“It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day… it’s a new life for me. And I’m feeling good.” Oh sing it Nina! I’m ironing some shirts for the coming week of work. Fallen into a Sunday routine of taking turns making dinner with Dougal, doing our ironing, and watching a movie.
Today the flat reverberates with Ms. Simon’s fabulous lyrics and they resonate all through me.
Thank you Jane & Dad for the clothes, all 100 lbs! I wore my boots out last night and I must say they work here, seventy-four hundred and forty miles from Texas. Like a magnetic force, we travelers managed to congregate in the midst of a packed bars as I met more brits last night - planning a ski trip with them weekend after this coming one down on the south island.
Amazingly the scent of Rockport came through the shirts as I ironed and I felt a pang of reminiscence. Hanging photos of my adventure thus far and hearing Etta James chime through, I am reminded of how good it feels surrunded by amazing memories, hear music I love, and live the life I thirst for.
Life is adventure!
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Sunday night in a windowsill
Great weekend of parties, yoga, and hiking in the surrounding mountains: now finishing up with a night of takeout and movies with my fabulous flatmate Dougal.
Dougal’s hit the sack while I relax in the living room. Peering out of the windows on the street, I see a city asleep. A bus confirms I’m not just looking at a photo. Norah Jones’ sultry voice sings, “I don’t miss you at all”. The contradiction reminds me a bit of my own.
I’m still amazed with how lucky I am to land here and fall into the company of great people in a lovely city. Yet, I do miss you folks back home. Alas, without the challenge of doing this on my own, this adventure would lose a lot of its rewards.
I can’t believe it, but on Thursday I’ve been working a month already. I can tell I’m back in the rat race as time disappears and a month has passed in the blink of an eye. At least I have the memories of great times at work and plenty of laughter with folks I’ve met here.
Took maybe 10 photos in 3 weeks, but that’s part of settling. Building a home, with its forthcoming foundation comes the comfort to stretch back out into the things one does for fun instead of those we do for survival.
Long Friday and Saturday nights with friends, buying sheets and a towel hook for the bathroom, and a nice hike with Simon up a local mountain in the fog – I do love this city. A week of work and then possibly some sailing in the Marlborough sounds in the South Island. The next weekend will bring a weekend party with people from work in a hired Yacht Club, kayaking the sounds, and diving a wreck – that will all be fantastic. Next weekend also brings my birthday, my first family event without family around. This is though… the adventure.
Dougal’s hit the sack while I relax in the living room. Peering out of the windows on the street, I see a city asleep. A bus confirms I’m not just looking at a photo. Norah Jones’ sultry voice sings, “I don’t miss you at all”. The contradiction reminds me a bit of my own.
I’m still amazed with how lucky I am to land here and fall into the company of great people in a lovely city. Yet, I do miss you folks back home. Alas, without the challenge of doing this on my own, this adventure would lose a lot of its rewards.
I can’t believe it, but on Thursday I’ve been working a month already. I can tell I’m back in the rat race as time disappears and a month has passed in the blink of an eye. At least I have the memories of great times at work and plenty of laughter with folks I’ve met here.
Took maybe 10 photos in 3 weeks, but that’s part of settling. Building a home, with its forthcoming foundation comes the comfort to stretch back out into the things one does for fun instead of those we do for survival.
Long Friday and Saturday nights with friends, buying sheets and a towel hook for the bathroom, and a nice hike with Simon up a local mountain in the fog – I do love this city. A week of work and then possibly some sailing in the Marlborough sounds in the South Island. The next weekend will bring a weekend party with people from work in a hired Yacht Club, kayaking the sounds, and diving a wreck – that will all be fantastic. Next weekend also brings my birthday, my first family event without family around. This is though… the adventure.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
My life as a tax paying Wellingtonian...
It’s official, I pay taxes, have a job, business cards, telephone number, and now even an address. To make it better, my address is without a street number. For all you parents out there:
Apartment B
Stonehams Building, Cable Car Lane
Wellington, New Zealand
Home: 64 4 472 5636 / Mobile: 64 21 313 446 / Work: 64 4 472 2021
Whitney’s visit finished up with the grand finale of my mom visiting. (I do believe I’ve received more visits in New Zealand that I ever did in Austin) I wasn’t able to provide Whitney with any excitement on par with climbing waterfalls in southern Thailand, but I really enjoyed her company and help looking for a flat. I had grown quite accustomed to having family around so there was less shock on my Mom’s visit. (She was here as a stop off on the way to some work in Sydney from Monday to Thursday) The three of us had a grand ol’ time while I had the special privilege of showing my mom my new “life”.
More appropriately, the current one. I am though, just as scared if not more, transitioning into another lifestyle here as I was when I started my trip. Yet, just like my travels, scary tends to be rewarding. I’ve managed to land in job I like with people that I like, in a city that is beautiful and welcoming. (Although bloody cold now that it’s winter) After a fair bit of hunting, I now flatting with Dougal (pronounced doo-gul, I know – but that’s apparently not uncommon here) in a hundred year old building in the middle of downtown Wellington (pictures coming soon). Our flat is the top floor of an old three-story building surrounded by skyscrapers. The second floor is a bar that I have already come to love. My work is about a four and half minute walk away, and my moped is parked on the sidewalk when I’m feeling lazy as I can get nearly anywhere by walking in this city.
This weekend made me realize how damn lucky I am for landing on my proverbial feet. After work Friday, and went out with some guys for happy hour at the bar below my bedroom and listened to jazz (love it!) – then upstairs for a bit of an impromptu party (living above a bar may be dangerous). Saturday it was off to a fantastic yoga class followed by furniture shopping. This is funny because I’m having to balance my picky, spoiled taste with the fact that no, I won’t use this piece of furniture for the next ten years. I thought that in May of last year when I was furnishing my apartment in Austin, now all that stuff is at other people’s homes and I’m creating a home in a place I would never have imaged myself in - in May of last year. A crisp blue Saturday afternoon with a friend from work and her little girl at the park which presented an opportunity to teach Abby to always ask to swing higher and try to jump off things. Abby and I had a blast as her mother grew grey hairs. Out to dinner with friends, a little bar hoping and I found my favorite bar already. Somehow ended up at the wrap party for King Kong with freakin’ movie stars and then finally to bed. This morning I walked to a local bakery for fresh scones and chai before sailing on one of Wellington’s most competitive yachts all afternoon. Holy, freaking cow - this place is a blast!
I can’t believe how lucky I am. I’ve got to be sure to pump good karma back into the ether because I’m sucking it up at the moment. I guess it just goes to show you how easy it is to just have an adventure. Or more importantly, how good it feels to do what you want with life. Every breath I take reminds me that I’m living a finite lifetime, so I better be taking that breath while grabbing life by the horns and living it instead of watching it slip away.
I do miss you guys back home. I miss Austin and I miss Texas. I will return someday, just have to wait for when the time is right. After all, I’ve got my whole life to play – I just want play off in the corners of the playground for a while.
Apartment B
Stonehams Building, Cable Car Lane
Wellington, New Zealand
Home: 64 4 472 5636 / Mobile: 64 21 313 446 / Work: 64 4 472 2021
Whitney’s visit finished up with the grand finale of my mom visiting. (I do believe I’ve received more visits in New Zealand that I ever did in Austin) I wasn’t able to provide Whitney with any excitement on par with climbing waterfalls in southern Thailand, but I really enjoyed her company and help looking for a flat. I had grown quite accustomed to having family around so there was less shock on my Mom’s visit. (She was here as a stop off on the way to some work in Sydney from Monday to Thursday) The three of us had a grand ol’ time while I had the special privilege of showing my mom my new “life”.
More appropriately, the current one. I am though, just as scared if not more, transitioning into another lifestyle here as I was when I started my trip. Yet, just like my travels, scary tends to be rewarding. I’ve managed to land in job I like with people that I like, in a city that is beautiful and welcoming. (Although bloody cold now that it’s winter) After a fair bit of hunting, I now flatting with Dougal (pronounced doo-gul, I know – but that’s apparently not uncommon here) in a hundred year old building in the middle of downtown Wellington (pictures coming soon). Our flat is the top floor of an old three-story building surrounded by skyscrapers. The second floor is a bar that I have already come to love. My work is about a four and half minute walk away, and my moped is parked on the sidewalk when I’m feeling lazy as I can get nearly anywhere by walking in this city.
This weekend made me realize how damn lucky I am for landing on my proverbial feet. After work Friday, and went out with some guys for happy hour at the bar below my bedroom and listened to jazz (love it!) – then upstairs for a bit of an impromptu party (living above a bar may be dangerous). Saturday it was off to a fantastic yoga class followed by furniture shopping. This is funny because I’m having to balance my picky, spoiled taste with the fact that no, I won’t use this piece of furniture for the next ten years. I thought that in May of last year when I was furnishing my apartment in Austin, now all that stuff is at other people’s homes and I’m creating a home in a place I would never have imaged myself in - in May of last year. A crisp blue Saturday afternoon with a friend from work and her little girl at the park which presented an opportunity to teach Abby to always ask to swing higher and try to jump off things. Abby and I had a blast as her mother grew grey hairs. Out to dinner with friends, a little bar hoping and I found my favorite bar already. Somehow ended up at the wrap party for King Kong with freakin’ movie stars and then finally to bed. This morning I walked to a local bakery for fresh scones and chai before sailing on one of Wellington’s most competitive yachts all afternoon. Holy, freaking cow - this place is a blast!
I can’t believe how lucky I am. I’ve got to be sure to pump good karma back into the ether because I’m sucking it up at the moment. I guess it just goes to show you how easy it is to just have an adventure. Or more importantly, how good it feels to do what you want with life. Every breath I take reminds me that I’m living a finite lifetime, so I better be taking that breath while grabbing life by the horns and living it instead of watching it slip away.
I do miss you guys back home. I miss Austin and I miss Texas. I will return someday, just have to wait for when the time is right. After all, I’ve got my whole life to play – I just want play off in the corners of the playground for a while.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
