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October 19, 2005: (first entry)
It has been about a month since my move. Have not yet seen a Kangaroo. Apparently they don't like to loiter around the pubs at night as initially expected. More updates to come.

October 25, 2005:
Went to a PhD party for Ian in a small town called "Kangarilla". Surprisingly, despite the name, no Kangaroos (or kangaroo/armadillo cross-breeds) were present. Just mosquitos the size of kangaroos.

Yesterday I visited the Barossa Valley wine country. It was a perfect day, reminding me how I do not miss New York weather in November. No roos seen, however my friend Sharyn did point out some cows and asked if we had those in

America

. Apparently the Aussies find our fascination with marsupials humorous.

November 29, 2005:

Things that you can't get in Australia when trying to make a thanksgiving meal: canned cranberry sauce (the good jello-like kind), canned pumpkin, pre-made pie crusts, vegetable shortening, full size pie tins, and coolwhip. Oh... and FYI, wallabies look funny when their feet are tied up with string and they are filled with stuffing, slow cooked in a 110-degree Celcius oven.

December 12, 2005:

Yesterday in New York, the average temperature was 28 degrees. That's in fahrenheit, meaning it was below freezing. In Adelaide, it was 38 degrees... 38 degrees celcius! I shall now refer to New York as "Siberia".

December 22, 2005:

I will be in the U.S. through the SPSP conference in Palm Springs, returning to Adelaide on January 31st. I can be contacted via email while I am overseas. Happy Holidays!

February 1, 2006:

Back in Australia! Had a great trip seeing family and friends, but back to my upside-down reality. Will write more news once things have settled down a bit.

February 23, 2006:

Odd experience today. I was contacted by ABC Adelaide radio to do an interview on air with them... not about justice, but about what shoes hanging on telephone wires mean! Apparently I am an expert on all things American before I am an expert on social psychology. Anyways, they never called, and I later found out that they announced me on air, but said that they couldn't get ahold of me. Must have taken down my number wrong. Oh well... guess I missed 5 of my 15 minutes of fame.

February 27, 2006:

Went to my first AFL (aka "Footy") game yesterday to see Port Power versus Adelaide Crows... the 2 cross town rivals. Footy is like rugby, but faster pace and higher scoring. Port got stomped, although my friend Tracey says, "whatever - preseason game: doesn't count." Great game, even though I got burnt as.

March 2, 2006:

The Adelaide Fringe Arts Festival is currently underway. Last night I went to see stand-up comedy at the Adelaide Zoo! Saw all the crazy Aussie animals, but the highlight of the night was NOT marsupials. During the comedy act, we started hearing one of the lions roar. Novel, but not out of the ordinary. However, then the lion started roaring with a steady, heavy-breathing rhythm - gradually increasing in speed before suddenly stopping. The lions were having sex! Repeatedly too! About every 20 minutes! Every comedian there instantly had new material. I never laughed so hard at a comedy show. Lions are king in Australia too apparently. But, even though the "performance" occurred a number of times during the night, it only lasted about 30 seconds. Not THAT impressive!

March 14, 2006:

Just purchased my plane tickets to New York in May! I'll be there May 6-12 for the GSAS commencement ceremony, although expect me to be incoherent for those first few days... Adelaide to Sydney to LAX to JFK is a bit of a long flight. Thanks Mom for your donation to the "Watch Tyler Graduate Fund"! If you are an NYU person, let me know if you want me to bring back anything Aussie (e.g. kangaroo jerky, croc-skin belts, koala fur coats, dingo-skin gloves, purses made of marsupial pockets, bird flu, etc.).



March 20, 2006:

Two "Aussie" food experiences this past weekend. Mel bought Zach and I "Frog Cakes". Extremely sweet!... even for our American fast-food taste buds. I was also fortunate enough to experience pub schnitzel at Ivanka's birthday party. This thing was MASSIVE. I did manage to finish the whole thing (and a salad and chips too), winning the bet that I could finish it and still keep it all down. I don't want to hear any more cracks about American sized portions! Although, now that I think about it, I guess I just confirmed the stereotype by being the American pig that ate it all. Oh well... so us Americans are porkers... I'm over it.



March 27, 2006:

This past weekend I visited the McLaren Vale wine region. Another beautiful day for wine-tasting! Stopped by some of Mel's favourite wineries, and had lunch at Cafe 190. My personal favourites of the trip included Hugo Wines, Scarpatoni Estate Wines, and Wirra Wirra Vinyards. See "Aussie-links" page for the online link to the Vale where individual winery details can be found. And the stop by David Medlow Chocolates at McLaren's on the Lake was a perfect end to the day! Note for Americans: "favourite" is the same thing as "favorite"... I'm trying to assimilate.



April 3, 2006:

After months of building anticipation, I was finally able to fulfil the true purpose of my move to Australia.... I got to touch marsupials! It truly is the American Dream! I'd like to thank my family for their patience and support, my friends in New York for never giving up on me, and Mel for making the dream happen. Special thanks to my new friend Stormy too. The long awaited Aussie wildlife pics are now available on my photos page!



April 12, 2006:

I will be travelling around Australia for the next 2 weeks. First I will be spending the Easter holidays in Sydney (expect new pics soon!). Then I have a conference in Canberra where I'll be presenting my dissertation research and two posters. Assuming I don't get mugged by a gang of delinquent kangaroos hanging out near King's Cross in Sydney, I'll be back for Anzac Day!



April 27, 2006:

I'm back from my trip to Sydney and the SASP conference in Canberra. It was a great trip! The conference went very well (as did my presentations), and I was surprised at how accepting and non-competitive everyone was. Sydney was amazing, although it still didn't compare to New York. My favourite activities of the trip were climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge (in fashionable grey jumpsuits) and going to a Choral Symphony (performing Bach) at the Sydney Opera House. Sydney pics (and a few new Canberra pics too) have been posted on my photos page.



May 4, 2006:

I will be away from the office until next Monday. I'm flying to New York to attend my graduate school commencement ceremony!

May 15, 2006:

Back from my whirlwind trip to New York. Twenty-eight hours of travel each way, and I'm exhausted! Got the Brooklyn Heights apartment all packed up and ready to sell, and had a good time seeing friends, family, and going to my graduation ceremony. Pics are not yet posted, but a few of them can be found here. It was a little strange to say goodbye to New York, even after living in Australia for 9 months now, but life moves on.

June 13, 2006:

Spent last weekend in McLaren Vale for the Sea and Vines Festival. Lots of good food, wine, and music. Our favourite winery this trip (high marks on all categories) was Penny's Hill... a good bottle of "Black Chook" shiraz, the best fish n' chips I think I have ever had, and old-school R&B from Dwight Adams. Daryl Braithwaite was playing too, but the mob of screaming 50-something women made it hard to see. The booby prize goes to Hardy's Tintara for grossly overpricing their breakfast and then making me wait in a 40-minute queue for luke-warm eggs and soggy toast.

June 27, 2006:

This past weekend, I took a trip down the Limestone Coast with Mel for my birthday. We went to the Naracoorte Caves (a world heritage site) to check out the stalactites/stalagmites and to go adventure caving! Basically, we crawled through the dirt on our stomachs in the dark for 2 hours, testing the limits of our claustrophobia... and trying not to think about cave-ins. We also visited most of the winery cellar doors in Coonawarra, the wine region best known for its cabernet sauvignon. My favourite wineries included DiGiorgio, Blok, and Jamiesons Run (the first two getting bonus points for the friendliest staff). New pictures can be found on my photos page.



July 12, 2006:

For those of you who have heard about my travel plans, no... I have not left for my trip yet. I am not scheduled to be in Mumbai on July 26th (staying for 4 nights). Given the terrorist attacks in Mumbai yesterday, I will be checking with the American State Department as to the precautions I should be taking when I leave for my trip in 2 weeks, and their recommendations regarding whether or not I should alter my travel plans (they have not yet issued an updated travel warning for India ). Barring any specific concerns with repeat attacks in the near future, I still plan to visit Mumbai. Based on my experiences in New York on 9/11, I am sure that Mumbai will be safer than ever in the upcoming weeks. Continuing my travel plans unabated can benefit India more than if I cancelled them, as altering my plans contributes to the terrorist agenda to erode the infrastructure of the country, in my case through the loss of revenue from tourism. Worldwide support is key to India 's financial and psychological recovery, as we have seen in New York , London , Spain , and other civilian targets. Please keep your thoughts with the 174+ victims already identified, and their families.

July 25, 2006:

I will be traveling overseas until August 20th. In order of appearance: Mumbai/India, Berlin/Germany (presenting at the International Society for Justice Research conference), Prague/Czech Republic, Amsterdam/Netherlands, Atlanta/Georgia (presenting at the Academy of Management conference), and Los Angeles/California. I will be on sporadic email contact if you need to reach me.

August 23, 2006:

I'm back from my month-long trip around the world, and over the surprisingly mild jet-lag. However, if I never set foot in another airport, I think I'd be okay with that. Apparently security levels are only heightened when I travel internationally - does that mean I've been "flagged"? India was incredible and very thought provoking. And Europe (Berlin, Prague, and Amsterdam) was as beautiful as expected, despite my week-long battle with "late onset Bombay belly". All of my conference presentations went well, and it was good to see lots of old friends, especially Tim and Chris. And following a successful presentation by Michael in Berlin, Adelaide has now been confirmed as the location for the 2008 conference for the International Society for Justice Research. A sample of my travel pictures have been posted on my photos page.

September 4, 2006:

Happy Labor Day to everybody in the U.S. I'm celebrating this year by laboring at work all day. This weekend I went to the "Royal Adelaide Show", which turns out to be just like a "Fair" back at home. Although, this event has many more animals than the fair in Orange County. Maybe that's because in the OC they have to ship them in from other counties to make it seem authentic? Anyways, the most intriguing aspect of the "Show" here in Adelaide is the purchase of "show bags"... plastic bags filled with junky toys and "lollies" (candy) that kids make their parents buy for $15 to $20 a pop. Armfuls of them too. Oh, and did I mention that the lady who shoots herself out of the cannon missed, literally (and figuratively) biting the dust? It's a never-ending cultural experience.

October 11, 2006:

Just returned from a weekend in Brisbane. I gave a talk at University of Queensland on Friday, and then explored the city for the rest of the time. It's kind of like a bigger, cleaner, busier Adelaide. Joanne (postdoc at UQ) was nice enough to treat me like a tourist, so I was able to see all the major city sites. A few pictures from Brisbane (and from the previous weekend's day-trip to Victor Harbour in South Australia) are posted on the photos page.

After maintaining regular updates for over a year, I've decided to discontinue my news updates. Apparently, even the novelty of Australia begins to wear off after a while. I will, however, continue to post new photos of my Australian exploits, so please visit my photos page.

Past News Updates: