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"

i have arrived

364 more possible nz days.
over 40 hours since i was in a real bed.
my feet are ripe (over 40 hours of continual shoe wearing)
the weather my first day was delightful, so i walked around town.
i want a home. no, seriously. i need to unpack my suitcase or i'll lose it.

amerika :: update

amerika :: our time together is short.

anyone have some truly amerikan suggestions for my last weekend on the sweet soil of freedom?

***** UPDATE *****
for day amerika, i...

• drove around wasting gas
  
• while listening to country music
  
• ate a hamburger
  
• stayed un-informed
  
• had unlimited pop refills
  
• gained weight
  
• went to suburban malls
  
• dove into a bargain bin [$1 DVDs at walmart]
  
• bought stuff i didn't need
  
• was loud in public
  

overheard in sacramento

overhead near trash-laden street: "i guess the garbage men didn't do a very thorough job today..."