Complex Numbers

All In a Row

Got another "Journalistic Intentions"  [18+] entry today:

Jessica Fox

When it comes time to write on a subject about which I know next to nothing, my obvious first stop is Wikipedia.   Sure, it's not perfect, but is anything? Earning a gold medal in the Olympics is about as close as one can get.

And I do have respect for anyone talented and dedicated enough to do that. I also have respect for the talent and dedication required to be an opera singer, but that doesn't mean I want to subject myself to the experience of sitting through an opera.

As much as I enjoy learning new things, there's just not enough time to be interested in everything. Some things get pushed to the bottom of the queue, like opera or sports.

So while it may shock some people that today is the first time I've ever heard of Jessica Fox, today is the first time I've ever heard of Jessica Fox.

Would I have heard of this medal-collecting canoeist—that is, would some news story about her have impinged itself on my consciousness before now if she were from the US instead of Oz? Maybe. Maybe not. If so, that wouldn't be my fault. A lot of the news I get is from the US, but I also get information from international sources, and it's not like she's from some obscure country with a weird language. Okay, weird language, sure, but Australia is hardly obscure. In any case, I actively avoid sports reporting. It's a practice I inherited from my parents.

I'm sure it's somehow bad that my first thought was "sure, you pretty much have to be an Olympic athlete to outrun/outswim/outrow the local wildlife there." That's gone past the "tired old joke" phase to "always funny." It's especially funny because I'm pretty sure Australians promote the exaggeration in order to keep ugly Americans from wanting to visit.

It's not working on me. I'd love to visit, drop bears and all. The thing that's stopping me is the thought of a 24-hour-plus flight (with connections) cooped up in a flimsy aluminum can with a bunch of American tourists.

For shiggles, though, I just looked up some flights (I had to in order to confirm the duration), and the prices are remarkably reasonable. For riding steerage, anyway. Less than 2000 US dollars for a round trip with one stop. Yes, that's a lot of money, but not bad for flying nearly halfway around the Earth, which, I feel I must reiterate, is round.

But I digress. Remember up there I said I inherited an aversion to sports news from my parents? Apparently, things like that run in the family, because Fox's parents were also world-class paddlers.

I guess you could say they're all in the same boat.