Home sweet Home

Well, I guess I've been avoiding writing a new posting. This last month has been a difficult one. Grandma H was in and out of the hospital and then in a hospice so that they could try to manage her pain (fluid retention due to kidney failure) and make her comfortable if possible. She passed on 23 June. It's been sad, but I am thankful that she is no longer in pain. I just wish I could have been home or at least be home for the reunion and memorial service. Those couple of weeks were not very productive for me. Last week I started to get into the swing of work and this week I can say I've finally been productive again. The pressure of what needs to be done before leaving in Aug for the conference and my visit home is overwhelming! I'll be working most weekends until I leave for the good ol' US of A! Looking forward to being on American soil again...

Snow and 4WD

We had our first snow down to sea level this week! So I had snow at my house for the first time...of course it was gone by the afternoon. The city pretty much shut down. I drove into Uni anyway, but I don't live in the hills. I hear there were lots of idiots trying to drive down the hills in their cars and sliding all over the place and into parked cars...no salt trucks here and it rains, then snows, then rains again. I had to come in for the class-portion of my 4WD course. For the practical, they put you in all these situations and you have to drive out of them...it should be lots of fun. I've only used 4WD for snow, so I'm excited for this! This course is a requirement for me to take a Department vehicle off road to my field sites next summer.

Other than that, my life is boring. Data entry, data analysis, the gym, procrastination...over and over again. I did have a dinner party last weekend, where we made a few of the dishes from an Indian cooking class a bunch of us took, and then we watched the Simpsons movie. Tonight I get my hair cut (which is red now...I'm tired of having gray hair) and then dinner and a play - Don Juan in Soho. I'm way excited!

American and Proud

Ha! So I was just called a stereotypical American because I wouldn't be coerced in coffee date after only exchanging a few lines with this guy on an online dating service. To him, I should be totally comfortable with meeting him when I don't really know much about him just because he's a PhD student at the university as well. Like academics aren't just as much freaks as anyone else out there! Then he made some reference about maybe I'd rather date someone who isn't educated or that sort...ok, now who is the stuck up one here? I'm glad I didn't end up wasting a coffee date on this dude. And am proud to be a stereotypical American in this instance!!

Who spread the myth?

I just read this hilarious article on what it's like indoors during a New Zealand winter. Click here for the article. I've been wearing thermals everyday for 2 weeks now and scarves are certainly in fashion here because you NEED them!

Celebrate good times!

I had a fabulous birthday last week! I slept in, went to the osteopath for a back adjustment and arrived at the office to banners and streamers and presents and brownies from my friends. :) Rebecca and I went shopping and I bought this merino wool/possum sweater I've been eyeing for a while. And I got a long-sleeve merino shirt and swimming goggles (I've started going to the pool for laps and aqua jogging). Then we went for a walk to the gardens. I got more presents and managed to goof off until dinner time. 15 of us went out for Mexican...it's not even comparable to real Mexican, nor American Mexican, but it was good. So was the Patron...yum! I had an excellent time! Once I get the photos from Anne, I'll put a few up.

Friday night we hosted a farewell potluck for Johan. Many of my lab members came and I made a new recipe for fish pie...it was delicious! I dropped Johan off at the bus station yesterday. I hope he has a safe journey home! So now we are back to 3 for the next month until Anya from Russia arrives...hopefully mid-June, if she gets her visa sorted. She will be an intern in our lab for 3 months.

Well, it's Sunday...I should do some work and then hopefully go for a jog if the weather holds. I'm going to roast my first leg of lamb tonight...

Meeting the neighbor

Last night there was such a horrendous pounding on the door that I wasn't even sure it was the door. I open the door and there's this strange woman standing off to the side smoking a cigarette. Our exchange goes like this...
Me: "Hello?"
Psyco woman: "Can you keep your comments to yourself?"
Me: "Excuse me?"
Psyco: "Do you think I can't hear you? Keep your comments to yourself!"
Me: "What?!"
Psyco: "Do you speak English or do you only speak American?"
Me: (jaw hanging open)
Psyco: "Fuck off!"
Me: (slamming the door shut as Psyco walks away)
So I guess that was my neighbor, who I've never even seen, let alone met, in the year and a half that I've lived here. She obviously thought I was Deanna with the American comment. Why would we talk about some stranger we've never seen? We hear people knocking on her door every day all day...drug traffic, I'm sure. Even if she could hear us talking from inside our house, we haven't talked about her. Must be the voices in her head...lol! Regardless, it's a bit scary to have a stranger show up at your door and bitch you out for something you haven't a clue about. Deanna says she does this kind of thing about once a year. Hopefully, I can get away with not seeing the woman for another year and a half!

Back to back

I know I promised pictures of my fabulous trip, but I have none.  I was laid up on Deanna's couch in back pain while everyone else was off kayaking.  I woke up hurting the day we left and then after a 10 hr drive I was in severe pain the next day.  Good thing I brought a good book as I read that over the 2 days.  Matt came over the first night and made dinner and brought a movie.  The second night I was feeling a bit better and Dee and I went out for a beer and then to Matt's for dinner.  We took 2 days to drive back and stopped at a hot springs.  It was a proper Japanese bath house and rock pools.  I even got a massage so my back was feeling pretty darn good by the end of the trip!  Oooo and I finally got to try out my new tent!  I love it!  Not too sure how 2 people will fit...it'll be cozy!

Where's the bunny?

So now is the last chance to look at all those photo albums I've got posted. All but the very most recent one will be deleted sometime next month. Kodak has changed it's policy and now requires me to purchase something from their online store in order for them to keep my albums online. I refuse and sure don't have the time to recreate all of them on Facebook. So I've decided to just let them go. I'm a little sad, but oh well.

I went to a hockey game this weekend! Oh it was so much fun. New Zealand Ice Blacks kicked some Turkey butt! I want to go to another one today...it's an International tournament. But I've got loads of things to be doing and work to get done. Tomorrow we leave for a camping and kayaking trip to the Abel Tasman! I should have new pics for you next week!

The best news is that I'll be home in August for a visit! Woo Hoo! I'm so excited. I'll be heading to a conference in Knoxville and then I'll be home around Aug 17- Sep 3...I haven't booked my US domestic flights yet. Warm MN summer! I can't wait!

Albatross videos from the fishing trip

The mollymawks, they run across the water when taking off or to get to the fish scraps thrown overboard by the fisherman.

This is a short one of a Royal albatross flying by the boat...oh so exciting!

They can ski on the water before landing...they do this to get closer to the boat and fish.

And watch 'em go wild for a fish that's thrown overboard...

End of summer...sigh

Yikes, I haven't been on here in a while.  The last part of February was full of bbq's, beaches, roadtripping and fishing.  And lots and lots and lots of fish dissections.  I posted a new album.  I went to Tunnel Beach a few weeks ago.  It's this beach where a tunnel has been carved out of the cliff to get down to the beach.  Had a great picnic there enjoying the view of the southern ocean.  Then I went to Queenstown to meet up with my cousin Gina and her husband Joe.  They had been traveling in Australia and spent a few days in NZ.  Anson and Rebecca went along for the trip.  We stopped at a couple wineries on the way up...Black Ridge (one of my favs...mmmm 2001 Riesling) and Gibbston Valley which also has a cheese factory, where we got some cheese, bread and an olive/feta/sundried tomato mix for lunch.  We also stopped that the first bungee jump ever and watched a couple of crazy folks jump over the river.  Then on to Qtwn, where we had dinner with Gina and Joe.  I was soo happy to be around some chatty people!  The next morning Rebecca, Anson and I went for a short hike by the lake and then headed back to Dunners and the rain.  We stopped at one winery, Wooing Tree where I bought their Beetle Juice Pinot Noir.

The fishing trip the following weekend was great!  Same fisherman, but his jet boat motor blew so we had to take out his catamaran and drive that all the way up the coast to fish around Karitane.  We caught barracuda, trumpeter, blue cod and I caught a red cod.  I took lots of bird videos and photos again...we had 3 Royal albatross around that day!  Since we were on the catamaran and had a long trip back, Alan cooked us up some fish (luxury boat with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a full kitchen).  I got to drive and even help jib!  As we got back to the harbor there was a sailing race on and the 2 leaders were just rounding the pin as we entered the mouth of the harbor so we got to sail along side them.

Else I've been crazy busy with dissecting fish in the lab and teaching...I decided to be a demonstrator (TA) this semester.  I'm doing a small amount for a couple of courses and then a regular dem for a 1st yr course of 1750 students!  The labs are close to 100 students.  I'm one of a team of demonstrators!

Oh and we had a lab social and went ten-pin bowling (I'm learning that there are many kinds of bowling).  I sucked!  But we all had a good time.  We are having a bit of an Indian Summer this week.  And I'm helping with fieldtrips the next couple of days so I'll be mucking around with students outside!  Yay!