Things that Have Happened in the US Since Laura Left

A few things that have happened in America, without Laura (tear!).

The Bills signed TO. I am not sure how I feel about this. There is a reason he has bounced around from team to team. He has a serious attitude problem (as our moms would say). But how much trouble can he get into in Buffalo????

I went and saw the Grand Canyon! It is amazing how it looks like those picture backdrops... But it's not though, I was there!

We decided to keep the roomate dinner night alive! Each month we're doing dinner with the girls!

Obama got elected!

Okay that's all the more positive stuff I could come up with. After putting this together I realized that a lot of bad stuff has happened since you left:

1. Tragedy in Clarence

2. Amanda and Tim broke up

3. Economy dipped further

4. Our friend Alyssa (not my sister) lost her job, totaled her car, and broke her foot.

5. We had a terrible winter

6. American Idol isn't that good this year

So in other words, LAURA GET YOUR BUTT BACK HERE!

Dayna

Random bits of kiwi

After a less than brief hiatus, I've finally sat down to write another blog post. Why now you ask? Well, besides the rather menacing facebook messages from those coauthors of this blog who shall remain nameless, a couple of things have struck me as rather funny lately and I thought you all might like me to share them with you. Also today's the first day when the weather info on my desktop for Buffalo and Auckland is the same - a picture of rain and sleet against a cloudy background. Apparently a cyclone is coming and we've been advised to stay indoors - perfect day for some blogging. So here are a few brief anecdotes from the last few months for you to enjoy ( in no particular order)...

LAURA GOES TO AUSTRALIA (FOR 24 HOURS)
Last weekend was our annual awards night in Melbourne, Australia. I was psyched to get a free trip to Australia and another stamp in my passport. But after waking up at 4AM to catch the flight, I was unable to really appreciate what is probably a very nice city. All I saw was a mall and the inside of my hotel room. The party had an Oscars theme, so of course everyone dressed up nice and acted classy, except for the adviser from Christchurch who had one too many glasses of chardonnay and offered our insurance rep her "services." Unfortunately I saw no koalas kangaroos or wallabies so the trip was a failure in that sense. I'll have to get back there soon.

LAURA SMELLS SOMETHING ROTTEN
Early this month Joel and I rented a Juicy Cruiza and went down to Rotorua. A Juicy Cruiza is a green and purple vehicle not unlike a fatter station wagon with a double bed, dvd player, and burner in the back, and Rotorua is a place that smells like rotten eggs. That's due to all the sulfur bubbling up from the volcanic activity, or maybe all the kiwi equivalent of trailer trash. Anyway we went down there for a reggae festival called Ragamuffin. The dude from UB40 was there, sans the UB40. You know, red red wine you make me feel so fine, all of the time. Profound stuff that I can really relate to. Ziggy Marley was there, son of the late Bob Marley, as well as Arrested Development and my personal favorite, Shaggy. I really could've done without seeing Mr. Bombastic performed live. Hey Shaggy the 90's called they want you back. Oh slam!

LAURA BECOMES A KIWI
I think I realized I've been here a long time when I started using certain New Zealander (or kiwi) words in casual conversation, rather than giggling at their very mention. Most of these words are place names that have Maori origin, the language of the native people of NZ. Such words as Mahuhu Crescent (hilarious!), Whakapapa (pronounced f$%k -a-papa), and Manginagina (which has the word mangina right in it :).

LAURA TAKES A (SIMULATED) JUMP OUT OF A PLANE
Joel thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of some of the crazy life-threatening safety-regulationless nonsense that goes on all over this country, otherwise known as adventure tourism. So we picked one of the tamer options and went to the Agrodome, the only place in the world where one ticket is good for a ride in a plastic ball at high speed down a hill and a seat at the sheap-shearing show. We got suited up and climbeed to the top of a 3-story wind-tunnel, where the only thing between you and a scary high-powered fan of death is a thin layer of fish netting. When the first guy in our group fell and suffered a neck injury after his first 30 seconds, I did the right thing and let Joel go first. The facebook pictures tell the rest of the story. Joel's face looks like what would come out if you put an action figure of him and wolverine in the microwave and they melted together. My face looks like I can't wait for the stupid fan to shut off.

Answers to Dayna's burning questions

After nearly a month hiatus, I'm back! Here are the answers to Dayna's clever questions...

1. Is it winter there now?
It's the tail end of winter here now, though winter here doesn't mean being buried under 8 feet of snow like it does in some parts of the world ;) Here it just means lots of rain and temperatures in the mid 50's, low 60's. Which would be fine had I brought more than 2 pairs of jeans or a coat. Unfortunately I assumed that moving to an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean would only require a few skirts and flip flops. Not so.

2. Do the toilets spin in the opposite direction, or is that just a rumor?
The water in the toilets and sinks does in fact flow in the opposite direction. It's freaky.

3. Do they watch the show "The Flight of the Concords" there?
I think the only people who watch it are foreigners like me. It's hilarious to watch it though knowing how true everything is.

4. Does everyone have pet koalas?
No. Koalas live in Australia. Watch Animal Planet once in a while. Haha!

5. Is there a McDonalds there?
There is a Mcdonalds across the street from where I live, alongside a Burger King and a Wendy's and a Dunkin Donuts and a Starbucks. What Auckland lacks in a lively cultural scene, unique architecture, or charm of any kind it makes up for in greasy fast food places.

6. If there is a McDonalds there, do they sell a burger with bananas on it? The McBananaer?
No, but they do have one with avocado. And you don't have to pay for ketchup, but you do have to ask for it. It's like they ration it out or something.

7. Do they know Chuck Norris?
If they do they don't talk about him :(

8. Do they know the Shout song?
No! 5-1 Go Bills! Aw I miss the Harp :(

9. Is their national anthem longer than the US one (haha...yeah right)
I just googled it and it is wicked long! It's called God Save New Zealand. From what I'm not sure. I don't think anyone is planning to attack New Zealand, although they do have vast valuable resources of sheep. So maybe. And there's also a Maori version!

10. Do they appreciate re-gifted pirate shirts?
Only from people with avoidant personality disorder.

10 Burning Questions I Have About New Zealand:

1. Is it winter there now?
2. Do the toilets spin in the opposite direction, or is that just a rumor?
3. Do they watch the show "The Flight of the Concords" there?
4. Does everyone have pet koalas?
5. Is there a McDonalds there?
6. If there is a McDonalds there, do they sell a burger with bananas on it? The McBananaer?
7. Do they know Chuck Norris?
8. Do they know the Shout song?
9. Is their national anthem longer than the US one (haha...yeah right)
10. Do they appreciate re-gifted pirate shirts?

Funny Cats. Totally Random.

more animals


more animals

Working girl

It's day 2 of my job here at STA Travel Queen St. and I'm settling in nicely. The other girls in the office are all really nice - they consist of a Kiwi, an Italian, and an Argentinian, so I'll get to keep up my Spanish! Travel planning is a whole different story when you're starting from the bottom of the world. It's so expensive to get anywhere, mainly because they're are so few routing options. The biggest thing that people are booking are round-the-world fares. It's going to take a lot of practice to learn all the best combinations, but I likes me a good challenge! I found out today that I'll be getting a trip to Melbourne in February for STA South Pacific region's annual awards ceremony, so that'll be fun! My counterpart Kelly has already earned herself a fam trip (paid vacation) for 1 week of travel throughout the north island of NZ, so hopefully I'll be able finagle one of my own in the near future. (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for one to Fiji :) Still plugging away at the apartment search, but it looks like I'll be staying at this hostel for the forseeable future. It's not bad, but I'm sick of watching everyone else plan their fun trips and not getting to do any of my own!

Top Ten Things That Have Happened in the US This Past Week*:

10. Had my writing workshop where the word "bad-ass" was said at least five times by three different people.

9. I played Matchmaker ;)

8. I played MASH on Thursday (Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House)

7. I found this website and ordered some cool stuff: www.celebratebuffalo.com

6. Extreme Home Makeover is going to film in Niagara Falls: http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/441146.html

5. The owner of the bar came over to Tim and asked if he could play the SHOUT CD on the bar's sound system (so much better)

4. Tim's mom danced at the Harp to the SHOUT song

3. The Bills continued their winning streak! 2-0 baby!

2. I discovered this blog: http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

1. Tina Fey impersonated Sarah Palin on SNL

*Please note that Hurricane Ike took out Houston and that the US Financial Institutions are collapsing, but this could not be included in a "best of" list