One down, one to go

Well, today is the last day of the tournament. We still have one more day where we'll break down the equipment, and then that's it. Events are a strange combination of grueling hours and wonderful experiences. It is something to be experienced firsthand, that I can guarantee.

Last night was the Tennis Australia Ball. Since it was the Centenary event, it was very interesting. They paraded out a bevy of Australian tennis greats. My hero worship was on high gear. I got to see Margaret Court, Rod Laver. Those were the only two past champions from well before my time that I knew by name. I also got to see Jim Courier, Yvonne Goolagong-Cauley, Alicia Molik, Brian Newcombe, and Mark Woodbridge. Those were players I had seen on television growing up, or live recently. It was a fascinating display. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, so I had to rely on pictures from other folks. Here's the shot we got of the list of heroes past.

Most of them I didn't know, but it was still pretty awesome. I haven't been to the end of the US Open, but I'd like to think we'd have a larger set of past greats we could parade around. I do know the Australian's take their sports seriously, and there were lots of folks very excited by this set on stage.

The ball was a good excuse to dress up in a tuxedo. Although, I thought I really looked quite large and in charge. I think that's just me being my own worst critic though. I am built like my father, and I'll always be somewhat stocky unless I go on an extreme diet like Matt did. He's really thin now. I don't think he looks unhealthy, but he's thinner than I think I'd feel comfortable with. Anyway, be on the lookout for some pictures forthcoming on the other side of the site, showing me at the ball in a basic black tuxedo I rented here.

Well, Colleen has had a very short recovery from her jet lag. I think sleeping 15 hours helps. :-) She and I spent the morning wandering around the Victoria Market. It is like a huge flea market, and the bargains are there to be had. We really enjoyed ourselves there. We then took a train down to St. Kilda, a beach town on the outskirts of Melbourne. Colleen asked me who St. Kilda was, and I honestly didn't know. It turns out there are some Scottish isles also known as Saint Kilda, but that there isn't really a Saint named Kilda, and that it was probably a corruption of a Norse word 'Skildir' used to represent those islands, and the Scots that were sent to Australia ended up bringing the name with them. St. Kilda is a Bohemian town, and has a weekly craft fair. I bought an aboriginal bullroarer. Crocodile Dundee made it famous in his second film. It's that thing he spun around to contact the bushmen while outrunning the Columbian cocaine dealers. I thought it was cool, and was way smaller than a Didjeridoo, which made it infinitely easier to carry home. :-) Now she's at the zoo, and got to see her first Koala up close and personal. She was so excited.

On another note, I am so glad Colleen is here. I ended up a bit depressed last night because she was here in town, and I was at the ball without her. She was dead to the world, so she wanted the extra sleep. I would have loved to have her there, but it wasn't going to happen. So, I left the ball early, and went back the hotel to be with her. That was very nice, and the best night's sleep I have had since I got here. Something nice about having someone to sleep next to. I am not sure how that matters, but I do sleep better when she's there.

Well, I am going to sign off now. I won't really have good Internet access once the event is over, so the publishes may be few and far between. Hopefully, I'll be back online soon, and have lots of tales to tell. :-)

Cheers.