Sunday, March 17, 2013

Social Sports

I will always love Aussie rules football.  I know that.  It's too ingrained in who I am.  It is too much a part of my personality for me to give it away.

Sadly, I think my ability to play it seriously is finished.  My body can no longer handle the rigours of the game and I have had far too many injuries for me to be effective for any prolonged stretches.  My last season playing seriously, I found that my recovery times had made it near impossible for me to play week to week.  In the past, a bad hit would leave me sore, but I would usually be recovered by the Monday or Tuesday.  My body had changed though and now I found myself struggling even late into the week.

Happily, I found a replacement in AFL 9s.
 This was a non-contact social and gender mixed version of Aussie rules football.
With skills and speed being a premium in this game, it was suited to my strengths.  The lack of any major physical contact or tackling also meant I was able to give my shattered body the rest it finally needed.
It was sad that my Aussie rules days were behind me, but I was having fun with this new form of the game.  I had been fortunate to find this new substitute and I couldn't complain too much.

Friday, March 08, 2013

Rather unexpected

So I was walking down Martin Place to work one morning when I was confronted by some camels.
The last time I had seen any camels, I was in Egypt.  The middle of Sydney's central business district really isn't where I'd expect to see these animals.

Normally I'd say it seems cruel to bring animals to such a crowded place... but camels never seem to care where they are....