Weekly Traditions

So I am restructuring my blog in an attempt to get some regularity in my posts. 

I have started and posted weekly topics.

Aussie Music Monday and Oz Word Wednesday. Any ideas for the other 5 days of the week would be appreciated and considered. 

Currently up for Friday is Photo Op Friday. 

Oz Word Wednesday (#1 Nov 17)

I'm going to keep this short and sweet.

This Wednesday's word is Sook


Sook

-noun: a weak and or cowardly person or being.

i.e. After striking out Tom became quite a sook.

Sookie
-verb: To pout or act in a lowly manner.


i.e. She got sookie when the pub closed early on her birthday.

Feel free to use these whenever you choose. I'm sure no one will understand you

Aussie Music Monday (# 1 Nov 15)

So for my first installment of my ongoing Aussie Music Monday. I'm going to throw out a few songs that are hot on the airwaves in South Australia right now.

The first is an Australian band called Short Stack.  I like their stuff its catchy but I'm not ashamed to listen to it in public, *cough*Willow Smith*cough*. Well, that is if I still had a radio--damn thieves.  But I digress.I love Planets but We Dance to a Different Disco, Honey isn't too bad either.

Band: Short Stack
Origin: New South Wales
Genre: Punk/Alt Rock


Similar to: Panic at the Disco,My Chemical Romance, The Killers

Planets

We Dance to a Different Disco, Honey

 Next is a song that, I must warn you, will most likely be stuck in your head until you die.  The song is I Like That. In simply typing the title the chorus is now streaming in my skull. Sa-weet, it was quiet up there anyway.  I'm not an expert on techno/ house/ electronic but I'll give it a shot. Sorry Riley for desecrating your genre. 

Band: Static Revenger & Richard Vission
Featuring: LUCIANA

Origin:USA, USA, UK
Genre: House/Techno/Electronic

Similar to: LMFAO, Benni Benassi
I Like That: Static Revenger & Richard Vission Feat LUCIANA

Lastly and you may hate me for this song. Is a house song. Its just too much to explain. If you listen long enough you will think you're riding in a Bentley top down with Papa Smurf and Hillary Clinton its that ridiculous.  I went through two packs of glow sticks in the first hour after hearing it. I warned you.


Group: Duck Sauce
Origin: The Moon (can you tell I'm serious about this)
Genre: House
Similar to: ??????


Duck Sauce: Barbra Streisand

Bucket List

As an eventful evening with the Young family wound down tonight we opted to watch 'The Bucket List'.  I have never seen the movie although I had prepared, and failed, a College Life Bucket List.  I have always felt that I have this foresight that is not granted to many people of my age.  I have always planned, goal-set, striven, accomplished, evaluated, revised and repeated.  While growing up my actions were always guided by how any decision fit into my goals.  As the oldest brother I also felt compelled to be a good role model.  Not to say I never made a poor choice, but I avoided some decisions that I feel most teens and collegiates make as part of the process of growing up.  However, in doing this I feel it has deprived my life of a certain spontaneity and inserted some sense of self consciousness I did not like.   Hence the abrupt change I have undertook the past few years. 
   I, myself do not have a tangible Bucket List.  My Bucket List is in the form of my adoption of a new self awareness.  I want my life to be an adventure. I like to think of my life as a story and I, as the author, hold the responsibility of writing a quality story.  I have always despised the average, the mediocre, and plain. I would rather undergo a epic disastrous failure of a day then to sit back and look at the day without having a story to tell.  I want to be able to sit down as the old man at the bar and tell some young fella about the days I spent playing baseball in Australia with Tom Brice and Quincy Latimore or maybe the time I vanished into Brazil, or maybe its something less monumental. Maybe its telling that same young man the story of when, due to of a misplaced wallet and a flat innertube, a friend and I found ourselves hitch hiking with one shoe and a wet satchel filled with empty beer on a windy road between no-where and who-knows-where. 
      The point is I don't have a scribed list, nor do I want one, telling me I wanted to do this specific thing.  My list consists of this one thing; I never want to miss out on my life and never do I want to look back and think, "Those were the days". In my opinion when a person feels the best days are behind them,they stop living and simply settle for an existence.  

Tele and Radio

One of the greatest things I've discovered in Australia is the media.  The Australian culture is very laid back in terms of restrictions.  This leads to a array of comedy that the US is not prepared to experience.  TV shows are held to similar standards during the day but after 9pm most of the restrictions are lifted. So profanity, and partial nudity are common.  During my first week here a network channel broadcast almost in entirety the movie Superbad complete with "Oh my god thats the coolest fucking story I have heard in my life!Can you tell it again,Do you have time?" and nipples on the front cover the convenience store's magazine.  I was surprised, but hardly offended. I noticed that the late night TV, which were all similar to Conan, Who's Line Is It Anyway and Saturday Night Live were allowed to swear at will and did not hold back verbal assaults on whomever they pleased.  I've seen billboards that read Hot as Hell? Job's a Bitch? I know this wouldn't fly in the States but it isn't cause for concern. 
     Currently there are two ongoing stories that I'm curious to find how they may unfold. The first is a serious as it is disgusting.  Joel Monaghan, a star South Australian  rugby player, has been caught in a situation that I'm sure has Tiger Woods feeling sorry for the guy.  Pictures surfaced on the net of Monaghan staging a sex act with the family dog. The picture was a result of a drunken party prank wherein Monaghan most definitely had a serious lapse in judgment and well- species. 
     The second story has been dubbed Gorillagate.  A local zoo has been accused of not having genuine animals, but in fact having people dressed up in animal suits.  A family has gone to the press and accused the zoo of having people in costumes not real gorillas.  In a stranger twist, the allegations are true.  Before you think that the Australia zoo's are frauds there is something to be explained.  The zoo agreed to let local radio hosts Himash and Andy test the new gorilla enclosure before the real gorillas arrived.  Throughout the day the two radio personalities testing became more and more, shall we say evolved. They began with normal wrestling and play but by the end of the day the "gorillas" were playing frisbee and racing remote control cars. 


http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/joel-monaghan-in-tears-after-quitting-the-raiders-20101109-17lff.html

http://www.safm.com.au/shows/hamishandandy

Aussie Baseball 2.0

At this point I think Beyonce would be jealous of my upgrade.  For my first few weeks, as some may have noticed, I haven’t spoken about baseball.  I was disappointed with my experience.  I felt I had flown across the largest body of water known to humanity for nothing more than monopoly money and funny accents.  Since my move to the Sturt baseball club I have not only been introduced to a new club, and gotten; a new home, new phone, new car, new city, new hair cut (ok that was prior to the change in club), but I have a new perspective. 

I’m drooling at the opportunity in front of me.  I’m surrounded by guys with baseball pedigree. My new roommate is a former professional basketball player who spent time in Seville and Barcelona in the European pro circuit. My new coach was in the big leagues for 8 weeks as a coach and spent time in the minors as a first basemen.  I’m developing a friendship with a guy who was described to me as “the most dominant pitcher in Australia”.  Now let’s step to the second degree of separation.  My aforementioned friends are close friends with Grant Balfour and Ryan Rowland-Smith two names that most definitely register with me.  They both pitch in the American League one is a dominant and volatile reliever for the Tampa Bay Rays the other a starter for the Seattle Mariners (yes they still play in the MLB American League).  One of my potential future roommates is Todd Gossage.  His dad is Hall of Famer Goose Gossage. I’ve held back the urge to tell him that my Dad has his Dad’s autograph; just in case we ever got into a ‘my dad could beat up your dad’ argument.  Our manager Pat Kelly is the proud owner of a World Series ring and I think they give everyone Olympic medals here because I’ve lost count how many guys I’ve met that own one. 

My new car is a 95 Ford Laser. Kind of a junker but gets the job done. I hate my new phone. But I love my new place. I’m living just a few hundred feet from the beach. On an apartment built on a series of pubs.  I can see bumper cars and a ferris wheel from our balcony and my roommate, Martin, isn’t expecting rent.  Today at my training for the State League team (a team I don’t expect to make at this point) I faced a guy throwing 90 and was pretty overmatched but it feels good to feel challenged.  When I left San Francisco, and all I was leaving when I left the states, this is what I expected on the other side of the Pacific. Maybe it will settle in; maybe it isn’t as great as it seems right now—but I doubt it. 

LeBron, I feel your pain

This June, video clips in every major news channel showed angry crowds feverishly protesting, up in arms and nearly rioting they engulfed the symbol of their loathe in flame.  The demonstration I'm speaking of wasn't any flag or holy text.  I'm talking about LeBron James jerseys. 

Anyone who follow sports heard, or saw firsthand, the LeBron James saga.  Every team with backloaded cash was vying for the chance to bring the King to rule their city. In a grab for the fading media spotlight (we only have twenty-four hours in a day and we still didn't know if Brett Favre would play this season) James, in a live televised press conference, announced "I will be taking my talents to South Beach." This move meant he would join forces with Dwayne Wade and newly acquired Chris Bosh.  Blah Blah everyone knows that story.  James was met with immediate and aggressive criticism. I didn't feel bad for James, not at the time.  I was very indifferent, to LeBron leaving his franchise and hometown for a chance to win because, well frankly they never brought in a suitable sidekick.  Yes, a whole city probably hates him and people that were once a "Witness" probably hope to witness  his private jet go the way of Buddy Holly.  Who cares, right?

Well now I do.  After arriving in Australia to play for the Rangers I was quite excited.  Four days and one practice later I was miserable.  The Rangers, as I was informed, were a Division 3 club with hopes of climbing to Division 1 by next season.  Enter my incorrect assumption.  My brother plays Division 3 football, the athletes are youthful, competitive, experienced and although they may not have the jaw dropping athleticism of the DI athlete they are phenomenal athletes and the facilities are accommodating if not excellent.  My first training was painful.  I felt as though I had not left America but I had arrived from Krypton and the Australian sun had made me a superhero.  I was on a different level.  My skills, athleticism but especially my understanding of the game surpassed the entire organization.  My teammates were either; new to baseball, old and broken down or lacking any knowledge of the sport.  I immediately and privately voiced my discontent to the club manager and president (we'll call him Bob for the sake of saving characters) and asked that the team consider finding me a home with a new Div 1 team. Normally I would have shelved my pride and enjoyed the opportunity for what it was.  However, Bob had agreed prior to my departure that if I was not happy I could be moved elsewhere.  After several weeks of the Rangers organization trying to convince me to stay with them I am now on the way out.  And I extent my sympathy to LeBron; homeboy I do not envy you.

Now I feel like an entire community wants to drive a stake through my heart. Admittedly most of the disdain is simply a product of my overactive imagination.  I have been the feature story in every baseball related news publication for two weeks prior to the news of my trade. I've been coaching two teams the 14U team and have taken ownership of my own senior club's practices.  Everyone wanted to meet me, chat with me and befriend me and why not I am a fairly likable guy.  Now I expect to see an angry mob carrying torches made from newspaper articles marching down my street.  The head coach asked that I do not attend training although I have yet to be traded and they have asserted "we value your knowledge as a coach even more so than your talent as a player". Then there is Bob.  The man once leading the charade of indulgences dinners and perks is now well less than pleased he could not persuade me to stay.  Bob decided to take a very public shot at me in the club newsletter and has repeatedly chose comment on my lack of loyalty and his disappointment in my failure to fulfill my obligation with the team. 

Well Lebron, I feel you. Let's start a weekly therapy group for people who left for greener pastures on the south beach. I'll eat up every word you have to say because, well hey-- at least Gawler isn't Cleveland and at least I didn't diss my team on national television.