cheers to you, mrs. robinson.

By Challi

Hello, my name is Michael Challis, co-contributor to the blog, you killed my father, prepare to die.

If you don't know me by now, congratulations. You're one of the lucky ones. Unfortunately you'll have to find out about me and watch me fuel my ego while this blog is still around and I'm still on it. I used to have a blog of my own but then I realised that in order to have a proper blog I would have to update it at least once a year, which I failed to do. So I'll just let Patrick keep the blog alive and I shall use this blog on the occasion that I feel a rant coming on and need to dispose of it here so I don't stain my clothes. Like now:

As a job, I work at my parent's pet stuff and pet food store down in rural Adelaide Hills. As such, we get many a customer, most of whom lack teeth and reek of pot. Whenever we finish a transaction with a customer, these monstrous entities always feel they should exchange gratitude for it. That's fine, if they just said "Thanks" but unfortunately for me, the flavour of the last few years has been "Cheers". Nobody ever says thanks anymore, they just say "Cheers", like I just clinked a glass of rancid wine with theirs, which I haven't.

Why has "Cheers" officially replaced "Thanks" in Australian culture? Were we just looking for something different to say, or were we just trying to allude to that stupid sitcom? Saying "Cheers" doesn't even make sense in a situation where you'd normally say thanks anyhow. "Cheers" implies celebration, and buying something from our shop, which they do every freaking day, isn't exactly a cause for a celebration. That is unless you're a really lonely person who gets really excited every time you go to shop because that's the only way you can make human contact anymore.

If that is the case, then that's not exactly a cause for a celebration, but crank out the booze anyway.

-C