One thing we have quickly learned about Sydney is that the weather is much like it is in San Francisco. Unpredictable. The promised forecasts have rarely come true, and for the most part we’ve been lucky. Thanks to the lack of rain we have been able to walk all over the city, visit the Sydney Opera house, and take a ferry out to Manly Beach. Finally toward the close of yesterday did the storm clouds roll in, with the promise of much rain today.

But this morning we woke up, nary a cloud in the sky. Our plans of taking in a movie during the inclement weather seem to have been dashed. My vote is for the botanical gardens… we’ll see.

To the right, please enjoy a few of the photos from the past few days.

We have safely arrived in Sydney, with thoughts of New Zealand still fresh in our minds. Auckland is an amazing city, reminiscent of San Francisco and Vancouver, its denizens friendly and gracious. There’s almost a 1950s feel to the place, not that I was around at that time to say for sure.

Since it is winter (they seem to skip the fall entirely), the weather was a bit dodgy and we were unable to be as adventurous as we would have liked. Hobbiton and the glow worm caves were unfortunately out. So we decided to stay close to Auckland and the local environs.

To the right you’ll find a few snapshots from our travels. Some of the highlights include Skycity Tower, Rangitoto Island and the black sands of Piha Beach along the western coast.

The updates should be coming more frequently now, so, it’s off to the Sydney Opera House. Toodles!

A few weeks ago I posted a story on a kitten that was found burning alive in small cage in Sonoma County north of San Francisco. As a cat owner, and a concerned human being, I have been anxiously following the story, and I am happy to report that Adam is now doing very well considering all that he has been through. While he still needs more surgery this week, he is doing all the things kittens do and that’s a very good sign.

And on an equally sunny note, two girls in relation to this incident were charged with killing, maiming or abusing an animal, and will be appearing in juvenile court today.

Couldn’t happen to a nicer pair of teenagers, let me tell you.

For the last 5 years I have been a part of the AIDS Walk here in San Francisco. Seldom front page news any more, AIDS is still a major crisis that’s not going away any time soon.

While not necessarily a death sentence in first world nations, AIDS continues to take a huge toll in the third world. Over 25 million people in Africa are HIV positive. In 2006 alone, 2.1 million people died, while an 2.8 million became infected. And as of 2005, an estimated 12 million children, 18 and under, were orphaned by the disease.

In the United States, it is believed that more than 1 million are infected with HIV, many unreported. And much of that in the gay community.

The numbers are staggering and difficult to comprehend. It’s hard to know what to do to help. So I walk.

I’m not a scientist. I’m not a researcher. I’m not a doctor. So what can I do? I walk.

I walk for a number of reasons: to be with friends, both old and new; to socialize; to exercise; to get outdoors (and away from this damn computer which is a very good thing); and most importantly, at least in a small way, make a difference.

You can make a difference too.

I’m not the most successful fund raiser. That is certain. But I try. If you can’t join me, then take a virtual walk by sponsoring me in this year’s AIDS Walk.

Together we can make a dent in those numbers. And any dent makes a difference. And if we all contribute, even in a small way, it can make a HUGE difference. Trust me.

Sponsor me in the SF AIDS Walk 2007

To find out more about AIDS and its impact visit: http://www.avert.org/