I'm Henry the Eighth, I am

The Aucklander's view of public transportation is much the same as a Texan's. Public transportation here seems only for the old, the infirm, the poor, and the dim-witted. I do not know which category(ies) I fit, but I nevertheless found myself taking the bus yesterday.

Wednesday heralds the week's most anticipated event for Mindy and I. Lacking friends and social acquaintances as of yet, we seek the company of others every Wednesday night at the Green Bay Auction. The plan was for me to take the bus from Titirangi Village to New Lynn and meet Mindy there for the auction. I was giddy with excitement.

I made my way up the steep hill to the village. It was so early that I would have many hours to kill in New Lynn while waiting for Mindy to get off work. However, the excitement of the auction and of a different town (Merkel as compared to Trent) was too much to bear.

By Act of Divinty, I had time to grab a long black at the Hardware and still make it to the bus stop with time to spare. There was only one other person waiting in the Plexiglas structure. Little did I know that I was in the presence of royal blood and a Princess at that.

I asked the lady what time the bus arrived. She looked nervously to either side as if to confirm that I was speaking to her. After a pause she answered that the time was posted outside the structure. I guess my blank look prompted more of a response. She arranged the layers of material and plastic sacks of various sizes on the bench next to her and went to check the sign. She came back, reporting that the bus was due to arrive in five minutes.

In an attempt to strike up conversation, I asked her whether she rode the bus often. It was apparent that she fit into one, if not all, of the above categories. She answered that she had lost her license again. "I am unlucky while driving," she stated, then went on to describe how she had been taken to court eight times to answer charges that she was a poor driver and face the possibility of losing her license. It seems that the eighth time was a charm. Judging from what I've seen on the roadways here, I assumed that anyone was allowed to drive.

As if my invitation to converse had opened the floodgate of a resovoir of word soup, she continued with her family history. She is of a rural people, she claimed with no argument from me, and her family farmed. She spoke in the past tense, remembering childhood, as if nothing relevant had happened since. I think she said she grew up on the South Island outside Dunedin, but I can't be sure.

Almost in passing she stated that her father had died at age 94 and that she and her family found out only afterward that he was King George VI. Apparently he had kept the secret from them in order to protect them -- choosing to live a simple, provincial life of farming. I asked whether that would make her a princess. She answered indirectly by stating that she is the same age as Princess Ann.

About that time the bus arrived. Apparently she was waiting for another bus -- or for something more mysterious -- but she did not board the bus when I did. My final glance confirmed that, despite the bag-lady clothes and the noticeable tic, there was something decidedly royal in her features. After paying twelve pence, I sat on the bus like a peasant reflecting on my encounter with a princess in a Titirangi bus stop.

Along Came a Spider

Little miss Mindy
Went to the windie
To look at the beautiful view
Along came a spider
And dropped down beside her
And scared Miss Mindy away!

by Mindy

Food for thought:

I am really enjoying our new mixed roles of me bringing home the bacon and Brandon being a house husband. My job is going really well and as Brandon has mentioned I have several opportunities a day to munch and dine on home cooked meals and snacks. With no television, sun setting by 5:30 and the “all purpose” room, as Brandon has named it, being the only warm place at night, we spend great lengths of time planning the next days menu. As you may have already read, I started my day with eggs, toast and a banana. For morning tea I had Milo (a hot beverage that tastes like hot cocoa if you add enough sugar and milk) and a homemade “cave cookie”. For lunch I dined on a PBJ toasty (toasted in the sandwich toaster at school), a banana and some more cave cookie. Someone brought in some chocolate eggs for afternoon tea, so I saved that snack for my ride home. I was greeted at the door with the smell of Kumara soup and fresh baked scones. They were both so tasteful that I am requesting them for various snacks and meals tomorrow. In the past few days I’ve dined on Chicken Cordonblue (no idea how to spell that!), Vegetable soup, which later become fish soup, and countless fruits and veggies that have been chopped or sliced into a beautiful presentation. I’ve gotten to be the talk of the staff room with all of my little plastic containers filled with goodies. (Ironically, they recently had an SLT from the states and her husband stayed home as a house husband, too, and packed her lunch with lots of goodies, and her name was Lindy!). However, if I don’t get to running up the side of this mountain on a regular basis things could get pretty scary!

Frost on the Pumpkin

We awoke to a second morning of cold temperatures and heavy frost. The weather was forecasted to reach 2 degrees C. As we have the current blessing of no television, I do not know the actual morning low temperature.



We scurried into our thick luxurious robes ($39.00 NZD each) and slipped on the thin piece of Chinese-made crap house shoes we bought at a local market ($5.00 NZD for both pair). [You really do get what you pay for.] Mindy took refuge in the bathroom, which I had pre-warmed for her, as I slaved away in the frigid kitchen making eggs and toast.

We took up our morning dining spots in the bathroom – me on the commode and Mindy balanced precariously on a dresser used for bathroom storage. Being the only room in the house that is assured to get warm quickly and stay that way, the bathroom is well used in the morning and in the late evening for all sorts of activities that normally take place elsewhere. I have yet to cook in the bathroom, but have not ruled out the possibility. I have used the misnomer “bathroom” to describe the room with the toilet, sink and shower. The room is, after-all, sans-bath as Mindy frequently laments. It is more accurate to call ours a personal hygiene and general purpose room.

After some minor set-backs and many circles, Mindy was off to do whatever the hell she does during the day – have morning tea, have afternoon tea, and sit silently in countless boring meetings, from what I can tell. It was back under the wool duvet for me for an hour of reading whilst it warmed (not really) and thawed. I set off for the village yesterday as soon as Mindy left for work and have learned that the sun needs a little more time to find our humble valley.

I was greeted by one of many neighborhood dogs that seem to roam freely. I am struck with the irony of mutts and mongrels running loose throughout Auckland when it takes an Act of Parliament and a king’s ransom to import our pure-bred, leash-trained canines.

I was also greeted by the first rays of sun falling into the valley. The air was brisk and still quite chilled in the shade. It was perfect for walking straight uphill for thirty minutes, which I did.

Arrival at the village after the grueling hike is more anticipated and celebrated than when one arrives by car. Yesterday, I had to navigate the uniform-clad school children scuttling here and there. Today, only the independently-wealthy, the unemployed, and those who dance to beat of their own drum – some a combination of the above – walked the village sidewalks and occupied the outdoor tables of several cafes. It was off to the library for me. Coffee could wait.

The village branch of the greater Waitakere (pronounced ‘y-TOK-aw-REE’) City Library is a modest, but well-stocked building adjacent to the War Memorial Hall. For a generally peace-loving bunch, Kiwis have an inordinate amount of war memoralia.

Internet is free at the Titirangi branch on one computer. Time is limited to 30-minutes and scope is severely limited by some cyber-Nazi security program. I am not even able to access my web-mail, as that URL has been declared a guerilla loyalist and placed on the terrorist watch list. After another frustrating tussle with the lone public internet access point in Titirangi, I retreated to the security of the Hardware Café, a “long black” (long-poured espresso), and orange-apricot scone.

Having been invigorated by the coffee and inspired by the scone, I returned to the library to finish some forgotten internet errands and to secure a recipe for orange-apricot scones. Successful, I started home.

I arrived to dirty dishes, but also to the anticipation of baking. I have now completed the necessities and am about to embark on the scone making. I include the recipe below for those that are interested. The recipe is from the Edmonds Cookbook, which the librarian assured me was second only to the Bible in popularity among Kiwi’s. It is reprinted with variations here without permission.

Apricot and Orange Scones

3 cups standard grade flour
6 teaspoons Edmonds baking powder (the best baking powder in the world – that should make up for failure of permission to print this recipe)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
75 g butter, chopped
1 cup dried apricots (this is my variation as original recipe calls for dates)
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1-1 ½ cups milk
Extra milk to brush

Preheat oven to 220C. Lightly dust a baking tray with flour. Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a large bowl. Cut butter into flour until it resembles fine bread crumbs. (Edmond says “This can be done in a food processor,” but since I don’t have one I wouldn’t know). Stir in apricots (or dates) and zest (also put in the orange peel here). Add sufficient milk to mix quickly into a soft dough, using knife. Knead lightly, then transfer to a baking tray. Press into a rectangle about 3 cm thick. Cut into 9 equal-sized pieces. Leave a 2-cm space between scones. Brush tops with milk. Bake for 10 minutes until golden. Makes 9 scones.

I will update you on the results in the comments section.

Lifestyle (by Mindy)

We have had the most wonderful day! We woke up with sunshine streaming in our bedroom window. We dressed quickly and walked up the mountain to the village, where we had the most scrumcious breakfast. Then we made our way down to the local market. It occurs every last Saturday of the month, so those of you planning a visit need to put it around that weekend. It was very artsy, but affordable. There were beautiful hand made dishes, jewelry, and clothes, paintings, photographs, and FOOD. I visited for a long while with a woman who knits (I think that's what you would call it) clothes. They were the craziest and most comfortable pants and shirts and wraps I've ever seen. After browsing for quite a while and finding several things I wanted, but not finding my size, I convinced her to measure me and make some items to fit! So I have a pair of purple pants that are made out of chenille that she is going to resize for me and then she is going to make me a pair of tights. I'm not sure how to describe them, b/c they are thicker than the tights we are used to in the states. These are going to be some shade of green and I think pink and white striped. She is having the wool died tomorrow so she wasn't sure of the exact color. It is all the rage here to wear skirts with these cute tights and boots. Which brings me to the next most interesting guy. Brandon had already met this man while trying to find me a wool rug. This man hand makes Ugg type boots and sheep skin rugs.. His boots are much higher quality and cheaper than Uggs! We visited with him a good while and I think we are going to go to his store (so he can properly fit us) and Brandon is going to get a pair of house shoes that are wool-lined on the bottom and possum lined on the inside of the top. They are SO soft and cozy feeling. I am looking at a tall, brown pair of boots--thinking they will look WAY cute with my new tights and a skirt a got from Ashley :) We tasted some delicious venison salami and some fried muscles that we were unable to pass up, too. Brandon found some very neat pants that we can both wear. I let you ponder that for a moment! They are called Thai fisherman's pants. You pull the pants up until they are the correct length and then you wrap the waist around you to fit and tie it. You then roll down the excess waist and have very cute (or handsome) pants. They are also supposed to be good for pregnant women, so if any you want a pair let me know! We have both tried them on and they do fit us both quite nicely. You jewelry lovers are going to need to come with some saved money b/c it is so affordable here. I have bought the most beautiful necklaces for great prices. I've seen so many things that I want and that are so cheap that it is hard to pass up!

After such a lovely morning, we walked back home and dined on venison salami sandwiches and took a little nap. This afternoon we decided to go check out the nearest beach. It is one that we will be able to kayak to from the little creek near our house. It was most interesting! It was a black sand beach and was covered in rocks and sea shells and starfish. We found some starfish like we have in Texas, but it was mostly a smaller, fatter version. Once we found one we realized they were ALL OVER the place. We found clams and other types of shellfish that I don't know the names. There were several different groups gathering up bags of different shellfish. Unfortunately they had to empty out all of their hard work b/c a beach patrol man came and told them that the shell fish had been poisoned and were very dangerous to eat. Evidently there is some type of algae or something that the shellfish eat which is not great on the human digestive system. We were surprised that had they not been poisoned those people would have been able to harvest themselves a nice dinner--so different from the states.

Brandon took lots of pictures today of the local village, the beach, and I think of the market. We will try to get them posted in the next couple of days. We won't be able to have internet at our house for a week or two more. I have no idea why it is such a slow process to get phone and internet here, but it is very frustrating! I suppose it's because most people are enjoying the great outdoors. We are thinking it is going to be quite easy to get used to this new lifestyle!

Bright sunshiney day!

We are finally having some BEAUTIFUL weather. The sky is clear and blue and SUNNY! It feels like it is in the 60's. We have picked up our washer we won on trademe and ran a few errands driving with the windows down. I think we may walk up to town later. When we went through earlier it was full of walkers, joggers, and bikers passing through. I can't wait for my 2 week break to spend some time lazing around and enjoying the view!

Fotos del Casa

Here are some photos of us in our new flat. It is real close to a larger house and so there is no privacy in that direction. However, the other sides all face the bush as shown below and don't even have curtains.

This is our first meal -- a pizza and dessert from Hell Pizza:




The livingroom during the day:




The kitchen:


The bedroom (which is the room that is most complete -- because we are out of space in there):

Waste Not, Want Warmth

I just finished hiking 2 km straight uphill to get to the library in Titrangi village. Mindy's use of the car, thus leaving me without one, has really cramped my style. I came with my memory stick loaded with pictures of our flat -- a work in progress. The pictures included our first meal in our new flat. However, the library computers are very picky about how they are handled, and do not allow me to upload photos.

So I will tell you about things and post pictures this weekend. Our flat is basically 4 rooms -- a large livingroom, a small bedroom, a decent-sized kitchen and a bathroom. The floors are wood in the LR and bedroom and clay tile in the kitchen and bathroom. There are huge windows in every room, including two large sliding-glass doors in the LR and one in the bedroom. These windows and doors provide beautiful views of the surrounding bush (rainforest and pine mixed).

Much to Mindy's chagrin, the bathroom has only a stand-up shower (which is the norm in NZ). Also, there is no central heating or AC (again the norm in NZ). The winters are so short and mild that people only use floorheaters (mostly the oil fin type). Summers are so mild that an open window is all that is required. We have two oil fin heaters and are about to freeze to death (which appears to be the norm in NZ).

I have been in no building or structure that is heated to the extend that it would be in the States. I Moari woman that works with Mindy stated that, while visiting her brother in Palestine, Texas in winter, she was most surprised by how warm the buildings were kept. It seems they just knock the chill off here, but do not "heat" their homes. This is compounded by the lack of insulation in the home construction. One reason may be the cost of electricity here. Another may be that Kiwi's are an efficient and conservative bunch. Every household recycles. "Approved" rubbish bags cost $1.30 each. If your rubbish is not in an approved bag, it is not picked-up. I have noticed that most homes generate 1-2 rubbish bags per week. Glass, plastic, paper, and cardboard are placed in large "dumpsters" issued to each house for recycling. Most homes have a "worm box" or compost bin for organic waste. It surprises me that, given all this efficiency, the homes are not better insulated and more energy-conscious.

To "reduce, reuse and recycle" is not a liberal, hippie thing here. It is a way of life that simply avoids waste. I am starting to see how much excess there is in America and am amazed by it. We (Americans) have a well-earned reputation world-wide for waste, overuse, and carelessness, but at least we are warm in our homes.

To Market We Go, Jiggedy Jig

At last the promised post about the rampant consumerism of the weekend ...

Weekend is market time in various Auckland suburbs. We were told of two in particular because of their size. They really know how to interest American's. bigger is always better isn't it. The markets generally run 7:00 am to 12:00 pm. We were warned to arrive early to insure that all the "parks" (parking spaces) would not be taken.

The first market was at a large parking lot in Otara. Otara is a working-class area -- complete with thuggy-looking youngsters listening to hip-hop/rap music. It is also predominately minority -- a mixture of Asian and Islanders. There appears to be two aspects to the markets -- a fruit and vegetable sections and the "everything else" section.

The cultural divisions in the market are fascinating. The fruit and vegetable stands are run almost exclusively by Asians. There are several booths in the "everything else" section selling cheap knock-off tools, appliances, and household goods, which are run by Middle-Eastern refugees. It reminded me of "The Kite Runner" (a very good book), as each booth was manned by an older man and a young boy. The older man spoke no English, relying instead on the young boy for translation.

We purchased two heaters, a dehumidifier, and a vacuum at a ridiculous discount. Mindy found some jewelry and I bought a wool cap that was knitted by an old woman as I watched.

I am somewhat concerned about the quality of the products we purchased. Having bought the heaters for $70.00, I paid the proprietor with four $20-dollar notes. He sent the aforementioned "young boy" somewhere for change. Rather than wait for the boy to return with the change, I told the "older man" that we would take the heaters to the car and return for the change. He did not understand. I tried again, "We will come back for the change." Having misunderstood, the older man stated emphatically, "Yes, of course. You bring back, exchange. We here every Saturday. I make right." So not only did we purchase two heaters at a steal, but also received an extended warranty for free.

While we were purchasing our vacuum, someone else arrived with an obviously-used vacuum. The "older man" and the "younger boy" instantly recognized this customer. The "older man" motioned for the boy to intercept him and take him to the side. Minutes later the customer left with a new vacuum. While we were still negotiating over our vacuum, a rough-looking Maori woman inquired about a product. In broken English, the "older man" responded with the price and added that "It very good quality ... very good." She retorted, "That's what you said about the stereo and we have brought it back five times." Indignantly, she turned and left.

Although I am not confident in the quality of the products, I am satisfied with the customer service. New Zealand consumer-protection laws are ridiculously strict and pro-consumer. It seems that almost anything can be returned at almost anytime for failure to live up to the customer's expectations. I am sure this is an overstatement, but not by much.

Sunday's market was in Avondale -- in West Auckland and closer to home. It is held at a horsetrack. We did not find as many large items as the previous day, but it was fun nevertheless. Because we expected to be in the house on Monday, we opted to buy our fruits and vegetables at the Sunday market. We bought a plastic grocery sack absolutely full (4-5 kg) of organic kiwis for $3.00 NZD ($1.80 USD). Other fruits and vegetables were equally cheap and fresh.

After the market, we went to a bankruptcy sale. According to the commercial (doubtful as to its truthfulness), an Australian importer of lingerie, rugs, and bedding became insolvent and was taken over by the New Zealand government. It has rows and rows of bras, panties, thongs, and other delicates, which we could not bring ourselves to touch -- though hundreds of local women were having an unmentionables feeding frenzy.

The rugs, however, were very beautiful. The ones that we wanted were several hundred to thousands of dollars -- gorgeous and luxurious, but out of our price range. We did purchase two of the daily special: a natural colored wool rug and a red synthetic rug, both about 8X10.

After having a Queen-sized pine slat bed with mattress for desert, we waddled home, content from our weekend of gluttonous consumerism and fat with purchases (though thin on cash).

First day on the job!!

Well, I had a fabulous first day and learned heaps of facts of living in New Zealand. First about about my job! I am the only SLT at the moment. The other therapist has been on leave and decided last week she wanted to retire. They have plans of hiring a graduate student to come and take the other ladies place. The retiring SLT came in this afternoon to show me where everything was and gave me her number in case I have any questions. So I get top choice on everything!! I'll have 6 classrooms of students and was told to pick out 5 for now and work with each one for a day!! 3 or 4 of the classes are either brand new b/c of growing sizes or have a brand new teacher. I was told that for now the best thing to do with these classes are to just help the teacher set up the classroom with visual aides--What ever system I deem best. Which is absolutely my favorite thing to do in the world!! The 2 classes that are already "set up" are supposed to have very innovative teachers so that is great as well. The school is also taking a look at its assistive technology so I got put on that committee as well, which I'm excited about, and I'm going to some workshop in a couple of weeks. I think it's going to be interesting because they use mostly European (England) programs and devices so I'm not at all familiar with names. It does appear that they are mostly the same devices we use in the states once I get them to describe it. Apparently the "specialists" don't really have to be at work on time. I was told to come in around 8:30 and when we were walking to my office the assistant told me that she told the girls to be on time today so hopefully they were all there so I could meet them all! Oh, and we also break for morning tea at 10:30!! The paperwork is so crazy! I have to sign and date a sheet for each child every time I see them and THREE times a year I need to write a blurb on how they are doing so I'll have it for the end-of-the-year write-up. If any of you were worried about my first-day attire, you can stop. Several of the other therapist had very similar outfits AND I saw another nose rings as well. The people were so nice and look like they are going to be tons of fun. Somebody shouted my lunch today (yeah, threw me too, but I learned that means they were buying). The SLT that is retiring brought baked goods today when she came. She made some muffins especially in my honor using US cherries--they were delicious. I had another treat from my sweet house-husband who brought me a nice after-school snack when he came to pick me up. Waiting in the passenger seat was a chocolate cupcake and a carton of milk! I learned that NZ cinnamon and vanilla are not as strong tasting as our US kinds. I think we may be requesting those items in a care package later!

We ended today by dining out at an Indian restaurant. We split some chicken something as an appetizer and a lamb something for the entree. It was all very delicious--more sweet than spicey. We also had Naan which I can only describe as a thick tortilla, also very heavenly. I'm sure B will write a better description and may even remember the names.

We are hoping to get to stay in the house tomorrow night (Tuesday). I can't wait to get it all set up and send you pictures!! I know some of you will appreciate that we splurged a bit and bought egyption cotton sheets AND towels!! They feel like your wrapped in clouds.

Dixie Chicks

I know that Mindy promised that I would write a post about this weekend's flea-markets and other shopping, but I have run out of time today. Suffice it to say that we spent a ridiculous amount of money and had loads of fun rebuying what we sold back in the States. I will provide the promised post tomorrow.

As for my first day of house husbandry, I was unable to delay the deliveries and learned that the people at the launderette would do the wash for only slightly more than if I did it myself. Guess for which I opted?

Instead, I wanted to write a quick note about New Zealand's opinion of the Dixie Chicks. There is basically NO country music here. You will catch a fleeting note of country every now and then, but nothing compared to what we had in Texas. I would say good riddance, except that Kiwis are totally unfamiliar with the "Texas Country" genre of which the Lone Star State is so rightfully proud. Perhaps I could introduce it here without interesting the Kiwis in the Nashville brand of country, which really sucks. The one exception to the "no country music" generality above is the music of the Dixie Chicks. It is heard widely and played on radio stations of all types.

Unlike their cold reception in my home state, I heard the Dixie Chicks referred to on a New Zealand radio commercial (touting that it played Dixie Chicks' music), as "Rebels, Heroes, Renegades, and Mums." Heroes? The Dixie Chicks? Well I think so, but I did not believe that anyone else held that belief until I arrived in NZ.

Telling Shrub (Bush Jr.) to "stick it" is not wildly popular in Texas. Therefore, the Dixie Chicks have been ostracized by fans in Texas, their homestate and mine. Radio stations across the United States, but particularly in the more ignorant locales, have refused to play Dixie Chicks music.

Halleluah that there are those (and I include myself here) that not only respect political dissidents' right to speak their mind, but also freely give support to those who speak up. I am proud to count myself among Kiwi's in celebrating the Dixie Chicks, their unpopular comments, and their refusal to recant, even if I find their music grating and whinny at times.

I hope that those who read this post would join me in purchasing the Dixie Chicks' new CD. For God's sake, do not buy it at Wal-Mart -- it will be censored and you will be supporting all kinds of societal evils. Check your local, independently-owned music store. Remember "Mom and Pop?"

And if you have a radio station in your area that refuses to play their music, I urge you to call and complain. I do regret that the best sign of solidarity in this situation is also blatantly commercial and lines the pockets of all kinds of middlemen who don't deserve a penny, but I am not creative enough at this moment to divine an alternative. If you have one, post it in the comments.

Well, I need to go check on the nice Middle-Eastern boy that is doing my laundry. Cheers.

Belated Post re: Last Week

A lot has happened since we last blogged. First, and most importantly, The Cadbury chocolate company makes ice cream! I had the most delicious white chocolate-covered ice cream in the world (Erin, you’ll have to come and visit us now!).

Second, we have found our dream home [Editor’s Note: Mindy’s dream home], it happens to be owned by our landlord. We had to go to her house to sign papers for our little place and learned she owns all of the houses on our street. We live on a common drive with several other houses. However, the houses are far from the road with lots of space and bush in between so you have plenty of privacy. You go down a long gravel path to our landlord’s house. It is a monstrous, white house with Victorian-style gables (obviously Brandon told me this!) and galvanized tin roof. You step up to a wrap-around porch to enter into the front door. The entrance is a long hall with vaulted ceilings and off to the left was the kitchen and dining room, which was a large open area about the size of our entire house on Peach Street. The vast majority of the outside walls are floor to ceiling windows (with no screens) that can swing completely open (not too uncommon for this part of the world). Rough hewn wood floors and plastered walls juxtaposed against delicate touches (gables, spires, crown molding) gave the overall feeling of a Victorian-era farmhouse. One set of windows looked out into their pond-styled swimming pool and deck and another set stepped out onto yet another section of porch that had a hammock on it. Past that, out into the yard in a seating area enclosed by a gazebo of hedges was the most beautiful Relic’s type table and chairs painted a dark turquoise. We’re hoping she has a similar house on her “to let” list that we can move up into someday!

We must also tell about the “Greenbay Auction.” We had the most fabulous time! It was located in a large warehouse-type building. All the goods were in rows on each side of the building with rows of chairs in the middle. There was a little concession tucked in one corner that sold hamburgers, hot sandwiches, delicious pastries and tea and coffee. We of course went early to walk around and look over all of the items and mark the ones which we wanted to bid. We even thought we were being pretty smart by writing out beside each one the price we were willing to pay so we didn’t get caught up in the excitement and overbid. After signing in and getting our bidding number we picked out our seats. The first 200 hundred pieces were bric-a-brac and went fairly high. There was everything from Limoges jewelry boxes and beautiful butterfly brooches to Flintstone’s decorated plates, as well as, random fish poseys, troll dolls and beer steins. After this there was a pause while the auctioneer moved to the other side and we all turned our chairs to face him for the furniture edition. We were a little nervous at what people were willing to pay for these treasures [Editor’s Note: Especially after seeing what they would pay for little figurines and other pieces of utter shit] and were thinking that we would probably be out of luck on the furniture. We even considered leaving, but decided to stay and have some hot tea and a tasty date bun, and just “people watch” the evening away even if we walked out empty-handed. The first couple of items on our list did go out of our price range, but gave us great practice on raising our number. I realized I was raising it WAY to slow b/c I would raise when I heard the price we wanted. By the time I was spotted and had the auctioneer’s attention he was usually 3 or 4 bids past our “top” price, so then I would have to put my number down real fast and start shaking my head that I was out of it. Fortunately the first items were great practice b/c they weren’t as necessary or as good quality as the following items. Well, by the time the evening was over we had both gotten quite good and walked away with the most amazingly priced items! First, let me tell you what we missed out on—it would have never fit into our tiny little house but I would have bought it anyway had I realized soon enough the price for which it was to be sold. It was a large, peanut-colored wood wardrobe (circa 1910) with square, pounded copper reliefs in each top corner. It was the most magnificent piece I’ve ever seen. We didn’t even really look at it b/c a)it was too big for our house and b) we automatically assumed we couldn’t afford it b/c in the State’s it would have easily sold for $800-1000 USD. Well, folks, here in New Zealand it sold for $150 NZ!!!! [Editor’s Note: That’s about $93 USD]. By the time I realized that was the final bid and hit Brandon to make him bid the auctioneer had already closed the bids. We were both astounded and I can’t really tell you what the next several items were to be auctioned off b/c we just sat there looking at each other in disbelief. The good news is that we did walk away with some magnificent treasures: a square, French coffee table (white washed); a sofa table; a turquoise plant stand; a green “fire side” chair (looks like green moss is growing on it) [Editor’s Note: Reminds me of the pair of green chairs Nana has/had]; a yellow-toned Carver chair; a LARGE basket; an electric Kettle (for tea time); a toaster (an unfortunate “heat of the moment” purchase never to be spoken of); bamboo and canvas lamps. My favorite find was a green, artsy human torso ($10!!), and Brandon’s fave purchases were a tripod; a tre` cool leather back-pack; and box of national geographic magazines. All items purchased for less that $400 USD. Moses is going to deliver it all to our house Monday for $50.

Other than that we have spent the last couple of days completely lost. Actually, we arrived at the locations we aimed for, unfortunately due to language barriers they were the wrong locations. [Editor’s Note: In addition to the City (Auckland), areas are broken down into “suburbs” (i.e., Titirangi, New Lynn, etc) – all still within Auckland. The suburbs are apparently broken down further into neighborhoods. None of the neighborhood names and a dismally small number of suburb names appear on the maps I have seen. I do not think that a New Yorker would have a problem with this concept, but I am still at a loss]. Our first lesson was finding Clevedon instead of Clendon. When pronounced with a British accent these both sound the same. Another lesson was that everything has 9 different names and just because someone says Tamaki and a map clearly shows that there is a city with such name [Editor’s Note: The map said East Tamaki to be fair, which we thought would be close to just plain Tamaki], doesn’t actually mean they are referring to said city, but instead to a street in a completely different town. The amusing part is that EVERYONE seems to know these secrets but us. When we stopped in Tamaki (city) to figure out what street we needed the clerk was clearly surprised that we had come to the city instead of the street that was in a town “miles from here.” (We’ve also learned that when one is completely lost and VERY far from wanted destination the locals inform you that you are “miles away” despite the fact that they use the metric system and can’t really tell you how many miles). So with these frustrating “lost in translation” blunders we are glad we chose an English speaking country (as opposed to riding on a burro asking “?Que esta ________ -- una cuidad, un calle, un mercado – y donde es?”).

Photologue Addendum

Following our previous posts (and to confirm that we are still alive), I thought you all would enjoy some photographs of Mindy's hair:

and of our new car:

P.S. -- This is what Mindy wore to her first day of work -- with nose ring in. There is quite a difference in workplace attitude here.

A Hair-Raising Episode

Greetings all! Well, my first day of work is tomorrow so I will be keeping this short in order to prepare myself! We have had a small setback in our house. It has a small leak in the skylight and so we are probably not going to be able to move in until Tuesday. Brandon has his first test as house-husband tomorrow because he will have to coordinate the rescheduling of all of the delivery trucks and hopefully be able to fit in a little cleaning! ;)

We've spent the weekend shopping at markets and great sales. Brandon is going to give you a full update on that tomorrow--if he has time with all of his house duties.

I, of course, had to have a new hair-do for my job. So I did a little window shopping (quite literally) before walking into one that I chose on the basis of the cool hair posters it had hanging. I went all the way with new color and cut because I'm just that crazy--I've decided I might need some sort of support group because I seem to get a high from daring hair ventures. Well, this was by far the most interesting one. The stylist was a very trendy looking Asian woman who also had another Asian woman as an apprentice. The apprentice also happened to be learning English, which is another part of the story I'll share in a moment. I have learned that there is a difference between highlights and frosting here. I asked for blond and red highlights (of course nothing simple on my first trip to the salon) and some how in the translation I received all over blond with red highlights. The apprentice had evidently had a bad day and was quite stressed and determined to end her day on a good note with her teacher. She did everything quite vigorously and only stopped when the real stylist told her to. The blond was painted on to my head with a paint brush and she literally painted my hair for 20 minutes!! I didn't think I was going to have any hair left to cut or color. The real stylist did come and give it a once over to make sure it was good. I then sat for 45 minutes, we washed and discussed the red. We decided to do red chunks just on the tips--and it all turned out really cool! While I sat with the red on my hair we got to visiting and they learned I was a speech therapist so we spent most of the 30 minutes the red was on my hair in a accent reduction therapy session. The assistant who was learning English had several mispronunciations that her teacher had been trying to help with--all hair terminology of course. By the time I left she could say permanent and towel fairly well. So I can now put on my resume that I have experience with accent reduction! Then came the cut (the real stylist did the cut and red). We had just rinsed out the red and they had towel-dried my hair--not combed it out--and she just starts cutting!!! It was completely exhilarating--and turned out quite nicely. Nothing like I had asked for and I had to request a couple of changes, but quite nice all the same. After three-and-a-half hours I walked out satisfied.

Well, I must run to get ready for my first day of work. Check tomorrow for Brandon's post on the markets and sales, and maybe even for an account of my first day. Though with the time difference it may be your next morning!

A little info (by Mindy)

Hey all!! We are having so much fun setting up our new little house. We've been to auctions and flea markets and resale stores galore and have come up with the most interesting stuff. We have complete details on our auction to be posted here but we can't seem to get the thumb key and a computer together at the same time! Today we woke at the crack of dawn to go find prizes at a flea market. It was a cool and rainy so the people were willing to make great deals. We purchased a vacuum and 2 heaters for all together $100. B also found a shaver for his head--he's plum wooly! We also got a few things just for fun--including a beautiful thick Rimu (?) wood cutting board. We have several purchases coming in on Trademe (like e-bay)--we are hoping that our shopping excitement hasn't exceeded the size of our little home! We've decided if worse comes to worse we will just resale on Trademe! As soon as we get everything set up we will take pictures and post them.
The weather has been cool and very rainy. It seems to rain inches every day and I have yet to see a puddle! I have no idea where it all goes, but I'm dying to get a rain gauge! There is almost always a rainbow in the sky too. They are huge and very bright--we have yet to stop being amazed by their beauty.
We are working hard to get internet so we can start skyping, but their internet deals are quite strange. First, all of the internet runs through the phone lines (except maybe one company, but we don't think service is available in our area). Next, you have to purchase per megabytes and we have no idea how many megabytes Skyping will use. Don't worry though, we will get this figured out and having skyping capabilities it just may not be as frequently as we anticipated. I am definitely going to have to be able to call people or I'm afraid I'll get way homesick! :)

Complete Update (by Mindy)

Read on ONLY if you want a detailed writing of life (OUR life) in New Zealand!! We are staying in a motel room that has a little sitting area and kitchen. We bought groceries at Foodtown, which is your regular, run-of-the-mill grocery (except that there are no recognizable brand names other than Coca-Cola). We were intrigued by the fact there is no grape jelly and there is a kind (not brand, but type) of cheese called “Tasty.” We also did some more experimenting in the cookie, or should I say biscuit, area. This time we tried Nice (a sweet cracker with chocolate on top) and Afghans (taste like chocolate covered gingersnaps). Both were tasty, but Timtams are still the best in our opinion. It is funny to shop on the cookie isle because most are advertised as “digestives”—meaning they are made with fiber (I may be WAY skinny next trip home since my favorite snack is a laxative!). We did buy a loaf of bread from a bakery b/c it smelled so heavenly. There are little specialty stores—fruit/veggie shops, butchers, and bakers--that we will probably use once we find a place to let (rent). The weather was “maddening” today (according to locals). B and I just thought it was great blustery winter weather—windy with on/off drizzle. This is evidently uncommon weather for Auckland because it blew out electricity in many parts of the city. (We couldn’t buy our car b/c internet connection to the capitol was down!) The South Island received 2 feet of snow (that was the count this morning and it was expected to continue throughout the day!). It blew our minds a bit when the news played “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” and showed pictures that viewers had sent in of the snow—in JUNE!! The song had a bit of a Pavlovian effect on us b/c we both wanted to run out and buy a Christmas tree.

As I mentioned before we bought a car! It is a 1997 Mitsubishi RVR. We looked on-line (www.trademe.co.nz is the NZ equivalent of E-Bay) and found that most of the cheap cars were located on lots, so today we headed out to look at nearby lots. The first thing that amazed us was the response of the salesmen. We were on lots for a full 10-15 minutes (even walked through the main office!) and were not form tackled by salesmen trying to get their next paycheck!! After leisurely touring the car parks and deciding which cars we wanted to enquire about we simply walked in to the office and up to the desk of the owner and talked to him. The second surprise (which B has written about previously) is that none of the salesmen were out to screw us!!! They gave us honest, professional opinions--even talked us out of a more expensive car for a less expensive car b/c it was more appropriate for how we wanted to use it!. When we decided on a car the guy simply gave us a quote, lower than sticker price, and that was it. No negotiating with the “man upstairs” that you never see but whom magically provides approval for your purchase price. The owner who worked with us sent the car back to the “main garage” to get cleaned and serviced.

We learned several interesting facts about autos in NZ. They have a huge used market thanks to Japan--Japanese only buy new autos and generally trade every couple of years. NZ exports Japan’s “used cars” so most of the cars here are Japanese. This actually just happened within the past 15-20 years. Before that cars were VERY expensive (or so we were told) and you had to pay extra for each upgrade you wanted—power locks, windows, a/c, etc.. Since they are Japanese exports, Kiwis have to “expand” the radio to receive all of the channels—before expansion you only get like FM 76.0-89.0. So my RVR is getting its radio expanded as we speak. It has CD and cassette AND a remote control! My particular car was “used like a what-you-call rental” so it has very low kms [Question: would you call that kilometage?—we’re getting a crash course in the metric system -- we went to buy an elementary “how to measure” workbook, but couldn’t find one to our satisfaction] and thus should have a high resale value.

Last night we were entertained by watching “Meerkat Manor”. A comedy type documentary that follows a meerkat family in a desert and adds its own witty commentary. In last night’s episode the family had had a fight and had split into 2 groups. One group only had 8 members and their leader was very “nervous” and the adults were not providing well for the 2 babies. The other group was well fed and one of their babies were being spoiled and running from adult to adult eating everyone’s food. One meerkat was on her own because she couldn’t decide with which group to go and live. We had to change the channel when she went back to her hole hungry and flea-ridden because of her deep depression of being alone and there was a rattlesnake in one of the tunnels with her. There have been some VERY interesting shows on TV here!

I think that has everything up-to-date. We have two properties to look at tomorrow afternoon. The one we are most interested in doesn’t seem to be too interested in us b/c the owner feels it would be too small for a couple. However, when informed that we only had one car and no furniture at present [We did get a free pillow from a bed store today b/c we were quoted a price -- we are thinking of going to a different branch and giving another name so we’ll each have a pillow! J] the owner seemed much more interested. We are not sure if it is really THAT small or if the owner is just worried about his off-street parking. We will let you know when we find a place and hopefully send some pics of me in my new car! J

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Well, we had difficulty posting this so I’m adding more information! Yesterday (Tuesday) we found TWO properties we liked. Our favorite is VERY small—one bedroom, one large sitting area and kitchen and bathroom. HOWEVER, it is VERY cheap AND in a BEAUTIFUL spot. It is really just a back house of a larger home. The other is larger—2 bedroom—AND it comes with all new whiteware (appliances). It is a little more, but still well in our price range, BUT it is in a bit more residential area. We have a third property to look at today. At this juncture we are trying to decide if we continue with dream (and get the smaller, but better located house) or add a dose of reality and get the one with white wear. We’ve pretty much decided—any guesses of which way we are leaning?!!

Also today, we are going to an auction we discovered happens every Wednesday night to see if we can find anything to put in our new place. We will let you know how that goes!!

What's the Catch?

I have found my American skepticism to be a liability in a country of honest, forthright people. Mindy and I are almost constantly on the lookout for “the catch,” but are about to learn there is none.

After a grueling flight and still more grueling search for suitable accommodations in a city lacking the familiar “motel row,” we arrived at our motel – the “New Haven” or the “Blue Haven,” depending on what directory or local you consult. Sara greeted us, took our name and, upon learning that we had just arrived in the country, insisted we go to our room straight away to rest. I balked and, in American fashion, produced two forms of identification, three forms of payment, and a DNA sample. Sara was determined that we rest. “No worries, we’ll get the specifics later …you need your rest.” I have tried several times to “settle up” with this dogged woman to no avail. Here it is our fourth day in this room and Sara still has nothing other than Mindy’s name, which I don’t know that she even wrote down.

Like most conscientious Americans, we are relentless price-shoppers. As most who read this back in the States can attest, the prices vary widely in America depending on the merchant’s resources, overhead, location, and greed, among other variables. At least within Auckland, we have not found that to be universally true in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Several times, we have undergone an exhaustive goose-hunt for a better price, only to discover the first price was as good as any.

Another example: Mindy and I were to make use of our motel’s laundry facilities. We ventured to the laundry room to investigate the coinage needed to operate the machines. We were greeted by a plump, clammy man, presumably Sara’s husband. He asked if we wished to do laundry. We answered that we did indeed. He asked, “Do you want us to put it through for you?” I had no idea what he meant. Upon further inquiry, he was asking whether we would like housekeeping to do our laundry when it did the motel’s wash. Displaying blind American self-sufficiency, Mindy and I politely refused, choosing to do our own laundry rather than having it done for us. After all, there must be a “catch” – we would be charged an exorbitant price, our meager clothes would be pinched, or worse. The sweaty man was insistent and provided us with a laundry basket that we were to fill and leave in our room. Our clothes were washed and folded with great care and for no charge.

Apparently there are still people that you can trust. On both trips, we have found the people of New Zealand to be among the warmest and friendliest we have known. Our home state of Texas claims to be the friendliest place on Earth, but I do not sense the palpable selflessness in Texans that I do in the Kiwis that we have met thus far.

Some Good Advice

First, we are planning to get EVERYTHING updated tonight, so check first thing in the morning for detailed info are EVERYTHING we have done!

We just hit the jackpot on information here. They have places called Citizens Advice Bureaus in each city. You walk in and you can ask anything from where are the best spots to buy used furniture to what do we need to know about car insurance!! They were whipping out pamphlets, maps, phone numbers and addresses faster than we could ask questions. We may never come back to the mean old US! :)

We have a car, a banking account, a post box, and a cell phone (we'll e-mail details later!). We are working on getting our IRD # (equall to SS# so that I can get paid!). Well, must run, long line for computer!

Upon Arrival

Arrival at Auckland International Airport proves to be a surprisingly pleasant experience (unless you are carrying contraband). I appreciate the fact that New Zealand strictly regulates what comes into the country. I just hope Mindy and I pass inspection and are allowed to stay.

I recall the forests we witnessed in Belize that had been ravaged by the Pine Beetle, which was unwittingly imported from Asia. New Zealand has apparently learned from its history. I am told that, prior to its colonization, New Zealand had no land mammals. Colonists introduced several non-native species, including the rabbit. With no natural predators in New Zealand, the rabbits multiplied like … well rabbits, and quickly outnumbered the colonists. They grew very large and turned vicious, killing and maiming the unsuspecting colonists. Oh, I am sorry. That last part was from one of Mindy’s and my favorite classic films: “Night of the Leapers.” Check it out late at night on TBS (http://www.tbs.com).

Somewhere Over the Pacific -- Mindy's Version

[Mindy has decided to add her 2 cents in italics. Here is her first post. -- BJL]

After much partying, gifts, and long farewells, Brandon and I are on our way! For those of you who don’t know…where have you been?

Ellis Island – What? Yes, the cushy airplane seats, private TV monitors in which we can chose movies, TV shows, or video games as entertainment; soft blankets, pillows, and when all of that is just too much the quick swallow of an Ambien to quiet out the world and slip into sweet slumber is definitely not as poetic as death-trap boats entering Ellis Island, but it is something we can call our own. There was also the sweetest beagle pup smelling out smugglers.

I am not near as worried about you reading this or not. I don’t intend to put a web counter on this sight so for all I know you all are not only staying up to date with what is going on in our lives, but are also waiting breathlessly for the next chapter (I sincerely hope our blogging doesn’t effect any of your work days or cause you to stay home unnecessarily from a fun event in hopes of reading more about our adventures).

Somewhere Over the Pacific

After much rending of clothes and gnashing of teeth (or gums for Jules), Mindy and I are on our way! For those of you who do not know, Mindy and I have broken free of the centrifugal force of familiarity and are migrating to New Zealand. Having been reared in “small-town America,” this move is no mere step – it is a gargantuan leap. We have left friends, family, jobs, and (most importantly) dogs. I grieve the damage caused in the wake of our leaving, but most have been very supportive (even if they didn’t understand).

I write this from somewhere over the Pacific on an Air New Zealand flight bound for Auckland. The last time we made this flight, we arrived as visitors on holiday (a/k/a vacation). This time we will arrive as immigrants starting our new life together in a foreign land. It is somehow less poetic than the arrival of immigrant-laden boats at Ellis Island, but it is something we can call our own.

My intent is to record our experiences on this page for our family, friends and others that may be interested. I hope that I am faithful to this project, but I have already suffered blog-anxiety – Is it good enough, interesting enough, relevant to anyone, and so on. I will try to write despite the voices in my head and let you be the judge.