Sunday, May First is today. The beginning of a new week and a new month, all on the same day. Almost like New Year's Day, when both a new year and a new month commence. So I feel like making a resolution, and here it is: I will write something in this blog every day until I am finished. Not sure how much more I need to say about my trip here in the Shamrock to Kiwi blog, but I'm sure I will know when I have said enough for me. Primarily, in my mind, this is like my travel diary, to record both the events of the trip and my observations of the cultures I visited. Besides that, it is a way to tell all my travel stories to my far-flung family (ahh, alliteration!). I intend to convert it to hard copy and save it when I'm done. So once I've gotten it to a finished enough state, I'll have it transferred to the "completed" section of bootsnall blogs and be done with it.

I must admit, though, I enjoy keeping a blog. I want to be a writer for a living someday, and this is a good way to start. Perhaps I will host my own general blog. Hmmm. Must look into it.

So now that I have told you my intention to write daily updates I am bound to my promise. We all know the staying power of New Year's resolutions, but hopefully this one will stick. Wish me luck!

Ok, on to the topic of the day: Cricket.

Not jolly Jiminy Cricket in top hat and tails. But Cricket, the very serious sport they take very seriously in the Commonwealth. Did you know there are 53 countries in the Commonwealth? Most are republics, so they don't recognize the Queen as sovereign (India is one example). Quite a few, like Canada, Australia and New Zealand, are "realms", which means they have their own government but the Queen is still the head of state. (As an aside, Australia was discussing changing its status to a republic while I was there. Polls indicate if Prince Charles becomes King, they just might do it. Everyone loves the Queen; the Prince is not so beloved. Little factoid for you there.), The remaining members of the Commonwealth are monarchies, which means the have their own indigenous King/Queen but still are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. These were all colonies or protectorates at one time, but the native monarch never exactly abdicated, and when Britain left the title of Monarch reverted to them instead of staying with the Queen. Only a handful fall into this category, mostly in Africa. The UK is also in this category, as the Queen is a native there, of course. Bet you didn't know all of that about the Commonwealth! Just swimming in facts now, aren't you.

These nations celebrate the Commonwealth Games, their own private version of the Olympics. It includes sports they wish were actually Olympic sports, like lawn bowls and ten-pin bowling. Yes two count ‘em TWO kinds of bowling! The also have Rugby, of course, though it is the Rugby 7 version (only seven players a side and faster). Rugby, I have learned, was actually played in the worldwide Olympics as a sort of exhibition sport, sporadically between 1900 and 1924. Often only two or three teams would enter, but they still awarded medals. The last time it was played the winner was the team from the USA. More specifically, it was some college players from the Bay Area. Other sources say it was actually simply the Stanford football team. (You think I am making this up? Really, how could I make this up? ) They must have played rugby on the side or something; as I mentioned before, there are similarities. In any case, they beat France (or rather the Paris city team. True!) for the gold, after they both beat Romania, who got the bronze. No other teams entered. The final game wasn’t as high scoring as some, when the wining team can easily get 73 or so, but it was controversial. As the Americans received their gold medals, boos drowned out the anthem and rugby never again appeared. It is interesting to note that the US entered only twice and both times won the gold, the most for any country in Olympic Rugby. And it is not even our sport!

The IOC is considering adding Rugby 7 to the real Olympics again for Beijing, though it is in competition with golf, squash and roller blade. I’m serious. Is roller blade a sport? Like speed skating in the winter Olympics, I guess. Or short track. But wouldn’t that be like roller derby? Do we really want that in the Olympics??

However, I had a topic, and this wasn’t it. It was Cricket, the time-honored past time for the British and their associates.

I watched Cricket on the telly while in Australia and New Zealand, and it is more boring than baseball! And I think baseball is boring! I hate to deride this very popular sport, but to me it seemed so slow. I liked Rugby better. More action. In Cricket, they can all wear the traditional all white uniforms because there is no sliding or dirt or much running or really much movement at all.

A traditional doubleheader baseball game can take 7 hours or so at the very outside, and that kind of game makes the news. And it is a double header, so actually 2 games. A traditional Cricket game takes 5 DAYS. You heard me right. I mean the entire working week. Any less than that and the spectators (who have kept going home and returning, of course. Not 5 days STRAIGHT!) would demand their money back. They recently modified the rules so a certain type of game can take only 1 entire day, but most aficionados don’t consider that real Cricket.

Well, I have to post this or it will no longer be May 1. I will continue this tomorrow. Happy May Day!