So sad but so true ...

I needed a bit of a laugh when I received this forwarded e-mail from the man formerly known as KL (you will soon discover that I now - sometimes, old habits die hard - call him MVP after his efforts on grand final day). This list made my day (and made me laugh) and if you're from G-Town, then I'm sure you'll appreciate it too.

I've added my own personal commentary after each of the 45 entries. So, without any further adieu, you know you're from Geelong when ...

1. You were born at Baxter House.
(No, but Rogan Josh was.)
2. You still hang out with the same friends you had in high school.
(What's wrong with that?)
3. You can't go out without seeing someone you know.
(Again, what's wrong with that?)
4. You always end up at the Eureka every Saturday night.
(As a younger man, I may have done this.)
5. You used to always end up at the GH every Saturday night.
(Again, as a younger man, I may have done this.)
6. You remember the good old days at the Lyric.
(Again, again, I seem to be repeating myself.)
7. You have eaten food from Kev's take-away van on Gheringhap Street.
(Sadly, this Geelong experience has eluded me thus far. Kev and his take-away van weren't out on Gheringhap Street last Saturday night, so I'll say it may not happen.)
8. You have waited an hour for a taxi after a big night out then given up and walked home ... because nowhere in Geelong seems very far when you're drunk (or sober).
(I know the drill already, I just start walking. How else do I explain my athletic physique?)
9. You had schoolies in either Lorne or Torquay.
(Another experience to elude me, but then again, I wasn't much of a party animal in my formative high school years.)
10. You hung out at Barwon Valley Fun Park as a kid.
(It was because I wasn't a party animal that I may have hung out - and enjoyed - Barwon Valley Fun Park. Who doesn't love flying foxes?)
11. You have attended a Poppy Kettle festival.
(Yes.)
12. You have performed in a school play at GPAC.
(No. Not that I know of.)
13. You have been on a school excursion to Happy Hen's and Warrumbidgee Farm.
(Yes, although I think they spelt the name of the farm wrong. I tried to Google it.)
14. You have been on a school camp to Sovereign Hill.
(Yes, I caught gold for the first time. Sadly, it was the last time as well.)
15. You remember when Waurn Ponds was one giant paddock.
(Sadly, I do. Now it's a urban jungle.)
16. You claim Missy Higgins as "Geelong's Own" because she went to Grammar.
(I don't claim Missy Higgins as "Geelong's Own" because she went to Grammar.)
17. You generally think people who went to Grammar are wankers.
(Exactly.)
18. You were possibly a "Joey's Boy" or dated a "Joey's Boy".
(I hated Joey's because I went to the rival Catholic boy's school, Chanel. And similar to that beauty on the Jim Beam commercial, I like girls. Even when they don't like me. That way.)
19. You know someone who went to Chanel or Morongo.
(I just may have!)
20. You attended either Deakin or The Gordon at some point.
(I'm looking at my Deakin University diplomas now - they are sitting right next to the keyboard.)
21. You know several people who work at Target.
(Yes.)
22. You know someone who played for Falcons.
(Yes.)
23. You have a Geelong Football Club sticker on your car.
(If I owned a car, I would.)
24. You insist on still calling Skilled Stadium "Kardinia Park".
(Or KP.)
25. You regularly see footballers in your local supermarket and don't particularly care.
(Being a Geelong fan, I care. A lot.)
26. You know Lamby's is the place to be after a footy match at KP.
(See, they even called it KP! Lamby's rocks/rocked, especially on Sunday nights.)
27. You think Billy Brownless should be our mayor.
(Not particularly, but he would be better than John So or Geelong's actual mayor, whoever he/she is.)
28. You have a very strong opinion about Sam Newman.
(I reckon he's a great personality. Just not a great person.)
29. You have a very strong opinion about palm trees in Moorabool Street.
(Yes, we're not Southern California. On Saturday night, someone tried to set fire to one. And before you ask, it wasn't me.)
30. You think The Advertiser's a load of crap ... but you still read it every day.
(I don't think it's crap, I've got a number of friends who work there. And I did work experience there! If it's got Geelong footy news, then I'll read it.)
31. You can leave work at 5:15 and still miss "peak hour traffic".
(If I worked in Geelong, I probably would. But then again, I work in Melbourne. I just live in Geelong. For now.)
32. You have jumped off the tower at Eastern Beach and slid down the hill on a piece of cardboard.
(Good times.)
33. You remember when Village only had two cinemas and going to the old Pix on Elizabeth Street.
(Again, good times.)
34. You remember when Smorgy's opening was the biggest event in the town's history.
(I must have been sleeping when this happened. But I do remember waiting for 90 minutes with the Blog Family to get into Sizzler in the early '90s. Unbelievable.)
35. You remember when Club 4 Play was a creepy underground McDonald's.
(Yes, and thankfully I never went there. Club 4 Play, that is.)
36. You remember when OfficeWorks was World 4 Kids.
(I love the whole juxtaposition of Club 4 Play versus World 4 Kids. W4K wins every time.)
37. You remember when Brashes was a cool place to buy cassettes.
(So cool that they even spelt Brashs wrong. I bought U2's Rattle And Hum there. In 1989.)
38. You insist on still calling Westfield "Bay City Plaza".
(I do.)
39. You remember when Bay City Plaza car parking was free for the first two hours.
(What, it's not free anymore?)
40. You refer to "going shopping" as "going into town".
(I do. This is starting to sound like a wedding ceremony.)
41. You went on a Contiki tour and met several other people from Geelong.
(I did not. In fact, I was the only Victorian male on my European tour and the only Victorian female happened to be the niece of one of my fellow colleagues at the esteemed broadsheet. Small world.)
42. You know what "Buckets and Bouquets" are.
(I do. Bouquets to the person who created this list. Buckets to the long list of people who have knocked G-Town over the years.)
43. You know Geelong doesn't just rock. It K-Rocks.
(It does.)
44. You always refer to Geelong as "G-Town" when talking to Melbourne people (or any people really).
(Do I?)
45. You acknowledge Geelong's a hole ... but still get pissed off when Melbourne people call it "Sleepy Hollow"!
(Seriously, and if you haven't already gathered, I'm very proud of my home town. I reckon it's awesome so naturally I get a bit miffed when people knock the place.)

Can anyone out there think of five more to bring make this list a Top 50?