Maybe in Oz

I was introduced to a new word the other day - Sneans.  According to Urban dictionary, it is the highly attractive combination of sneakers and jeans.  Apparently it is a very American tourist thing that Aussies, Kiwis, and various forms of Irish like to give us grief for.  It has its own hash tag and Facebook page dedicated to making fun of people wearing #sneans.   My coworkers gave the typical example of a middle aged man wearing light colored jeans and white New Balance sneakers together.  I can understand, that's definitely a look.  Throw in a tucked in t-shirt and a belt with a giant Iphone strapped on and it makes quite a statement.  But they also insisted sneans extends to any form of sneakers with any form of jeans.   At first I protested - what's wrong with wearing sneakers with jeans?  Lets say you're on a long weekend in Tasmania, where you may go wine tasting and hiking all in one day.  Sneakers seem like the only appr...

Just when I think we have learned all the nuances of living in Australia, I get thrown another curve ball.  Last week I took a two day first aid training course, and I quickly realised that while we may have learned quite a bit of Aussie speak, we still have far to go with medical Aussie speak.  I'm used to Ibuprofin being Panadol, but besides that we haven't really had to converse in medical terms that much. I realised this on day one of the class when I found myself asking once again what a word the instructor had just said meant.  I think it was Ventalin - apparently that's what Aussies call an inhaler. I'm pretty sure it's a brand name like Kleenex is, but it took me awhile and a few funny faces to figure out what they were talking about.  Then the instructor asked what a normal body temperature was and I said 98.6.  Everyone else looked at me funny as they said 36 and I laughed realising that I hadn't had to deal with temperature in Celsius yet.   ...

Today we went to see the Royal Edinburgh Tattoo in Melbourne, and it sure brought me back to some fun memories from my teenage years.  I played the trumpet in marching band for 12 years, and my high school band had a bagpipe band so the sound of bagpipes always reminds me of home.  I also took Scottish Dancing lessons for a couple years and competed at a couple Highland Games.  I might not have much Scottish blood, but I feel like I could be an adopted Scot. Doing the sword dance before the high school football championship  Competing at a Highland Game Twenty years ago, (wow, I'm getting old!) my high school band went to England and Scotland on a tour.  Funny, when I hear about Alex Smith the football player I think of that trip.  He was in middle school at the time and the son of our school principal so he went along.  I see pictures of him now and just can't process that he's not that scrawny little 12 year old any more.  Anyway, we st...