Full-On Day
This morning I woke up pretty early to a great surprise - it wasn't raining! That was quite in my favour as I was planning on doing a bit of shopping before my other activities of the day. I left the house around 8:45 on the way to Paddy's Market (a 25 minute walk or so) to get the Saints jersey I had mentioned the other day. It had been weighing on me since then, so I knew I should buy it. When I got into Paddy's I got a bit nervous because most of the stalls hadn't opened for the morning. As I wended my way through the aisles I finally got to the stall that had the jersey, and I was excited to find that it was the only one on the row that was open! I perused the selection for a bit (attempting to me as ambivalent looking as possible) and then pulled out the black Colston jersey that had caught my eye the other day. I did my best to negotiate the price, but the lady wouldn't budge. I bought it and am happy to report that I am very pleased with my decision.
From Paddy's I dashed over to Broadway to pick up a few things for my trip. I did a dash through Coles and was on my way out of the mall (the grocery is in the mall at Broadway, it's a bit odd) as it started to sprinkle. I was running short on time as I had to be at the main quad by 10:45 to lead a tour so I headed out into the rain with my bags of groceries. The rain got harder and I was mildly impressed with my juggling skills as I removed my rain jacket from the bag on my back (under the jersey) and got it on while still walking and carrying three grocery bags.
I dumped my purchases at home and back off into the rain to the Quad to meet the group I would be leading around the Uni for the day. The groups, year 11 and 12 students from four schools around Sydney, were invited to Sydney Uni by the History Faculty to check out the school, see a few sites, and learn about history as a major. I was assigned a partner and about twenty students from Sir Joseph Banks High School. Around 11:15 when they wrapped up with their mock lectures, we headed to a tutorial room where we introduced ourselves and talked about Uni life, history, etc. Afterwards, we took a quick lunch break before going to the Nicholson Museum (home of mummies and other artifacts at the Uni).
The museum was followed by a campus tour, which happened to coincide with pouring rain. We showed them the Great Hall, the Graffiti Tunnel, a lecture theatre, and a few other places before heading to the Macleay Museum (the natural history museum on campus). Finally, to wrap up our day, we went to the Rare Books Collection housed in the main library - Fisher - where I had managed to avoid the entire semester. The librarian talked for about 45 minutes, showing us various books and manuscripts from the 1500s. By the time she wrapped up I was running a bit behind schedule to make it to my next thing of the day - the physical I had to do for work.
I bolted out of the library and swung by my house to grab some paperwork before rushing off to catch the bus to Zetland for my 3:20 appointment. When I realized the bus wasn't going to come in time, I decided I had better start walking. I had previously looked up the directions so that I would know where it was, and Google had told me it would take 45 minutes to walk there. My phone confirmed the details, and with 30 minutes to get there I figured I would be there just in time. From my experience I have learned that Google and Bing use absurd estimates of walking speed. I know I am a fast walker, but when they are that far off I have to wonder what the developers were thinking.
Anyway, I made it to the doctors in just under 30 minutes, and the appointment didn't take too terribly long. Just a vision test, a hearing test, and a general check-up to make sure I was in tip-top shape (ha). When I was walking out of the door around 4:00, I was confronted with bright sun... and pouring rain. I opened my umbrella and set off on the trek back home, hoping that the sun would win out over the rain. Alas, that was not the case, and I was pretty soaked by the time I arrived home.
I have piddled around tonight and labeled more pictures, but there are still many to do! But, I will be airborne (fingers crossed) in less than 11 hours and I still haven't started packing... It's really not my fault though; it is genetic. So now I think I will finally go pack.
I don't know if I will have internet to update the blog while I am at Uluru (Ayers Rock for those of you who haven't figured out what I have been talking about this past week), but I will be back Sunday evening to fill you in on the trip!
'Ta for now.
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| My new Saints jersey and Australian flag - a few of my favourite things - found at Paddy's! |
I dumped my purchases at home and back off into the rain to the Quad to meet the group I would be leading around the Uni for the day. The groups, year 11 and 12 students from four schools around Sydney, were invited to Sydney Uni by the History Faculty to check out the school, see a few sites, and learn about history as a major. I was assigned a partner and about twenty students from Sir Joseph Banks High School. Around 11:15 when they wrapped up with their mock lectures, we headed to a tutorial room where we introduced ourselves and talked about Uni life, history, etc. Afterwards, we took a quick lunch break before going to the Nicholson Museum (home of mummies and other artifacts at the Uni).
The museum was followed by a campus tour, which happened to coincide with pouring rain. We showed them the Great Hall, the Graffiti Tunnel, a lecture theatre, and a few other places before heading to the Macleay Museum (the natural history museum on campus). Finally, to wrap up our day, we went to the Rare Books Collection housed in the main library - Fisher - where I had managed to avoid the entire semester. The librarian talked for about 45 minutes, showing us various books and manuscripts from the 1500s. By the time she wrapped up I was running a bit behind schedule to make it to my next thing of the day - the physical I had to do for work.
I bolted out of the library and swung by my house to grab some paperwork before rushing off to catch the bus to Zetland for my 3:20 appointment. When I realized the bus wasn't going to come in time, I decided I had better start walking. I had previously looked up the directions so that I would know where it was, and Google had told me it would take 45 minutes to walk there. My phone confirmed the details, and with 30 minutes to get there I figured I would be there just in time. From my experience I have learned that Google and Bing use absurd estimates of walking speed. I know I am a fast walker, but when they are that far off I have to wonder what the developers were thinking.
Anyway, I made it to the doctors in just under 30 minutes, and the appointment didn't take too terribly long. Just a vision test, a hearing test, and a general check-up to make sure I was in tip-top shape (ha). When I was walking out of the door around 4:00, I was confronted with bright sun... and pouring rain. I opened my umbrella and set off on the trek back home, hoping that the sun would win out over the rain. Alas, that was not the case, and I was pretty soaked by the time I arrived home.
 |
| The bright sun... Accompanied by pouring rain. |
I don't know if I will have internet to update the blog while I am at Uluru (Ayers Rock for those of you who haven't figured out what I have been talking about this past week), but I will be back Sunday evening to fill you in on the trip!
'Ta for now.
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