You really should check these out...

One of my favorite things about being here is the Somerville Theater on the UWA campus. Just look at the venue, its awesome. Tall shade trees, cool air, outdoor seating, I couldn't ask for anything better. What is even better is bringing a picnic supper to share with friends before you take your seats, which you reserved using a pillow or blanket or some other personal item, for the start of the film. It's part of the Lotterywest film festival, and I've seen a few really great international films. You should check out the following:
Eden (a foodie movie - it will tug at our senses and your heartstrings); Tell No One (a very smart thriller); The Dinner Guest (too normal and too funny); Moliere (outrageous); and Empties (a bit slow, but a sincere story). I definately recommend the first two - with my whole heart. See them... now.

Also, I just downloaded Stevie Wonder's Fulfillingness' First Finale and Music of My Mind. For those of you who think his best work is I Just Called to Say I Love You, Master Blaster, or Signed Sealed Delivered, I'm Yours, YOU ARE SO WRONG. Check out these albums as well as Songs in the Key of Life. You'll be happier and more soulful for it.

Apology to the Stolen Generations

This morning, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the Australian government made a formal apology in Parliament to the Stolen Generations of Aboriginal people. You can read about it here and here. The first part of the PM's speech was really moving. He spoke in really concrete terms about the responsibility of the government to confront mistakes of past governments, as well as benefit from their achievements. The language was obviously well thought out and powerful. This was a campaign promise of the Rudd Government and they followed through during the opening days of Parliamentary session.

For those of you who don't know about the Stolen Generations (and I didn't until I got here), it was the formal policy of the government to confiscate children of Aboriginal families and communities for the purpose of integrating them into "normal" society. Confiscate is the word I use because they literally went around tracking down Aborigine communities and stealing the children from their families. They ended up being wards of the government or the missions and received training in schools before being released in their teens to work. It turns out that this policy was in action from the 1910's to 1970's where 10-30% of children from Aboriginal communities were taken, amounting to something like 50,000 children. What?!

What's more is that not only did the government (and the opposition party) apologize, but they made commitments to "close the gap" in education, life expectancy, etc., between non-indigenous and indigenous Australians by forming committees and stating concrete goals to achieve better equality. Incredible.

I hope governments around the world are taking note. We could use a bit of the humility the Australian government has shown in our own leaders. Of course, there are naysayers who say they had nothing to do with past government policy and its not their fault because they didn't personally steal anyone, or that the apology is all pomp.... but to that I say "stop being so closed minded!"

I AM a morning person!

Thought you might enjoy this quiz. Turns out it's pretty accurate, I am nearly always awake at 6:49 am. Though I am often more like a deranged cat during weeks like this than a relaxed cat. I do like to be up though when the dew is still in the grass, the birds are waking up, and the sun is at a low angle where it is warm and refreshing.

Just working my tail off this week in the lab. Testing is always so time consuming! I'm also planning a trip back to the US for my brother's graduation from the Police Academy and some job interviews at the end of Feb. Then back to Perth for another month and finishing up some testing and then home for good.

A Rainy Day... FINALLY!

After 51 straight days of sunny bliss, it is raining. Yeah, we've not had rain for that long. Not only raining, but pouring down water from the skies. This past week of hot, humid weather has been almost unbearable, I've felt crabby, sluggish, tired, uncomfortable. Sleeping was achieved only in brief spurts as I kept waking up to roll out of my puddle of sweaty hair (and I wasn't even using a pillow!). Today, I woke up a bit chilly, hearing rain, feeling moisture in the air. Ahhh, the rainy bliss of the smell of dirt in the air, a gray sky, and thriving plant life.... Perfect.

Australia Day (12/26)

Don't worry, this is as close as I got. Eating lamb during a proper sit-down meal is just not appealing to me, so this van at the Australia Day festivities was definitely not my idea of digestive bliss. Aussies really love their lamb, though. At the local butcher they have been known to write "Don't be un-Australian, buy lamb!" on the chalk sandwich board by the front door. But, I digress....

Australia Day in Perth is a HUGE deal and a lot of fun. There were Criterion cycle races at The Esplanade, jet-ski, catamaran, and other sailing races on the Swan River, an air show with all types of planes and helicopters doing tricks.... There was a whole day of music and other events planned all along the Perth foreshore, South Perth shore, and various parks in the area, including King's Park.

A bunch of us set ourselves up at the Perth foreshore just east of the jetty. We lounged there most of the afternoon, after catching the tail end of the cycle races. As the afternoon progressed into evening, more and more people were showing up in Aussie celebration garb... flags as capes, belt, you name it, flags printed on shirts, shorts, and rub on tattoos, faces painted in red, white, & blue or the yellow and green of the Cricket team. The place was packed, at 8:30 pm there was barely anywhere to sit on the shore if you didn't already have a seat..

The end of the day culminated in a 30 minute fireworks show put on by Lotterywest Skyworks. I counted seven barges in the middle of the Swan River where the pyrotechnics were launched from and they had even closed Heirrison Island and used it as the storage and staging ground. I hope they transfered the kangaroos there to another spot before doing so! Prior to the show, they had helicopters testing their water uplift capabilities in the event they had to fill up in the river and fly to a fire and extinguish it.

The fireworks were amazing! There were so many varieties, different colors, sizes, designs, and there were about three types of firework displays I had never seen before. My two favorite are: 1) the white ones that look and sound like popcorn popping and 2) the large white ones that look like snakes popping out of a can that have little sparklers at the ends. Check out some of my photos. The foreshore was packed full of people, but I was surprisingly the only one 'oooh-ing and aaah-ing' over the display.... a thing my family does at ALL fireworks displays. But to my delight (and slight irritation at the insanely drunk teenagers behind us), the Aussies (or Ozzies, as they call themselves) have an Australia Day chant! "Ozzie ozzie ozzie, Oi oi oi" How fun!