Closest I've ever felt to being part of the Wizarding world

I went to a sporting game this evening. It took place in a giant oval arena with posts on either end. The giant ball was going so high that it got into the second level of seating more than once. If it weren't for the fact that there was not a broom stick to be seen, I would have sworn I was watching Quidditch. Okay, so there were no bludgers trying to kill the players either, but the players themselves did a pretty good job of taking care of what the bludgers would have done.

To give you an idea of how much it seemed like quidditch, here is a picture of a quidditch pitch.




Here is a picture of a Australian football stadium.


Not much different, save the brooms. I couldn't find very good pictures of either, so you may just have to take my word for it.

The rules are very complicated. If you kick the ball through the middle two posts, it is six points. If it goes through any of the posts in any other way, or hits the post and goes through, it is worth one point. Pretty much anything goes when it comes to hitting and tackling, unless you hit someone on the head. Other than that, the game gets pretty rough, and they do not wear pads. It reminded me of rugby in that way.

The game was very fun but the atmosphere was different than I expected. It felt more like a baseball game than it did anything else.

Made me miss my Tigers.

A day of remembering

"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives… you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets where they lie side by side here in this country of ours… You the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. Having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well."
~Plaque at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli, Turkey, where Australia fought its first major battle

Today is Anzac Day. We Americans here have been trying to come up with an equivalent day in the States. The best we can come up with is a more extreme Memorial Day.

On April 25, 1915, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed in Gallipoli, in Turkey, to fight their first major battle in any war. Due to many mishaps and misguided leadership, they landed at night a mile away from their target destination. This put them at cliffs instead of beaches, and the result was eight months of battle, and 8700 Australian dead and 2700 New Zealand.

Every year, in honor of those lost, they celebrate Anzac Day. It has changed to commemorate everyone who has fought or died in Anzac, and they celebrate it like nothing I have ever seen before. I went to a dawn service at Kings Park, where thousands upon thousands of people gathered to watch as people put wreaths on the WWI memorial that they have there. As the sun rose behind the memorial, we watched in silence. It was a breath taking experience that was definitely worth getting up at 4 am for.

Oh my Gaga

I have turned to the dark side. And not even Darth Vader would be proud.

I did not leave for Australia until Feb. 5. Because of this, I had over a month where all of my friends had gone back to school and I was still at home. I spent the entire month going to the movies with Andi Ernst. And as we drove, without fail, a Lady Gaga song would come on the radio. Andi found this hysterical because I hated Lady Gaga. With a passion.



Well, I got the opportunity to go to her concert here. And I took it, even though it was 90 dollars. I figured the company I would be with more than made up for what was sure to be a mediocre performance.

All I can say is that I may now be in love. My friend Tyler summed it up perfectly when he said, "She may be the only woman I would turn straight for." I'm not going to go that far, but she was fabulous. The woman was such an entertainer, that I now even love her music. For those of you where are like me and hated her, seriously give her a second chance. She may be strange, but the fact remains that the woman is an entertainer.

Unfortunately, no one remembers that Dennis Rodman was an amazing basketball player. They just remember that he was crazy. I fear this is what is going to happen with Gaga. Eventually people will only remember the insane costumes that she wore and will completely ignore that she was an amazing entertainer.

All I have to say is that it was the most amazing concert I have ever been to.