where i live

my house [not pictured] from afar.... at the top of the "livable line"...

above it :: a beautiful forest park [with lord of the ring filming location--calling all hobbit costumes]....
below it :: a beautiful city.... and hip "uptown" area...
beneath it :: a fault line

photo taken my first day here. walking around the city, i knew that area was where i wanted to live.

surprises today to be fixed :: 2
>1. clothes take 6 days to air dry. spent the night ironing some undies since i had not accounted for that
>2. no fire alarm... they're not common in this quakey town built of wood. to be remedied tomorrow.

view from flat

official flat specs :: version 001
flatmates :: three kiwis
subgenre :: two lawyers, one surveyor
location :: top street of mount, overlooking downtown [5 min walk to
start of city, 5 min walk to huge park at summit]
bedrooms :: 3
baths :: 2
flat bonding activities :: potluck with 7 kiwi friends, movie night,
game nigh [twice], a "transportation themed party" where i went as a
cardboard box with stamp and address.
room details :: see attached narrative

i live in a diningroom with glass windows and curtains, surrounded by
good will furniture. but i open the curtains (while they're at work or
after 10pm bedtime) and i get this spectacular view (click for a big
version--it's ha'awsome). officially my room overlooks the livingroom
(where i monitor the kiwis in their natural environment), but the
livingroom is entirely windows so i have this view for all practical
purposes. i love it at night. the view is one reason i chose the flat.
the other was sam's copy of "risk." (sam has become infatuated with san
juan, but i'm going to make him try another american game next time we
play so he doesn't burn out).

KFC

kfc :: accepting reasonable trades for chicken since 1975

p.s. found a cafe where i can use my computer, so images will now begin. yes, i realize my first image is of the corneal.

wearable art

white, recycled dress


dinosaur princess


jellyfish (on hands and knees)

today was the finale/award show at the world of wearable art (WOW)... it was rainy, miserable and sold out, but i headed over 2 hours early any way in hope of scoring an "emergency seat" as they call them here.

luckily, i got a hand written ticket in a newly invented row, four from the front. the view was fabulous... the show breathtaking... i can't describe the last time i witnessed such a spectacle.

trapeze artists, singers, hip hop dancers, runway models showing off "art clothing" all coreographed with black light, pyrotechnics and so many amazing amazing costumes.

if i were to return to the states tomorrow, the trip would have been worth it.

more to come--but internet access is sketchy the next week... then PHOTOS!!!!!

i like it here

today i walked through an amazing botanical garden bigger than como park. NZ has been a separate land mass so long, it has its own flora and fauna... strange fern trees... birds with a pair of vocal chords (so they can sing duets).... gnarled forest pines...

then i spent a late night reading professional screenplays (annie hall, the truman show) at the library... navigating a stream of people home (you actually see people walking in welly!), somewhere past the cake shop i sighed and said, "i like it here..."

and i like cake...

bedroom dosier :: hostel nights

one of the joys[?] of hostel life is sharing your bedroom.

across from me is the violently resting irishman. he flips over at full speed right into the wall once or twice a slumber. SLAM! i often imagine him wearing full chain mail to #1# slow him down and #2# protect him from the metal guard rail [thank god it's there... or just think of the noise a 200 pound potatoe grower flying full speed into the ground could make]

the krinkler enters every morn at 7am with a paper bag. he tears it open like a kid on christmas and after eating whatever it is he eats bite by bite, he crumbles the bag in a ball, drops it by his bed and then quietly giggles under the covers -- a faint glow from his computer illuminating his flakey, croissant covered fingers.

my favorite is the english ninja who comes and goes without a sound. he has somehow even hypnotized the lock under the charm of his hugh grant impersonating accent.

homelessness :: terminated

t-minus 6 days to new home [exact address not shown :: security risk 43x]

5 blocks up the hill = stunning view = manly calfs
risk board in the livingroom = my kind of peeps
walkable to grocery = carfree lifestyle
balcony = inspiration for screenplay writing
2 lawyers = couldn't be worse than the 1 i left

new address = countdown to pictures can commense immediately.

finance report :: cost of living

things that are more expensive in wellington:
* chocolate bars ($1.25 starting price)
* grapes ($2.5/pound)
* banking (30c per debit card transaction, after a few free ones)
* gas ($4.70/gallon)
* sudafed for my cold ($15/4 day supply)
* crappy flip flops so i don't get foot fungus in the shower ($15)

things that are the same price:
* being homeless

things that are cheaper in wellington:
* travel to other NZ cities.

more lists of what i've done

got homesick and needed personal space, so i ate at BK (flame broiled goodness) and spent the afternoon hiding in the library with "artemis fowl".... 150 pages left to go.

toured a run down expensive flat at the far reaches of the world. then toured a flat i really liked that was cheaper and in the area of town i love... plus, the flatmates like "risk"! renting flats here is a dog-and-pony popularity contest.

have had a sore throat for two days which i'm now sure is related to all the sleeping pills i've been popping. tonight i'll be drug free.

my german friend and i went to an earthquake exhibit at "te papa" (the potatoe).

have been missing everyone (except for you) like crazy.

"pleasingly spiced beef"

"pleasingly spiced beef"... how a local food critic described a taco.

ate dinner with five "long termers", who found it easier to stay at the hostel indefinitely than to find their own place.

fished a torn up love letter out of the rubbish bin by the sea, but have yet to put it back together.

went to a "pub quiz"... they played 60 songs and we wrote down the title/artist... the "2001 theme year" was the only section i was any help with. although i'm not proud that my contribution was "enya" and "travis trit"