Year four of my one-year-masters begins...
2nd January 2007.
Wow, I'm way behind. And mostly too lazy to catch it up properly.
The week before christmas I mostly spend working. Three days for early childhood, one on my thesis. Friday went to the postgrad end of year lunch and last minute finishing off of christmas shopping. Friday evening I headed around to Oli's for a party to celebrate the end of his working year. I got very, very drunk. We went to town and I bumped in to the GreenIslandite who joined us for a while until a long drunken discussion that featured me being surprisingly sensible. I then through my sensible out the window by spending the rest of the night sifting on to a hot workmate of Oli. Leading to an inappropriate crush (a good thing only that it displaced an even more inappropriate crush). It also lead to not getting to bed until almost 6am.
The weekend building up to Christmas I mostly spent blobbing. I went to a party thrown by a couple of Oli's workmates, but otherwise did sweet fuck all.
Christmas itself, too much of my family. Also too much food. It was, however, the too much family that led me deciding to go to bed early on Christmas night and not try to be sociable. Boxing day, however, I went out drinking at a party with Oli's social circle. I ended up walking home through the rain kind of early as I was grating on my own nerves something chronic.
The next few days I spent at home playing Black & White 2. Very entertaining God-game, atleast for one run through. More importantly, quite all consuming of the brain and was preventing me from thinking abotu things best not thought about.
On the Friday I went in to Children's Issues for a while and got a bit of work done - caught up to where I'm supposed to be but didn't get ahead like I had hoped to.
Saturday night I caught up with Midget, and got less sleep than I ought to have considerong Sunday was New Years Eve and I was off to Oturehua. The Maniototo was great. Greener than I have ever seen it - due to the uncharacteristic wetness of this summer - it was quiet awesome to behold. Possibly even had a touch of the sublime - in the Coleridge/Wordsworth/pack-of-mamsy-faggots kind of way. I had an awesome night. Insane rockets launched by some missile enthuiast up there. The whole town turned out to watch them and it was awesome. The night that followed feature much drinking, drunken swimming in the sun-heated town pool at about one in the morning and many hours of sitting around, drinking, in my boxer shorts afterward (though I'm now a little worried there may have been dangling, and photos thereof). We didn't get to bed till after 5 in the morning. New years day we had the breakfast of champions (hot nachoes at three int eh afternoon).
Too tired to write more now, and I have to be up early in the morning. Will write after Giffy's wedding.
12th January 2007.
Never say "help yourself" to a German. I had a big pile of food from Alana, of which I was never going to able to eat all that much of, so I offered it around to the flatmates. I got up this morning thinking I'd grab a sweet pastry for breakfast and the german had taken both bags of sweet stuff with him - which would have been entirely fine if he'd just waited until after breakfast. Grrrrr! for disturbing my breakfast plans. Anyway, I'm planning a big day at work, I should get sorted. Will do the long overdue catch up write hopefully this evening.
23rd January 2007.
Yes, I'm slack.
New Year's day, went to Falls Dam, generally had a pretty good time. New Year's day night was quite similar to the one before. Drinking, drunken swimming, sitting around drinking in boxers afterward and not getting to bed until about 5am.
On the second we tidied stuff up, and then I got a ride back to Dunedin with Ross. That night I had the first bath I have had in years. I had forgotten how great a bath can feel. Then got in to a discussion with Si that left me feeling very guilty for not being a better friend.
Early the next morning I was picked up by Angus, Carla and Ian and we headed off toward Wellington. The plan had been to spend a night in Christchurch, but we ended driving right up to Picton and catching the late ferry that very night. This meant we were in Wellington a day early and had no accomedation. Fortunately Carla and Ian were staying with someone who was happy to take some extras, and even pick us up from the ferry at one in the morning. Me and Carla watched several episodes of Heroes before sleeping.
The Thursday, being an unplanned day in Wellington, ended up mostly wasted. I never managed to get to anything in Wellington I would have liked to. I guess I thought I'd have time after the wedding. In the evening I got to Tina's. Her house was, interesting.
Friday, we had the wedding to attend. On route we stopped at a Hallensteins and Tina and her mother made Peaches look more presentable - which was very entertaining. The wedding was at the Buddhist temple in Stokes Valley (pictures and some youtube-age of it are listed in the comments on the brides blog - here). It was beautiful, and I got to catch up with a bunch of old friends. Many whom I'd not seen in years, and a couple I realised I'd sort of forgotten I'd ever been friends with. It was quite awesome. With most of them it was like we'd never lost touch. Except Nina, things there were a bit weird. The wedding was complicated and double ceremonied, in buddhist and christian formats. It was awesome, but long. Then there were the bridal photos, in which I featured (which was unexpected and left me feeling I'd not got the right type of dressed up for the day). Then off to the reception. I got very drunk, and was shamelessly checking out one of the bride's friends while being too retarded to even introduce myself. There was another ceremony there before th emeal started - thus drinking on an empty stomach. Empty stomach + beer + being a light weight = pleasantly (ie. only slightly retardly) drunk. Then the food happened, and it was awesome. It was a fantastic evening.
The next day, there was the traditional day after BBQ. It featured yet another buddhist ceremony - one they had bumped across a day after realising how little time they would hav ehad left if it was done at the reception. It was pretty cool. And again, good food. BBQ and leftovers from the night before. It was awesome. Left me wanting to move to Wellington even more than I usually do - though now, so I can steal Giffy's friends...
After a pleasant evening hanging with Tina and Co., my ride decided to head off first thing on Sunday morning. So off we went on the 8am ferry - and I got no chance to work the Wellington. Since it was just me and Angus going back, we picked up a couple of hot hitchhikers in Picton. Sunday night, we stopped in Christchurch - Wormgirl kindly giving us somewhere to stay.
Monday, I got home. Went to the office and did some work. Fell off my ankle walking along Castle St (I twisted it so badly I skinned the inner ankle bone - I'm not sure how I bent it that far without breaking something) on the way home and then bled my way to the supermarket feeling like a complete tool.
The rest of the week I fought with socks sticking to the scab on my ankle, while catching up on work for the Children Issues Centre. Had a good game of soccer on the Wednesday, though I seem to have got much more retarded at it again. I'm sure I did something social that weekend, drinking at Camilla's I think. Yes, that was the Friday night, and then I spent the weekend helping move the GreenIslandite out of GreenIsland. Physical labour :(.
Last week, CIC work and some thesis work. First time looking at my thesis in far too long, was depressing and frustrating. Better game of soccer, I scored multiple goals. Also spent much of the week with a continual nasty headache - maybe low level migraine. So I spent a lot of time feeling nauseous and unpleasant. Stupid head, I should chop it off so it can't bother me any more.
Sunday, I hang out at Simon's. He shouted pizza and we watched Dreamgirls. I can sort of see why people are calling it Oscar-bait, but I don't know that it is actually good. Enjoyable and watchable enough though, even if the singing goes a little too far. Was a good night, I should be sociable more often.
Yesterday, went to the office to do some work but that headache had me feeling too crap to actually achieve anything (as I noticed when I realised I'd highlighted an entire page of the article I was reading - not really not highlighting works). Today I'm not feeling hugely better, so I have a doctor's appointment for tomorrow. I hate how sickly I'm getting in my dotage.
After a sick day at home I decided to go out and watch the cricket at Camilla's, as with cricket having to shut my eyes for a while shouldn't matter too much (whenever anything actually happens they always replay it many times over). Headache still hasn't gone away but it was an awesome game. I thought we were going to lose, with only 210 - but we bowled the poms out for 120. The english need some work.
I'm rambling. My final flatmate is back, but was in bed by the time I got home. Introductions will have to wait. Also means I'll have to return the network cable in the morning and will be netless until I buy a new one. So I may have a gap in updates, though I've been having those anyway without any technical problems. It's now a bit after midnight, so I should go sleep.
25th January 2007 - Conversion of S. Paul.
I have just finished a long chat with my final flatmate, and she is awesome. Downside of discovering that is is awesome, was discovering she is moving out next week due to having to leave town. And that her room is already taken, by an ex flatmate (previous owner of my room) who is moving back. Hopefully she turns out to be at least half as awesome.
I have no interweb, so I'm reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. I would have got a cable today, and thus have internet, except that I had plans with Midget. Midget, of course, stood me up. So I am netless for no good reason and it was the only convenient time I had to go shopping until next week. So I'm a tiny bit irked about it.
Yesterday, I went to the doctor. He thinks my continual nasty headaches are probably just an after effect of the concussion and nothign to worry about or do anything about. Just wait them out, for maybe three months - six if I'm very unlucky. This news fails to make me happy. Otherwise, he was mostly just concerned that I'd gained about one and a half kilos over the summer. Considering all the bed rest I was amazed that it wasn't more. He wants me to become a vegetarian (he even went so far as to call meat 'poison') or failing that to give up cheese. Over lent I may do both of those things, but I have no intention of having a meat and cheese free life. Sometimes I think he may be a bit of a quack.
There was a good turn out for soccer in the evening. Made for a good game, though it was warm and muggy and as such sweaty and gross. Afterward a group of us drove up to Blackhead to look at the comet. Quite pretty, though I'm assured it had looked significantly more impressive a few days earlier.
27th January 2007 - Julian, Bp. and Conf.
Yesterday morning I went out to South D and got a nice length network cable, it cost a bot more than I'd been told it would over the phone but I was served by someone I was finding to far too attractive to complain at. On the walk back to town it occurred to me it was one of the moments when my taste and conventional taste have little in common. Anyway, got back to town and went to work for some endnoting "fun". In the evening I headed to a dinner party at Meg's. I was running late but rescued by a surprise ride from Midget. The dinner party was awesome. I got home about 11:30, thanks to a ride from one of Meg's friends, and then got back in to reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - blatantly ignoring my quacks orders to try and sleep as much as possible and avoid heavy reading.
28th January 2007 - Agnes II. Keys of Lent.
After planning a quite night in and curling up with the book, Oli and company turn up at my house leading me to have to get dressed and head off to a cocktail party in South D. The south D-ites were so south D-ish. It was disturbingly wrong. I got very drunk in a room lined with Holden posters (as a Ford man, I found it disturbing...).
30th January 2007 - Batildis, Q. V., not Mart.
Writing the above ended when Midget and Katie surprise visited.
So yes, the south D party was very south D. Surprisingly fun though, even if I mostly only talked to Lyall and Oli. After the party we went to town and I was smashed. Much beer and a few cups of punch (strength unknown though probably not too high). I was being a bit loud, but I had an awesome night.
Sunday I finished reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - reading the final chapters as I walked to my grandparents' for dinner. Probably looking a right tool while I did it. I make a hell sexy tool. It's a good book, I recommend it to everyone. I'm making my brother read it - I'm not sure it is his thing, he takes Napoleon a little seriously. French 18th and 19th century history in general, when it comes to it. After dinner I came home to a quiet night in, but Midget and Katie arrived - neither masters of the concept of "inside voice", and I'm pretty sure they scared Jo (my new flatmate, who is about to leave forever, that is how much they scared her).
Also, last week, for the first time in a couple fo years, I changed the wallpaper on my desktop, to this. Claire Danes is pretty. And as pretty as Summer Glau is, it was time for a change.
Yesterday I achieved fuck all. I spent it attempting to do thesis and getting nowhere, and hanging with Midget.
Today, endnoting. I loath it, but the money will be helpful. I realised I've been stressing myself sick worrying about funding and sorting my trip to Kalamazoo. Go me, with the being a fucktard.
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