Better Than I Imagined (Day 10)

Garbine Muguruza v. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (30)

Garbine played solid tennis, was confident and aggressive, and kept on rolling. It was a good match. It looks like no one attended, but in fact everyone was just trying to escape the blistering sun by moving to the ends of the areas that were covered by the roof. It was the first day in a short string of wicked hot temperatures in Melbourne. A few days after this the temperatures topped triple digits. At this point it wasn't ridiculously hot, but it was unbearable in the direct sunlight. As the match progressed my seat went from being in the shade to being in the sun. Thankfully I was able to scoot over a few seats and watched the remainder of the match in the shade. 

Garbine's match was the only one on my schedule for the day, so I had a bunch of free time.  I wanted to use my time wisely, but I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do.  I knew I should take advantage of a mostly open afternoon and evening by going to a museum or checking out a significant tourist attraction, but I had an impulse that was nagging at me.  When I was in the Whitsundays I had the urge to get a new tattoo.  I hadn't thought about a new tattoo in years. I had absolutely zero desire to get one, but it's like once I had a few enjoyable days in the Whitsundays the idea got under my skin and I couldn't let it go. In the past I have sworn that I would absolutely never get a tattoo in a foreign country, but you know what they say - never say never. :) 

I held on to the idea from the Whitsundays to Sydney and then to Melbourne.  It felt right in the Whitsundays, but I couldn't come up with an image I really wanted.  I didn't feel right in Sydney at all, but I kept the door open.  I was interested, but I wanted the moment to feel right and I didn't want to force it.  There were three things that ended up tipping the scales for me Melbourne .  First after asking around and reading some articles, I learned that the tattoo industry in Australia is just as stringent when it comes to safety, cleanliness, and health as it is in the US.  From a clinical perspective, it wasn't any riskier to get a tattoo in Australia than it would be in the US.  Plus, culturally tattoos are SUPER accepted in Australia. It's more uncommon to find someone who doesn't have one at all, as opposed to the other way around like most of us are used to.  I was surprised to see how many people have neck tattoos in Australia and have prevalent tattoo parlors are.  

The second thing that led me to go for it was the fact that I found what I wanted.  Like I said, I wasn't thinking of getting a tattoo at all before coming to Australia. In the Whitsundays I got the idea of doing it, but didn't have an idea of what to get.  I wanted it to be something "Australia" but I didn't want it to be cheesy. I wanted it to feel organic. A koala bear on a beach holding a tennis racquet wasn't quite what I was going for even though all of the elements would represent my time in Australia.  A few days before I actually went to get the tattoo I was walking down one of the streets in central Melbourne and I found a t-shirt that had a graphic I like.  Anyone who has seen my other three tattoos can attest that mine are all fairly simplistic and geometric. I wanted to keep a new one in the same vein and the graphic I found would do just that.  

The third thing that fell into place was that I found a well-respected tattoo parlor that accepted walk-ins at a reasonable price.  I found a few articles on the internet about the best tattoo parlors in Melbourne and several were repeated on all of the lists.  After the Muguruza match I called Good Luck Tattoo and they told me that if I wanted to could come over and get it done right then. So I did!

When I reached the tattoo parlor I started getting more nervous.  What if I was being too impulsive? What if I regretted getting it?  What if it turned out kind of cheesy and feel really juvenile?  These thoughts raced through my mind and were at war with the opposing ones. Spontaneous is not the same as impulsive.  What if I regretted not getting it?  I can always get it removed or hide it.  I've had some great experiences in life because I'm spontaneous, and maybe a bit impulsive. :) That's how I ended up with a shaved head, a nose ring, a trampoline, and I'm sure a ton of things that weren't momentous, but also never caused me real harm. So, I went with my gut at did it!  

I know that my foot/ ankle looks kind of grubby in some of these pictures. I took special care to wash and shave really well in the morning as I was tossing around the idea of getting the tattoo in my head, but I wore sandals that day and walked around the tennis grounds and Melbourne for half the day.  Once I got the tattoo parlor my feet were kind of gross. In general my feet have been pretty grubby this entire trip because of walking around so much in sandals. 

This guy isn't anyone special, just a guy I thought was hot waiting to get a tattoo. He was very tall. And Australian.  He was eventually replaced by another tall Australian. I enjoyed my time in the shop.

The thing about tattoos is that you can never remember exactly what it's like to get one.  I alway describe it as having someone drag a shard of glass through your skin.  People who don't have them assume the needles feel the same as getting a short or getting blood drawn. I couldn't disagree more. To me, it's a totally different sensation.  When the artist, Hwaro, started all I could think was, "Holy fuck this is way more painful than I remember!"  It was not great.  After a few minutes he moved on to a different section and it was almost like I wasn't feeling it at all. It turns out that the spot where he started was just the most sensitive spot.  I think it was probably the most sensitive spot I had with any of my tattoos.  

 

I'm really happy with my tattoo choice, the color, and it's placement, but I'll be honest and say I'm disappointed in the quality of the work by the artist, especially since this parlor was so highly praised.  The artist's other works are amazing with impeccable lines. I thought it would turn out that way, but once it healed and the scabs fell off you can the uneven thickness of the line.  The above picture is from right after I got it done.  The below picture was from two or three weeks after I got it done. You can tell that there is a distinctively thicker section of line on the kangaroo's back.  If it really bothers me over time I can get it worked on, but I'll probably leave it. The color will fade over time because it's brown and also because of where it's located/ high skin cell turnover rate.  When that starts to happen it'll probably be even less noticeable.  I'm also pretty sure that no one will be able to tell from a normal vantage point. I'm still glad I got it. 

Better Than I Imagined (Day 9)

Day nine was a big tennis day for me.  I made a mistake when buying tickets that resulted in me having tickets for the day and the evening sessions on day nine.  What I meant to do was buy evening session tickets for days nine and 10 because most people recommend buying tickets for the quarterfinals if you're going to buy the pricier tickets in the second week of the tournament. Night matches are usually the more premier matches too. There's no guarantee that the top players will make it to the semi-finals or the finals. There are always upsets in a tournament and early exits of elite players.  If you hope to see a certain set of players, you have better chances of seeing them in the quarters.  It's also not uncommon for better matches to be played between the best players in the world during the quarterfinals and the semifinals.  I'm not good at remembering details like this, but I bet it wouldn't be too difficult to come up with a handful of major tournament finals matches that fell short of the drama and competition of the semi-finals matches preceding  them. I spoke with several people during the tournament who had been to multiple AO finals who confirmed this thought and said that they've seen good ones and boring ones that felt like letdowns. 

When I realized the mistake I made I was bummed out because I was missing out on an evening session of the quarterfinals. That was before I knew who would be playing. Once the schedule was released and I saw the match ups I was pumped about getting to watch the entire day.

Sofia Kenin (14) v. Ons Jabeur

You can see from my pictures that my vantage point was a little different than usual. My seats for the day session were in the very last row, but it worked out where I was able to sit at the very top of the stairs, which gave me a ton of leg room along with a great view.

I took this picture to try to demonstrate my leg room, but what's funny is that it reminds me more of the drama I had trying to walk in with my chai latte.  As I mentioned before, the AO lets you bring in pretty much any food items you want as long as they're not in glass bottles or alcohol.  There was a coffee shop in the train station that I liked and I got a chai latte several times before coming into the grounds.  As the tournament went on and security got more strict they started to ask me to open my liquid containers and they would smell the liquid.  On this day the guard kept insisting that there was something funny about my cup.  He didn't believe it was a chai latte.  He made a big stink about, told me something was funny about my drink, and suggested that I had wine mixed in with my morning beverage.  I was absolutely flabbergasted and asserted several times that there was nothing inappropriate about my drink.  He called over another guard who smelled my cup, rolled his eyes, declared it was a chai latte, and sent me on my way.

During this match I kept hearing voices and it was a little annoying because you're supposed to be quiet while play is going on.  The people around me were also looking around to see who was talking so we could shush them.  It turns out there was a broadcast booth behind us.  After a little bit I figured out that it was the tennis channel broadcast and Lindsay Davenport was in the booth.

Ash Barty (1) v. Petra Kvitova (7)

I was so excited to see Ash Barty play for several reasons. First, she's the number one player in the world. She's only 23 and I'm sure will be around for years to come, but she's clearly in her prime. It's just a matter of how long her prime will be. Because she's Australian there were huge expectations for her. There was a lot of commentary about how she was the first Australian woman in almost two decades to have a real shot at winning the tournament.  There was a whole marketing campaign centered around her in Melbourne and the tournament was referred to as the Barty Party, which worked out really well because she went deep. Unfortunately, she lost to the eventual AO winner in the semi-finals, but because she kept winning it was easy for promoters to keep saying, "Come for the Barty, stay for the party."  She had her own little pack of fans who sat together match after match in coordinating Vegemite*-styled t-shirts leading chants and cheers (Ash is an endorser). Barty is a real class act, has an extremely positive reputation, and is easy to get behind.  During this match I was definitely #TeamBarty.

* Side note: I tried Vegemite in the Whitsundays. While I stayed overnight at that amazing resort I saw that there was Vegemite by the toaster in the morning. I chatted with another guest about it and she offered me a small corner of her toast with it.  I was underwhelmed. She only had a light smear of it so it didn't taste like much.  

Tennys Sandgren v. Roger Federer (3)

This match was BONKERS.  It was the ticket of the day/ night.  It was also one of the best matches I saw the entire AO.  I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Tennys Sandgren played his ass off and somehow still lost the match. He actually won one more point than Federer and lost the match.  He led is several statistical categories.  It was crazy.  At one point during the fourth set I turned to the person sitting next to me and said, "Stick a fork in Federer. He's done."  And then Federer came back to win the match.

Oh, and did I mention that I got to see Federer play in person before he retires? Legend.

 

Milos Raonic (32) v. Novak Djokovic (2)

I was flying high all day knowing that I'd get to see my man Djokovic play again.  I was also pretty psyched to see Raonic play.  I've always liked watching him on television.  The Sandgren/ Federer match was so energetic. I was ready for some more.

Let me tell you, this match SUCKED. It was super slow.  The first set took about an hour, which is not completely unheard of, but it felt painful. I was bored out of my mind.  Raonic and Djokovic took forever to serve and there was practically no rhythm to the play with neither player getting into a groove. It was such a let down for me.  Plus, my seats were in a different spot than earlier in the day and I sat next to a man who literally called every ball. In. Out. Out. Out. In. In. And he was right only about 50% of the time.  

At the end of the first set I knew I needed to try to relocate. It wasn't as easy to pop a squat in an empty seat so I had to be strategic. I got a chicken sandwich and a Skyy vodka lime soda drink and snuck my way into the lower level when they ushers weren't looking. I thought I'd be busted when the ushers busted several other people, but I guess one person is easier to look over than a group of friends.  I stayed for another few games, but I ended up doing something I never imagined myself doing. I left the match early. I left my favorite player. 

In the end it was the right decision for me and I don't regret it.  I made it on the train before everyone else, didn't have to deal with 1,000 other people, and right as I walked into my apartment door I got the score update that said Djokovic won.  

Being frustrated with the tennis didn't make it any less gorgeous of a night. 

Better Than I Imagined (Day 8)

Daniil Medvedev (4) v. Stan Wawrinka (15)

I was super stoked to see Daniil Medvedev play Stan Wawrinka. I'd seen Daniil play a bunch already this tournament, but I hadn't seen Stan play before. I like Stan as a player and often think of him as an underdog, which makes me root for him.  He was on my list of players I was really hoping to see prior to coming to Australia. 

Honestly, I'm not sure who was on the court behind me in this first picture below. I think it might be Dominic Thiem. I took the picture as the post-match interview of the previous match was going on before I made it down to my seat below.

These pictures don't show it as much as I expected it to, but I noticed something "interesting" about Stan Wawrinka's body during this match.  Without getting too much into it, I tend to be attracted to pretty solid men. I like sturdy legs and booty on a man. Stan is a few inches taller than me, about six feet, and definitely has sturdy legs and a booty. As I talked about with Tennys Sandgren and Michael Mmoh, it makes sense that tennis players would have really developed quads and butts because that's where they get a lot of power.  They don't need big biceps because that's not what gives them the power for their forehands or backhands.  Their core, butt, and legs matter more. That being said, usually because these players are doing total body workouts they tend to still have muscles all over. Tennys Sandgren and Rafa Nadal come to mind.    What I noticed about Stan is that he is solid, some might even describe him as stocky, but his arms are quite small, disproportionately so. I couldn't not see it once I noticed it. I mean, whatever - it's clearly working for him and I don't mean to be insensitive. If I were reading a blog post picking apart my body I'd probably be in a heap on the floor crying.  I just found it weird that it's even possible for his body to develop like that. Maybe if I were face to face with him he would look different or I wouldn't even notice it.

Anyway, all of the pictures I took were of Stan because I hadn't seen him play yet.  I didn't take any Daniil because I had a bunch already and because they were all looking the same to me.  

I ate a MaxiBon bar almost every day if the tournament. They were so delicious. I really miss them already.  Something I love about traveling is that there are a set of food items that you can get in every country: Coke, Oreos, wafer cookies (vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate), Pringles, and Haribo gummie bears are the first time come to mind. You can also always find a variety of ice cream bars. I like to try different ice cream in each country and usually walk away with a favorite. This was definitely my favorite in Australia and I ate a lot of it. 

Unfortunately, Daniil Medvedev lost the match. I'd developed quite a selfish interest in his performance throughout the tournament because the more he won, the more I got to see tennis from amazing seats.  It was disappointing that he lost, but I couldn't complain. I was treated to so much and saw great players during the men's matches who I wouldn't have seen if I only attended with the tickets I purchased.  Beyond my own selfish interest I became a fan of Medvedev. He's fun to watch and it's impossible to not be invested in a player and their performance once you get to know some of his team and his support system.  I can confidently say that I will be following his career much more intently now.

Another pair of my jeans almost bit the dust on my way home that night. While I was wearing the second of my two new pairs of jeans I sat in gum on the train! What was really nuts about it is that while on the station platform I sat down and waited on a bench. I noticed a piece of gum and was super diligent about not getting it on me. Too bad I didn't see the gum on the patterned cloth seat on the actual train. Ugh!  I tried to get most of it off that night, but got frustrated and set my jeans aside to deal with later.  A few days later when I had an evening free I got my jeans wet, froze them, and sat on my couch scraping the hardened gum off with a steak knife and a pair of tweezers until I was able to salvage the pair. I've been wearing them happily since. :) 

Better Than I Imagined (Day 7)

The seventh day of the tournament was the only day I didn't see a single tennis ball served.  I bought tickets to nine of the 14 days of the Australian Open and was gifted tickets to four more days.  The seventh day was the only day I didn't have a ticket.  I could have bought a grounds pass, but I was seeing so much tennis that I didn't think it was necessary. What I would have really been interested in seeing were ticketed matches anyway.  I was a little disappointed that I wasn't going the tennis because it was Australia Day and I had this vision of being in a match with an Aussie playing like Ash Barty or Nick Kyrgios and people in the crowd with face paint and waving flags. Basically I superimposed a picture I have of American Independence Day onto the Australian Open crowd and Melbourne in general. I wanted to be a part of that experience, feel that energy. I didn't want to see it on television and look back and wish that I was there.  Australia Day in reality didn't quite align with my imagined version and in the end I didn't feel like I missed anything super special, except for some good tennis.

Australia Day was much more low key than I thought it would be.  I expected to see bunting draped everywhere and hear backyard BBQs in my neighborhood. I thought I'd see people wearing clothes made up of the Australian flag.  I think I heard a few get togethers, but the day didn't seem markedly different than any other day I was there.  While I don't know for sure, I suspect this has something to do with the recent conversations about Australian aboriginal history.  As I referenced in my post about my walking tour in Sydney, there is definitely an on-going conversation about the aboriginal population being reduced and subsequently ignored for most of modern Australia's history. To say that Australia Day is heavily criticized by aboriginals and aboriginal supporters is quite an understatement. January 26 is a day not to be celebrated, but to be mourned because it was the day the English arrived and began to destroy an indigenous population.  My sense was that Australia hasn't figured out how to celebrate its history yet - the good and the bad. They're not as far along as Canada has been with their reconciliation with native peoples, but they have engaged in the hard conversation more intentionally than the US has with its native population. 

Even though the celebrations were more muted than I expected, I went to the parade in Melbourne. There was less of the overwhelming blur of Australian flags and more a celebration of individual cultural groups established in Australia.  The parade marchers were waving Australian flags, but marching to their own music. In the US our parades are dominated by high school bands, civic groups, politicians, youth groups, and pageant queens.  This parade was made up mostly of cultural groups.  I don't have any comparison points of other parades in Australia and even though were some cool things to see it kind of felt like a compensation for not recognizing the history of "others" outside of the British/ colonial Australians.  I didn't see the very beginning of the parade, so maybe they were there, but I didn't see aboriginal anything as part of the parade. Ironic, huh? Again, maybe I missed it, but I don't think I did.  So, I saw the parade, waved a flag, and then went back to my apartment. I don't remember doing much of anything else with my day, but I remember feeling happy to chill and relax. 

  

  

As I was entering the train station to go back home I saw that there was a protest on the steps to the station.  I stopped to check it out and then heard a voice in my head of all the recommendations of safe travel - "avoid political gatherings and public protests".  I decided to leave even though the protest seemed to be fairly benign.  I asked one of the policemen present if he could tell me a little bit about what was going on.  It was obvious that it was a protest in favor of the aboriginal people, but I wondered if there were more to it than that. The cop told me that he wasn't permitted to discuss the protest. I understood so I said thanks and caught my train home.