Sam’s Blog

My dog died today. To be more specific, he was euthanized by a vet. I have really mixed feelings about this, because I am very anti-death penalty; and until today I was of the strong opinion that it’s better to let someone (or some dog, in this case) die naturally instead of forcing it prematurely. But Willy had not been well for some time, and apparently he had liver cancer. I’m not going to go into detail about what he looked like in his last moments, but let me just say that it looked that this was the end and there was nothing else that could be done.

Enough of the sadness of today; what are some of my good Willy memories? In his younger days he loved to lie on his back (with his belly facing up), and have people scratch his stomach. After we scratched it for several minutes he’d roll over to signify that it was time for us to stop.
He also would jump up on the dining-room table (or smaller tables as well), considerable jumps for a smallish dog, to grab tidbits of food left unattended. For example, I remember that at one point we left an entire pizza on the table that we’d ordered from some place, and then left the room for some period of time. When we came back the pizza was gone, and Willy was on the table. A more dangerous version of this scenario was when there were candles on the table as well as food: He’d try to eat the food, but then almost set fire to himself by walking to close to the candles. (Maybe even on top of them at some point; I forget.)
When we first took him home with us from the pet rescue agency, he would spend a lot of time sleeping on our beds. As he grew older and unable to make the jump up to the beds, he would sleep on the floor just beside the beds. I took a nap this evening, after the deed had been done, and then when I awoke found myself subconsciously checking for Willy at the foot of my bed — after all, I wouldn’t want to step on him as I got out of bed… I’ll really miss him! Whenever I (or anyone else in the family for that matter) was visibly sad, he would come over and be with whoever it was. Even when nobody was sad, he would often spontaneously drink lots of extra water from his water bowl so he could have a surplus to lick us with.
You should’ve seen his face (and who knows; you might have). It always resembled to me that of an English gentleman’s, not that I really had any idea what that meant. Really dignified. If you look at most dogs’ faces, they all really have a common shape/look. Willy’s was unique. That face made it really easy to think of him as not just any dog, but a person, odd as that may sound. I know that we still had to feed him dog food etc., and he spoke through barks and growls if at all; but he had a very unique personality.
He was with us for a little over seven years; since roughly February 1999. He became an integral part of the family; and he will be missed.

Why is it that we hear a lot about radical Islam, but when people talk about Christians with the same fervor of religious belief they call them “evangelical”? Maybe it’s because probably half the people in the Bible Belt, Bush included, would be “radicals” if we didn’t have this alternative term. Just something to think about…

So… yeah, I just changed the name of this blog from “My Semester Abroad” to reflect the fact that I’m posting about things other than Australia. Don’t worry though; I’ll still post some about Australia….

Basically says that people need 8 hours of sleep, but more and more aren’t getting it.

read more | digg story

I just found this really interesting blog post (and I “digg” it) about all these common mistakes switchers make. I suggest this article; it makes for a good read.

read more | digg story

I just got back from getting a late dinner at one of the only places still open this late at night in Auckland, New Zealand, where I’ve been since last Wednesday the 11th for mid-semester break:  a cafe just off Queen St., near the Viaduct Harbour.  On a whim I decided to buy one of the few remaining copies of The New Zealand Herald (the preeminent newspaper around here) that they had on display, because after looking I had a look at its headline and realized and how odd and possibly even outrageus it and its byline (is that the right name for a subtitle?) would seem appearing on the front page of a major newspaper in the States (that’s what the Aussies and I think the Kiwis call the U..S.):

Outrage as police reveal brutal rape claim was a fake

30 police officers, hundreds of hours, thousands of dollars…and the attack ‘never happened

 (source:  The New Zealand Herald, Auckland edition, front page, Monday, April 16th, 2007)

All that over a false police claim?  The rest of the front-page headlines are, in no particular order (but basically from top to bottom):

• “Why the Springboks [whatever they are] are a growing worry”

• “America’s Cup:  Someone’s got a SECRET WEAPON… and it may not be us” (sailing’s really big over here, in the “City of Sails”)

•  ”The Nearly Princess:  After Kate, Prince William faces an even greater media frenzy”

• “Protesters swept from streets, shouting ‘Russia without Putin’”

• “Ex-staff blame Ralston [the “TVNZ news boss”] for ‘rot’”

• “Kiwis star Sonny Bill Williams professes his love for his partner after a tryst with another woman in a toilet”

• “Flash joins the after-parties of Kri Te Kanawa’s Auckland night with the NZSO [whatever that is]”

(all quotes are from The New Zealand Herald, Auckland edition, front page, Monday, April 16th, 2007). 

Now compare that with the front page of, say, the New York Times, or the L.A. Times.  The NZ Herald only has one international story, a local story of what would seem like little import to a foreigner is taking up a large part of the page, and the right sidebar includes something about a star athlete’s “tryst.”  Interesting, don’t you think?

But then again, maybe that rape story that we think maybe shouldn’t be on the front page is of much more importance to people whose primary place of residence is New Zealand:  I got a ride to the city of Auckland from its airport (it was too late for the bus) from a guy whose sister lives in Christchurch, and he told me that there’s so little crime here that the police don’t even carry guns.  So maybe when somebody rapes someone here it’s a really, really, REALLY big deal (even bigger a deal than in the States).

Today I went on a really fulfilling Coast-to-Coast walk of New Zealand.  Yep, that’s right:  I walked from the Pacific Ocean to the Tasman Sea.  All in about six-seven hours.  You see, Auckland sits on (or actually fills up) an isthmus, about 9 kilometers (I’m not sure what that is in miles; I’m also not sure if I have the number right), wide, between the Pacific and the Tasman.  It is New Zealand’s narrowest point.  I started at Viaduct Harbour, which is where the America’s Cup was held, and followed the path (and got lost a few times along the way) until I reached Onehunga Bay.  I just looked at a picture I have on my camera of the sign at Onehunga Bay, and it was roughly a 16 km walk.  I passed through some amazing sites, and the best way to tell you about the walk is to post my pictures — which I’ll do on Wednesday, or thereabouts, when I get back to Sydney.

  Talk to you later.

Hi everyone,
Sorry for the long time it’s been since my last post. I’ve been meaning to write this one for a while; I’m just now doing it. First off, I want to let you know that a few days ago, after the trip to the Blue Mountains (which was very fun), I completely revamped and updated my photos page. Check it out: http://web.mac.com/sstigler1985.
Second, and this is what the title of this post is talking about, there are some things I’ve noticed about Australia since I’ve been here that I figure I should write down. Here they are:

That’s all for now. I’ll post more as it comes to mind.

Both of my weather Dashboard widgets, both the one that came with the OS and the Weather Channel one, are reporting that it is currently 95ºF outside. That is really friggin’ hot! I am trying to psych myself up for the three-block walk first to Macquarie Centre to pick up my new DSL modem from the AusPost office, then another probably mile to the uni library so I can pick up some books on Australia’s federal electoral system (the topic of a 1000-word paper I have due on Friday). What’s more, weather.com says it’s supposed to start heavily raining — an 80% chance — around 8pm. Luckily, by then the temperature should be down to a more reasonable 75ºF. So much for the BBQ that the Resident Tutors (kind of like RAs) are putting on tonight…

P.S. I’m sorry this post is so negative.

P.P.S. I saw “Reign Over Me” last night, and really liked it, even though it was really sad and brought back memories of 9/11. You should see it.

I just came across this posting by Jonathan “Wolf” Rentzsch, titled “Programmers Don’t Like To Code,” for the second time in a month or two. It’s really a great read, especially if you’ve done any kind of programming. Oh yeah, and sorry this post isn’t about Australia.

A few minutes ago I went through what most people in the U.S. would consider a very odd routine to prepare lunch: I went to the refrigerator, took out my Home Brand Wholemeal Sandwich Bread, and put it in the toaster to heat up. Why do I keep my sandwich bread in the refrigerator, you ask? Because if I didn’t, it would start sprouting mold in a matter of days.