Aussies and Easter

Well the Easter holiday weekend is a big deal here in Australia. My weekend was "heaps" of fun.

Good Friday was nice. We had a fish dinner, fried and baked, and then I went to "The Footy" aka Rugby. Apparently there are three types of footy in Australia. Rugby League, Rugby Union (same game different rules) and Aussie Rules AFL. AFL is the best in my mind, but is mainly played in the Melbourne area. It's intense and there are lots of points scored, some matches ending with a 151 point spread (I went to that game last time I was in Australia. The Richmond Tigers were beat by 151 points, they are my team, too. It's like being a fan of the Mets, they are good, but always seem to disappoint.  Needless to say, Rugby is dumb. The team I went to watch, (Manly Sea Eagles), won 22-16. It was like a high school football game feeling except everyone was drunk. (Oh wait, unfortunately, that actually sounds just like a high school football game!)

Saturday was nice, we went to the Royal Easter Show at the Sydney Olympic Grounds. What a facility. I could just picture the US teams running around with their gold medals on in 2000. Quite spectacular. It was rainy when we went but they day before, 120,000 people attended the show at $35 a pop. It's the equivalent of Maine State fair, add $30,000 to everyone's individual income, and throw in Seaside's boardwalk events and Show Bags. Show Bags, by the way, are GENIUS. They are marketed for weeks before the show and are these plastic bags that either have your favorite candy, a toys with candy, whoopie cushions, or any other combination imaginable in them!  It's like cheap candy and crap at the boardwalk in bags for a low price! Every kid wants 1-10 of them but they trick is, they are at the end of the show. So kids have to be good the ENTIRE day or else they don't get a show bag. I saw one kid cry at 6:30pm. Like I said, GENIUS.

Saturday night I went into Manly with Roz's kids and friends. We had a good time and there was this great band who played awesome hits. I almost felt home. I realized I wasn't when I was talking to some Brit and he asked me where in North America I'm from. I told him New Jersey and he got all of his friends around and made me tell them all about the Jersey Shore. Who would have thought being in the same bar as JWoWwW would make me cool on the other side of the world?!

Sunday morning I got up early and went to church with Roz. Apparently we went to a "modern mass". I wore black pants (since its technically the beginning of winter here, I would have worn white home) and a nice top. People showed up in jean, and even worse, jean shorts, plain t-shirts, mini skirts and very casual attire. I didn't see a single Easter outfit. Then there was this little terror of a boy. He was about 3 and half, had a nook and was laying on the ground, rolling around and throwing a tantrum. We never said the Nicene Creed, there was a baptism in the middle of mass and a bit of chaos during Eucharist. It made me miss St. Peter's mass, to tell you the truth.  At least after mass, we had a massive brunch, a couple nana naps, and movie day. It was a relaxing day for sure.

Monday, was ANZAC day. This stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corps. During WWI, the ANZAC's played a game called Two-Up. You put three pennies on a ruler and flick them in the air, there are bets going on and if you want to bet heads, you hold your money between your fingers and put your thumb on your head like a chicken, and if someone wants to bet you tails, you give them your money. When the announcer in the ring yells out the call, the money is given to the proper person. It is only legal to play on ANZAC day and it is soo fun. I played once, bet $20, and won, therefore winning $20. I then went to the slots (this all takes place at the local Diggers, Diggers is also a synonym for Veteran, which is each town's high class version of a VFW/Elks lodge.) I then took a few dollar coins and put it in a slot. I ended up winning $35. It was my lucky day! $55 bucks! This country might turn me into a gambler, but...probably not!

Since ANZAC Day fell on a Monday, Tuesday was a public holiday so everyone had off. We had an Easter Roast Dinner of lamb and roast pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and broccoli. It was delicious and a nice ending to a big weekend. Alana (Roz's daughter) then took me to a Chris Brown concert. It was fantastic. He is such a good entertainer, but I did find it funny how many times he told the audience he loved them. Really CB? You say that too much that we soo don't believe you.

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend. I hope everyone in Jersey enjoyed it as well.

Cheers!