Harry Potter Update; Things I'll Miss About New Zealand, Parts 8, 9, & 10

I officially have a copy of the final Harry Potter book, obtained precisely six minutes after it went on sale.


...Which reminds me of the Thing I'll Miss #8: I will miss being in the world's first metropolitan timezone. NZ lives in the future... literally! Since any given date (or time) happens here first, it gives me extra time to remember people's birthdays, something I'm normally terrible at. AND it means that NZ is able to sell its Harry Potter books before any other country, thus giving its residents the opportunity to own the book almost a day before the rest of the world. That's pretty neat.


I was almost late for the opening of the bookstore that I intended to watch, as I was intercepted by the world's friendliest cat (Thing I'll Miss #9). He's a sweetheart, and I can never pass him on the (186) steps without petting him. I've never known a cat to come running to you, meowing to tell you how happy he is to see you... but that's exactly what this one does. Especially if I've ever had a hard day, which he seems to already know. I am powerless to resist such a cute fuzzball.

On the walk to the bookstore, I try and make up for lost time by moving quickly. That isn't too hard, as Willis st (downtown) is a veritable ghost town on Saturday morning. Surely the bookstore would be equally deserted...?

I arrive, 5 minutes before it opens, to find barely a dozen people waiting outside the store. As per the original plan, I grab a coffee across the street, then sit down to people-watch. Seeing the people in line, and the staff opening the bookstore doors, I am reminded of the tenth thing I'll miss...

Thing I'll Miss About New Zealand #10: Wellingtonians will take ANY excuse to dress up in zany costumes!

About half of the people there, and of those turning up, are dressed up as wizards, fairies, Hogwarts students, princesses, you name it. The staff are in magical cowls, capes and caps, some more elaborate than others.

After a browse, and hearing the news that the book could not be legally sold before 11:01 AM (just under two hours to go), I plunked myself in line. Having brought reading material of my own (100 Bullets, volume 8), and having most of my coffee left, I was well-placed for a wait.

People filed in slowly at first, and by 10:00 the place was very busy. The line was now all the way around the store, and various radio stations showed up to do interviews and offer prizes. New Zealand candy companies -- including Whittaker's, the local chocolate-makers -- sent representatives with brimming baskets to keep the everyone fed. There was even a hired magician doing fun tricks and making balloon animals. Later, an impromptu costume competition took place. It was a great time.

I noticed a familiar accent from the girl in front of me, who turned out to be American. She was thrilled to be getting her copy so far ahead of her friends in the US, and we laughed gratefully at the short line (compared to any we'd face at a North American bookstore). Behind me was a groovy grandma with her adorable 15-year-old grandson, each waiting for a copy of their own. They strategized with each other the pace they'd read at, so they could call each other up at intervals to talk about what was happening. Seriously, how cute is that?

Between chatting with the others in line, and reading my comics, the wait went by quite quickly. (The fact that I was only fifteenth in line didn't hurt, either...) At 11:02, the line was moving, and I had my own copy of the book (in a special bag, even!) at 11:07. I was almost sorry to leave the festivities behind, but who am I kidding -- I wanted to go home and read!

So that's what I'm off to do now. (New Harry Potter book + hot cuppa tea + Poang chair = BLISS!)

Things I'll Miss About New Zealand, Part 7

When you only have 4 million people in the whole country to compete with, you can get tickets to virtually anything. And for non-exorbitant prices, too!

Our U2 tickets, which certainly would have cost a mint in Ottawa, we obtained via TradeMe.co.nz (NZ's Ebay) for a price only marginally off the actual, printed ticket price. We walked into the Rolling Stones the night of, and were "scalped" for a whopping $20 more than the ticket price. I attribute this savings to the limited number of people my dollar competes with, and I am wholly grateful for it.

But do the benefits of a smaller country end at tickets? Nay, say I! During an aforementioned Nerd Convention, I got to meet several of my favourite science fiction stars, and even had time to chat awhile... there was no need to hurry, as the line was minimal. Even better, there was NO LINE AT ALL for meeting the incredible Mr. Brian K. Vaughn (author of Y: The Last Man, writer for later episodes of Lost, and partner of the godlike Joss Whedon in the highly-anticipated Buffy Season 8 comics). Brian was especially cool, and Dave and I talked with him a good while about life, what kinds of things each of us were up to, where we were from, Brian's Canadian wife, etc.

Anyhow, my point here is, would Dave and I ever have had a chance to have a substantial discussion with someone this high-profile at a public event in Canada? Heavens no! Instead, it would have resembled more, "Uh, hi! You're Brian K. Vaughn, right? I love 'Y', it's so, like, smart! Will you sign my book?" {hiss to person behind me, "Quit shoving, fartknocker!"} "Thanks! Uhm, bye!" {get pushed aside by fartknocker, try not to get trampled as I make my exit.}

The lower demand-pool also manifests itself for consumer goods. Besides event tickets, I mean. Wanna see a movie on opening night? No problem. (Note, you may in fact be stuck next to vile minions of Satan who yap, fart, and seat-kick through the whole thing... so maybe waiting for an emptier theatre is still better.)

But all this theory will be put to the test this week, when I camp out in a nearby coffeeshop and observe a specific social phenomena... the release of the final Harry Potter book.


The Experiment: Hypothesis Phase

In Canada, I envision people lining up, dozens or even hundreds deep, to get this book. I see a bright, sunny day where the lines spill out of the stores. Parents are getting it to occupy their kids at the sordid halfway point of a stressful school-free summer. Teens are waiting in line themselves, perhaps in groups, happy to have somewhere to be that's not school, or someones' basement. The remaining adults will stand in line, alone, and when asked they will stammer something about the book being for some (potentially make-believe) relative. The latter are possibly the group most often caught peeking in the book whilst in line.

But I'm not in Canada, and I'm sorry to miss the event. Instead, I seek to gain some insight about how Wellington will receive the book. The possibilities go two ways:

1) Much as described for Canada, but with blue-lipped line-members standing out in the cold and the rain.

2) Same as it ever was... if the bookstore is at all busier than usual, the degree would be invisible to the naked eye. If this happened, it was likely caused by the following:

• Kids aren't on school break, and will not have one for another 9 weeks. Therefore, this decreases the need (and thus demand) for giving them something to do.
• The store I will visit will be a downtown Wellington store. Families tend not to live in downtown Wellington; they would likely visit a larger, suburban store nearer to them.
• People who live in downtown Wellington likely walk by these bookstores on the way to work every single day. Why wait now, or even make a special trip, when you can pick it up with considerably less difficulty in a few days?
• Downtown Wellington has a mere 200,000 people living in it, the majority presumably being young professionals. Only a fraction of these will have any desire to ever read the books, and even fewer will be seeking the book that day.

Thus, I have a theory that New Zealand's sparse population (and the benefits thereof), paired with the demographics of downtown Wellington, will reduce the Harry Potter phenom to zilch.

My plan of action is to sit at my local coffeeshop and watch the bookstore. If I am wrong, I will mock the poor sods standing out in the rain.

If I am right, I will stare longingly at the non-crowded storefront and try (and probably fail) to resist the temptation to just go and buy the damned thing.

The Bet

Last December, Dave and I were visited by our parents. The way the timing ended up, the two sets of parents had a single overlapping weekend -- so naturally, Dave and I decided to make an event of it. We rented a beautiful country cottage in the Wairarapa, the nearby wine district, and all had a lovely time together.

As can be expected of a Helgason / Hume visit to a wine country, vast quantities of wine were bought and consumed. And it was over several bottles that the two fathers, both bemoaning their noticeable departure from their formerly rail-thin selves, made a wager. That being, should each of them fail to lose 25 lbs by the wedding (Sept 1), they would donate $1,000.00 CAD to their most despised political figure.

Ben has since deportlified to the tune of 50 lbs -- a "WOW"-worthy achievement if there ever was one! Short of going on a strict booze-and-butter diet henceforth, it's a fairly safe bet that Mr. Jack Layton will not be getting that $1000 from Mr. Hume. Way to go Ben!

My dear dad, Wayne, has also had great success with his loss of 20 lbs. However, this means that there's still 5 lbs to go, and not much time left to lose them in. I have absolute belief in my father, but I figure he could do with some extra motivation in the home stretch.

So, I decided to help in the best way I know how -- with Photoshop! Here is a motivational message, lovingly created for my dad:

C'mon dad! Don't let that spooky-eyed right-winger have your hard-earned money! You can take off those last few pounds... I believe in you!

And this is an invite to any readers who don't often comment -- leave a comment to show Wayne some support! We're all cheering for ya, dad!

Things I'll Miss About New Zealand, Part 6

At work, I'll miss having meetings interrupted by an earthquake.

It's a regular occurrence here, not to mention a fantastic way to wake up during the drowsier parts of a boring afternoon meeting!

Things I'll Miss About New Zealand, Part 5

I'll really miss brunch at the Chocolate Fish Cafe!

I know I've waxed poetic about it before, but it is wholly worthy of re-mentioning. The food is great, the service is friendly, the visiting birds are cute, the history is cool, and the view is absolutely amazing.

And lucky for Dave and I, our last ChocFish brunch was augmented with some excellent company -- one Mr. Tomas Ernst, a good friend visiting for the weekend. Luckier still was the cooperative weather Wellington decided to grant us, so we showed our guest the sights. We saw Dave play (and win!) a rugby game, we saw the heart-stopping All Blacks vs. Springboks game, and did a fair amount of partying and dancing.

Tomas was even so generous as to take us to dinner, and he even let us crash in his spacious -- and heated!!!! -- Intercontinental room. Best of all, Karla even got a chance to have a much longed-for bath whilst the boys pontificated nonsense in a nearby pub.

For more pictures of the visit, see our Flickr site. Keep an eye out for a particularly amusing photo of Tomas's being unamused at our flat's lack of heat.

Happy Canada Day!

Allow me to commemorate Canada's birthday with a funny advertisement I saw a month back. It was in Courtenay Place, Wellington's downtown area, in the front window of a travel agency.

No, your eyes do not deceive you... THEY'RE ADVERTISING THE CANADIAN WINTER! They must be mad!

Come and see the Canadian winter, it says. Bah, say I -- what malicious creatures would lure poor, unsuspecting kiwis into such a thing? Clearly, some evil plot is afoot.

(...or, maybe our skiing really IS sufficiently awesome to justify enduring our winters.) ;-)

So, "happy birthday" to a country SO great, people even wanna visit it when temperatures drop below -30C!

Ode to Bessie

Thank you, Bessie, for keeping Dave and I fed for lo these many months.

As some of you readers may recall, Dave entered a raffle long ago to support a friend raising money to support her choir. The top prize was a quarter of beef. "But who wins the top prize", we guffawed... only to have the answer be clear. WE won the top prize, and needed to find something to do with a quarter of a cow.

My unbelievable Tetris-skills came into play as I carefully arranged the best cuts into our tiny, tiny freezer. For a long time, our freezer was full of all the ribeye cuts, New Yorks, sirloins, roasts, ground beef and sausages that we could ever want, and we still had plenty to give away to friends and a soup kitchen.

The beef was wonderful, flavourful, and succulent, clearly speaking that our Bessie had had a happy life. How wonderful. Moreover, to think that we had so many cuts of meat, all of which originated from the same cow, was entirely strange from a North American perspective. Ground beef, for example, tends to contain hundreds of different cows. Our ground beef was all Bessie. Something feels very right about that.

We finished the last of Bessie last week, in a delicious Italian pasta sauce. Above is a picture of her being thawed beforehand. I miss her already.

Thank you, Bessie.

Things I'll Miss About New Zealand, Part 4

The Wellington Public Library.


Or, to be more specific, the extensive selection of comic books at the Wellington Public Library. Borrow as many as you want for a whole month, free. Life doesn't get much better than that.

For those of you who are not comics aficionados, comic books in their compiled forms -- otherwise known as 'trade paperbacks' -- are quite expensive. Particularly here in New Zealand, where all comics (including NZ's own comics) need to be shipped in from overseas. A single trade paper normally consists of 5 to 8 comic books bound together, and will likely cost upwards of $40. (In Canada, the same would cost about $27.)

Some comic series are more worthy of this price tag than others. Without so much as a moments' hesitation, I plunk down big money for the two series I follow: Strangers In Paradise, and Y: The Last Man. Given the amount of enjoyment I get from these titles, the money is largely irrelevant.

However, as with any form of entertainment, we must continue to try new things. (Especially since both Strangers and Y will be terminating this year.... sigh....) So, I periodically buy a trade paper of some title I hear about. Usually, it's reasonably entertaining, but not worth shelling out big bucks to continue the series. So, I stop following that title, and resume my lamentation for Strangers and Y.

The result: No new series for Karla, only dying ones. Karla saaaaad.

Enter the Welly Library, and their incredible selection of comics. Now, I am revelling in renting the following titles, many of which I'd been wanting to try for quite a while. (And did I mention it was all free?!) ;-)

Fables: Winner of many comic awards for its smart writing, intriguing premise, great characters. Refuse to pay for it due to it being increasingly misogynistic, and disturbingly clever political propaganda. And that it consistently illustrates a prominent character -- a love interest, even! -- without eyes or a mouth. Ew.

Preacher: Also won a few awards, one of the first adults-only comics. Neat premise, great plot, though fairly offensive in all ways. Refuse to pay for it due to flat character development, confusing treatment of homophobia, and the relentless use of sordid sex acts as gags.

Oh My Goddess: Fun Japanese comic, quite funny, but mostly just forgettable fluff. Not really worth $20, but a good laugh all the same.

Tank Girl: Fantastic title that I fully intend to buy... but impossible to find in the northern hemisphere!

The Luna Brothers' Girls: Dumb and sexist, but the art is good, and it tickles my conspiracy-bone just enough to actually make me curious about reading it to the end.

100 Bullets: This one has an even better conspiracy afoot. Interesting moral dilemmas, unique art style, fascinating characters. Too bad all the otherwise-fairly-empowered female characters are early-twenties barbie dolls falling out of scanty clothing. Oh, and they're all criminals, strippers, or prostitutes. Greeeat.

The Maxx: Mindblowing art and amazing plot, but then the only villain dies by the end of the second volume. The series then goes on a longwinded Jungian journey for another four volumes, with or without many of the main characters you've grown attached to.

Love and Rockets: One of the first big titles of independent comics, and I finally got around to reading it. A slow, sensitive and brilliant view of life, love, and the beautiful mundanity of the everyday. I will definitely be buying this one when I return to Canada.

Hooray, free comics. End result = HAPPY KARLA! :-D

Things I'll Miss About New Zealand, Part 3

Fantails, the birds that make up for their itsy-bitsy size with a whole lotta cheek.

So, what makes these birds so special? I mean, they're just a bird, right? Well, let me tell you a bit about them, and you might see why fantails are cool.

These birds are not hard to find, as they can live in any reasonably extensive greenery -- large urban parks, for example. When you encounter a fantail, you will probably first hear its call. It is not a bird call as we know it, more of a repetition of an angry "beep!". This alone is funny, since it sounds a lot like a squeek-toy.

Soon after, the bird will likely appear within view, as these birds seem to profoundly enjoy human attention. The bird itself is smaller than a sparrow, but has a long, lovely tail that spreads into (you guessed it!) a fan. About six feet away from you, it will then begin flying around in a showy manner -- specifically, a figure-eight pattern -- whilst flaring its tail and continuing to beep. It can continue doing this for hours. Occasionally, to keep things interesting, it will charge you, then dart away just in time.

The Maori call this bird the Piwakawaka, which means 'messenger'. Given how this bird seems to seek people out, get their attention with its acrobatic flights, and beep at them urgently, this seems a fitting name.

So, I will miss these cheeky birds -- they're so cute, and so much fun to watch.

Things I'll Miss About New Zealand, Part 2

I will definitely miss the view from my desk.


As of right now, I only need look up from my monitor to see Wellington Bay. It's lovely. Green hills rising from blue water, with a random smattering of white boats and houses throughout. To the north, the gargantuan South Island ferry goes by many times a day. To the south, a multicoloured container port has cranes and forklifts busily shifting crates around into an unseen order. On special holidays, a live cannon on the bay is fired many times, which is fun to watch from my desk.



The view is also very handy -- looking out over the water, one can always tell what the weather will be like in the next 20 minutes. Plus, as the weather tends to change all the time, the view remains entertaining.

To clarify, this appreciation of the view does not in any way reveal some secret urge to live by water. Rather, it is only indicative of the sad fact that I've a great while left in the expected decade-long wait for a StatCan window office. .... Hence, I'm enjoying the view while it lasts! :-)

Something remarkable

Paul Wells linked to this, and he's right. It is absolutely beautiful.

Meet Paul Potts, a Welsh mobile phone salesman who decided to compete in the Britain's Got Talent competition. The winner gets 100 thousand pounds and the chance to perform before the Queen. I'd say the man's in with a shot...

Things I'll Miss About New Zealand, part 1

TIM TAMS!!!! Mmmm...

Canada has no cookie like this. Tim Tams are deliciousness incarnate in two syllables. Two layers of cookie surround a creamy/icing middle, then the whole thing is dipped in chocolate. Good quality chocolate, even.

Better still, this cookie can be made even more delicious through the technique, "The Tim Tam Slam". The lovely Dave will demonstrate how this is done.

Step 1) Assemble hot drink of choice, and one or more Tim Tams. Ideally, the cookies should be the double-coat variety, as that ensures less mess for the coming steps. Ensure the drink is not hot enough to scald, and that it is filled to near the top of the mug.

Step 2) Bite off both ends of the cookie.

Step 3) Insert one end of the cookie into the mug, making contact with the drink.

Step 4) Suck drink through cookie -- like a straw -- until cookie is fully moistened. This usually only takes a second or two, and practise is required to time it perfectly.

Step 5) Pop delicious, caffienated, gooey chocolate cookie-ooze in your mouth. Bliss!

Hopefully, Canadian importers will gain enough sense to import this southern-hemisphere wonder; but until then, I'm scheming a way to get them to Canada. I love you, Tim Tam.

The Effects of Being About to Leave a Workplace

...is having the freedom to publicly say what you really think about things. (With diplomacy, of course.) I'm deeply enjoying it.

Sometimes I wonder whether this newfound verbal freedom is a manifestation of my inner leader, the insightful non-yesman. Or perhaps it's just me being a badass. Or, perhaps they could be the same thing? I can't say I know.

What I DO know is that I take some pride from the (wholly justifiable) use of the word "neutered" in the annual project progress report I've just written. (Hehehehe... Take that, lame-o bureau-speak!)

Eight Minutes to Midnight

Two months tonight, eight minutes to midnight, I will arrive back in Winnipeg.

It is now official, as I actually have my ticket. August 12, I will board a Wellington plane in the early eve. After an ungodly amount of flying and transfer time, I will arrive in Winnipeg just before midnight. Two months now.

I might feel more conflicted if the moving/job-wrapup/wedding stress would subside awhile. There's so much I will miss about Wellington, which is truly a great place to live. In fact, that very sentiment has inspired me to begin an ongoing list of specific things I'll miss -- the idea being, if I identify them now, I can still appreciate them before I go. That series should start soon... stay tuned! :-)

Until then, I'll have a drink tonight to reflect, and to celebrate. At eight minutes to midnight.

Victory!

Just got home after a winning effort on the rugby pitch. This was our first win this season, ending a major major drought in the 'W' category. Pink Ginners over the Dead Ants 24-13.

So I'm stoked. Next thing is to head off to see the All Black's play France at Westpac Stadium (aka the Cake Tin). at 7:30pm. Karla and I are meeting the fellas in about an hour.

The bonus of today, and a marvelous reflection on just how awesome Karla is: last night I was telling Karla about my determination to win this game, and about my desire to score a try before we leave NZ. So she says: "Tell you what. You guys win tomorrow, and beer and food at the AB's game is on me. You score a try tomorrow, and I'll take you out for dinner wherever you want."

The try has still proven elusive. But with the win today, it's free eat and drink for Davey tonight! Woohoo!

C'mon Sens!!!

I can't watch the bloody game. I can only constantly refresh the CBC website to get my Cup fix, and it's now 5-2 Ducks in the third.

I fear impending doom. But I still have hopes.

Good vibes coming at you Sens from down under! Go Sens Go!

UPDATE: 6-2? Methinks Sens Mile is mighty quiet. And me? I'm gutted, man. Gutted.

Cue the Eye-Roll...

Sometimes I wonder why I bother checking the news sites. It's so depressing sometimes... and no, I'm not necessarily talking about wars or crime or viruses. The truly, deeply depressing thing about the CBC site are the tales of the bickering children we elected.

Harper (retorting in defense of his "Canadian-ness"?!!?):"...But at least I've always lived and worked and paid my taxes in this country."

His remark was a swipe at Ignatieff, a former university professor who taught at schools in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Ignatieff dismissed Harper's barbs.

"We can all play these silly games about who's the better Canadian," he said. "If they seriously believe that someone who's contributed to this country outside and came back to Canada is less of a Canadian, they should get up and say that to the two million Canadians who live and work overseas."

Apparently, Stevie Harper doesn't consider Dave or myself as fully Canadian. What a git. And worse yet that this utter foolishness was dignified with comment on both the Liberal and Conservative sides.

It's one thing to have a nonsense-spewing parliament of preschoolers... but who will send them to bed without their suppers?

Digging Through Old Photos, Part Two

As before, this is a post dedicated to neat things we've seen in NZ that may not have been mentioned earlier. These pictures are from our first few months, January and February 2006.

Our first day here, we visited the Wellington Botanical Gardens. The best part was the rose garden, which was positively huge! This is only about 20% of it.


Another neat thing about Wellington is its all-ages downtown skate park, pictured below. There's a climbing wall, multiple half-pipes and jumps for bikers and boarders, and most importantly, comfy benches for the parents to supervise from. It's one thing to SAY that kids should be more active, and quite another for taxpayer dollars to be spent on something so wonderful. Yay, Wellington!


One morning, long ago, I was awoken from my sleep by an enthusiastic -- "Wow!!! You have GOT to see this!" Dave was right to wake me up for this sunrise... it was so beautiful, I could even appreciate it through my sleepy grumpy stupor. Amazing, eh?

Our first whole weekend here was the 2006 Wellington Rugby Sevens, an event of unfathomable insanity. We partied awhile, then decided to retire back to our hotel... only to be ambushed by the nutty kiwis in the room opposite us!!! They would not hear of us NOT partying with them, and we were literally dragged into their festivities. What a great time, though! This picture of them might give you a general idea of the evenings' levels of silliness.

Well, that's all for now... stay tuned for Part Three!

And Now for a Special Announcement

Happy Birthday to Andy and Mike! Besides being two of my favourite fellas, you also hold the distinction of being the Hunkiest He-Statisticians around**!

This one is Mike, a former room-mate of Daves', and the guy who introduced us. In this picture, Dave appears to be... threatening him? I have no idea what's going on, but they seem to be having fun anyways. (Boys are weird sometimes!)

And here is Andy, surrounded (as usual) by beautiful women. Dude, you seriously need to write a book about how ya do that -- most guys would pay big money to know!

Anyhoo, happy birthday to you both, and hope you had a great time. :-) Dave and I'll have a drink (or three) for ya.

**Particularly since the former titleholder has flown the coop to be a flight attendant.

Update

As of now, I have a tentative date to return to my position at Statistics Canada -- October 19. Life as it was before shall resume as of October 19, a thought that is simultaneously thrilling and ominous.

It's strange to think that this time at Statistics New Zealand is coming to a close... some days, it feels as if I only just got here. Other days, it's hard to imagine living anywhere else. I already know I'll miss it here.

Part of my mind is already back in Canada, but part stays here, giving the feeling of living in two worlds at once. It's like bad sci-fi, where a layer of reality gets peeled back to reveal a totally different one. And I live, aware of both at once. It's downright weird.

In some ways, I can barely wait to get back. It was bad enough missing four weddings of my closest friends, but even besides that I've missed my dad's election campaign, a friend's first baby being born, a family health scare, two graduations, a neighbours' successful-immigration celebration, two moves, countless birthdays, and even an official wrap-party for the comic I've been following since 1993. You know, all the kind of stuff that you want to be there for, and I wasn't. I'll be grateful to be back, if only to be within striking distance of any further life-events like these.

Suddenly, Ottawa and Winnipeg don't seem so far away anymore. That's a nice feeling. Funny how living so far away lends one new perspectives on things, eh? :-)

Pictures for the Easter Trip

...are now available at our Flikr site. Apologies for not getting these up sooner, but life is truly starting to pick up the pace around here!

The Abel Tasman pics show what a divine park it is. As for the Franz Josef pictures, well, I had to climb a damned ice-mountain to get those shots, so ya bloody well like em! ;-) (At least you get the view without the cold and wet clothing.)

Anyhoo, do enjoy them. :-)

Only in New Zealand

...would such a movie be made.

Dave and I got the chance to see this movie a week or so back, and it was fun. And gross. But mostly fun. It's done in the style of early Peter Jackson... before his Lord of the Rings fame, he was the NZ icon of funny, ultra-gory horror movies.

For those of you who don't believe me, check out 'Dead Alive', which I had the misfortune of seeing at a good friend's birthday, back when we were thirteen. I couldn't eat pizza again for a month.

Anyhoo, for those of you with strong stomachs, I do actually recommend 'Black Sheep'. Dave and I enjoyed it, despite the gore. (Actually, it wasn't the gore itself that was so bad -- it was the stirring-meaty-Hamburger-Helper noises that went along with it.) :-P

It's a sweet, funny, and strangely, quite innocent movie... that just happens to have lots of guts flinging about. Perhaps that tells ya something about the Kiwis, eh?

Baaaaaaa!

Yep. I have finally followed the flock into Facebook land. A part of me is bemoaning the increased role in my life that online-ness is taking, and another part of me can hardly wait to get back on the site.

For those of you not yet aware of Facebook, it is a website designed entirely to network people. How does it work?

1. First off, you link it with your email address,


2. It rifles through your mail and makes note of every email address you've sent email to, or gotten email from.


3. Then, it takes that list of email addresses and sees who is already registered on Facebook.


4. The site tells you who is already on Facebook, and you can add them as "Friends".

The end result is you having your own page, with info about you, and places where people can leave you messages. There are mini-pictures of the people you know (Friends), and clicking on them brings them to each of their pages -- where you can read their info and leave them messages.

Then you can look at their friends to see who they know, and those pictures bring you to more personal sites. Whoa.

So, who do YOU know? Who do your friends know? Who do your friend's friends know? The site, in general, is an interactive and all-too-intriguing exercise in Six Degrees of Separation. And a highly addictive one, at that.

I've said this about Ebay, and I'll say it again now -- RUN AWAY while you still can.

(...or leave a message on my wall sometime.) ;-)

Baaaaaa....

Mum's Day

With it being Mother's Day a few days ago, I have been thinking happy thoughts about my amazing Mum, Christina Hume. I have also been thinking about the marvel that is my future Mother-in-law, Margaret Hartley.

Now, I can hear you all saying: "Hume, you're such a suck up." And that would be a fair accusation.

But yesterday I came across a something very cool. My friend Briana Rayner wrote a beautiful testimony to her mom in the Globe and Mail that really inspired me. Surely my mum and future mum-in-law deserve no less (though it's a tall order to top Briana's piece, lemme tell ya). Why not send some love out into the blogosphere to two such important people?

Here's a couple great things that came out of Briana's reflections:

• Mothers are such important teachers
• Mothers are almost always right

For me, these struck home. From my mum, I think the most important things I've learned are probably the most important things in the world: how to be kind, have a spine, and make people laugh. If I've ever made a witty comment, it's thanks to my mum's example. If I've ever stood my ground, it's because I know that, even if my mum is kinda small, when she gets mad, she's ten feet tall! So I know I can be tough too, if I need to be. And if I've seen the opportunity to be kind to someone, it's because my mum showed and encouraged me again again to always be kind.

She's also been right about just about everything, ever. Really. Ask my Dad.

Anyway, I love you Mum.

Dunedin

A couple weeks back Karla and I went south--as far south as anyone can, really, without hitting the Antarctic.

Our destination was Dunedin, a university town on the southern tip of the South Island, in a region known as Otago.

As per usual, we did lots of sight-seeing, taking in the albatross and the rare yellow eyed penguin on the Otago Peninsula, the dramatic coastline of the Catlins, the world's steepest street, and the very tasty oysters in Bluff.

My favorite three stories from the trip:

Story #1--G'day, cityslicker

We stop to fill our tank in a very small town on the way back from the Catlins to Dunedin. A little old lady--easily in her seventies or eighties--totters out of the gas station and proceeds to try pump the gas, an attempt I categorically refuse. We get to chatting, and I remark that for a Saturday, I was surprised that there weren't more people on the local rugby pitch.

"Well" she says, "you know there just aren't that many people here these days. Most are moving to the city." I nod sympathetically, silently bemoaning this modern world's cruelty to the rural life. "And besides," she continues, looking at me accusingly, "no such thing as weekends for farmers. The sheep don't know it's Saturday, do they?"

A thoroughly humbled city boy, I pay, say thanks, and hit the road again.

Story #2--Bath Search

Karla loves baths. Like, really loves them. And she hasn't had a real bath for a very long time. We're a shower only household. There is no tub to be found here.

We're driving through the Catlins, in tiny remote places where everything shuts by seven, but we decide it's time to find Karla her bath. So we search and we search. We stop at one hotel, right on the water, but it only has showers. We press on into the darkness, hoping the next place will do.

Lucky for us, it will. But only if we have cash. We don't have kiwi dollars (hey city slicker, don't you know they don't take bank cards out here? Why didn't you take some money out before you hit the road, ya silly bugger?), but how about I rummage through my backpack to dig up some of Dave's emergency US bucks? Why, yes sir! That will work nicely.

Karla gets her bath. And Dave wins brownie-points for making it happen, barely. Hooray!

Story #3--Dolphin spotting

Sitting over lunch we're watching the local fish boats come in. We notice one of the guys on the boat is leaning out over the bow. To our amazement, there are dolphins escorting the boat into Bluff's harbour! What enterainment...it was almost like they knew we were coming. One of the women that works there said: "You sure are lucky, I work here everyday, and hardly ever see them."

Lucky? I'd say blessed.

Digging Through Old Photos, Part One

While doing a backup of my computer, I found some fun photos I'd forgotten about.

Such as, the time Dave found the remnants of a cyborg in our garden.

If no one hears from us after this post, we've clearly uncovered an evil conspiracy, and gone into hiding. Send money and Cheezies to the airport locker #11.

I also found pictures from my 26th birthday, when dad surprised me at Crazyhorse Steakhouse. More pics of this are being uploaded to the flickr account.

Also, there's the disturbing resemblance I noticed between my enthusiastically dining fiance and a certain muppet...

Hehehe... anyhoo, that's all for now. 'Til next time, when we continue on with "Digging Through Old Photos, Part Two"!

And Speaking of Kitties...

...a co-worker of mine found this story in his daily perusal of Stuff.co.nz.

Canadian Post cowed by 'very threatening cat'

It's neat to think that New Zealanders -- and people all around the world, for that matter -- are reading about a cat in Winnipeg. At least it preserves our badass image... (if only for our cats) ;-)

I Love This Website

If anyone needs a pick-me-up involving many, many pictures of cute bunnies, check out this site. Never fails to cheer me up, even after a tough day at work. ^_^

You can also navigate around to see pictures of other cute things, including dogs, cats, wild animals, and even hedgehogs.

Go on, have a smile. ;-)

Phew... Done!

Thanks for all your well-wishes, everyone... I finished the duathlon, and I am indeed still alive. ;-)

My running was much stronger than last year (I was able to go over 2km with NO walk-breaks) but I lost that time and then some during the biking segment. Turns out Karla is not a strong cyclist in very strong winds, which decided to make an unwelcome appearance this year. Blech.

All in all, though, I finished 10k of cycling and 5k of running/walking in an hour and eight minutes, which is two minutes longer than last year. Not bad, but I hope to do better next time. In the meantime, I'll work on the cycling. ^_^

The funny part is, I felt absolutely terrible the next day. But it wasn't sore muscles, you see. Rather, it was the direct result of being finished at 10AM, and having the whole rest of the day to have an all-too-dangerous "I earned it" mentality.

Do I want a bacon and avacado sandwich? Of course I do, and I earned it, dammit! What about some chips and TimTams? Yes indeed, I earned it! What about champagne at 11AM, drinking solidly throughout the day? I earned it! Bring on the rich food and booze -- I earned 'em!

The next day was awful, and as you can imagine, it had little to do with sore legs. I spent the whole next day in a fog of toxins, sullenly consuming only fruit and water.

(Note to self, avoid the "I earned it" mentality in the future... its aftereffects can be worse than a duathlons'!)

Nervous...

Early tomorrow morning, I'm running a duathlon. It's the same one as last year, with a 5 km walk/jog/run broken up with 10 km of cycling. With any luck, the weather will be as good as last year. Then again, this year it's about a month later, so winter's winds and rain are now making regular appearances. Hopefully they keep away for the morning, at least.

It's still a bit nerve-wracking, though, since I haven't trained as hard as last time. :-/

Anyhow, off to bed... wish me luck, people...