Strange Accents and Units of Measurement

I've been watching snippets of Biggest Loser U.S. Neither Andrew nor I were into "Reality TV" in the States, but I think we gravitated towards it here as a way to familiarise ourselves with Australian society.

They're quite flash with the reality shows here. Excellent cutaways. Very good dramatic presentation. A.J. (the host), Shannon and Michelle are really cool. The White House and Biggest Loser Camp are amazing. They do still repeat everything at least 3 times during the course of the show, so you can miss most of it during the evening, and most of them during the week, and still not be too far behind. I'm guessing they do that in the U.S. version, but I think the station is condensing program to fit into the available time slot.

But something odd is going on. I can relate to the units of measurement better in pounds as opposed to kilos, but B.L.U.S. sounds really strange. The contestents sound odd. Why do these people all have strange accents? The presenter just sounds wrong -- where's A.J.?

Movies sound normal with American accents. News programs are OK too. Top Gear does sound best with the original British triumverate. But television shows apparently sound best in Australian. Who knew?

Uno...due...tre...and so forth

It's finally happened. Middle-age must have officially kicked in, because I'm attending BINGO on Friday nights. But the really interesting part is that I'm surrounded by people speaking in Italian!

My neighbour Gina loves to go to Bingo at the Veneto club, but her husband doesn't enjoy it as much anymore. She asked me if I would drive her on Friday nights when I don't have Ham Radio commitments. They've been good friends to us, so while bingo has never been remotely on my radar, I felt badly at the idea of saying no. A nice little hall with about 100 people, numbers rolling by in Italian and English should be manageable...

This place is ENORMOUS. It's got to be the size of a Las Vegas casino. I'm realising that they really do things big in Australia. Sports bar/gym/restaurant/pokies (slots), plus a gondola moored outside in the (waterless) fountain (well, there is a drought on). The room I was in must have had 400 to 500 people in it.

So there I sit, pink marker in hand, trying to decipher my bingo sheet, listening to conversations with the vague feeling that I ought to be able to understand them. I had that same feeling in college when I visited my roommate's family. After all, I've sung in Italian, done vague translations with an Italian/English dictionary, grew up eating fabulous Italian food and enjoying wonderful friends. Well, with any luck, I'll finally learn how to speak it. Or at least how to count to 90.

What's Italian for "bingo"? Oh yes, BINGO!

The Sad Passing of Friend

It is with sadness that Andrew & I learned our good friend Werner Meyer died Friday 22 May. He and his wife Irma have been good friends to us. A few years ago they moved to sunny Florida to enjoy their retirement. At that point, Werner knew he had emphysema, and was realising his retirement might not be as long as could be hoped for. In April he was diagnosed with lung cancer, which spread through his lungs and to his brain. Treatments were unsuccessful, but thankfully Irma says he was not in pain at the end.

When we visited Irma and Werner in Florida, he was determined to enjoy the time he had left. We are grateful for his friendship, and Irma will be in our thoughts and prayers.

Lost in Hawthorn and Good Yarra Valley Wine

Tonight Andrew & I attended a wine tasting dinner at our local Cafe Orchard. I believe it is the first time they have hosted such an event, and it was very successful. As collaboration between the local wine merchant, the cafe and a small grape-grower in the Yarra Valley, it provided excellent food, lovely drink and new aquaintances.

It was also nice to be able to go out to dinner in our little village. There are two wonderful cafes at the shops, but they close at 4 pm and 6:30 pm respectively, so there isn't really a nice restaurant option close by. There are fantastic restaurants all around Melbourne, but they feel very out of the way by the time I get home from work. Even picking up Maccers is a bit of a schlep.

We arrived home to a rather unexpected guest: the neighbour's cat managed to sneak in at some point, and we discovered a black, furry warm spot on our bed upon our return. Neither Andrew nor I saw her dart through a door in our comings and goings -- unless she's perfected breaking in through the chimney. I suppose the soot would blend in to her fur. Other happenings this week included a two-day work-related software class for me in Hawthorn.

It was easy enough to get to (nevermind that I forgot and headed straight for work that first day...and had no clue how to get there...), but both days I kept missing turns to get home. I succeeded eventually, although it took me longer to get home the second day than the first! Time to study the Melways a bit more.