Anzac Day

Today was Anzac Day in Australia.   For those of you who don’t know what Anzac Day is (I didn’t, and I am a history buff), it is considered the most important occasion in Australia and marks the anniversary of the first military action fought by Australia and New Zealand forces during the First World War.  The day starts with a Dawn Service and is followed by a parade.  You can find a pretty cool video of the parade here.  I had thought that I would attend the Dawn Services and the parade, but I didn't make it to either.

My day consisted of a long walk to commercial street and a bit of exploration.  Yes Chris, I did it only because you asked me to get out of the hotel.  See, sometimes I do listen.  Anyway, it was a decent day overall I guess.  Thus far I only have one complaint about OZ, and that is the measured shots at all the bars.  Gosh does that get old!  I stopped at three little nooks during my walk and I had a drink at each before grabbing lunch.  Where did I eat lunch?  T.G.I. Fridays!  What an American…  Actually, I do have another observation to share.  You may find it shocking to learn that this observation also involves adult beverages.  So, the observation… The bartenders here suck!  No, I am not becoming bitter, it is true.  At least the ones that I have encountered so far.  To be fair, I don’t think they are used to people sitting at the bar.  Most people tend to sit at tables and/or booths.  Not a single bartender made any attempt to strike up a chat and in all three cases I was the only soul sitting at the bar.  Intrigued, I attempted a chat with all three.  Crickets…  Maybe its time to stop drinking.

The day ended with a typical Tonka moment.  I have been hearing about another great running park nearby so I decided to check it out.  It loops a lake and its supposed to be 6K from start to finish.  Well, the problem is that I decided to go for my run at 7:30pm and it was dark.  I made it to the park and started down the trail.  It occurred to me that I was the only idiot in the park, and it was really dark!  The kind of dark that makes it impossible to see more than a couple feet ahead.  Being the hardhead that I am, I kept going.  Halfway in to my run the impossible happened.  It became even darker!  Now I was frightened, and I mean really scared.  I finally came to my senses and made an about face.  Note to self, no more nighttime runs for the truck! I wonder what tomorrow will bring?