Day 18
Day 18 will be the thirteenth day of play, and the day of the Australian Open Ball. Depending on which calendar (or time zone would be more accurate) you are on when reading this message, today marks the one year anniversary of my blog. I was surprised to read back and see how things looked around here the first year. I haven't done as much posting as I wanted, and I haven't done as much soul searching as I had thought I might. Still, all in all, it is an interesting medium, and a good experience for me. Hopefully, the second year of my blog will be far more entertaining. :-)
I got Colleen off for her Day Spa appointment. She seemed pretty pleased with that bit of pampering coming up. She's also going to get some shopping in, of course, and hopefully find a small pack she can use as a purse, since the one she bought a couple of years ago really sucks. I am not sure what else she has planned, but she does have the room key and a map of the town, so she'll find something to entertain herself, I am sure.
Rain has marred the final weekend here. Play, slated to start at 11, hasn't even started almost 25 minutes late. That could spell a longer evening than we had wanted, since we can't leave to get ready for the ball until play officially ends. That will put Colleen on edge a bit, since she'll want to make sure I have enough time to get myself ready. Well, more accurately, rain has basically washed out play away from covered courts. Add in that double matches cannot be played side by side in the one covered area, and we're effectively down to two running courts, with more than a dozen matches trying to squeeze in.
Fortunately, the rain should help keep the temperature as well. That bodes well for sweaty guys like me. Well, it actually turns out that it was still pretty humid and I can still sweat like nobody's business. Plus, the cab drivers around here apparently don't believe in AC in the car. Or bathing for that matter, but it has little to do with me sweating.
The Australian Open Ball. This year, it was held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. It was a nice ballroom, but it wasn't all that convenient for getting there. The food was good, the drinks were free, and there was a decent goody bag of Wilson Tennis Balls, and Garnier hair and body products.
The band, always an Australian band of course, was Jimmy Barnes. Now, I honestly did not remember him at the time. All I heard was an aging old rocker screaming on stage like he had his balls in a vice. That may not be exactly a fair assessment of his crooning style, but I do know a lot of the seniors in the room covered their ears, and he definitely thinned out the party earlier than I think they would have anticipated. It turns out that after a little distance, and a couple of google searches, I did actually remember his hits in the 80s. As Colleen would say, the vat knows, it is just sometimes I don't even know what the vat knows. :-) Working Class Man was a top 40 hit in the US, and was featured as the title track for the soundtrack to the movie Gung Ho. Add to that his other US hit (that I remember, maybe he had more) that was from The Lost Boys called Good Times (which I now remember was the tune playing when Max [Edward Hermann] was killed by Grandpa [Barnard Hughes]) and apparently it was a greater brush with greatness than I remembered. I'll have to apologize to the Australians I told that I had never heard of him.
Brushes with greatness abounded at the Ball. We sat at a table that was next to the table where Bud Collins was seated. I was impressed with Colleen's Paparazzi style and she managed to get a picture of Bud and his goofy pants. We also snuck one of Guillermo Villas (looking just as Argentinian and hirsute as ever) and of course, the man himself, Rod Laver. I swore a woman at Bud's table was Margaret Court, but she was pounding drinks like there was no alcohol left in the world, and she left well before Jimmy Barnes could cause ear damage. Still, I did see a couple of tennis fans get autographs, and unless I was wrong, I am sticking with my story on that being her. She was definitely old enough to have been Margaret Court. Tracy Austin was in the house, but I was disappointed I didn't see Jim Courier. My real brush was the opportunity to shake hands with Mr. Laver himself. He was trying to get onto an elevator, and I just weasled my way into the handshake. It was still very cool. Otherwise, there were a lot of Australian TV celebrities, but I didn't recognize any of them.
I got Colleen to at least try the lamb, but she wasn't a fan. I think it was the stigma of the meat itself. The taste was very flavorful. But, you can't make someone try something if they are convinced they won't like it. The dessert was outstanding, though Colleen isn't really a fan of raspberry or white chocolate, and definitely not that combination. I, of course, don't miss any chances for free sweets, and I told Colleen I really had wanted to stick it out until we could get my dessert. :-)
Colleen and I left early. His straining voice was killing us, and the wine had definitely kicked in. We met up with Steve and had a couple of pints at the Irish Times but I was almost ready to fall asleep even then. In the end, it was for the best that we retire relatively early and enjoy some quality time together. :-) Since play doesn't start until 3PM on Sunday, we didn't have to set an alarm, or feel a sense of urgency to get up. That should make the next day a bit nicer, especially since I am sure I'll be (and she will be as well) nursing at least a mild hangover.
Cheers!
I got Colleen off for her Day Spa appointment. She seemed pretty pleased with that bit of pampering coming up. She's also going to get some shopping in, of course, and hopefully find a small pack she can use as a purse, since the one she bought a couple of years ago really sucks. I am not sure what else she has planned, but she does have the room key and a map of the town, so she'll find something to entertain herself, I am sure.
Rain has marred the final weekend here. Play, slated to start at 11, hasn't even started almost 25 minutes late. That could spell a longer evening than we had wanted, since we can't leave to get ready for the ball until play officially ends. That will put Colleen on edge a bit, since she'll want to make sure I have enough time to get myself ready. Well, more accurately, rain has basically washed out play away from covered courts. Add in that double matches cannot be played side by side in the one covered area, and we're effectively down to two running courts, with more than a dozen matches trying to squeeze in.
Fortunately, the rain should help keep the temperature as well. That bodes well for sweaty guys like me. Well, it actually turns out that it was still pretty humid and I can still sweat like nobody's business. Plus, the cab drivers around here apparently don't believe in AC in the car. Or bathing for that matter, but it has little to do with me sweating.
The Australian Open Ball. This year, it was held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. It was a nice ballroom, but it wasn't all that convenient for getting there. The food was good, the drinks were free, and there was a decent goody bag of Wilson Tennis Balls, and Garnier hair and body products.
The band, always an Australian band of course, was Jimmy Barnes. Now, I honestly did not remember him at the time. All I heard was an aging old rocker screaming on stage like he had his balls in a vice. That may not be exactly a fair assessment of his crooning style, but I do know a lot of the seniors in the room covered their ears, and he definitely thinned out the party earlier than I think they would have anticipated. It turns out that after a little distance, and a couple of google searches, I did actually remember his hits in the 80s. As Colleen would say, the vat knows, it is just sometimes I don't even know what the vat knows. :-) Working Class Man was a top 40 hit in the US, and was featured as the title track for the soundtrack to the movie Gung Ho. Add to that his other US hit (that I remember, maybe he had more) that was from The Lost Boys called Good Times (which I now remember was the tune playing when Max [Edward Hermann] was killed by Grandpa [Barnard Hughes]) and apparently it was a greater brush with greatness than I remembered. I'll have to apologize to the Australians I told that I had never heard of him.
Brushes with greatness abounded at the Ball. We sat at a table that was next to the table where Bud Collins was seated. I was impressed with Colleen's Paparazzi style and she managed to get a picture of Bud and his goofy pants. We also snuck one of Guillermo Villas (looking just as Argentinian and hirsute as ever) and of course, the man himself, Rod Laver. I swore a woman at Bud's table was Margaret Court, but she was pounding drinks like there was no alcohol left in the world, and she left well before Jimmy Barnes could cause ear damage. Still, I did see a couple of tennis fans get autographs, and unless I was wrong, I am sticking with my story on that being her. She was definitely old enough to have been Margaret Court. Tracy Austin was in the house, but I was disappointed I didn't see Jim Courier. My real brush was the opportunity to shake hands with Mr. Laver himself. He was trying to get onto an elevator, and I just weasled my way into the handshake. It was still very cool. Otherwise, there were a lot of Australian TV celebrities, but I didn't recognize any of them.
I got Colleen to at least try the lamb, but she wasn't a fan. I think it was the stigma of the meat itself. The taste was very flavorful. But, you can't make someone try something if they are convinced they won't like it. The dessert was outstanding, though Colleen isn't really a fan of raspberry or white chocolate, and definitely not that combination. I, of course, don't miss any chances for free sweets, and I told Colleen I really had wanted to stick it out until we could get my dessert. :-)
Colleen and I left early. His straining voice was killing us, and the wine had definitely kicked in. We met up with Steve and had a couple of pints at the Irish Times but I was almost ready to fall asleep even then. In the end, it was for the best that we retire relatively early and enjoy some quality time together. :-) Since play doesn't start until 3PM on Sunday, we didn't have to set an alarm, or feel a sense of urgency to get up. That should make the next day a bit nicer, especially since I am sure I'll be (and she will be as well) nursing at least a mild hangover.
Cheers!
posted by Derek Botti at
11:38 PM
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