Tuesday, November 06, 2007

oh canada

Okay, it *really* won't let me upload photos. It might be time to pay for our very own internet connection.

My news, um - i finished the GRE! It actually wasn't that bad. I spent three hours filling in little bubbles with a 2B pencil then bought a fat book about the Louvre as a reward. I don't get the marks from this exam for six weeks (!!!) but I think I went okay. There were lots of questions on material I knew very well and could answer immediately, lots of stuff I didn't know very well but had read or memorised in the last two weeks and could answer after a bit of thought, lots of stuff I was able to make an educated guess on (the way the points work rewards educated guessing) and only five I had to leave blank cos of having no clue at all. That's probably all I can tell you, cos of signing a stat dec about not revealing the content of the test to anybody.

Now I'm working on PhD applications and trying to figure out where I should live for the next five or so years. It's a hard decision, as always. Right now I'm loving Canada - this dude in hard hat and overalls just knocked on the door and warned me that if I needed to have a shower or cook stuff I should do so now cos they're going to cut off the water for a couple of hours (burst main). Which, when I write it like that, sounds more annoying than anything, but do the workmen go individually to every house in the block in Australia and give them advance warning? I don't remember it ever happening. And the other day a Ticket Nazi helped me figure out which train I wanted to catch, being very polite and "Ma'am"ing me. And when I was riding home at 1am last night a car stopped in a roundabout and let me go through first.

Ah, the idealism of youth. Ziggy's friend nearly got run over on a pedestrian crossing the other day (wearing a reflective raincoat) and the driver followed him down the street abusing him. These things happen too.

Where was I? Oh, lord, that's right. I was replying to all the emails from my students about their next assignment. I should get back to that and stop blathering about the Canadian stereotype.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

no keep telling us! it is so endearing.
I got my work visa!! just have to wait until this job here is sorted... congratulations on finishing the exams!
xo vta

gumtreefid farmer said...

you have a work visa? does this mean you made a decision?

wait! i'm going to email you right now!

thanks for congrats.

Anonymous said...

Well done you! Hope you enjoyed your reward book. Crossing all fingers and toes for the next 6 weeks for you.

...took me ages to find that new Spice Girls music vid!
HF

gumtreefid farmer said...

i am enjoying the louvre book, though it's very bloody. lots of revolutions and assasinations.

thankyou for the luck - much appreciated!

isn't the vid weird? i don't like the song at all, but the vid is fascinating in a *wrong* kind of way. it's dodgy and strange. and did you know scary spice and eddie murphy had a baby except he's denying it's his???

love

Anonymous said...

ooh i knew the bit about scary spice and eddie murphy (not sure how...)

am going to another 'come work at a ski resort in canada' thing monday night (just discovered there are two competing companies here in aus...hmph. if i'm the only one over 21 or the only who doesn't use 'awesome' in every sentence i'll know to go with the other one.

better go, am in a cheap as chips inty cafe under flinders st station (this was a spur of the moment decision - i have a spare 2 bucks and 10 mins and this was the best i came up with! feel the love!)
anywho, it's starting to scare me. trains rattling overhead and it's really hot in here!

love
cassandra
ps. sorry for typos, it's really hot in here and the rattling is kinda distracting.

Anonymous said...

Just before our love got lost you said,
"I am as constant as a northern star."
And I said, "Constantly in the darkness
Where's that at?
If you want me I'll be in the bar."

gumtreefid farmer said...

cassandra - great to hear from you. your ski resort adventures sound awesome! i'll get ya a hat with earflaps! how did it go? where ar eyou looking at?

i'd forgotten what it's like under there - ta! did you go to the zine place? and that nice but expensive designer clothes place? hmm. can't remember names of either. oh, sticky! sticky was the zine place.

gumtreefid farmer said...

bbb - yes. soon.

though not so much time in bars lately. all my drinking buddies left me.

sigh.

Anonymous said...

On the back of a cartoon coaster
In the blue TV screen light
I drew a map of Canada

gumtreefid farmer said...

ooooooh canaaaadaaaaa!

*wails*

Anonymous said...

Well spotted Bruce!

gumtreefid farmer said...

i get a little email whenever anybody comments. what's your excuse?