SYDNEY

I remember the first time I went to New York City. I loved it: the excitement, the energy, Broadway! I wanted to live there forever.

Of course, the second time I went there I got my friend fired and kicked out on the streets, and consequently spent the rest of the trip in her friend's employers' basement until I bought her a one-way plane ticket to Utah so she could come live with me for a while.

The NYC magic had died.

But for now, I love Sydney. It was exciting and there is the Opera House!

My dad and brother Russell joined me in Sydney, and did a marvelous job of quickly overcoming jetlag. Here is Russell in front of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

Of course we had to go to a show a the Opera House. Unfortunatley, our only option was "Vula" - a story about a young polynesian woman's quest for self or something. It was amusing to me our three different responses to the show. My dad kept on looking at his watch, perhaps thinking we should just get up and leave (not a fan). Russell was analyzing the meaning of the different characters and how it symbolized Vula's inner battle to discover who she really was, etc. I just kept on thinking "that's cool - the stage is covered in water". What this is telling of, I do not know.

We also got a chance to go see some animals. It's the only part of Australia that really seems that "Australian" I think - seeing koalas and kangaroos. Of course, the day after seeing these animals we ate them. No - it's not like a restaurant where you pick your lobster - and unfortunately we never did find any sort of koala meat. But we did eat kangaroo and crocodile pizza. Yum!

And my favorite part of the entire weekend: this sign at the Sydney Aquarium. In case you can't read it, it says "If the fall doesn't kill you, the crocodile will". That would be bad.