Don't mess with Aussies

Australians, or at least, the ones I know (e.g., my husband and his family), are unbelievable practical jokers. Jason's dad had a neighbor who used to go boating from time to time, and he kept his boat at a marina but brought the boat's engine home to store in his garage or whatever for safekeeping. So one day when the guy was out on his boat, Jason's dad dug a big hole near the guy's back yard, along the path that he typically walked when bringing the boat motor home. He covered the hole with palm frods or other pieces of foliage, and then hid behind a fence and laughed his ass off when the guy fell into the hole while carrying his boat motor. Or there was the time Jason and his pals duct-taped a drunken friend to a flag pole naked in the middle of a public square. The poor bastard had to borrow a towel from the police to wrap around himself so he could take the train home. Or there was the time Jason rewired his boss's car so that every time the guy stepped on the brakes, the car horn sounded. Or the time his brother stole a garbage truck and drove it to his girlfriend's house to pick her up for a date. I could go on. But in any event, what many Australians would consider a "harmless prank," we would consider "vandalism" or "battery" or "larceny."

There's a guy at Jason's work that has started the cycle, apparently unaware of what he's gotten himself into. He put some goofy stickers on Jason's hardhat, so Jason taped some flowers to the guy's hardhat. Then he screwed Jason's tool belt to one of the equipment carts at work. So Jason waited until the guy had put his tools away for the day in some secured boxes that he keeps on the back of his truck, and screwed those shut. So the guy can't get them open because any tools he would use are locked inside. Last night Jason started talking about needing to get some shoe polish for the next round of tricks. I'm getting really nervous that we may have to put a defense lawyer on retainer.