Book love....

Revenge Wears Prada (sequel to The Devil Wears Prada).

Power Plant....

As part of the NZ Festival we attended a light/sound show in the Botanical Gardens called Power Plant. We've walked through the gardens several times but never at night so this was an interesting perspective on something familiar. In short, the organizers of this event sectioned off a path through the gardens and along this pathway were a variety of lighting and sound elements. The overall effect was intriguing, eerie in places, and we found ourselves stopping in several sections trying to take in the dramatic effects projected on the back drop of leafy silhouettes. In lieu of attempting explanations I will let the images below tell the story. We took the cable car up to the gardens and realized that we had already entered the exhibit when we boarded the trolley. During its ascent the car travels through a tunnel that was decorated with racing LEDs that created an Alice-in-Wonderland-down-the-rabbit-hole effect. 

Grilling.....

As a "thank you" for serving as tour guides, chauffeurs and chefs the family decided to give us our very own BBQ! Ever since we moved to the slightly larger studio apartment in August 2012 we've wanted to get one to take advantage of our little patio area. And we are loving it! With a butcher just across the street we've been preparing burgers topped with cheese, pineapple and a range of sauces (ketchup, mustard, sweet chili). In addition, we've found kebabs an easy and delicious dinner, alternating pieces of chicken, bell pepper, mushroom and pineapple. Yum! :)

Saag swap.....

It's no secret that Tim and I enjoy spicy food. And since moving to Wellington we've found what's become our spicy staple: Indian curry. We're crazy about two in particular; tarka dal (yellow lentils) and saag paneer (paneer cheese cubes in a spinach gravy) and have found a place just down Cuba Mall that consistently serves up good curry. Admittedly, we get their takeaway (takeout) every week. So tonight after taking in the flick, Cuban Fury, we decided to head down to Tulsi and get some saag paneer takeaway for dinner. They asked us how hot we would like our curry to which we always answer "Indian hot". Now in Kiwiland  people don't tend to enjoy spicy food so they specify two levels of "hot" - Kiwi hot, that is not so hot, and Indian hot if you want some spice. After ordering we sat down at the bar to wait for our curry. Various people came in to pick up their curries while we were waiting and 95% of those, I kid you not, were butter chicken, mild, with garlic naan. Come on people, live a little. Soon our curry was ready and we toted it home and when Tim was spooning it onto plates he realized something was amiss. Somewhere along the line a mistake had been made and they gave us saagwala (chicken pieces in spinach gravy), mild, instead of saag paneer, Indian hot. A little disappointed we ate it anyway and it had pretty good flavor but no spice whatsoever. We giggled and wondered about the people who got our saag paneer, Indian hot. Yeah, they may never eat Indian food ever again.

Year 3.....

What? What? So six weeks ago, on February 9, 2014, we started our third year in New Zealand. This is astounding. The time has screamed by and all of a sudden we're looking at the last stretch of our PhDs and thinking about what we'd like to do next. Granted we still have a tremendous amount of work to do for our respective programs it seems insane to be considering the end of this season in our lives. When we first arrived in Wellington we spent time trying to get oriented and find our way in a different country, at a different school and in new programs. I remember thinking that three years is not enough time to do a PhD and I still believe this to be true. There simply isn't enough time to conduct sufficient research to fuel several publications. And while many students take longer than three years our scholarships end after thirty six months so we will finish as close to that time as possible. Throughout the first year of the PhD things were going along, there was data collection and reading and writing. But all of a sudden I feel blind sided by the fact that time seems to have sped up and now I'm staring down the final stretch. No wait! I feel like I'm just starting to get the hang of things. :) This seems to be what a colleague of mine calls "PhD time". It differs from regular time in that in expands and contracts as you go along. In short, one minute you feel like you'll never finish this process and then things shift to feeling like you're incredibly busy but don't feel like you're making progress. It makes you feel like you're losing your mind because you vacillate between these extremes while time continues to slip by and soon dissertation defenses will be looming. While I never expected the program to fly by so fast I cannot fathom walking to into my defense. What an incredible day that will be! Until then we'll continue to log hours in the lab, read articles, write chapters, and put in hours volunteering. Here's to the grind that is a PhD program!

Inaneness...

After my family departed NZ for the US six weeks ago I embarked on what will be the last HUGE experiment of my PhD. While I still have a good deal of data to collect this experiment represents the last stretch of time where I work seven days a week, six of those starting data collection at 6:30am, for several months straight. In truth it's exciting to be acquiring so much data but right now I'm three weeks in and am starting to run on empty. Timmy and I make a concerted effort to go to bed at a decent time but the days become insanely long when you leave for work at 6am and sometimes don't get home until after 6pm. Now I've really been trying to escape the lab after working eight hours like a normal person but, for the most part, that has proven impossible. There's always some additional lab work to be done and I never would've guessed that all these preparatory tasks would take as much time as they do. When I start collecting data in the morning I barely get things set up and do some other small tasks and eat breakfast but before I know it it's time to break down my experiment so the next student can use the equipment. In addition to collecting data Tim and I have both been participating in the Postgraduate Student's Association (PGSA) here at Vic. And while we've worked on numerous projects that are resulting in truly positive outcomes for students it takes quite a bit of time to prepare. As of October last year Tim took over the presidency and has done an amazing job coordinating work for the Executive Board. I sit on that Board as well as participate as a postgrad representative for Academic Board, Academic Committee and the Animal Ethics Committee. Over the past three weeks I've had long meetings with ridiculous amounts of reading for Academic Board, Academic Committee and Ethics. So with data collection getting us to campus early in the morning PGSA work often keeps us on campus until 5pm or later. And for that reason we are starting to feel the strain. In discussing how to manage our fatigue, because I will have this schedule until at least the beginning of May, Tim made a fantastic suggestion. A prescription for all things inane. In an effort to escape work, even for short periods of time, we have decided to pursue activities that require no brain power. I've realized that I don't have any to spare anyway. :) Therefore, in our limited free time we play video games and read mindless fluff books or watch TV that we stream from the US. I never thought these things would help to bring balance to overworking but they do. Here's to not using your brain!

Book love....

Takedown Twenty.

No Worries!(?)

Well we've talked about Kiwi expressions before and right at the top of the list (next to "Cheers") comes "No Worries."  In use, this expression would be similar to the North American saying, "No Problem."  You know,

"Tim can you grab the groceries from the car?" - "No Worries"

"Bridget can we stop by my office on the way home?" - No Worries"

"I am sorry we're closed for the day." - "No Worries"

Simple right?

Today, a Saturday, Bridget and I were up at uni (university) and I went to use the mens' toilet (no I am not being crass, that's what bathrooms are called in NZ).  When I entered the room something immediately seemed wrong.  The floor was flooded and tilting my head to the ceiling I noticed water coming through an overhead vent.  Immediately I went back to my office to ring (another Kiwi expression) the security office to notify them of the problem.  After a couple of "pardon mes" my American accent was able to convey the issue of a leaking pipe and the resulting flooding to which the guard on the other end of the conversation replied, "No worries," and hung up.

Really?  No worries?  I might be a bit concerned about the amount of water coming from the ceiling and starting to push out into the hall way.  I was a little anxious about how close the water in the ceiling was to the light fixtures.  And I was at least a tiny bit worried about where the water was coming from, but I guess I just need to adjust my attitude.

So next time something goes wrong in your life, channel your inner Kiwi and say, "No Worries!"

Farewells and Hurricanes...

The next morning came around quickly and I was soon heading off to collect the family at the hotel and take them to the airport. Timmy had meetings that morning and so said his goodbyes the night before. I decided to take the group for one last brunch at the same place where us girls had High Tea at the beginning of the trip. We munched on pancakes, eggs and sausages while reliving some favorite moments of the trip. Some of these included our time at the zoo, the Hurricanes game, taking the ferry and of course our time in Nelson. After paying the bill we headed back to their hotel to pick up their bags and a shuttle whisked us away to the airport. Checking in took some time after the machine decided to reset halfway through printing the fifteen boarding passes. Sigh. In the end we were able to get it sorted out, we dropped off the bags and headed to the gate. With teary goodbyes, hugs and kisses the troop traipsed through security and were on their way around the corner. I waved until they were out of sight and smiled. It was a truly amazing two weeks with them in NZ! I know they enjoyed their time here but we had a great time as well. And somehow even the weather had cooperated as it had been very un-NZ with light winds and warm temperatures. I know they'll never believe me that often Wellington is very windy and rainy. :) Oh well. I was happy that the weather was so perfect for their time here.

As I walked back through the airport I saw a group of guys sitting at one of the tables in the food court area. It took a second but I connected the dots and realized that I was looking at a group of the Hurricanes rugby squad that we cheer on each season! I knew I was gawking like an idiot but I didn't care. After passing their table I actually stopped walking and thought, "Should I go back there and get a photo with them?". In the end I decided to keep going but it was a nice surprise to see them outside a game. :)

I decided to embrace reality, that taking taxis is not the norm, and waited to board a bus back into Wellington. And wouldn't you know it? It started pouring rain. This bus would only take me so far into town and I'd still need to walk 15 blocks home. Thanks a lot Wellington! I walked under awnings as much as possible but arrived home sopping wet. Sigh. Oh well. I was home and able to change into dry clothes. After doing this I surveyed the apartment and wondered what to do with myself. I decided to sit down with a book but soon fell asleep on the couch. It was a good tired. :)

Sun scorch....

The following day before I pried myself from our bed I knew that something was wrong with me. Every muscle in my body was complaining and wondering why we needed to build such an obscenely large sand castle?! In addition, despite my careful application of sunscreen the strong NZ sun had gotten to my back and shoulders. I soon learned that everyone else had similar complaints and together we decided that we would spend some time leisurely exploring in town. We did some shopping, got ice cream and in the evening sat down to our last meal in Nelson. I could scarcely believe that the time had passed so quickly. But a quick look around the table and everyone looked the way I felt: tired. That night we spent some time packing and cleaning up around the house in preparation for our departure in the morning.

The next morning we said goodbye to #17, loaded up the cars and retraced our steps back to Picton. There we wrangled all of our luggage into a huge pile and returned the rental cars. From there we off loaded our luggage and again stepped foot onto the Interislander that would take us back to Wellington. This time we knew to beeline straight to the front of the boat where we snagged the entire first row where we could see the water directly in front of the boat. :) Part way through our journey Mom and I were chatting and I glanced out the window into the water where I saw several dolphins swimming up to and then under the ship! I couldn't believe it! I pointed them out and we spent the next 30 minutes watching a few pop up here and there right in front of the ship. :)

Soon we were pulling into Wellington harbor. After 30 min we were allowed down the gangplank and we went to collect our bags. Then I ordered a shuttle to take us to the hotel where the fam would spend their last night in NZ. We managed to get everyone checked in and moved all the bags to the respective rooms. After that we decided to head out and look for dinner. We decided on a pizza place called One Red Dog where we shared our last meal together. Walking back to the hotel Tim and I gathered our bags and took a taxi to our house where we collapsed into a heap.

Beach bliss...

We woke to ominously cloudy skies. I checked my Weather Channel app because I was sure it had said that the day would be sunny and perfect. And yes, it was predicting that the clouds would clear and sunny skies would follow. Honestly, I was a little worried because we only had a couple days left in Nelson and everyone was super excited about going to the beach. We spent the morning bumming around the house and wouldn't you know it - the skies began to clear and soon the temperature was climbing. With our beach day coming together we started to change into swimwear and gather up everything we would need to take along. After ridiculous amounts of sunscreen were applied we packed the cars and headed into town. We found a place to park and hiked over a small dune where we were greeted by a vast expanse of blue water and sky.

Our toes happily found themselves in sand as fine as powdered sugar. We scoped out a place to set up camp and off loaded our bags and towels. Timmy, Landy and I then set off to find a hardware store. We wanted to buy some buckets, scoops and beach toys for Josephine. The boys were eager to build an epic sandcastle so we had to find these essential supplies. Buckets were easy enough but the scoops proved harder to find. I stumbled upon the perfect thing in the kitchen section where I found scoops so big you'd never be able to use them in a kitchen situation. But they suited our purposes and soon we were off. We stopped at a gas station and loaded up drinks for everyone and were soon parked back at the beach. Lunging our purchases we found the rest of the troop. Setting to work immediately Timmy, Landy and I set to work filling buckets (10 L) with wet sand that would comprise the first level of the sand castle. The scoops worked perfectly and we soon had a square of bucket shaped sand clumps. At this point the tide was lapping right at the edge of our castle. We continued to filling buckets as fast as we could and soon carved out a big pit a few yards from the castle.

From here Timmy suggested we start to fortify the corners with extra sand so we could make them into towers (multiple levels). At this point I left the boys to collect shells with Josephine as the tide was receding a little bit each time around. After we had amassed a huge pile of shells Josephine, Paul and I decided to go out in the water. The water was surprisingly warm and the waves weren't all that strong. Even so I picked up Josephine so she would experience the waves without being overwhelmed by them. The three of us bobbed and floated until Josephine's teeth started chattering. At that point we started to make our way back to the beach and Grandma Linda met us with warm towels. She asked Josephine if she felt cold to which Josephine replied, through chattering teeth, "no!". :)

By this time the guys had added ascending levels to the castle and made serious progress. But they told us that they ran into structural problems that they repeatedly tried to fix. Alas, they had abandoned the project but it had been a fun one that took most of the day to build. :)

Sandy, salty and tired we decided to pack it in for the day. We loaded up the cars and headed back to the house. Then Paul, Timmy and I headed into town to get a few groceries for that night's dinner. When we arrived home we set to work grilling burgers on the BBQ. We feasted outside on our picnic table and watched as the sky turned into a spectacular sunset. It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: it was a great day!

Sunny Nelson.....

Nelson, New Zealand, is known for being the sunniest place in all of Kiwiland. Our first morning we woke to an absolutely beautiful day and since our intensive planning stopped when we left Wellington we happily passed the day "at home". In the morning I spent some time sitting on the deck soaking in the views and painting my nails. Landy was the only person motivated to work out so he set to it using some dumb bells he found in one of the hall closets. When he jumped down onto the grass to do some crunches Josephine decided that she would participate as well. I couldn't stop laughing at her antics and Landy's focus as he managed to do most of the crunches before playing with and tickling her. :)

The rest of the day we passed our time playing rugby in the backyard which was dangerous since the area was not fenced and presented us with a precipitously sloping incline going down the hill. We kept joking that if we lost the ball down the hill we'd have to abandon it. Then after being careful and rescuing the ball from several 'close calls' it found it's way over the edge and tumbled down, down, down to a flimsy fence adjacent to a neighbor's yard. And what do you know? Timmy decides to go after it. In flip flops. He didn't have too much trouble skirting his way down. But coming back up was another issue. Part way he started to slip and was reaching out for anything close and closed his hand around a prickly bush. With minor injuries he was able to climb all the way to the top where we pulled him back onto the lawn.Whew! After that we made a concerted effort to keep a closer eye on the ball. And we did. Until it flew over the edge again. This time Paul jumped down after it and was able to rescue to ball and bring it back up so we could keep playing.

In addition to rugby we also spent time jumping the trampoline. Now it wasn't a big one but two people could jump at a time so we took turns. When Tim and I had a turn we were both laughing like idiots! :)

All in all we passed an incredibly contented day in sunny Nelson and then went into town to grab some dinner. On the way to the restaurant we saw several sandy beaches. It didn't take long to decide that the next day we would beach it!

House #17......

We rolled farther up the hill and came to #17 complete with jaw dropping views of the homes going down the hill and the huge expanse of ocean just across the highway at the bottom of the incline. With mouths agape we climbed out of the cars and stood speechless taking in the view. Now we had seen photos of the house and some of the views but we didn't realize it was going to be 100% more amazing! 

Trying to shake off the surprise I jokingly said, "So here you go, you ordered the super high roller package, right?". After snapping a few photos we unlocked the front door and went in to explore the interior of the house. 

We were greeted with a huge open floor plan kitchen that transitioned into a dining area and then the living room. One entire wall along this great room area was comprised of huge sliding glass doors that looked out on the backyard but more to the point it provided stunning hill tops views of the ocean. With this option we kept that side of the house open to the balmy summer air during the day. Heaven.

After looking at the four bedrooms we decided who would sleep where and lugged our suitcases to said rooms. 

Everyone set to unpacking or standing outside behind the house gaping at the view of the ocean. I know I keep mentioning this but it was truly STUNNING.

Next we set to the business of compiling a shopping list and decided that we would go into town, pick up some groceries to get us started and then we would pick up pizzas on the way back. Tim, Paul and I left the others at the house and headed into town. We quickly filled a shopping cart to overflowing with goodies for a few meals as well as snacks and all kinds of things to drink. :) This was so much fun for us because we only ever shop for a few days at a time because that's as much as you can carry home. I never thought that putting groceries into a car and driving home would be such a luxury. Just one of the many things we've learned since being in NZ. So with a trunk full of groceries we stopped by Dominoes and put in our order. Soon it was ready and we were trotting out to the car with a pile of pizza boxes. After zipping down the highway we found our turn and started climbing the hill to our house set in the clouds. :) We lugged in the groceries and set to putting them away while simultaneously setting up the pizza and some salads for dinner. Happily situated in our new house we settled around the big dining room table to set to munching. It was big day taking the ferry, wrangling and packing the rental cars and driving to Nelson but we couldn't have been more excited to stay in such a beautiful house just off the ocean. :)