Poking around the Pokies

Well, after finding where Peta Johnston worked, I headed over to the Casino, where I heard a smoking swing band called the Lucky Sevens play. Yup, the casino holds a position of prominence downtown -- downstairs is the train station.

If you've read "In a Sunburned Country" by Bill Bryson, you might remember how important "pokies" are in the Aussie cultural milieu.

Many languages do fun things with diminutives. For example, in Spanish, a coffee becomes a "cafecito." A glass of water may be called "aguita." In Aussie English, the same rules apply: a mosquito is a "mozzie," a cooler is an "eski" (as in Eskimo), and the poker slot machines are called "pokies." :)

I decided to try my luck with the grand investment of $1 Australian (about $0.65 US after the recent currency devaluation -- thank you credit crisis...). The elderly gentleman next to me served in the Aussie Air Force in WWII and learned to fly in Detroit. He said Henry Ford donated about a dozen "carriages" to drive them around for R&R. We apparently made a REALLY favorable impression with this country 60-odd years ago. Last week another older fellow shook my hand and thanked us for coming to their assistance as Japan began bombing Darwin, an important northern port city. Thank you U.S. for doing some good.

Oh, I walked outside to this view of the River Torrens $5 richer and finished reading "1788: The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet." It's a rather engrossing account of the 1st Australian settlers in what would become Sydney. The account makes the Pilgrim's plight sound like child's play.