Saints, Sun, and Silly Sayings

This was a very holy weekend in Australia.  The country was thrilled as the Pope recognized Mary MacKillop, an Australian nun and teacher, as the first Australian Saint.  Mary is credited with miraculously curing cancer patients who prayed to her after her death.  This may be the thought of a heathen, but if you're praying to a nun that isn't yet a Saint, who hasn't quite made that cut, you're pretty damn brave, or truly faithful.  But for the two patients it worked wonderfully, and the former convict colony now has their very own homegrown saint.

The second godly event down under this weekend was the return of the sun, and it's finally beginning to look like Australia again.  Unfortunately, it won't be the end of the rain, because this, my friends, is a La Niña year.  Most of you have probably heard of El Niño, the weather pattern that brings warmer temperatures and changed precipitation patterns to the US, and alters the weather patterns across the globe.  El Niño is caused by the warming of the central Pacific Ocean; La Niña is caused by the cooling.  Unfortunately La Niña brings increased cloudiness, stronger winds, and more rain to Australia, and increased snowfall and cool temperatures to North America, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

One thing I'm certainly not warming to is the Australian phrase, "good on ya."  This phrase is somewhere along the like of "attagirl."  No matter who say "attagirl" (dictionary spelling: that a girl), and no matter how nice they may be, it always sounds a bit condescending.  Same thing with "good on ya."  And today I had good on me not once, but three times.

#1, 2: Chatting with the Security Guard:

            Kelly: "I'm gonna have to stick around long enough for the weather to become
                         proper Queensland sun."

            Response: "Aw, good on ya, good on ya." (yep, that was a  twofer)

#3: Slightly later, getting coffee:

           Kelly: "See you later!"

           Response: "Ah, good on ya!"

What does that even mean?  Sticking around to bask in the sun, or taking my cappuccino back to my desk aren't really good deeds... and I don't think they're getting me any goodness points with the Big Guy.  If the good is on anyone, it should be on Mary MacKillop.  Cute Aussie sayings like "How ya goin'" I can do, but something about "ahh, good on ya, love" just sounds like it should be coming out of the mouth of a toothless bogan (translation: hillbilly).