Summer is sweltering again, turning the Kangaeroo Corner into a dustbowl, but this year is a little different because my every move is being watched by the untiring Uyu.
We’ve been walking incessantly despite the heat, and the beautiful border collie had me worried because she looked exhausted and overheated when we returned home last night.
Each day of her stay has exceeded 34 degrees Celsisus, with 80 percent-plus humidity, a searing sun and scorched asphalt. We’ve still walked at least 10 kilometers every day. I’m bushed. But loving it. Walking through the area has also taught me how beautiful the region is. And having a dog provides plenty of opportunities to get to know the neighbors.
Our little dinosaur is none too happy because there’s an impediment to her rule of the roost. I’ve kept her caged for as long as probably most pet birds go through on a daily basis. This is mainly to protect her as Uyu races for her at first sight and is filled with curiousity. Of course, Dino panics when she’s being chased by a border collie. It has made for some challenging moments.
With work ending, a new job starting and the two hyper co-dependants to look after and no hope of a bike ride, I’ve had more couch time than usual.
It has allowed me to take a closer look than normal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where my two countries of Japan and Australia performed superbly, finishing third and fourth, respectively on the medal table.
Rather than celebrating the brilliant performance, though, Australia’s presence at the Olympics has been highlighted by Dr. Rachel “Raygun” Gunn, the first Aussie breakdancing competitor in the Games.
Raygun’s performance was terrible. She looked clumsy and inept and became a laughingstock around the world for her poor dancing. I felt sorry for her as she was mercilessly mocked. She has become a national hero in Australia for the vehement defense of her performance. But I lost some empathy when Australia’s chief d’mission, Anna Meares, blamed the criticism on mysogyny. I’m not sure how she came to that conclusion, but I thought it was a bit rich. I’m not sure taxpayers should have been footing the bill to send this woman to the Olympics, but also surprised to hear that she has a PhD in breakdancing! Doesn’t say a lot for the state of education in Australia. Pretty sure the 36-year-old academic, who seems like a decent person and is widely respected in the breakdancing community, has probably been told all her life how special and talented she is, which is probably the case, if not to Olympic level. But to me, she’s a bit of a personification of the Dunning-Kruger effect, where people have a warped sense of their abilities. I have to say that I share that trait with her, to be fair, so admire her bravery for putting her ineptitude on display for a global audience to see. But that doesn’t stop me from agreeing with a lot of her critics, who make valid points about her own view of her abilities.
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