Australia Day and Footy

Not a whole lot to report so this will be a shorter update. This past weekend Australia celebrated Australia Day, which is a country-wide celebration of all things Australian. It's a to celebrate "what's great about Australia and being Australian. It's the day to reflect on what [they] have achieved and what [they] can be proud of in [their] great nation." The traditions are really similar to our 4th of July. Most people spend the day around a barbeque, watching/playing cricket, drinking some beer, and then watching fireworks at night.

We spent the day in a similar fashion with Brett and his friends. Every year Brett and his friends (mostly ex-West Perth players) host a cricket match just down the road, where the game runs from about 1 pm - 6 or 7pm. It's a long day, but we passed the time by watching the game, playing frisbee, and drinking some good Australian beer. We enjoyed perfect weather all day, but near the end of the day a storm was on the horizon, a storm in the shape of Brett. For the fifth year in a row Brett's team lost horribly. I wouldn't be too happy either, considering he said he would resign as captain if they lost again. But, soon after the contest ended everyone was friends, Brett calmed down, and then all was good.

Once the field was cleaned up and barbeque put away, we decided to continue the celebration at a pub just around the corner. But, since it was a long day some people left early (including Paul and James), so only a handful of people continued on. I decided to head to the bar for one drink and then head home (about 2 miles away, not too far). Soon after arriving Brett had to leave to meet a friend for a 30th birthday party, so Jared and I relaxed and talked for a while. After about a 45 minutes or so we decided to call it quits; he went left towards the train station a few feet away to head North, and I realized I didn't have a ride home. Oh crap...

After some deliberation I decided to make the walk in my thong sandals. I didn't feel like calling a cab (which takes forever to arrive) or waiting for a bus (they are way too infrequent), so my trek began and soon I regretted it. Not only was I getting a blister between my toes, but the hills were enormous. Bad call Patrick... But, after about a while I arrived back at Brett's place only to find that no one was home. Apparently Zareena had headed out with her friends, so I was locked out of the house. After trying to jimmy every lock, I managed to get in through a sliding door in the basement and thank god, because neither Brett or Zareena came home that night. I think I learned my lesson.

Footy has started this week and I am loving it. About 35 people showed up to the first practice and more people are expected. It feels great being around people who are into their footy and know how to play. The pre-season lasts about 2 months as our first game is April 17th (I think) so hopefully I will get better and land on a good team. This is completely unlike footy in the US where the skill level is much lower and it's more of a social club. I wish everyone could come over and watch a game (for anyone who has seen a game in the US).