JoshuasTravels

Last weekend was the Sydney Gay/Lesbian Mardi Gras. Of course, I had to go. If only to compare it to the San Francisco LGBTQ parade (which has coincided with my Alcatraz swim three times out the four years). This time, the majority of my house elected to tag along. Exploring the city, we hit up the Aquarium, the Opera House, the Rocks, and Manly Beach. The following is photodocumentation thereof.
http://fento.ath.cx/photos/2005/1_winter/syd2_mardi_gras/index.html

The first few pics are of Jen’s (the one in the clam-shell bikini) 21st Birthday. So we went to the local Newcastle pub and had a few root beers. After that, we got on the roof and mucked around. ‘Nuff said.

DSCN3979 http://fento.ath.cx/photos/2005/1_winter/syd2_mardi_gras/dscn3979.jpg
Amanda, Russ, Rob, Gundi, Nikki. Gundi is really Sam, but everybody calls him Gun-dee because he’s from Gundagai, Australia (pop: 2,000). He’s the only Aussie that really hangs out with us. If the others are around, they’ll have some fun with the Americans, but Gundi is the true-blue dude. Plus, he’s incredibly photogenic – look for him in a few of the other pictures.

DSCN4005 http://fento.ath.cx/photos/2005/1_winter/syd2_mardi_gras/dscn4005.jpg
I like this picture because I set it up perfectly, then Clueless Jen walked right into it. Miraculously, it turned out looking pretty planned.

DSCN3997http://fento.ath.cx/photos/2005/1_winter/syd2_mardi_gras/dscn3997.jpg:
This is us, behind the Sydney Opera House. I’m pretty sure I forgot to mention this last time, but House’s architect (Jorn Utzon, with a / through the o) is Danish. I know that’s too much Dane to handle, so I promise I won’t mention the Sovereignty again for a few e-mails. Friday night we just hung out behind the O. House and chewed the fat. A lot of these pictures are a little fuzzy and I don’t know why. I switched the settings on the camera a million times last weekend, but it was still punking out.

DSCN4046 http://fento.ath.cx/photos/2005/1_winter/syd2_mardi_gras/dscn4046.jpg
There is a scene in the first Matrix where Morpheus tells Neo to look at the Lady In Red again. He does, and wham! it’s not the Lady In Red anymore, it’s an agent. All that takes place on a busy sidewalk in front of a fountain. This is us, in front of that fountain. The next picture is from a building down the street or, if you have an active imagination, the building that the Oracle lives in. I took the blue pill.

I like DSCN4053
http://fento.ath.cx/photos/2005/1_winter/syd2_mardi_gras/dscn4053.jpg
because it shows the incredible difference between the New Zealand and Australian flags. One has red stars, one has white stars. Creativity abounds in the Southern Hemisphere.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: A) Josh is reading a biography on Jim Morrison, B) Jim was, for a while, a Mythic Drunk and C) Josh is pretty impressionable. Thus, I reiterate: there is nothing to worry about. I’m already past the point in the book where Mr. Mojo Risin’ has gone from being a Mythic Drunk to just an Everyday Drunk. In these
pictures, you see me holding a bottle or two. In reality, those are pretty much the only bottles I’ve held since the last send-out. I’m trying to puzzle out the formula – it’s something like The Likelihood Of A Picture Being Taken increases if I have a Beverage In My Hand, but I can’t pin down the variable about The Likelihood Of The Picture
Being Important Enough To Post On The Internet exponentially increasing the snaps taken.

That’s all for now (and the next little bit). Due to the unforgiving nature of the Australian Higher Education system, I have a few big projects that need getting done. So I’ll be sacrificing the next two weekends for the “betterment” of my mind. I told my Prof I’d rather be in Perth, looking out at the big, blue ocean and bettering my soul, but he said my soul will just have to wait. But you know what happens that third weekend? Jack Johnson. I’m more excited about that then I should be, but JJ in Australia? Only a Jimmy Buffett appearance could make it more perfect. And, if everything stays jake, I’ll be off to
Hobart immediately after the concert.

J. Kirk Fenton

PS – My new column: http://www.trumanindex.com/news/890195.html I couldn’t get it to say exactly what I wanted, but I think this gets the gist of the message. If you can’t read it, let me know and I’ll send out another version. My school newspaper has just added aregister-for-free-or-you-can’t-read-the-online-edition that may or may not keep everyone from seeing it. And would somebody please clue me to Brad Wheeler’s e-mail address?