Everything's coming up Didgeman!

This has been a really good week for Rob! By week I mean past few days, whatever.

Mostly, he won a very big and international didge competition! He submitted a two videos as there were two competitions being run by the same people. His videos were judged by 6 international judges (pro didge players [yes there are pro didge players] from Germany the Netherlands, Australia etc). The first competition was to win a Bob Druett Didge, which are concert class, guaranteed for life handcrafted didges that professionals use. They cost $3000 AUD to buy. Rob didn't buy or win one of those. I should point out that Bob Druett is the pope of didge making in Australia and worldwide. You make pilgrimages to visit his studio/home which is a really big storage unit in the industrial outskirts of Darwin Australia. All of his tools are pink. He says no one wants to steal pink tools.

Anyway there was a second competition run in conjunction with Northern Territory Essence, a business that specializes in Aboriginal artists making a living wage on their own terms. The guy who runs that is Bob Druett's next door neighbour (in the storage units where you can apparently live. it's loft style and hard to explain), his apprentice with didge making, and his didge tester. Rob won that competition, and he's going to get a beautiful playing didge with a commissioned special paining on it from a part of Australia we weren't allowed to go to due to restriction on Aboriginal land. He will also receive a commissioned painting from an Aboriginal artist , also from Arhnem land, where you can't go without a permit.

His prize is valued at about $1500 Canadian total. It's a very big deal for him to get recognized this way by other didge players, since there really aren't too many ways to get officially recognized by the didge community, you know? So we went out for beer and pizza! Yay Rob!

If you want to see the poster or his name next to the word "winner" you have to click trough some stuff. First go to this link.
Then click on the moving type on the left hand sidebar that says "do you want a free didjeridu?"
Then look at the poster for the competition, then click on the poster, and there you go! Rob's name!

Yay him!

As for me, I have marking to finish, and two major papers to write then I'm done. Easier said than done!!!!

Quick one

I'm sure you'll all be relived to know that the vet thinks Ludwig is so much better that he doesn't need his originally scheduled 3rd visit! Yay! That's about a $40 savings which is nice, to say the least. And also the healthy cat is good. Obviously. He's still a fatty bu they are surviving on their 1 cup of food a day so they'll stay on that for a month or two and then we'll seek advice to lower it more. Maybe we'll invest in a a little diet cat food or something.

In other exciting news, our washing machine which has been broken since before christmas has been fixed! No more hand washing important stuff only! We did about 4loads yesterday and have a few more to do if we can find the change to do it. Look at all the clothes we have! It's nuts, but so, so nice to have to have that modern convenience back. We also can kind of see the bedroom floor now.

In following with my Vegan with a Vengeance cookbook obsession, I've now made muffins out of the book. The mocha chip ones, but whatever, they're super good. That means I've made 2 kinds of waffles, a fabulous spinach curry, muffins, split pea soup and more from this book. It never disappoints and the ingredients are simple but fabulous. I ed-veganize sometimes since we now seem to use cow's milk more than soy milk, but the recipes are. SO.GOOD.

I can't wait to pick up the same author's cupcake book. I've tried the chai latte cupcakes and they are amazing. Yay delicious food!

Anyhoo, I haven't done any Texas prep yet, but I still have US traveller's cheques from Australia so that's nice. I'll pack the night before/the day of. Mostly I'm worried about having stuff to do in the car. I plan to knit a lot, and I am on a mitten kick so I'll have to hit up the second hand stores for mitten wool to get that ready too. An adventure! I can already feel that I'll be a bit homesick though. I like our little home and I'm pretty used to being with Rob most every day. A little time to make the heart grow fonder, I guess.

I am currently avoiding more thesis work, though that won't go away, so research I must. I know the info is there if I'd only look, but it's all about breaking the ice and getting into it.

Rob's at the walk in clinic. Hes been a sickie all week and this weekend was the worst. I've got him on fluids like mad and he thinks he may need a little more to fight whatever he's got. wish him luck :(

Back to it. Hey, as a placeholder thesis question (it'll get refined over time, that's for sure) what do you think of:

What role to environmental innovators play in promoting sustainable communities?

I like it.

yay.