You never know what kind of conversation you will have while taking a casual BP session. Back home a certain friend and infielder insisted you must think and talk about sex while hitting- as a means of clearing your mind. Some people prefer to talk about the bar either the night prior or upcoming; others prefer not to talk at all. I attempt to dabble in conversations depending on who I am hitting with.
Osmosis:
While taking BP with my friend Mark we stumbled on the topic of 9/11. I wasn't sure of the global depth of the attacks. I soon learned that even in Australia, halfway around the world, they underwent the same media dissection of the attack. He mentioned they covered the story on every channel for more than a week,as we did in the States. He even went as far as to tastefully but not without bitterness of cliche assert "Some things you will always remember where you were when you heard... I remember where I was when Princess Di was killed and I remember the Trade Center attacks" I was slightly shocked, because I expected it to shape some of my world perspective but I had no idea I would reach the world in a similar fashion.
Dilution:
After a Sunday afternoon weight room workout Mark and I (I was staying at his house for a few days this is not some sort of ongoing romance) I mention how I felt it was ironic that the gym I had been affiliated with before my trip to Australia was in fact Oz Fitness. He was curious what exactly that meant and I explained how their marketing is based around the stereotype that Australians are fit athletic and overwhelmingly attractive. He laughed and brought up one of the most interesting facts (I have not bothered to actually verify its validity). Australia is the worlds second fattest nation and is closing the gap on the United States.
As taken aback as I was by the destruction of that paradigm a new thought had entered my mind. The move to Australia hadn't been all that much of a culture difference. Drive down the road (on the left side of course) and you see McDonald's, KFC, Subway, and even the Burger King's twin brother Hungry Jack's; they had Gatorade, Powerade, Vitamin Water, but then again I'd be more surprised if I didn't see Coke and Pepsi products.
This epiphany led me to another one. I wasn't overwhelmed by the differences in dialect. Sure they had a strong accent, but so do citizens of Chicago and Minnesota. I was expecting on arrival to hear words that I didn't understand in every sentence and for the culture to be more difficult to track. Perhaps a certain Dr Braa would be proud that I even took time to realize the influence of Americanism through business and entertainment (most mainstream American TV is featured in Australia) on the Australian culture.
Or maybe he'd wonder why I'm spending so much time thinking about culture and not about why I am getting jammed on pitches to the inner half of the plate. Guess I better start thinking more about sex. Thanks ER, you're a genius
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