Wednesday, December 31, 2003

New Year's Day

Last night Bernie, Jacky and I went down to the Opera House and secured a place from which to watch the "World Famous Show" as Jack calls it. We waited six hours and saw two amazing fireworks shows, one at 9 pm (for the kiddies) and of course one at midnight. There really is nothing like being one in a million people shouting "Five! Four! Three! Two! One!" as the numbers count down on the Harbour Bridge supports, and then screaming and shouting and generally making lots of noise as the air explodes with thunder and color. The show went on for a half hour, far away in Darling Harbour (the next harbour over) we could see the same fireworks going off, amazing white stars that went high, high up and then Bang! turned into stellar dandelions, and green rockets that exploded into tiny green flies that went every which way. There were clouds of puffy white ones that went off all at once, looking like white palm trees in a breeze, there were ones that exploded into three colors, white in the middle ringed with blue then green. The bridge lit up and red and white rockets went off from everywhere on it. Behind us, on the other side of the Opera House (that we couln't see) more were going off. It was strangely like being in a war, in a city being invaded, the air grey and smokey, the lights, the booms and bangs.

After, the million that had ringed the harbour all left the same way, up MacQuarie street that had been blocked off. People in the high rises above us shouted and we danced and clapped and shouted back. The high-beam lights made us look like survivors of some disaster, haggard and walking, ever walking, slowly onward.

On the way home the three of us stopped at Rizzy's, a local pizzaria, where a one-man show was going on til three in the morning. Rizzy, a 40-something Aussie with a knack for kneading, was taking orders, making pizzas, and carrying on in a monologue the whole time, as young Bondi Junctioners stood around grumbling, waiting for thier pizzas. He was a cross between an auctioneer and a pizza joint, and it was enjoyable to watch, and then to eat. I think I'll be going back: smoked oyster pizza for only 11$! Big enough for two, as well.

Didn't wake up til noon today, then I called home, where they are just now counting down the New Year. Hope everyone's sufficiently liquored up, mackin' on someone cute, got the horns ready to blow as we step into a new year. Keep those resolutions! I know I won't.

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