Yesterday's headline in the Surf Coast Times was talking about a woman that was brutally murdered, chopped up, and washed up piece by piece on Wilson's Prom. What the hell, Australia?
Okay, so I said I would do Sydney justice once I was able to take some pictures from my lovely travel mates and friends Carly and Kate. The pictures are in and the update is here to follow.
This was a photo of us Friday night at a place called Lowenbrau (I think). We ordered German dishes and drank extraordinarily good beer there. The good beer was pricey but completely worth it, a much needed break from the goon. The waiters/waitresses wore lederhosen and German dresses, which was awesome. Despite our flip flops, Carly got us in by saying we came all the way from the states to come to Oktoberfest. Carly's a quick thinker and a keeper for sure, GREAT thinking. Wonderful to travel with good people. The waitress also helped us out by giving us a table without a reservation, apparently something unheard of at the restaurant we were at, so I guess it was just our lucky night. 
This is a shot of us in front of the world famous Sydney Opera House. It's on most of the postcards I sent out, and it really looks better from a distance, like Mel Gibson. On the real, though, it is covered in tiles and is somewhat off-white close up. A cool monument to see, as long as we were waiting for a ferry to Manly beach. From left you see Eliott, me, Carly, and Kate. Eliott is an Australian Engineer we met in Sydney. He is a friend of a friend from (interestingly enough) Oxy. Small world, eh? Eliott wasn't like the typical strange nerdy Engineers you work with, mom, so stop stereotyping them. He was a solid dude and is coming to the states and to Los Angeles sometime in the next few months.
This is the bridge, apparently a big deal. I dunno. There were people walking on top of it on tours but they seemed kind of like tools and I wasn't really that into it. Whatever, there's a picture of us in front of it.
This is Carly and I at the Blue Mountains, looking down at the waterfalls and the forests thousands of feet below us. The Blue Mountains are a big deal here, but honestly just go to Colorado where the mountains are infinitely larger and more majestic. Still, good to see mountains in Australia.
That brings us to the Halloween booze cruise. Here I am with my beautiful reindeer companions, all of us a few drinks in. The ship departed from Darling Harbour, had an open bar and pizza, and went around the CBD, took us right by the Opera House, and under the bridge. It was one of the rowdiest times ever, dancing on the bottom floor and a bar on the top. Seriously one of the most memorable nights in Australia, and a phenomenal Halloween experience. We did the Christmas thing as you can see. They were reindeer and I was an elf, but an elf that doesn't like to make toys.
Enough about Sydney, I'm missing it already. I've spent the week writing papers, getting a start on the 7000 words I have due. I took a mental health day yesterday and went surfing. We met a pretty cool dog on the beach. I don't know much about breeds but it looks like some sort of small terrier to me. It was feisty and liked playing tug of war with sticks that washed up on the beach, something that Jack loves doing as well. Not quite my dog, but still fun to be around the little guy.
This week I am finishing my first paper and then going to the last Swedish House party. The weekend is consumed by work again, and I'll be laying low other than Friday afternoon/night. After the 16th we are taking a surf trip to the Great Ocean Road and living the dream for a few days. Then I'm on borrowed time, saying goodbye to Melbourne, and making my way to the Great Barrier Reef to get back into Marine Biology research. Then it's off to New Zealand, which I've been most excited for since the beginning. After that, I'll surf couches around friends' houses near Oxy until the 23rd, then it's home for Christmas. Life is good, and I don't know how any year after 20 just on the cusp of turning 21 can get better, but I'll figure something out.
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