Sydney Life

So. When I was in Canada I was forced by the inflexible nature of the country's snow problem to buy a pair of warm boots.

I managed to score some cheap ones on Black Friday from Macy’s in Boston. Not caring how daggy they were because I would only need them for a mere half season, I based my purchase more on price, practicality and anti-frostbite potential than looks. However, unwilling to toss them after a mere half season, they found their way into my very limited homecoming luggage, whose conditions of entry were more stringent than a posh nightclub (though, I did allow thongs*).

Now, its raining, and my boots are looking incredibly attractive.

It has been raining on and off (but more on) for about a week, or two or three or half or whatever, so I decided to just wear those damned furry and unbelievably waterproof and warm boots on Monday. The sun popped out at 11am and I looked like I was trying, but of course failing, to be oddly ahead of the fashion times. Tuesday I did the same thing, and come noon there was not a puddle in sight.

So, today I wore some considerably less waterproof footwear, and GUESS WHAT, it hasn’t stopped raining, and rivers have replaced roads here at Sydney uni.

Now I have a relatively keen eye for what’s in fashion, but a relatively unkeen** wallet that would rather have me look a little worse for wear than lash out on new clothes. Being broke and only recently out of debt from exchange and travelling, I was inclined to side with my wallet. I think there have been a couple of posts on this blog about what people wear at uni and how it isn’t as big a deal as you think. There are still the fashionistas about, and most first years will dress to impress for at least a few weeks. Then of course you can tell who the college kids are because they will often dress in what look like, and probably are, their pyjamas.

But the incredibly cold weather in Canada has warped my sense of fashion. After some initial suppression of vomit, I came around to the idea of a puffy jacket, and equally puffy shoes that you had to tuck your jeans into. Along with this, I embraced the notion of a puffy vest, as I called it, that I had previously dismissed as impractical and quite frankly fugly outerwear.

Sub-zero temperatures can meddle with your brain people! So you’re going to have to let me know how silly I look in these boots.

Note that I won’t wear them out of the rain or snow. Well, that’s what I said the other day when a friend convinced me of their versatility and not-entirely-ridiculous-if-and-only-if-it’s-wet-out factor, but after my Monday debacle I messaged her and was given the following response: “Asako! The rain is entirely over. I can’t guarantee the cool factor of these boots if you break the terms of use on the first day…contract over!”

So please, tell me what youuu think of them.

*Flip Flops.
**Yep, not a word.

PS: My readings:

I have had such little progress with this that I almost lied, but I decided to be 100% truthful otherwise there’s no point.

Week 1
Leahey 199-203, 300-309, 347-355, 366-400
Boakes 63-78, 140-175

Week 2
Leahey 377-390, 392-400, 400-411
Boakes 110-135

Week 3
Rescorla 151-160
Domjan 72-74, 94-96
Capaldi, Why we are what we eat

Week 4

Week 5
Domjan 74-79

Week 6
Domjan 109-112, 112-117
Siegel & Allan The widespread influence of the Rescorla-Wagner model

Week 7