There and Back Again - an Australian Tale

There and Back Again - and Australian Tale

As of Friday, October 1st, 2010 I have officially been accepted to study abroad in Cairns, Australia. This program marks a new page being turned - another new start. I feel like my life is in need of some revamping and by traveling, submitting to my wanderlust, going somewhere new to learn new things in new ways - well, this trip is just billet I've been looking for. Come along and laugh at me, with me, or both as I prepare to tally forth, wander en and return from, the Land of Oz.

Australia's New National Animal

Australia's New National Animal
A Fez ?!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Hail the Conquering Hero ... NAH NAH NA NAH NA NAH NA

This better be good.
I heard she fell off the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
I’ve only know she’s alive because of Facebook updates.
I wonder if she got eaten by a Shark on the Great Barrier Reef.

If these are among your thoughts about what reason I could possibly have for abandoning you all for over a month and a half … yes that’s right, 6 WEEKS (aka 42 DAYS) … you are well within your right to give me a good ‘What the F**k’ look right about now. I deserve it so, go ahead, stare with intense anger/rage/worry at your screen and I think (by your powers combine) I will get a good feeling of being slapped across the face with all of your technologically-dispersed emotions.

It’s really been that long though? (recent discovery)

Wow. Alright so a lot of time has passed, and the only excuse I can give you is that I have been having the time of my life. Also, it has been so beautiful that I have been spending the least amount of time possible indoors/in class so that the fun in the sun hardly ever ends. And, might I add, you would be doing the same exact thing if you were here in my shoes so no judgy-judgy.


I plan on telling you as much as I can about what has been going on and where I have been, with who, doing what and et cetera as soon as humanly possible but man, 42 days? I could write a quarter of a book on what I’ve been doing since March 15th but I am going to try and condense them as much as possible. ALSO! For those of you reading this because you’re going to Australia in the fall or are planning to go soon, I will be throwing in a few more pearls of wisdom about what to do and what not to do while you’re planning and while you’re here. I promise to pack as much of my life into an entry or two to let you know what has been up (^_^).

But while you are waiting!

Did you know that Amanda Palmer release a new album at the beginning of this year? The album, entitled “Amanda Palmer goes Down Under”, was written for and dedicated to her home away from home and her secret love affair kept from her Massachusetts roots in US … with Australia. This record has been the source of a lot of laughter and happy days after hours in the art studios and out in the courtyard of my dorm and I would very much like to share it with you. I will warn you that some of the songs may not be ‘age-appropriate’ for younger readers due to mild swearing/ topics but it is a wonderfully curious album and my theme song while I was planning this semester was Track #2 so I am biased in saying IT IS AWESOME !!!

Click HERE to go to Amanda Palmer’s blog where you can listen to the album FOR FREE (yay free!)

 p.s. - I happen to be in love with track #2, #3, #5, #6 and #12 but you can make your own decisions for yourself :-)

And! If you want to know more about other songs she has written or published that I happen to like (which really encompasses mostly all of them), here are a few worth listening to (in no particular order (click on the title to listen)):

Coin Operated Boy (song from when she was part of the band that launched her career, the Dresden Dolls)
Ampersand (from her solo album, 'Who Killed Amanda Palmer'[WKAP])
Have to Drive (another one of my favorites from WKAP)
Love Will Tear Us Appart (her second album. To appreciate the whole album you must first love WKAP)
The Bed Song (my favorite, non-record released song ever. She played it at my first Amanda Palmer concert)

 This was AGES ago when I met Amanda Palmer at a Secret Twitter Concert in Boston, MA
(but it seemed appropriate for today)

Will be talking to you soon!
I bet you can't tell I love Amanda Palmer!
I shall be listening to her all day as I write "An Australia Saga: 42 days of Shelby"!
Exclaimation Points !!!

With Love from Down Under,
~ Shelby