I feel terrible that I didn't get the chance to blog yesterday. Alastair's uncle came in from Melbourne, and all of the family in Adelaide got together for drinks and dinner. It was a lot of fun, but we didn't get home until almost 10. By that time, I had to think about taking a shower and getting everything ready for the next day. I hope you all can forgive me.
In Australia, the first Tuesday of November is a holiday for a lot of people. It's the Melbourne Cup, which has often been called "the Race that Stops the Nation". It's a little like the Kentucky Derby in the US, but it's even more popular. People who live in Melbourne get a public holiday, and many others around the country take the day- or a couple of hours- off from work.
Last year, for example, I worked in an accounting firm with about 150 people. Almost all of the partners or "senior" people fizzled out of the office by noon and went straight to the pubs. For the rest of us that were unlucky enough to be at work, we were forced to go into the social lounge to eat ice cream sundaes and drink champagne for almost an hour . It was rough working there.
While the race only lasts something like one minute in total, there is so much more that goes into the culture of the Melbourne Cup. The fashion is spectacular. The women who go to the races are decked out from head to toe in designer gowns and the most amazing oversized hats you will ever see. All of the men wear suits and ties. I love looking through the pictures the day after the event.
Betting is also one of the biggest parts of the Cup, of course. I'm not a big "gambling" person, but I did participate in the office sweep this year.
In Australia, the first Tuesday of November is a holiday for a lot of people. It's the Melbourne Cup, which has often been called "the Race that Stops the Nation". It's a little like the Kentucky Derby in the US, but it's even more popular. People who live in Melbourne get a public holiday, and many others around the country take the day- or a couple of hours- off from work.
Last year, for example, I worked in an accounting firm with about 150 people. Almost all of the partners or "senior" people fizzled out of the office by noon and went straight to the pubs. For the rest of us that were unlucky enough to be at work, we were forced to go into the social lounge to eat ice cream sundaes and drink champagne for almost an hour . It was rough working there.
While the race only lasts something like one minute in total, there is so much more that goes into the culture of the Melbourne Cup. The fashion is spectacular. The women who go to the races are decked out from head to toe in designer gowns and the most amazing oversized hats you will ever see. All of the men wear suits and ties. I love looking through the pictures the day after the event.
Betting is also one of the biggest parts of the Cup, of course. I'm not a big "gambling" person, but I did participate in the office sweep this year.
Actually, I was lucky enough to be the organizer of the sweeps. I got this printout from the newspaper, which has all of the horses in the race. I cut them up into individual squares.
I crumbled the squares and put them into a bowl. Every horse was $2, and you could not choose which one you wanted to bet on. Everybody, including myself, reached blindly into the bowl to pick out their piece of paper. Most people picked two horses.
I wrote the name of the person next to the horse that they picked.
I picked Mr. Medici and Profound Beauty. Sadly, my horses were notthe favorites.
The official race happened around 2:30, but we still ordered lunch for 1:00. Along with 4 pizzas, we also ordered a 50+ piece platter of sushi from our usual Friday sushi place.
For the most part, the ladies sat around a table and ate the sushi. The men stayed on their side of the room and devoured the pizza and garlic bread like animals. Everybody was happy with their meals.
The rest of the afternoon was bliss. The phones were quiet, because most people know to not call around the time of the Cup. It's just silly, really. It's the Race the Stops the Nation, right?
My boys didn't place, as I expected. Americain won first, followed by Maluckyday, followed by So You Think. Our first place winner in the office got about $27, and the third place winner got $4.60. They weren't huge winnings, but it was fun nonetheless.
Whew, what a great day! Here is Funny Commercial Wednesday.
The rest of the afternoon was bliss. The phones were quiet, because most people know to not call around the time of the Cup. It's just silly, really. It's the Race the Stops the Nation, right?
My boys didn't place, as I expected. Americain won first, followed by Maluckyday, followed by So You Think. Our first place winner in the office got about $27, and the third place winner got $4.60. They weren't huge winnings, but it was fun nonetheless.
Whew, what a great day! Here is Funny Commercial Wednesday.
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