Why "Phar Lap's Heart"?

"The racehorse Phar Lap is one of the legends of Australian sporting history. His unusually large heart, weighing 6.35 kilograms, is one of the icons of the National Museum of Australia's collection, a testament to the great affection with which Phar Lap is held by the Australian people.

Phar Lap's victory in the 1930 Melbourne Cup, in the midst of the Great Depression, elevated him to the status of national hero. Two years later, Australia was stunned at the news of the horse's death under suspicious circumstances in the United States.

Phar Lap's remains were dispersed across the globe. His mounted hide went to the National Museum of Victoria in Melbourne, the skeleton to the National Museum of New Zealand in Wellington and the heart to the National Museum of Australia in Canberra."

- Quoted from the National Museum of Australia's website.

I chose this as the title/theme of my blog for a couple of reasons. First, I'm living in Melbourne right now and, as a racing fan, I clearly had no choice but to make the trek over to the museum (by way of Lygon Street, naturally) to see Phar Lap's hide. Great preservation work, guys. Second, I was really fascinated by Australians' fierce devotion to this horse. They were so devoted, in fact, that they cut him open and displayed parts of him in different museums. This is awesome. Mostly, though, I thought it was a good way of showing what I'm looking for in all of my traveling. As you may know, I'm kind of a new expat wife (yep, with all of the anti-feminist stuff that implies). It's been about five months since I left the States, and I haven't written much of anything about my experiences abroad. But I've seen and thought about a hell of a lot since I've been away. So I figured it was high time to start writing. Those who know me will probably understand that I like to seek out the strange and bizarre (and the hilarious). Well. I think this fits the bill.