Mate.

I kinda hate and love this tshirt all at the same time. Hate people who actually do this (I'm talking to you Angela - Little Miss 'Her boyfriend is the killer') but love all the movie references.

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State of Origin is on tonight. My male flatmates are downstairs, empty wine-bottles surrounding them, enjoying the action on our new Sky TV set-up. They booked the TV days in advance for this one. They are sad that Q'land just scored to take the lead. I am gleeful.

I have now several times had the old 'So who are you a fan of - boring old Sydney or good old Queensland?' conversation today. It is one of those litmus tests to see if someone's a wanker or a good sort. Now, any NSW fans out there may be outraged by that polarisation of things (I would expect this from a NSW fan and it further proves my point).

NSW fans lack imagination and spirit. They sit back and preach in their accountant-like monotones that NSW is simply the better team. Look at the statistics and the record books. Why would you support anyone else? Cold-hard-facts. They sit there in their prissy baby-blue tops and drink their lattes and put mousse in their hair and... stuff.

Whereas a Queensland fan knows that the odds are against them, and maybe overall they've won a lot less.... but they still believe in the team. It's based on nothing by blind-eyed-loyalty. They dredge up those awe-inspiring moments (much like when the mother can lift the car off her dying child) and beat the odds. And they don't give a damn if they look 'cool' doing it. Bring out the ugly!

I like this kind of delusion and inbred-loyalty. I hate rugby league - but if forced to sit in one camp or the other (or be eaten alive by aligators) I'd choose the maroons. Good on 'em.

Anyhow.... it's one of those tests in life that very elegantly and simply shows the differences between people. Much like asking someone if they like crunchy or smooth peanut-butter. You can hear the answer and nod knowingly at them, 'Ooooh, I would've guessed that. You seem like the type' .... even better with the Vegemite Vs Marmite debate.

There's the Betty-or-Veronica question also (though, who would admit to liking Veronica better?) and John or Paul.

But I don't think any are quite as accurate at setting apart the core differences between people than the NSW vs Queensland one. It's the only good thing to ever come out of rugby league.

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They've tried to get the whole North vs South rivarly to come out in NZ in various codes. Doesn't quite work.

I am, by my distant roots, a Southerner. Both sides of my family come from deep within the bowels of the coal-mining settlements in Greymouth and Hokitika. Nothing wrong with that, I say.

And one of my distant fore-bearers was mid-wife to Ned Kelly. Bessie Giles was her name. I love that name. Sounds like a woman of the cowboy-days in the wilderness of Australia.

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I have taken on Ange's belief that you can always find a good park on the street. She figures that somebody has to get the good parks, and it might as well be her....... That positive attitude actually works sometimes. I traditionally take the first park I see, blocks away from where I'm going. But with a bit of that cocky Angela attitude I have nabbed some prime spots of late. Long may my luck continue.