Patience

Do you know of this thing that happens when you know you're about to leave a job, a person or even a city - and you get more and more impatient with some of the more negative aspects of that job, person or city? Does that happen to you? It's as if, without even knowing it, you were putting up with the some of the crappier parts of -insert thing you're leaving- because you were justifiying/rationalizing it, because you had to, because you knew you were going to be there for awhile. But once you've decided to leave, you no longer have to justify or rationalize and all patience for the more negative parts just disappears.

Vic and I were talking about it the other day, and for me, I'm quite concsious of losing any patience I once had with the challenges of cycling in this city. It's awful. I mean, c'mon. The hills around here are atrocious enough on their own, before you throw in the ridiculousness of the "bike paths" (hint to Sydney city planners: putting a bike path beside parked cars where the driver's car door opens onto the bike path is a really BAD idea) and the unbelievable aggressiveness that many Sydney car drivers exhibit towards cyclists.

And here's another thing that drives me mental about cycling in these parts. I may have alluded to this in the past, but Aussies (unlike Canadians) will never be accused of being overly polite or politically correct. In some contexts, this is kind of refreshing - it can feel like people are more open and maybe even a little less repressed than in Canada. However, as a woman on a bicycle, it makes me MAD. I can't tell you how many times I've struggled to bike up some stupidly steep hill and had some guy-motorist drives by me while yelling "You can do it, doll, keep going, that's it, luv - keep pedalling". Bloody hell! I've become free and easy with a certain finger motion, and have even gotten to the point of yelling unmentionable things back to these men (they're always men) - very un-Canadian of me. Vic just shakes his head at me, and says they're trying to be helpful. Whether that's the case or not, man oh man, it makes me want to punch someone.

-end of rant-

Whew! That feels better. So, anyways - things (off the bike) are going well. My thesis advisors suggested mostly minor changes and so now I'm working away on those. I'm so close, but I won't believe I'm finished till I'm handing the thing in.

We're having a nice, low-key weekend, with the usual playdates, soccer games, rented movies, yoga class, walks to the beach to check out the waves. Vic is cooking a nice Sunday lamb and it smells amazing. Can't wait to tuck in.

Oh yeah - that picture up there is a poinsettia tree (at least that's what another one of the soccer parents told me), just like the plant, they have brilliant red flowers in the winter. Beautiful, no?