Book love.....

To Kill a Mockingbird. Simply brilliant - Harper Lee delivers wit and sarcasm with perfect precision. This one remains my all-time favorite.

Ugly....

Upon returning from my DC trip Tim gifted me a "keep cup" to use when getting coffee on and off campus. He spied this particular one at one of the coffee shops at Victoria, liked to color combination and decided to snap it up for me. Then he gave me the option: I could have this one or I could pick out another one and he'd take the original cup. After persuing the Keep Cup website and trying a wide variety of color combinations I still hadn't found the perfect one. Then we were standing in line to get coffee when I saw an aqua colored cup with a pink band. I knew it was the one and so decided to purchase it. It's a slightly random color combination but one that still works.

One day Tim and I got our coffees in the Keep Cups and met up with Tim's supervisor, Petrik, for lunch. As a group we were talking about the color combinations and how the baristas, without fail, never put the right lid on the corresponding cup resulting in truly hideous color mixtures. I laughed and said, "They look like uglies...." to which Petrik immediately said, "No, no, it's not ugly!". I then went on to explain the reference.

In NZ there exists a sportswear brand called Canterbury; they made their start with rugby jerseys but have since expanded to offer track pants, t-shirts, sweatshirts and even socks. By the 1970s the worldwide demand for rugby jerseys was keeping Canterbury busy. But then they were swimming in left over bits and pieces of fabric - what would they do with them? This is where "the Uglies" were born. Taking random pieces (arms, hems and collars) Canterbury starting putting together what they would market as a "practice" jersey. This simple idea resulted in a complete "uglies" line of clothing that is still sold today. It has become an iconic piece of Kiwi culture.

So does my Keep Cup qualify for "ugly" status? I think yes. :)

Traditional.....

Last week Tim and I were having lunch with Tim's supervisor, Petrik, and two colleagues from the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences. Petrik made the introductions and after saying, "This is Tim and Bridget" he went on to say, "and they're married". Now we've had all sorts of different reactions when this fact is brought to light. Some people are surprised, for reasons I fail to understand. But the response that came next surprised me. It was: "Well, that's refreshingly traditional!". We all laughed but it got me thinking. Since moving to New Zealand I've noticed that many people are quick to talk about their significant other as their "partner". Additionally, many couples we have met are not married. So I guess it comes as a surprise when a relatively young couple is actually married. Very unhip, but that doesn't bother us. We are happy to be together but we've always felt that way even before we were official. :)

Book love....

Game of Thrones. This book, and its three successors, has been sitting on the shelf since we returned from the US over two years ago. Fail. Now I'm jumping in and it's no surprise this was, in itself, a tour de force. Now onto the next epic tome.