Yesterday was a decisive day in our Australian adventures. We entered the world of the AFL, Australian Football League. This has nothing to do with pigskin or futbol proper. It has everything to do with, well, I don't exactly know. AFL, or footy, or Aussie rules, is a game played on an oval with multiple goals. The ball rarely stops moving, as it can be kicked, thrown, run with, etc. The game we saw yesterday between Geelong (jah-LONG) and East Coast (eest koest) was a semi final. We barracked (cheered for) Geelong because it's a local team. I have reserved judgement about what team is going to be my team. I have grand aspirations about choosing a team, knitting scarves in their colors, knowing all their players and keeping tabs on the match scores. It is entirely likely that none of this will happen and I will instead devote my extra time to learning French and baking scones (scons).
We rode the train to the match at the MCG, which was a fun experience. While there were no snakes on the train, there were some interesting individuals, including a girl I swear thought she was Little Bo Peep. I'm not stretching the truth. The girl was wearing a knee length floral frock, lace gloves, and a straw hat, and I'm not talking about some kind of vintage modern chic. She was in costume. There was also the Indian guy we talked to on the way home who's been studying at a university here for a couple years. He has lots of friends in the US and was interested to hear about why we're here. I feel like just because we have an accent, we have a key to conversation with anyone we wish to talk to!
Yesterday morning, I was able to catch my brother and his girlfriend on Skype. The audio wasn't working, so we resorted to writing notes on scraps of paper and holding them up to the camera. I realize we could have just used the text option, which we did eventually, but I recently watched Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium and I was inspired. One of the things we talked about was the demise of the English language. I'm sure people are always talking about the demise of the English language, whether it's Victorian England or 21st century America. But really... apostrophes are used to show possession, not plurality. The more I read old books, the more I realize how many words we're losing all the time. Words like putrefaction, mellifluous and pecuniary. There are all these concerned citizens keeping watch over endangered species, but don't they realize that if they aren't careful, we'll hardly have any words to communicate the devastating losses of chinks of the food chain?? Yes, I'm being a little facetious.
This week, I will be absent from my keyboard and present at camp. CAMP CAMP CAMP. I love camp. Haven't packed a stitch, so I'd better go now. But I'll be there for a week, so you'll have to wait for an update.
Much love,
Little Miss Sunshine
We rode the train to the match at the MCG, which was a fun experience. While there were no snakes on the train, there were some interesting individuals, including a girl I swear thought she was Little Bo Peep. I'm not stretching the truth. The girl was wearing a knee length floral frock, lace gloves, and a straw hat, and I'm not talking about some kind of vintage modern chic. She was in costume. There was also the Indian guy we talked to on the way home who's been studying at a university here for a couple years. He has lots of friends in the US and was interested to hear about why we're here. I feel like just because we have an accent, we have a key to conversation with anyone we wish to talk to!
Yesterday morning, I was able to catch my brother and his girlfriend on Skype. The audio wasn't working, so we resorted to writing notes on scraps of paper and holding them up to the camera. I realize we could have just used the text option, which we did eventually, but I recently watched Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium and I was inspired. One of the things we talked about was the demise of the English language. I'm sure people are always talking about the demise of the English language, whether it's Victorian England or 21st century America. But really... apostrophes are used to show possession, not plurality. The more I read old books, the more I realize how many words we're losing all the time. Words like putrefaction, mellifluous and pecuniary. There are all these concerned citizens keeping watch over endangered species, but don't they realize that if they aren't careful, we'll hardly have any words to communicate the devastating losses of chinks of the food chain?? Yes, I'm being a little facetious.
This week, I will be absent from my keyboard and present at camp. CAMP CAMP CAMP. I love camp. Haven't packed a stitch, so I'd better go now. But I'll be there for a week, so you'll have to wait for an update.
Much love,
Little Miss Sunshine
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