I'm Off!!

Well...I'm at Terminal 1 (Hubert Humphrey Airport) in Minneapolis and have made it through security though I thought I was going to end up getting searched as I hadn't taken all of the objects containing metal off me.  Guess I found out that security is much tighter than the last time I flew which is...about 11 years ago.

I found a 'wonderful' stainless steel cubicle thingy to park myself and my bags in and pull the laptop out and hop on the Internet but of course not...not without signing up with 'boingo wireless' for a flat monthly fee of $9.95.  Glad I read the smaller print as it looked like the $7.95 hookup was better but in smaller print it's that for EACH time you connect.  I don't think so!!  Now just so I remember to cancel the account after I get back from Australia!!  Help me remember guys!!

Well...looks like they are running behind and are just getting the San Diego flight to start boarding and then I imagine the plane for Los Angeles will pull up to the gate so I can get started.

Ooooo...the sun is peeking out now!!  Yippee!!  It's been pretty foggy all day but no delays at least not due to the fog...not sure why the San Diego flight is a bit behind but nothing for me to worry...I'm on my to Australia!!

Have a great day wherever you are!!

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie...Oi! Oi! Oi!

Finally!!!

Finally... the BIG day has arrived and I am beside myself with excitement and also a bit nervous!!  After all, it is a rather long excursion I am embarking on today and we'll see how well this body of mine handles 24 hours of traveling.  It will be interesting at best but I am sooo excited I can hardly stand it and probably most around me are ready to see me off for some peace & quiet for the next month...well, except maybe the 'velcro dog' Gertie. 

 

To say she is not happy with the huge suitcase that has been overshadowing her for the past 1 1/2 weeks would be an understatement and I've needed to be a bit nonchalant about it so she hasn't become completely neurotic and try jumping in to go with along with quite a few other people who have wanted me to take them with!!  Somehow I think customs in Aus would take notice if I were to arrive with a dozen huge suitcases in tow...sorry guys!  At least with just one I might not get turned back as the Tour Guide keeps threatening to have them do!!  We'll see if the Tour Guide really has a band & the red carpet out for my arrival! Ummm...that'd be a NO without even any thought!!  But one can always try can't they?!!

 

As promised I'm going to finish out the last few words of interest (at least to me) with the last of the Australian slang from the book "The New Dinkum Aussie Dictionary" by Crooked Mick of the Speewa.  I just know the Tour Guide is going to rush to her iPhone when she gets up for her Friday to see if I would dare put Oz in my blog today...but of course I would!!  LOL 

 

Anyways...here we go...under the letters R & S we have:

 

Rellies:  one's family and relatives are commonly referred to as the rellies' or 'the rels'. 

 

Roo:  Abbreviation for kangaroos.  Also the nickname for the North Melbourne footy team who, by default, I now 'barrack' on.  (Must try and not use the term 'root' for cheering them...that doesn't exactly mean cheer in Aus...)

 

Scorcher:  A bloody hot day.  A 'real scorcher' is a bastard.  (Now I don't need a dictionary of slang to understand this one as we use scorcher ourselves for really hot days.)

 

Shit-yeah!:  A famous Aussie expression of enthusiastic affirmation or approval: 'Did youse go to the pub last night?' 'Shit-yeh! There was  nothin' worth watchin' on the telly'.

 

Strine:  Aussie for the Australian language.  (See Ms. Tour Guide?!  Like Oz, strine is also in this wonderful book of slang you...yes you sent to me so no whinging about my usage of the words now!!)

 

Ok...on to the letters T, U, V, W, X, Y & Z...

 

Tassie:  The island state of Tasmania, also known as The Apple Isle.  Pronounced 'Tazzie'.  (Can hardly wait for the 5 day driving trip in Tassie and no...I will not be driving much, if any...that's what the Tour Guide is for!!  LOL)

 

Tea:  Most Aussies have breakfast, lunch and tea.  Only posh people call it 'dinner'. (Guess I'm one of those posh people...whodathunkit?!)

 

Uni:  University. 'If she gets good marks, she's off to uni next year.'

 

Unit:  A flat, apartment or condominium.  The full name is a 'home unit.'

 

Vegemite:  A dark-brown yeast extract that is a popular sandwich spread.  No-one from a non-British, non-Australian or non-New Zealand background would even consider eating something that smells so vile.  (Really...it isn't bad...got a little tube of it as a prezzie one year for Chrissie from the Tour Guide but must admit creamy peanut butter on toast is still my favorite!)

 

Walkabout:  To 'go walkabout' is to wander around on a whim.  The term comes from the Aboriginal practice of nomadic wandering in the bush or Outback, bu someone who has merely disappeared for a while could be said to have 'gone walkabout.'

 

Whinge:  To whine or complain.  One who whinges is called a 'whinger', a term that is often linked to Pom.

 

You're right:  The Australian version of the Americanism, 'You're welcome', which can also mean 'that's okay'.  (I expect to hear this quite often from the Tour Guide!!)

 

Whew!!  We're done!!  What's that you say?  Where's letter Z?  Why there isn't anything under the Z in my book but if I run across one on my travels I'll be sure to share it with all of you.

 

Well...it's about time to go pack the stack of clothes and try keep it under 50 pounds.  Actually don't think that'll be a problem and I hope to transfer some of the stuff I've packed in the backpack and camera bag into the suitcase to cut down on what I will be carrying on the plane.  Who knew cameras & a 17" laptop could weigh so damned much?!

 

So...until the next post, whenever that might be...take care, have a great day and I'm off to the Land of Aus!! 

 

Hooroo!!!!!

 

 

Just A Pause Here...

I imagine you all were expecting me to blog again today about Australia but I am going to take a pause here to celebrate a milestone for my oldest brother Steve.  You see...it is his 60th birthday today and though he may not see this blog as he doesn't fancy using computers too much...if any...I wanted to give a shout out his way just in case (and hopefully) someone in his part of the world will drag him to a computer today!!

 

He called me on Sunday to check in on his favorite sister which he so openly will profess which would normally make one's heart swell but really...I am his only sister so of course I would have to be his favorite!!  Even if I weren't his only sister I will always be his favorite...after all, 'ya gotta love me!' 

 

At least that's what I remind him of all the time and as he goes about his day today I remind him again 'ya gotta love me Stevie' as you might stumble across a poster here and there in town put up by two sweet 'partners in crime' (a.k.a. the nieces) who readily and willingly were recruited during my visit in January!!  I have waited years for them to be old enough to join in on my loving gestures!!  You rule girls!!  LOL

 

Happy Birthday Bro and many, many more!!!

 

 

Old Cell Phone Gathering Dust??

I just saw a segment on ABC's Good Morning America and thought this was a great idea and wanted to share the information with you.  I have multiple old cell phones gathering dust here that will go to better use now than as a dust gatherer...maybe this will be of interest to you too! 

Here's a link to the segment online: 

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/GlobalHealth/persons-trash-save-anothers-life/story?id=12913872&page=1 

**********

Did you know that your old phones can save lives?
With Hope Phones, it’s easy…

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Hope Phones Recycling Center
794 Industrial Court
Bloomfield Hills, MI  48302

Go to:http://hopephones.org/donate/
 
American's discard over a half a million cell phones every day, and only 10% of those phones are recycled.

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Because health workers in the developing world use simple phones, a donated phone has a huge impact- if you send in your used iPhone, for example, Hope Phones can purchase 5-7 phones for healthcare workers.

How to Speak Strine...Part VI

Glad to see you back again for Part IV on learning some Australian slang from the book "The New Dinkum Aussie Dictionary" by Crooked Mick of the Speewa.  Let's see...we finished up with letter J so let's get right to it and see what's in store for us today...I'm not sure if I'm starting to sound like Mr. Rogers or someone on Sesame Street but that sentence made me flash back a bit!!  Anyways...here we go...

...and now for your entertainment we have letters K & L:

Kangaroos in the top paddock:  One of many Australian phrases indicating that someone is stark, raving mad.  However, the person is a harmless madman.  The person concerned cal also be 'a sandwich short of a picnic', 'not the full bottle', or 'a couple of pies short of a grand final'.

Kiwi Land:  New Zealand:  the land of both Kiwis (the people) and the kiwi (an indigenous flightless bird).

  

Lollies:  Confectionary or sweets, particularly the boiled variety.  Known as 'candy' in North America and 'sweets' in the UK.

Lucky Country, The:  Australia.  Although originally an ironic term coined by writer Donald Horne in the 1960s, the expressionnow implies that Australia is the land of good fortune.

Isn't this fun??  ...and now to the grand letters M & N:

Mad as a cut snake:  Both crazy and angry.  Any Australian snake which has been cut in half doesn't take kindly to its aggresor. 'Mad as a meat axe' is a simliar expression.

Mate:  In Australia, 'mate' is what men (and a small proportion  of women) call their friends, buddies or pals.

Mozzy:  The plural of the word is 'mozzies;'--that is, mosquitoes, which are rumoured to be as big as pigs, with tusks as well.  (I don't know about any of you but I am looking forward to a few bites from some mozzies after this long, snowy winter we've been having in Minnesnowta!)...he** I think everyone here are wishing for a mosquito bite about now!!

Never Never:  Home of the Outback Aborigines, meaning the desert regions of Australia.  A somewhat affectionate term for the country that is deemed to be 'beyond the Black Stump'.  The term is also used to describe the hire-purchase or credit system.

...and now we're on to the letter O which is going to emphasize to the Tour Guide that I, indeed, am not incorrect on aone particular word that starts with the letter O so let's get to it!

Onya!:  Similar to good on ya!, but more often shouted as a form of encouragement, especially at the footie and other sporting events.

O.S.:  Overseas---essentially anywhere but Australia.

Outback, The:  Australia's remote, sparsely populated and generally arid regions come under this collective term, which literally means 'out the back', or beyond civilisation.  Similar to the bush, but it implies somewhere even more inhospitable.

Hello??  Tour Guide??  Yes, this is under the O in that handy, dandy book you sent me........

Oz:  Australia!!

...and to wind this up we'll end with the letters P & Q:

Pokies:  Poker machines, known elsewhere as 'fruit machines' and 'one armed bandits'.

Pom:  An English person.  The origin is uncertain, with explanations ranging from POM (Prisoner of His/Her Majesty---a convict) to an abbreviation of pomegranate, rhymn slang for 'immigrant'. 

Postie:  A postman or postwoman.

Prezzie:  A gift or present, like you receive at Chrissie.

Qantas:  Everyone knows this is Australia's national airline---founded in the Outback inthe 1920s---but most people are not aware that the name is the acronym for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services.  (Please note Tour Guide...I spelled Qantas correctly not Quantas!!!)

Well...we're about two thirds through the alphabet here and I'll finish up on Thursday.  Yes, you read right...Thursday as tomorrow I have a special post to put out there.

Until then...wherever you are...have a great day!!

How to Speak Strine...Part III

Well...here we go with Part III on learning some Australian slang from the book "The New Dinkum Aussie Dictionary" by Crooked Mick of the Speewa.

 

...and at letter E & F we have: (drum roll here)....

 

Ear basher:  A pub bore.

 

Fair dinkum:  The absolute truth as in, 'He's a fair dinkum bastard, fair dinkum he is, he's fair dinkum, my bloody oath.'  As a general observation anyone who utters such a phrase can be regarded as, 'three sheets to the wind', 'pissed as a parrot', or just drunk.

 

Flat chat:  To move or travel at high speed; 'flat tack' has the same meaning.  (The first time the Tour Guide said this to me I was like 'what the h*** are you talking about?'--it made no sense to me.)

 

Floating on ice:  Drunk (Now, here in Minnesnowta if you are floating on ice you are really in trouble as you're probably standing on a chunk of ice that's broke off and floating in a lake-amazingly this does happen & people have had to be rescued!  Me...I stay off frozen lakes pretty much...it would just be my luck to have to be rescued.)

 

Footie/Footy:  Abbreviations for football, the various forms of which are a national obsession.  Aussie Rules is played primarily in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

 

Footpath:  The Australian version of pavement, sidewalk, etc.

  

...and under the letter G we see:

 

G, The:  The vast (it seats around 100,000 people) MCG, or Melbourne Cricket Ground---the main stadium for the 1956 Olympic Games, and a legendary cricket and Aussie Rules venue.  (The Tour Guide speaks in utter reverence about the G...huge cricket & footie fan she is!!)

 

G'day:  Good day---the universal Aussie greeting, pronounced 'g-deh' rather than 'g-die'.

  

Good on ya!:  Used to express approval and even admiration:  the Aussie equivalent of the much more restrained British term 'Good for you'. 

 

Great Australian salute:  A tongue-in-cheek description of the Aussie practice of waving one's arms and hands around the head and neck to discourage flies and other airborne pests.

 

...for letter H let's see what we have:

 

Hen's teeth:  As scarce as.  Even Blind Freddy knows that hens have no teeth.

 

Hoon:   A high-class dole bludger.  An idiot.  Also, someone who likes to drive fast and loud, and generally make mischief in the street.

 

Hooroo/Ooroo:  Literally goodbye, as in 'Well hooroo then, I'll catch yer later.'

 

Howzat!:  A cry made to a cricket umpire by a fielding side, as an appeal to have a batsman declared out for various incomprehensible reasons.  A bastardisation of 'How's that?',  'Howzat!' is normally screamed dramatically by an expectantly crouched bowler.

 

...can you believe it?  We are already to the letters I & J and then we'll be done with Part III.  Don't want to rush into all this slang at one time! ...and now we have:

 

Interstate:  Anywhere in Australia other than one's home state---as in 'They went interstate yesterday' or 'I'll be interstate for the next week'.  (Here if we say interstate we would be referring to one of the major highways.)

 

Jackaroo:  A generally young apprentice worker on a sheep or cattle station.  The female equivalent is a 'Jillaroo'.

 

Joey:  A cute baby kangaroo or wallaby, usually seen in its mother's pouch.

 

Joe Blow:  'He's just an average Joe Blow', an ordinary bloke. 

 

There are more slang words under each letter but I really don't want to completely bore you but just want to give you an idea of what some of the confusing 'English' I'm going to be up against when I arrive in Aus (or can I still say Oz since it is in the dictionary?!)

 

Anyways...hope you all are having a wonderful Monday...at least if you are in the Northern Hemisphere that is.  Stay tuned for Part IV of How to Speak Strine coming up tomorrow...not so much of the alphabet left to go now!!

 

P.S.  I'm thinking whomever came up with Oz for Aus had better keep their head low...the Tour Guide is not happy & looking for them!!  Same goes to whomever came up with 'strine' for Australian!!

How to Speak Strine...Part II

I got to thinking how I really should reacquaint myself with Australian slang...I wasn't kidding about the Tour Guide having sent me an Aussie dictionary a while back and even highlighted a few of the more important words/phrases in the dictionary.  So I went on a mission to find the book...finally found it and dusted it off and started to thumb through "The New Dinkum Aussie Dictionary" by Crooked Mick of the Speewa...whoever that might be!  So here we go...

Under the letter A we have (almost sounds like I'm calling BINGO now):

Aerial pingpong:  Australia's home-devised football code, Australian Rules.  Incomprehensible to civilised races, it makes about as much sense as the equally dubious sport of water polo; aka: AFL

Ankle biter:  A form of rug rat.  A member of the human race, of indeterminate sex and colour, under two years of age.

ANZAC:  Acronym for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, the diggers of which performed heroic deeds for the British during World War I.

Arvo:  Afternoon, as in 'See youse Sat'd'y arvo'.  A common example of the Australian obsession with abbreviation.  'This afternoon' is 'sarvo'.

...and under the letter B we have:

Barrack:  To encourage one's team from sidelines, not always in complimentary terms, eg: 'Get in there and fight, you bunch of bloody mongrels.  (The Tour Guide has informed me I now barrack for North Melbourne!)

Bastard:  Either a term of affection as in, 'good old bastard', a term of abuse as in, 'bloody bastard,' or a comment on the weather as in, 'bastartd of a day', meaning that it is either hot or cold.  The one meaning that the word does not cry in Australian usage is its officially defined one concerning the legitimacy of one's birth.

Blinder:  A stunning display of sporting prowess, as in 'He had a blinder and scored three goals.'  (But the Tour Guide wrote in parentheses that she had had a few or drank way too much-Blinders.  Somehow I have a feeling I might experience 'blinders' myself a time or whilst in Aus!!).

Buckley's:  In unpleasant situations this means that one has no chance whatsoever.  No-one knows for sure who the mythical Buckley was.  One story holds that he was a convict who escaped and lived with the Aborigines.  People in the colony though he had no chance of survival, hence 'Buckley's'.  Always used in the phrase, 'You've got two chances, mate, yours and Buckley's.'

...on to the letter C we have:

Cabbie:  A taxi or cab driver.  (Finally!!  A word that I understand without having to read the definition!!  LOL)

C'arn!:  'Come on'---used mainly by those who are barracking for their team or favourite individual in a sporting event.  As in 'C'arn the Swannies!' or 'C'arn the Bombers!'.  (or in the case of the Tour Guide...'C'arn the Roos!')

Chook:   The common name for a chicken or, alternatively, a derogatory term for an older woman---as in 'you silly old choock'.

Coathanger, The:   The Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Crawler:  Someone who is lower than a snake's belly.  A person who fawns upon a superior in the hope of obtaining present or future favours.

...and finally for today a few of the letter D:

Daggy:  The adjective relating to dag.  The word can also be used affectionately to describe someone who is deeply unfashionable, but who couldn't give a rat's arse about it.  (Gotta admit I probably will be called 'daggy' from time to time as I've just never been big on fashion but I am probably a huge favorite of the 'fashion police' for critiquing but who cares?!).

Digger:  Initially one who took part in the gold rushes in New South Wales and Victoria in the nineteenth century.  Now the term for an Australian foot soldier under the rank of corporal.

Dinkum:  Absolutely authentic, as in the expression, 'Fair dinkum mate, I wouldn't lie to you, now would I?'  The answer to this is of course, 'Yes'.  (I've a feeling I'll be hearing this term quite a bit, especially from the Tour Guide...she does like to have her fun and mess with a person's mind!...I'll probably regret having said that if the Tour Guide happens to read this!!)

*Down Under:  Australia---also known as Godzone, Oz, The Lucky Country, Striya  and The Sunburnt Country. (Attention Tour Guide!!!  I did not write this definition especially the word 'Oz' in reference to Australia...it is in the book you sent me!)

Dunny:   An outside lavatory or 'bog'.  (Why not just call it an outhouse like we do here in states?  Makes perfect sense to me!!)

*I hope the Tour Guide takes a good look at the definition for Down Under after giving me such a hard time over my previous usage of 'Oz' in past blogs instead of 'Aus'.  I feel a bit vindicated here seeing as how the definition and use of 'Oz' is in a book she actually sent me!!!  Woo hoo!!  At least that's what she'd be telling me so there!!  (I know I'll pay for that sassiness but can I help it if my cousin Bonnie N.'s attitude rubs off on me?!  I think that might just save me a time or two in the next month!!  Thanks Bonnie!!!!)

So this ends the 'How to Speak Strine' lesson for today...stayed tuned for Part III tomorrow!!

Now, wherever you are, have a great day!!