aaah... ahhh...

CHOO!

It was inevitable. I knew at some point in my first month here I'd get sick, and I woke up today with a head cold for the books. I've advanced to coughing, chills, and that icepick-to-the-cerebellum sort of headache. Great. Well, good news is it seems as if pretty much everybody's sick at this point, and I've managed to come across some meds, so I should survive. Let's hope. And while we're hoping, let's rewind.

I believe my last update was Wednesday, pre-Drag & Devo. Well, that was hands down the funniest night I've had here so far. The boys got SO into it. And the girls were a sight to be seen themselves. I opted for the sexy lawyer look... pulled back hair, black-rimmed glasses, pinstripe 3/4 button up shirt, black skirt and heels. Payed dearly for the heels the next day. Pictures can be found on facebook, same link as below. So yes, it was a sight... all of the resi's at Deakin dressed to the nines in their own special way, dancing up a storm in the union-type area. Icing on the cake was the fact that they let us use our Deakin cards to pay for drinks. I have a new favorite... UDL. The U.S. needs to get on the pre-mixed drinks in a can. It's wonderful, and tasty too. The D&D was until eleven, then everyone headed down to the Ponds Hotel for live music and more beverages. Met and danced with some dudes there, definitely a quality end to a ridiculously fun evening. But, as I said, my feet were completely destroyed form a night of dancing in heels. Aside from blisters on both my feet, the evening was an immense success. And to Liz and Alicia (Priya, I've already consulted you on this), I'm up to three. Right-o.

Thursday was a pretty full day of classes. Still, nothing compared to class in the States. My history professor was pretty pumped to find that he had an American amongst his students. Hopefully this will work to my advantage. And, Australia Today sounds like it'll be a pretty good time. Took a pretty sizeable nap after class, then Thursday night we went out for Janis's birthday. Went to this super-cute bar at first, that looked more like a coffee shop than a bar to me. It had couches, a fireplace, and live acoustic guitar. The guy played Damien Rice, and I about melted, as per usual when I hear DR. I'd most certainly like to return. We ventured to Club 99 after that, but in my infinite wisdom, I forgot to bring my ID, so Heather, Jess and I went back to campus. We watched Hotel Rwanda and hung out for a bit, opting for the more relaxing sort of evening. Pretty intense/depressing movie, but still quite good.

Friday marked my second trip into Melbourne, and my first ever footy game! Rachel and I decided to make a trek into the city, and while wandering around looking for something to do, we realized Geelong was playing at the Telstra Dome that evening. And, what better time for a footy game? NONE! So, we meandered around Melbourne for a few hours, grabbed some pizza (nothing like it is in the States), and explored Federation Square. Pixar had a pretty cool display going on for its twentieth anniversary, complete with a giant replica of the Pixar lamp hanging out outside the building. We wandered a bit more, checking out the Performing Arts Centre, the Australian Racing Museum, and some random shops along the way. It started to get chilly, so I invested in a Geelong Cats winter snowcap/toque/hat, in an attempt to not get pneumonia and support the home footy squad. Unfortunately, only the latter succeeded, but I don't hold the hat accountable. In fact, I'm wearing it right now.

So, we made our way to the Telstra Dome and found our seats. First row, third level... we could see the whole field, it was great! The pitch/field itself is pretty enormous, and I had no idea what to expect, considering I'd never seen a footy game before. To sum it up for those who aren't familiar with the wonderful game of Australian Rules Football, I'll give you a run-down. The game itself is like a weird mix of rugby and soccer, played in four 25ish minute quarters. You use your hands and feet, there's a whole lot of punting the ball (which looks like a more round rugby ball, and is incredibly bouncy), you can't throw the ball, but you can hit it like a volleyball to your teammates. Also, if you catch the ball off of a kick, you have the option of getting a free kick, or continuing with normal gameplay. In order to score, you have to kick the ball through two of four posts, gaining between one and six points per goal. And, you can run with the ball, but every ten or so steps you have to bounce it. There's a decent amount of tackling, but it's not nearly as violent as rugby. And it's very, very fast paced. My kind of game.

So last night's match was the Geelong Cats vs. the Western Bulldogs. The Cats are at the top of the race for the Premiership coming up at the end of September... and it showed. The final score was 138-63, Geelong. Very high-scoring, due to the fast paced nature of the game. It was, overall, an excellent experience. I'd love to go to another game... now that I actually know what's going on. It's relatively easy to catch on, I suggest YouTube-ing it, if you're interested. The only downside to the evening was we were pretty freezing the entire time. Although the Dome itself was enclosed, it was still a chilly 15 degrees or so during the game. None to kind whilst wearing only a zip up hoodie, pants with holes in them, and a knit hat. Lesson learned: next time, wear another layer or two.

We ended up getting back to campus around two, and I fell asleep pretty quickly. Had some minor signs of the oncoming illness, but nothing too drastic. Things changed when I woke up. At one in the afternoon. I know I'm sick when I can sleep that much, undisturbed. I awoke with that all-over body ache, where any sort of movement makes you feel like an arthritic geriatric. No good. After an assessment of the overall situation, I decided it would be in my best interest to retreat to bed and sleep some more. Didn't get out of bed until around four. Good thing I didn't have anything entirely demanding to do. I managed to choke down a pair of Advils, which lightened my symptoms a bit, and walked to the store to replenish my food sources. Got some more Tim Tam's, among other things, so that was a success. The walk there actually made me feel a bit better, too, which was nice. Came back and hung out with Erin, Cam and a few other people in the common area for a while. We watched Empire Records, then chatted a bit, and here I am now, listening to The Starting Line and contemplating the glory of NyQuil. Tomorrow will consist of reading and laundry, but for the rest of tonite, I'm crashing. Here's to hoping tomorrow's bout of the Australian Common Cold won't be nearly as painful. Until next time...

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