One of my favorite pictures from Oz. 

My discovery...

Great news!! I've finally figured out how to edit the links on the side bar of this silly blog. Now instead of linking you to Google News and Edit Me pages, you can link to the blogs of two of my friends and of course a link to US soccer. Another fun link for you is to the school that I will be teaching at in Egypt. Check them out!!!

By the way, now that the US has crashed out of the World Cup, my support has fallen to the Aussies, who face a tough Italy on Tuesday. If they play well, they have a shot!!

Dempsey celebrates his goal agains Ghana. One of the few bright spots for the US Team. 

My Frustration

I have waited for a while for my latest update in an attempt to calm down from the events of this past week. However, that didn't seem to work.

To be honest, I'm ashamed, angered and embarrassed by the US performance in the latest World Cup. All the chips fell in the right place, the stars seemed to align for the US to make it to the second round. Italy was leading the Czechs 1-0, we were tied with Ghana 1-1. It all looked good, but then the questionable PK and the subsequent goal seemed to take the life out of us. As a former player (a really really long time ago), you know the ref will screw up and you can't use that as an excuse. The fact is that most of the Americans never showed up. Period.

Now most of you that know me know that I love US soccer. However the team that went to Germany showed merely a fraction of the talent that they have. Donovan was nonexistent against the Czechs and Ghana. He only had 1 shot. ONE SHOT for the entire tournament. He had been one of our leading goal scorers going into the WC.
Beasley was basically scared. He is normally a very attacking, no fear type of player. I don't know if his dog just died or what, but he acted like he didn't want to be there.

Two of our best players. Non existent. Imagine how good a basketball team would be if your shooting guard and your small forward decided to pass the entire game and not shoot. They just wanted to hang out on the perimeter and take up space. That makes it a little tough to win.

After all the negatives, there were some positives. Clint Dempsey played well. He was looking to show what he had and he attacked well. His goal (the only of the US) and his celebration afterward showed he at least wanted to be there and compete. Hopefully he'll be picked up by a European Club and he'll be a building block for the future.

Oguchi Onyewu also played pretty well. He's a huge defender (think of a Ray Lewis type of linebacker, only playing soccer). He gets picked on by refs because of his size, but he played well and will continue to for the national team for a while.

That's it. I'm ashamed of our team and our "stars". Hopefully we can find some players that want to represent our country in the next four years and in 2010 in South Africa, we can take the step we should have taken this year.

My Fever....

I have a fever, World Cup fever. I love the weekends because it allows me to watch 3 games each day. 6 hours of soccer a day and 12 hours for the entire weekend. Does it get any better?

To be honest, many Americans don't know the World Cup is going on, let alone what needs to happen for the US to advance. This was the mindset that I had going into the US-Italy game yesterday. I arrived at Quinton's, a local bar at around 9:45 am to finish watching the Portugal-Iran game. I was the only one there.

Then at around 11 the lunch crowd started to show up, so there were some people there to watch Ghana shock the Czech Republic and give the US some hope. It looked as though the stars were beginning to align for a US miracle.

When it was almost game time, the bar started to fill up. I was a little confused at first. Really? All these people are here to watch the game? huh? I thought we didn't like soccer.--these were my thoughts as the game began.

Had I known what was to come, I would have better prepared myself. The following two hours were an emotional rollercoaster and I saw probably the greatest soccer game that I have ever seen. EVER.

The US started well, they were attacking, they were physical and they showed no fear. They actually made it look like the Don't Tread on Me ad campaign seem serious. Then Italy scored. Suddenly my delight turned into frustration. Then the own goal came minutes later. Joy once again returned and the bar erupted in jubilation. Then the red card to Rossi of Italy!! To see McBride coming off the pitch with blood pouring from his face had to be inspirational to his teammates. Then to see him come back on, minutes later with 3 stitches pushed them more. At this point I was feeling pretty good about a win. 1-1 tie, we have 1 more player and we are dominating the game. How can we not get three points?

Then anger. Pablo's red card, probably a little harsh. Now we're even, but I'm still feeling good going into half-time. Then disbelief as Eddie Pope is given the red card (a poor decision by the ref) for a second offence. I was in shock. 3 red cards in one game??? Now I just hoped we would hold on. But that is when the amazing thing happened. The US crowd was making noise and the boys responded. The US still had chances, even though they were down a man. Then around the 75 minute, Beasley scores. The bar goes insane. No team has ever scored with only 9 men in the World Cup. NO ONE. And sadly that fact held true as the goal was disallowed due to McBride being offsides and in the path of the ball. Which, after seeing the replay, he was. No question. I can't argue with that.

The US held on for a draw and restored our reputation. Had they played like that against the Czechs, I think we would be through at this point, or at least only needing a draw. Now we need an Italy win and a US win. That's the easy way.

I have decided that I am rooting for another team in this tournament. Dustin has England (since he lived there for a while, I understand) and I have decided to root for the Aussies. They are playing Brazil right now and while my head (and fantasy league team) say Brazil will win, my heart is rooting for Australia.

My Weekend of Bliss......

....began early Saturday morning. Since the World Cup began, I had watched zero of the matches, but I more than made up for it this weekend. I watched a poor performance by England as they barely beat Paraguay. Then I met up with my Mom and a friend of hers to watch the Trinidad & Tobago vs. Sweden game. It was awesome!!! Best game of the Cup so far, and it ended in a 0-0 tie!! I couldn't believe T&T held on. Finally the soccer day ended with Argentina beating Ivory Coast 2-1.

Today was more of the same. I woke up early to see Netherlands beat Serbia & Montenegro, which is funny because Montenegro declared independence from Serbia, so now what do we call them? Also does this mean the Montenegrin on the team have to leave? (although there are only two of them).
I then watched the other two games of the day (Mexico beat Iran and Portugal edged Angola).

Where is this leading to you may ask??? Well, the tournament for me and my Aussie friends really begins tomorrow. Australia opens the day playing Japan and then, the big one, The US plays Czech Republic. I'm so excited!!!! Sadly, I can't watch it due to Wildlife Camp, so I have a friend that is going to text message me the score. So if there is a scream of joy in Iowa City around noon tomorrow, that's me. (If it's a scream of anger....good chance that's me too).

My favorite time of year....

....Is just beginning. Yes, once every four years an amazing event happens on Earth. No, it's not a comet, the opening of some silly flower or the Cubs having a winning season. It is the greatest sporting event on Earth. Yes, you've guessed it. The World Cup.

It's hard for me to contain my excitement for the World Cup. For those of you that don't know (meaning many Americans that don't know me well), the World Cup begins tomorrow in Germany with Germany playing Costa Rica. I know this isn't a very exciting opening game, but I'm actually thrilled by it because I think Costa Rica may have a chance. The Americans don't actually play until Monday (when I'll be working, Maybe I should quit for a day?).

The best part is that there will be soccer games on every day for almost a month. EVERY DAY!!! Here in the States the games are on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC. Yes, ABC is actually showing a soccer game that doesn't include the US National Team. How exciting is that!! I'm pumped to tune in on Saturday morning and watch England get beaten by Paraguay. That would be a great start to my summer (but if England won, that would be okay too).

The difference between here and Australia is amazing. In Australia I saw signs of the World Cup everywhere that I went. Jerseys in stores, ads in papers, commentary on TV, it was amazing. Here however is a little different. Most Owens couldn't care less about the games and I can't find a USA jersey to save my life, though oddly enough I could get one in Brisbane.....weird.

The other fun thing is that I started working today. I had my first day at the UI Wildlife Camps and I went out with 10 kids and another leader on an insect hike. Yes, we went searching for bugs and other animals. The highlight came when we caught a snake in the grass, although it was only a garder snake, probably the least scary snake of all. Good times.

By the way, the US will advance out of their group and I think if they can play their best, they could win it. Of course, it would require a tremendous amount of luck too!!!

My battle.....

It was an interesting flight to Chicago from Brisbane. First I had to fly from Brisbane to LA. This flight is between 13.5 and 14 hours. I had a rather large gentleman sitting next to me who decided that it would be fun if we were touching for most of the flight. I wasn't weirded out by this too much at first, but then I briefly broke my entertainment system and it played Brokeback Mountain. That's when the touching started to bother me.
It wasn't just the awkward arm to arm contact that was bothering me. Eventually he fell asleep and sure enough, began to snore. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much on the plane, maybe 40 minutes at most. Fortunately, once Brokeback was over, my entertainment system was working again, so I was able to play games and watch most of Syriana before we landed. It was a real battle for most of the flight because we kept fighting for control of the arm rest, which he won because I kept getting up to move around. I think he stole my pillow one of those times too.

When we landed in LA, it was 7 am on Wednesday. The best part about that was when I left Brisbane, it was 11 am on Wednesday. Don't think about that too much because it really starts to hurt the brain.

The flight from LA to Chicago was much better. I purchased some Tylenol PM at LAX and I was asleep before we took off. I slept for most of that flight. Then it was a 5.5 hour drive from Chicago to Altoona before I could go to bed for the night. I finally got to sleep around 11:45 pm.

But the fun continued the next morning. I woke up at 6:30, got ready and drove to Cedar Rapids to see my kids at Prairie View on their last day, which was pretty cool. I also visited my Lemme kids and hung out with Mike and his wife Lianne that night. They asked to see all my pictures, which I think they were regretting two hours later.

That night was awesome because I returned to my old apartment and filled up the air mattress and laid down. I woke up 20 minutes later and found myself sleeping on the floor because the mattress was leaking air. Still, it was a great night's sleep.

My Last Post......

....well, in Australia anyways. I'm sitting at the airport, remembering what I felt like when I stepped off the plane two and a half months ago. I was hot and in awe of the tropical feel as I waited for a bus to take me to my hotel.

This time around it's a little different. I took the train to the airport this morning. Then my bag was too heavy!! So I had to switch some things around and make my carry on a little cumbersome, but other than that all is well and everything is heading back to the States.

I just wanted to thank Julia, Jude, Stuart and John for helping me out while I was here. Thanks for hanging out with me, taking me to some memorable places and for putting up with me in the classroom! I truly appreciate it.

I board my flight in about an hour. The flight to LA is a monster. I fly for roughly around 14 hours and I land 4 hours before I left!! Then I'll trudge my way through customs and around 10 am I board my flight to Chicago where Mom is waiting. After that, it's a short 5 hour drive back to Altoona!!

Good times just keep on comin'.....

My long day

Today I finished up my wonderful little jaunt in Sydney and flew back to Brisbane. On the last day I thought it would be a wonderful idea to go to Bondi Beach (pronounced Bond-eye). After taking the train to Bondi Junction I walked about 1 km to the beach. As I suspected, it was a giant beach. There was strike one for the day.
I decided that I would head back to another rail stop on the way back to the center of the city. I thought I say a little harbor that looked similar to the one in Finding Nemo, so I walked the 1 km back to the station. Once I got on the train, I looked at my handy map and guide book and saw that I was near Fox Studios Australia, the place where The Matrix trilogy, among other films, were made. I decided after looking up the description that it might be fun. So I walked another 1.5 km to the studios.
Strike two came when I arrived to find that it was nothing more than some restaurants, crappy shops and a giant grass oval. That was a bit of a bummer and a waste of time. After this I figured I would try my chance at the harbor, so I walked another 1.5 km there. I couldn't take a train because I was in-between the two closest stations and neither one would get me any closer.
Once I got there, I looked at the harbor and said, "yep, that could be it." I took a picture and proceeded to King's Cross. Oddly enough, King's Cross (much like Fortitude Valley in Brisbane) is the adult entertainment sector of the city. How is it that I always manage to find these places???
After walking back to the station I looked at the map and realized that I was almost back to the city. So I decided to walk the rest of the way. I figured I'd probably never do it again, so what the heck. This is where strike three comes into play. The pain I felt that night was something that I've avoided for most of my trip. Any man will know what it feels like if you've walked way too far in a single day and they may even describe that raw feeling you get. Ouch.

I figured today would be better, since I was heading back to Brisbane. I got to the airport and all was going well. Then the entire high school showed up and they were on my flight to Brisbane. Good times.

They weren't that bad until the landing. I've never heard someone scream for no apparent reason on a landing, but low and behold, a couple of girls did. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.

So now I'm back in the Sunshine State, sitting at a computer in a shady arcade and whynging, which if you ask Jude, is what I do best!! ; )

My Perfect Ending....

....came today. I'm currently hanging out in Sydney until Monday when I fly back to Brisbane. I flew here yesterday, checked into the hotel (which can only be described as a converted office building) and I immediately started to explore. I went to the Sydney Aquarium yesterday, which was pretty cool. I saw a platypus (awesome!) and then I explored the town a little bit. Oddly enough there was a show called Defend Your Turf, which is apparently sponsored by MTV and Nokia. It's a 5 vs 5 soccer tournament for local teams in which the winner gets $10,000. Then they get to play "The Boys from Brazil", which is a team of about 9 Brazilian that are pretty good. I checked that out for most of the night until I couldn't feel my fingers anymore due to the cold. Then I wandered back to the Office.
Today began with a cool tour of the Sydney Opera House. That was pretty sweet. Then I went to Taronga Zoo, which is a short Ferry ride away. I went on a Gold tour, which was like a behind the scenes tour. Then it happened.....and if you all know me, you know that I'm a dork and I love zoos. I got to pet an echidna!!!! I also got to pet a red and grey kangaroo and a possum. It was AWESOME!!!
After the zoo I wandered around a bit and went to a movie (even though I swore I wouldn't due to the prices down here). So it was a good day.

Oh, for those of you still wondering....Origin was pretty sweet. We (Queensland) were down by 10 with about 20 minutes left. Then we came back and tied the game with only 4 minutes to go. Then sadly, some punk from NSW scored a drop kick goal (which is worth 1 point) and we lost!!! Blasted NSW.

Other than that, all is well in Sydney. The showers are pretty gross, but other than that the office is good.

My Preparations....

.....with State of Origin coming up, I decided to rent a DVD of the greatest Origin moments of the last 25 years. I watched it last night in an attempt to figure out what the big deal was about these upcoming rugby matches. I knew there was some hatred, so I was thinking along the lines of Iowa vs. Iowa State or something like Michigan vs Ohio State football, something where the two teams really don't like each other. To be honest I think I underestimated the whole thing.....

But first, for all of you Origin virgins like myself, State of Origin is a best of three rugby test matches between the best players from the state of Queensland (the Maroons) against the state of New South Wales (the Blues). You play for the team where you first played rugby at a competitive level. It all sounds pretty simple right? Well, there is some history here....

Previously most of the best players from Queensland would play in the rugby league in Sydney, then when Origin time came up, they would play for NSW against Queensland. The problem was that most of the best came from Queensland, so they were playing against their home state.
This all changed in 1980 when State of Origin began. The tag line that goes with the Origin series is State vs. State, Mate vs. Mate. Mate vs Mate meaning that guys who play in the rugby league together would play against each other.

Now you have the historical background, but there is one element missing....hate. These two teams literally dislike each other to the point of hatred. There have been tons of all-out brawls during the past Origin games and I saw clips of guys playing with blood all over their faces. I personally would never play rugby, some say I'm not fast enough or big enough or strong enough, but I prefer to think that I'm just to pretty....but that's me.
The closest comparison I can make to this is if in the NFL Pro Bowl, the two teams where divided by where you were born, North or South. Then the two teams played for Real. None of this, no hard hitting, or take it easy type of hits. NFL Playoff intensity and hitting, but with All-Stars. That would come close to the type of game that starts on Wednesday night. Oh yeah, and then they would play two more times in the next two weeks. Then it would come close.

My Deja Vu.....

....so this weekend has started out similar to one of my first weekends in Oz. I went with John down to Beenleigh to watch his son play a soccer game and then we went out to Springbrook National Park again to check out some things we missed (the car broke down last time!)

Life in Oz is still good. I only have 3 days left in the classroom, and then on Thursday I head for Sydney!!! I'm so pumped. I can't wait to see where Finding Nemo was filmed!! I may ask some locals if I can't find the place....

Sorry this is short, but time is running out. State of Origin is coming up this week, so the entire East coast of the country is in a tizzy. It's pretty sweet. I'll explain next time...

My last week.....

I have become some sort of science man in my time at Morningside. I've done more science experiments with the students than I had done in my previous 25 years of life, which comes to around 4 or 5 (?).

This fun filled trend continues today when we look at the difference between the freezing points of freshwater and saltwater. After doing the experiment with the students I have to then explain to the students why this is.

Now many of you know that I am not a man of science. If it wasn't for Andy Luse and Matt Buthel I would have failed physics and I spent most of my junior year in Chemistry playing with a salamander. Now I have to explain to my students why something happens.....thank God for the Internet.

Hope all is going well, I have to go and paint some Aboriginal art with Year 1 before the experiment this afternoon.

Good times....

My first lesson....

I went up the coast with Jude and Stuart this weekend. I think the place was called Marcoola, either that or Macoola, I forgot, but I have it written down at home.
Stuart's parents have a little house up there near the beach. It was awesome! Stuart gave me a surf lesson on Saturday and to be honest, I suck. I couldn't even stand up! Every time I tried I would lose my balance or the board would slide out from under me. It was fun though.
That night we watched Crackerjack and The Castle, two classic Aussie comedies. They were both pretty funny. I wish we had Lawn Bowling in the States or at least in Iowa. It would be a blast!
Sunday we went back out to the beach. This time it was with the boogey board. I had a little more success. I was able to catch 1 or 2 waves, but other than that, I still suck. It was a lot of fun though.

My Curse....

I have been labeled as a curse to the Brisbane Lions, the local AFL franchise. I have been to two of their games and sadly they lost both of them. Jude has brought this to my attention and informed me that I will not be allowed to attend anymore games while I'm here! I'm a little sad about this, but I will move on. I will have to find a new team to cheer for, maybe the Magpies, because they have a sweet nick-name. There is also a team called the Crows, so I'll choose one of those two.

Other than that, the weekend was fun. I didn't really do anything on Saturday other than see The New World, the latest Colin Farrell movie that was more of a love story than I was expecting. I'm also curious about it's historical accuracy, but with a love story, any accuracy goes out the window!

I hope all is well back in the States. The munchkins are about to come in, so I must run.

Till next time, I'm still.....

.......Livin' the dream,

Bill

My Mistakes....

Okay, so Jude (one of my cooperating teachers) and her boyfriend Stuart have hacked onto the blog and informed me of some corrections that I need to make.

1. The song played on ANZAC day is The Last Post, not the Last Patrol as I had called it.

2. Stuart's name is spelled Stuart, not Stewart as I had also tried.

There, now that I have tossed those on here, I'm sure there will be many more corrections in the future, as my accent seems to be causing many difficulties. Just 5 minutes ago, I was arguing the correct pronunciation of the word zebra. I say ZEE-bruh. The kids say Zeh-bruh. We argued for a couple of minutes and when one of the students tried to draw it on the chalk board, it looked like some sort of chubby dinosaur with stripes. It was awesome!
Good times at Morningside.....

Bill

My Big Night......

Last night (Friday) was huge!!! I went to the Australia vs New Zealand Rugby match in Brisbane. It was awesome. To hear all the Aussies singing their national anthem at the beginning was a great sight. Then I was able to see the Kiwis do the Haka, a dance/intimidation ritual that is meant to scare their opponents, basically telling them they will be eaten. Sweet.

The game was great with Australia winning 50-12. It was awesome! It seemed like the Kiwis were only out to hurt people, not really win the game. One guy on their team kept giving out cheap shots after a tackle. I know that if it was the NBA or NHL or even MLB and you go for a cheap shot, normally a big guy on your team sends a message to the other player.....especially in NHL. But this didn't happen. I was waiting for someone to drill him or something, but no luck.

The game really changed when this guy nicknamed Shrek came in for Australia. He looks similar to Shrek and he wasn't afraid to hit someone, or run the ball right at them.

It was a great night and probably the last sporting event I'll get to see. That's okay though. I'm still trying to arrange Sydney, so we'll see what happens.

In the meantime, I'm still just....

Living the dream,

Bill

It's been a while.....

I know, I know, it's been a while since my last post and I STILL haven't been able to get many pictures up for everyone. I'm sorry, I'm a slacker!

If it helps, I've been extremely busy. I've been teaching for most of the days this week and I had a visitor last weekend. Lauren Trolley, a student teacher from Iowa who is in Canberra, Australia, came up last weekend to enjoy some of the sunshine. We had a good time and we went to Noosa Heads, a national park 2 hours north of here. We also went to a Brisbane Broncos Rugby match. That was awesome!! They were even playing the Canberra Raiders, which added to the fun.
The best part of her visit was being able to spend time with another student and American who is going through the same thing. We laughed about some of the phrases we've heard and some of the things we've had to explain. Sometimes it's great to be able to use a phrase and not have to explain what it means.

This weekend should be exciting too. I'm going to see the Australia vs. New Zealand test match on Friday night with Stewart (one of my cooperating teacher's boyfriends). He's pretty cool, so that should be fun. I also need to go back down to Surfer's Paradise and see if I can get a shot glass for my uncle at the Hard Rock Cafe.

I'm also trying to plan a short trip to Sydney after I'm done in the classroom here (which is in less than 3 weeks). I found cheap airfare and a cheap hotel, I just have to check it out again and book it. Cheap is the key word, because I'm short on funds!!

I hope all is well back in IA!! I miss you all and I can't wait to see you soon!

God Bless,

Bill

ANZAC Day

I awoke very early this morning to take part in an Aussie tradition. Every year on this day they celebrate ANZAC Day to remember all the soldiers that have died in past wars. ANZAC stands for Australia-New Zealand Army Corp, just so you know, but back to the story.

I awoke at 2:50 am so that I could be on the 3:44 am train, in order to make the 4:20 am mass at the ANZAC temple in ANZAC square, which is in downtown Brisbane. It was a wonderful ceremony. The governor of Queensland gave a short speech and she placed flowers in the Memorial, along with a member of each branch of the service. Then a bugler (a person who plays the bugle) played "The Last Patrol" which is similar to our Taps. After that, people went up to see the temple/memorial and then the festivities were put on hold until 10 am when the parade began.

The parade consisted of former soldiers, their family members or family members marching in honor of departed loved ones. It was a good parade, although almost every division had a group of people that marched, so it went on for a while. I finally left at 11:30, with no end in sight.

It was a great experience and I enjoyed seeing how the Aussies remember those that have fallen in battle. It was moving and I had never seen so many Australia flags before!

One funny part was that some of the old military Jeeps that they drove had the steering wheel on the left side of the car (not the right, which they normally do). Then on some of those vehicles, you could see "USA" stenciled on the side of the vehicle. I smiled.

I hope all is well, Egypt is back on track and looking like a go, so that should be sweet!!

I miss you all, be good and take care,
Bill