tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-100289592011-07-18T05:42:06.660+10:00A collection of daily events, activities, thoughts and reflections. Check back often as we will update our log every day or so. Don't forget to stay in touch by clicking on the comment link below each daily entry!Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.comBlogger611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1123597826566739812005-08-10T00:30:00.000+10:002005-08-10T12:40:14.423+10:00

Hey there, to all the RBF (running blog family for the unitiated) crew, I am going back to my running blog Two Fools Running for all future posts. At some point I will add one last post to this site, for our family as a synopis of sorts of the whole 4 months away and print it to be added to our "Australia keepsake box". So, you can join Jeff as he trains for the C.R.I.M. (10-mile "Coolest Race

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1123170316486982302005-08-05T01:45:00.000+10:002005-08-05T01:45:16.493+10:00

Way to go Eddie! Originally uploaded by ed_roth.Eddie with his catch - a nice sized Taylor taken off the Gold Coast of Australia on July 25th, 2005.

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1123167251464164522005-08-05T00:40:00.000+10:002005-08-05T00:54:11.473+10:00

Well, I am not really what you would call 'back in the swing' of things yet. I'm probably completely adjusted to the time as I have been home for a week now but still not really going to bed or to sleep anyway until 2 a.m. or so. It doesn't help that Eddie has decided to stay on Aussie time and goes to sleep even later than I do! O.K. - he hasn't really decided to stay on Australian time but

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1123165161833580302005-08-05T00:19:00.000+10:002005-08-05T00:19:21.850+10:00

Birthday Girls: Addie 12 & Heather 4 Originally uploaded by ed_roth.Heather and Addie (a friend from the neighborhood) shared a birthday on Aug. 2nd - Happy Birthday girls! It sounds like Heather will actually celebrate her birthday, get this, 3 times. Once with her cousin and my side of the family at my brother's place this past weekend, once at our place on her actual birthday with all of her

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1122584073334466152005-07-29T06:54:00.000+10:002005-07-29T06:54:33.340+10:00

Homecoming Originally uploaded by ed_roth.Ahhh, to be home at last! Eddie and I got home last night around 8:00 with Karen and Heather there to pick us up. What a great reunion that was!! Eddie ran to Karen and almost wiped her out and Heather ran at me full tilt - back together again on home turf - NOTHING better!! The whole trip back in total was about 28 hours so we were tired but

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1121997939620256022005-07-22T11:59:00.000+10:002005-07-22T12:05:39.626+10:00

Eddie and I stopped at a McDonald's this morning before heading to the train station (which we never made it to). A black family came in which is uncommon here and set next to us. AFter a few minutes I could hear that they were clearly Americans and I introduced myself. We started to chat a bit and found out that the "Dad" is the head coach of the professional basketball team here in Brisbane

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1121914203585702852005-07-21T12:44:00.000+10:002005-07-21T12:50:03.590+10:00

OK - the big day is set for this upcoming Monday - 5 hours of fishing off the Gold Coast. Cobia, Sharks, and Red Snapper are the three main targets for this time of year apparently with Wahoo and Mahi Mahi as second-stringers. We can't wait! So last night Eddie and I played cards in the food court of a mall for 3 and a half hours before we went back to where we are staying - he beat in Rummy 500

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1121834140654636552005-07-20T14:29:00.000+10:002005-07-20T14:35:40.660+10:00

Well, for anyone out there who still may check this out from time to time ...After Karen/Heather left on July 6, Eddie and I spent about a week back in Brisbane and then a week on the road again; Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, Geelong, bla bla bla bla. It all blurred and is still a blur. We had a great time and Sydney ... just fabulous! The harbour there is second to none - absolutely stunning.

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1120044437461794412005-06-29T21:20:00.000+10:002005-06-29T21:27:17.466+10:00

Wow - so much has happened since our last post! I will make this one brief as well unfortunately as internet access is neither easy or cheap when you are on the road! We spent 8 days down on the Gold Coast after we left Brisbane. We went to a theme park Dreamworld, for 2 days and Eddie took his first surfing lesson - and LOVED it! He seemed to do well and was able to get up on the board - I

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1118829526463496482005-06-15T19:58:00.000+10:002005-06-15T19:58:46.466+10:00

Eddie at the Brisbane Science Museum Originally uploaded by ed_roth.Eddie learns a bit about anatomy as the skeleton rode his bike in sync as he peddled his bike - cool display!

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1118829438998487052005-06-15T19:57:00.000+10:002005-06-15T19:57:19.000+10:00

Karen, Eddie, and Heather Overlooking Victoria Bridge, Brisbane's CBD, and South Bank parklands Originally uploaded by ed_roth.

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1118828121993967532005-06-15T19:18:00.000+10:002005-06-15T19:35:22.000+10:00

Just to pick up on the tail end of day 3. Chrissy, Karen's sister, arrived from Japan about 9 a.m. Eddie and I went out for a run that morning, across the Goodwill Bridge, into the Botanical Gardens, across a deck through a section of mangroves that was exposed due to low tide, out far enough to see Kangaroo Point and back - total of about 3k. When we got back about 9 a.m., Chrissy was already

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1118637242354549832005-06-13T14:33:00.000+10:002005-06-13T14:34:02.380+10:00

They are FINALLY here! (lots of cheering and celebrating)They arrived at 5:55 A.M. (yes - A.M.!) on Friday morning and simply hit the ground running ..... for the most part. I got there at about 5:30 and they made it through Customs and came through at about 6:45. I actually can't remember when I've been so happy to see anybody .....ever! Karen and I quickly made eye contact because the kids

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1117869477042096192005-06-04T17:04:00.000+10:002005-06-04T17:17:57.053+10:00

Yesterday marked the last day of class for the semster and we all went out for a bit of a celebration. Over the course of the night, we talked about all of the Aussie-isms that I've learned (or at least heard) since I arrived... a few of many (more) for your sampling:Whoop Whoop: I want to live in the heart of the city, not way out in whoop whoop.Hard Yakka: If you want to succeed, you have to

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1117680176982593752005-06-02T12:34:00.000+10:002005-06-02T12:42:56.986+10:00

About a month ago, I discovered that Hungry Jack's, which is in Indooroopilly, sells ice cream cones for 30 cents, 30 Australian cents, so roughly 23 US cents. So every day on the way home from work, I'd pop in there and get a 30-cent ice cream cone, at about 9:30 at night. Then I realized that Hungry Jack's is open on my way to work as well ... so I started to get them a few days here and

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1117622252733312932005-06-01T20:37:00.000+10:002005-06-01T20:37:32.746+10:00

University of Queensland 3rd-Year Students Originally uploaded by ed_roth.Well, today was the last day of class for this particular course and for my stint at UQ. There is still plenty of grading to do and I will be participating in their final experiential exams, so it doesn't feel 'over' yet, but no more class work. I've been teaching almost non-stop since January so I am ready for the break.

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1117525787264400652005-05-31T17:49:00.000+10:002005-05-31T17:49:47.266+10:00

University of Queensland Graduate Music Therapy Students Originally uploaded by ed_roth.On a far more pleasant note...Today was the last day of class for the courses I'm teaching with this group of students. I'll see them again in a few weeks at the final exam, but today was the final class meeting time, which of course brings on mixed emotions. Just a fantastic experience with a brilliant

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1117525535662192712005-05-31T17:45:00.000+10:002005-05-31T17:45:35.666+10:00

Indonesian Judge in Schapelle Corby Case Originally uploaded by ed_roth.The judge's response to Schapelle Corby's mother, who stated something along the lines of "those judges will never have another good night's sleep" after what she obviously feels was the wrongful conviction of her daughter.

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1117525059165905172005-05-31T17:37:00.000+10:002005-05-31T17:43:12.963+10:00

Schapelle Corby Conviction Originally uploaded by ed_roth.O.K. - for those of you outside of Australia, or at least in the U.S., I don't think you've heard too much about this (or anything as far as I can tell by reading the NY Times and Detroit Free Press headlines). But the gross oversimiplification is something like this:In October 2004, Schapelle Corby, a young Australian, was going on

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1117436009932433682005-05-30T16:49:00.000+10:002005-05-30T16:53:54.673+10:00

O.K. - for the RBF people - I screwed up yesterday's posted times.... no really I did! Those were times from a few runs ago. The actual stats for yesterday's run...5 miles54:0110:48 paceHey, if I ran 2 miles further than I origianlly posted, you know I'm going to post the update! :)

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1117338932157096872005-05-29T17:55:00.000+10:002005-05-29T17:44:23.613+10:00

Kangaroos Ahead Originally uploaded by ed_roth.Now here's something you don't see every day (unless of course you live... HERE!)This was taken maybe 10 minutes from Dave & Karyn's house as we took a nice leisurely drive on Sunday morning. I felt like the scientists in Jurassic Park who were desperately peering through the windows of their automated dino-tour searching for dinosaurs. Searching

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1117067032747468822005-05-26T09:47:00.000+10:002005-05-26T10:23:52.763+10:00

"...one never has to look far to see the campfires of gentle people." I just got done reading a great article in the May 21-22 edition of the Brisbane Courier Mail Beliefs flourish in a time of doubt by an Australian feature writer named Kathleen Noonan and thought I would share some of it. In a previous column, she asked the question, "What do you believe?" thinking for the most part that it

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1117009948455082372005-05-25T18:24:00.000+10:002005-05-25T19:06:58.356+10:00

O.K. - here's the newest Aussie'ism - goin' troppo, as in, "it's so freakin' hot in here I'm going troppo!" I had so much fun with my Aussie students today with little phrases like that. One of the grad' students asked if they would use the relaxation techniques we were discussing, preventatively or after a patient "goes completely troppo" LOL! I had no idea what he was talking about so he

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1116840028061182332005-05-23T19:20:00.000+10:002005-05-23T19:20:28.070+10:00

P1010256 Originally uploaded by ed_roth.Look how gorgeous my niece is! She got her first pair of glasses last week and is trying to get used to them. Now those, are blue eyes.Definitely feeling tired tonight (almost all day today). I haven't been sleeping all that much/well lately and this weekend there really wasn't much of a break. I hosted an all-day conference this Saturday for the

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1116551536507295492005-05-20T11:08:00.000+10:002005-05-20T11:12:16.510+10:00

OK, this was pretty cool. Having lived in three different places, Karen and I are always talking about word choices, accents, etc. This is by far nothing official, and VERY easy to trick if you wanted to, but below are the results of an online linguistic analysis of my use of American English. When I was honest about it, the results came out making a lot of sense. Click on the link below my

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1116468220326927092005-05-19T11:00:00.000+10:002005-05-19T12:03:40.340+10:00

Thanks for all the well-wishes for my cousin Aaron in Iraq. His Mom (and maybe his Dad also) reads this blog now from time to time and I'm sure she appreciates them a great deal. Gas prices - I know everyone back in the States is going crazy over gas prices being over $2.00/gallon (rightly so perhaps), but let me drop these figures on you for some perspective. Last week Friday, gas (or petrol

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1116226022803059942005-05-16T16:47:00.000+10:002005-05-16T16:53:59.723+10:00

AIraq Originally uploaded by ed_roth.Well, here's a picture of my cousin Aaron in Iraq. I wish I could tell you exactly how long he's been over there - it seems to me about 2 and a half months now. If any of you reading this know differently, just post it as a comment. Also got an e-mail from Karen's Mom today with a link to the orphanage she spent part of her time working at during a recent

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1116056800623425172005-05-14T17:43:00.000+10:002005-05-14T17:46:40.626+10:00

The basic breakdown of today goes something like this:8:30 Wake up, eat breakfast, shower.9:00 Watch first half of Pistons vs. Pacers playoff game11:00 Catch bus to go to work to get lots of work done on all the work I have to do at work :)12:00 Go to beach4:00 Catch boat back to campus - think about doing work for 2 hours6:00 Catch bus - go to Blockbuster's to rent some movies.The best

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1115943463017565882005-05-13T10:01:00.000+10:002005-05-13T10:31:38.436+10:00

I had about 30 minutes this morning after I finished breakfast before I had to catch the bus, so I thought I'd watch a little ESPN and catch up on the NBA playoffs, NFL free agent signings, and even though major league baseball is a complete disaster, I thought I'd take a peek at that also. Here in Australia, Sports Center is mostly a direct feed from ESPN in the U.S., with a mix of some

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1115807294978820422005-05-11T20:21:00.000+10:002005-05-11T20:28:14.986+10:00

I was in a mood this morning. I don't get into "moods". I'm usually not even aware of them, I just look at what I have to do, and do it (or not), but never really ask myself if I'm "in the mood". I woke up early today, 6 a.m., showered etc. and was out of the house by 6:30 which put me to the bus stop just in time to get a close up view of the bus driving away. No big deal - buses at that

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1115690291366789342005-05-10T11:48:00.000+10:002005-05-10T11:58:11.373+10:00

Just a few random things. A few weeks ago, one of my colleagues here asked me if I wanted a "cuppa". I asked her, "a cuppa what?" which of course made her laugh out loud at me because ..... "cuppa" is understood to mean a cup of tea, or maybe if you know the person you're asking is a coffee fan, that it could mean a cup of coffee also. Cuppa - there's your new Aussie word for the day. I love

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1115628467125416652005-05-09T18:47:00.000+10:002005-05-09T18:51:12.956+10:00

New Yorker Originally uploaded by ed_roth.This March 29, 1976 cover from "The New Yorker" magazine is basically the way the rest of the world thinks ALL Americans see the rest of the world. This has been one of my favorite pictures since the first time I saw it. It was painted by Saul Steinberg and was meant to poke fun at what was called the "tribal" perspective of Manhattanites - Steinberg was

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1115431612142423672005-05-07T11:54:00.000+10:002005-05-07T12:06:52.220+10:00

Yesterday I FINALLY completed all of the grades for my students back at WMU (grades were due April 26th - I had to give everyone an incomplete). Due to a problem with the Fed Ex delivery of their final exams, I didn't get the grades done until last week and then there were problems with submitting the new grades online, bla bla bla. Anyway, I have all of that stuff worked out and will mail the

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1115253681029283722005-05-05T10:28:00.000+10:002005-05-05T10:42:06.033+10:00

For about 4 or 5 days, I was really intensely missing home, I mean I miss home and obviously Karen and the kids EVERY day, but I mean a real intense sadness. This morning when I got on the bus, I popped on my iPod two people who always make me feel better - Saginaw's own Stevie Wonder and queen of Motown, Anita Baker. There's something real.......I don't know, primal, or familiar about them -

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1115166828216821722005-05-04T10:26:00.000+10:002005-05-04T10:33:48.216+10:00

I woke up early today so I could get to the office earlier and get some things done before class. I tried to catch a 7:15a.m. bus and I did - unfortunately....it was the wrong bus! it took me completely out of my way, which I didn't realize because I took a nap on the bus and when I opened my eyes I had no idea where I was! Luckily, it ended at the main bus station downtown and I caught

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1114750762093985772005-04-29T14:59:00.000+10:002005-04-29T14:59:22.093+10:00

Hauling A&$ Originally uploaded by ed_roth.How great is that?!!!!

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1114750650458186452005-04-29T14:57:00.000+10:002005-04-29T14:57:30.456+10:00

IMG_0060 Originally uploaded by ed_roth.This is the crew that I am waiting for! 42 days and counting! I made a short little 30 second video, just to say hi to Karen and the kids, and e-mailed it to them. Karen said they flipped over it - Heather couldn't understand why "I" wasn't answering back when she was talking to the screen :( and she said Eddie came running up the stairs when he heard my

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1114683940589566352005-04-28T20:22:00.000+10:002005-04-28T20:25:40.590+10:00

Jon the Chocolate Runner has offered two solutions to the Puzzlers from earlier in the week. KneeLightis Neon Light - great one Jon!1100000000Jon says might be 'circles under the eyes' - another great one - but I'll have to look at the puzzle again because I think the figures are actually ones and zeros. Incredible that he even came up with anything - most of us were completely blanked!

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1114683646368291862005-04-28T20:09:00.000+10:002005-04-28T20:20:46.370+10:00

So many of you have asked me just to give you some 'basics' about Australia that I'll add a few things in this post.1. They drive on the left side of the road.2. And on the right side of the car.3. You do not "root" for your favorite team here - that would mean that you are having sex with them.4. An eraser is called a rubber.5. All the public schools in this area (but 1) have strict dress

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1114503989286393482005-04-26T18:10:00.000+10:002005-04-26T18:31:10.463+10:00

This weekend was ANZAC day weekend here in Australia (sort of like Memorial Day weekend) with April 25th actually being Anzac Day. I know there are several Americans and Australians now reading this blog and most (if not all) Americans have no idea what ANZAC day is so here is a bit of text from a website that you can go to by clicking on this post's title if you'd like to read more.What is ANZAC

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1114496379530670632005-04-26T16:18:00.000+10:002005-04-26T16:19:39.530+10:00

As long as you are all working on that one, try solving this one. David said someone did at his office but couldn't remember the solution and I can't figure it out.KNEE_____LIGHT

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1114485466610325832005-04-26T12:52:00.000+10:002005-04-26T13:17:46.610+10:00

OK - my friend Dave has this page with a bunch of different word/number puzzles on it, e.g.WEARLONGto which the solution is Long Underwearetc. etc.Here's the one we can't figure out:1100000000Any suggestions? Just hit the comments button and help us out!

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1114144144785811072005-04-22T14:19:00.000+10:002005-04-22T14:29:04.786+10:00

OK - get this. My friends David and Karyn showed me a newspaper article the other day, primarily about the presence and prevalence of snakes in this part of the city/state. A python had recently nabbed someone's pet pug - bit it, squeezed it, and swallowed it! There were a few comments made by the author that just ABSOLUTELY took me back! The first thing he said was that "we have to learn to

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1114056101600370442005-04-21T13:58:00.000+10:002005-04-21T16:43:40.400+10:00

Hey - if you haven't checked out our other blog, go take a peek at http://ed_roth.blogspot.com It's a blog my friend Jeff and i started about a year ago when we started to run more seriously and train for a few races last summer. We're still getting 100's of hits from U.S., Europe, and S. America even though we almost never posted for about 4 months straight!

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1113957837889347222005-04-20T10:41:00.000+10:002005-04-20T10:43:57.890+10:00

OK - this place is just WAY too convenient. As I've mentioned in other posts, I take one bus from where I'm staying and connect at this shopping center (Indooroopilly). Yesterday, on my way to work, when I got to Indooroopilly I went in, got a haircut, bought a newspaper, got some breakfast, and then got back on the bus. On the way home, I also stopped in at ... you guessed, the Pig 'n Whistle

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1113957500929485772005-04-20T10:35:00.000+10:002005-04-20T10:38:20.930+10:00

I have a new technique to handle the bats(747's) that are flying around at night. Basically, as soon as I get off the bus, I turn my iPod up REALLY loud, put my head down, and don't look up until I get home. However...Last night, I got complacent, because my strategy had been working so well. I looked up and saw one of those monstrosities flash in and out of the street light a few times. The

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1113797065336860442005-04-18T14:05:00.000+10:002005-04-18T14:13:52.286+10:00

I took a really nice hike this weekend from Karyn's parents' house up to Mt. Coot-tha. They live right across the street from the trailhead - with the two boys in tow, I'm guestimating, but I guess it took us about 45 mins. or so to get to the top. At the top, there was a beautiful "look out" over the whole city, metropolitan area, and surrounding mountains and ocean - gorgeous!On the way up I

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1113796726497631052005-04-18T13:56:00.000+10:002005-04-18T13:58:46.496+10:00

52 days, not counting today and the day they arrive, until Karen and the kids get here.

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1113528474792846542005-04-15T11:26:00.000+10:002005-04-15T11:27:54.793+10:00

OK - so Eddie is loving riding "The Mongoose" to school every day. That's his bike obviously but he never refers to it as his bike, only the Mongoose. Great fun!

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1113525447091559342005-04-15T10:35:00.000+10:002005-04-15T10:37:27.090+10:00

There is a potentially dangerous habit forming. I have been catching a 7p.m. bus from campus and connecting at Indooroopilly (the mall) where there is a bar called the Pin 'n Whistle. I usually have 20 minutes (or an hour and 20 minutes) to catch the next bus (or the bus after that one). So, I stop, have a beer or two, chat with the bartender and whoever else shows up, then catch the next bus

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1113525303685606022005-04-15T10:29:00.000+10:002005-04-15T10:35:03.686+10:00

O.K. - so there were no bats last night as I was coming home from work ... at least none that I could hear because I turned my iPod up all the way and did not dare look up! I didn't want to see or hear anything flitting above my head.So, I didn't mention the stick in the street a few nights ago - the same night as the bat night. There was this stick that was very smooth, no bark, and was a bit

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1113524919147577382005-04-15T10:27:00.000+10:002005-04-15T10:28:39.146+10:00

If you haven't heard the new Will Smith album, the WHOLE album, it is a MUST for anyone over 30 years old who has been listening to Big Willlie since we were teenagers. Lost and Found - great record!

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1113524842727656382005-04-15T10:23:00.000+10:002005-04-15T10:27:22.726+10:00

So, Eminem just might be the biggest international pop/rap star over the last couple of years. When I was in Geneva a few years ago, the girl at the airport who was processing my ticket, saw that I was from Michigan, and when she asked me where in Michigan I was from, to make things easy, I just said I was from Detroit. She started to blush and breathe more heavily, and said, "Oh my God - do

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1113431557953821392005-04-14T08:22:00.000+10:002005-04-15T10:40:31.690+10:00

I bet growing up as a kid the U.S., you either: A. Had no idea what a kookaburra was, or B. Thought it was a cute little bird with a pretty song.I hate them. They sit outside my window and have this REDICULOUSLY loud "laughing" sound and when more than one of them gets together ... forget about it man, these things are like having some nutcase outside the window laughing their heads off waiting

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1113373208521561342005-04-13T16:15:00.000+10:002005-04-13T16:20:08.523+10:00

The weather here has been perfect since I got here. A little bit of rain here and there, but almost all sunshine and temperatures around 80F. I taught my second round of classes this week and so far, all seems to be going well. A few of my Australian colleagues mentioned that the students were "raving" about class. OF COURSE my response was, "they were raving what, lunatics?" The humor was

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1113173903945373302005-04-11T08:57:00.000+10:002005-04-11T08:58:23.946+10:00

60 more days 'til Karen and the kids get here! I feel like I am on "pause" - like a DVD player - until they get here and we can press "play" again.

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1113174368642587812005-04-10T20:58:00.000+10:002005-04-11T09:06:08.643+10:00

Well, I've been at David and Karyn's now since Wednesday evening and am starting to settle in a bit. I took the bus from their house down to the Indooroopilly (pronounced Indra-pilly) mall, picked up a few things from Target and K-Mart (American corporations everywhere!) and grabbed a bite to eat before heading back. Now that I have a bit of an idea how the bus system works here, there's a bit

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1112769695829260472005-04-06T16:31:00.000+10:002005-04-11T08:56:52.506+10:00

O.K. - so I have officially been "down under" for one full week. I left Kalamazoo on Tuesday the 29th, landed in Brisbane on Thursday the 31st, and today is Wednesday the 6th! So ... man, where to start. The travel in some ways was absolutely brutal but overall was not as bad as I thought it might be. Just trying to find the right friggin' terminal in Los Angeles was a trick as I bounced

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1110122764315440392005-03-06T10:24:00.000+10:002005-03-07T01:26:04.316+10:00

Click the link above to go to our 'Roths Down Under' website for pictures, short video clips and more!

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1110121735992001502005-03-06T10:15:00.000+10:002005-03-07T01:08:55.993+10:00

March 29th (Ed)Kalamazoo - Detroit 1:36 p.m. (50 mins)Detroit - Los Angeles 3:16 p.m. (4h57m)Los Angeles - Auckland 8:40 p.m. (12h30m)Auckland - Brisbane arrive 8:20 a.m. March 31st (3h30m)June 8th (Karen, Eddie & Heather)Kalamazoo - Detroit 3:10 p.m. (45 minutes)Detroit - Los angeles 4:45 p.m. (4h45m)Los Angeles - Brisbane 11:20 p.m. - 6:05 a.m.(June 10) (13h45m)July 6th (Karen & Heather)

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10028959.post-1109775167086248652005-03-02T09:52:00.000+10:002005-03-03T00:52:47.086+10:00

OK - so we are almost ready to go! I confirmed all ticketing information and at the time I am writing this blog, the tickets should be issued within the next 2 hours!

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04215144813235506499noreply@blogger.com0