Did You Know Cars Could Get Viruses?

"Mom", Ponygirl asks "what's a cozzy?" Since I had no idea what she was talking about, I asked, "What do you mean?" "Well, my teacher asked me if I had my cozzy with me. I didn't know what that was." I didn't have any clue, so I called my Australian neighbor. "What's a cozzy?", I asked. She told me it is a bathing costume...translation, a Bathing Suit!!!



So, I will use Aussie abbreviations to tell you about my week. (I will hightlight them in blue.)



My cute, black Holden station wagon was hiccupping between gears and it eventually stuck in 2nd gear. Since the car has under 4,000 miles and is only six-months old, I slowly chugged along to the Holden dealership nearby. Once I dropped it off, I walked several kilometers to the bus station and then proceeded to wait two days to hear back about the cause of the problem. (Note: We only have one car, so it was a bit of an inconvenience.) Having left 4 increasingly pushy messages, I hopped on a bus on the 3rd morning of my car's internment and went to the dealership to find out exactly what was going on. Every nation has its own temperament...Australia's is being laid back, America's is pushing forward...these make for interesting interactions. Apparantly, my brand-new Holden needed a new "tranny" (transmission). This diagnosis led to a long conversation about whether I even wanted a car that I considered a "lemon". With a sincere smile and a calm, whispery voice, the service rep said "No, no. This is unusual. Something obviously happened to this car when it was made...Like a virus." I widened my eyes, put on my best southern drawl and smiling sweetly said, "Are you saying my car caught a cold???!!!!" That was the last smile of the day. To make a long story short, no one at the dealership thinks I am some female air-head anymore and the car has a lovely, new, warranteed, Holden-paid for tranny!

Friday night we drove to the Waratahs Rugby game. The Tahs are Sydney's Rugby Union Club Team. BigDogDaddy bought us some great seats. Being that close to the action really does hammer home the point that rugby players are truly a different breed. The captain of the team had been injured the week before and had stitches on his face. Halfway through the game, he ran to the sidelines where they wrapped his head up with gauze and applied tape to hold it. Blood was running down his face...the stitches had been ripped out. After his trip to the sidelines, he CAME BACK IN!!! Half the team had the gauze bandage/tape treatment. When think of an NFL player like T.O. playing rugby, I can only guess how quick his agent would have him in the locker room and on the disabled list. I know NFL guys are tough, but rugby players are tougher/crazier....take your pick. The attendance was 20,000. The Tahs won and we saw some exciting try's scored.

More vocabulary from this week:

Training: this is used instead of the word practice. Ponygirl has done a good job at swim training this week.

Doona: What Surferdude needs for Winter School in Jindabyne. It is like a duvee'. It is covered with a doona cover.

Abseiling: This term refers to what we would call "rappelling" in the US. Surferdude did this activity during his Year 6 camp this week. It is done during "canyoneering". He wore gloves, but his hands are stil sore.

Things I like this week:
1. The gorgeous weather. It has been so nice here.

2. Cheap Tuesday matinees: On Tuesday's, movie theaters offer 10:30 AM movies for $10.00. They are packed with moms and retirees.

3. Nectarines & blueberries: The last of the season...they are so good!

4. E-cards: I don't miss birthdays!

Things I don't like this week:
1. Long walks to bus stations- The term "loaner car" is not common here. I've now noticed how many of my friends are always driving people to car dealerships.

2. Honking- I was taught in driver's ed that the horn is to be used to warn other driver's of potentially dangerous situations. Silly me. In Sydney it is just another way to communicate impatience and frustration. Honk away...It makes feel as though I belong.

3. Huge time difference between US and Oz. By the time I am home and able to talk to my friends/family, it is 2:00AM US time.