An hour and 20 minutes left at Rip It Up. Not that I'm counting.
I'm really not counting. Today has been an awesome last day, actually. Around 11 am, the executive assistant called everyone to "morning tea" for my last day!!! Cake at work has been one of the highlights of my semester, so you can imagine how much pride I felt eating it in my honor. Nice people here.
Then I wrote an article about Auckland band Body Corporate. I interviewed the bassist last night; it was okay. He really didn't have much to say about his band? I had to ask a lot of questions, and he kept responding with nothing more than "yeah, ya know?" No, sir, I don't actually know. No one knows. This is why my magazine is writing an article about your band. After I turned off the Dictaphone, though, he went oooon and ooon about how much he loves the US. Me too, man, me too.
(Sidenote: When I told him I'm from Massachusetts, he said, "Oh, ah..." and looked really confused. Then I said, "Um, Boston," and recognition appeared. Why do so few non-Americans not know that Boston is part of Massachusetts? I know Matt experienced this in Ireland. Really. I want to know. Admittedly, my world geography is a little dodgy and admittedly, Boston is kind of a big deal. But... ya know?)
After finishing the Body Corp article, I asked Karl if I could review Ben Folds' new album Way To Normal. I had just cataloged it from the Sony shipment of CDs for review, and Lord knows I need to educate the world on the greatness that is Ben Folds.
His new album is so bamf. I'll let you read the review when it gets published (hopefully Satellite will mail me the December/January issue!), but basically... the man is back. I admit feeling disillusioned by Songs for Silverman, and though Supersunnyspeedgraphic was a step in the right direction, the cleverness and poignancy of songs he crafted with the Five and on Rockin' the Suburbs were still missing. But full-on, the piano rockstar I love so very very much delivers with this new record. He's a creative genius.
So, now I have approximately an hour and seven minutes (still not counting) before I leave this building forevz, in which time I have to develop the courage to deliver my ridiculously lame homemade thank-you notes and Yankee Candle votives to my bosses and coworkers. I feel like a dork. My editor really doesn't seem like the scented candle type, with his tendency to come into the office after me, breath smelling of unbrushed teeth (seriously), but I brought them from home. I figured Massachusetts (that's near Boston, don't you know)-made thank-you gifts would be better than something I bought in their own country.
Sigh.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
I feel weird.
Tomorrow is my last day at Rip It Up.
Um, weird.
I'm feeling really weird.
I am so looking forward to going home, but at the same time, I'm going to miss this place. What an opportunity I've had; I cannot believe it's almost over. I feel like a lot of my life was leading up to this semester. My mom planted the idea of Junior Year Abroad in my head at a really young age, and mine's almost up.
I feel like I just got here, while at the same time, it's been an eternity.
Regarding my internship, it's been absolutely awesome. A lot of the kids in my program have been less than satisfied with their internships; they've not had enough to do, or aren't doing things they enjoy, or have too much to do so it's over their heads... Mine has been preeeetty damn incredible. Though some days sucked and were boring, on the whole, I've gotten to do some pretty sweet stuff. And I have things to show for it.
I also feel like in the past few weeks, I've just been starting to find my stride here and feel comfortable with some of my coworkers. And now, it's time to go home.
Crazy. Crazy crazy crazy.
I still have three weeks.
Um, weird.
I'm feeling really weird.
I am so looking forward to going home, but at the same time, I'm going to miss this place. What an opportunity I've had; I cannot believe it's almost over. I feel like a lot of my life was leading up to this semester. My mom planted the idea of Junior Year Abroad in my head at a really young age, and mine's almost up.
I feel like I just got here, while at the same time, it's been an eternity.
Regarding my internship, it's been absolutely awesome. A lot of the kids in my program have been less than satisfied with their internships; they've not had enough to do, or aren't doing things they enjoy, or have too much to do so it's over their heads... Mine has been preeeetty damn incredible. Though some days sucked and were boring, on the whole, I've gotten to do some pretty sweet stuff. And I have things to show for it.
I also feel like in the past few weeks, I've just been starting to find my stride here and feel comfortable with some of my coworkers. And now, it's time to go home.
Crazy. Crazy crazy crazy.
I still have three weeks.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Sulfur City
A wonderful weekend getaway sponsored by Boston University, yet again!
We left Friday morning in two vans with Joe, our resident tour guide from GOOT, and his friend Kath, a guide from Active Earth. No Kevin-- he went to the US for his sister's wedding!
So off we went on 1 South toward Rotorua, a tourist hotspot famous for its geothermal action. We stopped in a town called Tirau for lunch. It's essentially The Place To Stop on your way south to Rotorua, so it's touristy in its own right. Some time ago, the folks of Tirau made a giant dog-shaped building out of corrugated iron for public restrooms, and it all stemmed from there, really. There's cheesey corrugated iron signage all over the place. That's Tirau's claim to fame. Nice cafes, though.
While we were getting back into the vans to head the rest of the way to Rotorua, Kath started talking to this young kid on a bike. Peter/Pierre, 17 years of age, is taking a year off before he starts university in his native French Canadia, and is traveling the North Island of New Zealand on his bike, camping night by night. He was looking weary, and his eyes lit up when he found that we were heading to Rotorua for the weekend in our vans. He was headed there himself, but he had come all the way from the Northland (with stops in between) and had been on his bike since the beginning of October. So... we picked him up. And he spent the rest of the weekend hanging out with us. Awesome.
Our first stop in Rotorua was Zorb Rotorua. What is zorbing, you ask? Why, let me paint you a picture. There are two options: dry zorb or wet zorb. In the dry zorb, which no BU kid chose, they strap you into this giant hamster ball so you look like that classical piece of art that's in a lot of geometry classrooms, and roll you down a hill. To wet zorb, you get into a smaller sphere inside the larger sphere of the hamster ball. Also in the smaller sphere is a little bit of water, so as they roll you (and one or two of your friends, if you want) down the hill, you slosh around bodies and warmish water. And then the zorb ball births you out at the base.
Yeeeeah. It looks exactly as you're imagining.
Three of four zorb balls full of BU kids rolled down the hill as I took photos. Not really for me, but entertaining for sure.
After zorbing we ogled some ancient Maori rock art (they liked to paint wakas), shopped for groceries, then checked into the beautiful Blue Lake Holiday Camp, about 15 minutes outside of the city centre. Joe cooked us a nice NZ barbecue, and then we hung out and went to bed.
We hit the road early Saturday morning to go white water rafting on Kaituna River! It's home to (possibly) the world's largest commercially rafted waterfall at 7 metres (21ish feet). Roooock. It was wicked sweet; I didn't fall out.
After rafting, we walked a short bushwalk called Hongi's Track, at the end of which is a Wishing Tree. According to Maori legend, a young girl hid her infant in a hole in the base of the tree, which protected her from an approaching warrior tribe. Years later, the now-grown aforementioned baby met the love of her life in the area of the same tree. So, now, passersby present the tree with a gift to thank it, and to ask for something, usually good weather and safe travels. We scattered rewarewa around the base and enjoyed the sunshine for the rest of our weekend.
SPEAKING OF BABIES, Ms Peloquin-Dzhgjasdjklflasdhgdsaski and her husband Mr Dzakdhhdgjajatvski welcomed Eve Baudry to their nest on Friday night! Congratulations them.
Back to my weekend on the other side of the planet. After the wishing tree, we hit up some sweet as natural hot springs. We hung around town that afternoon, then Ashley, Ning and I booked an evening cultural experience at Mitai Maori Village. Our evening included a show, a hangi feast, and an after-dark walk through Rainbow Springs Nature Reserve. The show was fantastic: we got to see a traditional powiri (greeting ceremony), followed by some songs and dances, including the poi and the haka, and a weapons demonstration. Then we ate an epic feast cooked for four hours inside the earth. At our table were two young journalists (on named Jackie) who are traveling the world for nine months (they had just come to NZ from South America), and a retired University of Adelaide drama lecturer who used to work at the Saint Michael's Playhouse!! Random?!
The bushwalk was awesome; we saw tons of trout (four different kinds!) swimming in the clearest natural spring I have ever seen in my entire life (left completely untouched by the park staff). We also saw various birds, including three kiwi!! So exciting: the elusive, nocturnal, endangered national bird and symbol of pride of this little country. They're really the stuff of legends; I feel very fortunate to have seen some in a (almost) natural setting.
Sunday was full of steaming, smelly craters. We first stopped at what I can only describe as a huge gurgling mud puddle. It inexplicably reeked of bacon, and the sulfur made it smell like boiled eggs. It was fantastic to watch boil and bubble; what a weird planet this is.
We left the gurgling mud for Waiotapu (which means "sacred waters") Thermal Wonderland, and watched a geyser erupt. I learned, with a surge of pride, that the largest condensed actively thermal area is in the Yellowstone region of the United States. The US has some cool nature, too! Then which we walked around for a couple hours, seeing and smelling ponds, lakes, rocks, mud, and craters caused by different mineral deposits and stuff in the center of the planet. I don't really know; I haven't read A Short History of Nearly Everything yet.
After the Wonderland, we took a 4WD bus ride up Mount Tarawera, and then hiked to the summit. It was definitely one of my like, Top 5 Best Things in New Zealand. I loooove hiking; even when I'm behind everyone else, wheezing, aching, and sweating, I'm so digging it. Hiking is just so cool. I feel so good after a hike. And even though we rode in a badass bus most of the way up the volcanic dome, we still hiked for about two hours.
Our hilarious 67-year old tour guide Terry (who kicked my ass summiting that thing) told us the Maori legends about the mountain, and about it erupting in 1886 and burying three villages. The area is now tapu (sacred) to the Maori, so it's closed to all except those who have a guided 4WD tour (thanks, BU!), so hardly anyone hikes it. Joe, who has seen pretty much every crevice of this country, had only been up once, when he was 15! Definitely off the beaten track. Also, it was a dank hike; since the mountain was formed by a volcanic eruption, it's all this weird, porous rock (think pumice), and a crater we hiked the was all scree, which rock is loose and broken-up rocks, so we were essentially like, skiing down.
The ride down the mountain in the 4WD bus, Terry sang us an Irish drinking song (he taught us the chorus), and then we sang a Maori song I know. He also pulled over every few metres to get off the bus, snap a branch off, and then talk to us about the plant for a solid few minutes. He hongi-ed us all as we got off the bus, too. He was fantastic.
We hit up another geothermal pool and splashed around (but not too much, for fear of amoebic meningitis) for a bit, and then headed back to the camp to have a pizza party. Yumzor.
Some people ran 5.5 kilometres around Blue Lake on Sunday morning; I made it down to cheer them on at the finish line. Then I took a kayak out into the lake for a little reflection, and we were back on the road to Auckland in the afternoon.
I'm going to miss this country.
I'll post a link to photos once I load them.
We left Friday morning in two vans with Joe, our resident tour guide from GOOT, and his friend Kath, a guide from Active Earth. No Kevin-- he went to the US for his sister's wedding!
So off we went on 1 South toward Rotorua, a tourist hotspot famous for its geothermal action. We stopped in a town called Tirau for lunch. It's essentially The Place To Stop on your way south to Rotorua, so it's touristy in its own right. Some time ago, the folks of Tirau made a giant dog-shaped building out of corrugated iron for public restrooms, and it all stemmed from there, really. There's cheesey corrugated iron signage all over the place. That's Tirau's claim to fame. Nice cafes, though.
While we were getting back into the vans to head the rest of the way to Rotorua, Kath started talking to this young kid on a bike. Peter/Pierre, 17 years of age, is taking a year off before he starts university in his native French Canadia, and is traveling the North Island of New Zealand on his bike, camping night by night. He was looking weary, and his eyes lit up when he found that we were heading to Rotorua for the weekend in our vans. He was headed there himself, but he had come all the way from the Northland (with stops in between) and had been on his bike since the beginning of October. So... we picked him up. And he spent the rest of the weekend hanging out with us. Awesome.
Our first stop in Rotorua was Zorb Rotorua. What is zorbing, you ask? Why, let me paint you a picture. There are two options: dry zorb or wet zorb. In the dry zorb, which no BU kid chose, they strap you into this giant hamster ball so you look like that classical piece of art that's in a lot of geometry classrooms, and roll you down a hill. To wet zorb, you get into a smaller sphere inside the larger sphere of the hamster ball. Also in the smaller sphere is a little bit of water, so as they roll you (and one or two of your friends, if you want) down the hill, you slosh around bodies and warmish water. And then the zorb ball births you out at the base.
Yeeeeah. It looks exactly as you're imagining.
Three of four zorb balls full of BU kids rolled down the hill as I took photos. Not really for me, but entertaining for sure.
After zorbing we ogled some ancient Maori rock art (they liked to paint wakas), shopped for groceries, then checked into the beautiful Blue Lake Holiday Camp, about 15 minutes outside of the city centre. Joe cooked us a nice NZ barbecue, and then we hung out and went to bed.
We hit the road early Saturday morning to go white water rafting on Kaituna River! It's home to (possibly) the world's largest commercially rafted waterfall at 7 metres (21ish feet). Roooock. It was wicked sweet; I didn't fall out.
After rafting, we walked a short bushwalk called Hongi's Track, at the end of which is a Wishing Tree. According to Maori legend, a young girl hid her infant in a hole in the base of the tree, which protected her from an approaching warrior tribe. Years later, the now-grown aforementioned baby met the love of her life in the area of the same tree. So, now, passersby present the tree with a gift to thank it, and to ask for something, usually good weather and safe travels. We scattered rewarewa around the base and enjoyed the sunshine for the rest of our weekend.
SPEAKING OF BABIES, Ms Peloquin-Dzhgjasdjklflasdhgdsaski and her husband Mr Dzakdhhdgjajatvski welcomed Eve Baudry to their nest on Friday night! Congratulations them.
Back to my weekend on the other side of the planet. After the wishing tree, we hit up some sweet as natural hot springs. We hung around town that afternoon, then Ashley, Ning and I booked an evening cultural experience at Mitai Maori Village. Our evening included a show, a hangi feast, and an after-dark walk through Rainbow Springs Nature Reserve. The show was fantastic: we got to see a traditional powiri (greeting ceremony), followed by some songs and dances, including the poi and the haka, and a weapons demonstration. Then we ate an epic feast cooked for four hours inside the earth. At our table were two young journalists (on named Jackie) who are traveling the world for nine months (they had just come to NZ from South America), and a retired University of Adelaide drama lecturer who used to work at the Saint Michael's Playhouse!! Random?!
The bushwalk was awesome; we saw tons of trout (four different kinds!) swimming in the clearest natural spring I have ever seen in my entire life (left completely untouched by the park staff). We also saw various birds, including three kiwi!! So exciting: the elusive, nocturnal, endangered national bird and symbol of pride of this little country. They're really the stuff of legends; I feel very fortunate to have seen some in a (almost) natural setting.
Sunday was full of steaming, smelly craters. We first stopped at what I can only describe as a huge gurgling mud puddle. It inexplicably reeked of bacon, and the sulfur made it smell like boiled eggs. It was fantastic to watch boil and bubble; what a weird planet this is.
We left the gurgling mud for Waiotapu (which means "sacred waters") Thermal Wonderland, and watched a geyser erupt. I learned, with a surge of pride, that the largest condensed actively thermal area is in the Yellowstone region of the United States. The US has some cool nature, too! Then which we walked around for a couple hours, seeing and smelling ponds, lakes, rocks, mud, and craters caused by different mineral deposits and stuff in the center of the planet. I don't really know; I haven't read A Short History of Nearly Everything yet.
After the Wonderland, we took a 4WD bus ride up Mount Tarawera, and then hiked to the summit. It was definitely one of my like, Top 5 Best Things in New Zealand. I loooove hiking; even when I'm behind everyone else, wheezing, aching, and sweating, I'm so digging it. Hiking is just so cool. I feel so good after a hike. And even though we rode in a badass bus most of the way up the volcanic dome, we still hiked for about two hours.
Our hilarious 67-year old tour guide Terry (who kicked my ass summiting that thing) told us the Maori legends about the mountain, and about it erupting in 1886 and burying three villages. The area is now tapu (sacred) to the Maori, so it's closed to all except those who have a guided 4WD tour (thanks, BU!), so hardly anyone hikes it. Joe, who has seen pretty much every crevice of this country, had only been up once, when he was 15! Definitely off the beaten track. Also, it was a dank hike; since the mountain was formed by a volcanic eruption, it's all this weird, porous rock (think pumice), and a crater we hiked the was all scree, which rock is loose and broken-up rocks, so we were essentially like, skiing down.
The ride down the mountain in the 4WD bus, Terry sang us an Irish drinking song (he taught us the chorus), and then we sang a Maori song I know. He also pulled over every few metres to get off the bus, snap a branch off, and then talk to us about the plant for a solid few minutes. He hongi-ed us all as we got off the bus, too. He was fantastic.
We hit up another geothermal pool and splashed around (but not too much, for fear of amoebic meningitis) for a bit, and then headed back to the camp to have a pizza party. Yumzor.
Some people ran 5.5 kilometres around Blue Lake on Sunday morning; I made it down to cheer them on at the finish line. Then I took a kayak out into the lake for a little reflection, and we were back on the road to Auckland in the afternoon.
I'm going to miss this country.
I'll post a link to photos once I load them.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Addendum
I forgot to mention the most exciting part of my week! On Monday, I voted in the 2008 Presidential Election!! Though I've voted before in primaries and gubernatorial campaigns, this is (obviously) my first presidential election. And might I add that it's quite an important one!
Being a Massachusettsian, I got to vote for state representative hopeful Danielle Gregoire, too. Since my brother was at one point considering running for her position in this election-- before she talked him out of it-- I have met Ms. Gregoire a few times and helped out a little on her primary campaign this summer, before leaving the country. She's cool. You should vote for her, if she represents your district (that's you, Donna!).
Also, I got to vote to decriminalize marijuana!
It was all-in-all a liberating, exciting experience. I wish I could have stepped into a quiet little booth at the Berlin Town Hall to cast my ballot, but hey. I suppose I'd rather be enjoying the sunshine in Auckland.
Being a Massachusettsian, I got to vote for state representative hopeful Danielle Gregoire, too. Since my brother was at one point considering running for her position in this election-- before she talked him out of it-- I have met Ms. Gregoire a few times and helped out a little on her primary campaign this summer, before leaving the country. She's cool. You should vote for her, if she represents your district (that's you, Donna!).
Also, I got to vote to decriminalize marijuana!
It was all-in-all a liberating, exciting experience. I wish I could have stepped into a quiet little booth at the Berlin Town Hall to cast my ballot, but hey. I suppose I'd rather be enjoying the sunshine in Auckland.
Well, this is boring.
So, things are winding down on all academic fronts here in Auckland. I had my last Magazine Journalism lecture on Monday, thank God. I have my last NZ Politics lecture today, and the last tutorial for both classes tomorrow. Huzzah!!
My Mag Jo feature story is due tomorrow; I finished it yesterday!? It was causing me anxiety, literally, for the past three weeks. It involved so much research and talking to people about a subject I knew nothing about. And since I had been thinking about it/sort of working on it since like, right after the semester break, it's been constantly on my mind, and a constant worry. But, I finished, and I personally think it's as good as it possibly could be, seeing as though I kiiind of half-assed my interviews. But, I'm totally okay with it, because it's fine, and it's done. And tomorrow I will never have to think about it again.
I have a paper due for NZ Politics on Friday... should really start that one.
BUT FRIDAY, I'm DONE!!! I'll actually finish the paper tomorrow (...), because we're heading to Rotorua on Friday. So, Thursday night, I'm DONE!!!!
And then three weeks to chiiiill ooouuuut. Yes. (Save that one pesky Politics exam on November 6.)
In other, even less exciting news for you, I'm sure, I'm currently wearing my hair in a ponytail!!! Albeit a very stubby ponytail, doctored with four bobby pins and a barrette to hold back the hair that just doesn't quite make it... But my hair is up! It's long enough to be OFFICIALLY PONYTAILED!!!
I'm in the throes of trying to figure out my schedule for next semester at SMC. As per usual, classes for my music major are clashing with classes for my journalism major. It's like the scheduling gods don't want me to succeed. This semester, though, the overlaps aren't too atrocious, and due to the funky scheduling I had last spring (by taking only half of Music Theory II), things should work out. I have emails out to a bunch of professors and department heads, so hopefully I'll hear back soon and will be cleared to register.
If all goes according to plan, I will be taking Acoustic Foundations of Music, a physics class that will fulfill my required lab science class; Music Theory II (without the lab, because I took the lab last spring); Writing for Media II, and Global Communications, plus Wind Ensemble and my private French horn lesson. That's only 15 credits, two of which involve nothing more than two hours of playing French horn a week, so I'm debating adding either a music or a general elective. But I'm also debating just having a 15-credit semester? I mean, let's be honest. I haven't really done any work this semester, save these last two weeks. (Music journalism barely counts.) I could use a sort of easy semester to ease myself back into college...
There are three journalism electives offered this spring that sound really interesting, though: Race & Gender in the Media, taught by my favorite professor Traci Griffith; Re-entry Travel Writing, taught by Kim Sultze, who recommended me as a Writing Center coach, who I had for New Media two years ago and who I haven't seen in a year, because she's been on sabbatical; and Topics: Writing Opinion and Commentary, taught by Kelley, who I know nothing about (including first name or gender). But, I have opinions, and I like to make commentary, and I like writing! But I think I should not take journalism elective this spring. This semester has been pretty JO-heavy, with my internship (which counts for my Practicum, a major requirement) and the Magazine Journalism elective. Plus, I need to take Writing for Media II and Global Comm, and that's just too much time in Bergeron already. So, I must back awaaaay from the journalism electives. Sigh.
We'll see. I have a week or so before I actually have to register, and we all know the first few weeks of classes are for shopping anyway.
Um, what else? Happy Birthday, Dizzy Gillespie! (It's his birthday in America... not New Zealand. Weird International Date Line.) Also interesting for those of you who are still celebrating October 21: in 1879, Thomas Edison created the first workable light bulb. You go, Tom! The world would be dark (come nightfall) without you.
My Mag Jo feature story is due tomorrow; I finished it yesterday!? It was causing me anxiety, literally, for the past three weeks. It involved so much research and talking to people about a subject I knew nothing about. And since I had been thinking about it/sort of working on it since like, right after the semester break, it's been constantly on my mind, and a constant worry. But, I finished, and I personally think it's as good as it possibly could be, seeing as though I kiiind of half-assed my interviews. But, I'm totally okay with it, because it's fine, and it's done. And tomorrow I will never have to think about it again.
I have a paper due for NZ Politics on Friday... should really start that one.
BUT FRIDAY, I'm DONE!!! I'll actually finish the paper tomorrow (...), because we're heading to Rotorua on Friday. So, Thursday night, I'm DONE!!!!
And then three weeks to chiiiill ooouuuut. Yes. (Save that one pesky Politics exam on November 6.)
In other, even less exciting news for you, I'm sure, I'm currently wearing my hair in a ponytail!!! Albeit a very stubby ponytail, doctored with four bobby pins and a barrette to hold back the hair that just doesn't quite make it... But my hair is up! It's long enough to be OFFICIALLY PONYTAILED!!!
I'm in the throes of trying to figure out my schedule for next semester at SMC. As per usual, classes for my music major are clashing with classes for my journalism major. It's like the scheduling gods don't want me to succeed. This semester, though, the overlaps aren't too atrocious, and due to the funky scheduling I had last spring (by taking only half of Music Theory II), things should work out. I have emails out to a bunch of professors and department heads, so hopefully I'll hear back soon and will be cleared to register.
If all goes according to plan, I will be taking Acoustic Foundations of Music, a physics class that will fulfill my required lab science class; Music Theory II (without the lab, because I took the lab last spring); Writing for Media II, and Global Communications, plus Wind Ensemble and my private French horn lesson. That's only 15 credits, two of which involve nothing more than two hours of playing French horn a week, so I'm debating adding either a music or a general elective. But I'm also debating just having a 15-credit semester? I mean, let's be honest. I haven't really done any work this semester, save these last two weeks. (Music journalism barely counts.) I could use a sort of easy semester to ease myself back into college...
There are three journalism electives offered this spring that sound really interesting, though: Race & Gender in the Media, taught by my favorite professor Traci Griffith; Re-entry Travel Writing, taught by Kim Sultze, who recommended me as a Writing Center coach, who I had for New Media two years ago and who I haven't seen in a year, because she's been on sabbatical; and Topics: Writing Opinion and Commentary, taught by Kelley, who I know nothing about (including first name or gender). But, I have opinions, and I like to make commentary, and I like writing! But I think I should not take journalism elective this spring. This semester has been pretty JO-heavy, with my internship (which counts for my Practicum, a major requirement) and the Magazine Journalism elective. Plus, I need to take Writing for Media II and Global Comm, and that's just too much time in Bergeron already. So, I must back awaaaay from the journalism electives. Sigh.
We'll see. I have a week or so before I actually have to register, and we all know the first few weeks of classes are for shopping anyway.
Um, what else? Happy Birthday, Dizzy Gillespie! (It's his birthday in America... not New Zealand. Weird International Date Line.) Also interesting for those of you who are still celebrating October 21: in 1879, Thomas Edison created the first workable light bulb. You go, Tom! The world would be dark (come nightfall) without you.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Steam cleaning and WWOOF
UniLodge sent someone to steam clean the entire common area of our apartment, including the couch. All expenses paid by our drunk, pajama-clad friend, of course. So that actually ended up being kind of a blessing in disguise... Yeah, we had to deal with a belligerently drunk girl vomiting in our apartment, but then the carpet got a nice bath. No harm, no foul, really.
I realize I have yet to talk about WWOOF. Willing Workers On Organic Farms is an international networking-type program where people volunteer to stay on someone's property and help around the house, garden, etc. in exchange for lodging and food. It's education-oriented, so while having a sort-of homestay, the volunteer is learning about organic living in some way or another. My friend Meg (see Wellington entry) did it over her semester break, and it sounded amazing so I signed up!
I just confirmed yesterday that I will be working at the Aio Wira Retreat Centre from November 7 to November 14. I'm so excited! Though I don't know what my duties will completely entail, I know I'll be helping out in the vegetarian kitchen, which is great, because I really want to develop my culinary skills. Also, I'll be helping to maintain the footpaths around the centre, which is located in the beautiful Waitakere Ranges, near Bethells Beach (see Bus our of Auckland entry). The centre is situated along the Waitakere Stream, where swimming holes abound.
I don't know much about the centre, except that it is open to anyone needing a bit of a retreat. There's yoga, meditation, a sanctuary, seminars and workshops, as well as the aforementioned vegetarian kitchen and spa and sauna facilities. So... it's pretty much the coolest way to spend my last week in Auckland!
But before my organic respite, another week of classes, two papers, a final exam, and an undetermined number of days left at Rip It Up...
I realize I have yet to talk about WWOOF. Willing Workers On Organic Farms is an international networking-type program where people volunteer to stay on someone's property and help around the house, garden, etc. in exchange for lodging and food. It's education-oriented, so while having a sort-of homestay, the volunteer is learning about organic living in some way or another. My friend Meg (see Wellington entry) did it over her semester break, and it sounded amazing so I signed up!
I just confirmed yesterday that I will be working at the Aio Wira Retreat Centre from November 7 to November 14. I'm so excited! Though I don't know what my duties will completely entail, I know I'll be helping out in the vegetarian kitchen, which is great, because I really want to develop my culinary skills. Also, I'll be helping to maintain the footpaths around the centre, which is located in the beautiful Waitakere Ranges, near Bethells Beach (see Bus our of Auckland entry). The centre is situated along the Waitakere Stream, where swimming holes abound.
I don't know much about the centre, except that it is open to anyone needing a bit of a retreat. There's yoga, meditation, a sanctuary, seminars and workshops, as well as the aforementioned vegetarian kitchen and spa and sauna facilities. So... it's pretty much the coolest way to spend my last week in Auckland!
But before my organic respite, another week of classes, two papers, a final exam, and an undetermined number of days left at Rip It Up...
Friday, October 17, 2008
Um, did that really just happen?
So, imagine this scene, if you will.
It's 11:30 pm. I'm standing in my apartment lounge with my three roommates. One of us is eating dinner, we're all watching the analysis of the US presidential debate on ONE News, we're discussing possible Halloween costumes. You know. A normal Thursday night here in UniLodge.
I head back into my room and I'm about the grab Eclipse and head to bed. Then there's a knock at the door. Well, there's a noise at the door.
"Did you guys just hear a knock or something?" Kathy asks us all. She's finishing up her dinner.
We all kind of make a noise of confirmation, and then simultaneously all get up because we swear we can hear someone trying to unlock our door. Kathy opens the door a crack, holding a half-eaten bowl of potatoes in her free hand, and instantly, a drunk Asian girl pushes through and flops onto our floor.
"Holy shit!"
"Hey, hey!" Kathy taps the blob of girl on our floor. "Hey, this isn't your room. Where's your room? What's your name?"
She moans.
She's deadweight. In our doorway. Immobile, but breathing and occasionally moaning.
My roommates and I are absolutely bewildered. Of course we're laughing.
And then all of a sudden... this random girl vomits in our doorway. It's really more in our living room than in the doorway, actually.
I'm still kind of laughing, but no longer because it's funny. Only because I can't believe this is actually happening.
So, I grab my UniLodge handbook and my roommate calls the after hours security number. A few minutes later, a kindly Maori man comes up to our room, and he obviously has no idea what to do.
No, we don't know her. No, we don't know where she lives. Hm, we actually don't know if she speaks English...
The security guard got her name and room number out of her, and then left her in our doorway to see if she has roommates.
20 minutes later, after the girl has rolled in her own vomit, shakily gotten to her feet, tried to walk into my bedroom, and then sat on our couch in her vomit-covered pajamas, the security guard came back and told us she has no roommates, so he was going back downstairs to call the police. So he left us with her again.
The girl was strong, believe you me, and hard to restrain even if we wanted to touch her pukey PJs. So, against our will, she got up and took a little walk in our hallway. Sort of following her, we tried to warn the occupants behind the door she knocked on to not open it, but our cries went unheard. So, she flopped into the doorway of another unsuspecting fifth floor-er.
Poor Brian... He didn't have to be involved. But this drunk girl promptly passed out. In his doorway. With a vice grip on his leg. He tried talking to her in Korean-- we think she answered him back, but it was pretty incoherent.
At least she didn't vom.
Seriously a half hour later, the security guard came back with four police officers... Poor girl, but she was belligerent.
We made friends with Brian, though. Glad to finally meet the neighbors.
So, now it's 12:46 pm. Our apartment door's open for ventilation, we've Febrezed everything, the fan's blowing... And it still smells like someone else's barf in my apartment.
It's 11:30 pm. I'm standing in my apartment lounge with my three roommates. One of us is eating dinner, we're all watching the analysis of the US presidential debate on ONE News, we're discussing possible Halloween costumes. You know. A normal Thursday night here in UniLodge.
I head back into my room and I'm about the grab Eclipse and head to bed. Then there's a knock at the door. Well, there's a noise at the door.
"Did you guys just hear a knock or something?" Kathy asks us all. She's finishing up her dinner.
We all kind of make a noise of confirmation, and then simultaneously all get up because we swear we can hear someone trying to unlock our door. Kathy opens the door a crack, holding a half-eaten bowl of potatoes in her free hand, and instantly, a drunk Asian girl pushes through and flops onto our floor.
"Holy shit!"
"Hey, hey!" Kathy taps the blob of girl on our floor. "Hey, this isn't your room. Where's your room? What's your name?"
She moans.
She's deadweight. In our doorway. Immobile, but breathing and occasionally moaning.
My roommates and I are absolutely bewildered. Of course we're laughing.
And then all of a sudden... this random girl vomits in our doorway. It's really more in our living room than in the doorway, actually.
I'm still kind of laughing, but no longer because it's funny. Only because I can't believe this is actually happening.
So, I grab my UniLodge handbook and my roommate calls the after hours security number. A few minutes later, a kindly Maori man comes up to our room, and he obviously has no idea what to do.
No, we don't know her. No, we don't know where she lives. Hm, we actually don't know if she speaks English...
The security guard got her name and room number out of her, and then left her in our doorway to see if she has roommates.
20 minutes later, after the girl has rolled in her own vomit, shakily gotten to her feet, tried to walk into my bedroom, and then sat on our couch in her vomit-covered pajamas, the security guard came back and told us she has no roommates, so he was going back downstairs to call the police. So he left us with her again.
The girl was strong, believe you me, and hard to restrain even if we wanted to touch her pukey PJs. So, against our will, she got up and took a little walk in our hallway. Sort of following her, we tried to warn the occupants behind the door she knocked on to not open it, but our cries went unheard. So, she flopped into the doorway of another unsuspecting fifth floor-er.
Poor Brian... He didn't have to be involved. But this drunk girl promptly passed out. In his doorway. With a vice grip on his leg. He tried talking to her in Korean-- we think she answered him back, but it was pretty incoherent.
At least she didn't vom.
Seriously a half hour later, the security guard came back with four police officers... Poor girl, but she was belligerent.
We made friends with Brian, though. Glad to finally meet the neighbors.
So, now it's 12:46 pm. Our apartment door's open for ventilation, we've Febrezed everything, the fan's blowing... And it still smells like someone else's barf in my apartment.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Nearing the end? Really?
I'm officially a published writer. The October/November issue of Rip It Up hit stands on Monday, featuring like, five Jackie Cain bylines. It's very exciting.
Nothing is available online, so you're going to have to wait to flip through one of the copies I bring home. Unless you want to get a subscription.
I'm feeling preeeeetty done with this semester. Only five more days of classes, so that's good. Only one more (albeit huge and soul-sucking) story for magazine journalism, and one exam in November for NZ Political Studies. And then done.
I'm back Stateside in almost exactly five weeks. Is that ridiculous or is it just me?
Nothing is available online, so you're going to have to wait to flip through one of the copies I bring home. Unless you want to get a subscription.
I'm feeling preeeeetty done with this semester. Only five more days of classes, so that's good. Only one more (albeit huge and soul-sucking) story for magazine journalism, and one exam in November for NZ Political Studies. And then done.
I'm back Stateside in almost exactly five weeks. Is that ridiculous or is it just me?
Monday, October 13, 2008
The Capital City!
So, Wellington. First and foremost, I am so glad I went. I almost didn't, because of the plane tickets, but then Jane Cain talked me into it. She is always right. And it's true. Money comes and goes, people.
I flew in on Thursday night and took a cab to my friend Meghan's flat. I lived next door to Meg in our freshman year at Saint Mike's, and she was studying at Victoria University in Wellington this semester. I say "was" because Friday was Meg's last day of classes! Gooo Meg!! (She has a blog, too. You should check it out.)
I was wiped from the music awards, so we stayed in on Thursday night and I met Meg's friends and flatmates. Her flatmate Claire turned 21 at midnight, so we had a toast! Bed by 3 am, you know.
Meg had one class Friday morning, so I slept in a bit and when she got back at 10 am, we headed out toward the Wellington Botanic Garden. Meghan wasn't 100% sure how to get there, so we wandered, which was fine, because it was a beautiful day in the capital city and Lord knows I need the exercise. We stumbled upon the garden about an hour later, and discovered it was stupidly close to her flat... We pretty much circled the city. I got to see more of it that way. :o)
The gardens were beautiful; it's early spring here so we saw tulips in every color and a flock of baby ducks!
After the Garden, we headed toward town via the Parliament complex. I, for one, like the architecture of the controversial Beehive.
We had lunch at Mac's Brewery, the all-natural brewery that makes some of my favorite NZ beers. Unfortunately, they don't give brewery tours, but lunch was so worth it. They have a viewing platform from which you can watch the magic happen, and that was enough for me. And I got to try Sundance, the summer ale!
We walked through the shopping areas in Wellington after lunch. The city is accessible; it's possible to walk from end to end in something like an hour. But... it's so hilly. Meg is obviously in much better shape than I from hiking those hills all semester, and I was definitely huffing and puffing. But it's a great city; much funkier than Auckland, I must say. Also, it has more cafes per capita than New York! I tried four of them in my 48 hours there. Not bad, though I could have done better.
We met Meg's lab partner in the Uni Bar on campus, which was absolutely hoppin' at 5 pm on the last Friday of classes. Then we went back to Meg's flat for dinner. Then, we headed back to the Botanic Garden to go on the glowworm tour!!! Those little friends of mine also make their home in the damp gardens, and it's $5 to walk through after dark with a guide. Luckily, Meg and I were late and for some strange reason, there were legitimately about 60 people on the tour, so we were able to tack on without paying... I would feel guilty if I actually learned anything. Seeing the glowworms again was cool, and Meg hadn't seen them before. But the tour guides were useless; I told Meg about glowworms from what I learned in Waitomo.
After the walk in the park, we headed back to Meg's flat for Claire's 21st birthday celebration!! It was crazy; someone's mom shipped over a package of Solo cups to play beiruit. The Kiwis were really excited about that. The party went late, and then we went out dancing at Boogie Wonderland (seriously). Though I was out til 3 am, and I'm too old for that hour, it was a really fun time and Meg and her friends are fantastic.
When we finally stirred at 11 the next morning, we left to find a supposed farmers' market, which remains elusive. From there, we hiked Mount Victoria, including a swing on the rope halfway up. After the hike, we ate crepes and drank smoothies, mmm. I also bought The Bone People at a used bookshop; perhaps I'll finish it this time.
Hopped on the plane and was back in Auckland Saturday night at 8. What a fantastic weekend!
Tonight was fun, too, in Auckland. It's Amanda's birthday, one of the girls in the BU program. She had a pot luck dinner in her apartment! There was sooo muuuuch gooood fooooood. I made veggie friend rice; it got compliments. Now, I'm essentially in a food coma, so I'm going to bed.
I flew in on Thursday night and took a cab to my friend Meghan's flat. I lived next door to Meg in our freshman year at Saint Mike's, and she was studying at Victoria University in Wellington this semester. I say "was" because Friday was Meg's last day of classes! Gooo Meg!! (She has a blog, too. You should check it out.)
I was wiped from the music awards, so we stayed in on Thursday night and I met Meg's friends and flatmates. Her flatmate Claire turned 21 at midnight, so we had a toast! Bed by 3 am, you know.
Meg had one class Friday morning, so I slept in a bit and when she got back at 10 am, we headed out toward the Wellington Botanic Garden. Meghan wasn't 100% sure how to get there, so we wandered, which was fine, because it was a beautiful day in the capital city and Lord knows I need the exercise. We stumbled upon the garden about an hour later, and discovered it was stupidly close to her flat... We pretty much circled the city. I got to see more of it that way. :o)
The gardens were beautiful; it's early spring here so we saw tulips in every color and a flock of baby ducks!
After the Garden, we headed toward town via the Parliament complex. I, for one, like the architecture of the controversial Beehive.
We had lunch at Mac's Brewery, the all-natural brewery that makes some of my favorite NZ beers. Unfortunately, they don't give brewery tours, but lunch was so worth it. They have a viewing platform from which you can watch the magic happen, and that was enough for me. And I got to try Sundance, the summer ale!
We walked through the shopping areas in Wellington after lunch. The city is accessible; it's possible to walk from end to end in something like an hour. But... it's so hilly. Meg is obviously in much better shape than I from hiking those hills all semester, and I was definitely huffing and puffing. But it's a great city; much funkier than Auckland, I must say. Also, it has more cafes per capita than New York! I tried four of them in my 48 hours there. Not bad, though I could have done better.
We met Meg's lab partner in the Uni Bar on campus, which was absolutely hoppin' at 5 pm on the last Friday of classes. Then we went back to Meg's flat for dinner. Then, we headed back to the Botanic Garden to go on the glowworm tour!!! Those little friends of mine also make their home in the damp gardens, and it's $5 to walk through after dark with a guide. Luckily, Meg and I were late and for some strange reason, there were legitimately about 60 people on the tour, so we were able to tack on without paying... I would feel guilty if I actually learned anything. Seeing the glowworms again was cool, and Meg hadn't seen them before. But the tour guides were useless; I told Meg about glowworms from what I learned in Waitomo.
After the walk in the park, we headed back to Meg's flat for Claire's 21st birthday celebration!! It was crazy; someone's mom shipped over a package of Solo cups to play beiruit. The Kiwis were really excited about that. The party went late, and then we went out dancing at Boogie Wonderland (seriously). Though I was out til 3 am, and I'm too old for that hour, it was a really fun time and Meg and her friends are fantastic.
When we finally stirred at 11 the next morning, we left to find a supposed farmers' market, which remains elusive. From there, we hiked Mount Victoria, including a swing on the rope halfway up. After the hike, we ate crepes and drank smoothies, mmm. I also bought The Bone People at a used bookshop; perhaps I'll finish it this time.
Hopped on the plane and was back in Auckland Saturday night at 8. What a fantastic weekend!
Tonight was fun, too, in Auckland. It's Amanda's birthday, one of the girls in the BU program. She had a pot luck dinner in her apartment! There was sooo muuuuch gooood fooooood. I made veggie friend rice; it got compliments. Now, I'm essentially in a food coma, so I'm going to bed.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
The Music Awards
Wednesday was my red carpet debut at the 2008 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards!!
It didn't really hit me until I got there how freakin' cool it was going to be. It was open to the public, via $60 general admission tickets. They let the "industry" (that's me!) get seated at their tables before opening to doors to everyone else, by way of a red carpet, and the fans were all lined up alongside it, watching everyone go in. When we were walking in, the MC guy (I don't know who he was) was like, "The Rip It Up crew in the house!!!" and people cheered. It was so exciting.
The opening performance by Tiki Taane was sooo cool, I think especially from the point of view of a non-New Zealander. Tiki is Maori, and it's like, his thing. He performed his newest single "Tangaroa," with 40-odd members of his iwi (tribe) dancing the poi and doing the haka (traditional Maori war dance) in traditional garb on stage with him.
Really disappointingly though, most artists weren't there! With the exception of the artists who actually performed, pretty much no one accepted their award in person. And most had some random crew member accept it on their behalf, so I saw no Finns, which was disappointing.
The Flight of the Conchords at least made acceptance videos for their four awards. Prime Minister Helen Clark presented the International Achievement Award to FotC; that was pretty cool. Also, Michael Franti presented some awards, including the Best Aotearoa Roots album to Tiki Taane. That was cool; he's American and I saw him this summer at Mountain Jam. If you want to see who won everything, read this.
I had SO MUCH FUN with the Satellite Media people, and everyone looked fantastic, and I felt fantastic. And I got a SWEET bag o' loot, including two pairs of thong underwear, a Moro bar, and a pound of coffee! So exciting, free stuff is.
The afterparty was crazy, and I got much free alcohol, which was great. Freaky mimes in drag floated around the arena, performing magic tricks and dancing weirdly in everyone's personal space.
In all, it was just a pretty incredible experience, almost entirely worth the next day's hangover.
See photos here. Also included in that album are pictures from Wellington, which deserves its own entry, which will be written sometime in the near future... definitely after I watch Snakes on A Plane on TV right now.
It didn't really hit me until I got there how freakin' cool it was going to be. It was open to the public, via $60 general admission tickets. They let the "industry" (that's me!) get seated at their tables before opening to doors to everyone else, by way of a red carpet, and the fans were all lined up alongside it, watching everyone go in. When we were walking in, the MC guy (I don't know who he was) was like, "The Rip It Up crew in the house!!!" and people cheered. It was so exciting.
The opening performance by Tiki Taane was sooo cool, I think especially from the point of view of a non-New Zealander. Tiki is Maori, and it's like, his thing. He performed his newest single "Tangaroa," with 40-odd members of his iwi (tribe) dancing the poi and doing the haka (traditional Maori war dance) in traditional garb on stage with him.
Really disappointingly though, most artists weren't there! With the exception of the artists who actually performed, pretty much no one accepted their award in person. And most had some random crew member accept it on their behalf, so I saw no Finns, which was disappointing.
The Flight of the Conchords at least made acceptance videos for their four awards. Prime Minister Helen Clark presented the International Achievement Award to FotC; that was pretty cool. Also, Michael Franti presented some awards, including the Best Aotearoa Roots album to Tiki Taane. That was cool; he's American and I saw him this summer at Mountain Jam. If you want to see who won everything, read this.
I had SO MUCH FUN with the Satellite Media people, and everyone looked fantastic, and I felt fantastic. And I got a SWEET bag o' loot, including two pairs of thong underwear, a Moro bar, and a pound of coffee! So exciting, free stuff is.
The afterparty was crazy, and I got much free alcohol, which was great. Freaky mimes in drag floated around the arena, performing magic tricks and dancing weirdly in everyone's personal space.
In all, it was just a pretty incredible experience, almost entirely worth the next day's hangover.
See photos here. Also included in that album are pictures from Wellington, which deserves its own entry, which will be written sometime in the near future... definitely after I watch Snakes on A Plane on TV right now.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Celebrity Sighting
I just saw Anthony Starr, who plays both Van and Jethro West on Outrageous Fortune, my favorite New Zealand prime time dramedy.
Anthony was sitting at an outdoor table at Conch, a really sweet vinyl shop/cafe across from the Satellite office that I go to like, every day. I think he was doing an interview? He was definitely having a conversation with someone... Which is good, because otherwise, I probably would have harassed him for an autograph for my roommates, who are completely obsessed (like, inappropriately so) with Outrageous. I texted them immediately; Jennifer's already texted me back to tell me she's hyperventilating because she's so jealous.
If you think about it, though, how uncommon can it really be to see the stars of the network television show filmed on location in this city of only 1 million?
Still exciting, though. We made eye contact. I smiled. It was a moment.
Anthony was sitting at an outdoor table at Conch, a really sweet vinyl shop/cafe across from the Satellite office that I go to like, every day. I think he was doing an interview? He was definitely having a conversation with someone... Which is good, because otherwise, I probably would have harassed him for an autograph for my roommates, who are completely obsessed (like, inappropriately so) with Outrageous. I texted them immediately; Jennifer's already texted me back to tell me she's hyperventilating because she's so jealous.
If you think about it, though, how uncommon can it really be to see the stars of the network television show filmed on location in this city of only 1 million?
Still exciting, though. We made eye contact. I smiled. It was a moment.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Weekend Update
Mondaaay.
The weekend was fantastic. On Friday I went to see Wall-E with my friends Ning, Bonnie and Kathy. Ning and Kathy had never seen it and Bonnie and I are obsessed, so it was a fun trip. I saw the film before leaving the US of A, and it just opened on September 18 in NZ. Wall-E is still as mesmerizing, beautifully animated, funny and smart the second time around.
Saturday was boring-ish. I kind of forget what I did; this is how I know it was boring. I remember that I cleaned a bathroom; that was gross. Oh, and then I went to an Oktoberfest party in Parnell with Ashley, Michelle, a Kiwi, a Canadian, and a bunch of Germans and Norwegians. It was a CRAZY party; it was fantastically decorated and there was a pretty bumpin' DJ, pretzels, and spice cake. I was not nearly drunk nor pigtailed enough to enjoy it fully but it was definitely an experience. After a random guy tapped me on the shoulder to tell me his friend "really likes" me, and then proceeding to have an awkward conversation with the German who "really likes" me, and pronouncing "Massachusetts" slowly six or seven times (he still didn't understand), I called a cab and was asleep by midnight. Good night, all around.
I woke up at 6 am on Sunday to leave for Waitomo by 6:30. Yessss. Waitomo is a little town about two and a half hours south of Auckland, so we rented a little Toyota and hit the road as the sun rose. The area is famous for its subterranean caves and subsequent glowworms and most of its economy is built on tourism. We had a 9:45 am guided black water rafting tour that was absolutely incredible! Snappy, our eccentric guide, helped us get suited up in our already damp and remarkably uncomfortable wetsuits, and we headed under ground for some spelunking in Ruakuri Cave. The cave is home to millions of glowworms: little maggots whose luminescent sack of waste at the end of their grub-like bodies illuminate the cave interior like the southern sky. Seriously, as disgusting as they actually, scientifically are, they're aesthetically lovely. And when you're floating 25 metres under them on the tranquil black waters in the pitch darkness, it really is a beautiful thing.
After the moderately boring but free Waitomo Caves Museum, we hit the road back to Auckland and were at UniLodge by 5 pm. A fantastic day trip! See photos, if you're into it.
And then Kathy, Bonnie and I watched five episodes of the Flight of the Conchords. My favorite so far is "Bret Gives Up The Dream," even though it features my two least favorite novelty folk songs. But anyway, it's the one where Bret leaves the band to persue his career of sign-holding, and then rejoins when he realizes Coco (like most girls) prefers guys in bands to professional human billboards.
And today was really a strange day. I set my alarm for 10; I usually wake up before then, but I don't have class until noon so if I can sleep in, I like to let myself. As usual, I woke up before 10, but instead of going back to bed, I decided to check out the tiny workout room in UniLodge?! I didn't want to fight the urge, however strange, so I donned the gym shorts which tooootally fit better before this semester and headed downstrairs. My workout wasn't fantastic-- I was done in less than 40 minutes-- but I worked up a little sweat and am quite proud of myself, I must say.
In between classes, to avoid doing a schoolwork, I vacuumed my entire apartment and made veggie fried rice for the week. Yumzor.
I just got back from the AUT library where I worked on a group project for the past four hours. It actually wasn't as painful as I thought it would be, even though it took four hours. But now it is DONE.
I booked a flight to Wellington today!!!!! I'm going THIS WEEKEND to visit my friend Meghan from SMC. She's studying at Victoria University this semester. I'm so excited to see her and the nation's capital!
How were your weekends?
The weekend was fantastic. On Friday I went to see Wall-E with my friends Ning, Bonnie and Kathy. Ning and Kathy had never seen it and Bonnie and I are obsessed, so it was a fun trip. I saw the film before leaving the US of A, and it just opened on September 18 in NZ. Wall-E is still as mesmerizing, beautifully animated, funny and smart the second time around.
Saturday was boring-ish. I kind of forget what I did; this is how I know it was boring. I remember that I cleaned a bathroom; that was gross. Oh, and then I went to an Oktoberfest party in Parnell with Ashley, Michelle, a Kiwi, a Canadian, and a bunch of Germans and Norwegians. It was a CRAZY party; it was fantastically decorated and there was a pretty bumpin' DJ, pretzels, and spice cake. I was not nearly drunk nor pigtailed enough to enjoy it fully but it was definitely an experience. After a random guy tapped me on the shoulder to tell me his friend "really likes" me, and then proceeding to have an awkward conversation with the German who "really likes" me, and pronouncing "Massachusetts" slowly six or seven times (he still didn't understand), I called a cab and was asleep by midnight. Good night, all around.
I woke up at 6 am on Sunday to leave for Waitomo by 6:30. Yessss. Waitomo is a little town about two and a half hours south of Auckland, so we rented a little Toyota and hit the road as the sun rose. The area is famous for its subterranean caves and subsequent glowworms and most of its economy is built on tourism. We had a 9:45 am guided black water rafting tour that was absolutely incredible! Snappy, our eccentric guide, helped us get suited up in our already damp and remarkably uncomfortable wetsuits, and we headed under ground for some spelunking in Ruakuri Cave. The cave is home to millions of glowworms: little maggots whose luminescent sack of waste at the end of their grub-like bodies illuminate the cave interior like the southern sky. Seriously, as disgusting as they actually, scientifically are, they're aesthetically lovely. And when you're floating 25 metres under them on the tranquil black waters in the pitch darkness, it really is a beautiful thing.
After the moderately boring but free Waitomo Caves Museum, we hit the road back to Auckland and were at UniLodge by 5 pm. A fantastic day trip! See photos, if you're into it.
And then Kathy, Bonnie and I watched five episodes of the Flight of the Conchords. My favorite so far is "Bret Gives Up The Dream," even though it features my two least favorite novelty folk songs. But anyway, it's the one where Bret leaves the band to persue his career of sign-holding, and then rejoins when he realizes Coco (like most girls) prefers guys in bands to professional human billboards.
And today was really a strange day. I set my alarm for 10; I usually wake up before then, but I don't have class until noon so if I can sleep in, I like to let myself. As usual, I woke up before 10, but instead of going back to bed, I decided to check out the tiny workout room in UniLodge?! I didn't want to fight the urge, however strange, so I donned the gym shorts which tooootally fit better before this semester and headed downstrairs. My workout wasn't fantastic-- I was done in less than 40 minutes-- but I worked up a little sweat and am quite proud of myself, I must say.
In between classes, to avoid doing a schoolwork, I vacuumed my entire apartment and made veggie fried rice for the week. Yumzor.
I just got back from the AUT library where I worked on a group project for the past four hours. It actually wasn't as painful as I thought it would be, even though it took four hours. But now it is DONE.
I booked a flight to Wellington today!!!!! I'm going THIS WEEKEND to visit my friend Meghan from SMC. She's studying at Victoria University this semester. I'm so excited to see her and the nation's capital!
How were your weekends?
Saturday, October 4, 2008
RIP Paul Newman
So, I just found out that Paul Newman died last week. I didn't know that. I spend a lot of time catching up on news from the motherland, but that tidbit slipped through, I guess.
I'm sad. I love Paul Newman. But, he was old. Old age is the leading cause of death, as my BU roommate would tell you.
That said, I think I want to have a Paul Newman marathon over winter break. I've only ever seen one of his movies?! And that one movie is Cars, so it only barely counts.
I plan on eating a lot of Newman's Own mango salsa, too. and Newman-O's. Proper homage.
I'm sad. I love Paul Newman. But, he was old. Old age is the leading cause of death, as my BU roommate would tell you.
That said, I think I want to have a Paul Newman marathon over winter break. I've only ever seen one of his movies?! And that one movie is Cars, so it only barely counts.
I plan on eating a lot of Newman's Own mango salsa, too. and Newman-O's. Proper homage.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Unfounded Political Observations from Across an Ocean
So, I just watched the vice presidential debate via live stream on nytimes.com, my favorite website of all time. I really have no grounds on which to make any political judgment, but here are some of my (unabashedly leftwing) thoughts.
I must admit Sarah Palin didn't completely flounder! I was hoping she would, really, for no other reason than Tina Fey getting to make fun of it on SNL. But, she more or less held her ground. I didn't enjoy listening to her, by any means; especially her insistence on including hokey phrases like "God bless [whoever's] heart," and "you betcha." Though Joe Biden did quote his own father, calling himself "champ." That was unnecessary.
That being said, I really feel like Sarah Palin is full of bullshit. Everything she said during the debate seemed contrived to me. She was absolutely putting it on for the American public. She mentions her son in Iraq and her mentally handicapped newborn as if they're campaign ploys. After she mentioned her "diverse family" about six times, each time with a condescending smile (and once with a WINK, for Pete's sake) Biden finally conceded and talked about his own family.
If it's news to anyone, the man is fully aware of the hardships modern American families face today. And when he legitimately choked up-- like, actually swallowed the lump rising in his throat-- I didn't want to punch him. That was real, that was a true moment of emotion. Sarah Palin spews information about her family life and "the issues that come up around the kitchen table" so much that it just goes in one ear and out the other. She is The Hockey Mom, she plays The Hockey Mom. For the sake of her demographic. And it's bullshit.
That said, too, I feel like the debate really centered on John McCain? Not Obama, and not Bush, and not the actual people at the lecterns. It was fine, and informative, but not the most exciting thing I've watched this campaign season.
I must admit Sarah Palin didn't completely flounder! I was hoping she would, really, for no other reason than Tina Fey getting to make fun of it on SNL. But, she more or less held her ground. I didn't enjoy listening to her, by any means; especially her insistence on including hokey phrases like "God bless [whoever's] heart," and "you betcha." Though Joe Biden did quote his own father, calling himself "champ." That was unnecessary.
That being said, I really feel like Sarah Palin is full of bullshit. Everything she said during the debate seemed contrived to me. She was absolutely putting it on for the American public. She mentions her son in Iraq and her mentally handicapped newborn as if they're campaign ploys. After she mentioned her "diverse family" about six times, each time with a condescending smile (and once with a WINK, for Pete's sake) Biden finally conceded and talked about his own family.
If it's news to anyone, the man is fully aware of the hardships modern American families face today. And when he legitimately choked up-- like, actually swallowed the lump rising in his throat-- I didn't want to punch him. That was real, that was a true moment of emotion. Sarah Palin spews information about her family life and "the issues that come up around the kitchen table" so much that it just goes in one ear and out the other. She is The Hockey Mom, she plays The Hockey Mom. For the sake of her demographic. And it's bullshit.
That said, too, I feel like the debate really centered on John McCain? Not Obama, and not Bush, and not the actual people at the lecterns. It was fine, and informative, but not the most exciting thing I've watched this campaign season.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Cooking, Yoga, Music...
My week has been so nice so far, despite the world economy being in shambles. Weird how these things work out.
Monday was fine. The highlight was definitely making chicken Marsala for Ashley, Bonnie and Michelle! The four of us decided that once a week-ish, we'd take turns cooking for a Family Dinner of sorts. So, a few weeks ago, Ashley made superb chicken tacos, Saturday night Michelle made crab stir fry, and then it was my turn. With a package of chicken breasts defrosted and some sliced mushrooms biding their time in my tiny, useless fridge, I decided to make chicken Marsala. But as Marsala is from Italy, and New Zealand has more pride in their wine than I can fathom, I couldn't find any at Liquor Park, and I didn't feel like searching. So, I technically made chicken Chardonnay. It was delicious.
I was a little nervous, because I've never made chicken Marsala (or chicken Chardonnay, for that matter) before, and early on in the adventure, I set off the fire alarm in my apartment (second time in two weeks, I rock). But, it ended up being delicious and my friends are still talking about it. So, I'm stoked. I am REALLY enjoying cooking.
I have so many recipes written on Post-It notes strewn about my apartment; I should really collect them all and write them in one central location. Matty, I wish I had that recipe book you took to Ireland. C'est la vie.
Anyway, yesterday was boring... for various reasons, I was only at work until 1:45 pm, and then I leisurely walked home and leisurely had a nap, then I went to one of the best yoga classes of my young life.
Also exciting: the Loft is hosting some meditation workshops in the upcoming weeks! I'm pretty into the idea of meditation and kind of have trouble with it, so I have high hopes.
Today is Wednesday. I'm at work, then I have a Politics lecture this afternoon, and then some BU girls and I are going to hear the Auckland Philharmonia!!! I miss classical music in my life a lot; I hope I still remember how to hold a French horn when I get home. That said, I'm pretty freakin' STOKED for this evening.
Hope your days are fiiine.
OH, MAN, AND ICING ON THE CAKE, LITERALLY: It's someone's birthday today at Satellite... Just saw the cake. Huzzah, cake at work is one of the best things in the world.
Monday was fine. The highlight was definitely making chicken Marsala for Ashley, Bonnie and Michelle! The four of us decided that once a week-ish, we'd take turns cooking for a Family Dinner of sorts. So, a few weeks ago, Ashley made superb chicken tacos, Saturday night Michelle made crab stir fry, and then it was my turn. With a package of chicken breasts defrosted and some sliced mushrooms biding their time in my tiny, useless fridge, I decided to make chicken Marsala. But as Marsala is from Italy, and New Zealand has more pride in their wine than I can fathom, I couldn't find any at Liquor Park, and I didn't feel like searching. So, I technically made chicken Chardonnay. It was delicious.
I was a little nervous, because I've never made chicken Marsala (or chicken Chardonnay, for that matter) before, and early on in the adventure, I set off the fire alarm in my apartment (second time in two weeks, I rock). But, it ended up being delicious and my friends are still talking about it. So, I'm stoked. I am REALLY enjoying cooking.
I have so many recipes written on Post-It notes strewn about my apartment; I should really collect them all and write them in one central location. Matty, I wish I had that recipe book you took to Ireland. C'est la vie.
Anyway, yesterday was boring... for various reasons, I was only at work until 1:45 pm, and then I leisurely walked home and leisurely had a nap, then I went to one of the best yoga classes of my young life.
Also exciting: the Loft is hosting some meditation workshops in the upcoming weeks! I'm pretty into the idea of meditation and kind of have trouble with it, so I have high hopes.
Today is Wednesday. I'm at work, then I have a Politics lecture this afternoon, and then some BU girls and I are going to hear the Auckland Philharmonia!!! I miss classical music in my life a lot; I hope I still remember how to hold a French horn when I get home. That said, I'm pretty freakin' STOKED for this evening.
Hope your days are fiiine.
OH, MAN, AND ICING ON THE CAKE, LITERALLY: It's someone's birthday today at Satellite... Just saw the cake. Huzzah, cake at work is one of the best things in the world.
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