We are proud of you boys!

We are all proud of you boys! You took on the world and your heart, passion, and tenacity won us all over, and no small part of the world as well. People had no choice but to sit up and take notice of you and for that we applaud you.

Lets get a few things straight.

1. It probably wasn't a penalty.

2. Italy were very hard done by the ref with that send-off.

Therefore, in the scheme of things, we had a better deal than they did. Sure the penalty did us in, but we played for 40 minutes with them down to 10 men and couldn't penetrate - we had our chances, and we were beaten by a team that, while they had looked really quite ordinary and lucky in getting 7 points from the group stage matches, were a different team entirely in this match. The Azzuri were desperate in defence, and the wall they put up was near on impenetrable. And with only 10 men, they somehow summoned the energy to survive, and in the end, were rewarded for their bravery with a win.

They deserved it. On the strength of that one match, they deserved it.

But on the strength of the tournament, the Socceroos did - and for that as much as anything I'm broken-hearted!

Here's to Australia's football future. Here's to our entrance into the Asian zone, and the quality of matches that should do nothing but improve our squad. But don't think we will always make the finals. In the Asian zone we don't have a free pass to the World Cup. What we do get, however, is a large number of matches over which to qualify, to ensure our fate, rather than a sudden death double-leg tie against a team from the other side of the world.

Australia's footballing future will never be the same - but that doesn't mean it will come easy. It's just that we now have it in our own hands. We can ask for no more than that...

The epilogue...

OK.

I got out.

It's working again.

But only, back to where it was before we began the pilot. The pilot itself was a failure.

I got home at 4am... It worked out to be 20 hours work without a break or any real food.

It's now Monday morning, I'm back in the office (users are OK thank goodness...) and I'm fuzzy in the head - a lot like jetlag really...

And if you are reading this blog and are confused as to what I'm talking about, read the previous one and it will all make sense!!!

The upshot is now I'm up for TWO more weekends work instead of just one... And there's no guarantee that they'll be better than the last one. Oh well - that's the IT project life!!!

Hopefully my next blog will NOT be work related...

In fact, I'm tipping that, given the game tonight, the next blog may well be sporting related... though whether it's joy or sorrow I really have no idea. The 'beautiful game' as it is often called is funny like that...

Not good...

Because i'm tired, frustrated and generally annoyed i'm putting this post in my blog as a release.

It's 8:30 pm Saturday evening. I've been sitting here at work (where I am now - and yes, I DID say 8:30 PM on SATURDAY...)

I've been here since 7:30 am without a break.

I'm putting in a major project.

Things have gone horribly wrong.

I currently have a phone stuck pressed between my head and my shoulder while I type this, on hold to a support group for a third party in the U.S.

Not my ideal way to spend Saturday night (or Saturday day, or anything else for that matter...)

The whole network is basically down.

It's needs to be NOT down.

Very badly it needs to be NOT down.

Monday morning when people come back to work, it most DEFINITELY needs to be NOT down.

I also amd desperately in need of sleep, food and a general holiday.

The next 12 hours or so could get VERY interesting.

This is the bit of I.T. I DON'T like.

And for those of you who know me, and may think I make good money, try dealing with this and you may ask yourself if it's all worth it... I sure sometimes do... This is NOT a good situation to be in.

Well, luckily I don't actually panic, unlike a few people I work with, so as far as it goes I'm still relatively clear-headed.

And this helped get it off my chest too!

Still on hold, but this blog has gone on long enough. I'm out.

Here's to hoping I get to see my wife and get some sleep soon...

UPDATE:

It's 10:54 pm. Been on the phone now for 2 1/2 hours to the U.S.

Worried about falling asleep. We've tried a lot of thing with this guy. They aren't working. In fact, there is no guarantee things cna be put back exactly as they were even given we full and complete backups. Go figure. Who'd ever think complete full backups wouldn't save you if all else fails?!?!?!?!

I've been here 15 1/2 hours now. No break. No meals. 1 can of coke, 2 coffees, 1 bag of chips and a donut all day.

This could be a very bad weekend in my life. In fact, I'm half-way through and it already qualifies.

Signing off again for now. Depending on how things go I may update again just to keep myself sane, and awake...

Update 2:

11:55 PM...

Still here... Have no idea if we are any closer to a solution or not...

Update 3:

Now things get interesting. I call the managers, let them know how things are, and ask if we can get one of the other engineers in so I can send Rob home (who's been here since 7:30, like me).

They say yes. Only thing is, the other bloke who can help us while we are working with the U.S. lives in Geelong.

So we ring. He says yep. But... He's chugged back 3 beers. His ok to think, but driving is not the right thing to do. So as I type this, I'm waiting on whether or not I can get approval for a taxi to the city from Geelong so I can get him in and send Rob home.

Fingers crossed!

Of course, if he comes in, I stay, if he doesn't I go home as I can't stay here on my own for OH&S reasons.

It's now 17 1/2 hours straight! Damn my job is interesting some times!!! (NOT in a good way, in case you didn't get the tone of that last sentence).

OK. Signing out again. Let's see if I get another update on here before I go home! Yay me! I'm getting delirious! I know I will look back on this post and cringe!!!

Update 4:

Re-read this blog. Sorry about the spelling and grammatical errors. I'm tired...

It's now 1:42 AM. David is in a taxi on his way from Geelong, Rob and I have been on the phone to the U.S. since 8PM (LOVE to see that phone bill!!!)... Rob is going home once David gets here. David and I WILL finish getting things working.

We will because we have to. 1500 users at the client I work for can't be not able to work on Monday.

OK. Back to work. Just had a Snickers to give me some energy. That makes it a coke, a donut, a pack of chips, 2 coffees and a snickers since 6:30 AM yesterday... Looking at that is REALLY not good.

Update 5:

Hopefully we are nearing getting this fixed. Things seem somewhat better. David is in. Rob hasn't gone yet. Vision getting rather blurry...

GOOOAAAALLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes Baby! Yes Yes Yes!!!

We are through to the business end now! Yes!!!

From here on it's just a bonus. We play Italy. We shall see. They are classy, but they are also the biggest bunch of drama queens of ANY team in the world. So as often is the case in the international game, it may sadly come down to the style of reff'ing (by the way, while I do think the ref in this match missed a couple of blatant penalties, and gave a bloke 3 yellow cards, he still did a pretty darn good job).

Why does it matter about the ref? Simple. Ours and Italy's games are very different. We play quite a physical brand of football, like Croatia, or England.

The Italians are super skillful, but they REALLY see the game as non-contact, and will do anything to ensure the ref knows when they are touched. Call it play-acting, cheating, or just doing the ref's job for him. However you look at it though, the styles are very different. And it's the style the ref refs to that will perhaps ultimately determine the outcome. Now, that's a little sad of course, there are 22 guys on the pitch trying to win the game, they are the ones that count. But it can happen. That's part of the game.

But this one thing I will say. Even if the ref's style means we lose, PLEASE don't actually blame him. It's his interpretation. It doesn't mean we were robbed.

Here's to hoping it's a great, entertaining spectacle, and here's to seeing the Socceroos in the final 8!!!!


GO AUSSIE!

What good a cup of coffee???

Had a strange experience today. At least, it was for me. I walked past a homeless bloke in the city, he was squatting down on the pavement, and looked pretty cold (not surprising given it was about 6 degrees outside!!!). I thought, 'he'll mumble something about wanting some money, and I probably should do something about it'. Then as I walked past, he mumbled something, which was too soft to hear. I walked on by without looking, as though I didn't notice he was addressing me.

I got about another 20 metres or so and then stopped. My first thought was, I could give him money, but he'll just go and buy alcohol or something. Then I thought, maybe he just is cold and could do with a coffee. Surely not. He'll want money for booze. My thoughts actually embarrassed me, but I share them here to get it off my chest.

Anyway, I went back and sat down next to him on the ground for a minute, spoke about the weather and how cold it was, and then asked if he'd like a coffee or something. His eyes lit up and this great big smile split across his face.

'Latte with 3 sugars if that's ok please'.

Funny, never thought a homeless bloke would want a latte...

Anyway, I walked off to get his coffee, and after a couple of minutes I came back. He saw me carrying them, hopped up, almost broke into a run to get it and had the most incredibly grateful look on his face I have just about EVER seen.

It was evident that by treating him like a real person, and by spending a whole $2.40 on a coffee I had made his whole day.

Then as I walked off 2 things happened. First, it occurred to me just how damn good I have it. Simple as that.

The second thing was a little more sobering and unnerving. What good was my coffee to him? It actually upset me. I mean, it made his day, but it didn't help his situation. I sit here writing this on my laptop in my warm house, and he is probably in an alley, freezing - barely surviving.

I may have noticed him, acknowledged him as a person, but I sure didn't do him much good... I'm still pretty darn confused about it - it wasn't what I expected to feel like.

What do you think? Do you think my coffee really served a purpose for him?

Here's something you don't see every day...

Sheer grit!!!

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes!!!!

What a start for the boyz! 3-1 against a team that is ranked over 20 places higher in the world ranking, a team that ran out of puff in the heat, and were too willing to just defend a 1-0 advantage!

Cahill, you are a true champion, and Aloisi, you have done so much for us it's just incredible!

I did learn something interesting though... I was reminded of how when people are passionate about something, and it goes wrong (in this case, Japanese fans) we sometimes view things in what could only be described as an 'odd' light.

Comments on a Japanese forum for football included comments such as Australia were playing rugby and the tackling was disgraceful (to me the Japanese just simply didn't know HOW to tackle, and threw themselves down like soft little marshmellows - I saw less diving in week 2 of the Aquatics at the olympic games...), through to an odd comment that said Japan played much better than the Australians and were really unlucky. I'm not sure which game THAT fan was watching, but the vast majority of both posession and chances came to the Aussies, so that seems like a strange one.

Still, I know how upset I get when I'm passionately watching a sport and we lose so I'll just take the win! As for the Schwarzer decision (or lack thereof) who cares. We won. 3-1 is a great score. Occasionally, you get a bad call, it happens. We still won. If we didn't go down 1-0 we may never have got those goals at the end.

GO BOYS! Get a draw against Brazil (easier said than done, I know) and we will be really close to qualifying for the second round. Now that would be something! Either way, the whole country is bloody proud of you! You've already gone where no other Aussie team has gone before you - a win in the world cup tournament! Never say die! That attitude will get us a long way.

Writers' block...

Sorry. I know I haven't updated much lately, which I concede may make me lose my audience... I've been really busy at work, and when not at work I've been suffering a form of bloggers' writers' block if there is such a thing.

Nothing profound has been going on in my head, and nothing exciting has been happening in my life. I painted a room in our house yesterday and today, and I'm trying to work out whether or not we can afford an Audi A4 for our car, but apart from that it's really all.

Check back though - the block can't last forever :P