The past few days have been relatively similar. I walk to work, the cafe is relatively busy, then someone gives me a lift home. It's been cold (around 35-45 degrees F), but it only rains at night. The birds calling still sound weird to me (I hope to get a recording of one soon, they sound crazy). Sometimes I watch TV in the evenings with Michelle (including Australia's Got Talent, which had an immensely entertaining yodeling drag queen); sometimes I watch part of a movie with the kids (including the classic stinker Superman III); sometimes I just go to bed.
Saturday and Sunday, however, were different.
Saturday was a full day! I had a video chat with my family (minus Scott--work sucks, don't it?) and got to chat with them for a few minutes. Soon, my family had to leave (they went to see Snow White and the Huntsman). But it was good to see them for a few minutes and be able to talk with them "face" to "face".
By the way, movie tickets here in Australia are ridiculously expensive. I'm not so sure I want to spend $23 on a movie ticket. After not paying for my movies for the past 2 1/2 years, I guess I have some time to make up. No wonder the movies make so much money overseas, the ticket prices are higher!
Anyway, back to Saturday...I went to the shop and actually got to work on the espresso machine. Yep, that's right--after years of no working on a machine, I picked it back up again and it was as easy as riding a bike. There are a few differences, though: their cappuccinos are only about 2-4 cm of foam on top, where the typical American cappuccino has around 1/3 foam, 2/3 drink. The biggest difference, however, is the fact that they don't have "brewed" coffee like we do; instead, they have "long blacks" and "flat whites" (a long black is a shot of espresso with water to fill the cup; a flat white is a shot of espresso with warm milk to the top but NOT foamed milk because that's a latte). But I picked it up pretty quickly. BONUS: My hands smelled like coffee all day. :)
After closing the shop, some of the older men from the group were going to a local "footy" game. ("Footy" is "football," but it's Aussie rules, not American football and it's completely different.) This was the local state league, so it was kindof like a AAA league from baseball. The entire thing was more family-oriented, with the fans going on the field between quarters to try their hand at playing footy. The two teams were the Norwood Red Legs (whom we were cheering for and were undefeated) and the North Adelaide Roosters (the home team). Unfortunately, the previously undefeated Red Legs lost 71-72, and I was informed that I was never allowed to come to another game again because I was the jinx. ;)
Although it seems so on the surface, Aussie rules football is nothing like rugby. It
really is alot more like soccer. They can't throw/toss the ball, they
have to "handball" it (which is kinda like punching it so it moves) or
they can kick it. If it goes out of bounds for any reason it gets tossed
back in by the ref. If a player is tackled on top of the ball it gets
tossed by a ref. The players can't block around the neck or in the back.
There are four goal posts; if the ball goes in between the middle two,
it's a 6-point "goal"; if it hits the bars or goes in between the outer
two, it's a 1-point "point". If a player catches the ball and it had
traveled for more than 15 meters without anyone else touching it, it's a
"mark" and he has 30 seconds to throw/kick it, in which time nobody can
touch him. The field is huge, the hits are huge, and it's constant
movement and adrenaline the entire time. I've never seen so many FIT
guys on the same field before, these guys are unbelievable athletes.
Rugby looks like wrestling in comparison.
On Sunday, I slept in as much as I could with the kids playing music in the computer room next door. These walls are really thin and the floors are all hardwood on a hollow foundation, so every noise in the house is transmitted throughout the place. So I heard "Gummy Bear", "I Can't Wait (To See You Again)", and 1Direction over and over and over before I finally decided to get up. I'm not used to having kids in the house, but it's really fun. (It also means I sleep really well at night and I'm in bed by 10pm, which makes me feel like a little old lady!) I had a beautiful walk to the cafe, where I had a great shift with some awesome girls.
When I got home, I fully intended to write this blog post. I came in my room with my tea and settled down...and Zac and Bethany decided they wanted to come in and see what I was doing. It very quickly turned into them wanting to watch America's Funniest Home Videos to see if it is the same as Australia's Funniest Home Videos (newsflash: IT IS. Stupidity is universal) and I didn't get any of my blog writing done, but I did get some really good laughing out of it.
Church this week was a bit different as we met here at the Johnson's house. It was a lot cozier and people opened up more. I started to see how this is a good idea. Fellowship and good conversation afterwards made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
Today is the Queen's Birthday (Queen Elizabeth of England, that is--remember that Commonwealth thing?), so the kids have off school. The family is taking me up to the Adelaide Hills and into a small German community called Hahndorf. Apparently there is some awesome chocolate and strudel in store for today. I'm down with that!
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