KURT TOOK THE LAST KIWI!

Just a quick posting, as there are other folks behind me waiting to use the hotel computer here in Auckland, NZ.

Finished out my week in Sydney with no troubles. Quick bullet-point rundown:

-Attempted to shake the rust off my poker game and entered a poker tournament at the local casino. Played poorly and finished middle-of-the-pack.

-Picked up my Brazilian travel visa ($150 for Americans) at the consulate. When glancing at my picture to hand back my passport, the young woman behind the counter said, "This is YOU?" It may be time to shave.

-Made attempt number two to take a whale spotting trip, but washed out by inclement weather. The past week in Oz and NZ have definitely been the worst weather of my entire trip. May make one more attempt here to see directly into the eye of the great fish. ("mammal" ..."whatever".....)

-Bought a ticket and attended the Stevie Wonder concert at Acer Arena in Olympic Park in Sydney. I'm not a huge concert guy, but the show was phenomenal. Sitting next to me were a young drunken Scottish couple (redundant?) who were perhaps the biggest Stevie Wonder fans in the world and who took perhaps two dozen photos of me over the course of the show.

-Snagged a comfy couch seat in front of a 60 -inch Plasma screen in a Kings Cross bar to watch Game 1 of the World Series at 11am on a Thursday. Parried questions from Aussies such as, "Can the batter hit the ball after it's bounced?"

-Visited both the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney

-FINALLY did my laundry

-Watched four episodes of Arrested Development and two of Mad Men on my Emirates flight to Auckland

-Nastily filled out a customer review card last night at the hotel restaurant resulting in free drinks at the bar and the offer of a future free meal (which I declined).

-A wee girl from (sorta) Ohio arrives early tomorrow morning. Definitely looking forward to the next couple weeks.

GO PHILLIES! GO NOVA!