Uffizi

1. Michelangelo's David flanked by 4 Mapplethorpe photographs of Ajiotti at the Galleria dell'Accademia. Art liable to turn me gay. :)

2. The view of Florence from the top of Giotto's bell tower.

3. The amazing collection of Renaissance art at the Uffizi. The huge crowds aren't the best way to enjoy the art but you can't blame them for flocking there.

Italian coffee

1. Coffee. Real Italian coffee. As good as you can imagine.

2. Italians are a good-looking and well dressed bunch.

3. The architecture in Bologna and Florence (I did occasionally take my eyes off the Italians to admire the buildings and fountains too).

Austria

1. My first visit to Austria. We drove through the snow-covered Alps, passing many ski slopes and castles, and had a walk around the pretty town of Innsbruck.

2. My first visit to Italy. Trento for lunch, Bologna for dinner. The pizza is as good as you would expect it to be.

3. I only visited 2 new countries today and since I can't match #1 and #2 I'll go to the other extreme and name today's 3rd good thing as seeing a condom in a carpark stairwell. Gross, I know, but it's good to see that Italians are ignoring the Pope and using protection. :)

Residenz

1. Third Reich walking tour of Munich. The tour guide was a good storyteller and I learnt a lot about WWI & WWII history.

2. The tour guide informed us that it's illegal to make the Nazi salute in Germany and that the fine is a month's wages. That's a good thing, although I imagine it affects stupid drunk tourists at Oktoberfest more than neo-Nazis (which is probably why the tour guide includes the warning in his tour).

3. Munich Residenz. Pretty spectacular digs of the Bavarian dukes and kings. Must find out who their interior decorator was (the informative audio guide probably told me at some point but it was all too much to take in and I was distracted by gilt and mirrors).

Feurerzangenbowle

1. Pretzels and baked camembert with lingonberry sauce - the German food I will miss the most when I go home.

2. Georg and I went for a ride and it was nice to get some exercise. Cracking the ice puddles with our bike tyres made a cool sound (is a puddle still a puddle when it's frozen over or does it have another name?)

3. The world's largest burnt punch event. http://www.muenchner-feuerzangenbowle.de

TV Tower

1. I've just caught up on the last 10 days on 3 Good Things. Although my camera has been playing up because of the freezing weather, I'll have a few photos that are not pink and scrambled to decorate these posts when I'm back in Cambridge.

2. Elise & I went up the TV Tower and it was a clear enough day to get a good view of Munich and even the snow on the Alps.

3. 'East of Everything', the ABC TV series. It's a great series although it's making me homesick for Australia and especially for the beach.

Xmas stuffing

1. Made my first ever Xmas roast dinner by myself, overcoming the challenges of not knowing what a giblet is, how to read German, or where half the utensils are in Elise & Georg's kitchen. Sweet potato soup, roast turkey with fig & hazelnut stuffing and roast vegies, Xmas pudding, biscotti, and rum balls. I had it ready by the time Elise got back from work at 3pm and we all stuffed ourselves until we couldn't get off the couch.

2. Recovering on the couch from all the food and mulled wine, watching episodes of The Office, East West 101, and Heart and Soul.

3. Gifts. I got a couple of books, a CD, some chocolate (including amazing champagne truffles Georg brought back from Switzerland), and there's a new hairdryer waiting for me in Cambridge.

Rum balls

1. Rum balls. Although I had to improvise because I couldn't find the Kondensmilch, they still turned out to be addictively delicious (perhaps because I replaced the condensed milk with extra rum).

2. Monte and Nacho, Elise & Georg's rabbits. They are so cute.

3. Being Xmas Eve, not much was open, but Georg and I found a pub for dinner and then a bar that was open. The bar was a Turkish men's club and I felt a bit awkward being the only woman among about 30 men (and me and Georg the only ones drinking alcohol and not playing cards) but we were made to feel welcome. :)

Nürnberg

1. The highlight of our trip to Nürnberg was Albrecht Dürer's house. It's a cute house, very well preserved, and I was especially excited after my visit to the Pinokothek yesterday.

2. Curiosity satisfied about the Jürgen Teller photography exhibition. I guess the Good Thing about it is that Elise isn't mad at me for dragging her along to the Kunsthalle to see it.

3. Elise and I have had our fix of Xmas market food so we looked around Nürnberg for any restaurant that wasn't serving sausages, and luckily came across a great Mexican restaurant.

Pinakothek

1. Dürer's self-portrait and portrait of Oswald Krell at the Alte Pinakothek. One of my first favourite artists, and probably one of the reasons I'm really interested in portraiture. Quite the thrill to see the original artwork.

2. The Rubens exhibition at the Alte Pinakothek was also spectacular.

3. Although I didn't think much of the Pinokothek der Moderne (their collection is fodder for people who are cynical about contemporary art) there was a cool exhibition about the history of computers in the design gallery.

Above Zero

1. The temperature got above 0 degrees for the first time since I arrived in Germany.

2. Ludwigsburg. The castle was closed by the time I got there because I was distracted by the wonderful Xmas market. I bought some little gifts for Elise & Georg and had a Nutella crepe.

3. 'The Shadow of the Wind' bz Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Good holiday reading on loan from Elise.

Eiszapfen

1. Visiting Lichenstein castle which was closed for the winter, but looked so pretty covered in snow and icicles.

2. I had to look up the spelling of icicle in the dictionary and since the only dictionary to hand was an Englisch one, I also learnt the German word: Eiszapfen.

3. I'm getting by in Germany with no German vocabulary except for Eiszapfen and Danke.

Ice-skating

1. Ice-skating on the frozen lake near Nymphenburg castle. It's only frozen over a few days a year usually so I feel very lucky to be here at the right time! And very lucky that none of us fell through the ice into the lake!

2. Elise made a delicious lunch. I haven't had a hearty home-cooked meal made for me in ages.

3. Georg drove us safely through the dark and snow to Stuttgart.

Snow

1. A big late brunch with Elise.

2. Climbing up St Peter's tower. The visibility wasn't quite good enough to see the Alps today, but we had a good view of the city.

3. Snow. Everything looks so pretty covered in snow.

Munich

1. Georg picked me up from Munich airport and we had a traditional German breakfast at his work.

2. A nap. I was so exhausted after working on my films from about 7am til midnight then the 9 hour journey to Munich.

3. Mulled wine & gingerbread at the Munich Xmas market with Elise.

Editing

1. Finished editing the 3 Blowing Smoke films & I'm really happy with them.

2. Xmas dinner at CB2 with the ARU's Research Students' Group.

3. Made it to the Gatwick Airport bus. Pretty much had to run from Arbury to Parkers' Piece but I made it there moments before the 12.45am departure.

Prague in May

1. I got into the conference in Prague!

2. Taking back all my library books - it's a liberating feeling. Although I couldn't help myself - I borrowed 3 more.

3. Editing. I worked on two of the Blowing Smoke series films today. They're nearly done and they're looking good.

Birthday

1. All the lovely birthday messages I got via Facebook and email, and the really cute photos Benji took of the parmas dinner they had in my honour. :)

2. Gifts! Lovely red scarf from M&D and much-needed thermals and a German phrasebook. :) I got cards from Gemma and Ellie. And I know there's at least 1 more package on its way from Melbourne too!

3. Birthday dinner and a few ales with Gemma, Ellie, and a new friend from uni, Rob.

Tea & scones

1. Elise & Georg gave me a hat & scarf for my birthday. They've warmed up and brightened up my wardrobe. Thanks!

2. Tea and scones at Auntie's Tea Shop. While Elise & Georg were here we ate all the typically English dishes, and I was particularly glad when we ticked this final one off the list.

3. Fitzwilliam Museum. Much more impressive than I imagined it would be. Favourite work today was Rodin's 'Man with a Broken Nose'.

Exploring

1. Elise & Georg hired bikes and we rode out of town to Trumpington and Grantchester. Sunny day, beautiful countryside, and cute churches, pubs, and houses with thatched roofs along the way.

2. We did a walking tour of the town, which was mostly about University of Cambridge. Learnt lots of interesting history from our informative tour guide.

3. Warming up in the pub with a couple of ciders.

Tower of London

1. Tower of London. Its long, interesting, gruesome history was revealed on the tour. Worth the visit, despite the price.

2. Showing Elise & Georg around town when we finally arrived in Cambridge. We had a few travel hassles today but we made it, and eventually found a good restaurant that could fit us in amongst all the Xmas parties.

3. Elise & Georg are feeling better - hopefully recovered from their tummy bugs and hopefully I didn't catch it!

Jason Donovan

1. Earth: Art of a Changing World Art at the Royal Academy of Arts Contemporary gallery. Lemn Sissay's spoken word video art piece 'What if?' was my favourite work in an amazing show.

2. Seeing Elise & Georg! And I get to hang out with them in London & Cambridge for the next 3 days!

3. Priscilla: Queen of the Desert The Musical at the Palace Theatre. It's exactly the kind of show I wanted to see when I chose badly on Broadway (twice) and last time I saw a West End musical - so many incredible costumes & great musical numbers. And Jason Donovan. :)

Le Donk

1. Breakfast movie. Can't say I thought much of Brian de Palma's 'Blow Out' but it's nice watching a movie before getting up and facing the day.

2. 'Getting up and facing the day' involving riding down to the Picturehouse to meet Ellie and watch a free screening of 'Le Donk and Scor-zay-zee'.

3. Cup of tea with Ellie after the movie as we mused about the mysteries of whether there are any other postgrad students in our department (we haven't met any) and whether anyone understands the admin processes, because we're really confused! We're going to figure it out and publish a little info booklet for the incoming students in February.

Dinner party

1. New pair of boots. It probably is time to retire my 8 year old Docs and wear shoes that don't leak or give me blisters. :)

2. Dinner party at the Lock Keeper's Cottage with Gemma, Adam, Tina & Rhiannon. Ages since I've been to a dinner party and they were great company.

3. Gemma's delicious curry. Haven't had a curry that good since the last time Rohan made me one.

Cries and Whispers

1. Birthday package arrived from Mum & Dad. I'm not allowed to open til Monday (or Sun night? since it will be Monday in Australia) but I'm excited it's arrived! I wonder if I'll have the self-restraint to keep it unopened until then. :)

2. Editing Un Chant D'Amour. It's looking beautiful, if I do say so myself.

3. It's bleak, melodramatic, and didn't make a lot of sense to me, but I found Bergman's 'Cries and Whispers' very compelling viewing anyway.

Men, Women and Chainsaws

1. A long sleep-in.

2. Read the whole of Carol Clover's 'Men, Women and Chainsaws'.

3. A nice fix of adrenalin, fresh air, and vitamin D when I went for a quick ride before the sun went down.

Flying fox

1. The sun was shining this morning so I went for a long walk around my neighborhood and came across a playground with a flying fox! I jumped on and had a go but it stalled halfway - I think it was designed for kids. :)

2. I've written 500 words of my thesis. Only 79,500 to go!

3. Chuck Norris in 'An Eye For An Eye'.

Flowering Osmanthus

1. I tried the flowering osmanthus green tea Miri gave me - delicious! And it looks so pretty in its teapot.

2. Woke up feeling miserable this morning but I pulled myself out of it by midday. I feel lucky that these bouts are temporally confined and not that frequent. In general I'm a lot happier here than I expected to be.

3. I only have one friend in Cambridge but she's quality. We went to the Picturehouse tonight, had a couple of drinks and saw the new Coen brothers' film.

Tarantino & Confucianism

1. 'London to Brighton'. This latest rape-revenge viewing was bleak but interesting. And I got a bit of a thrill out of recognizing the Brighton locations from my recent trip.

2. A productive day at Cambridge University Library - I ploughed through 5 books. I found a really useful one on Tarantino & philosophy.

3. I've caught up - 3 Good Things is up to date and looking prettier with more photos this week.

Packages

1. Xmas decorations from Mum. It was exciting opening them all up and I especially liked the trumpet-playing snowman - a cute variation on the trumpet-playing angel I receive each year. :) My decoration-less bedroom has suddenly brightened up.

2. I opened up the other package, an even bigger box than the first. I had no idea who it was from or what it could be. So it was a nice surprise to find a birthday present from Miri! A cute little glass teapot and flowering osmanthus tea. Thanks Miri! (and sorry I opened it 2 weeks early) :)

3. Having coffee with Ellie at uni and a cuppa with Gemma when I got home. Nice to catch up with my new Cambridge friends, especially today because it was tough going back to work after my lovely (but too brief!) holiday in London and Brighton.

Fish'n'chips

1. Sitting on the pebbles of Brighton beach, writing in my 3 Bad Things journal.

2. Fish & chips on the foreshore with E-j. First time I've had fish & chips since arriving in the UK and I'd been dreaming about it since reading Nigella's piece about the perfect fish & chips in The Brighton Book.

3. Made it back to Cambridge in time for the ARU Literary Society's spoken word gig at the cute old Leper Chapel.

Seafront

1. The view from E-j's seafront flat. I was really excited when we got out of the cab last night and I could hear the sea, and I was dying to see it in daylight. Magnificent.

2. Shopping in North Laines. This cute little neighborhood has some great shops where I found some bright red gloves and a James Dean poster.

3. 'Treeless Mountain', a Korean film at the Brighton Film Festival. Amazing cinematography - the film was made up almost entirely of close-ups of the faces of two young girls who are abandoned by their mother.

Xmas in November

1. Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace was cancelled due to rain, but I did get to see the Queen's corgis, which is more exciting than soldiers in bear skin hats anyway.

2. Xmas lunch with Nadia's family and friends in Paddington.

3. E-j made me an amazing roast at his pub in Brighton and then we went out for a few beers at the Hand in Hand. It felt just like Xmas day - by the end of the day I was so stuffed and drunk and content. :)

Thames cruise

1. Indulging my touristy side in London, going around to all the major attractions with Nadia.

2. The enormous collection at the British Museum. You could spend a week walking around it and still not see everything.

3. Dancing for the first time since leaving Australia at Favela Chic. This Brazilian & French inspired club/bar has a friendly crowd, random decor, and great music.

Everything Is Going To Be Alright

1. Room 9 in Tate Britain.

2. Nadia's hospitality. She's very friendly and generous and has been a wonderful host and guide in London.

3. Finding a jar of Vegemite in Tesco's in Paddington. I've missed it!

Flights booked

1. Sent off the abstract for the conference in Prague. I should hear back about whether I've been accepted in about 3 weeks time.

2. Booked my flights from London to Munich and Rome back to London! And only 80 pounds for the both of them!

3. Riding home tonight I realised that I haven't carried my Cambridge map with me in a while. I guess I've got to know my way around town pretty well now.

Discovering television

1. Three good things before I even got out of bed this morning - an email from Ochre, and the first episodes of the British comedy series 'In-Betweeners' and 'Cast Offs'.

2. Shopping. Finally got myself bike lights and also bought 2 more DVDs for school, 'Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance' and 'London to Brighton'.

3. Met another new PhD student from my faculty at uni today. She seems nice, and we're going to have coffee next week.

Bright Star

1. Chatting via Facebook to Rohan and Caroline, and via Skype to Mum and Dad and Miri, and an email from Eleven. So lovely & it soothed my homesick heart.

2. Getting an abstract written for a conference in Prague next year. It took me hours and I don't think it's very good, but I'm just glad to have got it done.

3. Saw 'Bright Star' for free at the Arts Picturehouse tonight. At first I thought it was just a pretty period film but the romance crept up on me and I was quite affected by the film in the end. Much more convincing than a romance between Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson (in 'All That Heaven Allows' last night). :)

Purpley-blue heaven

1. The sky was a beautiful colour this morning. Kind of a purpley-blue. There are few autumn leaves left to admire their pretty colours so I'm looking to the sky instead. :)

2. Ploughed through a few library books. I didn't realise there was a limit of 28 items so i couldn't pick up my reservations the other day. But I returned 6 today so i could pick up my reservations and a few DVDs.

3. 'All That Heaven Allows'. How had I never seen this classic before? Loved it - the romance, the melodrama, the colour, the campness. Such a refreshing change from rape-revenge films. :)

Hommus

1. Phone call from Mum & Dad. I was feeling particularly homesick today, and extremely frustrated with my bad internet connection, so it was perfect timing.

2. Did some editing on 'No Skin'. I was worried it might make me more homesick but the process was calming.

3. Hommus & biscuits while reading up on the potential of postfeminism as a conceptual framework.

Grease

1. Bacon & egg sandwich for breakfast at 3.30am, going back to bed for a couple of hours, then a bacon & egg bagel for breakfast around 10am. Disgusting but just what I needed after being sick in bed for the previous 30hrs or so.

2. Travel plans: a visit from Elise & Georg in early December, then I'm off to Brighton for my birthday, Munich for Xmas, and Rome for New Years!

3. Gemma's birthday feast and a house party by Jesus' Green and the River Cam.

Autumn leaves

1. Staying in bed the whole day.

2. The last of the autumn leaves hanging on to the tree outside my bedroom window. These photos are a couple of days apart - tomorrow the tree will probably be bare, and it will be winter.

3. 'The Hills Have Eyes' is not particularly relevant to my thesis so thankfully I don't have to watch it again.

G-A-Y

1. Spontaneous trip to London.

2. Getting pierced. The staff were far from friendly but they were professional, it was done in a flash, only 35 pounds, and it looks good!

3. Drinking with E-j in Soho. We left the pre-launch of the LGBT History Month at the British Museum before the speeches and went to G-A-Y. :)

Teapot

1. Cured my stress with an op shop cruise and found a few good bargains. With that pound I found in my pocket yesterday I bought a teapot.

2. Had my second meeting with my supervisor. She's happy with the outline I've written (though probably wasn't happy about me emailing her such a long 'outline' the day before our meeting!).

3. Research Student Support Group. Nice to meet some other postgrad students.

Happy Birthday Miri!

1. Phone call from Miri. I'm glad the card got there in time and she liked the present.

2. 'This American Life' podcasts kept me entertained while I was typing references into a database for a couple of hours.

3. I just found a pound in the pocket of my jeans. Finding money is always a Good Thing.

Flapjacks

1. Flapjacks. I don't know if we have them in Australia but I've only discovered them since coming here. So much oaty goodness. I had two perfect coffees today and my chocolate-topped flapjack went so well with the second one.

2. Received mail from the uni saying that the FRDSC has approved my research proposal. I'm not sure what that means, but I'm sure it's a Good Thing. :) They now send the proposal to the RDSC and if that committee approves it then I'm off my L-plates and I'm a proper PhD student, or something... First hurdle jumped anyway.

3. Finished writing an outline for my motherhood chapter. It ended up being 3500 words so I hate to think how long the actual chapter will be.

Reality Checkpoint

1. Spending the morning in bed watching 'Boston Legal' and 'Factory Girl'. Refreshingly free of rape and revenge.

2. Gemma and I went for a ride in the sunshine. She showed me the Reality Checkpoint in the centre of Parkers' Piece (just near the new ice-skating rink). It's good to know it's there - it might come in useful sometime.

3. The town centre was full of street performers. Most of them were really terrible but it made me laugh. There was a guy playing a guitar inside a bin. I suppose that gimmick might work. I double-taked and nearly fell off my bike.

Hot jam doughnuts

1. 'Straightheads'. The violence is uncomfortable viewing (especially while trying to eat my breakfast!) but I found its post-feminist take on the genre very interesting.

2. Riding along beside the pretty River Cam. Now that I've got wheels again, I'm exploring further afield. The strong wind meant I hardly had to pedal, although it was kind of a problem when I had to ride the opposite direction. :)

3. Hot jam doughnuts. 1 pound for a packet of 5 at my local supermarket. I know this is the second time in a week jam doughnuts have made it into my 3 Good Things, but after riding in the wind and the rain, it really was that good.

Hot socks

1. Waking up to the sound of rain.

2. Discovering that the microwave works well as a dryer for my wet socks.

3. Today’s sugar’s fixes: a brownie from the uni café, and strawberry cheesecake. Gemma said she thinks I’ve lost weight since I arrived – losing weight is not a Good Thing, but it’s a Good Thing she’s alerted me and it will justify me eating more cake.

I finally bought a bike!

1. The walk to uni and back is quite a hike and now I can speed across town in a fraction of the time!

2. It was a bargain. Sure, the brakes need fixing and I'll have to buy lights, a bell, a basket, but it was still a good price and it'll be fun accessorizing.

3. I don't have to rely on walking or the terrible bus service anymore!

Superheroes

1. I woke up from a hilarious dream this morning. My sisters and I were nerdy superheroes who wore glasses and went by our middle names. Maureen the Meteorologist could control the weather, Kaye controlled the business world (manipulating stock prices etc.), and Lucinda... well I woke up before I found out what her special power was. :) But us 3 sisters were ending all poverty, injustice, and natural disasters. Such a great dream!

2. The fire evacuation procedures of my building at uni run smoothly, which was demonstrated twice today. Both false alarms - maybe some graduating kids pulling a prank?

3. Just as I got to #3, Gemma came in and we gave each other haircuts. I was well overdue for one. I don't care if my head gets cold, it looks so much better!

Action Pants

1. Valie Export's 'Action Pants: Genital Panic' posters. One of my favourite works from the Tate Modern which I visited this morning.

2. Hanging out with E-j. We saw the amazing Sophie Calle exhibition at Whitechapel Gallery, and then visited some friends of his in Hackney. Such a great afternoon.

3. 'Kim's Daughters' at the London Korean Film Festival, with an interesting introductory talk. The melodramatic intensity of the film was a bit much at the end of my big London adventure, but I was glad I went to see it before catching the train back to Cambridge. And the Barbican Centre is awesome.

'I had the time of my life'

1. The anticipation of going to London for the first time - I was ridiculously excited for the 40 minute train ride here. I changed at Kings Cross and surfaced at Piccadilly Circus. The big smoke overwhelmed me so I immediately ducked into a cinema (well actually I planned on going to the 11.30am session of 'Thirst' - my morning dose of cinematic violence is now routine).

2. The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery. Lots of amazing portraits, and one in particular I found so confronting that it made me cry (not sure if if that's a Good Thing - it's an Embarrassing Thing really - but in general art that is powerful and moving is a Good Thing).

3. The cheesiness and the great dancing in the musical 'Dirty Dancing'. Would Jason Donovan in the 'Priscilla: Queen of the Desert' musical have been equally delightfully cheesy? Quite possibly, but I'll have to come back to London some other time to find out. :)

Attack of the 50ft Reels

1. A lazy morning in bed watching DVDs (well not really lazy because i was scribbling viewing notes the whole time). Kill Bill Vol. 2 and Last House on the Left remake - which delivered on its promise to be EXTREME (so i was squealing and covering my eyes while scribbling notes).

2. Facebook love from beasts back home. xx

3. '50 Feet That Shook the World', a gem from tonight's screening of Super8 films from LA & Sheffield Doc Fest, put on by the Cambridge Super8 Group.

50p

1. Walking into town I came across a book sale at a Scout hall. For just one pound I got Vol. 5 of the collected works of Shakespeare (I'm reading Hamlet for school) and a paperback.

2. For another 50p I got a jam doughnut. Seems my sugar cravings aren't cured after all. :)

3. Another DVD splurge - the remake of Last House on the Left, and The Grudge. They cost a lot more than 50p this time, but I'm looking forward to seeing the 'extended version too EXTREME for cinemas!!'

Spaced

1. News that Romana got into a conference in Cambridge. I'm very excited that she's coming to visit in July!

2. Getting a better internet connection and talking to my parents on Skype.

3. Spaced. Gemma loaned me the box set of this British sitcom and it's hilarious.

This photo is from last night - on every day I don't take a photo I'll just post a Guy Fawkes one. I've got a whole album of rides, pretty fireworks, and the bonfire...

Guy Fawkes

1. Being interviewed by a BBC journalist as I crossed Midsummer Common on my way to school. He asked me my thoughts on fireworks and I think I came across as a patriotic and hypocritical git. An amusing reminder to avoid journalists. :)

2. The IT guy at uni fixed my computer and also kept me entertained with the story of how Anglia Polytechnic became Anglia Ruskin. My computer was running so slow that I got the full political and historical rundown, which was very interesting.

2. Fairy floss. If yesterday's caramel slice and brownies were a satisfying sugar fix, a bag of fairy floss tonight was the ultimate. I developed an amazing sugar high as I watched people on rides, and then the fireworks, and then the bonfire.

Cherry, chocolate, caramel

1. My new cherry sheet set from Argos. Argos is a great department store for people who don't like department stores - you just choose what you want from a catalogue, give them the reference number & pay, then your order is brought out from the warehouse. Easy.

2. Chocolate cookies and caramel slice. I needed a sugar fix today and the cafe near my office delivered.

3. Bumping into Gemma on my way home & drinking tea in the kitchen. I was tired and a little grumpy on my long walk home (I must get a bike soon) & she cheered me up.

Affect

1. My characters JD and Janey had a beautiful bonding moment this morning. A great start to the day.

2. The number of books at the Cambridge University Library. It's not as good-looking as the State Library of Victoria but but if size matters, it's pretty hot as far as libraries go.

3. Went along to a staff reading group on 'affect' and although half of it went totally over my head, I did make a few contributions without making a fool of myself.

Cous-cous in Jesus' Pieces

1. The simplicity of moving house when all you've got is a large suitcase, a small suitcase, and a bike helmet.

2. Clean clothes.

3. A picnic in the sunshine at Jesus' Pieces.

Ducks

1. The chef who served me my hashbrowns this morning. She's like a real-life Lorraine - her innuendos are almost as good, and a chef uniform is much hotter than a cop uniform. :) The other day when I was up early, reading in the lounge at around sunrise, she asked if I'd prefer the curtains open or closed. I blushed and she opened them for me. :)

2. Spending a rainy Sunday morning in bed watching DVDs - Last House on the Left and Pulp Fiction - and taking breaks in the violent parts to check Facebook & email. I got more innuendo and giggles from Rohan, and lovely messages from Romana and Ochre.

3. Ducks. I went for a walk when the rain cleared and came across a paddling of ducks. I got my camera out and they all came up to me - I guess they thought I had food. I want a pet one.

3 Bad Things

1. Lady Vengeance at 4am. Great movie and rich with issues I could discuss in my thesis. I thought I was over jetlag so I’m not sure why I’m still waking up at 4am, but those silent hours are a nice time to watch DVDs or write or read.

2. Seeing the irony in driving 6 hours each way to go to a solidarity camp for the campaign against a new coal mine and deciding not to go to Scotland this weekend. I'll get fit and then cycle up to see her in the summertime. :)

3. Started a paper & ink journal which I’ve named 3 Bad Things – kind of a sordid companion to 3 Good Things in which I can write about aspects of my Cambridge adventure not suitable for this public forum. :) My characters JD & Janey paid me a visit on its pages, which was particularly lovely because the communication between us hadn’t been flowing lately.

Indian summer

1. It's not too cold to ride around without gloves, which means it's really not that cold at all. The media is calling it an 'Indian summer'. I didn't realize it was unusually warm for this time of year, but I'm grateful that Cambridge is apparently easing me into dreaded winter very gently.

2. Discovered FOPP - an amazing DVD & CD store. Turned into a major DVD spree as movies I need kept dropping into my hands - The Hills Have Eyes, The Hills Have Eyes 2, Straightheads, Sleepers, Baise-Moi, Lady Vengeance, An Eye for an Eye, Last House on the Left.

3. The possibility of popping up to Scotland for a camping trip this weekend!

"Don't you find respectable people terribly dull?"

1. Facebook & email love from Josh, Zero, & Elise. xx

2. Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express. "I don't care to bargain for love with words..." Those cheekbones, that dialogue - it makes me want to do bad things... like smoke and wear fur. :)

3. Hiroshima Mon Amour at the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse. Loved the soundtrack, the framing in the shot/reverse shots, and the cinema's comfortable chairs.
Might've found my new favourite Cambridge hangout. I'll probably go back in the next few days for the African Film Festival.

Hashbrowns

1. Hashbrowns and fruit salad. I didn't expect breakfast at the Cambridge YHA to be so lush.

2. Feeling like I'm on holiday. That'll wear off at some point (whenever it hits me that I'm stuck here for a while) but I'm enjoying the feeling for as long as it lasts.

3. Travel plans. Elise & Georg are going to visit me for my birthday, and I'm going to visit them in Germany for Xmas, and me and Gemma are going to go camping, and I'll get to London and Brighton as soon as I've settled into my new place. Once the novelty of Cambridge wears off, I'll just travel! :) I don't have to teach until next semester so I am free to travel whenever I like until the end of January.

4:30pm sunset

1. The quality of the headphones on the televisions in the uni library. Capturing the Friedmans is certainly not a cheerful film but the quality of the sound made me happy.

2. A bunch of boys yelled abuse at me from their car as I was cycling through the city, but I couldn't make out what they were saying through their accents. So the only reaction they got out of me was an unsatisfyingly unoffended look of confusion as I tried to figure out whether it was the usual 'Pig!', 'Dog!', 'Faggot!', or some new British insult I haven't had yet. :)

3. The pretty sunset as I walked through Midsummer Common, complemented by the ducks and boats on the River Cam, at about 4.30pm.

First day of school

1. This morning I was like a little kid on my first day of school, riding my bicycle wearing a brand new raincoat and backpack, feeling excited and nervous and not knowing what to expect. I met my supervisor and a few other faculty staff members, and they are all super friendly and supportive.

2. Cups of tea with my new friend Gemma. I went to her house, which is nice and also very cheap for Cambridge, so fingers crossed I might be moving in there next week.

3. Stationary shopping spree. I upheld the annual back-to-school tradition me and my sisters had of going on a stationary shopping spree (at home it was at Officeworks, here the equivalent is Staples). I bought pens, highlighters, a notebook, and an expanding file - much more restrained than I used to be. :)

This blog is already full of nerdy confessions - did I always get so excited about conferences and stationary or is this Cambridge rubbing off on me? :)

Women in Comics

I spent the day at the 'Women in Comics' conference at Cambridge Uni.

1. Nerd joy. An academic conference, and a comics conference no less. :) No shortage of nerd joy in this university town - I'm excited about the many conferences that lie ahead.

2. Made a friend. We were hanging out all day talking politics, activism, art, Super8, and possibly becoming housemates!

3. Slideshows of amazing artwork throughout the presentations. My favourite artists of the day were manga artist Asia Alfasi, political cartoonist Kate Evans, and French artist Dominique Goblet.

First day in Cambridge

1. Hiring a bike and cycling around my new town for the first time. Cambridge is so pretty and I'm finally excited to be here.

2. Vegan Mango & Ginger Cheesecake at The Rainbow Cafe. Whenever I get homesick for the East Brunswick Club I'll come to this amazing vegetarian cafe and scoff down a slice of its heavenly deliciousness. Maybe it'll become my new regular Monday night dinner.

3. House-hunting is going well. I've already checked out 4 places and I'm keen on a place in Ditton Fields. I'll find out Monday night if I've got it. Then I'll celebrate with a slice of cheesecake. :)