Alligator Dundee.

I went down to the Willamette Valley yesterday to interview for a sous position- the one I did the menu for.  It is at a new small hotel that is opening up in the middle of wine country, in a small place called Dundee, and it looks like it's going to be pretty nice.

Highlights include a small restaurant, a deli, a wine bar, and the food would be supplied in part by a 1.75 acre farm, which I would go pick stuff from.  Also, being fed one of the finest lunches I have ever had*.  Seriously.

Lowlights include the fact it is in a pretty middle of nowhere, agricultural-based place.  The county seat is 15-20 minutes away, and has 35,000 people.  Portland is 40-45 minutes away, and that is to the outlying section of SW Rip-City.

So if I am offered the job, do I commute from the city, or live in a small town.  It's poll time!

*food was: 4 kinds of perfect salami and an 18 month prosciutto (all made in-house), a green garlic sformata (it's texture was like having a beautiful woman in your mouth....but that's another story), deep fried sausage stuffed celery with spicy tomato sauce, and fresh tagliatelle  with sea urchin.  And 2 glasses of wine.  And an espresso.  And excellent service from the owners.  And a bill for $20.  I am the Alligator.

Cricket Makin's.

I made a little cricket set for the summer.  It is in the style of tape ball cricket, popular in South Asia.

Bat, traditional size, (except depth), made of VERY untraditional American pine.  I may treat it if I get inspired with the traditional linseed oil.  It will only hit tennis balls well I think.

I am playing a few overs in a bit to test it.

Here is what I made:

I had a virtual "black box" (like "Iron Chef"- get ingredients randomly, and come up with some food) cooking test today as part of an interview for a job down in Oregon wine country.  It's the sous chef job at a small, boutique hotel, and because I am so far away, we did it like this:

I got a list of ingredients from the chef.  It was like a list of things we would buy at a farmers market right now.  

The list:

Morels
Ramps
Spring onions
Fresh ricotta
Butter
Hen Eggs
Wild salmon
Stinging nettles
Stinky Black truffles
Baby turnips
Buffalo Tri tip
Washington Syrah
Leeks
Peasant bread
Smoked Bacon
Persimmon Vinegar

My menu:

The chef liked it, so I am going to chat with him later this week in Oregon. 

Concern: I have never really lived in a small town, so I am unsure of if I could do it, and not go crazy!

Round-Up.

A little round-up for my life:

-Went out to the Nisqually delta, which is going to have the retaining dike destroyed on April 3rd, thus making it (I think) the largest salt marshland in the state.  It has been farmland for 90+ years or so.  Please correct me if I am wrong.

-I bought the 1st of the season asparagus from Eastern Washington yesterday; from Sunnyside.  It was FANTASTIC.  I simply broiled it, then butter salt and pepper.  I ate it outside, in the sun.  I loved every moment of it.  And when asked to explain why I love it so much, my answer is simple: it is the beginning of the growing season, well, as long as you exclude radishes...

-Artswalk last night in downtown.  I messed up my pizza dough, which as soon as I mixed in my flour, I realised I had an issue.  It turned out to be high gluten wheat additive, not high gluten flour.  You are supposed to add a bit to regular flour...not use it only.  I made a giant dough turkey!

-Tonight is the procession of the species, the big hippie arts parade where everyone dresses up as animals.  If I went, I would go as this.

-I have gotten some of my music back, either through itunes being nice, or obtaining my music off my ipod.  If anyone wants to compress an album for me, and send it to me, so I can have new tunes, that would be awesome.

*poof*.

Another computer mishap today: suddenly/randomly ALL my music and pictures files just vanished.  I have no idea where they went.  Gone.  *Poof*

Needless to say I have lots of free space on my hard drive.  The pictures I have backed up, but my music collection was pretty respectable-some rare and quality stuff like the complete Stax singles collection.  4 Elvis albums, all live and when he was fat.  Hank Jr's number one hit.  And about 40 gigs of "other."

I also went morel hunting this morning with Trever, and we found....nothing.  We started the day off too high up in the hills, then basically, we either didn't get lucky, or got cursed by the thousands of spawned salmon carcasses from last fall.

But this here is the view from up in Capitol forest.  That's Mt. Ranier.

And finally, just for the record, this guy stole my idea for a restaurant.

Projects.

I am going to do some home brewing this week.  Why?  Because I have my kit, I've got some extra time, and I'm poor, so making my own liquor as a poor person is a time-honored American (or human rather) tradition!

Well, it ain't gonna be no moonshine.  It's going to be a Belgian strong golden ale, ala Duvel, but perhaps a wee darker.

Never made beer before?  It's easy, and fun.  You can start with mixes/kits, or you can create your own recipe using an online beer calculator like this one.  It's nice, 'coz it does all the math for you- I even found out how many calories per 12oz my beer will have (Bud Lite it isn't!)

I will try to document the process of beer making.  I wish to inspire you to make your own.

Other project: cricket bat for backyard summer cricket.

Mud.

What a weekend, or really, weekends are less visible in my life now; they have been that way for a while really.  That's how you roll when you are retired (and with your shit off safety....) 

Saturday was spent on the Skokomish River delta; apparently it's the biggest on Puget Sound.  It's on Hood Canal, and I spent the day with Trever and his dog Buddha.

We got out to a mud pit, and of course, what do I want to do: Jump in it, of course.

Everyone wishes I disappeared up to my neck....

On the way home I came up with two pretty good superheroes I feel: The Indifference and the NacroLeper.  I could go into the details, but I think you get the gist of what they do, or don't do rather....

Sunday was a family BBQ day at my sister and bro-in-law's house; I made Jerk Chicken and hoppin' john.  It was nice to sit out and eat in the yard.  And then I got an upset stomache, and went to bed as soon as I got home....

Today, I am going to Capitol Forest to walk- it's gonna be the nicest day of the year so far!

Dharma.

I am about to hit a good stretch- I can feel it in my bones, and smell it in the air....

Last night I went with my dad to see a Buddhist monk from Tibet speak at Evergreen.  He was, at first, really difficult for me to listen to; he was so relaxed with his speaking and manner, I was having difficulty focusing on him.  I guess that means I had all the symptoms of being bored, but was not truly bored.  But his message was simple: "Drop your mind."  By realizing that our whole world exists in our head, and that our minds are our perception one can learn through meditation how to become at peace with ourselves.  Once I relaxed, I then got more into it, his talk was rhythmic, and became "looser."  He was not a natural born sales man, which brings me to my next idea:

Buddhism (even though it is growing in the US) will never be a major religion in the US, because of our ingrained capitalistic nature.  Buddhist think less is more, while Americans think more is more.  I had a discussion with my dad, who I went to the talk with, and I said that the religion is pretty contradictory to what I like about myself: my drive and dreams.  Ambition is worthless to a Buddhist....

But the fact that they're so relaxed, and content with themselves it seems makes me wish I could swap all the crazy evangelists and fundamentalists of other religions for more Buddhists.

That would make the world a quieter place- Imagine a Buddhist Fox News Channel!  Wait, you can't!

M's.

I am slightly giddy.

As a young boy, I loved my Seattle Mariners.  Even though they were crap, and then got good, and then briefly got really good (but not great), they went downhill again.  WAAAAAAAYYYY downhill.

But on nights like tonight, I am a small child again.

One of my childhood heroes has returned to Seattle for the season: Ken Griffey, Jr.  He hit his 400th homerun as a Mariner tonight (613th career), and Ichiro, the star of this decade's M's, started his 1st game of the season, and hit a grand slam to complete the rout.

I love this game.  (Don't mention this post to me in mid-August when the Mariners are in last place, and are 15 games under .500!)

Read the re-cap/Watch here.

What Do I Wear?

So how does one approach a job interview properly when they have realized that it's not a good fit as employment?

I have said interview today, and I am really not thinking the job is for me, but I also feel like the interview is good practice.  It's going to take 15 minutes at most right?  I can easily endure that for a lesson.  Do I dress as snazzy as I would for a job I'd really want?  I might even wear jeans! Shock horror!

It's also a job that I'd be not-emotionally invested in, so leaving it for NZ* would be possible at any time really....

So I am in a place of if-ands-or-buts.  I have been in this position before, quite recently in fact.  I went through this when I decided to go home on my trip to the Coromandel.

My return has been mentally harder than I thought it would be, admittedly.

*I have been told my application has been sent to the UK, but haven't heard from the UK office.  It's taken a long time, like NZ Immigration sent my paperwork by sailboat that's also to call on the Spice Coast and Malabar!

Mmmmm.....Malabars....

Fatty.

From the other day at Trever's with the lil' sis.  We ate that salad, and dressed up in funny hats.

That's the life.

Today I am taking care of random errands, no big whoop as they say.

I have also been listening to the Adam Carolla podcast lately.  He used to be one of the guys on "Love Line," was a creator of "The Man Show," and also "Crank Yankers."  It's basically an hour of him shooting the breeze with his guests in an informal interview.  I've thrown it on the pile of my NPR-based podcasts.  Any other ones I should check out?

My Treat! My Treat! Yeti Lives!

Hanging about in Olympia is a funny thing.  I grew up here; and so there is a, well, not hate, there is this natural denial of it being cool; maybe at best is a begrudging respect.

Yesterday I spent it with my little sister Sophie, and with my friend Trever, and his dog, Buddha.

Trever has been volunteering at the Oly co-op for a while in the produce section.  This co-op is a place my family has been going to as long as I can remember.  When I was a kid, it was full of smelly hippies and sold soy-milkshakes.

Now, it's full of less-smelly hippies, and some really cool stuff.  And it still has a great bulk selection.

One product: Olykraut.  A local range of sauerkraut, from traditional, to Eastern European style with apples, to "spicy chi."  Fermented cabbage products made in Oly- they are delicious!  While Sophie may have gotten a vegan cupcake (that wasn't horrible, but still lacked the buttery richness a cupcake needs), and T-Man chose a Sarsaparilla, I chose the kraut as my treat.  "My treat! My treat!" I shouted as I wore a traditional (country of) Georgian sheep-herders hat.  "Yeti lives!"  You had to be there.

Also, our food-related ramblings about town took us to the Hippiest of All Colleges, the Evergreen State College's organic farm.  We talked with one of the volunteer growers, bought duck eggs, and looked around in the green houses.  What a farm.  I could go on a rant about the proximity of lots of cool farms to this city.

So we made with our purchases, "Dandy-Tater Salad with Poached Duck Egg and Alder Smoked sea salt."  Dandelion greens and po-taters with leeks and a mustard vinaigrette....

And in the evening, I ate Morgan's favorite chips of this nation: Tim's Cascade Jalapeño flavor. 

Spicy, sweet, and VERY salty.

Fash-un.

I thought I'd take a moment out of my busy, busy day to post this idea:

Urban Camo.

I love it, and it's the next hot thing, like.....like....fashion challenges, epaulets, or watermelon hats.

Ok, I get back to walking around in the sun. (yes! it's sunny here- 21°C!)

End of Rant.

Well, I feel like the car troubles are over, even though the car is still in the shop.  But they figured out what the problem is, and I in the meantime changed all the parts that got fried in the electrical mess that they would have done anyways for 4 times the cost (at least).  And the fix isn't something I could have done at home.

But it's seemingly over, and I apparently got lucky-I was close to optimum fire in car conditions!

Anyways, I promise this'll be the end of my car dramas on this blog for a while (unless I crash the car, then the images of carnage will prevail).

Today I'm going up to Seattle to chats with people regarding employment.  I'm going to try a more "casual" approach.  Perhaps the suit and tie were bad juju in an informal industry- at least in the kitchens of the Northwest.

.....And it's dead!

My car. What happened to the always reliable Dart?
On my way down to Oly from Seattle yesterday, I stopped for gas in Fife, the butthole of Tacoma, only because I felt I needed it (felt=because my gas gauge doesn't work).

And then it didn't start up again.

I moved it out of the way, got a ride down to Oly, to sort it out once I got home. I got it towed this morning down to my dad's house, thinking/hoping it was just the alternator needing to be changed. I changed that, and some other stuff, and it won't start up or do anything at all.
Nothin'.

And now I know it's an electrical mess, which, if I remember correctly, is something that is supposed to be more in line with, say, a1983 Alfa Romeo Spyder, not a '66 Dodge Dart. There is barely anything electronic. Some are surprised when they open the hood and DON'T find a dino-creature moving it, ala the Flinestones.

Rant, rant, rant, etc.

At least it was sunny today- shorts and t-shirt weather, and I went disc golfing (poorly). I just don't need the car troubles.
I should blog about something much funnier to read tomorrow!

Turn That Frown Upside Down.

My sickness seems to have slackened.  My car's problem's have risen.

This general confusion of looking for a job, and reacclimatizing myself into American society are what I was supremely wary of....

My blogging seems depressing as of late; I've little to be excited for.

But you know what?  It could be a lot worse, and that makes me smile a little.

___

And Trever slightly changed the look of this site.  Maybe something new soon?

Roundup.

Currently, it is snowing in Olympia. It's not sticking, but it is snowing, so technically, that is a crime. I am still rejecting this cold weather, with not only my nose becoming congested, but mostly because I didn't get any "breaking in" period. One doesn't get to play baseball with a new mitt- it has to be broken in. I am like a baseball glove: leathery and tanned.

My job search has been all about my contacts; who I know and who I've done business with. The market is more depressed than I thought it'd be, and that all the positions I'd love to have are currently filled with people who are too smart to leave them. I do not blame them. When I went to my old culinary school to chat with career services, the woman said it was the worst market she's ever seen. For somebody with my resume, the only places that would really pay me what I'm worth that have positions that are available are corporate gigs- the big chain restaurants and hotels. That is not me. Not at all.

I do have one lead- it's pretty funny actually. I've got an interview Friday for the chef at a fraternity at UW. The food would be simple, but it'd give me an opportunity to be my own boss, and even develop recipes. As my friend Mike told me, "it's better to be employed than not employed." Truth.
And then there is this summer, I have a big opportunity selling organic cherries in Portland. My friend Meghan did this last summer, and made pretty good money for little work. If I'm selling hard-out (100%) then I could make some coin, as it'd be direct from the orchards to grocers.
And then there is the final piece of the puzzle: Working at the cabin in Eastern Washington. My dad told me if I wanted to live up there and work, I could do that, and it sounds like I could earn enough to not starve. Actually, he'd love it, because there's a lot that needs to be done by different companies, and there's never anyone there to oversee projects.

I have already thought out this timeline as being pretty good- by the time this circuit could be done, my process for returning to NZ could be (mostly) complete. What about that y'all?

Complaints.

I am looking for a job right now, and I'm at the library in Portland.

It's cold, and I've got a cold.

My head hurts.

I'm complaining!

Dart-ness.

I am back in my hometown, Olympia Washington.  It's pretty odd here.  I think my mind is still in NZ, and my physical form is (attempting) to reject this cold, end of winter drabness of the wild.  I even saw snow on the ground yesterday when Trever and I went up into them that Black Hills!  It broke my no-snow streak.

Today I then got the ole' Dart out of "storage" and man what a trip that was/is.

-Had the damndest time changing a completely flat tire.  Pneumatic wrenches are my enemy.

-Fluids.  Fluids and more fluids.

-Mold.  Yup, serious mold.  I am going to have to completely clean the inside.  There's fuzzys all over.

-"Burnin' it out."  Just getting to drop the hammer down, to burn off all the crap that had formed during it's sabbatical.

-Driving on this side of the road, whatever side that is.....still haven't figured it out.

I love it's noise, it's utter lack of "feeling safe," it's size, it's lack of power anything!  It's like riding an animal, nay a BEAST, that barely wants you to hold on.  After Petanquing it for so long, respect Japanese cars built in the 90's suckers, but respect even more the cars of Detroit built in the 60's.  That is the quality America needs again.  Serious metal.  Heavy duty.

Anyways, life here is like jumping into a cold river.  I feel like I can't react to swimming in it's current yet; I need to adjust to it's chill....

Jamberoo Love.

Saturday night we had the final installment of Alligator-based parties for the summer.  I feel like the Great Gatsby, but poorer.  And less likely to hit and run....anyways:

The party was a good one:  Hawaiian food, nails once the weather was less shite, drinkin', bloody marys, and the hat that makes you roll 100 times harder than you normally do guest appearances.

And then more drinkin' on the town.  Yes, you could say we got it done.

Sunday was full recovery mode to be sure.  Unless you are Ben Davie, then you got another beatdown, but you'll have to ask him all about that yourself.

The proof is in the pudding.

Today I am packing up my stuff; I leave for the US tomorrow at 5pm.  I don't really want to go home, since it is all unknowns and doing those unenviable tasks of moving and finding work....lament, lament!

Waikaremoana-madness!

I got back from Lake Waikaremoana late last night.  If you were in the group of people who received one of my return-to-modern-civilization-I-am-manic-there's-no-sandflies emails, then I'm sorry if it seemed like I was on crack.

It was just a cup of tea.

This walk was the last one of the Great Walks for me to do on the North Island- I have 8 more to go I think.  I'm looking forward to the day I get to do the Stewart Island one....it's a new goal of mine- to complete them all.

After a sleepless-due-to-snorers night, I headed up to the remote lake.  Basically, the first day is uphill for 4 hours.  You go up over 500 meters above the lake.  The views when it cleared were amazing, as you can see in the photos linked below.

The second day was my longest- I walked for about 6.5 hours with a lunch break of 30 minutes.  It got to the point that each corner I expected to see the hut, then would see nothing, or be harshly teased by the DOC official's hut....

The 3rd and 4th days were easy, relaxed and sunny.  I cannot complain too much.

And for your record: The water was VERY cold.

The big Alligator-Jamberoo is tonight- gotta go cut me hairs!

Feasts.

I cooked a feast today.  The reason was simply I didn't think I was going to be able to cook another big family meal while I am here down under.

I went to the market this morning, and got myriad peak of season produce items.

Highlights: Tomatoes (I cry to myself to know these are fleeting moments with great tomatoes, as it'll be 6 months almost till locals get into my body again!), green beans, Hungarian peppers.

Menu: (served family style)

-perfect avocado and Trevally ceviche

-sweet corn, tomato and green bean succotash

-roast potato, grilled scallion, feta salad (with soft boiled free range eggs)

-cevacaci, Serbian meatballs made of lamb and pork, grilled and served on roasted onions with dill

-Doris plum crostata with sweet buttermilk

-Felice's perfect chewy pavlova with fresh, tart raspberries

I know it's sort of a mash-up of styles/regions, but when you get sweet corn, avocados, and berries that all grow here and are ripe now....I guess I should've gotten some passion fruit is all I can say to exacerbate more!

On a completely unrelated note, I am going camping at lake Waikaremoana this week, so I won't be back till next weekend.  See you soon! 

Satchmo!

Camping with Morgue in the Orongorongo river valley last night was great.  We hiked out there- it's an hour or so of walking- and found a decent spot.  There was only one person out there, the DOC official who told us "no fires!"

We had some Talisker scotch, played cribbage, ate dinner, talked, and enjoyed the full moon and a mostly clear, cool night.  Other secret, occult activities did not transpire.

Over night, rain came in, and light wind too, but by the time we got up, it was fine.  Breakfast, striking camp, and then the walk home, with stories of banner weekends.

Pictures linked below- some cool long exposure night shots that I've messed with...

Snipes.

I am going camping tonight with Morgan.  It's not often the boy gets out into the woods, so it'll be fun.

He's going snipe hunting.

Fotographias.

It's been a long time since I got pictures to y'all, and, I know it breaks your hearts not see my wonderful mug on your screens after a while....
Here are some pictures that I've uploaded today, in reverse-chronological order:

Cricket, Black Caps vs India 2nd Twenty20.

Cuba Street Carnival, and it's insanity.

Coromandel Peninsula's remote ruggedness, in all it's beauty.

The Alligator's Birthday, Dinner/Strike Sound System/GatorScarf-The Legend Begins!

Junior/Senior.

Just for the record, I haven't expressed my excitement that my childhood hero, Ken Griffey Jr, has returned to the Seattle Mariners, after leaving for the Reds after the '99 season. This will be his 20th season.

He will not do much at the plate, and less in the field. He will be the clubhouse leader, and a fan draw. If he somehow reproduced his '97 stats-nay, if he somehow produced HALF of his '97 stats (for the record .304 AVG/56 HRS/157 RBI/1.028 OPS, over 600 plate appearances) I would be happy.

I knew that I had been saving my "Griffey in '96" shirt in the closet (with the tags still attached) for a good reason! (Yes- he ran for president of the US in a Nike ad campaign)

Vexed!

I received a letter today in the post. Now usually, I am quite happy to get mail, since it's usually good news. This letter was from Immigration NZ, and I opened it up, excitedly.
The news was not good, in fact it was quite confounding actually!
Basically, once I read through lengthy descriptions of possible reasons my paperwork wasn't in order, I gleaned these conclusions:
-My culinary school diploma is not recognized for some reason.
-My entire, 10 year culinary career is not recognized.

This whole thing is based on a points system; I had claimed 135 points. Only 30 were recognized, and those were for my age being under 30.
I re-read the letter, and it concluded that any questions or concerns can be submitted to the office via written correspondence. I immediately wrote a letter back to ask questions, and to explain things further. I was not aggressive, I did not complain, nor was I condescending. I reserve those literary seasonings for later letters....
I am vexed, as I wrote in the aforementioned letter, as to why this whole process is so confounding and tortuous! If it's this hard for me, imagine how hard it would be if you're a Pakistani taxi driver?

Sick Of It!

I am sick of being sick!
I haven't felt great since I left the cricket match, and I figured that was due to the very dodgy hot dog I ate there.
But no, it's full-on sicksville for me. I haven't even left the house all weekend, and I have done so much sudoku I can see a grid with numbers in my head....and I can fill it in too...ugggh!
I made dinner tonight for Owen's birthday, and when the pot roast was resting, having been finished for consumption, the dish it was in (an oven-proof baking dish) shattered.

You might say the secret ingredient was glass!
Or as Homer Simpson so eloquently put it when Marge told him his "sweet, sweet sugar" had glass in it, he replied, "those are prizes!"

Prizes indeed...
Now back to the sickness.

Black Caps Win.

I went to the Black Caps (NZ) vs India Twenty20 cricket match last night at the Cake Tin with some friends. The match is shortened to 20 overs apiece, so it only takes about 3-3.5 hours to play. The concept seems to be, "lets make a format of cricket that we could market to Americans." The big hitting sure makes it entertaining...
India didn't really produce much in their innings; a paltry 150 was all that NZ needed to win, with a good score being 180+ or so...
So when NZ came out and scored 50 runs in 4 overs, the whole crowd thought it was over...
But, the Black Caps did their usual, and when they should have had it in the bag, they shot themselves in the foot. They lost 3 wickets closely, with 2 coming back to back. NZ needed 9 runs from the last 3 balls. Brendan McCullum hit 2 boundaries (for 4 runs), and needed 1 run off the last ball. India set their field up to cut off anything small, and on the last ball, McCullum hit a shot up into the air, just out of reach of the India fielder, and the place went nuts.
I then headed home, because I ate some dodge stadium food, while everyone else went for the "safer" Subway...and now I sit in the rain, feeling slightly ill.

Repairs.

Repairs, everything I own seems to be in need of repair....that's either a matter of me being in my head too much, like my dad suspects, or that I don't earn enough money (really, when you're retired like me, it's that you don't have any income, except poker and bets) to just simply buy new ones with total disregard....
My tent, my new(-ish) tent I bought at the beginning of the year: I never really mentioned it, 'cause it's embarrassing, but it got ripped. And when I say ripped, I mean the tent fly got cut, when I (tried to) cooly flicked open my pocket knife, and just basically stabbed the tautness.

Yup. I am an idiot.

And then there's my computer too, which has been taken in, after Damon and I cleaned it out/I forgot 2 steps of the screw removal. I realised my error, but only after Damon had put some pretty strong force on the motherboard. Which was probably going to be replaced anyways, but it could have used without the wrenching anyways...

Don't get me started on things like my Dart!

I suppose while other people have been investing their money into market-driven retirement accounts and houses, I've been investing in myself...which some may argue needs repairs too!

Carnivale!

The Cuba street carnival happened Saturday night, which is the big bi-annual event here in Welly that combines everything from traditional Samba bands, to space DJs, to marching bands, to the Wellington International Ukelele Orchestra covering "Sweet Child of Mine," to "the most patriotic band in the world cuz" Damn Native (Maori hip-hop).
And then there was a whole lot else...man, it was crazy ecclectic...
The vibe was relaxed, and the weather during the day was, well, it couldn't have been better, since the weather the day before was absolutely terrible. Sun all day, and the wind didn't really kick in till later in the evening.
With the music on various stages, being disgusted by the world's luckiest/least humble pool player Matt Bayless, eating a venison-fig burger, the parade of insane floats, being in a huge samba sea with colors-overload, a latenight 60's soul dance party in the middle of the street, and after-hours drinking, it all aded up to a wonderful night!
I will look forward to the next carnival I get to experience!

Don't Give Beer To Militias.

So for starts, I went up to Coromandel this week; it's one of the last places I've yet to go in NZ. By my calculation, I have Stewart Island in the far, far south, and the East Cape of the north Island to do yet....which is pretty cool I think!
I 1st went to a place that was difficult to find, and thought I'd be secluded, but nope, there was a bunch of high school kids who kept harassing me for beer. And I thought they were training for a militia too! That was not the best night in the bush.
On the 2nd day, I went to Hot Water Beach, where there's a hot spring beneath the sand. One can dig holes to relax in if you're there at the right time of the tides, but that perfect time wasn't when I was there. So I moved on, to the far, far north of the peninsula.
Up there, the water was warm, the sand was golden, the sky was blue, and the cows plentiful.
I really liked it up there, and it'd be a nice place to have a bach/cabin, but only if you had a boat to get there, since the road was just wild....
And then it was on to the pinnacles, where a 2 hour hike straight up got me to the hut where I dropped off my bag. Then, if at all more possible, it was even more straight up to the top of the pinnacles. They're these crazy eroded rock spires you take ladders up to reach the summit that lets one view both the Hauraki Gulf and the South Pacific on both sided of the peninsula at once. Amazing.
But it gets better: after dark, the rain and wind came. In the morning, it was downright foul out there, but it wasn't too cold. The hike down was the wettest I've ever gotten in all instances where I didn't actually jump into standing water, like a lake.
But it was all fun, and the whole trip gave me perspective and self-reflection, which is what I wanted the trip to do.
There's a whole other post about the Cuba Carnival, but that'll be written tomorrow. I'm done for now!
(Oh, and no pics, 'cause my computer went down again, so it's begun the road to repair now!)

Adventure.

For those of you that missed the Alligator Adventure last friday night, here are the questions for the event. If you live in Wellington, then think about them, and if you don't, then the answers are provided, but probably won't mean much...

On the waterfront I command, I take charge.
Slightly rusty, my height is quite large,
Made out of steel, nary a woman to feel,
It’s almost certainly a very old ________________.


I’m an old gal with lots of fire.
To expand was my driving desire.
To look on the Kent, I’m seemingly hell bent,
I’m an original POM with an ________________.


Look at my colors, look at me dart!
Confusing I know, but I have lots of heart.
Not filled with vodka, alas only agua,
Aren’t I Welly-town’s best piece of ________________?


Take a trip in the sea near Aruba,
An island with blue water to scuba.
The leader’s a Red, is he on his deathbed?
Come have a drink at the capital of ________________.


Alas it’s Aaron’s big night.
To toast him would only be right.
This I hope you can decode, before it can explode,
Stop at the place with more than ________________.


Are you up to it? Something very extreme!
You need courage, gumption supreme!
I trial I’d flunk, even when drunk,
You better hold on, ‘cause you’re gonna ________________!


To the sky I’m seemingly bound.
I’m interesting, I’ll surely astound.
With your concern, you’ll see only fern,
Can you find me? I’m silver and ________________.
Yet another place to fall off the wagon.
Have a dram, a pint, or a flagon.
I didn’t say Patagonia, I said Snowdonia!
Meet me at the place of the ________________.


For this one you need a translator.
Someone from the home of the gladiator.
I wouldn’t lie, I could eat a pie,
With sauce made from a to-________________.


***BONUS***

The damn law made me turn over new leafs.
They’re really uncomfortable, you couldn’t beliefs!
Ladies walk past, sometimes I harass,
Ask me, do I wear boxers or ________________?


***FINAL LOCATION***

To this adventure, it’s time to bid farewell.
Come on down, I command, I compel!
No place for a snooze, alas only booze.
Come on down and ring the night ________________.

Answers: 1. Barge (the old one on the waterfront) 2. Empire (Queen Victoria statue on Kent Tce) 3. Art (The enigma that is the bucket fountain) 4. Cuba (Havana Bar) 5. Might (Mighty Mighty) 6. Scream (The bungee sligshot ride) 7. Round (the civic square flying sphere) 8. Dragon (The Welsh Dragon bar) 9. 'Mater (Pizza Pomodoro) 10. Briefs (Blanket Man) 11. Bell (Motel, with it's ring for entry bell)

I've decided to go up to Coromandel for a couple days to go on a vision quest. Be back for the Cuba St. carnival on Saturday!

Alligator B-Day Love.

Awww, the weekend is over, and I am exhausted- it was a wild one. The aforementioned Friday night, with it's ridiculous antics around town and at Motel.
Saturday, during the day was a fight to stay awake, even with a nap, because Saturday night was Atomic, the 80's dance party at San Fran. That was great too, but it really took all my energy to be able to get the engine started, but once it did, I was on fire. That was just after midnight, when I got to tell everyone that it was my birthday, and have a guy tell me he loved eating taquitos in the US...that may have even been the highlight of his trip, those taquitos....
And then after another late night, and early Sunday morning, I had a dinner with "the family"
at Regal Chinese. At the dinner, I received the gift of supreme Alligator love, a scarf knitted by Caroline, which is an Alligator. Morgan gets to share credit (now that they're married) in that he picked the color of the wool. The scarf is truly amazing, and I cannot put into words how swet it is!
Morgue, Cal, Malcom and I then went to Strike Soundsystem, a crazy Wellington percussion group that utilized umpteen different drums and cymbals of the traditional sort, marimbas, a dj, big tubes, a car fender, a human beatbox, electronics, water and fire to make rhythmic sounds. Amazingly entertaining, I'd recommend, but I said it last night, and I'll say it again: if these guys practised more often, they'd have a hit, a tour and hit show. There were moments where things were off, but really only because the entire concept was massive in it's scope.
And then I slept, slept for 12 hours nearly...

Alligator Adventure.

Wow, what a night you missed last night!

I hosted a treasure hunt game last night, with limericks as the clues. Once a team solved the quandry, they would need to go to the location that the riddle pointed them to. And then they would need to document their visiting it with photos. Some destinations/answers were statues, or ancient barges, bars, public art that sprayed you inadvertintly, one was a pizza place, and a man who had to have the courts order him to wear underwear was the bonus.
Then, we got our drink on, 'gator-style at Motel. We had the doorman and the coctail waitress involved in our puzzles, and we asked them questions. Lots of Scotch and pictures of the trophy being bandied about. Trouble.

And then the bill came, and all I have to say is: Damon, you rock and roll dude.

Oh, and there were squirt guns too.

Zombie CPU.

This is from my miraculously working computer, although I suspect there are some issues.  But the point is: It's NOT DEAD!

Yeah!

Dang Tea.

Yesterday I spilled some Tea on my computer. It lived for about 2 seconds after that, then it went off. It wasn't that much, and I drained the mac of all I could....but it still wouldn't turn on.
I got advice which Damon gave me on best actions to take are, and I'm currently following them. But it'll be a couple days before those tricks are completed....it's all just drying it out.
It's quite possible the thing is gone...
So I may be less, shall we say, "connected?"

Argghhh!

(I also saw Slumdog Millionaire. It was good, but was it amazing? I don't really think so...)

Are You Wearing Pants?

There is this website I go to in the rounds, just to look at/riducule, and it's called Geekologie. They seem to have a bacon love that I understand, and someone came up with this bacon-in-your-life flowchart.  They're geeks, remember?

When Eels Attack!

Well I'm back from the river, as most all y'all know. It was a wonderful trip with Malcom. Highlights included: my being scared to the point of violent swearing by some wild, shaggy sheep at dusk. Eating a ridiculous amount of jam when the jam jar exploded, and I had to clean it up (by eating it!). Being formally welcomed on the Marae (Maori house) at Tieke, and hanging out with the couple that are caretakers there (I watched the guy Brent chasing possums after dark with his big stick with much amusement!). Jumping off insane cliffs into water where we couldn't see the bottom (therefore, logically being deep enough!), and then finding out that there are crazy huge eels living in the river that will bite ya! The scenery overall was a highlight too.
If you haven't seen the pics yet, they're here on facebook.

Since I've been back, I've caught up on my correspondence (naught from immigration!) and got a word from a Belgian I met while traveling in Spain my 1st time there.  We keep in touch, and he's a chef as well.  He just got a new job for a Belgian company that does molecular gastronomy stuff, specifically, food pairing.  The concept is that when foods are broken down into their molecules, they will reveal best what goes with what, due to chemical structures.  Find out all you desire here!

And finally, I went to a great show last night, the fringe festival is now on in the city, and so there's lots of crazy music/performance stuff to see, like the aftermath of the Rugby Sevens tournament on Courtnay Place at 2:30 in the morning!

Canoe-a-rama.

I'm going up into the woods to canoe a wild river till Friday. Ok, it's not that wild, in fact it's mild.
But there obviously won't be any blog action here. Don't even think I'm gonna do it on the river!

Jr.

This is the new official Nails Anthem:

I got ketchup on my blue jeans, I just burnt my hand
Lord, it's hard to be a bachelor man
I got girls that can cook, I got girls that can clean
I got girls that can do anything in between
I got to get ready, make everything right
Cause all my rowdy friends are comin over tonight

Do you want a drink, hey, do you want to party
Hey, honey, this is ole Hank, ready to get the thing started
We cooked the pig in the ground, got some beer on ice
And all my rowdy friends are comin over tonight

Now, my party pad is out in the woods
It's a long, long way from here to Hollywood
But I got some natural queens out on the floor
And ole Miss Mississippi just walked through the door
Got a little wirlpool just made for ten
And you can jump out and you can jump in
You can do anything that you wanna do
But, uh-uhh, don't you step on my cowboy boots

Do you want to drink, hey do you want to party
Hey, this is ole Hank, ready to get this summer started
I cooked a pig in the ground, we got some beer on ice
And all my rowdy friends are comin over tonight

Do you want to drink, hey, do you want to party
Hey, hey, this is rockin, Randall Hank
Ready to get the summer time started
We cooked the pig in the ground
We got some beer on ice
All my rowdy friends are comin over tonight
That's right, come on in


Hank Jr is on to something!

Tenacious As.

I am currently fanatical about NZ immigration.  There is a story to tell, and it's lengthy.

I have just written a letter appealing for help to the Minister of Immigration.  I never would imagine that writing one letter could get anything done in the US, but with the population size of NZ, apparently, it's reasonable...

Bottom line is this: I want to stay, and my visitor's visa is to run out at the end of next month.  Meanwhile, NZ Immigration could take up to a year to award me anything, unless I get an offer of employment.  It's overwhelming, and frustrating.

I am going to get stressed out on this matter, I know, but it'll be curious if I'm willing to "go to the mat" for this.....what's my tenacity?

So, I do what I can, and find my path through the immigration minefield!

Commander In Chef.

I just saw this online:

"Top Chefs Push Obama to Improve Food Policy."

I also read that BO was on a food critic's show on Chicago Public TV a few years ago, and his comments were so profound, they were deemed to have so much more insight than the other guests, that they never broadcast that episode when it was made....

He can do anything, can't he....

Gravies Are Made.

What a weekend!  I enjoyed myself so much.  Congrats to Morgan and Caroline on their gettin' hitched!

The event took place in the "Great Hall" of the old national museum/now Massey University in Wellington.  There were over 200 people in attendance, and we had a great time.

Highlights:

-Getting to be one of the last people to be talking with Morgue as a free man before the ceremony, trying to distract him from his nervousness (which wasn't much I think, at least not visibly!).

-Getting to drink in the MUNT FM radio station with the boys (who had a radio show on at that moment playing from the computer- they weren't gonna DJ, they were at a PARTY) and having Apa make me say "fish and chips" and "Auckland" like a Kiwi on the air.  Later, less salubrious words were said over the air.  Don't worry, MUNT is a college radio station with a broadcast range of 1km or so, so really only 3 people might have been listening.

-Ceilidh (pronounced Kay-Lee) dancing.  The traditional Scottish dance was danced by most, with a traditional band playing along.  I had no idea what I was doing, all I know is that Beth Davie thinks I was the BEST dance partner one could have (not really, I was lost until the very end).

-Not having to work at all really during the wedding.  I was amazed that it went as well as it did, seeing as the whole event was a patchwork of people's collective efforts coming together.

-Getting drunk.  Really drunk.  Sorry parents, but I did.  It was my good friend's party of a lifetime, so I made it my party of a lifetime.

Today, we had the BBQ out here in the Hutt.  I cooked sausages, all from the butcher in Petone, and there were cheese kranksys, lamb koftah sausages and pork and herb sausages.  It was hot as it can get in the hutt, and my beers were barely staying cold.  We played nails on a hand selected stump from Taranaki (shout out to Kevin Drinkwater), and brought more people into the nails fold.

The weekend was great.  Much fun and love.

Congrats again to the new Gravies couple!

More Crazy Stuff People Do.

They get married.  I'm going to Morgue and Cal's wedding in a few short hours.

And tomorrow will be the BBQ bonanza with my new nails stump.

I have the meats, the music and drinking game sorted.

Pics to follow.

Crazy stuff crazy people do.

This:

and:

They're insane.  2nd one is the Caminito del Rey.

Patriot Games.

It's been a happy day.  A long one day too.

The inauguration was everything it should have been for the occasion: part spectacle, but mostly historic.

But before I delve into that, I went out last night, and we crushed pub quiz.  Finally, I was excited to have a "food and beverage" partial-round, but the questions weren't as hard I had hoped....

Then I met up with some friends at Motel, and you know what?  That place makes a perfect mint julep.  Perfect 'cause of the blend of ingredients, but more because of the fact it's the only place I've ever had one in the proper silver goblet, so it stays chilly-chill for refreshing attributes.

So I got home shortly after 1am, with the alarm set for 5:45 am.  It was still pretty dark out when I got up to watch the inauguration.  I made coffee, and did some sudoku (btw, I've started playing sudoku, and I might be slightly addicted to it's logic-ness) and kept one eye on the TV until Obama came to do his oath and speech.

What a great speech I thought.  Moving, and forward looking, it acknowledged all our past failures and recognized that the US is great because we're willing to out work/hustle everyone, not because of Manifest Destiny.  I was very aware of the fact of the concept that America is THE leader of the world, without question.  We claim this as our right, but Obama recognized it's responsibilities as well.  The fact that I was watching this event with 2 New Zealanders who had keen interest in it is proof of our influence.

I am proud to say today that I am a citizen of the United States of America.

Does that make me a patriot?

Swim to Meat.

Not too much has gone on over the weekend; it was a quiet one.

Friday night I met Gregor, Morgan's friend from Scotland, and Malcom and I thought it'd be a grand idea to jump into the Wellington Harbor.  It was at the time, but a few hours later, still in wet shorts, it was slightly regrettable...

Saturday: I saw the Curious Case of Benjamin Button.  I need to read the short story by Scott Fitzgerald.  I liked the movie enough, it was unconventional by Hollywood standards in style.

Sunday was all about celebrating Bef's birthday.  She threw her party early, since her birthday is superseded by the wedding next weekend.  I was the master of the grill, and when we went to play some cricket right before nightfall, I was a masher.  Nothin' but straight mash.

Today: Football.  Steelers vs Ravens right now, and it's looking good.  Making dinner tonight, meatloaf is on the plans.

Dang Immigants.

I've submitted my "expression of interest" to NZ immigration, which is the 1st step for my work visa.  I hope I get it.  The wait will be angst-filled.

And in the vein of "pork based art" as Morgue loved, I bring you an amazing creation:

Click to see what this becomes.  I love it.

Mt. Doom.

I've just gotten back from the Tongariro crossing with Ben.  It was a fine day yesterday to cross the saddle between Tongariro and Ngauruhoe.  The trail is up some steep rocky parts at times, and at other times it's on flat mud through the crater of an old volcano.  We departed at 8:30, and got up to the highest part of the trail at about noon, and we took our time.  The views were amazing, with Ngauruhoe being the main attraction.  It's the mountain that was "Mt. Doom" in the Lord of the Rings movies, and is sinister to climb, as it's all shale slag.  We didn't climb it.  I'd like to say it was because Ben didn't want to do it (I could blame his lack of adventure) but I really wasn't interested in doing it, nor did we have time to do so before our 4:30 pick-up.

The emerald pools were also quite beautiful, but they were extremely sulfurous, so I didn't hang around there too much.  We met a nice girl from Quebec that was going around the mountain, and we hiked with her for a while.  Ben noted that she was super hardcore, because her one of her daily treats was an apple.

I'm glad I did it; it's something I've wanted to do for a while.  I can cross it off the list.

Kapiti Island.

Yesterday I went to Kapiti island with Morgan.  We awoke very early and drove up the coast to Paraparaumu under clouds and rain looked like a possibility.  We took a boat and headed over to the island, where we got an informative introductory talk, with one bird being noted by the guide as, "having the most beautifulist song out."

Our climb to the top of the island, at over 500 meters, was steep; to keep our spirits up we sang Washington State's fight song. (We recently watched Volunteers...)

The view from the top took a while to clear, and never fully did so, but I saw the South Island at least.  Then we went down to the beach on a different track, and ran into more birds, including a Kaka that landed on both of our packs to try to get in them.

Then we basically hung out at the beach, until the time came for our pick-up.  We threw lots of rocks at targets, like little boys, until I threw out my arm...

Today/tonight is Morgue's bachelor party, and I will report on the sane, adult activities that will be undertaken civilly.  Or not. 

The Most Unwanted Song.

I was listening to the This American Life podcast while running the other day, and had to stop running because I was laughing so hard at this story:

These guys took opinion polls about music people love and hate.  They created 2 songs based on those results.  The "most wanted song" is pretty bad, I think.  It's like any bad adult contemporary/smooth jazz/RnB crap- generic in it's direction.  Forgettable.

But then they combined the most unwanted features in a song, which takes over 20 minutes, and has a rapping opera singer, rapping about cowboys, backed with a children's choir singing about holidays.  Yes.  It's pretty crazy.  Read more and listen to the song- if you dare!

"Hey everybody!  It's Labor Day!   Do your shopping at Wal-Mart!"

Slow Food.

I got this the other night whilst video chatting with T-Man-Fu (I love that his dog Buddah has the facebook page with the current status: "Buddha is finishing the hedgehog so good."  Apparently his dog spells well enough, but hasn't quite mastered basic grammar....).

It's a site dedicated to the much-beloved-by-me slow food movement.

This FXcuisine has a love for food I tip my cap to.

Best of all are the photos of his trip to the slow food fair in Torino.  Lots of cool produce varietals, quirky traditional cheese, and underground pork based art.  I love it.

Crickets.

Does anyone want to go to the cricket ODI tomorrow afternoon with me against the Windies?

PUH-LEEZUH!!!! 

List.

I made a great list yesterday, and through the power of list crossing off that I'm oh-so-great at, I got the thing more than half done, and today it will be finished.  The list was for the week.

The best part of the list getting done:

Getting my fingerprints FINALLY taken by the police.  They're a required part of my submission to the FBI in Virginia for my police record.  I truly hope that a serial killer doesn't have my prints...

But that whole fingerprinting ordeal started on Christmas Eve, and ended yesterday...man!

I also ordered new running shoes from the US, and with shipping, they are still less than HALF of the price here.  Goods cost so much sometimes.

And today, lots of mailing, getting a suit for the wedding, to the department of conservation for the permits for the Whanganui river trip....and more!

Random.

Not much happened this weekend.  I drank in the bum park with friends.  I slept in yesterday to an hour unseen in recent memory.  I had a great run in the dusk.  I watched Barcelona win, NFL playoffs, and played basketball in the sun.

And I made chicken 'n biscuits this evening.  And I claimed I was the Washington state champion sprinter in high school....

Whew, what a busy weekend.  Ok it really wasn't, but it's the end of the holidays, so I relished it I suppose.

Happy New Year

My new years eve was low key; movies with friends, and an unsuccessful party hunting trip with "Och aye the noo" himself, Maclom.  But much fine drink was had, so it all ended fine...

I was quite useless on NYD, and didn't run around much in the sun.

And right now I'm watching the Rose Bowl.  It's right before half, and USC is about to end the game if they score...

Happy New Years

(they just scored...)

Rainbow Warrior.

Who knew Dubya was such a pioneer? 

And, who is the Wellington Cafe Chick?  Inquiring minds want to know.

New Tent.

I got a new tent today.  I had been thinking about a new one for a few days, seeing as the crazy boxing day/end of years sales are going.  And with the exchange rate, I figured, why not at least take a look.  Yesterday I went to many different outdoor shops, some filled with crappy but large coleman tents-as big as a cabin sometimes!  Some had nice tents, and some had expensive, but seemingly of poor quality, meaning something was fishy...

Anyways, I decided I wanted a Mac Pac tent, which is a NZ brand.  I went to the store today, and found out that all the tents I was interested in were all sold out.  Not only in the store, or even the country, but in the stores in Australia too!  There were 2 tents on sale that were 2 person.  One was not a freestanding tent, and the least expensive tent Mac Pac made.  It was on the small-ish size.  Then the other was a heavy duty, 4 season Fairydown (also a NZ brand), top of the line alpine tent.  I bought the latter, and it's pretty hardcore.  I may have a better tent than even the one the famous Siberian explorer T-Bones McGillicuty has...maybe.

I pitched it this afternoon to check it's nuances out.

Also pics of NZ's Christmas tree, the Pohutukawa, namesake of the street I'm on.

mmmmm......BACON.

How does one make their blog more delicious?!?

That's easy, add BACON!

Kiwis vs Mexicans.

Oh man, it's a beautiful day!  The weather is fine, oh so fine!

I've been taking it easy on this Sunday- a run, laundry, phone calls back to the peeps back home, reading in the sun....life is fine.

Yesterday we celebrated the day after boxing day, aka, Shadow Boxing Day.  I made a big Mexican brunch consisting of shredded beef in chili colorado, beans, pico, handmade tortillas and eggs, all topped with perfect avocados from up north.  The tortillas were not on a level of a Mexican grandma, or even a 5 year old Mexican girl to be honest.  But they tasted great.  It's not your fault Morgue- all issues were mine not knowing the secrets to teach you!

And then the piñata.  Oh what a beauty she was was!  A little black kiwi, filled with little treats, and ready to be demolished!

A few before me tried their best, but my 6th sense took over me, and I smashed that sucker like it was sitting still (which it kinda was...).  But we had great fun!

OR, the video form.

Box, Box Santa.

We had a great Christmas day yesterday.  Sunny, warm and easy.  I made my gramma's orange rolls for breakfast, then hung out during the day, nibbling on broccoli and cheese knishes.  We played games, drank mint juleps and beer, and ate Ben's Russian fudge.

And then the dinner came:

Lamb/Ham/Mashed Kumara/Asparagus/Roast Potatoes/Plum Puddin'/Trifle/Whiskey/Whisky

mixed up with ultimate frisbee/playground climbing.

It was a great day, except for the fact that I somehow messed up my knee with that frisbee.  It's sore, and I have a slight limp.  Sigh.  Oh well, it's Boxing Day!

What's Maori for "Piñata?"

Man, today was such a fine day weather wise.  I love that it was 72 degrees and perfect skies, opposed to the 18" of snow I heard about back home (and it's going to keep coming apparently)!

It seems like each time I'm about to embark on some headway on my project, I run into something that forces me to change direction....I can't get any momentum I feel.  The bottom line is this: NZ immigration!  Let me in or else!  I'm not crazy/diseased/wanted in my home country/speak english.  OK.

I'll keep on it though, even if that means I have to go towards the backdoor route of getting a skilled work permit which I have to pay for, as opposed to the business permit, which is free.

Perhaps I should apply for the ambassador job?

But in more positive and uplifting news: The Day-After-Boxing Day (aka, Shadow Boxing Day) fiesta's piñata is finally finished, and drying in an undisclosed location, to prevent any premature-candy-desiring-whacks!  It's a beauty!

Macho Madness Scares Beth Davie

I went to the house warming party at Matt and Miri's house last night.  It was the much-awaited "Fluoro" party.  And by fluoro, they meant neon.  It was great fun: lots of great music, great friends and the Macho Man's favorite whiskey, Fighting Cock.

Highlight: Actually SCARING Beth with my amazingly accurate representation of the Macho Man.

It was excellent.  There will be some pics later posted on this very web page.

Totara Flats

I went hiking out there at Totara Flats on Thursday-Friday.

(Clinking the photo will take y'all to the gallery....)

I started at the trailhead in Waiohine Gorge, and the 1st thing you do is cross over a really long, single occupant suspension bridge that's 200 feet above the river.  And it bounces.  A lot.

Then through muddy native forest for 3 hours, fording 2 streams, I finally got to the "flats" part of the walk.  I thought to myself, "it's pretty windy.  I should find the hut that's out here, because otherwise I'll be up all night with the noise."  I tried in vain to find the hut (I just found it on google maps, and don't know how I could have missed it, except for the really tall grass?) which wasn't signed at all.  I got kinda frustrated, but mostly because I was tired, and in searching for the hutt I wasted an hour or so by going farther that I needed to...

But I found a terrific place to camp.  It was a spot that had been previously used, and it had all that one looks for in a spot: a nice soft, flat ground for the tent, easy access to water, a fire pit already made, and most importantly, WONDERFUL protection from the wind.

I was so happy to find that place.  I pitched camp, had dinner, read, and made a companion/entertainment fire.  I slept pretty well.

In the morning, I was sore in my shoulders and hips from my bag, and my body rejected the idea of wearing the pack again.  I finally had to get going, as I had a time I had to contact Anne, otherwise, the police would've been called in to look for me...

It was the most strenuous hike back out.  It was hotter, more humid, and seemingly endless on the way home.  But I did it, and rewarded myself with an obscene amount of fresh strawberries from a fruit stand.  Yes.

In the evening I hung out with Morgan and we drank some Scotch.  Some really nice stuff-finished in Sauternes casks... We told stories of all sorts till he needed to go sleepy-time!

Quizzles

Not much to report other than my team destroyed everyone at pub quiz last night.  We won a $50 tab at the bar.  I really want everyone to know it was Miri who enabled us to victory.  Without her, we would have been last probably!

I might be going camping tomorrow, so there would be pictures up by this weekend....

Duck n Dodge.

WHY COULDN'T HE HAVE HIT HIM!?!?

I frickin' love it.  Dubya gets shoes thrown at him in Iraq.  Now reporters aren't going to be allowed to wear shoes during press confrences....

In other news, I'm starting my piñata today.  I'm either going to do a Kiwi bird, or a donkey or Tana Umaga.....

Rivers and Coppers

Yesterday I went out "tramping in the bush" as they say here.  Out in the Rimutaka Forest Park, the trail took me through native forests filled with podocarps, most notably Rimu  (That was for all the biologists in the audience).

After about 1.5 hours of walking, I came to the Orongorongo river, which was running rather low, and I ate a lunch I had brought of a ham 'n cheese sandwich, a banana and some wine biscuits, which have a rather odd name for American consumers...oh, and I brought along a thermos of tea, 'coz I can.

The weather was fine-ish until the last moments on the trail on the return.  As soon as I got to the car, the rain came down something fierce.  I'm glad I wasn't one of the group just starting their hike for the day....

Pictures can be seen here.

And last night I got invited by a friend to the National Police Headquarters Bar.  The cops have their own bar on the top floor of their office tower.  (In nice weather) Great views and...

$3 DRINKS!  I needn't say more!

This is what it sounds like when doves cry.

Well I made some Posole on Monday night.  I joked that I might have been one of the 1st 5 people to make the classic dish of pork and hominy stew in New Zealand.  But I didn't really compromise, in fact, I would of been proud to have served it back home, even in a restaurant....

Anyways, I rant thus because of the "Mexican" food I ate for lunch today.  It was a place recommended to me, and I'm pretty sure I even heard Spanish being spoken in the kitchen.  The Oaxacan Tacos I ate could best be described as "Hippy Mexican,"  but it wasn't quite that odd.  It certainly wasn't Family Mexican-god, what I wouldn't do for that styles beans!

So in that vein, I truly miss good Mexican food, just like I did 2 years ago.  And you know what, so did Mark Twain!  Well, he didn't miss any enchiladas (if he had only known!) but he did miss amongst other things:

American butter, Saratoga potatoes, Connecticut shad, Baltimore perch, Brook trout from Sierra Nevadas, Lake trout from Tahoe, Black bass from the Mississippi, Virginia bacon, San Francisco mussels, Philadelphia Terrapin soup, Canvas-back-duck from Baltimore, Prairie hens from Illinois, and broiled Missouri partridges.

So there you go...even Taco Bell....ok, maybe not even Taco Bell....

Also I bought another hat.  The 1st step is admitting you have a problem...

Hats!

The 1st is one I bought yesterday at a clearance.  It's  a Hills brand, made here in NZ, and I like it, but it'll be too hot for summer wear.  It also needs some work on the front brim.

I roll 100 TIMES HARDER with this one.  Remember?!?

LambyLamb

I went to the Lower Hutt farmers market yesterday morning with my friend Damon, on recommendation.  It was pretty nice- utilitarian- but the selection was pretty homologous between stalls.  The prices were great too...

Anyways, I got an amazing lamb roast I cooked tonight for dinner tonight, and made lentils and a radish-cabbage slaw to go with.  The flavor was rich, and relatively mild for lamb.  I'm going to be ordering a side this week for the holidays...

And I went to the beach again today.  I just exacerbated my sunburn!

Beach Bum

I just got back from the beach, laying in the sun and swimming in the bay.  It was perhaps 70 degrees F, maybe 75.  Very warm, but not miserable.  And the water was pretty cold.

But I finished my book about Gondwanaland.  When was the last time you read a book about that place?

Dinner and/or trouble in town tonight with Morgan and Cal.  I've seen more of his siblings this week than him with his studiousness! 

Rawk Climbing

I am so impossibly sore this morning.  My grip is nearly non-existent, from trying to hold my body close to a rock and not fall off.  My legs never really recovered from the ultimate-stairmaster climb of the eastern hills over the Hutt Valley.

 There will be physical activity for me today, other than walking.  Unless someone needs me for a netball game.....

I took many pics from the trip, since I was much better at doing that than climbing the rocks (really, it was the massively painful shoes that were too small).  When the sun went down, the light became awesome, and the wind even awesomer!

Here's a link to some photos if you've failed to see them yet.

Bush Wacked!

Man, I just scrambled to the top of the ridge on the east side of the Hutt.

It was a steep go up the fire break, but once I got to the top, the views were worth it, even if one side was Wainuiomata....

But then I got lost coming down.  The trail I chose to take was of poor quality, very washed-out, and very narrow, meaning I was running through hawthorne-like bushes.  I then hit the nicer, "more foresty" stuff.  But the trails were confusing, and I kept coming out into people's backyards!  I just wanted to get out of the bush.  But I did it, and treated myself to my 1st meat pie of the trip.  Man it was GOOD.  I love 'em!

And I replaced my camera- the one that I bought for this trip, and then washed the day I left for NZ.  It never worked after that...but I got a new one, with a nicer lens (a LEICA!).

I'm going to rock everyone at pub quiz to-nite!

HuttLuv.

Well, looky here!  Here I am sitting in the early morning sun of the Hutt Valley, just outside Wellington.  Yesterday was a VERY long day for me, as the flight staff woke everyone up at about 2am NZ time.  I got into Auckland about 4:15am, and did the whole immigration/bio security thing.  And then I had to WALK the 12 minutes between the international terminal and domestic terminal at the BIGGEST AIRPORT IN THE COUNTRY.  They have no train/tram/or visible bus.

But I jokingly complained about that enough yesterday.

I got into Welly, had breakfast, went for a run in the warm weather around the Lower Hutt, took a nap of 2 hours, and then got on making Thanksgiving dinner.

The stuffing was great, the asparagus PERFECT, and the pavlova transcendental.  The Davie family and friends were wonderful company.  I am thankful for having them in my life.

We just chatted until I crashed about 10pm, and got a good night's sleep.  I'm running errands today in the city, and look forward to having my hair become "windswept."

NZ

I am in New Zealand suckers!

Drawings=Cash Money

This is the best way to pay your bills:

With a drawing of a seven legged spider.

PackMule

I'm packing today!

I have to sort out my camping stuff to take, get my clothes in order, etc.

I was asked, how does one pack for 3 months of travel?

I answered, "the same as one week, you just do more laundry."

I don't think this person travelled much....

Weekend Update

This weekend was a real hoot as they say in some places. They don't say it here though.

Friday I had brunch with Chris, after his arrival from Japan. I'd love to tell some great story about him modelling in Japan, but alas, that story is mine and he was just there on business. I pointed out that he's the only one I know that eats corned beef hash for breakfast, and he pointed that I'm the only one HE knows who eats biscuits and gravy....mine is tastier.....
Friday night the bad weather came in while I was eating uninspired Italian food with Emily. We then rolled to the Zoo, the Eastlake Zoo Tavern that is, and played long-ass games of pool.
After that, we waited at Bush Garden for Aki and his girl, who were in town for a conference Saturday. We were treated to some INCREDIBLE karaoke talent at Bush Garden (Bump n Grind by R. Kelly was on point).
But none of that matched me when we went to Venus Karaoke, and I sang a ton in the private booths. Waylon, Elvis, A-Ha, Haddaway, and "a whole new world" from Aladdin were all hits.

Saturday was finishing up my Empire business. I am officially retired from that enterprise. I can now say I'm a small business entrepreneur as opposed to an owner....
In the afternoon, I travelled with Emily to Whidbey Island, tracing much of the same route I did with Damon when he visited me a little over a year ago. Back home for dinner and a movie, and an earlier bed time than Cal bragged about on her most recent blog post! (9:30)

Sunday, today, was to be spent cutting down a large tree with my dad, but he got cold feet, and we did some other cutting of wood instead. I was all gung-ho about it, and was quite disappointed I didn't get to use the chain saw....
We went disc golfing, and I lost one in the water, right after my dad said, "don't throw it in the water!" I owe him a new disc. After that we played pool and drank a beer, and watched the football game. I also learned how to play backgammon.

Phew. Tomorrow I'm driving to Seattle to sell some Alfa Romeo parts I've had in my possession since I had my Alfa...how many years ago? 5 I think....

Later.

So Fresh and Clean

You noticed it already:  A brand-spanking-new format.  Props to T-Bones McGillicutty, aka Trever Santora for transforming my blog from looking like something millions of people have to a custom-with-drawn-by-me art.  Notice the tattoo?

I'm going to Seattle for the weekend- hopefully going on a hike on Saturday, provided that it's not snowing too heavily up in them thar hills known as the Cascade mountains!

Talk to y'all later!

Olympia.

I am currently kickin' it old school style in my home town of Olympia.  It's the longest spell I've spent here in probably 4 or 5 years.  It's changed a lot in some areas, and it's still the same in others.  I guess that's nothing special....

I went down to Portland to see my friend Meghan this last weekend.  I hadn't seen her in over 2 years, which blows my mind.  She had wanted to come up to Seattle for Halloween/Macho Madness, but was unable to get her shift the day after covered.  So I suggested that I go down there, and bring my costume, and then we could go out to celebrate Halloween.  After dinner (choucroute with 4 kinds of pork in it!), and many drinks of a Portland made apple brandy (very nice/very strong) with a High Life back (very classy) I dressed up.  And then Madness happened.  Pictures below:

And then we went out into the night, with me using my unique combination of ridiculous charm/mild harassment on the ladies.

And then the worst hang-over in a long time.  A pic with Meghan right before I left:

She's wearing the great Engrish shirt I bought her in Japan when I was 20....

Now I'm back in Oly, tying up loose ends, working in the yard for my dad, running, and working on my future project(s).  I feel like....hmmm....is it vacation, or just this weird "limbo" period?  I don't know.

...And we're back!

I'm back from my New England trip visiting family and friends.  It was unusually warm too- almost 70 degrees one day in Syracuse.  And mostly sunny, although it was about 2 weeks behind the prime New England leaf color.  (But I found 1 tree to take a photo of....)

Anyways, up in Syracuse, I hung out with my great friend Aki, and his wonderful girlfriend Vanessa.  We went to a German dinner and pub quiz the night I got there.  Pub quiz was hard- I think designed for people who are going to a major university for an advanced degree (Aki is in law school).  Also done in "The 'Cuse" were watching a trouncing in flag football, making some dinner for a bunch of people, reading "The Island of Dr Moreau" for the 1st time, and going to a place called Funk 'n Waffles.

I then returned to Hartford to stay with my grandparents and see my Mom's family.  I had an assortment of aunts, uncles and cousins to see over the days, and we enjoyed fine meals together.  It was good to catch up with this side, since I see them once every 2 years on average...

And now I'm back.  It's the beginning of the last days for me.  Time will fly quickly, I know.  I feel like my schedule the next 2 weeks is already full, but I know there'll be plenty of time wasted on the internets for example...

But the last days, sad for some I know this, but for others....well, let's just say that they'd better be ready for THIS.

Waffles and I'm just funky.

With Aks the Fox

Cheerleading with the dog, Remy

Duh.

Away from Seattle

I'm currently on vacation back east. I've seen an old friend up in Syracuse, and am in Hartford, CT with my family. Not much else in terms of exciting things-I'll blog when I get home on Thursday...
Enjoy yourselves.

OBAMA!

We are AMAZING.

America, my faith in thee is re-deemed!

6 Time Heavy Weight Champion of the World!

With my friend Nicole, the dead doll that was loved too much.

OH YE-AH!!!

MADNESS.

That's really only the only term to use to describe Friday nights' action.  Pure madness.

I left for the party at 8:30, and was on the early side of the guest arrival.  As an side note, the party was a block away from my old house in Montlake.

I went with my friend Nicole, who was dressed as a doll who got "loved too much."  The party featured 5 bands, opening with a banjo/fiddler combo.  The banjo player was a 30 year old professor from UW I was told.  Then the people started showing up, and I became, well, let's just say the only thing I could be described as is, "on fire."

Macho Madness started fights (with lots of foot stomping enhanced punches), told stories (I will not eat green eggs and ham Sam I Am! Yeah!  Uh-Huh!), to a screen test with Sofia Coppola (To be, or not to be, that is the question! Oh-Yeah!  Uh-Huh!) and just generally captivating audiences.

All with half of a bottle of Fighting Cock brand bourbon.  It's what kept my throaty voice possible all night.

There are other tales to tell I suppose, but they'll be best done justice to your face, as opposed to here....

One last note:  When I started chatting up the hottest Sarah Palin at the party (there were 2 or 3 uninspired women....) I told here that as my tag-team partner, if I got killed she could have my heavy weight championship title without ever needing to challenge for it!  Her boyfriend/Worst McCain ever didn't like that much.....Republicans, whad'ya ganna do?!?