posted 12-03-98 11:21 PM ET        

My birthday tomorrow too (Dec 5th). Damn, another year older. 27 this year. Gettin' old.

posted 12-04-98 12:07 AM ET            

Thank you. Even though I still have no idea what the "gluckwunch zums" part means. Twenty seventh?

posted 12-04-98 12:12 AM ET            

Hmmm, a Thursday, & no one's here. Must be the unseasonaly warm weather here in the states. Are high was 60 degrees farenheit today(believe me, that's high for now!), & it's December! It should be about freezing now! There should be snow out, & I should be up to my ass in it, shoveling it! But it's warm, so I've been spending some more time outside, I assume most of us 'round here are. Well, this is only a weekly thing, next week the idiot who does the weather predicted snow. He doesn't know anything anyway, & he tells very corny & un-funny jokes. It annoys the hell outta me!

Happy Birthday Greg! You're ahead of me by 10 years, I gotta catch up!!

posted 12-04-98 03:08 AM ET            

THE DAMN SERVER FOR THE UNIVERSITY HAS BEEN DOWN, THAT'S WHY!

I have been unable to access e-mail, SMAC, my PBEM games, or my AIM chats with friends for almost 2 days!!!!

It was horrible!!!!

Well, I spent most of the time tutoring people on their plantary science projects anyways, so I've at least been busy.

The network finally came back up around noon today (but it's been patchy all day, with parts of campus going out for several hours at different times). I've spent most of the time since then just getting around to answering all the unaswered e-mail.

NOW, BACK TO SMAC! (hurah )

Well, I just got another e-mail from a student who I've been tutoring, so bye y'all.

posted 12-04-98 06:45 AM ET            

Herzlichen Gl�ckwunsch zum Geburtstag, Bruder Greg.

Try this in altavista...should work.

You're 27 tomorrow ? Gee, young man. You'll feel a lot older tomorrow. And I'm already afraid of my 28th on january 7th, but I won't realize it if only the demo is out by then...

hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope

posted 12-04-98 01:22 PM ET            

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday Brother Greg,
Happy Birthday to you...

posted 12-04-98 01:31 PM ET            

I wish you a merry Birthday,
I wish you a merry Birthday,
I wish you a merry Birthday,
And a SMACing new year

posted 12-04-98 04:15 PM ET            

Try to find that from Alta Vista!!

posted 12-05-98 07:42 PM ET            

Anyway, let me wish you a very Happy Birthday, the way we do it here in Quebec:

Mon cher Greg, c'est � ton tour, de te laisser parler d'amour.
Mon cher Greg, c'est � ton tour, de te laisser parler d'amour...

posted 12-05-98 09:35 PM ET            

*Hugs*
YYYH.

j/k.

Happy b-day Brother Greg again! Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Greg, happy birthday to you!
(A woman with a horrible voice jumps out & says: .....& many more!!!!!! The rest of the party looks at her funny, she turns away & starts eating the cake.)

posted 12-06-98 07:33 PM ET            

YYYH: You may have a few problems. I hope to live to the ripe old age of 100, so maybe I'll let you catch up then.

Antiam: Now THAT would be a birthday present.

Roland, Thanks, that helps. Actually I feel much older today, a sI spent yesterday (Sunday 6th) digging holes int he ground for a new patio. Got blisters everywhere.

Jsorense: Hey, I actually recognised Spanish.

Imran: Caught the thread. Seems like everyone got so happy here they missed it though. Thanks though.

Tolls: I played ont he weekend and got 4 for 22, and scored 14 runs, so I figure that I could beat the Poms right now. LOL...

Dushan: If only we would have SMAC FOR the new year.

Spoe: Short but sweet.

Grosshaus: Yep, you got me there. Scandanavian? The translator started, but couldn't Finnish. OK, poor joke. Italian to English gave me: "Hyv�� syntym�p�iv�� sails Greg! Onnea Paljon!". So, I'll just take it you're wishing me well for the Syndey to Hobart yacht race (not that I am actually going in it).

Jay: Please? I'm dying to know.

Rang: Now listen here you young whipper-snapper, back when I was a boy we treated our elders with more respect than that. Why, if we even looked like disagreeing with them, we'd have our mouth washed out with a mixture of pig's blood and horse offal.

Gord: Another short but sweet.

Kurn: More likely to have a heart attack worrying about the spelling on this board. Jsut? *SIGH*

Talon: Always like an individual. Just don't expect an invite to the party next year.

Imran again: Yeah, always goes quiet on weekends.

Maya: "My dear Greg, it is in your turn, to let to you speak about love". Obviously the translation services leave a lot to be desired. Still, I get the message. *baiser*

How about: "L'une passion de n�cessit� premi�re avant une peut aimer autre". Or "La libert� ne peut �tre achet�e. Seulement l'amour peut vous placer libre."...

Both sort of by me. Hope the reverse translation worked...

Cool, using cut and paste, it even puts in the little squiggly things, accents or whatever they are called...

YYYH: Cheers, I needed a hug. I must admit that it didn't quite match up to Maya's kiss though. LOL...

And to all once again: Thanks from the bottom of my heart...

posted 12-06-98 09:09 PM ET            

By the way, Maya, sorry for all those "evil" smileys. You'll have to forgive me this once, for my birthday. I have made this one smiley free though. =)

posted 12-06-98 11:31 PM ET            

Hope you have had a very happy birthday, Brother Greg. Hopefully I won't be that old by the time I get to Australia .

I can't think of a suitable gift, but maybe we'll hold of on sending Jonah round for another year .

Best regards for the summer,

posted 12-06-98 11:41 PM ET            

Shining1: You may as well come over. From what I hear, 90% of Kiwis live in Bondi anyway. Besides which, as it says in the Mainland Cheese Ad: "If New Zealand is made up of Islands, doesn't that make Australia the mainland?"

Or words to that effect...

As for a gift, I already got it - the Bledisloe. For yours you get the Confederations Cup berth and the Melbourne Cup. Sounde like I get the better deal. =)

posted 12-07-98 12:00 AM ET            

Actually, we sort of consider NSW to be the West Island. I heard recently there's something on an 'accent assimilation' process going on in east Sudney at the moment?

posted 12-07-98 12:13 AM ET            

As for NSW being the West Island - um, NSW isn't an island, in case you hadn't noticed.

Sudney... LOL. Was that a typo, or an intended Pun? If it was a typo, it is one of the funnier ones I have heard...

For the non-Kiwis out there, they (the Kiwis) pronounce all "I"s as "U". And "Y" probably counts as an "I" to them, thus Sudney (Sydney - pronounced "Sidnee") is just about correct... ROFL.

It's an old Mainland Cheese ad, just one that stuck in my small brain.

posted 12-07-98 12:26 AM ET            

I'll take your word for it. My point was that the rest of Australia is largely irrelevant, with the exception of Brisbane beaches and Melbourne (when the cup or a rugby match is in town).

I'm not going to mention the typo, save that seems to have illustrated my point. o)

Mate, who cares about the Soccer?? At any rate, I can appreciate you guys wanting to hold on to the Bledisoe - you so rarely get the change...

posted 12-07-98 01:14 AM ET            

As for the 'G (MCG - Melbourne Cricket Ground) from next year, it'll be at Stadium Australia in Sydney which'll hold 110,000 people. Yay!

As for the cup, it may be a while in coming - was it '90 or '92 last time we won it, but it is so much the sweeter when we do get it. Now if only the aboriginals were built like the Maoris we might have a chance... lol...

posted 12-07-98 08:30 PM ET            

YYYH:
LOL It's his birthday! You can't just give some lousy hugs for a birthday! Where are you coming from? =)
j/k

Brother Greg:
Please forgive my ignorance, but what translation service? And actually, it doesn't seems to be working that badly:

"La libert� ne peut �tre achet�e. Seulement l'amour peut vous placer libre." should actually be "La libert� ne peut �tre achet�e. Seul l'amour peut vous rendre libre." But it's really close and easily understandable. On the other hand:

"L'une passion de n�cessit� premi�re avant une peut aimer autre" What??? In this case, yes, I agree with you, that translation service has a few problems! =) I have no idea what that means!

posted 12-07-98 09:16 PM ET            

Altavista translation services (jump.altavista.com/translate). I mentioned it way up near the top somewhere. Also they must be fans of Douglas Adams, cos the servername it routs you to is "babelfish.altavista.com". =)

As for "L'une passion de n�cessit� premi�re avant une peut aimer autre", I just tried French to English, and it comes out as "One passion of need first before one can like other".

So yes, lol, I can see where you might have a problem with it. Stupid Altavista Translation services. It was supposed to say "One must first learn to love oneself before one can love another". Or words to that effect.

*SIGH*

Even what you quoted "La libert� ne peut �tre achet�e. Seul l'amour peut vous rendre libre" comes out as "Freedom cannot be bought. Only the love can return to you free" when reverse engineered. Which is not quite what I tried to say. Then again, I can't remember _exactly_ what I wanted to say, so it is close enough. =)

Mind you, it might just be that sometimes translation between two languages is not perfect...

Let's try this:
Le monde serait un endroit fonc� sans �treintes. =)
*Hugs* right back at you

posted 12-07-98 10:33 PM ET            

Actually it was '92 you last had the cup - when David Knox played aussie rules with the ball leading to a Jason Little try in the first 17 seconds. Not a happy moment, but we almost managed to come back.

"Massey research scientists have recently discovered another two uses for sheep - meat and wool."

posted 12-07-98 10:52 PM ET            

Yeah, I thought it was '92. The team went swimming in some really cold river after the game. The Aussies that is. Funny, for a sport supposedly played by intellectuals, they sure do some dumb things.

And I tell you what, I thought you were going to come back and nab us in the third test this year too. Boy was that close.

Still, the good guys won. Now we just gotta look forward to the world cup next year, and hope we can beat the Seth Afrikaans. Good to see the Poms beat them too. =)

posted 12-07-98 11:05 PM ET            

The last two tests of the year were both unbelievable. Coach John Hart has been making noises along the lines of "I don't think we'll beat the Springbox" for a couple of months now - for an A.B coach this is almost unbelievable.

Aussie jokes - except for the classic "tie me kangaroo down, sport" I've never told a kangaroo joke. We just take Irish jokes and replace 'Paddy' with 'Ocker'.

"This morning in Queensland a light helicopter crashed into a graveyard. Police have recovered 6,798 bodys so far."

posted 12-07-98 11:20 PM ET            

One joke (short version):

Matthew Ridge was taking Ian Roberts on a trip through NZ, when they stopped by a farm. Ridgey jumped out, grabbed a sheep, put its front legs over the fence, with its back feet on the other side, and started going for it.

Ridgey turned to Ian Roberts and said "Man, you gotta try this, this is the best thing."

posted 12-07-98 11:32 PM ET            

As for pommie rugby (admittedly an old joke):

It's halftime, with the All Black playing the poms. The score is 102-0, and Laurie Mains decides to leave just Richard Loe on for the scrums and let everyone else go down to the pub for the afternoon.

posted 12-08-98 01:15 AM ET            

Gives em somewhere to stick the sheep's hind legs so they can't get away.

Something like that anyway.

I refuse to listen to Rolf Harris, and I refuse to believe that he is an Aussie. The man is quite simple loony. Anyone that can base a whole image on a "wobbleboard" which is vasically a big sheet of metal which he "wobbles" to make noises, needs their head read if you ask me...

posted 12-08-98 01:01 PM ET            

Bruder Greg, die paar J�hrchen bringen dich nicht um.

Assumed altavista translation: Brother Greg, the couple J�hrchen do not bring you around.

What do you make of it ?

Pour francais: C'est la langue que je ne comprend pas. Qu'est-ce que ca veut dire, l'amour et la necessite et..., donc ? Moi, je preferait parler de la tour Eiffel...

Huh ?

posted 12-08-98 06:52 PM ET            

On the German, Jachren: Panadol? Smelling salts? I dunno, I got no idea. =)

Dang, I gotta learn French, cos, that French stuff comes out as: "It is the language which I does not understand. What does Ca want to say, the love and the necessite and, therefore? Me, I preferait speech of the Eiffel tower"

Huh?

posted 12-08-98 10:05 PM ET            

We also had to do 'Waltzing Matilda', which was much better but had lots of confusing words in it. Which is the whole point, I guess. I still think it should be your national anthem.

I suppose that's another thing Kiwis & Aussies share: two of the lamest national anthems in the world. [No offense intended, but where else have you ever heard the word 'girt'? Real estate seller: "You'll notice that the property is girt by fence, sir" ]

posted 12-08-98 11:06 PM ET            

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a coolabah tree
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.

[Chorus]
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled
You'll come a-waltzinf Matilda with me.

Hmm, then I remember something about a "jumbuck" wandering up to the billabong for a drink.

Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee
And he sang as he stuffed that jumbuck in his tucker bag
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.

And there's a heck of a lot more to it, but yeah, with words like swagman, billabong, coolabah (no, not the cask wine), jumbuck, tucker bag, I suppose it could be a little confusing.

As for it being our National Anthum, I dunno. It is a song about a sheep stealer. Would probably just make people laugh at us once they figured it out, IMHO. Well, make them laugh at us more. Gotta admit that I also hate that line in yours "God save (or was it defend) our free-ee land". I mean, I know it is probably the only line thay could find to rhyme with New Zealand, but sheesh!

The sad thing is that kids these days in Australia don't even learn stuff like Waltzing Matilda, IIRC. But it would explain why so many Kiwis come over here - just to find out what the heck the song means after being tortured with it in childhood. =)

posted 12-08-98 11:31 PM ET            

Don't get me wrong, I'm very proud of New Zealand and the massive achievements of it's tiny population (like... RUGBY!). It just pains me to have this slow, monotonous, dull piece of music associated with my country.

IMHO, the point to a national anthem is to convey your countries own uniqueness, in the form of a good tune. Waltzing Matilda does this in a way that Advance Australia Fair could never. Just like the Haka says infinitely more about the power and passion of New Zealand people than God defend New Zealand does. (And yeah, it is a dreadful line, especially when you get half the audience sing New Zealand by mistake... Mate, I have some real issues with this song.)

posted 12-08-98 11:46 PM ET            

As for the Haka, could you imagine that as a national anthem? Ai carumba, people really would laugh at you then.

Still, you do have a point there, and in fact the debate has been raging in Australia for years about using WM as our national anthem. Nothing ever seems to come of it though. Just like the flag debate. People want us to get rid of the Union Jack, to show that we are not slaves to Britain anymore. Or some crap like that.

Then people come out and crap on about how many soldiers died under the flag, when in fact the ONLY war Australia ever fought under the current flag was Vietnam. All the other wars we fought under the Union Jack.

I'm personally for the flag used at the Eureka Stockade - the Southern Cross in white on a field of blue, with lines like a real cross connecting the stars. As you said, it says more about Australia than anything with the Union Jack in the corner.

posted 12-09-98 12:00 AM ET            

And I don't suggest using the Haka as a national anthem, though it certainly would be a point of difference (I suspect only Australia would laugh, while the rest of the world went "Huh? What the hell is that!?").
But certainly something (anything) different and better sounding.

posted 12-09-98 12:17 AM ET            

As for the Brits, I don't particularly hate them. After all, that's where half our tourism comes from. The other half is from Japan.

the Brits to find some good looking girls, and the Japanese to cuddle Koalas.

But of course we love to flog them at cricket.

posted 12-09-98 12:30 AM ET            

The Maori verses were included around 1990, to the same tune, and sound much better. But no one knows the words, and part of the community here tends to go ballistic at the thought of their kids getting taught Maori lanuage in school. So it's not commonly added.