it's summer (again)

It's almost 11pm, and I'm awake with not much to do so I thought I'd write. The dog (Cody) is sleeping next to me. He's generally ready to go to bed around 9 but won't go to the bedroom unless I'm there. I'm not sure if it's good training or unquestioning devotion but this dog won't leave my eyeshot. When I take him to the dog park, he'll only run if I'm moving too. If I sit down on bench, he'll come over and wander circles around me. After growing up with a dog like Tillie (who used to jump 6 foot fences with her pal Oliver just to escape the backyard), I'm amazed by Cody.

The cats, on the other hand, are a different story. Can I just say that I miss Chicken?! I always knew she was special, but having been my only cat I didn't realize quite how special she was. Pita and Nana (the cats here) are not my favorites... sorry to anyone reading this who knows and loves them. Maybe they're different with you? One of them I rarely see. The other has gotten into the habit of crawling all over me and then headbutting me while purring really loudly. And she doesn't stop until I've pushed her off the bed a couple times. After that, she just stands on the nightstand and purrs into my ear. In the morning, at around 7am (this morning it was actually closer to 6:30), she jumps on me and taps me on the head until I get out of bed and feed her. The dog generally picks up on this and starts jumping on me too. Sigh. I hate to admit that after I feed them, I lock them all outside and go back to bed for another few hours. Good thing it's summer and they all like the outdoors.

The past few days have been hot and humid. I'm still trying to train for ocean swims. There's nothing like swimming in an outdoor Olympic pool under the Sydney Harbor Bridge (North Sydney pool), or looking out at the naval shipyards (Boy Charleton), or amongst the rocks on the side of the beach (Bondi Icebergs.) This is the reason I moved to Sydney: http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/travel/24sydneypools.html?scp=1&sq=australia%20rock%20pool&st=cse. My goal is to do a 1k Ocean Swim in the beginning of February. I'm still finding it difficult to swim that far in a pool, so I'm a little unsure what of my ability will be to do it in the surf (while also avoiding sharks.) I'll let you know.

The rest of my days here consist of dog walking, drinking coffee, and meeting up with friend's friends. Thank you all who have passed on names and numbers. It's good to feel like I have a bit of a social life again (or at least the potential for one.)

On Sunday I head up to Queensland to see Becca, Brisbane, and the beach.

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas everyone.

Miss you and love you.

Tamara