About the name: Kooks R&D
The "R&D" part is easy- it's just the initials of our last names and a not-so-subtle play on "Research and Development".
The kook part might take some explaining. Surfers sometimes call beginners of their sport "kooks". This is normally meant as an insult, and is applied to a newbie that doesn't know what their doing, doesn't respect the unwritten rules of a surf lineup, gets in everyone's way, and makes mistakes that endanger the lives of everyone around them. So in most surf circles, "kook" is definitely a derogatory term. As you might expect, this is not why we chose to label ourselves "kooks".
A more gentle description of a kook is someone who passionately jumps in to explore something new, without the precaution of a detailed plan. A kook doesn't methodically prepare for each new experience, she just decides to go, and enjoys the self-discovery and adventure. A kook has hope, determination, and a willingness to fail. A kook would much rather try something new and make a complete fool of himself, rather than competently "accomplish" the same thing over and over again. In this sense, Carrie and I aspire to be kooks.
Kooks down under
We've never been to Australia- in fact, we've never been anywhere close. We've never even been south of the Equator or to the Eastern Hemisphere. Like most Americans, we didn't think very much about Australia, and we certainly weren't trying to move down under. Then I saw a job ad for a research position in a new environmental institute in the University of Western Sydney, and my job skills matched the position perfectly. I was such a good fit, in fact, that a number of colleagues e-mailed me the announcement, just to be sure that I had seen it. I applied, interviewed over Skype, and was offered the job. Carrie was enthusiastic about living abroad (I'll let her tell her side of the story), so we accepted the position and committed ourselves to spending a few years in a country that we've never seen. As kooks, we're excited to jump right in and enjoy the adventure.
What to expect from this blog
We will try to capture the flavor of our life in Australia on this blog. We'll post about our travels in Australia and Aussie culture. We tend to spend a lot of time outside, so expect a fair number of posts about hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, and other things that we've yet to try, like canyoneering. I'm hoping to get involved in the traditional Aussie sports to some degree (rugby, cricket, or Aussie-rules football), so I'll post about being a total teem sports kook. I'm a scientist and Carrie's an artist, so we'll probably post on those topics as well. Generally, we'll post our research and development of kookdom down under.
Your feedback is welcome
We would like to write things that other people enjoy reading. Please leave a comment, question, or suggestion. We'd love to hear from you.
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