Happy New Year!

My most important resolution of 2007 is to do those once-in-a-lifetime things... like ringing in the new year from the Sydney Opera House. I cannot believe I had any reservations about forking over the $275 US to go to the New Year's Eve Gala. It was, bar none, the best money I have ever spent. I will post the list of what was performed at the concert when I get home. It's worth putting together as a playlist of top opera "tunes."

Here in Sydney it's already 2007, which feels a little weird because everyone at home is in 2006. And even though I don't leave until tomorrow, the 2nd, I'll get to Honolulu on the 1st. This international date line takes some getting used to.

I have some cool fireworks videos, but no photos so I'll most other assorted hijinkery from the evening, which gets progressively more chaotic as the evening wears on and more champagne is consumed.

People stake out their places along the harbor all day to get a good place to view the fireworks. By the time we got there, it was closed to everyone except ticket-holders for the Opera House. Like us! After seeing people sitting on blankets on the pavement and the row of heavily-used porta potties, we were glad we'd forked over the $ to go "posh" and go to the Opera House, with it's clean, plentiful bathrooms and many comfy places to sit.


Inside the concert hall.


Painful shoes are taken off, chocolate is called in as the perfect supplement to champagne.


Katie and Siobhan recount the "chicken dinner" story for the 80th time, and it is still only funny to them.