too many people indeed.  The street is full of bars and restaurants, hostels and hotels.There are also lots of street vendors selling all sorts of food and stuff.  There was a bar out of the side of a VW van painted in all sorts of 60's colors and styles.        

So now, I rest before my 8 hour bus/ferry ride to Koh Tao.  Also, my Blogger links are in Thai. 

Living the High Life

One of my benefits as a Silver Flier, is a one off pass to the Qantas Club, the Frequent Flier Lounge.  Having a fair few hours between flights, I used it while in Sydney.  I wrote this post as I stayed, so you might get a lot of random seemingly disjointed thoughts.

Inside the lounge is a number of open spaces.  In the first one was seating on long benches and low chairs for general relaxing.  There were also two long counters where wine was being chilled and coffee served along with fresh muffins.  A power port let me keep my laptop going as I did a bit of school work.

In the second area was a row of iMacs dual booting OSX and Windows 7.  There didn't seem to be a dedicated lounge wifi, so this was where I was able to grab the internet for my stay.  Also in the area was more chairs and table for eating and a continetal breakfast since it was still early.  Because it's an international lounge, the Qantas website says that, to cater to customers changing time zones and long travel, there are no restrictions on servicing alcohol before noon like the domestic lounge.  More wine was in this area as well as pour your own spirits and three beers on tap.  They didn't include the $200 bottles of Johnny Walker Blue that the duty free was sampling downstairs.  Maybe that is in the dedicated First Class lounge. 

After the continental breakfast was taken away, a buffet of nibles was put out.  This included a variety of cheeses, breads, cold salads, soup and deli slices.  It was laid out along with the hideous silverware given to Premium economy customers on the plane. 
In addition to the buffet that was out, there was a plate of the date offered by the staff.  For this day it was a plate of smoked salmon with crackers and a bit of cream cheese.

I must say i was terribly jealous when the desk called out boarding calls for SanFran and Los Angeles, pronounces Angel-ease.

I went back up for a piece of cheesecake that I saw on my first (and second....) time at the lunch bar.  But, when I arrived I also found red Thai curry chicken that hadn't been there previous.  So I had some of that too.

Its very interesting the people coming in and out of the Qantas Club.  Theres me, obviously, and I feel quite strange with all the service being offered.  But there are also lots of mothers with small children and others.  I suppose I am here on a complimentary pass, so others could be as well.  It just seems a strange mix.  I suppose one first has to answer, what sort of people fly business and first class.  I suppose its these people?  I guess I was just expecting more suits and ties.  But they all seem to be better layover planners than I.  No one has been here as long as me.  They are squandering their opportunity.  No one appreciates free food and drink as much as a foreign master's student. 

I made it to the third area.  More of the same.  Another buffet, charis, tables.  There was also a family area with a tv hooked up to a video game console of some sort.  I didn't quite have the courage to sit down and play.  Plus I had to get back to my bag.  It's a miserable day in Sydney.  Very gray and drizzly.  And a bowl of mixed nuts, still warm from being roasted, and no peanuts.  High class here.  They are coated in something.  And it burns.  Not a spicy burn, just a terrible burning sensation in my chest. 

Despite the fact that the boarding calls up here are about 25 minutes after the time written on my boarding pass, its time to pack up and head down to the gate.  Perhaps the duty free people will still be giving samples.  And have changed shift.

Next stop Bangkok.

Blogger Issues and Thailand Update

Blogger is being a pain.  Not sure why.  Might be Firefox?  I'll look into it eventually.

I have made plans for my April dive trip to Thailand.  I'll be diving on Koh Tao and meeting my roommate from Webb there.  We did Mexico together so it should be fantastic time.  I think my Spanish is probably better than my Thai though.  But thats all part of the adventure.  Last year for my Easter dive trip I was on a tarp in a sleeping bag out in the Australian autumn.  This year I'll be on a Thai beach in a fan bungalow at 10 degrees north, so technically spring. 

Thailand is actually a bloody long way from Adelaide, about a 9-10 hour flight from Sydney, which is pretty close to the same distance as Hawaii actually.  Its also about the same price getting from Adelaide to Bangkok as it is from JFK.  But I used up the last of my miles and saved some money.  And I'll get this set plus a loyalty bonus from Qantas that I have been due for a while.  It seems you don't earn miles and status when you book free flights through miles like I did for Sydney and Cairns. 

As for school, its like senior year all over again.  Thesis and projects are all I have, and I'm sure they will sneak up on me.  But no spring break in the dark model basin this year.  I'm going to set my CFD to run like mad while I'm gone and come back with a tan, my fill of Thai food (and Mai Tai's...are they Thai?), a bunch more dives in my book and hopefully lots of good pictures again. 

Its Been A While

Sorry for that.  I have lost my home internet connection and yesterday lost my USB broadband modem.  So my only internet connection is on campus.  The internet is becoming a major negative impression on Australia for me. 

I am in discussion for a dive trip to Thailand in April as my next set of excitement.

March Madness Down Under

Doesn't exist.

Its a terribly sad thing, I know.  The soccer team has a website and forum where I tried to explain:

Its time once again for the greatest sporting event in all of America: the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, affectionately known as March Madness. Its actually the greatest in the world. If it were to be in a death match with the World Cup, I would back Madness every time. For three weekends, Thursday to Sunday, hardly anything else matters. The lost time estimates for businesses in March run in the billions. Millions are traded in office pools around the country in what pretty much amounts to illegal gambling in most states. The President fills out his bracket from the White House and any one can use his picks to attempt to win thousands in cash and prizes from the major sports networks.

And it is preceded by another of the greatest sporting events, the Big East Conference Tournament. Made better by the fact that my UConn Huskies did the unthinkable and won 5 games in 5 days to claim the tournament trophy. For you EPL fans, the Huskies did the equivalent being Everton and beating West Brom, Sunderland, ManU, Chelsea, and Man City on consecutive days in a single elimination tournament. From a seeding perspective at least. The competition is better in the Big East.

As wonderful as the Uni Cup is, it is a tragedy that Australia doesn't have proper college athletics. Or tournament brackets that make some sense.

Anyone follow?

Full disclosure, I am an unabashed fan of the Women's tournament as well. When your home team is outrageously dominant, there's nothing wrong with that.

The responses I got:

/a rolling eye smiley face

 And:

all i read was... 'womens tournament' ... Mmmm.... women....

But followed by the useful (not that I have an Android phone though):

Austin - you can download an android app for NCAA March Madness.. Gives you updates, scores, newas.. the lot.

And:

Another reason why Americans are barking mad.

College sports? Who cares.

The things I must put up with.   But ESPN sums it all up nicely:

Destination Great Barrier Reef: The Diving - General

Another diving post!  When I run out of material, I might have to go again.  This will just be about general diving on the Great Barrier Reef.

Destination Great Barrier Reef: The Diving - Shark Diving

I suppose at some point I should actually discuss the diving on the Great Barrier Reef.  There's lots to talk about, so I'll break it down.  First up, because it is exciting, terrifying to some, and mostly just awesome is shark diving!

None of the dives we did were really billed as shark dives.  There a few tours that cost more and go farther out that have legitimate shark dives with feedings and the like.  But, this was pretty exciting for my first real contact with sharks underwater.  Most of what I'll call shark dives were actually night dives, which makes it just that much more awesome. 

Destination Great Barrier Reef: The Boats - OceanQuest

My second trip in Cairns was aboard OceanQuest.  It was a much different experience than Scubapro II, but still a good time with some great diving.

Destination Great Barrier Reef: The Boats - Scubapro II

Next up in the trip log for my diving excursions are the boats.  While in Cairns and more importantly on the Great Barrier Reef, I stayed aboard two live aboard vessels, Pro Dive Cairns' Scubapro II and Deep Sea Diver Den's OceanQuest.  Each was a unique experience in itself.

Destination Cairns

I am back from my wet and wild adventures in Cairns.  Should be lots of updates this week as I tell my tales.  First up, Cairns itself.

Tropical, Rainy Cairns

Since its pouring all day here, I haven't gotten out much.  Which means bonus picture posts.

Tomorrow I'm going for a full day rafting trip on the Tully River.  It will probably be raining and I'll be wet anyway.  At least I won't be submerged.  My body would revolt.  But rafting through the rain forest should be good.

More Teasers!

They were best friends!

A face only a mother could love.

 And this one too!

Second Trip Done!

Another fantastic dive trip completed.  You'll have to wait for pictures from this one though.

Also I am now an Advanced Open Water diver.  Woo!

I look forward to telling you all about the things I couldn't let my mother know I was doing before hand.

First Trip Done!

I'm on land for 12 hours.

Here you go.

I found Nemo

Destination Sydney: Museums

Most of my time in Sydney was spent walking.  A lot.  Between neighborhoods, to attractions, up and down the beach, to find food, and in general just around.  And with all that walking, was a whole bunch of indoor walking as well at the Sydney Aquarium, the National Maritime Museum and the Australian Museum.

Semester 3 Update

I have a few more Sydney posts to get to yet but here is a quick update on the real reason I am here.  Well, until I have Barrier Reef posts in a couple weeks time. 

Jimmy Buffett in Concert

Of course, the reason I went to Sydney in the first place was to see Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band in concert at the Hordern Pavilion.  I probably would have gotten there eventually, but this was probably the best reason I would have.

Destination Sydney: Bondi Beach

Since I hear it isn't 40C and a UV index of 12 where most of you are, here is a feel good post.  I went out to Bondi and few other beaches on Saturday.  Just know that it was only in the mid 80's when I was there.  And there were a few clouds. 

Destination Sydney: Australia Day

My first day in Sydney was Australia Day.  I guess I haven't ever spent Fourth of July in DC or NYC so I don't know what that,s like.  But Sydney for Australia Day was probably one of the best times I could have chosen to visit.  The other one I can think of is apparently Boxing Day when the fleet for the Sydney to Hobart Race gets under way and sails out of the harbor entrance.

Back from Sydney

I am back in Adelaide after a pleasant extended weekend in Sydney.  Its 100+ in Adelaide.  I'll tell you all about Sydney over the next week.  But here are some hgihlights!

Skunk Works Afloat II - Why MOTS Is Not the Answer

I'm writing this sitting in the computer lab transferring roughly 15GB of CFD simulations.  But nevermind that.  That was Friday night actually.  Now I'm sending data back from home though.  In continuing with this new series, today I comment in secret on why MOTS is not the answer for LCS.

Skunk Works Afloat - LCS Background

LCS is in the news, well, Navy type news, again and stealing the headlines at some of the blogs I follow regularly.  In general, I find myself a little afraid of the commentariat in those places.  Not that they don't seem like nice people.  Just very experienced.  And I have my very own blog, which at least a couple of naval type people read.  So, all you family types, content warning.  It will be a little like Gene or Athena at the lake.  And all you Webbkins, well, do as you wish, this is probably a little much for Wolfpack LLC at this point in time.  This is going to be a 3 parter I think.  First some LCS background, then what not to do about LCS and then what would be interesting if it could be done.

Planning Continues

As my work hours and paychecks slowly accumulate, so do my travel plans.  This time, my Great Barrier Dive trip for the end of February started to take shape.

My First Travel Plans

For the past few months I have been planning for my big trip to the Great Barrier Reef.  Its been difficult to plan with all the choices and variables.  But I am happy to report I have made the first purchase of my first big interstate Australian adventure.

Back Under and Blagging

I have once again returned to the land of cricket, kangaroos and summer.  I had a grand ol time making the appropriate amount of mischief back home.  I escaped my shopping weekend unscathed, although it may be the last time I am allowed to skip The Nutcracker.  I'll have to get something fancy next time I am in Anthropologie to wear for next year.  A mysterious amount of miles were added to the odo of my dad's favorite car, an indeterminate amount of snow was removed from the driveway and i was thoroughly reminded of what winter is supposed to feel like.