Yes, please......

Smash Malice vs Comic Slams....

Last weekend we attended the final game of the Richter City Rollerderby season between our very own Smash Malice and a fierce contender, the Comic Slams. With contagious enthusiasm I described the games to a friend and colleague of mine, Alana. Although she hails from Wellington she had never been to rollerderby but always want to go so I invited her (and her boyfriend, Fraser) to come to the game with us. They excitedly agreed and then I wondered, "Hmm, what if they don't like it? I've made such a big deal of it now". Hoping they would have a good time we ventured out to TSB Bank Arena and settled into our seats. The game was nail-bitingly close right until the last few minutes. Along they way Tim and I spent time answering questions and sharing our limited rollerderby knowledge with Alana and Fraser. They had a ball. To my dismay, Comic Slams took the title. All in all it was a great game and all the players displayed tremendous sportsmanship throughout.

As we watched the games this season, on multiple occasions, Tim suggested that I join up. While I'd love to say that I have the guts I don't think I'm tough enough to go toe-to-toe with those ladies. :) I'm happy to sit and take in the action from a safe distance. Looking forward to next season!

SuperRugby, super intense...

Last night we bundled up and headed to the last regular season rugby match to watch our Hurricanes take on the, top of the league, Chiefs. This was an especially important game for us because we're sitting, along with four other union teams, right at the cut off line for those that will make it into the playoffs. To be perfectly honest I wasn't all that hopeful we could pull out a win but I thought, "You never know".

In an effort to stay warm at the game I pulled out all the stops and donned my long underwear (think Under Armor), top and bottoms, good socks, my jersey, a sweatshirt and my down jacket. Along with my hat and mittens I was set to, comfortably, sit through the 80 minutes of play in our open stadium. This was all well and good except that to get to the game we had to walk to the stadium, approximately 30 blocks (1.7 km or, about, 1 mile). As we walked I proceeded to heat up and soon began to boil. In an effort to stay alive so I could watch the game when we finally arrived I started to peel off layers as we walked. Halfway there I had shed my sweatshirt (I hadn't bothered to wear my down jacket because I knew it would be too warm) along with my hat and mittens. At first I noticed that people were looking at me and I figured it was because I was wearing my bright yellow jersey. After a few more minutes of walking I realized that people were staring because I was only wearing my jersey with the thermal underneath. With a chilly wind whipping through the city now I can see that I must've looked insane to be wearing so little. But I was just too hot! :)

We arrived at the Westpac stadium with a throng of fans and you could feel the excitement in the air. The place was buzzing. After finding some sinfully delicious hot mini donuts at the concession stand we located our seats and settled in for the game. By that time my body temp had come down to a relatively normal level and I started pulling the layers back on one at a time. I think the guy sitting next to me thought I was crazy as I put on my sweatshirt, my hat, my mittens and then unstuffed my down jacket and put that on too. And within minutes I was very happy that I had bundled so thoroughly (I was part way through this process in the pics below, amazingly in one of them my eyes are open). While I wouldn't say that I felt warm during the game I definitely didn't have frozen fingers or toes or chattering teeth. :)

The game began with a flurry of excitement and the Chiefs scored a try within the first two minutes. With a sigh, I thought, "This is going to be bad". But to my delight the Hurricanes were able to keep pace with the Chiefs for the entire game. Below you can see the players in formation for a 'line out' where they throw the ball back into to play.

In the last few minutes of play the Chiefs were up 25 to 21 and you could feel the tension in the air. We were literally on the edge of our seats waiting to see if we could, somehow, pull out a try and take the lead. To say the struggle between the teams was intense is such an understatement! Then we heard the horn signalling that the 80 minutes of play had ended. But in rugby union play doesn't necessarily stop at the sound of the horn. If they are in the middle of a sequence then they keep going until one of the teams scores a try or gets a penalty. At this point everyone in the stadium was losing their minds because at any second the game could be over! The Hurricanes had possession of the ball and tried and tried and tried and tried and tried to get it over the try line. Almost five minutes after the horn had sounded it looked like one of our players had made it through and got the ball over the line!!! The place went wild!! They played the sequence over and over again on the jumbotron while the referee called 'upstairs' to confirm whether the try would be awarded or not. In short it was not an easy call to make as it was hard to see what was happening because there were so many players in the midst of the action. After what seemed like an eternity, with crowd holding it's breath for the decision, we looked up at the jumbotron and saw that the Hurricanes had been awarded the try!!!!!!! Pandemonium swept through the stadium as Hurricanes fans celebrated and the Chiefs fans stood, bewildered, not believing what had happened. The try was converted; we successfully kicked for the conversion (it's like an extra point in American football, except it's two points) and you can see the final score along with the fireworks coming to life on the jumbotron screen.

After much cheering and high-fiving we gathered our wits and started to make our way down towards the field where the Hurricanes players were signing autographs. If you remember from a previous post I was hoping for an autograph from my favorite Hurricane, Jason Eaton. He was halfway through the line and heading towards the locker room before we were able to get down onto to the field. Tim handed me the Sharpie we had brought along for just such an occasion and said, "Go for it, honey". Taking a breath I attempted to weasel my way into the five deep crowd that was pressing towards the players.

Much to my dismay the crowd was impossible to navigate even though I tried to get in at a variety of different places on the line. In the end I wasn't able to get to him before he was heading off the field. But Tim did get a picture of him so you can see his crazy, trademark, beard. Hopefully. I'll get his autograph next time. :)

I was able to find Timmy again and we stayed on the field for a bit longer to take some pictures. Below you can see more the field from this lower vantage point.

Just as we were ready to leave for the night the Hurricanes full back, Andre Taylor, one of Tim's favorites, climbed over the divider and started to sign autographs and take pictures with everyone who wanted one. I told Tim, "Get in there and get him to sign your jersey". He gave me his coat and sweatshirt and jumped into the fray.

After coming away with an autograph on his jersey I thought "Maybe I should get one too". So while Timmy held all our stuff I managed to work my way into the crowd and get close enough to get my jersey signed too!! Emerging from the crowd I felt triumphant, jumping up and showing off my jersey when I found Timmy again. Check them out!

After the excitement of the game we spent the rest of the weekend waiting to see how the other teams, contending for a playoff slot, would fare. Now the games have been played, the points tallied and I'm sad to report that the Hurricanes did not make it into the playoffs. It goes without saying that we are disappointed but we've had a great time learning about a new sport and getting behind our local team. Until next season we will start watching the All Blacks, our national team, as they begin their season in mid August.

Celebrity sighting #2........

Awhile back I posted about seeing one of our Hurricane players, Beudan Barrett, out for brunch with his family. We were taken aback to see a professional athlete outside of the rugby arena. Well, tonight we decided to go and see The Amazing Spiderman but when we arrived we realized that everyone else in town had had the same idea. Technically, we're on school holiday and so it was no surprise to see the mile long (that should be kilometer long) lines just five minutes before the movie was to start. We waited in line for a few minutes but we weren't making any progress towards obtaining tickets. In the end we decided to come back another night and, dejected, trudged down the steps and started for home. Thankfully, Tim suggested that we stop in for a drink at the bowling alley (they have good cider). On our way toward the mall exit I glanced over at the Satay Noodle House and to my great surprise I saw my favorite Hurricane player, Jason Eaton, slurping noodles with some other guys. But wait. Was that really him? In no way did I attempt to hide the fact that I was craning my neck around to stare and see if it was really him. And it was! Shocked and amazed I was pulling on Tim's coat sleeve and excitedly saying, "It's Jason Eaton! It's Jason Eaton!" even though he was looking over at them as well. I must've made a sufficient fuss because he looked up, as did his friends, and caught me staring, probably grinning like an idiot. I didn't care. I could not believe that I had just seen another Hurricane player just out and about, having supper like a normal person. :)

This Friday the Hurricanes will play their final regular season game and we will be there to cheer them on to victory! At the end of every game the fans are allowed onto a portion of the field to meet the players; we're going to try our luck and see if we can get some autographs on our jerseys. It's no surprise that I'll have my fingers crossed to get one from Jason Eaton! :)

If you want to check out the Hurricanes, visit: hurricanes.co.nz or for information on the other teams in the rugby union, visit: superxv.com.

Funding for nerds....

Both Tim and I were thrilled (and honored) to receive the Victoria Doctoral Scholarship as funding while we work towards our PhDs. All those who won this award were recognized in the paper this week and we just received these snazzy certificates in the mail. I'm feeling fancy. :)

USA goodies....

Living in NZ has brought an amazing array of gustatory change into our everyday lives. Some things are the same like ordering chai tea at Starbucks. Many things are different. For example, you can buy all sorts of lollies (candy) but most of the brands are entirely different than those offered in the US. Pop is very common and you see Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, etc. but the bottling process is different and therefore you get a very different taste. While Kiwis argue that they're pop is superior I still prefer the US equivalent. With that said I've pretty much given up hope of finding my favorite sweet treats and have steeled myself to wait and enjoy them when we visit the US. Surprisingly, this past weekend we happened upon a store advertising "American candy". Our interest was piqued so we decided to stop in and see what they had. To my great delight, amongst a wide variety of goodies, they had a couple of my favorites, Hot Tamales and Dr. Pepper (the US version!). With a big smile on my face I left the store with two cans of Dr. Pepper and a box of Hot Tamales. Gotta love the little things in life. :)

Safe....

Last night, while hanging out at home, all of a sudden, I heard the walls start to shake. A second later I could feel the rumblings of what would be my very first earthquake. When it started we were sitting on the couch and Timmy, very cool and collected, quickly ushered me over to the doorway separating the bathroom from the rest of the flat. As we waited I could feel the wall vibrating against my back as my heart pounded like a jack hammer inside my chest. Within seconds it was over and Timmy smiled down at me and said, "Was that your first earthquake?". I nodded, yes. We ventured out from the doorway and turned on the news to see if there had been damage in the city or elsewhere. Within minutes they mentioned that a 7.0 earthquake had been felt in Wellington city. Nothing beyond that. We looked at each other, dumbfounded. Was that all they were going to say? A 7.0? That had to be a mistake. What we felt was a gentle rumble, nothing more. Later we learned that, indeed, it was a 7.0 but it felt much less severe because it was centered 230 km (that is, 143 miles) deep. Thankfully, in the end, there were no damages or injuries. We. Are. Safe.

Loot....

Nineteen blocks to the grocery store. And it really doesn't seem that far when you're on your way. But when you're walking home, laden with groceries, you wonder what you could've possibly purchased that is so heavily weighing down your reusable grocery bags. Each week we endeavor to be organized, planning meals, making lists and buying what we can at the butcher across the street. We've found Preston's to have wonderfully fresh meat, as well as eggs, bread and milk. Still we trek to New World, a NZ grocery store chain, each weekend to buy the remaining groceries for the week. That is, until a couple weeks ago Tim shared a brilliant idea with me. He said, "why don't we have our groceries delivered?". I was stunned as I had never thought of such a thing. In the ensuing weeks we looked into our options and decided to menu plan for a month and have all the dried, canned, jarred, and non edible items (paper towels, etc.) sent to our flat. This past weekend we scrutinized our list and, with bated breath, placed the order. It arrived last night and there was much rejoicing on our part although the delivery guy seemed less than enthused. I mean, I know we paid for all these items but it still felt like Christmas! :) We'll see how things go this month and reassess as needed along the way. Now we still have to buy perishable items, just yogurt and cheese, plus the milk/meat/eggs/bread from the butcher, on a weekly basis. However this is nothing compared to lugging cans and jars those 19 blocks home. Sweet as!

Changing things up.....

We've had an ongoing conversation about our little flat since the day we moved in here. Don't get us wrong, it's clean, sleek and modern. But. It's. Tiny. We've continuosly wondered if this would just be a stepping stone of a home for us or if we might stay and try to make it work.

Within the last couple of weeks we've decided that we want to stay here and make the best of our little abode. With only a loveseat for furniture we knew we needed to find a desk and chair so we could have one functional work surface in our place. After spending the better part of a weekend looking around for the perfect setup we found the desk and chair for us. And to make room we rearranged our 'living room' and it feels like a whole new place. :)

Next we'd like to make some art for the walls; we're thinking about taking some of our favorite photos and having them printed on canvas. Should be cool when we get around to it. :) Now that we're making the place our own it feels less liking we're staying here and more like we're living here.

Central Heating....

Welly winter has arrived. When I say winter, I mean 'winter': a sometimes rainy but mostly just cool and beautiful time of year. It feels like a Midwestern autumn to me which was always my favorite time of year when I lived there. The changing color of the leaves and the anticipation of the forthcoming snow. Well, here things are a bit different. Snow is, let's just say, unlikely. And the leaves on the trees are only ever one color regardless of the time of year. Green. Lush and green. Green like after a drenching summer rain green. And I love green - it's one thing I truly missed when we lived in MT. The grass was green some of the time but with it being so much drier than the Midwest it, understandably, wasn't nearly as lush.

So with temperatures dipping ever so slightly we've found that our flat can seem a little chilly at times. Big window and not much for insulation, yeah. I can admit that I have no problem bundling up when I'm at home - I get cold very easily and have accepted it as my lot in life. So I dress accordingly even if it looks ridiculous to be wearing a sweatshirt (hood up) with a scarf and Timmy's down booties that are a couple of sizes too big. Hey, it's warm. :)

And I should mention that our flat doesn't have heat of any kind. No baseboard heaters, no forced air. And we've learned that this is fairly common here in NZ. If you want heat in your home most people install a heater in the main living area. I remember hearing someone say this before we moved here and thinking, "oh no, we're not going to have any heat in our bedroom". I have to laugh now since our place is so tiny that the main living area and the bedroom are one and the same. :)

To solve our chilly dilemma we found a smallish space heater and it does wonders to warm up the place. We don't even need to run it everyday, which is great for the power bill, but it's nice to know that we can turn it on when needed. A new definition of  'central heating'.

Fresh.....

Simply lovely. I found these beauties at a specialty grocer a few blocks from our flat. As a former florist and current flower snob I've always wanted to keep fresh flowers in the house but haven't been able to do so until now. I couldn't resist the whimsy of these delicate pink gerbera daisies. While I was thinking about good contrast I spotted some beautiful burgandy alstromeria. Don't underestimate it. Alstro looks fragile but it's surprisingly hearty - it'll take on a carnation any day. Supported by ruscus greens and the silvery blue wisps of caspia the arragement seemed to make itself. Ah, the small joys.

Transportation....

I've always wanted to try this type of lifestyle. Living in a city. Walking everywhere. Learning public transportation. After being in Wellington for a few months (just short of five....already?!) I've decided that this is the perfect city to learn about 'city living'. Mind you Wellington isn't a big city, population just shy of 400,000, it's a city nonetheless. And, I'll just speak for myself, I'm smitten. I love the little cafes that are everywhere, the fact that you can walk most places in the city proper within an hour whether you're going to the ballet or to watch rugby or rollerderby.

Without a car, we walk. And walk. And walk. I've never walked so much in my life. And I can admit that sometimes I just don't want to but knowing that it's my only option I've adjusted my attitude accordingly. I do like the fact that we are forced to put one foot in front of the other if we want to do anything or go anywhere. I never walked much before because either it was logistically impossible or I didn't want to walk. Now it's a must and I love that.

With that said we've come to realize that instead of investing in a car, insurance, registration and petrol now we're investing in a different type of transportation: shoes. :) Below is our little footwear army - they put in the miles so we can hike the hill up to campus, go exploring, shopping, out for coffee, to watch rugby, etc. For that we say thank you. :)