I'm emotionally fragile right now

My wallet was stolen the other day, from my bag, by a primary school student! Talk about daring. At that age I thought talking during silent reading was the ultimate in hell raising...

The little shit, whoever it was, managed to pinch it from my bag at some stage while I was teaching at a local primary school. I had given up all hope of ever finding the wallet and had started my walk home when, lo and behold, there it was, on the road, right in front of the school, emptied of all my credit cards and soaking wet (apparently wallet thieves over here are prone to throwing the evidence into a toilet cistern when their done...)

And while we're on the topic of criminals, a few months ago I witnessed a real life failed attempt at a citizen's arrest! I was about to board my bus when this big beafy guy, who was standing next to me at the time, put one arm in the air and started yelling, "Citizen's arrest, citizen's arrest" . With his free arm he then grabbed at a short stocky guy who happened to be walking by - apparently he'd stolen some chocolates from Tesco's!

The alleged thief, however, carrying two bags of chocolates, was too nimble for his sluggish pursuer and managed sprint around the bus and slip onto it just before the doors closed, leaving the arresting citizen banging on the window like a crazed madman. The bus driver was having none of it, though, as the bus was full he had no intention of letting another passenger on board, good deed or no good deed.

It was then that I thought to myself, God my life is exciting.

Socceroos

I was an emotional wreck after the Aussies' loss to Italy - they just went oh so close, didn't they. What a fantastic effort, though.

Leisa is asking me now if I'll support the Poms, and it was hard explaining to her that it's just not allowed.

"It's out of my hands, honey."

"Why? Is it written in the constitution or something?"

"Yup"

Now this is a World Cup

I'd had a shit of a day when I decided to pop into a pub on the way home from work to catch the last 10 mins of the Australia vs Japan game. It was 32 degrees and I was hot (yes, that's hot for me these days - pathetic, I know) and when I looked up and saw that we were losing one zip with only 10 minutes left, I thought to myself, typical.

And then it came: three goals in 6 minutes, as I went from miserable bum to jubilant chum in an instant.

Now, although I really like soccer (football) and have done so for quite a while, I always thought it was slightly over the top the way people all over the world, as with religion, seemed to live and die by it. But experiencing first hand this week how a victory by your football team on such a stage can really lift you out of the doldrums of your dreary existence, even if for just a moment, I think I caught a glimpse of why the masses are so addicted to this drug.

It's an event that stands head and shoulders above the rest, politically, culturally, and economically. And now we're there as well, finally playing with all the big boys - you beauty!

Quotes from the British press

Simon Barnes from The Times: "And then the match turned and stood on its head: a sudden cataract of goals and emotions and it was all about Japanese tears and Australian song. Only football can do this because only in football does a goal matter so much. The explosion of release at a goal is something no other sport does in the same way. In Australian Rules, a goal is a kiss on the lips. In football, it's an orgasm."

Duncan White, London's Daily Telegraph: "For all the jibes from outback types back in Australia that football was just a game for effeminate Mediterranean immigrants, this was a cast-iron refutation, a never-say-die performance hewn from the same granite as a Steve Waugh innings."