Waste

18 December 2008: My first thought on this sunny, birthday morning was: i'm 27 years old - this sucks.

My next thought was: it's Thursday - my morning workout day. And I felt better.

I find my mood is more affected by my activity level, less by the weather. I've come to believe in the power of perspiration, not precipitation. So, I sweat. And I smile.

On Skype, I update mom and dad with my birthday goal:
- J: At 27 years old, I should have a 27 inch waist.
- M: You should be 127 pounds!
- J: What?! Mom, at the end of high school I was 148 pounds and in fine swimming shape...

- M: No, at 127 you'd be svelte.
- J: I'd be bones!
- D: Bones and svelte...

image from: espion

Band

17 December 2008: Team Albi strikes gold at the Canterbury Volleyball Association 4-man social beach games.



At our infancy, I offered a selection of team names:
- "flight of the volleyballs"
- "who likes to rock the party?"
- "brett, jermaine, murray, and mel"
- "you, me, you, and jermaine"
- "team albi"

But now, we are called the champions!

Play

12 December 2008: Flat outing - La Cage Aux Folles.

Feathers, songbirds, and lots of panache.


image from: the court live theatre

Guts

08 December 2008: Feast of the Immaculate Conception at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Auckland.

Reminds me of the joke: I've been Catholic since I was conceived...

image from: robertevans_com

Transport

07 December 2008: I've been counting the numbers of bicycles I've seen in Auckland's city streets.

Fredette, my Auckland host, counts the numbers of people we see walking barefoot in the city.

She wins.

image from: sadie shooter

Vocal

06 December 2008: Alicia Keys concert in Auckland.

Soul - oh, duet - with her backup man, and trio - with me. What a musical feast!

image from: stuff

Feet Tucker

04 December 2008: Sailing on the R. Tucker Thompson tall ship in the Bay of Islands.

image from: jackie

Trust

03 December 2008: My official tour guide at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds is informative, engaging, and concise. Tick, tick, tick.

We arrive at the flagpole marking the site where the treaty was signed between Maori and the British Crown. Tick, Tick.

Our guide glosses over controversy related to the treaty. Tick.

I ask: What is it like here on Waitangi Day? Boom.

image from: jackie

Feet Traction

Mountain biking in Lake Clearwater with Tall.

Image from: jackie

Clearwater

02 August 2008: I was told my mountain bike ride around Lake Clearwater was a true New Zealand outdoor pursuit adventure.

Getting lost, bush bashing, bike bashing, extreme, and in-stream.

My rear gears broke and I was stuck huffing and puffing uphill or spinning my wheels downhill. We even attempted mountain biking through snow...

Needless to say, I had a blast!

Image from: jackie

Vigilante

24 August 2008: Last week, Christchurch welcomed the 6th most powerful woman in the world of 2004, US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

This week, the Auckland University Students Association is offering a $5000 reward for a citizen's arrest of the 1st most powerful woman in the world of 2004, US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice.

Feet Drift

Relaxing in Hokitika.

Image from: jackie

Revolution

19 July 2008: Here's the scene from a West Coast birthday bash in a backyard tent:

Country blokes standing in a line, gripping their beer, and looking bored. Across from them, the drunken birthday girl drags defenseless family and friends onto the dance floor for a creative version of the can-can.

In one corner, rests an entire lamb roast and carnage in pieces. In the adjacent corner, the massive lamb oven radiates beside a sizable pool teeming with ice and alcohol.

And then - suddenly - a dancer leaves the dance floor to leap and swing around a tent pole. Inside twirling leg tucked, outside leg straight. A smooth revolution.

The effect was like turning a switch. The country blokes are now gripping their beers, with smiles beaming...

And to my complete amusement, then the entire drunken hoard gave it a go - drunken birthday girl, drunken environmental conservationists, drunken country mothers, and drunken overweight blokes. All trying to grab the main tent pole to swing over a table.

The poor table didn't stand a chance. No one but the trained pole dancer could clear the table, let alone the floor!

She did a encore quadruple swing over the crushed, 3-legged remains. I lost my voice laughing.

Image from: jackie

Supreme

18 August 2008: Today I had a chat with former Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O'Connor.

Here's a press statement: O'Connor is in Christchurch as an Eric Hotung Fellow after retiring from the Supreme Court in 2005. Hotung donated $HK1 million ($NZ185,000) to Canterbury University in 2005 to bring lawyers of international standing to the city and enhance the profile of the school.

She's been giving a series of law seminars: Rule of law around the world, Reflections from the US Supreme Court, and Guantanamo Bay: Legal black hole?

After today's talk, I introduced myself as a fellow American, shook her hand, and welcomed her to New Zealand. She was pleasantly surprised and asked what everyone else asks me: Why are you here?!

I told her it's the same reason she was brought here: funding.

Image from: the press

Well

06 July 2008: World Youth Day rally at Christ the King Parish welcomes the pilgrims from New Caledonia.

Sr. Deborah of the Beatitudes addresses the pilgrims (in French) and - as usual - I cry (in Spanish). The woman truly knows the meaning of beauty and praise.

Other highlights included the New Caledonians joining hands around the New Zealand residents and singing the Our Father.

And after more prayers and songs, we're left to socialize. I break the ice by examining cultural differences. Do the New Caledonians, like the French, utilize a fourth item in rock-paper-scissors, namely, the well?

After a good amount of translation and laughing. I introduce the pilgrims to bear-ninja-cowboy. Priceless.

image from: not much about something

Front

05 July 2008: Happy Birthday Small!

I plowed my 4wd through the snow and up the hills to join in the celebrations. The wind was howling - and so was I - with crippling back pain.

Sadly, I will have to hang up the bicycle this week.

image from: geoftheref

Second

04 July 2008: An invitation for an American/New Zealand crossover celebration at Kolbe House:

Join us at Kolbe House after mass for a lunch party to celebrate the 4th of July (it's an American thing) and also the 5th anniversary of Fr John's ordination (it's a Catholic thing). There will be plenty of hot dogs, apple pie and some beer.

Dr Peter Field (UC History Dept) will give a short talk on John Adams, 2nd president of the United States and hero of the American Revolution. There will also be a presentation in honour of Fr John Adams.

Upon leaving, I ask Ken for a high five goodbye. I lean in. He laughs, puts up his hand and smashes forward - missing my face by a few inches. We try again, this time connecting far from square.

- Never do that with a blind man.
- We'll practice, Ken.

image from: sullivan-county

Feet Board

30 June 2008: Snowboarding at Mt. Hutt with Tall.

Image from: jackie

Staccato

25 June 2008: First practice of the World Youth Day Cathedral choir.

We're singing for the pilgrims en route to Sydney. I decided not to go to the event, but if I sing to the pilgrims, they'll leave New Zealand for sure...

Our choir director, Ken, reads the sheet music in Braille. Quite fascinating.

image from: wikipedia

Thick

08 June 2008: Snow in Christchurch sent me running to the shores and hills.

Yesterday's weather report predicted dreadful weather, but dreamy surf. Who would be crazy enough to brave the weather in order to enjoy quality waves at Sumner Beach?

As it turns out, Boudewijn and I were the only ones that crazy. We had a quick look, then warm drinks.

Heading from the rain soaked shore returning inland, snow started to fall and stick. Even the university had a good powdering. The streets started to look like the New England winter I missed after crossing the equator.

Today, Tall and I hauled ourselves up Mount Richardson. I enjoyed the wonderful sound of snow crunching all the way up 1049 meters.

image from: jackie