Augusta. Your dogwoods and pines... I'll be singing that all day.
Well, once again the Tigers got pumped by Carlton in the first game of the year, though according to the newspapers the Tigers were fantastic, only losing to Carlton by nine goals.
Can I tell you what a blessing the Internet, and in particular, illegal downloading is? Three years ago, I decided that I would like to watch AFL football here in Japan. I hadn't seen a game in years, and I missed it. My parents would send me a VHS tape of a game once or twice a year, but really the only footy I saw was on the news clips I could watch on-line. So I did some investigating, and it turned out that I could watch the football through the AFL website, at a special site for International members. So I paid my $60 and organised my week around the games. Of course, they were not up until a couple of days after the actual game, so I had to stay away from news sites, Facebook, etc, until they were up. And there was no pre-game or post-game analysis, no interviews, nothing. The game started with the first quarter siren, and ended thirty seconds after the final siren. Also, I watched them via streaming, meaning the quality was poor, and I couldn't actually see the ball. I just kind of knew where it was because that's where all the players were going towards. And then sometimes it would start buffering, and I would have to sit and wait for five, ten minutes. And then sometimes it would not start at all. Still, I watched a lot of games, and despite the problems, got to enjoy the majority of them. Basically it was like watching AFL football on Youtube. Youtube three years ago. (For my Australian readers, Youtube three years ago in Japan is about the same viewing experience as watching Youtube in Australia will be three years from now. If the Australian government hasn't banned it by then). I was quite happy to pay the money and go another year.
The trouble began when I went to the usual web page to watch a big game on a Monday night, chips and beer at hand, when I was redirected to another site, "Aussie Sports TV". Yes, they had sold the international streaming rights to a large European Internet sports group specializing in soccer, F1, and other sports, with AFL waaaay down the list. Don't let the name fool you. And the game wasn't up yet. It was up for Australian viewers, but not for International viewers. By Thursday night it still wasn't up, and by then I had lost my mind, and I sent them an irate mail telling them how much I hate them.
I need not have lost my mind. What I did, and what I should have done from the start, is find a bit torrent site specializing in AFL football, and download the games illegally. Free. HD. Pre-game and post game analysis. In addition, more panel shows that I can possibly keep track of. I wrote another mail to "Aussie Sports TV" telling them I had begun to illegally download the football and would not be requiring their services any longer, and gave them one last spray. Now I watch AFL games the day after they're played at home, at work, anywhere. And my providers are just people with a HDD who think other people might want to see some football. I just thank god I live in a country that does not restrict the amount of data I can access, because in a typical footy week I download over 2GB of footy.
I will pay someone who can provide me with better service, but I don't need to justify or excuse my behaviour. I just want to watch AFL football, and this is the easiest way. I would rather not break the law, but it's not like the cops are going to bash down my door. They might bash down the door of the torrent site owners, but I donate $20 every year to make myself feel better, and let them know I appreciate their efforts.
Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit went fine last night. Again, nearly got through it, but not quite.
Today is Joey Jo Jo's birthday! 1! Happy birthday my little ruff n' tumble baby boy. I love you.
"Hi. Nice to see you."
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