G'day once again! I hope everyone is doing well back home and that the weather is finally turning warm. Life on this side of the world is pretty much the same so this will be a quick post (I'm assuming after the last two massive blogs this is a welcome relief).
Over the weekend the not-so-mighty Scarborough Eagles lost once again to the team from University. Our record (for the 2s or Reserves) now stands at a dismal 0-6. Truly uninspiring as University was only one above us in the standings. To add insult to injury I did manage to smash/jam both of my thumbs while tackling the opponent. Untying my cleats has never been so hard. But, the weather was beautiful and I did manage to get my first sunburn in some time.
Now, onto the title of this blog...Something BIG and Something little. The little something is the amount of time I have left until 1. Go to Bali (25 days) and 2. Until Lisa arrives (38 days). I'm really looking forward to a trip to the tropical island, but I think it'll be paradise here when she arrives (how corny was that???). It must be the romantic in me. Most importantly though, the BIG news of the day is...drumroll please...I have set my return date! I will be arriving on Saturday, September 20th at 4:54 at Chicago O'Hare International. I was unable to get my route changed to make a stop in Seattle (sorry Tim!), but it will be great to be back on US soil. I have little under 4 months left Down Under and I can't wait to see everyone again.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Back to Reality
Well all, the vacation (well, not for me) is over and it's time to return to normal life. Well, as normal as it can get over here. I had a great time with Alex and Kristyn visiting. It is something that I will never forget. Some great times were had as we traveled all over Perth; got attacked by birds, played with koalas, and danced the night away. In my last post I had talked up to the point where the girls had gone down to Margaret River, so that's where I'll pick it up again.
Tuesday: The girls arrived home while Jared, James and I were all at training. It was a beautiful day so instead of sitting around the house, the girls got a bit dressy and headed down the coast for a nice seafood dinner. Kristyn wanted crap cakes. I'm glad I wasn't around as I don't like seafood, so it worked out just fine.
Wednesday: Wednesday was a great day as I played a little hooky (don't worry, no work people have this address) and called in sick to work. It didn't take much convincing as my co-workers are practically all sick. So, instead of spending the day in front of the computer playing on Facebook...I mean working...the girls and I headed out to the Swan Valley to see the animals the the wineries/breweries. The first order of business was Caversham Wildlife Park where they had heaps of Australian animals, some American farm animals, and camels. Yes, camels. I think the best part of the adventure was petting the koalas or the girls on the camel ride. But, the best part of the trip for me was watching the girls freak out any time a large kangaroo got too close. I laughed non-stop the entire time were were in the paddock with them. But, then there was the joey (baby kangaroo) that we named Scar. He was nice and small so the girls had no fear petting him. The weather was beautiful and the Indian tourists were only slightly annoying, so it was a great time.
After we left the park were headed out into the valley to explore some of the local brew and wine. We stopped at a number of places including the Feral Brewery, Duckstein, 2 vineyards, and ended up eating "hot chips" at the Mash Brewery. Hot chips are an Australian favorite and I think the girls are hooked (all they are, are potato wedges dipped in sour cream and sweet chili sauce...yum yum). By the time our tour was over the girls were feeling very saucy and I was regretting being the DD. Nonetheless, we headed back home where the girls treated Jared, James and myself to a home made dinner, some Kilkenny beer, and some local wine. But, the night was still young as the girls wanted to hit the town and mingle with the locals. By this point is was nearly 10 pm, so we decided to go to a pub about 10 minutes away, but the girls had other plans as they refused to move after swearing before judge and jury that they would wake up from their 15 minute naps. Big mistake, so I guess the night was later than we thought. I'll never let them forget this one.
Thursday: Thursday was another "sick" day as the girls and I headed south to Rockingham for some Penguin adventures. The day started off as a beautiful morning but quickly became overcast with scattered showers, but we were undeterred as we pressed on. After a number of wrong turns, unmarked streets, and a nearly overheated car, we arrived at our destination; Penguin Island. The Island is only about 3/4 of a kilometer off the coast and is so close, that during low time a person can actually walk from the main land over to it. Pretty neat, but not recommended as a person would get swept away when the time came in. The Island was a great time as we saw Little Penguins get fed, massive flocks of birds, green skinks (a lizard), a woman with a massive hair-lip (that's sort of mean), crazy birds that would attack us as we walked on the path, and Kristyn scared to death and screaming running from the attacking birds as her pants were falling down. I don't blame her though as I did almost have a land on my head and peck me. Hahaha... What a day...
Friday: I actually went to work this day while the girls walked around the city and did some shopping. There is so many cool things to do down here that they spent nearly the entire day walking around, not sitting around eating hot chips and drinking beer as they said they would. We did meet for lunch at an Italian restaurant down the road and for hot chips after work, but nothing too crazy. The main event of the day was watching the Western Force play their rival the Brumbies in the last game of the season. Jared and James couldn't come as the last two tickets didn't work out, so it was just us three and Luke (Donna and Tracey sat in a different section). The game was outstanding as the Force, down 22-0 at half-time, rallied to win 22-29. Absolutely thrilling as the girls saw one of the best games of the season. Once the game was over were had a nice dinner at yet another Italian restaurant. The second time around it was just as delicious.
But,, despite the great day and awesome game, the funniest part of the day was after the game ended. Since I don't drive to work, the girls and I had to catch the train home. No worries as their is a train station 2 minutes from where we ate dinner, but too late as we had to wait 25 minutes with 4 piss drunk Australians walking around. No worries though as the train came, we headed into the main station to switch trains, avoided a fight (a drunk guy and girl on the train. he was trying to hide from her but she wouldn't have any of it), and finally got on the train North. So, sitting on the train heading North, Alex asks if Jared would come and pick us up. No worries; so i called and he doesn't answer. The phone was right next to him but he didn't hear it ring all 3 times. So, our only option is to walk, but stupid me gets off on the wrong stop. No worries though, as I thought it was closer to home. Dead wrong. But, as luck would have it the busses were still running and one bus line run within 3 blocks of my house. So like I kept saying...No Worries as I knew it would work out...
Saturday: Game which we lost. Very mad about. I played back up in the 2nds but still angry as we lost to a team we had beat in the pre-season. It just seems like the 2nd don't know how to win games. It was still a great day though as we had fun at the awards ceremony, went out to the Paddo drinking and dancing, and finally driving to the airport at 3:30 in the morning.
All in all, it was a great time. Every day was something new and exciting. But, it did make me miss everyone back home. I can't wait to see you all again. I think about you all a lot. Also, a huge thanks to Kristyn and Alex for visiting. It means a lot to me to have friends as great as you two.
Tuesday: The girls arrived home while Jared, James and I were all at training. It was a beautiful day so instead of sitting around the house, the girls got a bit dressy and headed down the coast for a nice seafood dinner. Kristyn wanted crap cakes. I'm glad I wasn't around as I don't like seafood, so it worked out just fine.
Wednesday: Wednesday was a great day as I played a little hooky (don't worry, no work people have this address) and called in sick to work. It didn't take much convincing as my co-workers are practically all sick. So, instead of spending the day in front of the computer playing on Facebook...I mean working...the girls and I headed out to the Swan Valley to see the animals the the wineries/breweries. The first order of business was Caversham Wildlife Park where they had heaps of Australian animals, some American farm animals, and camels. Yes, camels. I think the best part of the adventure was petting the koalas or the girls on the camel ride. But, the best part of the trip for me was watching the girls freak out any time a large kangaroo got too close. I laughed non-stop the entire time were were in the paddock with them. But, then there was the joey (baby kangaroo) that we named Scar. He was nice and small so the girls had no fear petting him. The weather was beautiful and the Indian tourists were only slightly annoying, so it was a great time.
After we left the park were headed out into the valley to explore some of the local brew and wine. We stopped at a number of places including the Feral Brewery, Duckstein, 2 vineyards, and ended up eating "hot chips" at the Mash Brewery. Hot chips are an Australian favorite and I think the girls are hooked (all they are, are potato wedges dipped in sour cream and sweet chili sauce...yum yum). By the time our tour was over the girls were feeling very saucy and I was regretting being the DD. Nonetheless, we headed back home where the girls treated Jared, James and myself to a home made dinner, some Kilkenny beer, and some local wine. But, the night was still young as the girls wanted to hit the town and mingle with the locals. By this point is was nearly 10 pm, so we decided to go to a pub about 10 minutes away, but the girls had other plans as they refused to move after swearing before judge and jury that they would wake up from their 15 minute naps. Big mistake, so I guess the night was later than we thought. I'll never let them forget this one.
Thursday: Thursday was another "sick" day as the girls and I headed south to Rockingham for some Penguin adventures. The day started off as a beautiful morning but quickly became overcast with scattered showers, but we were undeterred as we pressed on. After a number of wrong turns, unmarked streets, and a nearly overheated car, we arrived at our destination; Penguin Island. The Island is only about 3/4 of a kilometer off the coast and is so close, that during low time a person can actually walk from the main land over to it. Pretty neat, but not recommended as a person would get swept away when the time came in. The Island was a great time as we saw Little Penguins get fed, massive flocks of birds, green skinks (a lizard), a woman with a massive hair-lip (that's sort of mean), crazy birds that would attack us as we walked on the path, and Kristyn scared to death and screaming running from the attacking birds as her pants were falling down. I don't blame her though as I did almost have a land on my head and peck me. Hahaha... What a day...
Friday: I actually went to work this day while the girls walked around the city and did some shopping. There is so many cool things to do down here that they spent nearly the entire day walking around, not sitting around eating hot chips and drinking beer as they said they would. We did meet for lunch at an Italian restaurant down the road and for hot chips after work, but nothing too crazy. The main event of the day was watching the Western Force play their rival the Brumbies in the last game of the season. Jared and James couldn't come as the last two tickets didn't work out, so it was just us three and Luke (Donna and Tracey sat in a different section). The game was outstanding as the Force, down 22-0 at half-time, rallied to win 22-29. Absolutely thrilling as the girls saw one of the best games of the season. Once the game was over were had a nice dinner at yet another Italian restaurant. The second time around it was just as delicious.
But,, despite the great day and awesome game, the funniest part of the day was after the game ended. Since I don't drive to work, the girls and I had to catch the train home. No worries as their is a train station 2 minutes from where we ate dinner, but too late as we had to wait 25 minutes with 4 piss drunk Australians walking around. No worries though as the train came, we headed into the main station to switch trains, avoided a fight (a drunk guy and girl on the train. he was trying to hide from her but she wouldn't have any of it), and finally got on the train North. So, sitting on the train heading North, Alex asks if Jared would come and pick us up. No worries; so i called and he doesn't answer. The phone was right next to him but he didn't hear it ring all 3 times. So, our only option is to walk, but stupid me gets off on the wrong stop. No worries though, as I thought it was closer to home. Dead wrong. But, as luck would have it the busses were still running and one bus line run within 3 blocks of my house. So like I kept saying...No Worries as I knew it would work out...
Saturday: Game which we lost. Very mad about. I played back up in the 2nds but still angry as we lost to a team we had beat in the pre-season. It just seems like the 2nd don't know how to win games. It was still a great day though as we had fun at the awards ceremony, went out to the Paddo drinking and dancing, and finally driving to the airport at 3:30 in the morning.
All in all, it was a great time. Every day was something new and exciting. But, it did make me miss everyone back home. I can't wait to see you all again. I think about you all a lot. Also, a huge thanks to Kristyn and Alex for visiting. It means a lot to me to have friends as great as you two.
Monday, May 12, 2008
33 Hour Journey
Hello again to everyone back home! It's about that time again so I hope you all have your reading glasses on. So this weekend was the most memorable weekend so far on my trip. Not only did I have an amazing game and I played extremely well, but also I got two visitors!!
First off, the game. This weekend I once again played in the Thirds, which I was pretty disappointed about, but decided to make the most of the opportunity. Every weekend about 14 players don't even get a game, so I should consider myself lucky to be playing! Anyways, the game was played at the Yokian (I think) Reserve against an opponent who was struggling a bit ( I can't remember their name). We had one win under our belt and the opponent had yet to win a game, so they came out ready to play. As the game began we could tell we were in for a dogfight, but we were ready to step up to the challenge. Slowly but surely we pulled away in the first quarter and then dominated the rest of the game. The final scored showed a win of nearly 11 goals. So, for the second straight week, we got to sing the team song which I don't know the words to.
Personally, I played extremely well at both Half-back flank and a wing. All over the field I picked up balls, had accurate kicks, strong tackles, and smart decisions. I have really begun to understand the flow of the game over here and am adjusting really well to it. I'm even learning when the right way to get into a scuffle as I got into another one, my third in four games. When the final sired sounded, I got heaps of compliments followed with an award at the Clubhouse that night. Hopefully next week I will get moved back up and continue with my solid play!! A big congratulations also need to go out to the One's team as they defeated our rival, North Beach, by 5 points for their first win. North Beach was 3-0, and the reigning Champions, so it was a huge win for the club.
But, the best part about the weekend was the arrival of my friends Kristyn and Alex!! Friday morning I called in sick (I'm using my vacation days for Lisa's visit!) and cleaned the house and prepared for their arrival. The plane arrived around 12:30 so I arrived early to get a good picture taking spot. But, things turned out even better as I was allowed to go through security and right up to the terminal! As they got off the plane I found a seat to take some pictures to really capture the moment which i think worked. It was great to see their smiling faces, but not so great when I saw the amount of luggage they brought. Seriously, enough for a small army.
After the drive back to my place and some much needed showers, the three of us decided to go exploring (well, not so much me) along the coast. I figured they would want to go to the beach and ocean after their journey, so off we went! The first stop of the adventure was Mullaloo beach, which is one of the best beaches in Perth. The beach is just down the road from me, so after a short 5 minute drive we arrived at the water ready to see the sights. it was beautiful as the sun was shining and there were only a couple people in speedos. We only stayed here for about 15 minutes as there is so much to see and not enough time!
Our second stop on the adventure, after a nice drive along the coast, was Scaroborough beach, arguably the best beach in Perth. From here we played in the sand, put our feet in the water, took tons of pictures, and watched a stunning sunset. Just standing there with the girls watching the sun fall over the horizon makes me wish that everyone could have been there with us. We were thinking about everyone!
Finally, as the day drew to a close, we piled into the car and headed for home. The girls were starting to get tired, which showed as both fell asleep on the ride home. No worries though as I know the feeling. I was just happy they lasted as long as they did! After a quick dinner of home made stir fry made by yours truly, the girls were off to bed to sleep the night through, which was pretty accurate considering they slept for 14 hours straight. Not going to lie, I was rather impressed
Saturday was my footy game and award ceremony which they got to watch. I felt all cool receiving my award in front of them. Once the ceremony had ended we stayed at the Clubhouse to celebrate with the team, which included some awful dancing, pants-down time (not me, but Jared and some other players pull their pants down (not the under ware) and stand around talking), a lot of crude jokes, and everyone knowing instantly the girls were Americans. We had a great time as the girls got to meet a lot of the team and they got to enjoy some great Australian brew.
Sunday was the best day so far as we spent the morning picking up the rental car (Alex was the driver. If Kristyn drove I wouldn't be on the roads), eating breakfast (I had some awesome pancakes) outside along the beach at Cottesloe Beach, some drinks at the Cottesloe Beach Hotel, and walking around King's Park for a few hours. The weather was absolutely perfect so lots of pictures were taken. I could sit here and describe everything, but I don't have that kind of time and this is getting long enough already. The day/weekend ended with a bon fire out back of our house while having a couple beers and enjoying the stars. With a day like that ending with such a perfect night, it's hard not to believe this is paradise.
Right now the girls are down south at Margaret River enjoying some wine tasting. Margaret River is a massive wine making valley, like Napa Valley in California, and the wine is spectacular. Beth, Tim and myself spent a bit of time down there and enjoyed every second of it. I'm sure they will take tons of pictures and hopefully they'll bring back some wine for my enjoyment!!
First off, the game. This weekend I once again played in the Thirds, which I was pretty disappointed about, but decided to make the most of the opportunity. Every weekend about 14 players don't even get a game, so I should consider myself lucky to be playing! Anyways, the game was played at the Yokian (I think) Reserve against an opponent who was struggling a bit ( I can't remember their name). We had one win under our belt and the opponent had yet to win a game, so they came out ready to play. As the game began we could tell we were in for a dogfight, but we were ready to step up to the challenge. Slowly but surely we pulled away in the first quarter and then dominated the rest of the game. The final scored showed a win of nearly 11 goals. So, for the second straight week, we got to sing the team song which I don't know the words to.
Personally, I played extremely well at both Half-back flank and a wing. All over the field I picked up balls, had accurate kicks, strong tackles, and smart decisions. I have really begun to understand the flow of the game over here and am adjusting really well to it. I'm even learning when the right way to get into a scuffle as I got into another one, my third in four games. When the final sired sounded, I got heaps of compliments followed with an award at the Clubhouse that night. Hopefully next week I will get moved back up and continue with my solid play!! A big congratulations also need to go out to the One's team as they defeated our rival, North Beach, by 5 points for their first win. North Beach was 3-0, and the reigning Champions, so it was a huge win for the club.
But, the best part about the weekend was the arrival of my friends Kristyn and Alex!! Friday morning I called in sick (I'm using my vacation days for Lisa's visit!) and cleaned the house and prepared for their arrival. The plane arrived around 12:30 so I arrived early to get a good picture taking spot. But, things turned out even better as I was allowed to go through security and right up to the terminal! As they got off the plane I found a seat to take some pictures to really capture the moment which i think worked. It was great to see their smiling faces, but not so great when I saw the amount of luggage they brought. Seriously, enough for a small army.
After the drive back to my place and some much needed showers, the three of us decided to go exploring (well, not so much me) along the coast. I figured they would want to go to the beach and ocean after their journey, so off we went! The first stop of the adventure was Mullaloo beach, which is one of the best beaches in Perth. The beach is just down the road from me, so after a short 5 minute drive we arrived at the water ready to see the sights. it was beautiful as the sun was shining and there were only a couple people in speedos. We only stayed here for about 15 minutes as there is so much to see and not enough time!
Our second stop on the adventure, after a nice drive along the coast, was Scaroborough beach, arguably the best beach in Perth. From here we played in the sand, put our feet in the water, took tons of pictures, and watched a stunning sunset. Just standing there with the girls watching the sun fall over the horizon makes me wish that everyone could have been there with us. We were thinking about everyone!
Finally, as the day drew to a close, we piled into the car and headed for home. The girls were starting to get tired, which showed as both fell asleep on the ride home. No worries though as I know the feeling. I was just happy they lasted as long as they did! After a quick dinner of home made stir fry made by yours truly, the girls were off to bed to sleep the night through, which was pretty accurate considering they slept for 14 hours straight. Not going to lie, I was rather impressed
Saturday was my footy game and award ceremony which they got to watch. I felt all cool receiving my award in front of them. Once the ceremony had ended we stayed at the Clubhouse to celebrate with the team, which included some awful dancing, pants-down time (not me, but Jared and some other players pull their pants down (not the under ware) and stand around talking), a lot of crude jokes, and everyone knowing instantly the girls were Americans. We had a great time as the girls got to meet a lot of the team and they got to enjoy some great Australian brew.
Sunday was the best day so far as we spent the morning picking up the rental car (Alex was the driver. If Kristyn drove I wouldn't be on the roads), eating breakfast (I had some awesome pancakes) outside along the beach at Cottesloe Beach, some drinks at the Cottesloe Beach Hotel, and walking around King's Park for a few hours. The weather was absolutely perfect so lots of pictures were taken. I could sit here and describe everything, but I don't have that kind of time and this is getting long enough already. The day/weekend ended with a bon fire out back of our house while having a couple beers and enjoying the stars. With a day like that ending with such a perfect night, it's hard not to believe this is paradise.
Right now the girls are down south at Margaret River enjoying some wine tasting. Margaret River is a massive wine making valley, like Napa Valley in California, and the wine is spectacular. Beth, Tim and myself spent a bit of time down there and enjoyed every second of it. I'm sure they will take tons of pictures and hopefully they'll bring back some wine for my enjoyment!!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y
Well folks, this past weekend my team celebrated our first win of the season!! This week I played with the Thirds against Wannaroo and we absolutely smashed them. I think we won by a total of 22 goals and I played extremely well. I think I gathered something like 20 possessions and had about 10 kicks, which is really good. I even had my first goal of the year!! At the end we all got into a circle to sing the song, which I don't know, so I just stood around smiling. Very excited and great motivation to work even harder!
I think my favorite moment of the game was early in the 2nd quarter. By this point we were ahead by about 10 goals and the other team was getting extremely angry. We were attacking on offense and the ball was on the ground, and me and a team mate were both near it, so I let him get the ball and I shepparded (to shepperd is to use one's body to hit an opposing player so your team mate has a free run at or with the ball) his defender. Well, he didn't like it much and put me in a headlock from behind and threw me down. Extremely angry at the cheap shot I proceeded to get up, grab his jumper around the neck and give him around 5 close range punches to the jaw while talking some trash. But, the best part was that I got a free kick, delivered a beauty down-field, and we ended up kicking a goal. Justice was served...
On the downside I was playing in the Thirds. On Thursday, just before selections, my coach approached me and said I would be playing Thirds for a week or two, just so I can play my natural position of half-back flank. In the Twos I've been playing forward pocket, wing, and on the ball. I've never played any of those positions before so I was struggling a bit. But, once I moved back to my position I began to kick ass again. Now I just hope to get moved up and put in a position where I can help the team. I think with the confidence I gained from my performance last week it will only get better.
Like I've been saying all along: "I don't care where I start. It's where I finish that matters." And, if I keep on improving at the rate I am, I think I'll be finishing with a very strong showing. Just yesterday at training I got a number of compliments on my improved skills and natural awareness. I'm not huge on compliments, but it does feel good to get noticed every now and again.
Lastly, new pictures of the Mr. Scarborough competition have been put up. They are a bit scandalous so don't say I didn't warn you!
I think my favorite moment of the game was early in the 2nd quarter. By this point we were ahead by about 10 goals and the other team was getting extremely angry. We were attacking on offense and the ball was on the ground, and me and a team mate were both near it, so I let him get the ball and I shepparded (to shepperd is to use one's body to hit an opposing player so your team mate has a free run at or with the ball) his defender. Well, he didn't like it much and put me in a headlock from behind and threw me down. Extremely angry at the cheap shot I proceeded to get up, grab his jumper around the neck and give him around 5 close range punches to the jaw while talking some trash. But, the best part was that I got a free kick, delivered a beauty down-field, and we ended up kicking a goal. Justice was served...
On the downside I was playing in the Thirds. On Thursday, just before selections, my coach approached me and said I would be playing Thirds for a week or two, just so I can play my natural position of half-back flank. In the Twos I've been playing forward pocket, wing, and on the ball. I've never played any of those positions before so I was struggling a bit. But, once I moved back to my position I began to kick ass again. Now I just hope to get moved up and put in a position where I can help the team. I think with the confidence I gained from my performance last week it will only get better.
Like I've been saying all along: "I don't care where I start. It's where I finish that matters." And, if I keep on improving at the rate I am, I think I'll be finishing with a very strong showing. Just yesterday at training I got a number of compliments on my improved skills and natural awareness. I'm not huge on compliments, but it does feel good to get noticed every now and again.
Lastly, new pictures of the Mr. Scarborough competition have been put up. They are a bit scandalous so don't say I didn't warn you!
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