Man Alive!

For some reason, Livejournal puts the most recent entry on the page, and makes it unnecessarily difficult to get back to the beginning. One could browse through the "archive" feature, but if you would like to get back to my first entry, just click: http://amyewen13.livejournal.com/2005/03/18/

I'm not sure if anyone ever really reads this, but sometimes I like to go back and read through it, so if anything, this is just for me.

Cheers.

I arrived safely in San Francisco yesterday afternoon and made my way out to Jenna's apartment. It was nice to see Jenna, and her new apartment is very cozy. The cat is nice too, but he makes me sneeze. This morning I drove Dave to the BART station, and drove Jenna to class. It was nice of Dave to let me use his car, as I think he's pretty protective of it. I was fine, although when I first pulled out of the parking lot, I went right over to the left side of the road. "Uh, Amy? You're on the wrong side of the road." Damn. I really didn't think I would do that. I had a little trouble with the blinker/windshield wiper switch, but overall, I no troubles.

I'm still having a bit of trouble with my cell phone, it was supposed to be turned on again yesterday, but no luck. I'll have to get that straightened out soon, and then I can actually reconnect with people on this continent.

And now, my last batch of pictures...

Arrowtown through Westport:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=85uez3p5.837vxzud&Uy=-ql3jgm&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1

Leaving Marahau, Fiji, and the end:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=85uez3p5.7ifwczp1&Uy=8i4cl1&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1

I feel a little disoriented now, like I'm in some kind of waiting room. San Francisco is great, but it will be nice to get home. And then, who knows what I'll do. I've found that some of my priorities and desires have changed, and I'm going to have to put myself in the thick of it to figure out where I stand. I didn't think I would be this upset when I left New Zealand, but I got so accustomed to it and somehow I felt more at home there than I have in a while. I suppose I expected that I would figure some things out, but I think I have more questions now than I did before I left. But I wouldn't change it at all, because that's life. Take a chance, try it out, and maybe crash, but never regret not doing something. There's a quote I read recently, "Never say no to adventure, otherwise you'll lead a very boring life." It's one of those "DUH" quotes, but I like it. I may be a lot of things, but I don't ever want my life to be boring. So bring on the adventures. My next mini adventure is to get back to DC and see my long lost roommates, and then I'm flying up to Providence. It's comforting to know that even if I feel like a fish in sand anywhere else, I still feel at home in Rhode Island. It will be nice to get back to someplace familiar, and have a chance to think some things through.

So in conclusion, I hope I don't sound too depressed. I'm sad to have left, and nervous about what's coming, but it's also nice to be back. I've missed a lot here, people and places and ESPN. When I came through US customs, and the heavily armed customs agent told me "Welcome home", I got a bit of a lump in my throat. Regardless of what or who I have left behind, this is home, and it will be for at least the next year. I enjoyed my time traveling more than anything, but it will be nice just to be a resident for a while.

I hope you've enjoyed reading about my adventures. I've enjoyed reliving them, and I've rediscovered a love of writing. I'll be In Providence after September 25th, and back in DC for good around September 28th. I'd love to catch up with anyone who is interested. I've got a few more pictures, and heaps more stories, and as long as no one is sick of it, I'll indulge. Thanks for following me the past few months. I had the time of my life, and I hope that came through.


When fall comes to New England
I can't turn away
From fading light on flying wings
And late good-byes a robin sings
And then another thousand things
When fall comes to New England

-Cheryl Wheeler

What a strange mix of feelings I have. I am relaxed after a week in Fiji, a bit wary of the 14 hour flight I have tomorrow, saddened to leave New Zealand, and giddy to come home.

Our week in Fiji was pretty much as I had expected. We swam, sat on the beach, read heaps of books, got too much sun, and drank kava. One aspect that I didn't forsee was the lack of fresh water. We had water to drink, but showering was not an option. I managed fine, I mean, who was I hoping to impress? But by the end of the week we resembled salted sun-dried prunes. In the middle of the week, it rained heavily for a day. We danced in the rain and collected it in a soup pot, and poured it over our heads to rinse off. It must have looked absurd, but we couldn't stop laughing, and really, it was the best we could do. The island that we were staying on, Matacawalevu, is in the Yasawa group, up north, and is small, and is home to the famed "Blue Lagoon". No sign of Brooke Shields, though. There is a village close by, and we walked in to see and meet some of the people. They were all insanely friendly, and we were invited into the school. The kids sang for us and were fascinated by the pictures we could take, and show to them. We talked with one of the teachers, and he's only 24. He's from the mainland of Fiji, but he said that living here is wonderful because teachers are the most respected members of the community, and everything is provided for them. This is the only school in the Yasawa group, and children come from all over to learn. It's a beautiful thing, really.

At night we would have big group dinners and then sit outside to drink kava and the locals would sing for us. Kava is the traditional drink of Fiji. It's made from a root, and some say it tastes a little like tree bark. It tastes fine to me, and it always puts a smile on your face. The workers of our resort were friendly and taught us the traditions, songs, and games that they play. We spent far too much time playing a game called "Vindi vindi", or "flicky flicky". It's sort of a mix of billiards, air hockey, and bridge. Hard to explain, but I was addicted. During the day we sat on the beach or in the hammocks, or we went kayaking. "Kayaking" is a loose term here, since it wasn't so much a kayak as it was an old surf board. But we balanced most of the time, and fell off some of the time. Overall, we had a blast. The water was perfect, warm, clear and offered a stunning view of the corals below. We didn't see any fish, although I did come close to stepping on a sea snake.

When we left they sang us a farewell song and sent us off in style. A few guys from the resort had to drive us out in a little speed boat to meet up with the big catamaran that would take us back to Nadi. While we were waiting for the big boat, the guys let me do a few donuts in the speed boat. It was excellent.

We arrived back in Auckland today, and we have just a bit of time before we have to head back to the airport. Kerry will fly off to Brisbane, and I'll head to San Francisco to visit with Jenna, Dave, and their disgustingly cute kitten. This is going to be weird. Kerry has been such a central part of this trip, I might go through a bit of withdrawal. But we've got a solid friendship, and I have no worries that I won't see her again. But when will I see New Zealand again? As far as I'm concerned, I could never set foot in Auckland again and be happy, but the whole of this country.. wow. I absolutely have to come back. I don't really have a choice. I have of course been sad about leaving New Zealand since we left Marahau, but we were still here. Now, faced with actually leaving the country, I'm at a bit of a loss. I've gotten so used to being here, it will be a bit of a shock to fly away from it so abruptly. No more dairies selling pies in every town! No All Blacks logos displayed in store windows, and no rugby coverage at all! I'll have to readjust to Safeway Supermarkets, and my New World coupon card won't work there, I'm sure. I'll be forced to reacquaint myself with Miller Lite, and say goodbye to Tasman Bitter. And how will I deal with the lack of political commercials and party billboards at every turn? Well, I suppose I can live without those. But I wonder who will win this election? How will I ever find out??

It's a strange thought that in a week I'll be on Martha's Vineyard. But it's also a very comforting thought. I might not always know where home is, but i always feel at home when I'm in Providence or on Martha's Vineyard. And I have no doubt that I'll start to feel at home in DC again when I get back. Especially since there's apparently already a party planned for early October. My roommates don't waste any time.

So that's that. This is it from New Zealand. I'll let you all about the fun in San Francisco, and from there, well, I don't know. I guess I'll let you know.

We're leaving for Fiji tomorrow morning!!! Wheee!!

There really isn't much else to report. We'll be sitting on a beach with no access to internet or phones, so I'll be even more unreachable than I am now. So don't worry mum and dad, I'll be safe, and I'll be careful, and I won't let anyone pick-pocket my stuff, and I'll come home safe, if slightly sun burned. (Relax, dad, I have sun screen.)

In closing, I had a chance to catch up on the news this weekend, and I've just realized the horror in New Orleans and the surrounding area. I know only a few people from Louisiana, but I never know who knows who. I hope that all friends and loved ones are accounted for, and I'll be anxious to see how the conditions are in a weeks time. It sort of makes me feel a little callous heading off to Fiji, but at this point, there isn't too much I can do except hope for the best.

Until next time,
Bula!

Well, the good news is we aren't in Auckland anymore. The bad news is, well, I don't really know. We came up north to Kaiwaka to visit with Garry and Lucy for a night, and to pick up Kerry's car. We had left her car with them for the past few months, and had hoped that they would buy it. They told us about a week ago that they couldn't afford it. So we made plans to sell it in Auckland, but when we got here, they decided that they did want to buy it. So, we're staying here, saving some money, and helping them hatch some chickens. Garry and Lucy are the type of people who are constantly undertaking some sort of project to make money, and this time around it's an incubator. Unlike their last endeavor (building pre-fab sheds), this is working well. Lucy has a science degree, and really throws herself into research and doing it right. This weekend was supposed to be the first time they hatched. There were about 50 eggs that could hatch, and we got over 40 chicks! I say "we" because Kerry and I were very active in squealing with delight at the fluffy little things. There are little windows in the incubator, so we could peek in and watch them while they hatched and fluffed up. After a day or so, we were allowed to take them out and put them in the heat-box that Garry had built, and watch them dance around and fall over. We cracked open the eggs that didn't make it, and while it was pretty disturbing to look at dead chicks, it was interesting to see the chicks in various degrees of development. The chicks are gone now though, off to market to be raised into good chickens and roosters. We won't be here, but every Saturday it'll happen all over again.

We're heading back to Auckland on Monday with Garry and Lucy, and we'll stay the night and then on Tuesday we go to FIJI! I had sort of forgotten that we were going. I was grumpy because we had to leave Marahau, but looking at the Fiji brochures again has made me giddy. But as with every silver cloud, there is a dark lining. (?) As soon as we return from Fiji, we have to leave for good, and I have to say goodbye to Kerry. We've been together for such a long time, and she's been such a huge part of this trip, I never thought about actually saying goodbye. It's going to be rough, but in reality, she's not too far from me at home. The US and Canada are pretty freakin' big countries, so we're lucky that we happen to be only 8 driving hours apart.

So that's the news from Lake Woebegon, where the Men are inventive, the women are ingenius, and the chickens are above average.

Dear Diary,

The last time I wrote, we were in Marahau, planning to go crabbing, working on selling a car, and having a wonderful time. I did get to go crabbing, and I also went pig hunting again, twice! The first time Kerry and I both went, and it was a disaster. We lost one of the dogs, and I got lost in the brush in the dark again. But I made it out, and we found the dog the next morning. I went again a few days later, and it was a much bigger success. Dave, Shannon's dad, said I had to be at their house at 6 AM the next morning if I wanted to come. I was there at 5:55, and we set off before the sun came up. We drove to Uncle Pete's hunting block, about half an hour away. We were driving through the Motueka Valley, along the river, when the sun started to show. I almost wished I had my camera, but I don't think it would have captured the serenity. It was one of the most awesome sights I've ever seen, and the sound of the river and just a few birds gave me the feeling that we were driving through heaven. We arrived at the hunting land before anyone else, and watched the sun come up fully over the hills. Again, awe-inspiring. Joe and Ben, Shannon's cousins, showed up, followed soon after by Uncle Pete and his "intern" Jeff. We set off up the hill and within minutes we had a pig on our radar. There were 5 dogs on the case that day, and we managed to bring in 2 pretty large sows. We split up and communicated through walkie-talkies, which was good fun. During slow times I'd sing a little Kenny Rogers over the radio to entertain. I got to drive Pete's SUV down the hill, which was a heck of a trip, bouncing over rocks and blasting through rivers. A real hunting road. Pete and I talked for a bit, and he told me I'd make a good kiwi. He told me I should join the family, and he'd come up with a good nickname for me. He's a good solid guy, even if he isn't so sharp all the time. Towards the end of the day, three of the dogs had a huge pig surrounded, and Dave was pretty close to getting to it. But Mr. Pig was feisty, and managed to escape. During the fracas, Speck, one of the dogs, got ripped up pretty badly. But he was a champ and stuck it out. We all sat around for an hour discussing the 200 lb pig that got away, and then Dave and I spent another 2 hours at the vet while Speck got stitched up. What a trooper.

Grandad came home this weekend as well. George has been in Cambodia for the past 4 months teaching english, and it's actually his house that we've been living in. He didn't know we were here, and I think he was a little surprised, but we get along with him rather well. He and Pete are brothers, but he's 10 times sharper, and a lot more introspective. He's obviously been affected by what he's seen in Asia, and he said he's not sure how much longer he wants to stay in Marahau. Give me a call when you sell, George, we'll talk. We went scalloping again on the weekend, and man, I just don't get tired of it. Raw scallops are surprisingly tasty, and freshly cooked ones are little balls of delight. We had a few more dinners up at the "big house", but with George being home, things are a lot tamer. So we've moved down to Dave and Gloria's little cottage for the parties. It's just as nice, except Liam and I had to wrestle outside instead.

We put a big effort into selling our car, but in the end we only got one phone call. Some guy named Ben who was pretty keen on buying it, but not as keen on returning phone calls. I managed to talk to him last night, and he's going to call Dave and Gloria and they're going to sell the car. If he doesn't buy it, Uncle Pete will, and they'll put the money in our account. I know, I know, we've been stung by that before, but I trust Dave and G infinitely more than I trusted the kiwi pickers.

Last night we had a big going away dinner. Andy and Steve and Sam came over, and there was more food than we could poke a stick at. Potatoes, scallops, veges, (fresh) pork, mussel fritters, green beans, and Mississippi Mud Pie for dessert. Insane. We digested for a few hours, and then went down to the shed for one last game of pool. I don't remember who won, but we had a good time dancing and singing and playing darts. The way it should be.

This morning we got up bright and early to see Liam off on the school bus and say goodbye. He was very sad to see us go, and he promised to write and send pictures of his karate moves. After he had gone, Kerry, G, Dave, Shannon and I sat on the porch having tea and talking. We knew we had to pack up our things and go, but we wanted to sit just a little longer. We packed up and said goodbye to George, and being the man that he is, he told us never to be afraid of the future, and to always make sure that our actions are leading us to what makes us truly happy. That was the first time that I cried. We headed for the airport, and made it in the nick of time. In fact, if our plane hadn't been delayed, we would have missed it. We ended up with a few minutes to say goodbye, and that was the second time I cried. It's hard to explain, but the time we spent in Marahau was some of the best of my life, and the thought that I might never see Shannon or his family again is absolutely gutting.

We've just gotten back to Auckland, and it's just as dull as ever. We've got to spend a week here, tying up loose ends, selling Kerry's car and getting ready for Fiji. It will be nice to go to Fiji, and get a bit of summer weather, and it's especially good that I have something to look forward to. I'm a bad shade of heartbroken right now, and I just want to go home. I'm not sure where home is at this point, but I'm damn sure that it isn't Auckland.

Things will get better, I'm sure, and I'll always remember my time in New Zealand with a smile. It's strange that only four months ago, I was a completely different person, and I had a whole trip in front of me. We'd meet other backpackers, and they'd only have 2 weeks or so left before they went home. Those poor bastards, we'd say. Boy, does it suck to be those poor bastards.

We're going to fetch Kerry's car tomorrow, and spend a night with Garry and Lucy, which will be comforting. And soon enough we'll be in Fiji with nothing to do but read and lay on the beach. I'm teary and emotional now, but I've been teary and emotional lots of times, and I've always managed to bounce back. Such is life, I suppose.

Until next time, Dear Diary


Time has a way of turning my head around
Like a groove of sunshine on the cloudiest of days
But the wind is blowing in the right direction for me
With a candle under my seat
And good ground under my feet
To walk on
-Martin Sexton

Here's a surprising fact: We're still in Marahau! We were going to leave this past weekend for Christchurch to sell the car and then fly up to Auckland. But as most can guess, we don't want to leave, so we aren't. We've started the process of selling the car here, and if we can't sell it, Uncle Pete is going to buy it. Kerry went scalloping with him the other day, and he came back to the house and said he'd love for us to come back out to the coast this weekend. "Well, we'd love to Pete, but we have to leave and sell our car." "Bullshit!" He says. "If you can't sell it, I'll buy it. It's worth having you come out crayfishing." Well, that settles it. So we've managed to dodge reality for another week. We had a hell of a weekend, and it would have been a good way to end our stay, but Dave, Shannon's dad, said we can't leave without a proper going away party. Although I'd say we had a good party this weekend. On Saturday night there was a party at Old Macdonalds Farm, down the road. I think it's a farm/general store/camp ground, but this weekend it was party central. Kerry and Gloria and I had some wine and dancing and talking earlier in the evening, and then Shannon and Jamal came down to the house. We sat on the porch for a few hours, watched the moon rise, danced, talked, etc. It was very good times. After we were suitably tipsy, we went to the farm and had ourselves a wonderful night. I spent a lot of time talking to a salty old kiwi named Graeme. He has lived in this area all his life, and he understood the plight of the traveler: You love home, but you feel at home here as well. He gave me some good advice, but I don't remember what it was. But he signed my autograph lantern, and all was merry. We danced up a storm inside as well, and Gloria tore some ligaments in her foot. But that didn't stop her from dancing, and we carried on into the hours. There was pool playing, cards, singing, and some heavy discussions. I'm not afraid that I will forget them, but I'm very afraid that they will forget me. But Shannon said that we've made a heck of a dent in his life at least, and so I think we're safe. Gloria and Dave are pretty keen to come out to Martha's Vineyard, and Shannon's planning to take over as the captain of the Island Queen or something. I can't tell what will happen, but I'm happy now, and we've been given another week, so we'll live it to the fullest. I went crabbing with Shannon on Sunday while Kerry was scalloping, (and got a bit sick off the side), we took Liam to karate yesterday, and I've taught him how to play rummy. He's got the sick luck of a classic gambler. It's a good thing we're not playing for money, because I don't have any to spare. And speaking of money, for the past three months we have been in phone arguments with the kiwi staff up in Kerikeri that we were picking for. Today we finally got a call saying that they deposited the money into the wrong bank account, and they don't have any. Sorry. It's taken the air out of our sails a bit. But, onward ho. We'll manage, and we'll have a good time.

As it turns out, living in paradise for four months can totally skew your sense of reality. Who knew?

We have been in Marahau for the past week or so, with a brief weekend trip to Nelson and Blenheim this past weekend. Nelson is a neat city, while Blenheim is hardly worth a glance. But we had a nice girls road trip with Shannon's Mum and sister. We saw a movie, had vodka and pizza and popcorn and candy and more movies, and then we went wine tasting. It was great. We stayed in a swanky hotel in Bleheim and jumped on the beds. This is what my life has been like, folks. Weird. Emma is 15, and having some trouble with school, and as such, Gloria has been pretty stressed. This was a good weekend for her to relax, and we had a chance to talk to Emma and see what's really going on. We have the distinct advantage of not being either of her parents, so she was pretty willing to level with us.

This week is shaping up to be more of the same. Hiking, soccer games, karate, crabbing, fishing, etc. But unfortunately, the end of this week brings with it the end of our euphoria. We'll head to Christchurch to sell the Toy, *sniffs* and then we'll fly back up to stinky ole Auckland for a week before we depart for Fiji. And then I have to crash head first back into reality. It's tough, because have been removed from it for so long, I'm having trouble relating to what my life in DC was/will be like. And I can't very well pick up right where I left off, because I am not the same person. I don't want to try and scribe the inner workings of my mind, because NO ONE understands that. Presently, not even me. But I've had yet another minor e-piphany, and I'm about to step on my soap box. I suppose that I had always viewed travel as something separate from life. A holiday, if you will. And often, it is. A two week stay in France was indeed a much needed break, and a heck of a vacation. But extended travel, actual movement, isn't separate from life. On the contrary, it's probably more a part of life than anything else. I don't mean that it's more important, but it has as much to do with how your life shapes up as anything else. Travel is supposed to broaden your horizons, but I've found mine completely blown wide open with more thoughts in my head than I've ever had. Whatever genius invented the idea of a "quarter-life crisis" is going to get a strongly worded letter. Faced with a completely blank slate, I'm wooed by the idea of hiding in Marahau for a while. I've only known New Zealand as a holiday destination, but it's drawn out a version of myself that I hadn't hit before. I've hit a stride here, so I forget that this trip is probably the bravest, and most self-defining chance I've ever taken. I am different, no question. I've come pretty far from the girl who cried when the plane landed in Auckland three and a half months ago. I'm scared, but of different things now. It's hard to explain, and it wouldn't make sense if I tried, but I've got a whole new set of issues to concern myself with, and I feel that they are much more real than being afraid of Auckland.

We'll be out of New Zealand in a month, but I won't forget anything. The memories and people are etched in my mind for good, but also are the emotions of fear, apprehension, elation, self-satisfaction, and happiness. And I think that's what I had hoped to gain.

And that's your daily serving of cheese for today.

And now, I will overload all of you with pictures:

Christchurch through Dunedin:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=85uez3p5.4tkyi1e5&Uy=-2pm5eo&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1

Keep in mind that most of the Christchurch pictures are a result of Duncan messing around with my camera.


Milford Sound:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1&Uc=85uez3p5.2biujci5&Uy=1vhnry&Ux=1


Queenstown:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1&Uc=85uez3p5.blr021kd&Uy=-188fb&Ux=1

I am smack dab in the middle of the latest Harry Potter installment. It's a good thing we're back up in "lazy days" Marahau, because I can't put the book down.

Last week we left Queenstown and drove to Mt. Cook. It's the tallest mountain in New Zealand, and the pictures are stunning. What we didn't realize was the most of those pictures are taken from helicopters. Being a mountainous area, you can't get all that close to Mt. Cook, so while we were glad to have seen it, the pictures are pretty lame. It's a nice area though. Traffic was stopped on the road into Mt. Cook because Infiniti was shooting a car commercial. Since they were driving on the other side of the road, traffic was stopped on all sides for safety. I would imagine also to keep the ugly campervans out of the sexy car ad. So watch for that commercial, folks. With Mt. Cook in the background.

We drove up the west coast towards Fox Glacier, and actually got a much better view of mt. Cook from that side. It's a bit frustrating, because as the crow flies, Mt. Cook and Fox Glacier are about 20 miles apart. But there are no roads that go over the mountain range, so it's a 2 day drive south, west, and then north. But that's neither here nor there. We were blessed with a perfect day, and the pictures of Fox glacier came out like postcards. We took a few shots of ourselves in front of the scenery, and we look like we're posing in front of a Sears backdrop. Surreal.

When you read the guide books for New Zealand, there's lots to say about the whole country. When dealing with the west coast of the South Island, however, much of it sounds as follows: "The West coast of New Zealand is one of the most rugged areas in the world. The rugged mountains rise from the rugged valleys and the ruggedness will seep into your rugged soul. And it's also very rugged." Basically, there's not a lot to do, but make sure you have plenty of film for all those rugged mountains. (As a side note, the word "rugged" has now completely lost it's meaning to me. It's bizarre how that happens.) Anyway, it's beautiful, but we pulled off for some quick pictures, and then continued driving. It turns out that rugged=boring. We made it up to Marahau on Sunday afternoon, the 7th, and we were so excited to be "home". We had envisioned that we would drive up, the sun would be shining, everyone would be there to greet us, and we would fall right back into our rhythm of fun. As it turns out, it was pouring rain, no one was up at the house, and we couldn't track them down. We ended up playing monopoly with Liam for a few hours and looking at baby pictures of Liam Emma and Shannon. (Tee hee snort.) The "menfolk" were out pig hunting, and this time they came back with one. I don't think I can be shocked by much anymore. I wasn't too squeamish, but even if I had been, the pork tastes so good, you can't start feeling bad for the pig.

Monday the 8th was Kerry's 30th birthday. I know, she looks about 25. I woke her up with breakfast in bed at 7:30, and we amused ourselves for much of the day before the dinner party. Shannon's mum, Gloria, bought her a bunch of toys, including bubbles, a jump rope, and a pink princess crown. We had a great night, and Kerry impressed everyone with her champion drinking. She arrived at 30 years of age in grand style. We both felt pretty good the next day, and took a walk into the national park. The weather had shaped up nicely, and we were happy to slow down a bit. Take a walk, take a nap, have some food. It's a nice life.

Yesterday we went scalloping, and it was a lot less work than crayfishing. Just drop the dredges off the side, let them drag, and then hoist them up. We were allowed 250, and so we ate a bunch raw on the boat. They were surprisingly tasty. They're easy to "catch", but preparing them is a pain in the rear. Shannon and I sat out back opening a heap of them for about an hour. He was using a knife, which was smart, but I just pried them open with my hands. That proved tricky, because they're still alive, and not terribly pleased that you're trying to pull off their skulls. They can open and shut their little clammy shells pretty fast, as that's how they swim, so when they clamp down on your fingers, it's pretty hard. But again, as with the pig, it's all worth it. Deep fried scallops are a tasty dish.

Shannon's headed away for a fishing competition this weekend, so Kerry and I are going to take a weekend trip to Nelson. We might bring Gloria with us for a girls weekend. You know, movies, pizza, the whole she-bang. We don't have too much more time before we have to head to Christchurch, but we're not thinking about that. We're having too much fun to face reality. Denial is a handy tool.

So since the days are slower, the livejournal updates may be slower as well. But I'll continue to update when something more exciting than a nap occurs.

All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside
It's hard, but it's harder to ignore it
If they were right, I'd agree, but it's them you know not me
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away
I know I have to go
-Cat Stevens