I have just taken my second shower which, for a Sunday in particular, is a very usually occurrence.  That’s because I just got in out of the sweltering 41degree heat, which in Americanese is 105 brain melting degrees.  I expected Australia, a country the vast majority of which is desert, to offer up a few hot days, but I can’t say I was prepared for this much heat this soon.

This sudden increase in Celsius has had a few interesting effects on Sydney this weekend.  I noticed that once bustling areas of the city seem very quiet.  It’s as if all the people, young and old, the animals, domestic and wild, and even the cars, from Holden to Hyundai, had an invisible layer of felt thrown over them, soaking up what little noise they could muster the energy to make in the first place.  Even the didgeridoo player in Circular Quay sounded like he had cotton stuffed up inside his constantly droning instrument.  A vast improvement if you ask me.

The heat also leads people to make interesting and occasionally questionable fashion choices.  I’ve already noted that Sydneysiders tend to go out without shoes on, a phenomena that I don’t entirely understand.  No doubt they have flip fops (thongs).  Was the two extra seconds it took to put them on too long for you?  And certainly near beaches and even our local pool, you’ll find people walking around in swimsuits (cossies), towels and less than your usual amount of clothing.  But this morning I saw a man purchasing groceries in a T-shirt and a speedo.  At least, I hope he was wearing a speedo.  There are children running around in their underwear, no shortage of shirtless guys and, even though I didn’t think it was possible for the women to wear shorter dresses when they went out, skirt lengths were chopped by a few centimeters.  Although, those women tolerated their high heels for less time than they did during fair weather.

My un-air-conditioned apartment has maintained a tolerable level of thought numbing heat, thanks to the constant harbor breeze.  And the breeze carries with it an amazing smell which I’ve only ever smelled the likes of during nights in the desert.  I’m not sure what produces it, unless there are always particles of outback sand flying through the air, but it’s really quite pleasant.  The coming summer has also seen a dramatic increase in the amount of weekly fireworks displays.  The Australian Idol Finale at the Opera House perhaps offered the most impressive example of this Aussie tradition.  I was glad to be able to watch it from the “relative” coolness of my apartment.