Well, hello there.

I am still alive in Australia. Working like crazy to finish a bunch of group sessions, as I will no longer be employed as of next week and finished sessions = a hefty bonus for me! Sandra's (my boss) family members have been ridden with illnesses for over a week now...it started last Monday with her daughter and something that may have been swine flu, then hit her husband and middle son with flus, a chest infection and an ear infection, and now her oldest son possibly has the mumps! Gaaaah - stay away from me!! She, remarkably, is surviving and still healthy...but I have to wonder how long that will last seeing as she's up all night tending to their various needs!

Jeremy's birthday is tomorrow and we're celebrating with a potluck party this Friday. Incidentally, we also happen to be moving this weekend. I don't know where we'll find the time and organization to pull that off, but luckily it's to a house just across the street so efforts will be minimal! I have to admit, we got kind of lazy and basically just picked the house because it's in the same neighbourhood and has enough room for J to have an office as well as accommodate future guests. Fairfield really is the best place for us right now. It's walking distance to UQ - a reasonable walk, though on sweltering hot days it becomes less pleasant - and I can bike to work in about 40 minutes. This will be my 4th week of biking. It's fantastic! I save money and I can run by my own schedule. I'm also kind of getting used to biking on the opposite side of the road...which may help for driving, if I ever decide to be insane and drive here!!!

It was our lovely friend Jen's birthday this past weekend and she had a really fun party!! I won't bore you with the details but I will mention a new Australian thing that I tried. Musk sticks!!! I had never even heard of these things, but the one I had was tasty. You wouldn't think that a musk stick would be something you eat, but yes...yes...let's see if trusty Wikipedia can help me with this one...

Musk sticks are a popular confection in Australia and New Zealand, available from many different suppliers. Having withstood the test of time,^[1] musk sticks consist of a pink semi-soft stick, usually extruded with a ridged cross-section. Their flavour and aroma is quite floral, reminiscent of musk perfume. They are also called 'musk sweets' and 'musk lollies'. Also available is a fruit-flavored variant called "Fruit sticks", which look like coloured musk sticks.

There ya go. Not really an elaborate description, but it gets the job done! I've also posted a picture of them at the beginning of the entry for your viewing pleasure (can't miss it!)