Australia Day!

Happy Australia Day! Zelda and I are celebrating in a big way. We are both clean. We are both fed. And, we are thinking about taking a nap. OK. Zelda is ALREADY taking a nap. She thinks I'm indecisive.

Australia Day is a funny holiday. It is sort of like an intersection of the 4th of July, Columbus Day, and Thanksgiving- but without turkey and pumpkin pie. We are celebrating the arrival of the "first fleet". These are not the discoverers of Australia- but it is like Columbus Day in that both native peoples see the holiday as a day of invasion. The first fleet is the first convoy of convicts that were shipped to Australia for their imprisonment- and Australia's settlement. So, sort of like the pilgrims- except I don't think those religious people would be too keen on being likened to English prisoners. Some may suffered religious persecution, I suppose. But, we are celebrating landing and, yes, sort of a giving of thanks for a new life and a new world. Australia Day is considered the national day of celebration- like Independence Day in the US. But, it isn't a celebration of independence but of making it to the new jail. Still, its a great holiday. It gives me a Monday off (yay) which I need desperately after the long week I've had! (Note- this makes two days off in a row!)

What HAS to get finished this weekend is Christmas shopping! I'm going home in less than a month... and I need to step off the plane with all of Christmas (Christmas 2007) in my bags. I'm pretty much there. I need to place a couple of on-line orders. Oh... and figure THAT out. Secrets. I love Christmas. Whenever it occurs.