Temporarily yours...

There has been a temporary population explosion in Shakeytown this week - snowmen are the new garden gnomes! And way cooler too (in every sense of the word).

Here's some from round my neighbourhood...

just chillin...

The icing on the quake

Icing on the quake - it's the phrase du jour. First seen online early this morning and by lunchtime, it had spawned its own facebook page.

This snowfall is the most icing-like coating a city could have and, because the bulk of it fell overnight, when we woke up this morning it was like a big soft feather duvet had blanketed the world.

Decisions, leadership & biz101

As I lift my head briefly from a pile of academic readings (on globalisation, media & communities if you're interested), I wonder where the days have gone. It doesn't take much to figure out however... long hours working with students, reading various texts and attending lectures - which at this level are not sit-n-listen classes but more akin to (hyper)active discussions with ideas flying at a mile a minute. No wonder I'm tired!

Life continues on in Shakeytown,,, not quite so shakey these days, although there's still the odd sizable jolt to remind us it's not all over yet. People round here seem to fall into two categories - those who stay positive amidst the doom & gloom, and those for whom it's all just a bit much to deal with. Many of us flip between the two depending on the circumstances, and no matter how much we'd really like to stay in that positive group, it's not always possible.

Nuthin' much

So apparently, today was Chip in for Christchurch day... not in a 'make a donation' kinda way but in a 'do something nice' for a Cantab person or business kinda way. It sounded like a lovely idea at the time, I'm sure... but did anything actually happen because of it? I saw nuthin' much different because of it although I did wear my aftersocks all day, with short trousers too so you could see them. Made a few people smile anyway :) Although that could have just been the sight of someone wearing 3/4 length pants on one of the coldest days of the year...

So what's been happening round here lately? To say "nuthin' much" would be incorrect, for it's been quite a busy week. We've signed the settlement with our insurance company and are now waiting for the paperwork to grind through the system. Hopefully it won't take as long as the decision to demolish...

The Day of Disappointing Coffee

I'm not going to write much about my recent break from Shakeytown 'cos that's not really what this blog is for... however there was one subject that I promised myself would not slide by without a decent rant.

You would think that Auckland, being the land of latte-lovers, would be an ideal place for a random coffee jaunt of a weekend, n'est pas? Think again. Allow me to elucidate on the Day of Disappointing Coffee (DoDC).

Now, you know by now that I'm an unashamed coffee snob of the worst order. I've made coffee for both love and money, and continue to practise my craft on a daily basis. I can tell by watching a barista at work whether I should be scared or grateful, and there are many brands/roasts that I stay well clear of. So by day3 of our trip, I'm sure you can imagine the dread and utter separation anxiety that had taken hold now that we were far away from the predictability & safety of our own machine.

We interrupt this holiday...

When we read in the paper that AMI was going to be contacting all their Chch customers, we just knew that they would ring while we were on holiday. Sure enough, less than an hour after arriving in Auckland, we got a phone call. As we were right in the middle of doing all the paperwork for the campervan we're hiring (oh, how middle-aged is that!), we decided to call the insurance company back the next day.