Before You Go Any Further
Published on August 25th, 2009 by Jim and filed under Uncategorized.
Gidday, my name is Jim and I live in a small town in Northwest Oklahoma. Population around 1000. However, I was born and bred in Australia and I’m bloody proud of that fact! I’m still an Australian citizen, and doubt that I’ll ever be anything more than an “Alien” albeit a legal one in the USA ’cause I’m never gunna give up my Aussie citizenship!
I moved here in the middle of 1999 all because my wife, Linda, is from the small town I now live in. How I met and married an American is another story. Click 'ere to keep readin'
The Currumbin Wildlife Santuary
Published on October 5th, 2009 by Jim and filed under Gold Coast.
In 2008 Linda, Zach and myself went to Australia for a flying trip to visit my family. My Dad was pretty ill and we only had 4 days. However, once it was apparent that my Dad was OK we played tourist for a couple of days. One place I’d promised Linda that I would take her was the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary so that she could pat a roo.
We were lucky enough to be there when there was a Lorikeet feeding session. The guy in charge of the feeding asked Lin if she’d like a feeding dish. Before she had a chance to answer I jumped in and said “YES”. I couldn’t wait to see the look on her face and I wasn’t disappointed as you’ll see in the following video Click 'ere to keep readin'
Aussie Dunnies and American Bathrooms
Published on October 4th, 2009 by Jim and filed under Gimme a Break.
The first time I ran into an American toilet I’m ashamed to admit, I was a bit scared! The bloody thing was so full of water that I thought it was broken. So I moved to another stall and it was exactly the same – full of water. Being slightly desperate I had to use the thing and I just hoped that it wouldn’t overflow. I also found it rather nasty that when things go splash you end up with a wet backside. Not real pleasant.
My next encounter was later on the same day and was a stand up job rather than a sit down one. The urinals were fully occupied so I ducked into a stall. Click 'ere to keep readin'
I Didn’t Know Chickens Fried Steaks
Published on October 3rd, 2009 by Jim and filed under Aussie Food Versus US Food.
Until I moved to the States I’d never heard of “Chicken Fried Steaks”, until Linda mentioned that’s what we were havin’ for “supper” one night. The first thing that crossed my somewhat warped mind when I heard this was the image of a chook standin’ in front of a stove fryin’ a steak.
That thought was about as far from the truth as you could could get as my wife quickly pointed out.
A chicken fried steak is actually a piece of steak that’s beaten to within an inch of it’s “life” and then coated with seasoned flour and cooked in a frying pan. In some respects it’s kinda like 
Wiener Schnitzel, although this is usually coated in bread crumbs. I’m not sure where the name actually came from, but I’ve heard that it’s called chicken fried steak because it’s cooked in a similar way to fried chicken. Click 'ere to keep readin'
75 Percent of Ok High School Students Can’t Name the First President of the U.S.
Published on September 21st, 2009 by Jim and filed under Gimme a Break.
I’ve already had a bit of a go at the education system over here in relation to where Australia is in “Australia – It’s a Long Drive” and “Stupid Bloody Questions“. However, I was kind surprised this morning when I caught a news story about Oklahoma High School Students doing really badly on a group of 10 questions that were taken from the “Citizenship Exam”. (No, I haven’t taken the test and doubt that I will ever become a US Citizen, I’m happy to be an “ALIEN”).
Anyhow, the test was part of a survey commissioned by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs and enlisted a national research team, Strategic Vision, to determine Oklahoma student’s basic knowledge of civil rights.