I was walking down my driveway the other week when I looked across the road and saw a flying bird. Now, what's so great about this bird you ask? Well, nothing great, except it just happened to be heading straight at me. I spotted it a good 20 yards away seeing only the front of its beak, its two little eyes and flapping wings. I thought, at first, the bird didn't see me. So, I quickly began flapping my arms and yelling words that basically communicated, "Hello bird! I am here. This is my space. Stop flying towards me." This all happened in under five seconds. It became very apparent, around the 4th second, that this bird indeed saw me because its trajectory did not change. As the bird got closer, I ducked, but that didn't do much as the bird just hovered around my head and kept swooping at me. I felt like my cat. I always remember watching my cat get attacked by birds and thinking it was funny. This was not funny. (To Butterscotch: I am sorry for laughing). I told my housemate about what happened and he said, "Must have been a Magpie." And he was right. They are well known for attacking people. Anyway, I didn't get hurt or even pecked, but it was scary none the less.
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| I thought I needed to worry about spiders, alligators, or snakes. Not birds. I guess you just never know in this country. |
This is the name of one of the most popularly distributed and enjoyed beers in Queensland. Most American's assume that Foster's is the most widely known Australian beer, but this is totally untrue. Since I have been in Australia I haven't even had a Foster's. Why? Because I haven't seen one anywhere.
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| Ask for a pot of gold and you will receive a 250 mL glass worth of XXXX beer |
Just to note that this differs by State....
The XXXX brewery is a ten minute drive from my house so last weekend I decided to check it out with my friends; two Rotary scholars visiting from Sydney and my housemate John Mayne. We went on a tour and then enjoyed four different types of XXXX beer at the end. It was a fun way to spend a few hours and gave me a greater appreciation for all the work that goes into beer making.
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| The joke goes: "Why do Queenslander's call their beer XXXX? Because they can't spell beer. |
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| Cheers to beer makers everywhere. But mainly XXXX today. |
I meant to blog about Sam Stosur about a month ago and am just now remembering. Sam Stosur is from Brisbane and currently resides in the Gold Coast. Anyway, if you didn't know already, she won the U.S.Open tennis tournament in September by defeating American Serena Williams. Congratulations to her for being the first Australian woman to win a Grand Slam tournament since 1980. She is currently ranked #6 in the world.
Rotary
Next week I will be participating in another ShelterBox project. The setup will be displayed in the Central Business District of downtown Brisbane. Hopefully this will go well.
I love ShelterBox and only learned about it last year through Rotary. I may never meet a person who benefits from ShelterBox, but I sleep well knowing that someone else in the world is sheltered and sleeping well because of the organization.
What do I talk about when I give presentation to Rotary Clubs?
Mississippi Presentation
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