I’ve never been one to go all-out for New Year’s Eve. In fact, I can’t recall one single memorable occasion of it in my life. The big Y2K event? I was asleep at home. It always seems like people go to such trouble for what is essentially as meaningless as watching the odometer roll over. But somehow, this year, Fate has contrived for Snookums and I to host a New Year’s Eve dinner here in our apartment. (No, I won’t be doing the cooking.) I’ll let you know how it goes.

Jordan scored 51 points??? Jee-zus. If he keeps this up, I might have to eat some words. (I still feel partially vindicated by that all-time scoring low against my Pacers the other night.)

The Snook and I went to see The Man Who Wasn’t There yesterday and we both recommend it. I’m not a big film noir fan myself, but I really enjoyed it. Billy Bob Thornton is hilarious and amazing. (I loved the subtle and random fact that nearly everyone in the movie – male and female – hits on him at some point.) I could hardly believe that he’s the same guy that wears a vial of Angelina Jolie’s friggin’ blood around his neck. Tony Shaloub was great too, and he looks damn fine in a razor-sharp pinstripe double-breasted suit. He can explain Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle to me anyday. 🙂

Do you know how hard it is to buy dominoes in Australia? The other day I was randomly reminded of this game, Mexican Train Station, that my friend Hoey taught us all in Acapulco during Spring Break ’99. I thought it would be a fun one to introduce to the Snook and his friends, since they enjoy such things. Unfortunately I couldn’t find bloody “double-12 dominoes” anywhere. The only places I could find them were in the U.S. and wouldn’t ship internationally. Finally I resorted to the Yellow Pages (the dead tree version, no less!) and tracked down a store that would sell them to me. Man, the hardships of living Down Under. (Okay, so I’m not a pioneer or anything, but that was hard work!)

Apparently MBTV have finally finished recapping all of My So-Called Life. Unfortunately I can’t read them because their server is still stuffed. My web surfing has ground to a halt. I’m going to bed.

Max had a good Christmas. And I will be using the phrase “food baby” from now on. Hee.

My friend Martin posted some pictures from me and Snookums’s former employer‘s Christmas party. It’s weird to see everybody and realize that things have gone on without us.

The Dumbest Thing Ever.
Donald Rumsfeld was on the news tonight. He says, “Osama Bin Laden is definitely either in Afghanistan, another country, or dead.”

Interestingly, Snookums and I both also fit those criteria. We’re eyeing each other quite suspiciously. I’ll let you know if it’s him.

Well, we’re back in Sydney. The fires are still burning but we’re safe and sound in Newtown (and more than a little happy to see we weren’t burgled or anything). We hauled a full car-load of stuff back with us, including all of Snookums’s old crockery and glasses and pans. We finally have more than two plates! It’s a nice feeling.

Ooh! I saw my first poisonous snake today! Midway through the drive back, we stopped off at the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens for a spot of lunch in their café. Snookums, his mother, and I were all walking up the path towards the visitor center completely oblivious when we all three suddenly noticed a three-foot-long red-bellied black snake scurrying away from us. I started stammering, “Is that…? Is it…?” And Snookums confirmed, “Yeah, they’re poisonous, but shy.” Just then two old ladies came running out of the center with brooms, thinking they’d try to keep it from coming inside. Instead it ducked into a nearby flowerbed and slithered off. Everyone was relieved.

The bushfires are still raging. We’re told that we shouldn’t have any trouble getting back to Sydney tomorrow, though. Rodd’s sister reports that there’s a lot of smoke hanging over the city, but supposedly it’s still far away from us.