Wednesday, December 29, 2010

December Monthly Report

By the numbers (and examples of note)
times I've moved: 2
new flatmates: 7 (+1 cat)
bus rides: 8
bike rides: 4
train rides: 0
ferry rides: 0
walks in a park: 13
walks after midnight:3
times I've made stir-fry:3
times I ate stir-fry leftovers:4
beers:17
liters of milk: 4.5
loaves of bread: 2
movies (in the cinema): 2 (Harry Potter and The Disappearance of Alice Creed)
movies (on TV): 12 (The Last Emporer, Die Hard series, It's Complicated)
books read: 6 ("Under the Mountain", "See Ya, Simon", "Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules")
short stories read: 15 (Half a Grapefruit by Alice Munro, Best of Betty by Jincy Willett)
times I used the library computer: 7
times I used my flatmates computer: 9
interviews: 2 (for three positions)
job offers: 0
new bands I've seen playing live music: 8 (Heart Attack Alley)
swims in the Pacific Ocean: 2
swims in the Tasman Sea: 1
pick up soccer games: 1
blisters: 2
minutes spent calling home: 47
baking competitions entered: 1
place: 2
cookies/pieces of pie eaten at Christmas party: 8
invites to New Year's parties: 3
hours spen turning a pair of pants and a belt into a satchel: 6
minutes spent coutning angels on a pinhead, wondering what to do next: 378

*Note: beer total does not include New Year's Eve

Sunday, December 19, 2010

The Velveteen Laptop

Strange how computers change our lives, or how much more we're affected by their absence. My computer has been in the shop for a while being repaired. It's taken a bit longer than usual to get it fixed, hence the radio silence. I stopped into the store today and noted that it's called Magnum Mac, way tougher than iStore, or whatever other wimpy names they go by. The service guy told me that they were running diagnostics, and couldn't tell me when the repair would be completed. The original issue, that when opening the laptop the backlight would periodically fail to come on, was something that fell into the cliche of repair issues - namely that they couldn't recreate the problem. The repair file noted that they are trying to 'fault' the computer, meaning that the technicians have not yet seen my backlight failure issues, rather than they are blaming my computer for all their problems. I'm not sure how much I believe in the 'aliveness' of things, or if karma extends to inanimate objects, but I certainly did as a kid. I would wonder if my toys were comfortable in the positions I left them in, or if He-man wanted to spend the afternoon in his bulky form or relax in his Adam of Eternia casual attire. I can remember putting Marble Madness in the NES, even though I hated it because the play control was sloppier than eating an open-faced reuben sandwich on a hot summer day, just so it would have something to talk about with the other catridges when I went to school. So now I can see how my anxiety has traveled with me to adulthood and Auckland, where I fret for my poor macbook, languishing for weeks in a flashy, mac-world chrome and white workshop somewhere, wondering why everyone keeps trying to find fault with it. Now I think I want it back not so much for the reassurance of my laptop's self esteem, but to distract myself from wondering about it. I just hope my bike doesn't get jealous.

Monday, December 6, 2010

A quiet little place in the city

I've been off the radar for a while taking care of some basic necessities like finding a new place to live. My stay with Marianne and Terry, wonderful in every way, was ending before the holidays. I had trouble thinking I could find another place so comfortable, convenient and affordable, but I did! It's perfect: fine, friendly young people, an excellent backyard for reading and drying clothes in the sun, a short walk to awesome pubs, cafes, downtown and the beach.




And there's a hammock!













On my street, Collingwood, I saw a flower getting some attention from a bee.












My new addy is

6/25 Collingwood St
Freeman's Bay
Auckland 1011
New Zealand

It's just a block and a half from Ponsonby Rd, and another block to my favorite burger joint, Murder Burger. Check out their website.
I like this picture they posted of Street Fighter II characters in the minimalism style, except that it really shafts Zangief of his best attribute.