found in the vines of northburn
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
5 strong
im gonna start with the present and work my way back through the time missing...
it's p.o.e.t.s day (piss off early tomorrow's saturday) in new zealand- phew survived the week. jess and i enjoyed a beer after work, courtesy of our boss as seems to be the trend on fridays. i then came home to a mashed up box at my front door which turned out to be a halloween package from my magnificent mother! inside was a pumpkin adorned card that read: "halloween smiles across the miles". also included were wannabe cowgirl earrings, candy, fake tats, facepaint, and loads of smooth move. that woman knows me so well. with speights in hand i've been all smiles ever since.
yesterday was guy fawkes day and itty bitty cromwell celebrated with fireworks. it was like a drive in with all the cars parked around the lake- i didn't even know cromwell had that many cars. our most favorite kiwi friends set up a couch on the green and we stretched out to watch the display which was, in fact, lovely.
a bit earlier we took our tired behinds to "hot dance" at the gym. the teacher is this beautfil brazilian ball of energy and for 45 minutes we rolled our hips and shook our bootiess. the best part was there is no separate room for classes, just some transparent mesh hanging from the ceiling which serves to divide the weight area from the dance area. pretty sure we got laughed at a few times, but couldn't care less. after class she asked if i had taken dance before because, she said, it looked like i had a background in hip hop. haa, no formal training in hip hop persay. im fairly certain that she was only trying to ensure i come back next week but there was really no need to encourage me because i was already in love with her and her hot dance.
wednesday night josey and i had our second sailing class. the wind was pretty strong so it was a good time. i worked at my skills on the 420 the whole time, but josey made a gettaway to the big boat where she was, apparently, fed gin and tonics. no fair. the only dangers of collision or capsizing came when another boy, christopher, was at the helm. he's a sweet thing, but terribly cofused when it comes to sailing. also, i watched his sunglasses fall off his face and sink into the lake while he failed to notice entirely.
the other girls arrived safely and skipped right past their jetlag (very unlike josey and myself who were up and adam at 5am for the better part of a week) by joining in with our nightly drinking til all hours. those were the days... sadly work began for all of us last tuesday. with the exception of one day of planting jess and i have been shoot thinning (flicking out double shoots and that sort of thing) allllll day everyday. when the sun is out i really don't mind doing it for 8 hours. for one thing, the vineyard is gorgeous. for another, the old men we work with are hilarious.
example:
ewen commented that the thumb on his glove was ripping and my boss shane responded that he hardly uses his thumb at all. "oh well shane," ewen said, "you always have to use your thumb when you're goin' round the bottom." so good coming from old men. and lastly, vineyard work isn't so bad because im able to listen to my ipod all the livelong day. greg brown, ryan montbleau, bob dylan, the mountain goats, and crowded house have topped the charts recently. although, i've embarrassingly listened to saves the day (thought of matthew kilbane) and natasha bedningfield (thought of a.)the time val and i dance partied our hearts out to pocketfull of sunshine until she flying leaped into my face and forgot to ask if i was ok while i lay in a pile on the ground and she went into hysterics, and b.)this summer when mr. cataldo played pocketfull of sunshine 5 times in a 2 day period). today i could not stop listening to hot chip and when i wasn't looking the old men had a group laugh at my one woman dance party to 'ready for the floor'...eh woops. and when music doesn't cut it, books on tape make the hours fly!
it's p.o.e.t.s day (piss off early tomorrow's saturday) in new zealand- phew survived the week. jess and i enjoyed a beer after work, courtesy of our boss as seems to be the trend on fridays. i then came home to a mashed up box at my front door which turned out to be a halloween package from my magnificent mother! inside was a pumpkin adorned card that read: "halloween smiles across the miles". also included were wannabe cowgirl earrings, candy, fake tats, facepaint, and loads of smooth move. that woman knows me so well. with speights in hand i've been all smiles ever since.
yesterday was guy fawkes day and itty bitty cromwell celebrated with fireworks. it was like a drive in with all the cars parked around the lake- i didn't even know cromwell had that many cars. our most favorite kiwi friends set up a couch on the green and we stretched out to watch the display which was, in fact, lovely.
a bit earlier we took our tired behinds to "hot dance" at the gym. the teacher is this beautfil brazilian ball of energy and for 45 minutes we rolled our hips and shook our bootiess. the best part was there is no separate room for classes, just some transparent mesh hanging from the ceiling which serves to divide the weight area from the dance area. pretty sure we got laughed at a few times, but couldn't care less. after class she asked if i had taken dance before because, she said, it looked like i had a background in hip hop. haa, no formal training in hip hop persay. im fairly certain that she was only trying to ensure i come back next week but there was really no need to encourage me because i was already in love with her and her hot dance.
wednesday night josey and i had our second sailing class. the wind was pretty strong so it was a good time. i worked at my skills on the 420 the whole time, but josey made a gettaway to the big boat where she was, apparently, fed gin and tonics. no fair. the only dangers of collision or capsizing came when another boy, christopher, was at the helm. he's a sweet thing, but terribly cofused when it comes to sailing. also, i watched his sunglasses fall off his face and sink into the lake while he failed to notice entirely.
the other girls arrived safely and skipped right past their jetlag (very unlike josey and myself who were up and adam at 5am for the better part of a week) by joining in with our nightly drinking til all hours. those were the days... sadly work began for all of us last tuesday. with the exception of one day of planting jess and i have been shoot thinning (flicking out double shoots and that sort of thing) allllll day everyday. when the sun is out i really don't mind doing it for 8 hours. for one thing, the vineyard is gorgeous. for another, the old men we work with are hilarious.
example:
ewen commented that the thumb on his glove was ripping and my boss shane responded that he hardly uses his thumb at all. "oh well shane," ewen said, "you always have to use your thumb when you're goin' round the bottom." so good coming from old men. and lastly, vineyard work isn't so bad because im able to listen to my ipod all the livelong day. greg brown, ryan montbleau, bob dylan, the mountain goats, and crowded house have topped the charts recently. although, i've embarrassingly listened to saves the day (thought of matthew kilbane) and natasha bedningfield (thought of a.)the time val and i dance partied our hearts out to pocketfull of sunshine until she flying leaped into my face and forgot to ask if i was ok while i lay in a pile on the ground and she went into hysterics, and b.)this summer when mr. cataldo played pocketfull of sunshine 5 times in a 2 day period). today i could not stop listening to hot chip and when i wasn't looking the old men had a group laugh at my one woman dance party to 'ready for the floor'...eh woops. and when music doesn't cut it, books on tape make the hours fly!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
the price of addiction?
northburn coffee, free and delicious
patagonia, queenstown
at long last we have internet! it's fussy, but it's internet. a series of semi major posts is in order but for now i have just a mini update:
my dear kind coworker, ewen, has loaned me his coffee maker since he learned of my struggle to find one and burning need for caffeine. this morning i set my no-leak mug filled to the tippy top with fresh brewed coffee on my bed while i whipped up my other sweet addiction- EGGS. i returned only to discover the entire mug had drained into my mattress. and what luck, the puddle was located just where i most like to lay my head.
sheets are washed, but the smell on the mattress is getting staler by the hour.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
click it or ticket
5/11 kawakau court, home sweet home in cromwell. josey and i moved in 2 days ago and are still feeling the burn after swapping couches with the unit next door. our room is huge and starting to look like us- with limited selection at the warehouse we chose matching black sheets and complimentary duvet covers (mine green, josey's zebra). the walls are still bare, but we'll get around to that soon and in the meantime the mountain views out my window will hold me over. luckily vegetarians and vegans get on well in the kitchen and home cooking with a side of wine is becoming the routine around here. my favorite part of our new home is the path that runs the entire length of the lake to which we have access from our backyard. thankfully, the dirt path is easy on my knees and the mountains are easy on the eyes.
we befriended the 19 year olds next door yesterday and they invited us out to a local bar to watch the rugby game (during which i had no idea what the hell was happening. must learn the rules...). we met some more kiwis and quickly fell in love with speights, every south islander's favorite beer. and it's a good thing too because one guy hit it big on the slots and kept everyone's glass full til the bar closed down.
most things are falling in to place nicely, with some effort of course. we have, however, quickly learned to hate the cops of cromwell who obviously have even less to do than the cops in concord and carlisle. it was moving day and we were heading from the garden cafe around the corner to pick up the keys to our new abode when a road nazi pig pulled us over. first he made fun of our car (not the first) and then proceeded to give us $150 tickets EACH for not wearing our seatbelts! unbelievable. especially being that a) it was the first time since being in new zealand that i did not have my belt on, b) we were literally driving no more than 200 feet going no faster than 35 km/hr, and c) we had been in the country for about 5 days and hadn't the foggiest idea about the law. josey, who never wears a seatbelt, has had her hair tangled and ripped out by her belt 4 or 5 times since the ticket was issued.
internet is still nearly impossible to come by and conveniently seems to be incompatible with my ancient computer. hopefully within the next week we will have wireless up and running- i.e. skype dates and photos on the way.
Monday, October 12, 2009
new zealand in a nutshell
courtesy of my aussie mate, aiden
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdVHZwI8pcA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdVHZwI8pcA
SHE'S BLUE!!
felton road
highway 6 lookout
queenstown beauty
practically a local
massive progress being made here in the southern hemisphere. a couple of days ago josey and i purchased a 1990 subaru legacy from a british bloke, tom. got wind of it from a bulletin at the local grocery store. tom had posted an informative index card with "SHE'S BLUE!" as the focal point. we were told her name is Thora and so we have adopted the appropriate name of Thora the Warrior. she's a beast. approximately 4 minutes after gaining ownership her engine cut out for no reason. something we experienced 3 more times later that same day. needless to say we were a tad nervous about our investment but were reassured by our knowledgeable boss that it's only a minor problem with an easy fix if we so desire. her brakes are solid and she handles well on the winding roads to our vineyards. thora...she's really a dream when her broken visors aren't slamming you in the face.
in other news, we have found ourselves a home. the hunt was, well, a pain in the ass to say the least. finding a furnished place big enough for 5 voluptuous women is no easy task. luckily josey saw a listing in the lakes weekly bulletin and tomorrow we will move in. the outdoor space is lacking a bit, but the view is killer. she's got a long narrow deck that runs the length of the unit, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, massive kitchen and living room, tv, dvd, washer drier, and fully furnished. pictures to come once she has been beautified.
lastly, we locked down a couple of used bikes yesterday in the teeny tiny town of cromwell (soon to be home sweet home). apparently used bikes are hard to come by and being that we don't have 800 bucks laying around for new ones we were fairly pleased with our find. mine has a bell, sweet-as!
stomach aches and sinus pressure have plagued me since arriving. thankfully sudafed and sprinkle fiber have come to my rescue and yesterday marked the first day of feeling "normal". now to get over this jetlag...
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