Not so Patriotic

Sigh. I was so hoping the New England Patriots would stop fooling around and win the Super Bowl. Apparently not.

I feel for Wes Welker missing that catch, but... the Patriots had plenty of opportunities. One missed play by one player does not a loss make. It's a team sport. And I will admit - grudgingly - that the Giants worked hard for the win. (Scuffs foot.)

Okay. I really don't like the New York Giants; they keep knocking my Cowboys around.

In the end, it was the last football game for a while and I'm going to miss it. September is a long way off.

Still, I have the cricket and the rugby union isn't far off; but cricket will soon end.

Guess I'll be off to write for the Winter; and I'm all for that.

Two Woo-hoos

Woo hoo Wallabies!!! Tri-Nations champs for the first time in ten years! God, what a match! Outstanding play from both sides. Bring on the World Cup!

Okay, now that I've got that out of my system - and I've just finished watching the replay - I can also say, woo hoo!! Finished the line edits!

Another week and Huntress: Alone will be up on Scribd.

I've got to let the manuscript rest and then do another read through, tweaking bits and pieces. I've added some six thousand extra words to it and realigned the chapters. I need to make sure it's the best it can be before putting it up.

Until then, I'm reading/editing the next book. I don't know if I'll have a chance to post it before November. I have this new job come up, the move and I have to deal with the neighbour from hell, so I will be busy. I'll give it a shot.

Sooper!

Today... is... Superbowl Day! Smiley-face!

Yay! Go the Cowboys!

Oh... that's right. They're not in it. They had an unexpected, embarrassing and crappy season. Frowny-face.

Green Bay Packers or Pittsburgh Steelers. I don't think I dare choose. Post-season, I managed to pick just about every loser. But then, I suspect most people did.

This season has been the worst for tipping. I had a Patriots/Saints for the Superbowl, or Falcons/Bears. I did not think the Steelers or Packers would be there at the end.

I've thought on the firepower, on the wily Aaron Rodgers versus the solid Ben Roethlisberger as quarterbacks, and it's not helping. I've though on the other players, too, who might play a pivotal role, but that's not helping either. It may come down to which team has an off day - which would be crushing.

I think I'll just sit back with my peeps and enjoy the show. Whoever wins will have earned it - and next year (woe, it's such a long wait), with a new coach, maybe the Cowboys will be in the Superbowl... Smiley-face?

'sup?

Finally, the rain has ceased for the time being. This morning dawned sunny, right before a sea mist rolled in, a sure indicator of a hot and humid day.

We've had more than twice the monthly average for rainfall and eight days of the stuff out of nine. Everything has that dampness about it that reminds me of England. I'm just about to get someone from Seattle to send me the t-shirt: In Seattle, you don't tan, you rust. Coz, I'm feelin' ya.

I can categorically say: "I am over Summer." I want the coolth of Winter, the bitey mornings and cheek-nipping breezes. I want the scent of burning leaves and mown grass. I want the sun to rise later and set earlier... okay, it's doing that now, but I want it to be obvious. I guess I'll have to be patient.

Edits are on track for Friday - barring any unforeseen screw ups.

Oh, and as for the Super Bowl I watched. Can you say, Cha-ching-ing-ing! Who dat?

Another Challenge

Well then. Is this the ultimate challenge for golfers?

The Nullarbor Links opened yesterday. What's so special about this golf course? Here are some stats:

First hole: Ceduna, South Australia.
Last hole: Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
Distance: 1365 KILOMETRES
Time allowed: 5 Days.
Par: 72
Green fees: $50

The Nullarbor Plain is flat, dry and the name comes from the Latin for 'no trees'. Twelve hundred kilometres of empty desert and a straight road. Sure, there are small towns along the way but they're few and far between.

For some, it's an adventure to drive the distant - boring, but an adventure. Now, travellers can stop off and play a hole or two to ease the long journey.

But somehow, I don't think we'll be seeing Tiger playing a round any time soon...

* * *

I picked some plants yesterday and this weekend I'm sticking 'em in the ground. The plan is that in a few weeks, we'll be munching on tomatoes, snow peas and zucchinis. The apple cucumbers weren't in yet, so they'll go in next week.

If this works, I'll be out in the garden more often - as long as the spiders stay away... not a fan of spiders, nope, I am most certainly not a fan of spiders.

Moving on

Yeah, we lost the Ashes and the country mourns...

Over it, now moving on. For all the delete, cut, paste, hack and slash, I've also added twenty pages of finely honed, carefully constructed text... or not. I'll have to re-read once these edits are done.

It's easy to become mired in the scene, the slow progress and then wonder if you've spent too much time on a particular issue, or whether the middle is sagging. It could be that when I re-read, I'll roll my eyes and have to start the edits again. I don't think so but it's a possibility.

I'm not bored yet, the story still sits well, with the adjustments. And I'm half way. I'm determined to complete more pages today than usual. Which means I need to stop stuffing about on the Internet.

I have a few distractions in the real world, which doesn't help - from being without the precious coffee machine (I want my LATTE!), because it's being serviced, to family and job issues.

And the Ashes... the Holy Grail of cricket; gone, lost. Returned to the Auld Enemy. If they'd asked me, I'd have said Brett Lee! But no, obviously they didn't hear me shouting at the television, the deaf buggers. Of course, I would have made other changes, too.

Really, I'm over it...

Well, that sucks

Sometimes, it sucks to be a sports fan. I've not watched any games, but caught updates while working on edits. Still, here's a run down of angst:

Soccer - Man U loses to... Burnley?
Rugby League - St George loses to Brisbane.
Rugby Union - Once again, the Wallabies snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against the All Blacks.
Aussie Rules - Richmond is crushed by Hawthorn.
Cricket - Australia are heading to defeat and losing the Ashes.

The only saving grace is that Dallas thumped the Titans.

Sigh

Back to work. So many pages, so little time...

Touch, pause, engage!

Anyone who knows these words understand they are spoken by a referee about to mediate between two teams in a rugby union scrum.

But they've taken on a whole new meaning with the release of Mills & Boons new eight part series involving a swell gal and a rugby player.

Romance embraces Rugby

Given that a Mills & Boon book is sold every three or so seconds, I can only see success for the series, and perhaps an increased increased in rugby union.

I just wonder how they're going to get around the usual stereotypical description of a rugby player, the cauliflower ears, the scarred features, the tape around the brow to hold the ears in, the scent of Denco-rub or magic spray.

All I can think of are our own rugby players, and there are some fine specimens of manhood representing Australia. England? Not so much.

Questions must be asked:

Will the heroine find herself rucked out or tearful at the break-down? Will anyone intercept the pill and show a clean pair of heels? If the lineout turns into a maul, will she be able to identify the mauler? Will she be penalised for hands in the ruck? Can she stay on her feet, run the angles and make a long pass?

I guess, since it's an M & B that it will be up to him to keep possession and avoid the turnovers.

The next time I watch a rugby match and listen to the ref say: "Touch, pause, engage." I'll be thinking of an alternative meaning...

Choices, choices

Last week, Trooper Mark Donaldson was award the highest honour for courage under fire: the Victoria Cross.

Trooper Donaldson of the SAS was awarded the medal (you don't 'win' combat medals because the action ain't no game to 'win', there is no competition other than to stay alive) after drawing enemy fire away from wounded soldiers and the rescue of a wounded Afghan interpreter left behind. The story is here.

He did Australia proud - as do all our serving troops; he had a choice of continuing to fight, or to expose himself to machine gun fire and rescue a wounded colleague, to be more than another soldier following orders.

Well done, Trooper Mark Donaldson, you are an inspiration to us all.

* * *

Ahem... yes, well, I did pick the Eagles and they should have rolled the Cardinals. Obviously, no-one told Arizona they were supposed to lose. But I also picked the Steelers! (Although I didn't tell anybody - maybe that's the secret of my succ...er, failures.)

It presents a problem. Former Aussie Rules star Ben Graham punts for the Cardinals and he becomes the first Aussie to play in a Superbowl. I should support them - I know the rest of Australia will be - but the way the Steelers played today... I'm keeping my mouth shut on who I'm supporting; it's better that way.

And now, onto the big one: the Superbowl. I shall make ready with popcorn, hotdogs and a caffeinated beverage. Sure, it will be about 10.00 in the morning, but who cares?

Football!

For the past week, I've been enjoying the College football Bowls. I've no idea why they are called 'bowls', I just like watching them (and let's not mention the Dallas Cowboys ever again!)

It's a good thing I don't bet on the games, every single team I've been going for has lost. Every. Damn. One. Even when I changed allegiance. So I'm not going to mention who I'll be cheering in tomorrow's Rose Bowl. I have no wish to be responsible for the weepin' an' awailing of millions.

The whole situation reminds me of when I was first visiting the U.S. with my sister. The team of every city we went to, lost. Including the Washington Redskins who were 10-0 before we turned up! Man... we kept that record to ourselves! And said nothing when we arrived in Atlanta during the last game of the baseball world series...

I don't know what the fascination is with the game, I truly don't. Every year, I take a day off to watch the Super Bowl. I have my popcorn and soft drink and hot dogs, and the game is on mid-morning here. Most people I know are bored with it, especially the constant breaks. Two hours or more to play a game that's really only an hour long? What's up with that?

Anyway, tomorrow the Rose Bowl and the Orange Bowl are being televised, so good luck to... all teams! There, now the weeping won't be my fault.

Sport

Okay, yes. I've been slack. Nary finger to keyboard to create anything, although I have loaded up some files and software.

But it's post-season! How can I not sit for hours in front of the teev and watch those buff bods bash (oooh, nice alliteration!) each other? Everyone needs downtime, even if it means getting up at six am to watch.

I'll be doing the same next weekend when my Cowboys take on the Giants; I gotta feel sad for the Steelers though, what an effort!

I've also been watching the cricket and I'm not happy at the Indians bitching. In no way is poor umpiring decisions Australia's fault. Yes, there's on field sledging, and yes, the Aussies have it down to a fine art, but racial slurs are never acceptable - from either side. It made a tense situation worse that exploded after the game with one side attacking the other's integrity.

Not on chaps, it comes across as sour grapes and is really disappointing after such an excellent and intriguing match. The result was in doubt until the last ten minutes. It's been years since the Aussies were so challenged.

Anyway, onto the next test match - hopefully by then, both sides will have calmed down.

Wrecked

And it's only the beginning of the Rugby World Cup. But... Mo-om I had to stay up late an' watch the Wallabies play Japan... I had to!

Yep. Saw the All Blacks (Lew... oops, New Zealand; damn those Muppets) spank Italy, 76-14 and then Ozralya put Japan through the blender, 91-3 (yes, that's ninety-one to three); after that, well, England, I have to say, played pretty poorly for their 28-10 win over the USA. To me, that was a win for the Eagles. England, after all, are supposed to be the defending World champions. Didn't look like it to me, no matter how scratchy my eyes felt.

Well, the games didn't finish until the wee small hours; tonight's no different with four matches. The last finishes at, oh-my-god-that's-early, 6.00am. Fortunately, from then, Fox Sports are repeating the games.

My quandary? South Africa versus Samoa at 9.00am and the New York Giants versus my Dallas Cowboys at 10.00am. What's a fan to do? Yeah, yeah, record one or t'other, except I don't have a recording device. Flicking over during commercials sounds good, as does flicking over between the NFL quarters and team changeover.

Sigh. I'm guessing I'm not going to get a lot of sleep while the World Cup is on; but... who needs it? I'll sleep when it's over. Bwahaha! I love my football!

Foo'ball!

Ah, can't you just smell the linement?

Here in Australia, the Aussie Rules and Rugby League seasons are heading into finals time. I'm not that much interested since my teams, Richmond in the Rules, finished stone-motherless last and St George, in the League, finished a little further up the table. Either way, they ain't participating in the finals.

There's also the Premier League soccer in England, though I don't think I want to talk about that since Man U are having a less than stellar start.

The Rugby Union World Cup starts this weekend, and while I'm hoping for the best, I doubt the Wallabies will do very well given their idiot, blind and lazy head coach.

On the plus side, the American Football also starts next week. Yay! I'm looking forward to a cracker of season from my boys... the Cowboys that is. Go Dallas!

I love the uniforms, all those tight buns and muscled legs on display. Well, hey, I'm not dead yet, and I like a perv as much as the next woman, thanks.

In the meantime, I've been watching the pre-season games and the College football. As a pre-cursor to the season, it didn't give me much, but the College games were impressive, especially the size of the crowds.

While in the US a few years ago, I tried to get to an NFL game, only to be told that they were sold out...sigh. It was probably a good thing: every city I went to, the home team lost!

One day, when I grow up, I wanna see a live game.

Ick!

When too much sport is never enough…

Ah, Saturday night and there’s more sport on the teev than you can shake a whippy stick at:

Wallabies versus the All Blacks in the first rugby union match for the Bledisloe Cup, Australia versus Singapore in the last warm-up game before our debut into the Asian Cup, the New York Mets playing the Philadelphia Phillies in the baseball and the Richmond Tigers playing St Kilda in the Aussie Rules; all at the flick of the button.

Yep. Did some serious channel surfing between games. The good news? The Wallabies, Socceroos and Mets win! The bad news? The Tigers lose and are still stone motherless last with only one win and a draw from twelve games - but let’s not talk about that.

But the worst of all: Every time I shifted to a particular sport, there was some guy hoiking a loogie! I think the baseball was the nastiest.

I mean, come on! In rugby, soccer and Aussie rules, there’s a blood rule that anyone with a cut, must leave the field to cover the wound; it was brought in as a health issue and rightly so. But these guys go grubbing about in the dirt, tackling each other, all over loogie spattered turf! What is it with men expectorating on national – and international – television? Do they have asthma? A cold? pneumonia? It certainly can’t be because they think it looks cool, or tough. It’s downright stomach churning.

Spitting on public street is regarded as anti-social and nasty behaviour. We teach our kids that it’s not nice, too. So should gobbing chunky phlegm or thin streams of pale saliva onto a sports ground be any more acceptable? I think not.

Bravo to baseball for encouraging gum instead of chewing tobacco, but could all teams, no matter what sport, please take the next step and ban expectorating?

Eech… herrrcchh… pittoo-ee!

Just… swallow it, or use a tissue.

Rugby Union

Sorry to those who aren’t interested, but I gotta vent my spleen.

I have a hierarchy when it comes to Union: ACT Brumbies against anyone; Australia vs the southern hemisphere; Australia, New Zealand and South Africa versus the northern hemisphere.

Usually, this works fine, but the bullshit going on within Australian Rugby is appalling. Last night, we were lucky to steal a win against the Welsh 29-23 with a converted try after the siren. Dropped balls, poor passing, lack of co-ordination and sluggish play weren’t the only faux pas.

No Gregan or Smith until halfway into the second half, no Tiquiri, Paul, Hewatt, Larkham, Latham or Rathbone at all; Giteau playing in an unfamiliar role and the backs all from the Waratahs who finished stone motherless last. The game sucked like a lemon.

And all because of the childish stupidity of the coach John Connelly and the selectors. This September is the World Cup and it’s going to be ugly for the Wallabies; they’ll be lucky to reach the quarters.

Against that, the South African versus England match. The Springboks were marvellous in the 58-10 slaughter: passes that shouldn’t have been caught stuck in the hands, Montgomery’s boot on target, Habana and Willemese bolting through the line and the rucking, brilliant. England had no answer and were lucky to score ten.

I tell you, with the tri-nations coming up next month, the Wallabies will be lucky to win a game. The Springboks and All Blacks are playing to well and any mistake by the Wallabies will be punished. And I’m going to hate watching that.

Maybe the ARU will stop with the petty power games and do something; but I doubt it and we shall be covered with embarrassment instead.

Tired and emotional

It has a nice ring to it, don't you think? 'Tired and emotional'. Beats the hell out of saying you're really, really hungover. (No sympathy for hangovers, it's your own fault, no matter how much you suffer for it.)

My sister came around on Saturday night and we watched the Canberra Brumbies take on the Canterbury Crusaders in Rugby Union. Just like boys around a keg, we had a rather nice De Bortoli Cabernet Merlot... too much of it, apparently.

So Sunday dawned painfully bright and too damned early. The dogs needed to go out and I'm not one to refuse an increasingly urgent request like that.

Gak! I still felt three sheets to the wind, even though it wasn't a late night. Teeth cleaning didn't help, but the Coke I had did, although I made a note to myself: FYI, do not drink Coke immediately after cleaning teeth - it tastes awful.

I spent the rest of the day away from the computer and mooching about feeling sorry for myself. Paracetemol helped, and a nana nap would have been even better, but there was World Cup cricket to watch, then a couple of movies on cable and before you know it, the day's virtually gone.

I'm back at it today and discovered a major plot flaw. If I'd worked on it yesterday, I'd have missed it - being fuzzy-headed an' all - but I think I have a solution that adds to the tension.

I'd like to say "never again", but that would be a lie, so I'll say, "not for a long time" instead.

Good news is the Brumbies won, bad news... ah, it may not be enough to get them into the finals. I'll still watch, though I'll be a little more circumspect in how many beverages I consume!

PBW Stories

Sometimes, I'm little slow on the uptake.

On PBW's old site, every month there was a new story to indulge in. Due to people nicking off with some of those stories, Sheila stopped posting them - and rightly so - though honest fans were disappointed.

Now the stories, excerpts and handy templates are back. Go over to PBW Stories for some goodies. It's not a large site, but has some useful templates for the emerging author to use.

* * *

In the headlines here in Australia is the shocking physical altercation between the Ukrainian swimming coach and his daughter that was caught on camera yesterday.

The World Swimming Championships are currently being held in Melbourne and this tosser was caught getting physical with his kid. We all saw the footage on the television this morning and Victorian police took out an intervention order as a result.

What is up with some parents? Why must it be done their way or not at all? Why can't they behave and be proud of their children's successes? It occasionally happens in tennis, codes of football, hockey, just about any sport on the weekends and parents are chastised for such behaviour; you don't expect it at a professional level, nor with such venom.

I thought we'd gone past that, but I guess I was wrong.

Mikhail Zubkov, you may now leave our country; don't return, we don't need, nor want your type of assholeness.

Ashes

Yar!! The Ashes are back in Australia's hands! Hah! Cricket's Holy Grail is coming home after a year in English hands. Needless to say the English aren't happy. Words like surrender and crushed and ruthless are being bandied about... mwahaha!

Prior to the loss last year, Australia had held the tiny trophy for eighteen years; we consider it ours, yet the true trophy remains in English hands. We have a replica.

Our Sheik of Tweak, the King of Spin, Shane Warne, is one wicket short of the 700 mark. He'll be the first cricketer ever to take that many test wickets when he takes the ball in hand in Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test. And when he does, it will reverberate around the cricket world.

Elsewhere, like most Manchester United fans, I was shocked, shocked, I tell you, at their 1-0 loss to West Ham. I still can't believe it. I shall grieve if the Red Devils lose the trophy over this.

Happily, the Dallas Cowboys dumped on the Atlanta Falcons. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the game; maybe my 'boys can go all the way to the Superbowl on Feb 4. Of course the favourites at this stage have to be the Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers at 12 wins and 2 losses where the Cowboys are 9-5.

Sigh. I love my sport...

Ashes

I've got to feel sorry for the English Cricket Team. At 9 dec 551 runs, you'd figure they were in the box seat at the Adelaide Oval in the Second Test match.

Sadly, no.

Australia piled on the runs to be 38 behind and it simply broke the Poms hearts. After a terrific start to their second innings, they went from 1/69 to be all out for 129, leaving Ponting's men 168 runs to get in three hours to claim the test.

Yep, they swung the willow and won the test match with six wickets to spare!

Gotta love the ruthlessness of the Aussies, but I do feel for the English; they did everything right in their first innings, but let the home side back into the game.

Next up, Perth. The English have to win there; if not, the Ashes return to Australia - and I can't be unhappy about that!