Skipping Thanksgiving

*Melissa*

It has been way too long since I have chatted with ya’ll – although some of you I was lucky enough to get in touch with over the (American) holiday this past week. Ah yes, Thanksgiving – that’s the one I am referring to!! The turkey, the stuffing, the homemade rolls and gravy made with real drippings. The cranberry sauce, fluffy mashed potatoes, and yams topped with toasted marshmallows. Delicious!! And we didn’t eat any of it ): No, in fact November 24^th for Chad and I couldn’t have been more benign: a full day at work, a bus-ride home, a quick steak grilled in a pan for dinner, and some work-up on our project.

What project, you ask? Well, the project that has been delaying our blog posts for the past couple weeks! You see, Michael and the big boss – CP, have asked Chad and me to give a presentation on the radiology structure at OIT, and in the US. First to our colleagues at work (this Thursday and Friday), and then – with any luck – the National AIR conference in Sydney. No pressure or anything, but this is a HUGE deal for us! I can’t think of any greater privilege than to be able to present at an International Conference before we are even graduates! So, as you can imagine, Chad and I have been in a frenzy trying to weave together an amazing, interesting, and informative presentation. Our apologies for the lapse on blogging.

Our experiences here in the meantime have kept us busy as well. I have been trying to get to the bottom of my “not feeling well”, and then lo and behold Chad caught a bug. We’re both –and I say this tentatively – mended, at least for the time being.

All the holiday business looming about has caused quite the kafuffle about foods, and both the folks at work, and the family back home get a kick hearing about our international eating habits. For instance: apples & peanut butter – a lunchbox essential, yea? They think we’re crazy here. Peanut butter and jelly? What’s wrong with us. And the most decadent treat of crispen toast, gooey honey, smothered with warm peanut butter and topped with cool bananas? We should be put in the Margaret Tobin Center (Flinders Mental Health ward). And the Aussies think we’re the crazy ones for not loving Vegemite!!

Try telling Australians about my family tradition of mashed yams topped with toasty marshmallow for Thanksgiving and I got repeated incredulous responses of “for dessert?!” “No! For a side dish!” I corrected, and each and every one of them raised their eyebrows. Chris gave his standard response of “You yanks and your sweet-tooth”. The only thing better was when I called Dad to hear what he was preparing for Thanksgiving dinner (yams), and then a phone call to Mum the next day to hear she was heating up leftovers for Gramma of what other than…yams? I’m tellin’ ya – I have never missed yams more!

Yes – it was definitely nice to talk to some of the family back home. We still haven’t gotten around to all our loved ones yet, but just being able to lounge around for an hour or so, chatting about foods, and what’s new, plans for Christmas, and even (already) what needs to be done when we get home… it was really nice.

A Big Red Suit, and A Big Red Nose (And I don't mean Rudolph)

*Melissa*

There is just something so WRONG about wandering the shops, seeing flashing mechanical Santa rotating around with his arm waving at you, shuffling through boxed cards with snowmen, glitter, and furry reindeers gracing their covers, and seeing Christmas pines lit up at K-Mart. Here I am wandering the shops in flip-flops, shorts, and tank tops, gawking at the youngsters with their bum cheeks hanging out of their shorty-shorts and the boys not far behind, and I’m passing lit up wreaths and plex-glass snowmen while Jingle-Bells blares from every speaker. This just doesn’t feel right. Wasn’t there another holiday coming up anyways? Something involving Turkeys and pigging out on food like we’ve been in famine for the past 9 months or something?

Last weekend officially kicked off the “Christmas season” here in Adelaide, with the HUGE annual “Credit Union Christmas Pagent” – the equivalent of the Macy’s parade for New York… although I’m pretty sure that has to do with another holiday, too, doesn’t it? We were told by many that it was the “Event of the year” – aside from “The Show” (Adelaide’s “State Fair”) and WOMAdelaide (a mini-Woodstock) and that we needed to go. Reluctantly, we decided to take it in to consideration since “we may never have the opportunity again”, and when the paper arrived the night before, we sought out the details.

I was a bit dumbfounded to see the pamphlet for The Pagent decorated with clowns – the theme for the year was: “Celebrate the Clown Within”, and they were asking everyone who came to wear a red clown nose to try and break the world record for, what else? Most people gathered in one place wearing clown noses! (Don’t believe me? Check it out at: cupagent.com.au!) The inner pages were decorated with fairies and flowers (and more clowns) and warning people that they should have their spot along the parade route reserved by 4:30 am. The roads to the city would be closed off by 6 am, and the expected attendance was 350,000 people. I nearly choked. When we examined the photos from last years event, and realized a hefty portion of those in attendance would be under the age of 10, we decided we couldn’t be bothered. We slept in the next morning until 9 instead.

This weekend (the 5^th one before Christmas!!) Chad and I were blind-sided by the arrival of the “Radiographer’s Christmas Party”. It snuck up on us rather quickly! We braved the Marion Shopping Centre (our ‘Mall’) in search of a casual dress shirt for Chad, and were in awe and the hoards of people scrambling, screaming, scowling, and dragging their children through the shops. Chad made a comment about how miserable everyone looked, and I told him my secret of staring at a point above the crowds in order to keep my anxiety from overtaking me in the swarms. The high point was when I overheard a woman complaining that one of the small stores we all happened to be in wasn’t playing Christmas music.

That afternoon, we got cleaned up, and I slipped in to one of the summer dresses that has been stashed in the closet for almost a year because it was always so cold in Klamath Falls. I slid my toes into a pair of open-toed, backless heels, and Chad and I climbed into our co-worker’s car to head to the Pub the party was at. It was when we were all rolling the windows down to let in the cooler air that oddness of it hit me again – Christmas in Summer. In shorts. Hearing “White Christmas” playing over a radio.

I have always wanted to experience this – a “tropical” summer Christmas. Chad’s always dreamed about a palm-Christmas-tree, decorated with colored lights. But I can’t help but feel like something is missing. Christmas the world over is simply a “winter holiday” – you can’t argue that snowmen, reindeer, and a Santa Suit are the icons of the season, and they just don’t work in the Southern Hemisphere! Maybe it really is just all about what you grew up with, and maybe that’s why Adelaide has turned to clowns and fairies - to help them balance the snowy hymns and décor. As for me, though? I can’t help but wonder if I could ever get used to this. Where’s my Turkey dinner? Where’s my Black Friday ads that we stay up till midnight looking at on Tome and Gordon’s couch, trying to convince ourselves we should battle the crowds a few hours later? Where’s the annual whinging of picking out our Christmas tree with the snow flakes flying and trying to fit it on top of the old KIA? The stockings, and pile of Christmas presents growing under the tree…

This year we will definitely see how the other half of the world does it, and what this “Mele Kalikimaka” business is all about!

Summer Lovin'

*Melissa*

FINALLY we’ve caught a break here, and the weather has decided to pick up! We’ve had almost a week where we’ve been able to leave the jackets at home, and still be comfortable by the time we get home! It’s been lovely – although the humidity is definitely something else!! South Australia is purportedly the “driest state in Australia”, but I’m from Utah. And UTAH gets dry heat in the summer. This crap we’ve been dealing with here? NOT dry heat – at ALL! I would WELCOME that dry heat, because the humidity just makes everything “sticky”, especially our uniforms! Just this morning we were waiting for our bus at 8 am, and we couldn’t help moaning about our pant legs groping our legs like baby koalas on their mama’s backs! It just makes it that much hotter when your clothes cling to you with every move. BUT! It’s warm – HOT even – and that’s what we were waiting for.

The weekends, needless to say, are getting a bit better with this fine change in the weather. We’ve been able to wander around the beaches and pick up a bit of the “brown” on our arms and legs – a definite improvement from our pasty complexions from Klamath Falls. This past weekend, we got quite a bit of the sunny stuff when we took a Kayaking tour through a “Dolphin Sanctuary and Shipwreck Graveyard” with SA Adventure Kayaking. I was nervous when Chad and I had both been feeling under the weather in the days surrounding it (and even after!) but it turned out to be lovely!

It was the first time Chad and I have seen dolphins in the wild, frolicking around on their own accord. Some of them got pretty close to the kayaks! We paddled around for 15 minutes or so, trying to catch glimpses of their fantastic little flippers breaking the water, and then paddled off to see one of the oldest iron ships in all of Australia, ironically called the San Diego! After that, we got to wander a bit through some Mangrove forests. They weren’t too exciting, but it was the first time I’ve ever done anything like it! And a great way to start the morning, and the weekend! In fact, after that, the rest of the day was almost TOO hot!

By: the Author

*Melissa*

We have had a suggestion from one of you followers about some confusion as to who is writing which posts. We take this to heart, so we will now be heading our posts with either CHAD or MELISSA to designate who wrote them. We think this will avoid having to scroll down to the end of the post to see who wrote it. If you have any other suggestions on ways to improve our posts, or if there's anything in particular that you'd like to hear us write about - just email us!!! We love to hear from you, and you don't even need to be a registered follower to do this!!

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Chad's Ramblings

The days have begun to last a little longer and we have had a few days of warmer weather; summer is on the way for sure. The warmer weather always makes me think of home, family and friends. Summer has always been my favorite time of the year. The longer days and warmer weather meant boat trips with Gordon, camping at one of the lakes, camp fires with friends and lots of BBQs. Summer in SA means the ocean turns a fantastic shade of turquoise and becomes more inviting every day. I made the mistake of succumbing to the oceans siren like cries the other day; instantly regretting the idea. The water looks fantastic but it’s still a bit of a trick, its freezing! I am looking forward to trying some new outdoor water adventures though. Now that the weather is improving, its time to make the most of being south of the equator: Melissa and I are planning on taking a kayaking exercise class and a kayaking dolphin tour.

Unfortunately the pastry shops that line the streets have gotten the better of me and I have, once again, managed to pack on some pounds of insulation. Not a good thing when it’s supposed to be getting into the upper 90’s. On the topic if weights, I finally figured out what the heck a “stone” is (didn’t even need goolge). I was in the CT department helping out and I happen to notice a scale in the corner of the room. The face of measured body weight in kilograms and stones! I was so excited I think I might have laughed out loud. For those of us who might not be up on British measurements, 1 stone is about 6 kilograms (over that really) and 1 kilogram is about 2.2 pounds. Learning CAN be fun!

Melissa and I have been wandering further and further outside of the areas that we normally frequent, discovering new places and hidden treasures around South Australia. I’m sure that local people think nothing of our “hidden places” around Adelaide, but for two foreign college students it’s exciting to see a new street or see an interesting new restaurant. Not to mention the fact that it makes getting on the wrong bus a bit more exciting. One thing I have to say about Adelaide in general is that people drive like crazy. Crossing a street, even while using a cross walk, can be life threatening: just the other day I almost became a hood ornament for a little old man driving in station wagon. I needed to get across two lanes of traffic. So I, being the courteous gentleman that I am, waited until the traffic had come to a dead stop before running for my life. The lane closest to me was clear and the lane farthest from me had bumper to bumper traffic, which had come to a full stop. I looked toward the direction of traffic and steeped into the street just in time to hear the sound of screeching breaks. I had just enough time to slide my feet back and pull my hands out of the way. The car slid to a stop and I fell forward onto the right front side panel. I instantly shot a glance at the driver, ready to dispense a verbal lashing that he/she would not soon forget. The poor guy was about a thousand years old with his eyes wide and his hands over his mouth. After seeing his expression I decided to keep the lashing for someone more deserving. Just goes to show ya, always watch for the guy trying to jump the que.

Such a Gory Halloween

It was 2:32 am, according to my ipod touch, when I awoke. I couldn’t tell if it was the pressing need to go to the bathroom or the loud thumping and muffled yelling that had done it first. There was a faint light glowing at the base of the door, so I knew someone had turned the kitchen light on. I reasoned it was our flat-mate, and because I was worried I would give him a scare by seeing my 3-am face and out-of-control mop of hair, I tried to wait it out, listen for the light to go off and whomever it was to wander back to bed. I waited, and waited, not hearing anything but silence, and I couldn’t take it. I propped open the door, and the glowing light from the kitchen filled out living room and stung my eyes as I poked my head around the bedroom door, peeking into the kitchen. And that’s when I saw Sid Vicious lying face down on the floor, right outside our door.

We had gotten invited to a Halloween shin-dig that some fellow Halloween-loving American down the road was putting on. It was a bit late in the game, and after a week, Chad and I still hadn’t come up with any fantastic low-cost ideas for costumes to fit the theme: 80’s horror. It didn’t help that it was our last week at Repat, and our last week before our enormous Flinders Site Profile was due. So, alas, we said farewell as the flat-mate headed out the door dressed in suspenders, rolled up jeans, and a spraypainted tee, reeking of hairspray and gel. We’d spent the last hour listening to muffled Sex Pistols songs as he channeled the “Sid Vicious” character he was dressed as.

Sulking and second-guessing our choice to not go, Chad and I nestled down with some chicken tacos and an awful rented movie called “The Living Wake”, which taught us that just because Jim Gaffigan is in something doesn’t mean it’s good. And then we called it a night.

At first glance, after seeing our flat-mate face planted into the floor at 2:32, I reasoned he was simply too pissed when he got home, had fallen (explaining the yelling), and passed out on the floor. I sat back down on the edge of the bed, and looked at Chad. “What?” he asked, and I told him about Sid. We laughed, and pondered what to do about making it to the bathroom.

We decided to think of other things, and crawled back into the warmth of the covers, before Chad happened to say “I hope he’s OK…he’s laying kind of funny” to which I responded “Maybe you should go check that he’s not lying in a pool of blood” joking that he may have hit his head when he fell. It’s a good thing that at this point, Chad did in fact go check on him.

I heard some mumbling from both Chad and Mr. Vicious, and couldn’t resist going out to check the scene. My jaw dropped when I realized the scope of the situation. Chad was crouched down, looking at our flat-mate’s hand, which was caked with blood. There was a dark broad trail of maroon dots splashed over the entire floor. The counter was coated in blood, the pots and pans were decorated with polka dots, and a rolls of paper towels was doused with coppery-tinged water. As we walked to the bathroom, we saw the trail continued in from the front door.

In amazement at the sight, we told our flat-mate we had to take him to the hospital. The blood was from a gash on his hand, and it obviously needed attention – not to mention some fluids from all the blood loss. As we walked out the door, we saw that the trail continued – and you could convince yourself that someone had been stabbed and was running from a serial killer if you wanted to. Very Halloween.

After leaving him in the care of a couple nurses who made it quite clear they were tired of patients for the night, we came home to try and clean up the trauma scene, and tried to catch a couple final hours of sleep.

The next morning, we awoke in disbelief of what had happened a mere few hours earlier. Our flat-mate had asked if we could bring him a few things, and we took our time to get dressed and ready. We lucked out at this point as well – as we were getting ready to walk out the door, I went to grab the mail and the good ol’ red and blue pulled up and hopped out of the car. I couldn’t help but laugh, as I told them “ yea, I thought this might happen”. Someone had seen a trail of blood outside their house, and called it in. They had followed it to our house.

It’s amazing to think how far our flat-mate walked home, after falling and cutting himself so badly. And I’m REALLY glad that we ended up checking on him! Who knew that our first trauma would be not at a hospital, but at our own house?!!

Saying Goodbye to Repat

What was that whizzing by? Was that…it was!... October!! I honestly can’t believe it! It seems like I was just whining about PM shifts and had just gotten to Repat, and then all of a sudden we are saying our goodbyes! It was a fantastic 4 weeks where we got to work with some really lovely people. An oddball here and there, but I can’t complain about any of them!

It was definitely a learning curve, as we got to do exams that Flinders doesn’t do on a regular basis – some oblique spines, some chiropractic spines, lots of recovery knees (which means they get done using the portable machine!) lots and lots of shoulders with views we hadn’t seen before going to Repat. We also got to work with different machines, like the fully automated Siemens System – impressive, but definitely not my favorite! As a student, I want to practice using my markers and angling to tube when I need to. With the fully automated system, the darn thing does it all! It did my head in being told to take my markers OFF after the drilling we’ve gotten for the past couple years!!

Since Repat also handles ALL the urology cases in the area, we also got a chance to see lots of RGP’s (Retrograde Pyelograms – where they look at the kidneys, ureters, and bladder with a scope and dye) cystograms (looking at the bladder, especially bladder tumors and bladder cancer) and laparoscopic studies. I even got to see a fascinating orthopedic case dealing with a non-union fracture, where they plated the bone, and put crunched up bone pieces into the fracture site to promote healing.

By the time the end of the month approached, they had grown to like us a little bit. They even invited us back to their big BBQ event on Monday. We took a half-day to mosey on back and munch on some goodies – since one of the sonographers is also a chef, how could we refuse? We liked them so much, that we even asked to come back in the Spring… or Fall, however you look at it. And seeing how fast October has whizzed by, it won’t be long!!