This weekend was the Australian equivalent of the Super Bowl - the Grand Final of Australian Rules Football. The whole country was glued to the TV when the game started early Saturday afternoon. It was odd to sit down to watch a championship game during the middle of a sunny Saturday, since the Super Bowl usually involves tucking in on a cold February night, dreading getting up for school or work the next morning. But then again I was completely out of my element - AFL is neither football nor rugby, but a baffling scramble to run, kick and even bounce the ball down an oval field. If you're interested, here's a clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_hqosNvv5E&feature=related
The game turned out to be the most unusual sporting result I'd ever heard of. At the end of 80 minutes, the game was tied, which is normal enough when the two best teams face off. However, there was no overtime. There was no coin flip, or shootout. Instead, everyone went home and the entire game will be replayed this Saturday. All the hype, all the media, all the fans that flew to Melbourne for the game, and no champion. The kicker is that last year, the Grand Final was very close to a draw, and the league discussed changing the rules, but never did. Now, there are a lot of unhappy fans and footie players waiting to play the Grander Final during the first week of what was supposed to be their off season.
The footie debackal was a good companion for my weekend - the sort of ridiculous situation you just have to laugh at. Mark and I are looking for an apartment, and facing all the issues I'm sure ever other person looking for an apartment has - keeping under budget, looking at what's out there and revising your budget to include livable housing conditions, and slugging through a lot of imperfect apartments before [hopefully] finding the right one.
One thing the apartment must have is air conditioning, with a strong preferences for a pool (you see why this is getting difficult). Sunday and Monday have been a quick crash course in Queensland humidity, and it's barely even spring yet. Both days were between 70 and 80, which for New Englanders is perfect temperature. Not here. Both days were oppressive, and I learned that even 75 and breezy can be uncomfortable if it's humid enough. Once I find the perfect apartment, I will be moving from the AC to the pool to the AC (or air con as the Aussies say) on days where it is 100 degrees and 95% humidity.
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