I come from Flanders...

Has anyone ever noticed that Nicolas and I have a disturbing resemblence to Rod and Todd?

Families

Anzac Day weekend is the traditional weekend for the Rowcroft Reunion... this year in Perth. It began in 2002 when my grandfather passed away and it was the first time that the whole family had been together in quite some years... since then it's been an annual event occurring at various locations around the world.

It's a bit weird with my family. I feel like I have very little in common with them. Then other times, it's like they're the closer than my immediate family, then five minutes later I'll wonder whether I ever actually knew anyone. One weekend a year and that's apparently enough to get to know each other. I'm not convinced.

I think back to my time in France and we'd sit around the lunch table til 6pm and I'd be bored out of my brains because the adults were talking politics. It makes so much sense. All of a sudden people have something that spans the breadth of life that is relevant to everybody and that they are passionate about. But as a twelve year old whose French aural comprehension skills are pretty good for an Australian, it really doesn't make for scintillating lunchtime conversation.

The art of family and the art of conversation are two things that I find curious. Two things that I haven't truly mastered or come to fully appreciate. Why do I not want to talk to people? Granted, they're strangers often. But I often find myself sitting at lunch with someone/group of people, eating in silence, racking my brains, trying to find an interesting and relevant topic of conversation. And then I become conscious of the fact that that is what I'm doing and so it then has to be the perfect conversation starter and then I finish lunch and go back to work.

Yet, somehow, I still tell myself that talking with people is the most interesting way to while away the hours.

Something... ah... controversial

In a recent consersation I was told to write a controversial post. So here goes...

I had growth group on Monday night. I've decided I'm going to be a bit more reckless, a little less contained, cos frankly, I was getting bored and uninspired and not as challenged as I should have been (other than, in some cases, my patience, which is a worthy endeavour in many an instance).

So, I think I'm going to try to return to being me... and hopefully growth group will be better for it.

Had Kidz Bizz on Sunday, which went really well, thank God. The highlight was rapping. Each leader had to do a verse (or in my case, I did the chorus). It got a few laughs. It was unaccompanied and I had only glanced at the words once before (course I didn't do the fully original make it up as I go along, yo dude yo. It's amazing what you can pull off if you just go headlong into something.

I umpired two games on Saturday. It hurt. It's always interesting when you start telling kids to "Stop acting like rednecks and just play footy". I was pretty buggered, so I had a kip at half time in the seniors. It all worked out pretty well.

And I got Sibelius 5, so I've been getting back into composing, which is fun, but it means I go to bed a bit too late every night and I don't post on my blog enough...

First Game Back

I had my first game for the season: North Hobart v New Norfolk (The Dees v Norfik), which was a good close game all the way through til halfway through the last quarter.

With a point the different at 3 quarter time, the two teams traded goals. About halfway through that last quarter, with Norfik down by about a goal, a Norfik player took a mark or was awarded a free kick. But, being a bogan twit, he thought it was appropriate to land a clenched fist into the midriff of his opposing player. The field umpire promptly reversed the kick. The Norfik redneck then mouthed off. A 50m penalty was awarded. He kept mouthing off, another was awarded, and so the free kick was taken on the goal line. That stupidity lost them the game. One guy just losing it was the difference between the two teams. The Dees ran away with it and won by a few goals. I've never understood how someone can be so selfish in a team game, to swing fists when your team has momentum and is a goal down halfway through the last stanza. Then to mouth off afterwards and give away a goal is just unforgivable. Or close enough to it. He was one of the best players, but if I was coach, he wouldn't be playing next week.

I have to say that the standard of the footy was quite impressive. I was a bit crook and lacking some match fitness, so I struggled in the second half, but it was quite a solid game. It was one of those games that are quite physical, but aren't actually all that fast. (Though I'm pretty sure it did speed up in the second half.) One way or another, my calves are in hellish pain at the moment and walking is a struggle. I'll be right tomorrow I reckon.