So, my apartment recently got a$58 bill for overuse of electricity.
Jennifer and Monica paid electricity as part of their all-encompassing bill for study abroad, while my BU roommate and I had to pay $150ish each for electricity shortly after we moved in to this fantastic tin can in the sky. (That was another source of stress altogether.)
But anyway, my apartment as a unit got this $58 bill, so the powers that be split it evenly four ways and I'm expected to pay the $14 or whatever. That's really not that much, and I should probably just buck up and pay it.
But let me vent about it for a minute.
I heard from other people that UniLodge charged them for overuse of electricity as early as August. And by August, I had already noticed the shifty energy use patterns of my roommates.
For one, our tiny, useless fridge doesn't close on its own, but thankfully (...), it chirps obnoxiously when it's been left open for 10 minutes. Though I'm equally as guilty, our fridge is often caught chirping, undoubtedly working overtime to try and cool down our tiny, useless kitchen.
But Jennifer and Monica both continuously leave their bedroom lights on when they leave the apartment. Stuff is still on and running when they go away for the night or even the weekend.
More arrestingly, Monica left her MacBook not only on but open on her desk while she was on her two-week break (which started the week before mine). (Monica at least, though Jennifer actually closed the door to her bedroom, so I can't be sure the status of her laptop. It was probably on. It's usually left open as well.)
Now, when I heard from my first-floor friends that they got a bill for overuse of electricty, I mentioned it to Monica and Jennifer, not accusingly, just as a kind of heads'-up. Both were like, "Oh, that's so retarded!" to which I agreed for the sake of conversation, but then I suggested that maybe we all (*hint*) should watch our energy habits more carefully. Both assured me they don't use too much electricity. I didn't argue, but it's obvious that they do.
So, anyway, I came home from my two-week break a week after they arrived home to not only our electric wall heater turned up to 27 (the highest it will crank up) and our living room window open, but also a $58 apartment-wide electricity bill.
I AM PISSED.
Not to mention the fact that the bill came while I was on vacation? Though under careful scrutinisation, I discovered it's a bill for the month of August. Which then causes a new worry: that we might get one for September.
BUT I SWEAR. I'M REALLY NOT THE ONE WHO IS USING TOO MUCH ELECTRICITY. And in their defenses, I think Jennifer and Monica really do think they're not using too much power... They're just spoiled and are used to using an excessive amount. GRARHHH.
I've tried to talk to them about the bill, too: I've pointed out that I turned the heat off when the window was open (they didn't know the heater was on when they opened the window... Right, so, next time, check). I've also been passive-aggressively turning off their bedroom lights when they're not home. The next step is to close their freaking laptops. Both are on and open to Facebook right now. Neither roommate is home right now.
There. Now, put it in the boat, and watch it saaaail away.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Update: Beer
It's now 4:34 pm; male staff members have been sipping Heinekens for the past half hour. Have yet to offer one to the intern.
Wildly Unexciting
Today has been mostly, if not totally, uneventful.
Though, while walking to work at 9:20 this morning, I saw two drag queens dancing in the middle of K'Rd... literally in the middle. Between lanes of morning rush-hour traffic. That was entertaining.
A bit further up K'Rd, I saw a woman jogging-- like, consciously going for a jog: gym shorts, iPod strapped to her bicep, the whole deal-- while simultaneously eating a muffin. That, too, was entertaining, and also confusing.
Then I got into work and I found that I couldn't sign on to Satellite Media's wireless network. The network I've been using almost every single day for the past two months? So, this guy Matt tried to fix it, and he realized it was the network's problem, not mine, so he tried to set my computer up with a broadband connection, but that didn't work either. Then he went to a completely unrelated meeting.
I was advised, rather condescendingly, by the executive assistant who is only six months older than me, to just wait for Matt to get out of the completely unrelated meeting, after which he could restart the modem. Apparently no one else in the entirety of Satellite Media has the necessary skills to restart the modem.
So, for the first hour and a half of my time at work today, I read The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. I will be finished with it tonight, which is grand, as it's due tomorrow and the Auckland City Library charges exorbitant late fees, and I have no relations who can zap them.
After I finally got working internet, I had 28 useless emails from the general Saint Mike's community, and that's about all.
Then my editor had me copy and paste (and incidentally, reformat) 59 CD reviews onto one master list. Um, mind-numbing, anyone? He said, and I quote directly, "It's important career building skillz."
Now it's 3:27 pm and I can't help but wonder when someone's going to offer me a beer. Usually the company has started drinking by now on Fridays.
Though, while walking to work at 9:20 this morning, I saw two drag queens dancing in the middle of K'Rd... literally in the middle. Between lanes of morning rush-hour traffic. That was entertaining.
A bit further up K'Rd, I saw a woman jogging-- like, consciously going for a jog: gym shorts, iPod strapped to her bicep, the whole deal-- while simultaneously eating a muffin. That, too, was entertaining, and also confusing.
Then I got into work and I found that I couldn't sign on to Satellite Media's wireless network. The network I've been using almost every single day for the past two months? So, this guy Matt tried to fix it, and he realized it was the network's problem, not mine, so he tried to set my computer up with a broadband connection, but that didn't work either. Then he went to a completely unrelated meeting.
I was advised, rather condescendingly, by the executive assistant who is only six months older than me, to just wait for Matt to get out of the completely unrelated meeting, after which he could restart the modem. Apparently no one else in the entirety of Satellite Media has the necessary skills to restart the modem.
So, for the first hour and a half of my time at work today, I read The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. I will be finished with it tonight, which is grand, as it's due tomorrow and the Auckland City Library charges exorbitant late fees, and I have no relations who can zap them.
After I finally got working internet, I had 28 useless emails from the general Saint Mike's community, and that's about all.
Then my editor had me copy and paste (and incidentally, reformat) 59 CD reviews onto one master list. Um, mind-numbing, anyone? He said, and I quote directly, "It's important career building skillz."
Now it's 3:27 pm and I can't help but wonder when someone's going to offer me a beer. Usually the company has started drinking by now on Fridays.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Red Carpet
emma: and the ring, have you destroyed it yet
That was amusing.
In other news, Nikki, the general manager of Satellite Media, just asked me if I am still planning on attending the 2008 Vodafone Music Awards with the company; she was confirming my place at the table.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I will be there! I'm so excited! I mean, it's not like the Grammys or something like that. Average citizens can purchase tickets if they want to go. I can wear jeans if I want, though I could also get "glammed up," Nikki says.
BUT STILL. In this country of only 4.1 million people (and 45 million sheep), of course it won't be on scale with the Grammys. It'll still be freakin' COOL, though.
Tiki Taane is performing and is up for some awards, and I love him. And the Flight of the Conchords are nominated for an award or three, so they will be there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That was amusing.
In other news, Nikki, the general manager of Satellite Media, just asked me if I am still planning on attending the 2008 Vodafone Music Awards with the company; she was confirming my place at the table.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I will be there! I'm so excited! I mean, it's not like the Grammys or something like that. Average citizens can purchase tickets if they want to go. I can wear jeans if I want, though I could also get "glammed up," Nikki says.
BUT STILL. In this country of only 4.1 million people (and 45 million sheep), of course it won't be on scale with the Grammys. It'll still be freakin' COOL, though.
Tiki Taane is performing and is up for some awards, and I love him. And the Flight of the Conchords are nominated for an award or three, so they will be there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Brief Break Highlights
Oh, wow. I'm pretty overwhelmed at the task of updating about my 16-day road trip around the South Island. It was an absolutely epic, once-in-a-lifetime adventure that I can barely begin to sum up. I also have two papers due this week that I've barely thought about, so I should get down to work. But, you're more important.
Two BU girls Ashley and Michelle and I flew into Christchurch on Friday morning, September 5. We picked up our rental car (some kind of Mazda; we never quite figured out its make) and hit the city. We didn't do much; had dinner at our new favorite restaurant Winnie Bagoes, and talked about how excited we were!
We had plans to stay with Kirsten, a Canadian-Kiwi who Ashley met in the airport (?!) on her trip to NZ. The girl and Ashley hit it off and Kirsten said if she ever needed a place to stay in Chch to call her up. So, we did.
Kirsten and her roommates live in a farmhouse in Darfield, which is a very rural suburb about a half hour outside Christchurch. Trying to find the house in the dark without knowing we're actually looking for a 1920s farmhouse-- complete with a dilapidated silo and three sheep (!) in the yard-- was quite a task, but we succeeded, and our trip started off with a bang in rural New Zealand.
Since we arrived in the dark, we didn't realize Kirsten's Canterbury Plains residence had an epic view of the Southern Alps-- our first glimpse of those beauts was in the morning.
First round of photos
From Darfield the next morning, we hit Route 1 and traveled south all the way to Dunedin, home of The Speight's Brewery, Cadbury Chocolates NZ, and the University of Otago. Read: college-girls' PARADISE. Though I didn't find Dunedin to be an especially aesthetically pleasing city, it was tons of fun and had a great atmosphere. Loved it! If I didn't have such a fantastic internship here in Auckland, I think I would have liked to study at Otago. Oh, well. Next time.
Pictures from Dunedin
From Dunedin, we went to the Otago Peninsula for some prime beach-wildlife viewing in the rain. We saw sea lions just lounging on the beach! So cool. They're massive, docile creatures and it was lovely sharing the beach with them. Though we trudged up a dune to the penguin hide, we didn't see any penguins, but that's not surprising, because they're apparently very shy. We did see one albatross (spotted by me!) at the Tairaoa Head Albatross Reserve, which was cool. Huge birds! It was raining while in Otago, though, so that put a little dampness-- I mean, damper on our day. We survived, though.
From Otago, we drove through the Catlins, but it was still raining heavily, so we pretty much viewed the beach scenery from the car. Visited Porpoise Bay but saw neither porpoises nor dolphins. Sigh.
See some photos here.
Then we caught the ferry to Stewart Island, the small island just south of New Zealand's South Island. It's the furthest point south you can go before Antarctica! (When Michelle told her dad that, he then went ahead and told all his friends that his daughter was traveling to Antarctica... No, Mr. R, but close. So close.)
The Foveaux Strait is one of the top three choppiest straits in the world, a crew member told my friends, as I was vomiting into a small paper bag she handed me. I have never been seasick in my entire life. I am a sailor, for chrissakes! It was ridiculous. Having not had a very difficult life thus far, I think seasickness is absolutely the worst feeling in the world. So gross. So, that was fun.
When the hour-long eternity of a ferry ride finally let us off, Stewart Island was a grey little bubble of cold rain. And it stayed that way as long as we were there. To exacerbate the situation, we had to walk outside our bedroom to get not only to the kitchen and lounge, but also to the toilet and showers. Ugh. I was damp and cold for our entire two-day sojourn to Stewart, and nauseous for a good part of it.
We hiked for a day on the island, though, which was great, despite the unrelenting rain. A nice man gave us a ride to the trail (four kilometres away from our hostel) in his utility van that morning (good idea, taking rides from strangers, I know), but unfortunately, after our 6k hike, we had to trek back to the hostel. In the rain. Seriously damp and cold. But worth it, for sure. Helped the nausea pass.
Soggy photos.
After Stewart Island, we began driving up the West Coast toward Queenstown via the Fiordland. Seriously, of all the magnificent natural beauty I saw over these two weeks, the Fiordland took the cake. Mountains and lakes are just so freakin' pretty. As much as I love salt air and crashing waves, I'm a mountain girl at heart.
Pictures that can't possibly do it justice can be seen here.
Queenstown is the adventure capital of the world, so that was fun. It's a mountain town and a tourist haven, offering absolutely any adrenalin rush one can imagine. My friends bungy jumped from a height of 50 metres; I took photos. It's just not my thing. We did have a great hike, though, and we rode horses in Glenorchy, a town just outside of Queenstown, where lots of scenes from Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia were filmed! So cool.
I also finally bought Canterbury sheepskin boots; they're the new loves of my life. I really wanted to buy yarn, but of the two yarn stores in Queenstown, the one that was open didn't have what I'm looking for (anything chunky). For a country with such a preposterous number of sheep (45 million), there is a really disappointing yarn selection.
Photos from Queenstown and a few surrounding tiny towns
After a long stint in Queenstown, we headed back to the land without radio reception and skied Treble Cone, a resort in Wanaka. Skiing in New Zealand is so different from any North American skiing I've done! There are no native tress that grow mountainside here, so trails aren't defined that way. I suppose I've never really given thought to how necessary it is to have my trails defined, but Michelle and I definitely had to sidestep up a few slopes we realized were unskiable just a little too late. Also, it's spring here, so the snow was so slushy and heavy-- I definitely felt it in my legs for the next few days! Such an incredible experience; definitely a highlight of the entire trip.
See some nerdy pictures of me in my ski helmet here.
From Wanaka we headed along the coast to a small town called Okarito, which has a permanent population of 30. All of my classes in Auckland are bigger than that. Keri Hulme, author of The Bone People, is a resident! Ash and Michelle wouldn't let me knock on her door, though. Fair enough. Okarito was very relaxing and we had a nice kayak paddle in a lagoon of the wild Tasman Sea; that was another trip highlight.
From Okarito, we went to Punakaiki, a beach town famous for the Pancake Rocks and blowholes. The Pancake Rocks are huge limestone boulders getting eroded by the waves of the Tasman Sea... and are eroding into layers. Science doesn't know exactly why-- there are many theories, all of which sound probable enough to me-- but it sure does look cool. The blowholes happen when high tide waves crash into crevices formed by erosion, causing huge mists of water to blow out. Since we visited on a sunny day, we saw tons of rainbows!
Though it's not confirmed, I think Punakaiki is Te Reo (the Maori language) for pancakes. "Kai" means "food," so it could be... I hope it is. That would please me very much.
We changed our itinerary last minute to incorporate a visit to the Hanmer Springs thermal pools, some natural sulfurous hot pools. Though we stank of boiled eggs for a few hours, it was a fantastic decision.
Final round of photos.
We ended full-circle with dinner at Winnie Bagoes. We were very exhausted and fairly poor. I've been up since 4:30 this morning, to catch my 7 am flight out of Chch. Though I'm overwhelmed with work, I'm kind of glad to be back in Auckland. Kind of.
Two BU girls Ashley and Michelle and I flew into Christchurch on Friday morning, September 5. We picked up our rental car (some kind of Mazda; we never quite figured out its make) and hit the city. We didn't do much; had dinner at our new favorite restaurant Winnie Bagoes, and talked about how excited we were!
We had plans to stay with Kirsten, a Canadian-Kiwi who Ashley met in the airport (?!) on her trip to NZ. The girl and Ashley hit it off and Kirsten said if she ever needed a place to stay in Chch to call her up. So, we did.
Kirsten and her roommates live in a farmhouse in Darfield, which is a very rural suburb about a half hour outside Christchurch. Trying to find the house in the dark without knowing we're actually looking for a 1920s farmhouse-- complete with a dilapidated silo and three sheep (!) in the yard-- was quite a task, but we succeeded, and our trip started off with a bang in rural New Zealand.
Since we arrived in the dark, we didn't realize Kirsten's Canterbury Plains residence had an epic view of the Southern Alps-- our first glimpse of those beauts was in the morning.
First round of photos
From Darfield the next morning, we hit Route 1 and traveled south all the way to Dunedin, home of The Speight's Brewery, Cadbury Chocolates NZ, and the University of Otago. Read: college-girls' PARADISE. Though I didn't find Dunedin to be an especially aesthetically pleasing city, it was tons of fun and had a great atmosphere. Loved it! If I didn't have such a fantastic internship here in Auckland, I think I would have liked to study at Otago. Oh, well. Next time.
Pictures from Dunedin
From Dunedin, we went to the Otago Peninsula for some prime beach-wildlife viewing in the rain. We saw sea lions just lounging on the beach! So cool. They're massive, docile creatures and it was lovely sharing the beach with them. Though we trudged up a dune to the penguin hide, we didn't see any penguins, but that's not surprising, because they're apparently very shy. We did see one albatross (spotted by me!) at the Tairaoa Head Albatross Reserve, which was cool. Huge birds! It was raining while in Otago, though, so that put a little dampness-- I mean, damper on our day. We survived, though.
From Otago, we drove through the Catlins, but it was still raining heavily, so we pretty much viewed the beach scenery from the car. Visited Porpoise Bay but saw neither porpoises nor dolphins. Sigh.
See some photos here.
Then we caught the ferry to Stewart Island, the small island just south of New Zealand's South Island. It's the furthest point south you can go before Antarctica! (When Michelle told her dad that, he then went ahead and told all his friends that his daughter was traveling to Antarctica... No, Mr. R, but close. So close.)
The Foveaux Strait is one of the top three choppiest straits in the world, a crew member told my friends, as I was vomiting into a small paper bag she handed me. I have never been seasick in my entire life. I am a sailor, for chrissakes! It was ridiculous. Having not had a very difficult life thus far, I think seasickness is absolutely the worst feeling in the world. So gross. So, that was fun.
When the hour-long eternity of a ferry ride finally let us off, Stewart Island was a grey little bubble of cold rain. And it stayed that way as long as we were there. To exacerbate the situation, we had to walk outside our bedroom to get not only to the kitchen and lounge, but also to the toilet and showers. Ugh. I was damp and cold for our entire two-day sojourn to Stewart, and nauseous for a good part of it.
We hiked for a day on the island, though, which was great, despite the unrelenting rain. A nice man gave us a ride to the trail (four kilometres away from our hostel) in his utility van that morning (good idea, taking rides from strangers, I know), but unfortunately, after our 6k hike, we had to trek back to the hostel. In the rain. Seriously damp and cold. But worth it, for sure. Helped the nausea pass.
Soggy photos.
After Stewart Island, we began driving up the West Coast toward Queenstown via the Fiordland. Seriously, of all the magnificent natural beauty I saw over these two weeks, the Fiordland took the cake. Mountains and lakes are just so freakin' pretty. As much as I love salt air and crashing waves, I'm a mountain girl at heart.
Pictures that can't possibly do it justice can be seen here.
Queenstown is the adventure capital of the world, so that was fun. It's a mountain town and a tourist haven, offering absolutely any adrenalin rush one can imagine. My friends bungy jumped from a height of 50 metres; I took photos. It's just not my thing. We did have a great hike, though, and we rode horses in Glenorchy, a town just outside of Queenstown, where lots of scenes from Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia were filmed! So cool.
I also finally bought Canterbury sheepskin boots; they're the new loves of my life. I really wanted to buy yarn, but of the two yarn stores in Queenstown, the one that was open didn't have what I'm looking for (anything chunky). For a country with such a preposterous number of sheep (45 million), there is a really disappointing yarn selection.
Photos from Queenstown and a few surrounding tiny towns
After a long stint in Queenstown, we headed back to the land without radio reception and skied Treble Cone, a resort in Wanaka. Skiing in New Zealand is so different from any North American skiing I've done! There are no native tress that grow mountainside here, so trails aren't defined that way. I suppose I've never really given thought to how necessary it is to have my trails defined, but Michelle and I definitely had to sidestep up a few slopes we realized were unskiable just a little too late. Also, it's spring here, so the snow was so slushy and heavy-- I definitely felt it in my legs for the next few days! Such an incredible experience; definitely a highlight of the entire trip.
See some nerdy pictures of me in my ski helmet here.
From Wanaka we headed along the coast to a small town called Okarito, which has a permanent population of 30. All of my classes in Auckland are bigger than that. Keri Hulme, author of The Bone People, is a resident! Ash and Michelle wouldn't let me knock on her door, though. Fair enough. Okarito was very relaxing and we had a nice kayak paddle in a lagoon of the wild Tasman Sea; that was another trip highlight.
From Okarito, we went to Punakaiki, a beach town famous for the Pancake Rocks and blowholes. The Pancake Rocks are huge limestone boulders getting eroded by the waves of the Tasman Sea... and are eroding into layers. Science doesn't know exactly why-- there are many theories, all of which sound probable enough to me-- but it sure does look cool. The blowholes happen when high tide waves crash into crevices formed by erosion, causing huge mists of water to blow out. Since we visited on a sunny day, we saw tons of rainbows!
Though it's not confirmed, I think Punakaiki is Te Reo (the Maori language) for pancakes. "Kai" means "food," so it could be... I hope it is. That would please me very much.
We changed our itinerary last minute to incorporate a visit to the Hanmer Springs thermal pools, some natural sulfurous hot pools. Though we stank of boiled eggs for a few hours, it was a fantastic decision.
Final round of photos.
We ended full-circle with dinner at Winnie Bagoes. We were very exhausted and fairly poor. I've been up since 4:30 this morning, to catch my 7 am flight out of Chch. Though I'm overwhelmed with work, I'm kind of glad to be back in Auckland. Kind of.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Bikram yoga is not okay.
I just came from the Tuesday Challenge! astanga yoga class at the Loft, and it was fanastic. I love yoga so much. It just makes me feel so much better about myself.
Also, the Loft follows all sessions with delicious, hearty, eat-til-you're-uncomfortable soulfood. So. Good.
I haven't been to the Loft in a week because last week, I decided to give eastwest Bikram Yoga a try. BIG MISTAKE. Bikram yoga is seriously, like, the exact opposite of what I want out of my yoga class. For those who don't know, the idea behind Bikram yoga is that the heat in the room is turned up to 105 degrees so you don't have to "work as hard," but you still like, burn as much... whatever it is you "burn." Or something.
WHATEVER.
I go to yoga to help focus my mind, body and soul. I like to surround myself with nice, down-to-earth people who know their own limits. I do not wish to be YELLED AT by a fake-looking yuppie who's sweating all over the sticky, 100-degree floor in the trendy, newly built, expensive-looking, faux-Eastern yoga studio. And he was yelling the entire time. Moreover, he was telling us to "PUSH! LOCK YOUR KNEES! IF YOU'RE NOT HURTING, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!!!!!" It was unpleasant.
I got two classes for $10 (the price of classes individually), though I'm fairly certain I'm not (read: most definitely not) going again. I left that yoga class more stressed than I was when I walked in. And excessively sweaty.
Most unfortunately, though, the studio is on my way home from work, and I saw the fake-looking yelling man while I was walking home the other day, and he asked me when I was coming in again. I sort of laughed and murmured something while shaking my head, but I think he took that as a "oh, soon, right." Whatever. I hope I don't run into him again.
Anyway, tonight's yoga class was perfect, and then delicious, and I feel good. Huzzah!
We leave Friday for the South Island. SO STOKED!!!
Also, the Loft follows all sessions with delicious, hearty, eat-til-you're-uncomfortable soulfood. So. Good.
I haven't been to the Loft in a week because last week, I decided to give eastwest Bikram Yoga a try. BIG MISTAKE. Bikram yoga is seriously, like, the exact opposite of what I want out of my yoga class. For those who don't know, the idea behind Bikram yoga is that the heat in the room is turned up to 105 degrees so you don't have to "work as hard," but you still like, burn as much... whatever it is you "burn." Or something.
WHATEVER.
I go to yoga to help focus my mind, body and soul. I like to surround myself with nice, down-to-earth people who know their own limits. I do not wish to be YELLED AT by a fake-looking yuppie who's sweating all over the sticky, 100-degree floor in the trendy, newly built, expensive-looking, faux-Eastern yoga studio. And he was yelling the entire time. Moreover, he was telling us to "PUSH! LOCK YOUR KNEES! IF YOU'RE NOT HURTING, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!!!!!" It was unpleasant.
I got two classes for $10 (the price of classes individually), though I'm fairly certain I'm not (read: most definitely not) going again. I left that yoga class more stressed than I was when I walked in. And excessively sweaty.
Most unfortunately, though, the studio is on my way home from work, and I saw the fake-looking yelling man while I was walking home the other day, and he asked me when I was coming in again. I sort of laughed and murmured something while shaking my head, but I think he took that as a "oh, soon, right." Whatever. I hope I don't run into him again.
Anyway, tonight's yoga class was perfect, and then delicious, and I feel good. Huzzah!
We leave Friday for the South Island. SO STOKED!!!
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