Yesterday, the 26th of January, was Australia Day. Mark, and many other Australians of Aboriginal heritage, refer to it as Invasion Day, a term signifying commemoration of the event that led to demise of a huge amount of indigenous culture in Australia.
On 26 January of 1788, the British flag was raised at Sydney Cove (very near where the Sydney Opera House stands today), and nearly 1400 people disembarked from eleven ships to establish a convict settlement. That event marked the beginning of the detrimental colonization of yet another land-mass, resulting in one of the most scarring and disturbing sociologic phenomena in the history of man. More than two-hundred years later, many Australian Aborigines continue to suffer from the egregious after-effects of European land mongering and false superiority.
But don't let me rain on the parade. In typical Aussie fashion, let's sigh and suck our teeth for a second, then move on to happier thoughts.
Yesterday was also Kye's first birthday party. It seems only a few months ago I was posting pictures of the newly born Kye on my blog. Now he's a big boy with curls to die for. Mark's sister hosted a pool party at her home in Wollongong. It was a perfect day in many ways, although I got a really bad sunburn. Yes, I've been thoroughly chastised for it. And yes, I
was wearing sunscreen, although obviously not enough.
Oh by the way, I just received a rejection e-mail from the job I interviewed for in the States a couple of months ago. I was one of three candidates flown in for a two-day interview process, and they didn't even have the decency to call me to reject me. You'd think that by the time I made it to that point in the competition, I'd get more than an informal, five-line e-mail. Anyway, I'll assuage the pain with some Bombay Sapphire I acquired from the duty-free shops on the way back from that interview. How twisted is that?
It's just as well. Why would you want to go back to the States for work?
Posted by: Robguy | 31 January 2008 at 02:55 PM
That kind of rejection is just shear cowardice and disrespectful.
Posted by: Brian | 27 January 2008 at 12:44 PM