Rugby Union - Australia v France

Jess and I went to our first Australian sporting event this weekend...Australia vs. France - a Rugby Union game. There two forms of Rugby played here in Australia, 'Union' and 'League'. The differences between the games are very subtle, so we attended the game with some of my Australian (and non-Australian) co-workers in order to help coach us along. The game was played at ANZ stadium, which has previously hosted such events as the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Jess was not excited only for the game, but also to try 'stadium' food in Australia. All week she has been talking about trying an 'Australian meat pie'. After all the build up however it turns out that Jess is not a fan. Jess thought it tasted a bit like dog food, however I didn't think it was too bad...but then again I have never had dog food.

All food aside, we had fun learning about the game and trying to follow along (apparently they don't believe in announcers at these games). The game is basically like American football but you can only throw the ball behind you. Also the players don't wear any pads and they hit just as hard as the NFL...impressive (or stupid) to say the least. Anyway, by the end we felt we had a better understanding of the game thanks to our Australian seating companions.

Mad Mex

A short-update on the quest for decent Mexican Food: First I should clarify that most probably I am searching for good Tex-Mex not true authentic Mexcan food (although that is good too). Anyway, thanks to our friend Mickey we learned about Mad-Mex, a burrito place near Oxford St. It is about a 20min walk from our place, but it turns out this is the closest thing to Tex-mex found to date. In fact, I would say the is the Australian rip-off of Chipotle.

Needless to say I have been there several times since and even have a frequent burrito card (buy 10 get one free). While we may be a long way from really good tex-mex, this is a suitable substitute for the time being...and they have decent margaritas!

So now there is no excuse for all of our Texas friends to come visit (hint hint).

Lawn Bowling Birthday

First let me say, that I am sorry this post is so late. It has been in progress for awhile, but due to Jess' recent hospital adventure (to be documented soon) this post has been put on hold. And now without further adieu...

For my 29th birthday we decided to have a 'lawn bowling' party. Lawn bowling is a pretty big thing here...they even show it on TV (on Saturday afternoons). Recently the game has appealed to the younger generation due to the easy access to the alcohol and the relatively low athleticism required (a lot like 10 pin bowling in the states). The idea of the game is to bowl the ball closest to the 'jack' (white ball). The bowling balls are not perfectly spherical and are biased to one side so there is some skill and strategy involved.

For this party, we picked the Paddington bowling club due to it close proximity to our place. Several of our friends (some also new Sydney) were able to join the fun. Even Jess (with her crutches) was able to participate (they are usually very strict about the 'green', but Jess was able to convince them that she was no harm). We had 2 lanes which worked out pretty well given the size of our group.

I could see lawn bowling being a big hit back in Houston (or Austin) with the year-round weather capabilities. Anyone interested in starting one with me when I get back? Perhaps 'The Dudes Bowling Ranch'....just a thought.

Back to reality...After bowling we had some deadly delicious cupcakes from The Cupcake Bakery. I used to wonder how a cupcake shop could survive, but these little gourmet cakes are unbelievably tasty and are not that cheap. My celebration continued on through the night at The Centinneal Hotel. I will spare you the details (and poor writing) and just say...

Good friends, great food, and lots of laughs...what more could I ask for my first Aussie birthday.



Mickey's Album