Sailing The Seven Cheeses

To those who read this...

Thu, 05 Jan 2006 06:59:49 GMT

Never change. I love you all just the way you are

grumpy

Tue, 11 Jan 2005 03:27:54 GMT

Just feeling a little stressed lately. None of my credits have transferred yet and won't until February? Grrr... Not pleased about the fact that I'm in Coddington. Of all the dorms! I knew I should have taken that appartment! I wouldn't have minded the walk. Man! How lame! Oh yeah, and my credits may not fully transfer even after approval, so instead of 18, I get 16 which kind of screws me over. Therefore, I have to take 18 credits this semester. Booooo!

Wicked tired lately and haven't been feeling well. Hopefully things will improve.

--john

chillin`

Fri, 17 Dec 2004 03:36:19 GMT

Been getting a lot of things done. Fixing up the house in preparation for the move. Watched a couple of movies. Shaolin Soccer which was awesome. Hero - also amazing. Collateral - mucho fun. THe best part of that movie is when Tom Cruise kills two street urchin bastards. I have always supported movies that include street thugs getting murdered on the scene be it by monster [Jason, Freddy], to Hitman [Tom Cruise, Jean Reno in the Professional], to the basic Hero beating the crap out of one [ANY Arnold movie]. They should make a movie just dedicated to random bad guys, good guys, and monsters killing thugs. Those people are never missed in my opinion. Call it cruel or whatever you want it to, but the more of their kind that are buried, the better. I always see myself as a pretty good person, a forgiving one, but I can't help but laugh when they're murdered (well, more so in the movies. reality it's more of a good riddance smile). I think it still weirds people out when I laugh out loud when they get killed. Most people are like "whoa! that guy's dead!" or "holy shit that was fast, jesus" and I'm just laughing.

Man, my crave for Asian women is rising. But when is it declining? Seriously! Ah, it's been too long, if you know what I mean. ;)
I need to go to a club and find some new ones. But I suppose Christmas will have to wait, haha.

--john

Well...

Sat, 11 Dec 2004 05:09:58 GMT

I watched the movie Shaolin Soccer. An awesome comedy but after I saw the main soccer Kung Fu guy start to fall in love with the Tai Chi girl, it made me want to fall in love as usual. I am such a sucker for romance. Yes, I live in my own strange world. I don't know, I've been with a few girls over the years and have had a small number of girlfriends. Just getting tired of that game. As always, I hate spoiling the book. What happens next isn't any fun if you know. Still, I'd like to find her soon.

--john

Fri, 10 Dec 2004 20:15:34 GMT

Wheeeeee!!!

I have no housing! Yeah! I get to live off campus! I have no car!

Wohooooo!

--john

hmmm

Fri, 10 Dec 2004 15:39:29 GMT

You scored as Lawful Good. A lawful good person acts as a good person is expected or required to act. They are dedicated to upholding both what is right and what is set down in law.

</td>

Lawful Good

90%

Lawful Neutral

75%

Neutral Good

65%

Neutral Evil

55%

Chaotic Neutral

45%

Chaotic Good

40%

True Neutral

30%

Lawful Evil

20%

Chaotic Evil

15%

What is your Alignment?
created with QuizFarm.com

another crazy moment!

Sun, 05 Dec 2004 05:03:49 GMT

Can my life get any more awkward or weirder? I'm going on a string of events here. The old dirty man, the Chinese food delivery lady, and now my Dziadziu and Babci!

I'm all jolly and happy, showering away when someone knocks on the door. My dad tells me to get out of the shower so I can show some pictures. Whatever, buzz off. Then someone else knocks on the door and the door opens, even though I locked it!

"Sorry, Johnny! But I reallly gotta go, real bad!" So, yes, my grandfather needed the lavatory while I was in the shower. Now, this wouldn't be so bad, honestly, if he hadn't groaned and then said "Oh, God!" Yes, I won't go into detail about the smell but as soon as he left, my shower "adruptly" ended.

Not long after, I'm forced to show pictures. Not a bad deal, I like showing off my neice. However, it's to my Babci. So, no. To make a long, notorious story short, my Babci is infamous in stealing pictures, refusing to give pictures back, making repeated stupid questions, and awful repeatedly commentary. Now, this isn't recent. This is since 1972 when my Mom married my Dad. My Dad got a picture in the paper when he graduated Med-School and it was the only picture my Mom had of it. Naturally, Babci takes it and refuses to give it back. So, today, she keeps asking "Which pictures are mine? Which pictures are mine??" Even when we point to the ones that hers, she continues to ask. So, adding onto that... my Dziadziu is looking at some pictures and he sees a nice one of Caitlyn. He shows it to Babci, who snatches it from his hand. "It's a double, they're in a special order, he says. Give me it back," he says. She then starts to taunt him by reaching the picture forward to his hand then pulling it back??? She did this three time thereby creating one of those most awkward silences to the point in which he finally says, "What are you doing???"

Oh, yeah, and then there's my Uncle Chris. Him acting crazy/insane is normal. My first week back, he showed up in his underpants in front of us all at the breakfast table. It was so hard to restrain the laughter that time, especially with Brian's honest and sincere comments to my Babci as to why we were all laughing when Uncle Chris left: "He was standing there in his underpants! How could you miss it?" Lucky us. Oh yeah, and on that same day, he forced my 'special' cousin, Brian, to go out and rake leaves. IN THE RAIN. This time, he pretends to be interested in his godchild's pictures but is more interested in the kitchen and does these terrible comments that are soooo fake. How he ever became the godfather is ridiculous. I'm so glad they chose Emilie as the godmother... but man. What were they thinking! Come to think of that, I never asked ed that! I should email him!

--john

creepy old man!

Thu, 02 Dec 2004 17:41:10 GMT

So this old guy greets me by knocking on the window of the car while I'm waiting for my instructor dude, asks me if I know someone named Pat Wigglesworth. I thought he meant the driver dude I was with who was away in the office briefly, so I'm like, sure. But it was mistaken identity! Then he's like "Richard? Richard. Richard! You're an honest man. Now, I'm going to let you in on a secret but don't tell anyone. Got that? I am a professor getting a movie done by Mel Gibson.... and I have a limit of 300 extras, and you can be part of the movie. Now, do you want to earn some money? 20 dollars? I've got a gift certificate from Nordstrom for 20 dollars. Now, you have a good memory? I live at crosskeys, appartment 11. The key is under the mat. Don't tell anyone this. You are welcome to come in there any time. I'm gone most of the day until 5pm. You can have breakfast there, you can shower... you're free to do what you want" and while he's saying this, he's rubbing the wheel with his finger! "You can even bring a girl there. But no guys! No guys ever. Are you married? No? Well, you can bring a girl over. Bring two, in fact. Just no guys. Now, don't tell anyone this. Mum's the word." RIIIIIIIIIIGHT!

Freaking nut! Ah, yes, to report to the police or not to report? Obviously, anyone who accepts this lovely offer of being in a Mel Gibson film and cleaning his house while two girls make out in the background, clearly they deserve the embarassment and shame for taking that ridiculous offer. It's disappointing, really. I'm not tough when I'm in the car. Outside of the car, I'm insane. In the car... especially while someone is standing outside of it, not as tough because I can't see what they're doing. I remember a time when I was with Megan and Kristina and we left Club Hell in Providence. Some guy was like "Stupid Bitch, you're going the wrong way!" And if only I had been driving. I would have been like "Fuck you, shit for brains! You streetgrease mother fucker!" Unfortunately, I could not rely on Megan speeding off in the case of which he pulls out a gun. Hey, it was Providence. Why not?

I should have kicked his ass. But he was old. And he had a nosehair dangling out. Don't people hate that? A visible nose hair is dangling out. I mean this happens to ANYONE! 18, 21, 40, 65, etc. I can't help but dwell on it and sneak random glances at their nose but they never know why! That's the sad thing!

--john

Mordor - No more?

Tue, 30 Nov 2004 01:26:03 GMT

My dad's dear friend, Skip... is departing Johns Hopkins. OUCH. That's a huge hit to their pulmonary department. Basically, I'll relate it to baseball. David Ortiz departs and Boston gets nothing in return. That's how big this is. So, Skip is leaving for Chicago. Hardcore.

So, it's practically definite. My Dad, unless Johns Hopkins pulls a miracle in keeping him around... will be heading over to a new "team." He's either joining Skip in Ill or he will return to his roots in NC and we will be closer with ed. Not only that, but he will literally be taking Stacy under his wing. So, this is a tough call, baseball wise. Does he follow skip and practically guarantee himself a World Series ring or does he take a different path to teach someone like Stacy to be the rookie of the year? Either way, there is a 90% chance we're gone. My mom is constantly talking about fixing up the house and guess who gets to do most of the cleaning, repairs, etc?

Oh yeah!

Still, I'm so happy about it. I think it will do wonders for my parents health and things will just be better for them. As for me? I don't know. I still think my place is in New England. I'm almost positive my parents will end up in NC. I'm sure of it. Regardless, it will be fantastic. In that worst case scenario though, if NE doesn't work out... it's nice to know I can end up in NC with the folks instead of stupid Mordor.

--john

i love john cusack!

Mon, 29 Nov 2004 04:04:25 GMT

Which John Cusack Are You?

I AM THE KING!

Sun, 28 Nov 2004 05:06:16 GMT

I should be handed a crown, strike a pose, or just scream "Vengeance is mine!" Life is so GOOD right now.

Okay, so I thought Thanksgiving was going to be lame. We changed our plans for staying in RI/MA for it, hence why I went there for a weekend last week, so we spent it at Maya's. Talk about elite. Her empire is crumbling, but I won't go into detail about it. Needless to say, I am moving up the ladder. Why? I got to stay in the basement. My parents in the cottage house outback. Trust me, it sounds little, but it is extremely impressive. Don't think the basement is bad either. I had a bed, tv, and a large jacquzi (sp?).

So I was not hyped about spending time at Maya's... but it didn't go so bad because I got to spend about half my time at Stacy's parents' home. We played and chilled out, and it was easily the most relaxing and most friendly I have ever seen the Haponiks - Gannaways together. Pretty freaking cool if you ask me.

The next day I departed with ed and we went surfing. Not great waves but we had a great time being reunited and all that. We saw the incredibles, got dinner together, talked a lot. It was fantastic.

We came back today and I got to play with my niece, shop, hang out... stuff! It seriously was one of the best times I've had in a long time. Parents showed up, added to the fun. I am so happy.

What can add to this? Well, despite losing poker, it brought me online (here I am) and I checked my grades from the UOW site and not only were my grades posted, but they were GOOD! Why is this freaking awesome? The most satisfying thing about this is that I owed my dorm $100 or more for a lost key. As long as you owe money, they won't post your grades up. OOPS! John wins!!!! 1 D and 3 C's. That's pretty amazing if you ask me based on the difficulty of the classes. So, go me!

So a few problems lay ahead but honestly, they're all minor except that all getting housing at URI. That could end up being a major problem for me. . . we'll see what happens. Here's hoping for a lot of dropouts!

Oh, and Blade III looks fun!!

--john

Tue, 23 Nov 2004 23:42:31 GMT

Not much to report. Good to be back. Oh wait... going to NC. Yes, and I will see Oprah. I'll try and get a picture with her. And I'm staying at Maya's house. Yay. No internet access! Curses! Not a big deal. Seeing ed, Caitlyn, and POSSIBLY my buddy Stephen will make it worth it.

You Are Gilbert From "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?"

You are very giving and self-sacrificing. You're always there to lend a helping hand to family and friends. However, this generous nature often robs you of fulfilling your needs and desires, and may cause you to become resentful. Find a way to balance your kindness with your independence.

Take The Johnny Depp Quiz!

WOOO!!!! You belong at UC Santa Barbara! You like
to party. Hard. A lot. And you don't really
like to go to school that much. Also, it's not
that you don't LIKE minorities, it's just that
you only know like 3 of them.

What college should you go to?
brought to you by Quizilla

That last one seems quite inaccurate seeing as how I know like 20 different Asians... granted I realize I don't know too many black people. I can think of (An)DRE and Greg from Capoeira, that's it. Oh, and Junior from HS but I haven't seen that guy in years. Man, we were an awesome pair though. I should try to find him. Classic conversation after a ball lands near us while we're sitting on the bleachers:
"Hey, JR, get the ball!" --PE coach
To me - "See that? He asks the black man to get the white man's ball. Okay, slavemaster, I get you your ball."
Great times. Actually he asked him to do it because the guy had long since given up on me. I was hoepless and just corrupting JR anyway.

Talk soon everyone.

--john

wheeee

Mon, 22 Nov 2004 21:58:29 GMT

You Are From Saturn

You're steady, organizes, and determined to achieve your dreams.
You tend to play it conservative, going by the rules (at least the practical ones).
You'll likely reach the top. And when you do, you'll be honorable and responsible.
Focus on happiness. Don't let your goals distract you from fun!
Don't be too set in your ways, and you'll be more of a success than you ever dreamed of.

What Planet Are You From?

i have returned!

Mon, 22 Nov 2004 19:24:16 GMT

Greetings all,

I have officially returned to the USA. Mr. Spock (my cell) is indeed active if you wish to contact me or send me some sort of text message. Ah, yes, it will be nice to hear some voices again.

Anyhow, is there really a point for reflection or something? Ah, I guess it's manditory or expected of me. Stupid society!

Australia was a pretty radical place. I'm so glad I ended up in Wollongong instead of somewhere like Brisbane where Katie was. I don't say that based on my disasterous encounter with her, more along the lines of that globalisation has taken over that city and there is a reason why Melbourne and Sydney are 100x cooler. Both have retained their identities. Still, Wollongong is cool because it's small, near the beach, near the mountains, and some of that globalisation stuff is around but not much honestly and I like that. It was a good experience. I'm so glad to make friends all over the world. The depressing thing was saying goodbye. Still proud to say though I got a nice goodbye from a lovely Japanese girl ;-) ...Oh yeah, she'll be missed. I think the most disheartening goodbye was with Bess, my French friend. We just had a deep conversation about life and women and yeah, it was a good time. Going to miss him the most. It was a good time. I gurantee I am going to wreck havoc (in a good amusing way) across URI when I return. Hopefully I'll get a dorm room... that is yet to be seen.

Had I studied in New Zealand, I honestly don't think I would have come back home. In fact, I would have gone out of my way to make a second semester there. That place is absolutely amazing and is as beautiful as they say. Who knew such a place could exist. And to think I thought western Canada was beautiful. This place blows it away! I am content with my time in Australia, but I swear, in 5 or 10 years, I am making it back to New Zealand. What were some of the crazy things that I did? Too much to list, but the highlights were the bundgy jumps. Yes, plural, I did two. One off the original site which was off a bridge at 43m (140 feet) and the other, off a Gondola into a gorge at 143m (440 feet). All I can say is doing a jump like that makes my soul feel so alive, like it was on fire. I think it also beats out skydiving... not necessarily the experience, more along the lines that I DID IT. I was the one who jumped. I wasn't forced out or had some guy strapped to my back, it was all me. Amazing. I recommend doing it someday for anyone. The higher, the better. I've got pictures and hopefully the video will work, I haven't been able to check it out yet.

Weird to be back. Feels like I am returning to an old book or something. Strange seeing all these familiar faces!

Lastly, I have decided I should write a thesis on why Asians women are adorable. I am pretty sure I could pull it off. I just have to figure out though and do research as to whether who is more amusing, the Koreans or the Japanese. Very tough call. Love `em both.

That's that.

Peace out,

--john

yeah! BoSox! beer!

Fri, 29 Oct 2004 10:06:37 GMT

Whoa, man. Crazy night last night. Ended up going out with a very drunk Frenchman, my buddy Flo and with this dude Jon. Flo was already trashed from dinner because they served us wine. Needless to say, some good laughs. Flo somehow is ending up with an interview as a DJ for a club. He's incredibly good but I just find it very amusing. So we bounced around between two clubs and it was a good night. Did my tribute to a few Red Sox players... didn't get to Mark Bellhorn but I did my part. Oh, yeah did I ever. And there was no ambulance this time, so hooray for me!

100% done with school, suckers! Enjoy your next couple of weeks because I'm DONE DONE DONE. Handed in my last paper and voila, no more! 1.5 weeks of chilling out in Wollongong, heading over to New Zealand for a week, then LA, then home! Wohooooooooooo!

Are you ready?????????????????

Much love,

--john

RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!

Thu, 28 Oct 2004 07:24:40 GMT

Oh man. Well... forget anything I said about drinking because tonight, it's all in the honour of the Red Sox, baby!!!!!! I will be partying hard, Andrew WK style! Oh yeah!!!!! I feel like doing something! Maybe it's just the urge to set fires! I feel so alive and happy. I cannot get over that they won.

They beat the Yankees, and did it in the most stunning fashion. Coming back 0-3??? Who does that??? Nobody apparently! Except the Red Sox! How does a team lose with a 3-0 lead? ASK THE YANKEES! HAHAHA! Dirty, rich bastards! But still, the question is, how? The Cardinals were the best, most elite team in the NL/AL league. They're 10x better than the Yankees and they got swept? How does Rolen, Pujols, Walker, AND Edmonds go for like 2/30 at bats? That just doesn't happen. It's like the curse was in reverse! I still can't get over it. They won. They actually won.

Anyhow... I predict an insane night tonight. Wish me luck! I drink in the name of my heroes: Curt Schilling, Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Damon, David Ortiz, and Mark Bellhorn. I love you guys!!! Thanks for making my dream finally come true!

Oh, and don't think I won't riot when I get back! There will be delayed rioting and random outbursts! This is a changed man, speaking here! OH yeah! And i'm sure there will be anniversary dates that forever mark this date and will be celebrated, rioting fashion! I'll be there, I promise!

I LOVE YOU BOSTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!

--john

my hand hurts

Sat, 23 Oct 2004 08:48:16 GMT

Might have an incentive to stop drinking or definitely cut back. When it involves almost going to the hospital twice in one night, I think that’s when it becomes a problem. Won’t really go into details but after getting thrown out of a party, two local girls found me laying on the grass. One was a nurse so she helped me out and this guy from my dorm, Wade, found me. I owe him so much. 3 hours he spent with me, and even saved me from getting hit by a car by tackling me. Don’t really want to think what would have happened if he hadn’t been there for me. I also got an email from someone saying how much of an asshole I was a few days ago and after receiving this, and heard from another friend that I get a little too intense… this might be in relation to the fact that I had a physical fight with myself, just like in Fight Club. Really hurt my hand and my jaw isn't feeling too good either. Thinking this over...I honestly think I’m responsible for losing Katie. It was my fault, my doing. I know she didn't help things, but I was the cause. It’s really sinking in.

Not all things are miserable, I assure you. Spirit is temporarily dampened but the friends here and even overseas are keeping me strong. I’ve been having some fun times with friends and chilling out. Planning on celebrating (no real reason) and going to Sydney with my friend, Eriko, and some other people to grab some expensive but awesome sushi. Also hoping to see the Sydney Aquarium sometime. Pumped up about going to New Zealand. Just trying to figure out how long I should stay there. I’m hoping to leave Nov 7-9th and then will spend time there until the 19th. Then I get to travel back in time to the 18th. Can’t wait. Not sure if my stopover in LA means I can spend a day there or two and visit my cousin Jack. Looking into that. Have had some fun parties and I got back some more good grades. Even persuaded a professor to raise my grade for two different papers! Hah!

--john

ups and downs...

Mon, 18 Oct 2004 16:10:41 GMT

Okay, so for starters, the visit to Katie's was a disaster. I'm not really sure I want to go into detail about it. Basically, she was pretty mean to me except for on one day. Can't really do anything about it but someone whom I've considered to be a close friend for awhile.... the relationship seems dead to me. It makes me sick to just think about it. I may have been a slight cause perhaps? I sadly got drunk pretty quickly and I cannot remember anything that I said or did, so who knows. I tried to explain to her up front that if I embarassed her in any way or manner, that's just the way I get. I act like a moron. I guess that's pretty much anyone who gets drunk... I tend to get emotional (loving/friendy, sad/crying, or angry/threatening). It hurts but at the same time, I've put up enough with her. Like many others, I can turn my back to her, forget about her, and move on. Will I make one last verbal assault as a gift wrapped goodbye present? I don't think so. I've avoided doing that for a year now. I'll just walk my own path.

Don't worry, I'm not all glum and sad. I'm doing pretty well in school. Should be getting some more results soon. Things are looking up, I think. Hopefully I can continue my kickass academic run but my luck may or may not be running out. We'll find out. I feel so stressed but I'm trying to enjoy my final month. I just hope it's not all for nothing. . . .

My buddy Jim is playing Shakespeare or something. He's trying to get me to go on a date when I return to the states... apparently she is as desperate as me and is cute. He makes good judgement calls so this might actually be worth pursuing. Hey, why not, right? I'm going to be in RI in part of late November and December, so if anyone has interest in meeting up with me or spending New Years together or something, keep me posted if that would interest you.

Some lyrics that I really seem to interest me lately...

"Speed Me Towards Death," by Rob D:

Speed me towards death
'Cause I just can't wait for her
I want her to come
I want to embrace her
I've decided it's life
That I don't like
That I don't like
Speed me towards death
'Cause I think she'd go for me
They say time is the cure
I can't wait, he's too slow for me
I've tried all the rest
Now I want to try the best
And I'd die for some company
I'd die for some company

I don't want to die slowly
I don't want to decay
I want to be chosen
I want to be made
I don't want to die lonely
And weary of life
I will not be earthbound
I'm going to fly
So speed me towards death

You know I want her to taste me
My senses are dead
I want her to awaken me
I've realised that this world at its best
Is just a prelude to the next
And it's not what I want to hear
It's not what I want to read

I don't want to die slowly
I don't want to decay
I want to be chosen
I want to be made
I don't want to die lonely
And weary of life
I will not be earthbound
I'm gonna fly
For life is a game
Fit only for fools
It's a horse than can't win
In a race rigged to lose
So speed me towards death

Hope everyone is doing okay back home in the states. I miss you all. Less than a month from now... 29 days, I will be home in the USA. Hard to imagine, huh? Time flies by so quickly. 1 week of school. 1 extra week for my papers to be handed in. Then 1 week relaxation. Lastly, New Zealand. Home. Some people I want to see so badly, others I want to hear their voices. I'm dying for some fat, unhealthy food that is oversized. I want to treat more people like shit for liking the Yankees and be able to get away with it back home. Did I mention I did that less than a week ago? I got banned from the TV room. It was worth it. She had it coming. Anyway... keep in touch. Emails, IMs, letters... pictures. It'd be nice. Miss you, my friends. Yeah, that was me reaching out.

See ya,

--john

not much longer to go...

Sun, 10 Oct 2004 15:32:38 GMT

I have 2 weeks left of school. Honestly, it's a week and a half. I'm skipping this Thursday to go to Brisbane to see you-know-who. I cannot wait to be reunited with her. We're going to party nonstop in the most hardcore sense and stay up until 6-9am to watch Red Sox games. Sweet deal. Die yankees, die!

Went to the Blue Mountains this weekend. Had a blast because I was with this german and french dude who are both freinds of mine. My host was an Australian chick and we stayed at her place. Unfortunately, she grows to be very annoying after a short period of time so I did my best to ignore her or go about on my own with Damien (french man).

So yeah, it was a good time and here I am. Less than a month in Australia left, and less than 5 weeks left to be out of the country. Wohoo. can't wait to be reunited with some lovable American food groups. I am getting so pissed off that McDonalds and Hungry Jacks (Burger King) don't understand what a "Hamburger with only mustard is." ...."Would you like meat with that or just bread and mustard?" I've been asked that 3-4 different times and honestly have had the desire to pull out a rifle and say, "Take one goddamn guess." Seriously, why the fuck would I spend money to get a 'hamburger' minus the meat and just mustard/bread!?!?!?!?!

i'm very tired. 1:30am. *yawn*

night!

--john

Fri, 01 Oct 2004 12:22:06 GMT

Well my friends, I survived the outback. Did any of you have your doubts? Ah, I didn’t. Granted, I think I had some more close encounters than I should have. I’m very good at hiking and doing some insane stuff on those trails… but man, had a little difficulty here and there. More so off the trails surprisingly.

For starters, I drove 1600 km in 5 days, and hiked somewhere between 30-35 km which is about 22 miles. Not a bad days work if I do so say myself. Saw some amazing and beautiful scenery that I am still shocked over. Who would have expected a near-oasis-like area in the outback. How does that happen?

First off, Ayers Rock - overrated. Oh man, I can’t wait to see my Aboriginal teachers and tell them how much full of crap they are. Don’t get me wrong, it was beautiful, but they’re hyping the wrong stuff! Come on, Kings Canyon, this beautiful and vast place blew Ayers Rock away. The best place was Ormiston Gorge. Absolutely stunning. Palm Valley was very beautiful too. It was a great experience, so much fun. I’ll try and upload some pictures on my little picture site and will send a few via email.

Deadly encounters? I saw huntsmen spiders (not deadly but a really bad bite), redbacks (poisonous enough to lead to death), mouse spiders, and wolf spiders. Also saw centipedes that can cause death… and my flesh eating/bacteria causing spider friend, white spider. Phew!

Another hilarious moment, I’m on some rocky terrain and jump onto a different rock that was unfortunately quite unstable and nearly fell off a cliff and that would have been painful. Just be thankful I have badass agility and style.

However, the medal goes to the Munga Snake. I’m told it ranks as #2 of deadliest snakes in the world. Guess who almost stepped on it? Yeah, I think that would have pissed him off. On the 5th day of the trip, I’m leading the group up this insane uphill trail and who goes slithering right by me? Less than 2 feet from me, he goes right by me. Kept my composure because any sudden movements apparently piss them off. Granted, I was more surprised I saw the thing, didn’t have time to panic. Thankfully he didn’t feel it necessary to stare me down because I think I would have lost that battle. No hope of getting an antidote in time either from where I was. Congratulations Munga!

But yeah, great experience, cool trip. Had an awesome, small tour group. Not one of those gigantic buses or anything. Really a lot of fun and the tour guide was absolutely hilarious. Great sense of humour. My favourite was when he grabbed a huntsmen and ran around screaming and threw it at us. They were all over the bathroom and people were totally afraid of them. Good times, man.

I’m totally beat so I think I’m going to call it a day soon. Gotta wish my niece a happy birthday first though.

Peace all!

--john

happy again

Fri, 24 Sep 2004 01:15:12 GMT

In a great mood. I going to be in Alice Springs tomorrow! So that's a huge plus. Better yet, lets just say partying hard pays off. Two days in a row, my friends! I have made the ladies more than happy. Ah, yes, just trust me, America has some better relations with foreign countries now. Ohhhhh yeah. Haha.

Excited to leave and um... yeah. Things are going great. Even talked to my teacher and said my presentation wasn't as bad as I thought it was. I just gotta work hard and make a good essay. Here's hoping, I suppose!

See you all (online?) in a week!

--john

Wed, 22 Sep 2004 06:57:42 GMT

Today had its ups and downs I guess. I got four different things back today and they weren't as good as I was hoping for. I got an 80 which is insanely good on this thing I got back yesterday... today I did less than satisfactory by my standards. I passed (Thank Christ) but I'm not too happy about what I got... 60, 60, 63, and a 70. I can live with the 70 but the 60s kind of hurt. I'm pretty sure the 60 is a C or something back home and the 70 is a B. It just pisses me off. I don't understand why they grade so fucking hard here. Honestly, it just makes me really paranoid about passing one class. I had a presentation today and it didn't exactly end up going too well or as well as I had planned. I really hate school and grades and thank God I'm going to the outback in a few days. I can't deal with this bullshit.

--john

groan + :)

Mon, 20 Sep 2004 07:50:07 GMT

Man, it cheeses me off when professors say they'll have grades ready for pick-up but don't have them when you do go out of your way to get them. LAME. Week 10 and I still have nothing. Definitely getting the first thing back tomorrow and it's from my most difficult class. Hey, lets just hope for a pass. That's all I need honestly.

Some good news, had a kickass weekend. Got a bit of work done and I had so much fun at the Winery Tour. I emailed some pictures out and it was just a blast. I got to hang out with all the good buddies too. I was so happy because this chick from Japan, Eriko, I swear she acts and looks just like Bjork. She's so hilarious, we had a ton of fun. The lamest part of the trip was McDonalds. Man, I still can't believe how ripped I feel when I go there (which has been twice). I had to get THREE burgers and one large fry. That's enough to kill a man back home. The proportions are just so unfair and lame. Oh yeah, the highlight apparently is that no one in Australia orders a "hamburger with mustard." I said that and the guy just looked at me, wtf? He went as far as to guess that I just wanted the bread and mustard???? Yeah.

Odd country. Traded in my surfboard for a decent amount of money. Oh man, this asshole offered me 20 bucks less at the same store. It was a different guy and I almost threw him over the counter. Managed to score up that extra 20 after I spotted the dude who helped me over the weekend. Nearly killed that guy. So I have a better board now and I'm thinking of taking it home with me. Could be a sweet souvenir. Hey, Megan, what are your measurements (for your board)? I was able to snag a 6'8 which I honestly think will be perfect size. Great weight. Would have been a little nice to get something slightly bigger but I honestly think this will work out great. Much better than the last one. Glad to have gotten rid of it.

This week? Insane my friends. Party Wednesday. Costume party on the habour boat Thurs night. Annnnd leaving Saturday for the outback! Yee-haw!

Miss my rhodies!

--john

survived

Sun, 12 Sep 2004 01:28:19 GMT

Had a freaky experience this morning. Went surfing with some of the guys and all was well until the end. Pretty annoyed about it. I probably could have gotten out of the situation myself but I just got a little scared, I guess. I started swallowing a lot of water and I was by myself near several rocks and completely stuck in the current. Just kind of a scary experience I guess. I was paddling ridiculously hard but couldn't get out of the current and became fatigued. Some friends helped me out but everyone (four) ended up getting stuck with me. Me and Flo escaped by safely climbing out of the rocks, the other two managed to swim back eventually. We were just lucky the waves weren't as hardcore as the past two days. I don't really want to think what would have happened if otherwise. Granted, if it was heavier today, we wouldn't have been so close to the rocks to begin with.

I'm cold. I need hugs.

--john

ouch... injured warrior

Fri, 10 Sep 2004 01:26:35 GMT

Ah yes, always interesting to see the typos from yesterday. Quite disappointing. I need to improve with that.

Anyway, took a beating this morning. The waves today were so big. I caught like one but was thrown forward and got hit in the face and thrown on the ground. Sucked. Think I chipped my tooth and now I feel ugly! :(

Took some other bails. Feeling the after effects right now. Still a good time. The highlight for me was watching my French friend Flo, he got slammed. When we first started going out, I just watched with Mike (my roomie) as Flo made his way out. Wave after wave just fell on top of him. It was so freaking funny. Makes me smile just thinking about it right now.

So yeah, don't think I'll be improving the surfing qualities any time soon since I'm getting pushed around. No worries though, Megan. We'll still school some of the locals, no?

--john