Saturday, April 9, 2011

Smokin' Hot

Last night, presented a clash of two of my loves. Socialising and the Hawks. The latter came second on the night, (but thankfully not on the scoreboard)
Nicole and I shared dinner with 3 married couples, their children and a cavoodle.
The kids ages ranged from about 4 through to 11. 
"So guys, you'll be using tonight as a form of contraception then?" one of the gang quipped to us with a laugh.
And you have to say, when all kids were at full tilt screaming as they played "catch the cavoodle" in the house, Nic and i certainly considered the previous comment as spot on.
Then came the doozie that flips that thought on its head.
Young Oscar was in fine form, and commented, "when i grow up up, I can get a girlfriend, that's gonna be sick!"
"Will she be smokin hot?" one of the guys threw back.
Then as quick as a flash, he answered: "Nah....she can't be a girl who smokes, that's bad for you!"
And with that, we all erupted in laughter, as him mother quietly explained to him in a simple, delicate way what smokin hot meant in 8 year old terms..."very nice, pretty lady".
And of course, he then said she has to be smokin hot.
Gazing at the calendar from a couch eye view, today marks 11 months to the day Nicole and I get married. You can confidently say one of us will look smokin' hot that day. The time will fly from here until then, but we're enjoying the preparation. 
That word preparation though means much more than just listing down guests, venue, music, and finding "that" dress. 
You're preparing as a person too. It's a major step in life for a young couple who dream of where life will take them. But that step, is not individual, it's one taken together, for one another. 
Look ahead ten years from now, and hopefully we will be lucky enough to have that big house, be surrounded by friends, and kids reeling off random comments that reminds you of how great life is in its simplest form. 
Last night to us was a glimpse at that future perhaps.
Today though, as we research the honeymoon, I can guarantee you one thing, there'll be a few moments spent googling "where to buy a cavoodle puppy" instead of what region to visit in France.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Blank Canvas

If the name Darren Mead doesn't ring any bells, let me remind you of who he is. The man was a member of the most recent team to debut in the AFL back in 1997, Port Adelaide Power. He was their inaugural best and fairest winner, and first player to reach 100 games for the club.
As the Gold Coast Suns make their AFL debut tonight, Darren can look on, knowing what it's like to be part of a new franchise. Only, he now has memories, not the blank canvas the Gold Coast paint from tonight. 
How exciting must it be for all involved with the Suns? To start from scratch, and build a club and culture from nothing, is extremely unique. 
Look back in VFL/AFL history, and you see only 20 sides have had that opportunity. Carlton did it back in 1897, and are the team to run out against the Suns tonight. Nervous? They'd have to be, no one wants to go in the record books as the first team to lose to GCFC.
As they say first impressions last, so its set to be a cracking match with the likes of Campbell Brown and Gary Ablett leading the charge. Add to that the inclusion of ex NRL star Karmichael Hunt, we have a degree of intrigue never witnessed before in our game.
For the Suns, It's time to shoot for the stars, and good luck to them!
But from a couch eye view, the opportunity to work from a blank canvas should not be lost on all of us. I can't help but think of Brendan Fevola, or even Ricky Nixon for that matter. Do these guys deserve a chance to re-create themselves? 
On the blank canvas of life, definitely yes. In AFL terms though, they may never be given a brush to paint with again. Ben Cousins got one, and it was an inspiring story, but once you've gained a reputation, the hardest part is changing it. So time will tell.
In AFL, players reputations are made in one action, one mark, one kick, one tackle, and the fan can be brutal and unforgiving. For us on the outside, in the "real world" we get a lifetime to work on ourselves.  With that in mind, maybe its us who are the lucky ones, living outside of the bubble?
What we can be sure of though, is that as the Suns enter that bubble tonight, hundreds of thousands of people will be cheering on, watching history be made. You'd have to think one of them, will be Darren Mead.