Hottest New Year Ever

Happy New Year everyone, we beat you here, haha! Kane and I spent most of New Year's Eve day in our apartment trying to avoid the ridiculous heat. I think it was a record high for that day. It was about 107 in the day and our apartment wasn't much cooler. It's a dry heat (to answer your question dad) but it's still too hot to handle, even for me. Our apartment was an oven; the stagnant heat was choking. We watched movies, ate food, and tried to nap, sweating through everything. I know I hate to be cold, but being really hot is perhaps equally as awful. It seems the only way I can relieve either is to shower and that is only temporary relief.

Anyway, we stayed in until about 10:30pm when we ventured to the CBD to see the fireworks. The trains were all free which was nice, and the ride there wasn't even too packed. We had hoped that the heat would subside with the sun out of sight, but alas, no relief. It was easily over 90 up until we came home, maybe even up around 100. Not much of a breeze either. Enough complaining - the fireworks were nice and were different from the ones in the USA. At home, I recall a large fireworks display that is high in the air and everyone crowds around for miles to see. Here, they did probably half a dozen shows (or maybe more) all along the river, spaced maybe half mile apart each. Each show was smaller, closer to the ground, but anywhere you stood you could see shows all around you. The larger high rise buildings had fireworks on their roofs. It was quite a sight. I counted about 8 displays that could be seen from where we were standing. Also, personal fireworks are illegal and virtually do not exist in the hands of evil teen agers (or boys of all ages), so there were no unwelcome explosions on the street or near our house. Except for the ridiculous crowds, it was rather enjoyable. So, happy new year everyone, I hope you had a good time wherever you were.

On a less exciting note, I had an encounter with a bug last night that I found notable. We have been very fortunate so far, having seen so few bugs in this supposedly insect-ridden country. I think it's probably because we have been in the inner city most of the time. Our first night in Sydney at our friends' house a roach decided to make it up the drain pipe into the kitchen to announce his presence to me. I, of course, was the one who saw him and, after I freaked out, he was extinguished by a room mate. Last night after dinner we were sitting on the floor with our backs against the couch. I felt something on my shoulder and brushed at it. As I brushed I felt something. I looked back at the couch to see if it was a broken strand of couch dangling behind me, but there was nothing. In my constant paranoia, I stood up to relocate to the couch just in case there was a bug and I had knocked it to the floor near me. I laid on the couch with my back on a large pillow and immediately saw a giant beetle or roach-type bug beside my left arm. I freaked out, jumped up, and tried to release words that would signal Kane to get the bug. Eventually enough words came out in such a manner as to alert him to my anguish and he retrieved a jar and took the bug outside. I was not happy about it.

I don't know why I'm scared of big bugs, but I am. I guess most people are, but I certainly wish I could talk my brain into reason. It doesn't work; I am perpetually terrified and paranoid about the possible presence of an insect fumbling into my life, and more precisely, onto or near my person. I suppose I should view last night as a milestone - see, a bug actually touched me for a prolonged period of time and I'm fine! But I don't, I'm just more scared. On the brighter side, I doubt any large bugs can make it as far as the 14th floor, so, come Friday, perhaps we will hopefully be above this problem, literally.