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| Day 2: | Thursday, 5 September 2002 | ||
| New Thing: | Is there such thing as a 1-cent coin in Australia? | ||
| Weather: | Mostly clear, low 60sF | ||
| Money Spent: | $15.35 AUS | $ 8.47 USD (Australia on $10 a day?) | |
| 5:34am | Tubby awakens with the realization that when you go to bed a little after 9pm, you're bound to wake up earlier than the alarm. He mumbles something about lemon curry in a prawn salad, and dozes off again. And they say I'm the odd duck. |
| 5:37am | Since I was so rudely awakened, I figured I'd leverage the opportunity to snap a photo of the harbour outward toward the ocean, just before the sun actually rose. (I could have done better with a tripod and a shutter release, but given the took at wing, it wasn't awful, I thought.) |
| 6:45am | The alarm sounds. Sort of; it's sort of a faint dee-doo-dee-doo-dee-doo... you get the idea. |
| 7:05am | Ready to face the day, the boy leaves. Yes, he left. I'm still here, but he's gone. Great... but this should make for short work for updates. Just sitting here, on the sofa. To make me feel involved, he snapped a picture of the train platform where he actually departed. Golly, that's kindness for ya. |
| 6:46pm | The great Bald One returns. But he did manage to lift (a fancy word for steal?) a Sprite from the office on the way home. Not that he managed to share. He reported that lunch was at the internationally renowned Burger King, but to his defense, several of the folks he was here to help train did a McDonald's solution to the mid-day meal, so I guess this could all be a "birds of a feather" thing. |
| 6:47pm | Question 1 answered. Why no Pepsi but in a few places? Poor market share. Yup. Yesterday's question addressed. Why does everyone look so dressed up everywhere? European influence, it seems. He was taken a bit by surprise seeing all the school boys and girls in their little uniforms. (I think he was just a little upset at the flashbacks to parochial school or something, but that's just my armchair psychology for ya.) And if only we can wait for warmer weather, we'd see more t-shirts and shorts. Except in Tubby's case, where with only two exceptions, his entire wardrobe is t-shirts and sweats. This should be fun. |
| 6:48pm | Still not getting any Sprite from what's-his-name. |
| 7:26pm | ... or 2:26am for you blokes in the Pacific Time zone: Venturing out for a fine dining experience. McDonald's, I suspect.... no, wait. The squeal I just heard must mean the boy found something in the phone book.... ooh, original. Wendy's. But hark -- he must (gasp) ask someone where CentrePoint Pitt Street is... this could be interesting. Can he do it...? Will he rise to the challenge of talking to strangers...? (Will I score a Frosty out of the deal...?) Let's see. |
| 8:02pm | This adorable little car is a Mercedes. You just want to pick it up and hug it, yes? And no -- we've yet to see a single Sport Utility Vehicle anywhere. |
| 8:05pm | Note it is early September. And there is an End of Winter sale under way. Wacky south of the equator sort of thing, to be sure. |
| 8:44pm | Well, that was less than successful. After venturing 16 blocks up Pitt Street (surprise! He wouldn't talk to anyone), we found... nothing. And ended up in a different McDonalds, but again for $6.25, food was obtained, but only after the girl behind the register looked at us funny. Perhaps we'd be better off speaking French. The ironic aspect of the adventure, of course, was that we could have had the same meal, for the same price, complete with the same funny look, a mere block and a half away. But the 32 block walk was good for Tubby... he needs the exercise anyway. |
| 9:39pm | After some computer nerding about, we figured it was time to call it a day. G'day! |