Yep, I'm back at the International Terminal of Melbourne Airport this morning...my 8th visit to this place and I've got the layout memorized like the back of my hand (hmm, where's the back of my hand....it was here a minute ago). My flight from Perth was an hour late leaving....I got out at 12:45 am Monday morning on a Boeing 747 that was only 1/3 full, which meant nearly everyone on board had a row of seats to themselves to lay out on for a nice nap on the 3+ hour trip east. I think I managed about 2 hours of nappy time but I need to get more on the upcoming flight to Los Angeles.
It was tough saying goodbye to Jonnene. She stayed with me until I had to board and I kept an eye on her until I turned the corner on the walkway to the plane. It'll be at least 30 days before she's able to come to the States, even if she gets her visa numbers from the US Consulate in Sydney in the meantime. Her dog, Sophie, has to have a rabies shot (the disease doesn't exist in Australia and they like to keep it that way) at least 30 days before being shipped to the USA and she will be trying to schedule that this week. We want to time it where Jonnene and Sophie arrive within a day of each other in Los Angeles, whenever that is. So that is where we stand on the arrival of my wife. But her visas have been approved so that's another thing taken care of.
Even though I've been to Oz four times, I have yet to see whether water drains out of a sink or toilet in the opposite direction from what it does in the northern hemisphere. The plumbing system is such that when you pull the plug or flush, everything shoots down like it's under 15 G's of pressure! Nothing gets a chance to swirl. Someday, when I think about it, I'll find out the real answer.
Soccer, rugby, and Aussie Rules football are some of the big sports here, but right now the country is focused on The Ashes, or something like that. It's the big cricket match between Britain and Australia, played in five cities in Australia this year. It's a big deal on TV and among the cricket fans here. Of course, there are Aussies who don't really care about cricket....kinda like Americans who don't really care about the NBA....there's a lot of us out there. But the natives do keep up with it in some form or fashion, mainly because nothing else is going on this time of year.
Also, the Western Australia Ironman Triathlon down in Busselton went on Sunday morning and we kept up with the race online. I especially liked the finish of a German who recorded a 13:13:13 time for the Ironman distance. I think he saw the time as he was finishing and waited to cross the line when all those thirteens popped up. I'd have done the same!
Also, my ULM Warhawks won their last game of the season, 39-20, against their rival, the ULL Ragin' Cajuns down in Lafayette. I was very pleased and followed that game online, too.
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