Footy!

This banner was infinitely more entertaining that it should have been. It rolled up into each of the handles, so whenever the Hawks scored we pulled the handles apart...but this was us, so we got creative. We wound it up more on one side than the other so we could either encourage our team with a cheerful "Go!" or show our intermittent support for some guy named Al. "Go Al" became our slogan of the day. We also opened it to "Oa!" if we felt an unnecessarily aggressive play had taken place. The other side of the banner says "Flash for cash" and during halftime if you had a banner you stood up and opened the "Flash for cash" side toward the broadcasting screen, and they picked some person at random and gave them free money. Some little kid sitting on his dad's shoulders won $5,000! How insane is that?!? It should also be pointed out that the two men sitting behind me and Laura were two of the most highly amusing fellows that have ever graced me with their presence. They deemed every play an absolutely necessary occasion for spewing out strings of choice expletives about how the Carlton Blues (by the way, what the hell kind of a mascot is a Blue?) were bleepy bleeps who should bleep off to bleepin' bleep because they can't bleepin' bleep worth bleep. Exact quote.

I think we can all learn a little something about fashion from these jerseys. Mid-thigh spandex with short shorts and a tight-fitting striped top. I know what I'm purchasing the next time I need clothes.

Laura sporting the Hawks scarf...and her pimpin' shades that turned everything into a kind of peachy orange watercolor. It made for a highly disappointing experience when you took them off and realized the world doesn't actually glow like that.

I just need to point something out here. This is the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Grounds) when we went for a cricket game during our Melbourne Welcome orientation. We were the only spectators in the stands, and I am not exaggerating in the least. The ONLY ones. Now allow me to show you what this stadium looked like for the Carlton/Hawthorn footy match...

Oh yes. Out. Of. Control. As Laura put it, we had a very lovely afternoon with 69,000 of our closest friends. The energy in this place was unfathomable.