27 June 2006

Humfp.

The magical run has come to a screeching halt. All in the time it took to blow a whistle.

The beautiful game, 11 Australian men gave it all they had for 94 minutes, then to be ROBBED in the final minute by a ref.

Actually most of the World Cup matches have been marred by poor refs. Today was jsut another sad example. Early in the second half he flashed a red card to the Italians that never should have been, at best it might have been a yellow card.

So the Italians were down to 10 men.

As the match wore on the Australians could not convert their hard work to goals, sad but painfully true. It's hard to get a ball through 8 men in the penalty box. We'll have to work on that.

But the saddest most pitiful part of the game, and the sole reasons why MILLIONS do not love the beautiful game occurred in the final minute of extra time. A DIVE. I don't get it, I'll never get it, it should not be a part of the game and MOST countries do NOT employ this tactic of falling to the ground at the lightest of touches. Grosso who for all intents and purposes looks to be a strong man, was felled by Lucas Neill's defending of the ball, from the ground. IN FACT Mr. Neill only made contact with the ball and Totti had all his weight on his RIGHT leg and dangled his left over the fallen defender, before collapsing to the ground in attempt to win a penalty kick. Which REF you should be ashamed of yourself for giving him! It was over before he ever kicked the penalty. What a sad way for it to end for the Australians World Cup campaign.

Humfp.


23 June 2006

I knew it was going to be ugly

I know that he is hurt, and I know that he is afraid he will lose touch with the children, for the last nine years of living in Australia, he has told me how much I am a daughter to him. Hmmmmm.

So when he realized that his son wanted to be married to his cult rather than me, I am thinking that my father reacted slightly differently. He said to me as my father-in-law, you should just stay with him for the kids sake, I am sure he would not tell his own daughter that. If her husband was hitting their kids with a 2 by 4 in the name of Godly discipline, teaching their children that the male is dominate in all things and power unto himself, able to control all aspects of his wife and childrens lives without input from any of them - I am not certain he would sing the same tune. For starters, I don't care what they may or may not have done, children should not be hit with a 2 by 4 EVER. The is nothing GODLY about it. And when you stand over them and tell them you doing this is the name of God, they will want nothing to do with a God like that. I reckon when God is talking to husbands in the bible about being the head of the house it has much less to do with control than love. My father-in-law if he really were being supportive like an actual father, he might have been supportive when I had whooping cough and was flat on the floor nearly dead for 3wks, or when his son wouldn't buy his little boy new shoes when the old ones fell apart literally, or possibly again when his son refused to pay the registration on the car and I could not drive the children to school, those were instances where he could have shown his support. You would think he could understand the need for me to return back to my home country to the support of my family when he so obviously is not going to give it. He most certainly would not wish this on his own daughter. Hell she didn't even have children or a crap marraige and he wanted her "home" in Australia. So in the end I am not like his daughter, I am very much just the mother of his grandchildren and a woman whom he doesn't like very much at all because I won't do it his way. Well that's an old song and I am NOT SINGING IT. Can I just note here that my Australian friends here have been horrified at the very unaustralian nature of my in-laws on the whole, no one wants little australians treated this way, and if we were related to any of my Australian friends families I am sure the journey would have been different.

I don't think so.

13 June 2006

WE DID IT!!!!

After 32 yrs, Australia has done it!!!!

We made it to the World Cup, and a nervous little start to the first match. Australia has shown their fitness and tenacity tonight, we won 3-1 against Japan - the Asian champions no less!

Japan's goal, it shouldn't have been. The interference with the goal keeper only would have been slightly more obvious if they guys had done a pigpile on Australia's #1. Open your eyes ref.

The house shook, we woke the neighbours, we ate ice blocks at midnight!!!! What a night!!

08 June 2006

8,500 miles

There are days where this feels like home. Other days, not so much.

Granted, we don't speak the same language by a long shot. It's quite noticable at times. For example, on Fridays, it is very pronounced that I am not from here. I help in my little girls classroom with the other mothers to test the kids on their weekly spelling words. Several of the children I CAN NOT test. Because of my accent. They get words wrong, lots of words, occassionally all the words. It is not as if I have some huge southern drawl, people often take a while to guess where it is that I am from. So several little kids get to spell their words for the aussie mummies. Those days it feels like I am a long way from home.

Sitting in court listening to my ex's barrister insult me, I felt every mile.

Talking to my mother on the phone and trying to temper what I say so that she doesn't worry too much, I feel very far from home.

On the other hand, playing indoor soccer with friends and beating far younger opponents, well it feels pretty homey. Meeting girlfriends for coffee, and catching up on life, discussing my options with them about what I'll do depending on how the court case turns out, well it doesn't feel quite so far from home.

Still, I can't get a Route 44 or fresh tortillas, a hug from my momma, or a drink with my sister, 8,500 is a lotta miles.

06 June 2006

Face the Fact

An ice pack does much better swellilng reduction if actually applied to the swollen area instead of the floor. TRUE

Tennis shoes have less traction than spideyman, especially on gravel. TRUE

After a full day at school, boys just might reach the end of their rope and decide to take it out on one another. TRUE

Witnessing boys taking out their frustrations might drive one to drink. TRUE

Grounding is a calming sedative employed by adults to lull children into pondering life in general and individual behavior specifially. TRUE

Some days you'd just like nothing better than to swap lives with anyone else, because really life is just icky. False.

They, the people who's brains aren't yet fully developed and who are entrusted in my care, they drive me nuts, they call me crazy, they try my patience, but I love them and really I wouldn't miss a minute of it. I'm fighting to keep every second of it. Craziness and all.

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3 kids , a trampoline and a bag of marshmellows.

lock the kids in the trampoline, it's got a special made enclosure just for this purpose, head upstairs and lean out an open window. Tell the kids to bounce.

Randomly toss marshmellows into the trampoline, watch the madness.

It's cheaper than therapy.

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We're going to see STOMP. I can't wait. The kids can't wait.