AUTHOR: Kevin Kelly DATE: 8:21 AM ----- BODY: Titanica, revisited...and moving day all over again.

Last week was a busy one, again, deja vu. Pretty much normal pre-production stuff. We visited the Creature Shop here in Sydney that are doing all of our characters and animatronics. They have a great place over there, although you are never quite sure what's going to come to life and scare the poop out of you. Most of the builds for our show are under way. Everything looks great, most things have been in storage for over a year, so we're doing a lot of new and improved construction.

The world's largest cruise ship (at least, I heard it described that way...all I can say is that it's really big and wouldn't fit in my bathtub) pulled into Sydney Harbor last week. I just can't put into words how big this thing was. Sydney Harbor isn't that big, and this thing looking like a shark in a goldfish bowl. It dwarfed the Opera House. Tons of people turned out to see this thing, and it was like a big party. The boat holds 3700 passengers, has 7 pools, and you it takes a short jet flight of about 20 minutes to get from one end of the boat to the other. Practically. Here are some pictures of it, for your viewing pleasure. I couldn't quite work the sense of scale into it.


This is just the back of the boat. The part that goes across the very top at the back is apparently a disco. I had no idea they still called them discoes. C'mon cruise ship folks, get with it.


There is a big waterfront cafe, a few stories high, next to the harbor. The ship was pulled in right next to it, and they were having some sort of a big drinking party. Although here in Australia they call that "Tuesday Night."


The big side of the boat. I'd like to see Russell Crowe try and Master & Commander THIS. HA!


Here's the bridge of the boat. If you squint you can just make out Captain Kirk telling Scotty that he needs more power.


These were the only things holding the ship in place. If I had only had a pocketknife...or some fingernail clippers. Muhahahahaha.


This is just the LIFEBOAT, people. This thing is nicer than most yachts I've been on. Caviar and pate' are probably standard items in the first aid kit.


Here's the Sydney Opera House in the background. See how this boat could crush it? Also, off to the right of the boat in the water is the Queen Mary II. See how BIG this thing is?

Alright, enough shots of the boat already. I walked around Sydney Harbor and took a few more pictures.


Here is a decent shot of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. You can actually go on climbs of this thing. On the upper left hand side of the bridge you can see some tiny ants climbing down. These are, in reality, people.


Here's a view of the prime real estate across the harbor. During major holidays this waterway is PACKED with boats and it's a big giant party.


The nautical theme is carried all through the harbor area. This is a row of shops and restaurants that face the water.


Just as the sun was setting I took this picture of the Opera House that I really like. It's a really beautiful building, and very much a part of Sydney.

Onwards to Saturday morning. Friday night my boss took me out for a beer. Then two beers. Then a shot of tequila. Then somehow I got home to the hotel and slept for about six weeks. When I woke up, my mouth felt like I'd been eating cotton shirts all night. Plus I probably smelled really great. Staggered around the apartment for awhile, packed my bags (read: crammed things into bags), and took a long bath. Then it was time to check out of the Medina on Crown (*sniff*, farewell, it was a nice little hotel), and move into my new apartment.

Holy guacamole. This place is super-fancy-ultra-modern-gee-whiz-gadgety-high-tech-steel-and-glass-mega-pad. I feel like a swingin' playboy, living the high life. Without the high life, of course. I'm the first person to EVER live in this apartment, and everything was brand new from the toilet, to the dishwasher, to the plates and glasses. In fact, most stuff was still wrapped in plastic and styrofoam. When I walked in, I felt a bit like this guy:



So I finally closed my jaw, cleaned up the drool, and unpacked my things. Then I whipped out the camera, because I've never lived in a place this swanky before.


Here's a view of the living room looking towards the kitchen. The living room opens right up into the kitchen. Which will be marvelous when I host my own cooking show. "In the Kitchen with Kevin".


Here's a view in the living room looking towards the bedroom. There's a huge sliding wall thing that separates the living room/kitchen from the bedroom/bathroom. It also conceals the Batcave, and Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory.


This is standing in the entryway looking out towards the balcony. 11th floor (it goes up to 23, and I'm quite thankful I'm not up there).


Here's my ultra-mod kitchen. One of those wooden cabinets also hides my dishwasher, and the oven is still full of foam and plastic, so I need to remind myself not to cook anything in it until I unwrap it, unless I want the taste and texture of melted plastic on my pizza.


My only major gripe is that this ultra-funky modern shower tends to turn the bathroom floor into a lake every time I take a shower. I've called management, hopefully they won't tell me it's a "feature".


Here's my bedroom, complete with glowing green alien nightstands.


The view from the bed. Notice there are no blinds or curtains. Which means when I walk out of the shower, it's "Hello Sydney!" every morning.


You can't beat the view from the balcony. I can see the Opera House and Circular Quay from this side.


Darling Harbor from this side...


And a big old church and a lot of trees straight down.

So that's it! I'm there for 5 months. I actually really like it, except for Lake Travis in my bathroom. I'm having my office over on Saturday for a little cocktail party, and I'm hoping they bring housewarming presents. Like a full set of patio furniture and a satellite tv connection. But that be hoping a bit much. I'll take more pictures of the gym and pool area and post them later.

Saturday afternoon I went on a long walk to Pyrmont and the Fish Market. The weather was gorgeous and sunny. On the way I saw something you don't see everyday:


Yes ladies and gentlemen, that's a fried bat. Apparently it's not that uncommon here. The bat flies along, hits two wires at once, bridging the gap, and then ZAP. I bet that smelled terrific.


This view is a bit more pleasant, it's Darling Harbor, where the fish market is. I got so tired up at the market (loads and loads of fish) that I forgot to take pictures. I tried some new food, the best being barbecued baby octopus. It looks like something you'd never want to put in your mouth, unless you have a deathwish, but it's incredibly delicious. I'll have to eat that again.

The rest of the weekend was spent working out, sleeping, watching odd Australian television, and...sleeping.

This bring this update to a close. It has been brought to you by the number 5, and the letter H. Join us next time for an exciting installment of "What Trouble Have I Gotten Into." --------