so i had a whole list of goals written up before i came here. most are probably still the same but a few might have changed. here's the list:
- go Zorbing and try and meet Phil Keogen, from The Amazing Race. (this are for my college roommate Paul who is a bit of a reality TV show dork, on top of just being a regular dork.)
- go bungee jumping. now i sort of half did this already, but i want to do a for real-real bungee jump too (maybe not the one in Nevis which is apparently like a billion meters high.)
- Visit locations for Lord of the Rings. there are tons of tours for this. the morning before i left the US my dad was showing all the special features from the DVDs about where they shot.
- go sailing. Auckland is the city of sails and i need to get on one of those boats while i'm here (also i have a more general life goal of spending at least a week at sea, and not on a cruise (though i do want to go on a cruise too))
- hobbit Hotel. Caitlin sent me a link to a hotel that is in the side of a hill like the houses from the Hobbit, i want to stay there, but first i need to find the link so i can figure out where it actually is.
- improve fitness. i always tell my self i need to work out more, even if its just some crunches some push ups and a bit of yoga. though i've been doing just that for almost a week now so i'm on my way, if it weren't so damn rainy and winter down here i might try some running too but who knows.
- write more. this one is multi parted
- blog. well i'm doing OK on that one so far. this is post 11 and i think i have a few people who will pester and punish me if i start to flake off with it.
- journal. i snagged a nice molskine notebook before i left my Chronicle job and so far i've done a pretty good job of writing at least one page a day. i've only missed two days and they were right when i was moving into my new place. there is also some art in there which i posted some pics of on facebook.
-writing project. i haven't decided what this is yet. i was thinking of trying to write one big project while i'm here but i need to make up my mind as to what it will be first.
- take at least one picture a day. i have mostly succeeded at this. (see Flickr account) some were taken kind of late and are not all that exciting pictures but i have at least one a day and a few of them are actually kind of good. oh and there will be plenty more on top of that in my facebook.
- have a favorite bar, go there often. this one i think is going to be tricky. i have kind of replaced it with two cafe's i like (one is more of a day spot, the other a night spot) and have been to both multiple times. there is also a guy who works at both of them which i discovered last night, too bad it's not the cute boy from the day cafe though.
- expat thanksgiving. i'm not quite sure if i will be in a place to orchestrate this when the time comes but we shall see. (when i'm done on here i'm going to make a poster for some kind of ex-pat 4th celebration.)
- try and visit Amy. this one i might fail at. tickets to Korea are kind of expensive so it will all depend on what kind of job i get and things like that. but i'm still going to try. also see about Becky if she is still in Japan at a time when i might be able to get there.
- go to Australia. i'm right here i better at least get to Sydney, i'd be a really crappy gay if i didn't.
- go to a tropical island. everyone here seems to go to Fiji but i think they still do Fucked up things to the gays there so i need to investigate. if not Fiji there are plenty of other options. but i want at least one side trip that just involves me half naked on a beach, probably reading.
- write lots of letters. working on it. most of you should have gotten postcards (if you think i don't have your address send it to me) and i have nice stationary for more and more letters in the months to come.
- take an art or design class. this is kind of a long term goal and i haven't found a good one to take yet (i also can't afford one yet) but i'm going to try and i've scouted a few good places to look.
- see and Opera or a Symphony. something i should do more of in general. nothing seems to be coming up till August here but i've got a few things marked ready to go when they get here.
- make a plan for when i get back. i don't want to end up like i did at the end of college with nothing ready to go next. it will all depend on money and what my life is like after NZ, top two ideas are grad school (though i usually say that) and a massive road trip across the US (probably ending in SF, though i want to take at least a month and stop in lots of places) both are kind of cash heavy but i have time to think about them.
well looking at the list i wrote before i left that is everything. so nothing much has changed on that front. i have a few new goals too though, ones that are more NZ specific. i think i will save them for another day.
29 June, 2009
26 June, 2009
The Domain-ation
today was the first day in what is supposed to be five days of rain. so of course this ends bu being the day that i make a nice nature trek into Auckland's largest park, The Domain. (i think domain is kind of a generic word for park here as i've seen it a few places on maps of the country.)
luckily there was a big burst of rain early in the day when i was at the library (where i was writing postcards to people). by the time i left there it hadn't exactly cleared up but it was no longer full on raining, which was giving me SF flashbacks. i quickly realized that as much as i know the Domain is near my apartment i probably should have checked a map anyway. i ended up taking the semi long way there, which was mostly longer because it involved walking to the top of the hill first. though i did get to see a different view of the park then i did two weeks ago when i just went to the Museum (which is in the park).
a large part of the park is taken up by soccer/rugby pitches. which due to rain and general winter-ness were unoccupied. i skirted the outside of the fields and walked through a nice well groomed garden area with a pond for ducks and geese. i saw some nice places for picnics and maybe some outdoor yoga if i ever get around to that. from there i went into the area of the park where their are forest walks. those are really cool. the one i started on is just like stepping into a mini (if cold) rain forest. the paths are paved which kind of detracts from things but you really do feel surrounded which is nice. there seemed to be a few side trails but i didn't explore those yet, waiting for a day when they aren't 80% mud. there was only like one place where you could stop and maybe sit or something in the forested parts, other then just sitting in the middle of the path and blocking traffic.
It's no Central Park, or Golden Gate Park but its nice. and now that i know how to get there without hiking up and down too many hills i might actually go there more often. though i will probably wait till this week of rain ends.
right now the view out my window is like the inside of a cloud its so foggy here today.
ok to the post office for more stamps!
luckily there was a big burst of rain early in the day when i was at the library (where i was writing postcards to people). by the time i left there it hadn't exactly cleared up but it was no longer full on raining, which was giving me SF flashbacks. i quickly realized that as much as i know the Domain is near my apartment i probably should have checked a map anyway. i ended up taking the semi long way there, which was mostly longer because it involved walking to the top of the hill first. though i did get to see a different view of the park then i did two weeks ago when i just went to the Museum (which is in the park).
a large part of the park is taken up by soccer/rugby pitches. which due to rain and general winter-ness were unoccupied. i skirted the outside of the fields and walked through a nice well groomed garden area with a pond for ducks and geese. i saw some nice places for picnics and maybe some outdoor yoga if i ever get around to that. from there i went into the area of the park where their are forest walks. those are really cool. the one i started on is just like stepping into a mini (if cold) rain forest. the paths are paved which kind of detracts from things but you really do feel surrounded which is nice. there seemed to be a few side trails but i didn't explore those yet, waiting for a day when they aren't 80% mud. there was only like one place where you could stop and maybe sit or something in the forested parts, other then just sitting in the middle of the path and blocking traffic.
It's no Central Park, or Golden Gate Park but its nice. and now that i know how to get there without hiking up and down too many hills i might actually go there more often. though i will probably wait till this week of rain ends.
right now the view out my window is like the inside of a cloud its so foggy here today.
ok to the post office for more stamps!
24 June, 2009
Job Interview Kiwi Stylye.
So, i went on a job interview on Tuesday.
it was to work here: http://www.skyjump.co.nz/
the interview was ok, nothing too exciting. Why are you in NZ? describing the job, helping people into jumpsuits and harnesses, how long are you planing on staying in Auckland? i thought i did fairly well and it wasn't a complicated process. non of the "where do you see yourself in 5 years," or "how can you bring value to our company," or any of that nonsense.
after the interview was where things got interesting. she says thanks for coming in and she will let me know later that afternoon because they are apparently hiring for the next day. then she's like "oh and now you get to jump so that you know what it's like."
now, i kind of wanted to do it. i watched that kid from the hostel do it the other day and it looked really cool. but showing up for a job interview and then at the end being told you get to jump off of a 630 foot building was not what i was expecting on the day.
i get all suited up by a very cute Irish boy, weighed (62kg with the harness) and put in an elevator. i'm honestly a little surprised i didn't vomit or something, the elevator has big glass panels that open out to the city and one in the floor. i get to the top of the building (well not the very top but quite high enough thank you) meet the very nice, and comfortingly burly men who attach my harness to the thing that's going to guide me down and make sure i don't have to be hosed off the street. we walk to the end of the thing that looks suspiciously like a pirate's gang-plank and he asks "are you ready?" i reply "no."
(there was a family doing the Sky Walk www.skywalk.co.nz) and the kid helpfully said "yea!" for me. to which the guy answered "good enough."
now he didn't push me off the building, and surprisingly i didn't hesitate too much before taking the step off the building. first you just kind of dangle then they drop you about 10 feet so that the people in the observation deck can point and laugh. then time for the big drop. about 50 mph and 630 feet to the ground. it was quite exhilarating and for the first few seconds terrifying but totally fun. i would do it again (though it's kind of expensive to do for real). when i landed my legs were quite wobbly and tingling and i had definitely drooled allover my self and anyone below.
we went back down into their main area under the tower and i not only got a free photo of the fall but a free DVD of my fall too (there is a camera attached to one of the guide wires.) which all tolled was like a 250NZD that i got just for showing up and being asked a few questions.
and after all that i didn't even get the job. oh well ...
it was to work here: http://www.skyjump.co.nz/
the interview was ok, nothing too exciting. Why are you in NZ? describing the job, helping people into jumpsuits and harnesses, how long are you planing on staying in Auckland? i thought i did fairly well and it wasn't a complicated process. non of the "where do you see yourself in 5 years," or "how can you bring value to our company," or any of that nonsense.
after the interview was where things got interesting. she says thanks for coming in and she will let me know later that afternoon because they are apparently hiring for the next day. then she's like "oh and now you get to jump so that you know what it's like."
now, i kind of wanted to do it. i watched that kid from the hostel do it the other day and it looked really cool. but showing up for a job interview and then at the end being told you get to jump off of a 630 foot building was not what i was expecting on the day.
i get all suited up by a very cute Irish boy, weighed (62kg with the harness) and put in an elevator. i'm honestly a little surprised i didn't vomit or something, the elevator has big glass panels that open out to the city and one in the floor. i get to the top of the building (well not the very top but quite high enough thank you) meet the very nice, and comfortingly burly men who attach my harness to the thing that's going to guide me down and make sure i don't have to be hosed off the street. we walk to the end of the thing that looks suspiciously like a pirate's gang-plank and he asks "are you ready?" i reply "no."
(there was a family doing the Sky Walk www.skywalk.co.nz) and the kid helpfully said "yea!" for me. to which the guy answered "good enough."
now he didn't push me off the building, and surprisingly i didn't hesitate too much before taking the step off the building. first you just kind of dangle then they drop you about 10 feet so that the people in the observation deck can point and laugh. then time for the big drop. about 50 mph and 630 feet to the ground. it was quite exhilarating and for the first few seconds terrifying but totally fun. i would do it again (though it's kind of expensive to do for real). when i landed my legs were quite wobbly and tingling and i had definitely drooled allover my self and anyone below.
we went back down into their main area under the tower and i not only got a free photo of the fall but a free DVD of my fall too (there is a camera attached to one of the guide wires.) which all tolled was like a 250NZD that i got just for showing up and being asked a few questions.
and after all that i didn't even get the job. oh well ...
21 June, 2009
Observations
just some things i've been noticing.
- No pennies, NZ coins only come in $2, $1, 50¢, 20¢, and 10¢ denominations. they also include tax in all their listed prices which is nice.
- this city is hillier then SF, at least it feels that way. i have to walk down a hill to get anywhere and from the bottom of that hill i usually have to walk up another to get somewhere.
- all of the men's rooms have weird sheet metal trough urinals that make a loud waterfall kind of deal to flush, and most of them have a step up from the floor too. the first time i saw one i wasn't quite sure what it was.
- the gay neighborhood is flanked on both sides by churches (one a Baptist and the other a Methodist) and has a hetero strip club in the middle. it is also the "red light district."
- they call ketchup "red sauce" and in restaurants it sometimes comes in a little squeezable tomato.
- they really like to jump off of things. just about every tall thing in the country has a bungy jump or something off of it.
- they use the word Bro alot, but it means something difrent then it does in the us. it is more of a synonym for Dude, as upposed to that assbag in the club with the popped collar and the bad fake tan.
- there are gambling machines in most of the bars here (video slot machines mostly) but apparently most of the money they make goes to charity, kind of like how the us lotery system goes to education in the US.
i'm sure i will think of more in the future but thats a few of the big ones for now.
- No pennies, NZ coins only come in $2, $1, 50¢, 20¢, and 10¢ denominations. they also include tax in all their listed prices which is nice.
- this city is hillier then SF, at least it feels that way. i have to walk down a hill to get anywhere and from the bottom of that hill i usually have to walk up another to get somewhere.
- all of the men's rooms have weird sheet metal trough urinals that make a loud waterfall kind of deal to flush, and most of them have a step up from the floor too. the first time i saw one i wasn't quite sure what it was.
- the gay neighborhood is flanked on both sides by churches (one a Baptist and the other a Methodist) and has a hetero strip club in the middle. it is also the "red light district."
- they call ketchup "red sauce" and in restaurants it sometimes comes in a little squeezable tomato.
- they really like to jump off of things. just about every tall thing in the country has a bungy jump or something off of it.
- they use the word Bro alot, but it means something difrent then it does in the us. it is more of a synonym for Dude, as upposed to that assbag in the club with the popped collar and the bad fake tan.
- there are gambling machines in most of the bars here (video slot machines mostly) but apparently most of the money they make goes to charity, kind of like how the us lotery system goes to education in the US.
i'm sure i will think of more in the future but thats a few of the big ones for now.
17 June, 2009
Stray-ight boys.
so its been a bit, feel free to harass me if i don't update often enough for you. (it means people are reading this which i like)
a few days after the gay-fest that was Family, i made a new friend at the hostel, Rich from Yorkshire (England for those of you who don't know). first we chatted over breakfast then bonded over Mario based video games (i was playing Super Mario World and he was wearing a Mario Kart shirt). he invited me to join him at the bar down in the basement of the hostel which i had not visited (and kind of thought i wouldn't visit) it was for some reason Skirt night, which meant that if you wore a skirt you got a free beer. a box of skirts was provided and they looked like the dregs of a goodwill store but were quite amusing. it also meant that there were about 20 guys in the bar wearing skirts, most over jeans but a few had clearly taken the event seriously and were quite gussied up. many of the skirted boys were also playing in a pool competition which was fun to watch.
i met up with my Brit friend who offered me one of the three beers he had been handed upon presenting his skirt at the bar. the night started slowly and sort of turned out to be quite the "sausage fest." there was a nice older couple from Boston that me and Rich talked to for a while (and who provided me with my second free beer). they were just back in Auckland for the night after returning from south east Asia and were flying back to the states the next day.
the music slowly turned up and the pool tournament ended (the owner of the bar won, which is kind of amusingly unseemly, and i saw him cheat at least once but i don't think anyone cared much) me and Rich started talking to two other Brit boys, who's names i can't for the life of me remember.
it's been a very long time since I've hung out with boys as straight as this and it was for the most part amusing. there was one moment where they did drop into the "i don't mind gay people as long as they don't hit on me" thing (which was in response to two guys who showed up dressed as cats) and there were some things that i'm sure Blyth or the WOA crew would not have approved of but generally they were quite nice. i didn't out myself and i'm not sure if they picked up on it but i didn't really feel the need to at the moment. it turned out that it was one of the other Brit boys birthdays at midnight so we sang for him and "took the piss out of him" (which i still find an odd expression but whatevs).
there was another British guy we ended up talking to who was quite odd, and according to Rich from a quite dodgy part of the country. he was very excited that i was from New York and had his picture taken with me. he had also gotten his picture taken with the cat boys. this guy turned out to be quite the close talker and told this long rambling story about a skateboard he had borrowed from his brother-in-law that he was very excited about. the two other Brit boys packed it in because they were going to Waitomo caves the next day. the close talker invited me and Rich out to another bar but me and him dodged him and headed back up to the hostel, i was going to take a free tour of the city from one of the adventure bus companies (called Stray) and Rich had decided to join me.
~~~
so the next morning at 10:20 we hopped on a nice orange buss and started to explore the city.
the first stop was the Sky Tower, the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, and Rich won the chance to jump off of it (NZ loves their adventure sports, especially jumping off of very tall things) they suited him up and loaded him into and elevator and we went to the base of the tower to watch him come down. it was quite the amusing thing to watch.
after the Sky Tower we drove around the water front and took a bunch of pictures, then headed to a park and a monument to the country's first Labour PM which was quite an ornate toumb but offered quite nice views of the bay and one of the volcanic islands you can get to by ferry.
next stop was a dead volcano called Mt. Eden, which has a huge crator in it (i had seen pictures and was surprised at how deep it actually was). the crator is also apparently cursed because a tribe's chief got stabbed in the back there so you can't (and i wouldn't have anyway) go down in to it. there were great views of the city from there and a nice bronze place that points to major cities all over the world and tells you how far away you are.
our tour guide gave us a brief sales pitch about the kinds of trecks the company offers and what they are all about (most of which i had already heard) and then we headed down to a local pub for lunch. we were supposed to go out onto the Harbor bridge to watch someone bungee off of it but they are aparently resurfacing the roads at the moment so we couldn't, instead we drove a lap over it and i got a bunch of pictures for mom. we took a wide lap around some of the smaller neighborhoods of town, including K' Road wich is the "red-light-district" in addition to the gay part of town, where i may have semi outed myself to Rich (assuming he hadn't noticed the I <3 Kiwi Boys button i had on my back pack). our last sight was the steepest street in Auckland and teh second steepest in NZ, which at first i thought was going to be lame having come from SF and it's hilly bastard roads but i was actually quite impressed. the steepest st in NZ (and i think maybe the world) is down on the south island and is on my list of things to check out. i need to go back and get some better pics of this street some time today or tomorrow for all my SF peeps.
still no job yet, i need to do more hunting tomorrow, today i moved into my new place (which i suspect might suck more then the hostel but we'll see). but at least i have an address, message me if you want it and i haven't already sent it to you.
-Peter-
a few days after the gay-fest that was Family, i made a new friend at the hostel, Rich from Yorkshire (England for those of you who don't know). first we chatted over breakfast then bonded over Mario based video games (i was playing Super Mario World and he was wearing a Mario Kart shirt). he invited me to join him at the bar down in the basement of the hostel which i had not visited (and kind of thought i wouldn't visit) it was for some reason Skirt night, which meant that if you wore a skirt you got a free beer. a box of skirts was provided and they looked like the dregs of a goodwill store but were quite amusing. it also meant that there were about 20 guys in the bar wearing skirts, most over jeans but a few had clearly taken the event seriously and were quite gussied up. many of the skirted boys were also playing in a pool competition which was fun to watch.
i met up with my Brit friend who offered me one of the three beers he had been handed upon presenting his skirt at the bar. the night started slowly and sort of turned out to be quite the "sausage fest." there was a nice older couple from Boston that me and Rich talked to for a while (and who provided me with my second free beer). they were just back in Auckland for the night after returning from south east Asia and were flying back to the states the next day.
the music slowly turned up and the pool tournament ended (the owner of the bar won, which is kind of amusingly unseemly, and i saw him cheat at least once but i don't think anyone cared much) me and Rich started talking to two other Brit boys, who's names i can't for the life of me remember.
it's been a very long time since I've hung out with boys as straight as this and it was for the most part amusing. there was one moment where they did drop into the "i don't mind gay people as long as they don't hit on me" thing (which was in response to two guys who showed up dressed as cats) and there were some things that i'm sure Blyth or the WOA crew would not have approved of but generally they were quite nice. i didn't out myself and i'm not sure if they picked up on it but i didn't really feel the need to at the moment. it turned out that it was one of the other Brit boys birthdays at midnight so we sang for him and "took the piss out of him" (which i still find an odd expression but whatevs).
there was another British guy we ended up talking to who was quite odd, and according to Rich from a quite dodgy part of the country. he was very excited that i was from New York and had his picture taken with me. he had also gotten his picture taken with the cat boys. this guy turned out to be quite the close talker and told this long rambling story about a skateboard he had borrowed from his brother-in-law that he was very excited about. the two other Brit boys packed it in because they were going to Waitomo caves the next day. the close talker invited me and Rich out to another bar but me and him dodged him and headed back up to the hostel, i was going to take a free tour of the city from one of the adventure bus companies (called Stray) and Rich had decided to join me.
~~~
so the next morning at 10:20 we hopped on a nice orange buss and started to explore the city.
the first stop was the Sky Tower, the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, and Rich won the chance to jump off of it (NZ loves their adventure sports, especially jumping off of very tall things) they suited him up and loaded him into and elevator and we went to the base of the tower to watch him come down. it was quite the amusing thing to watch.
after the Sky Tower we drove around the water front and took a bunch of pictures, then headed to a park and a monument to the country's first Labour PM which was quite an ornate toumb but offered quite nice views of the bay and one of the volcanic islands you can get to by ferry.
next stop was a dead volcano called Mt. Eden, which has a huge crator in it (i had seen pictures and was surprised at how deep it actually was). the crator is also apparently cursed because a tribe's chief got stabbed in the back there so you can't (and i wouldn't have anyway) go down in to it. there were great views of the city from there and a nice bronze place that points to major cities all over the world and tells you how far away you are.
our tour guide gave us a brief sales pitch about the kinds of trecks the company offers and what they are all about (most of which i had already heard) and then we headed down to a local pub for lunch. we were supposed to go out onto the Harbor bridge to watch someone bungee off of it but they are aparently resurfacing the roads at the moment so we couldn't, instead we drove a lap over it and i got a bunch of pictures for mom. we took a wide lap around some of the smaller neighborhoods of town, including K' Road wich is the "red-light-district" in addition to the gay part of town, where i may have semi outed myself to Rich (assuming he hadn't noticed the I <3 Kiwi Boys button i had on my back pack). our last sight was the steepest street in Auckland and teh second steepest in NZ, which at first i thought was going to be lame having come from SF and it's hilly bastard roads but i was actually quite impressed. the steepest st in NZ (and i think maybe the world) is down on the south island and is on my list of things to check out. i need to go back and get some better pics of this street some time today or tomorrow for all my SF peeps.
still no job yet, i need to do more hunting tomorrow, today i moved into my new place (which i suspect might suck more then the hostel but we'll see). but at least i have an address, message me if you want it and i haven't already sent it to you.
-Peter-
12 June, 2009
I May Have Taken a Vow of Celibacy
so me and Mr. Alabama went out last night to Auckland's one big gay bar.
The bar it's self, Family is the name of the bar, is not so bad. it's more of a club then a bar and looks the part. there were about 3 dozen disco balls throughout the place most in big clusters, including a veritable disco ball orgy over the dance floor in the back. beers were ordered (Alabama keeps his money in one of those undershirt pouches which i always find kind of silly) we walked a lap of the bar which was still relatively empty (it was at least 10:45). decent bartenders and at least one cute boy there but nothing too earth shattering. there is also a small room full of digital slot machines off to one side of the front of the building.
over all the place was sort of like (sorry for those of you who don't frequent the SF gay bars as this explanation will be useless to you) the worst of Badlands mixed with a fair amount of the good things from Bar on Castro, with just a small hint of the Mix. it was kind of awful. of course i'm never particularly fond of gay bars anyway but this really is not going to be my favorite place in Auckland by a long shot. there is a really strange mix of trashy young guys, Maori transsexuals, gruff looking old guys (three of whom had their shirts off) and a fair amount of girls.
me and Mr. Alabama stood outside on the nice enclosed smoking porch and talked, he is a weirdo. he's probably a libertarian (he was talking about government being paternalistic) and i'm not quite sure if he is actually religious or just has a vestigial fondness for it, he is studying law and has a boyfriend. him having a boyfriend is not why we didn't make out, he was talking about how he would be disappointed if he didn't hook up with lots of people while out adventuring (he has quite the multi city travel plan).
[before we left the hostel he was chatting with his boyfriend through Skype, and i'm pretty sure at one point they were having Skype-phone-sex or at least i think his boyfriend was doing something naughty on his end of the line. i was eavesdropping like a maniac.]
so finally around 12 more people started to show up to the bar and we made another walk to the back to see how things were going on the dance floor, on queeny 20something with his brutish friend were dancing away, the aforementioned old guys with shirts off, some awkwardly dancing mid 40s business men and an Asian couple making out rather furiously. the one cute guy we saw when we came in was nowhere to be found. we returned to the front smoking area, where Mr. Alabama started to talk with a cute-ish couple, which would have been fine except that he was trying to talk about race issues with two people he'd never met (one white, the other either of Maori decent or pacific islander of some kind (i tried to not get too involved in the conversation)) and being sort of furiously racially insensitive, not actually racist but just so blunt and odd and nonsensical that he almost started a fight. we also started to talk to the queeney 20something from the dance floor until he started slagging and drooling a little pre-vomit on the counter next to him.
it's not so much that i hated this bar, i've hated lots of bars, its more that i don't really have many other options. maybe when i have a job and feel more like a resident of the city i will find some place that i like that is gay enough but as it stands i don't hold a lot of hope for my Kiwi dating prospects, and really at the moment i'm kind of stressed/cranky about lots of other far more important things.
as it is now i'm not sure if i'm going to stay here the whole year, but who knows my mood could change tomorrow. and maybe some intentional celibacy would be helpful to my life, who knows.
The bar it's self, Family is the name of the bar, is not so bad. it's more of a club then a bar and looks the part. there were about 3 dozen disco balls throughout the place most in big clusters, including a veritable disco ball orgy over the dance floor in the back. beers were ordered (Alabama keeps his money in one of those undershirt pouches which i always find kind of silly) we walked a lap of the bar which was still relatively empty (it was at least 10:45). decent bartenders and at least one cute boy there but nothing too earth shattering. there is also a small room full of digital slot machines off to one side of the front of the building.
over all the place was sort of like (sorry for those of you who don't frequent the SF gay bars as this explanation will be useless to you) the worst of Badlands mixed with a fair amount of the good things from Bar on Castro, with just a small hint of the Mix. it was kind of awful. of course i'm never particularly fond of gay bars anyway but this really is not going to be my favorite place in Auckland by a long shot. there is a really strange mix of trashy young guys, Maori transsexuals, gruff looking old guys (three of whom had their shirts off) and a fair amount of girls.
me and Mr. Alabama stood outside on the nice enclosed smoking porch and talked, he is a weirdo. he's probably a libertarian (he was talking about government being paternalistic) and i'm not quite sure if he is actually religious or just has a vestigial fondness for it, he is studying law and has a boyfriend. him having a boyfriend is not why we didn't make out, he was talking about how he would be disappointed if he didn't hook up with lots of people while out adventuring (he has quite the multi city travel plan).
[before we left the hostel he was chatting with his boyfriend through Skype, and i'm pretty sure at one point they were having Skype-phone-sex or at least i think his boyfriend was doing something naughty on his end of the line. i was eavesdropping like a maniac.]
so finally around 12 more people started to show up to the bar and we made another walk to the back to see how things were going on the dance floor, on queeny 20something with his brutish friend were dancing away, the aforementioned old guys with shirts off, some awkwardly dancing mid 40s business men and an Asian couple making out rather furiously. the one cute guy we saw when we came in was nowhere to be found. we returned to the front smoking area, where Mr. Alabama started to talk with a cute-ish couple, which would have been fine except that he was trying to talk about race issues with two people he'd never met (one white, the other either of Maori decent or pacific islander of some kind (i tried to not get too involved in the conversation)) and being sort of furiously racially insensitive, not actually racist but just so blunt and odd and nonsensical that he almost started a fight. we also started to talk to the queeney 20something from the dance floor until he started slagging and drooling a little pre-vomit on the counter next to him.
it's not so much that i hated this bar, i've hated lots of bars, its more that i don't really have many other options. maybe when i have a job and feel more like a resident of the city i will find some place that i like that is gay enough but as it stands i don't hold a lot of hope for my Kiwi dating prospects, and really at the moment i'm kind of stressed/cranky about lots of other far more important things.
as it is now i'm not sure if i'm going to stay here the whole year, but who knows my mood could change tomorrow. and maybe some intentional celibacy would be helpful to my life, who knows.
11 June, 2009
Ireland, New Jersey, Alabama, Canada and me New York
8:30: Jersey does laundry in preparation for the bus trek that he, Canada and Ireland are going on tomorrow. Canada and New York are laid out on the couch hungry and lazy. Ireland is talking to UK about very tinny computers.
8:45: Jersey moves his laundry into the dryer and sees Alabama who looks lonely in the big hostel filled with British girls and German boys. Jersey tells Alabama that he and some friends are going to for drinks in a little bit and that Alabama would be welcome to join them.
8:50: Canada, Ireland, and New York decide to head to the bar now so they can get some food. cell phones are retrieved and they head out side, Jersey will meet them later.
9:00: the bar is an Irish pub and their kitchen is closed, so Ireland, Canada and NY order off the snacks menu and get started with the beers, NY realizes he is wearing a pink shirt at the very macho Irish bar, he also orders a cider.
9:15: snacks arrive, Canada realizes she has ordered too much. the live cover-band of Scotland and friend start up. no one can hear a damn thing.
9:30: NY can't wait to go to pub quiz next week with Colorado again, and hopefully come in first this time, or at least get a few more people to come out.
9:40: Canada and Ireland are talking about the first stop on their adventure trek, which involves a beach and digging holes in the sand that fill with hot springs water. NY is jealous but does not have quit a flush enough bank account to join them.
9:50: Jersey makes it out and starts eating Canada's left over snacks. there is much shouting over the band and the even louder jukebox that comes on when the band is on breaks.
10:00: everyone is on a second round. Jersey is drinking Guinness, Canada is trying to figure out just exactly where Scotland is from based on his accent. Ireland is eye-ing the pool table.
10:30: Canada, Ireland, and Jersey move on to round three of beers, NY opts out because this is the third day in a row that he has had two beers and he hasn't drunk this much since he was California back in March.
11:00: pool finally happens Ireland is good but not annoyingly so, Canada is not so good but sporting. Jersey and NY switch in for a bit.
11:15: the Kiwi cops arrive but are very mellow and are just there to bust some underage drinkers and give the bartender a fine, NY thinks it is probably the most polite raid ever.
11:20: most of the underage drinkers return
11:40: Alabama shows up.
11:45: everyone agrees that Alabama is a little weird, and awfully intense.
11:50: Alabama tells Canada that he was conceived in Maine, she is confused as to both how and why he knows this.
12:00: Ireland and Canada get more beer, NY sits in a very uncomfortable bar stool and waits for them to return. Alabama and Jersey are chatting.
12:05: Alabama mentions how his family was not excited when he moved to NYC on account of being "the gay." Jersey is unsure why he is being told this. NY in his pink shirt is not informed of such but can pretty much figure it out on his own.
12:20: Ireland and Canada are talking and no one can hear them, least of all either of them.
12:30: NY moves off of the hard bar stool and sits with Jersey and Alabama. Jersey is trying to bash New Jersey and Alabama is defending it and an oddly aggressive manner. he is also trying to touch Jersey in those casual ways that people do at bars.
12:45: Jersey and NY learn that Alabama is studding at Yeshiva[sic?] university in NYC and that he got mugged twice in the lower east side.
12:55: Alabama is very glad he no longer lives in Alabama but has very odd political beliefs and is almost aggressively cynical in a strangely upbeat way. Jersey is trying to not be to attractive, NY is intrigued.
1:00: Alabama wants to smoke, but doesn't want to go outside alone. Jersey and NY know who he wants to come out to smoke with him but Jersey couldn't be moved from his chair with a crowbar. NY offers to baby-sit him while he goes out to smoke.
1:03: Alabama continues to be odd while he smokes his cigarette. NY intends on hanging out in the hostel lounge tomorrow after Jersey leaves for his adventure trek, he wouldn't date Alabama but he would definitely make out with him.
1:05: while inside Ireland, Canada, and Jersey have decided they are leaving. NY and Alabama join them.
1:07: Alabama points out the epaulets on Jerseys shirt and starts playing with them. NY explains the origin of epaulets on shirts. Alabama is the kind of guy that despite being a gay in Alabama probably still slept with most of the football team, or at least that's what NY is imagining.
1:10: Alabama gets off on the 5th floor of the hostel. everyone else on the 9th, where they all discuss the oddness of Alabama in a way the probably woke up Germany, Poland, and Spain.
1:15 NY bids the three travelers good night and goes up to his room on the 10 floor.
8:45: Jersey moves his laundry into the dryer and sees Alabama who looks lonely in the big hostel filled with British girls and German boys. Jersey tells Alabama that he and some friends are going to for drinks in a little bit and that Alabama would be welcome to join them.
8:50: Canada, Ireland, and New York decide to head to the bar now so they can get some food. cell phones are retrieved and they head out side, Jersey will meet them later.
9:00: the bar is an Irish pub and their kitchen is closed, so Ireland, Canada and NY order off the snacks menu and get started with the beers, NY realizes he is wearing a pink shirt at the very macho Irish bar, he also orders a cider.
9:15: snacks arrive, Canada realizes she has ordered too much. the live cover-band of Scotland and friend start up. no one can hear a damn thing.
9:30: NY can't wait to go to pub quiz next week with Colorado again, and hopefully come in first this time, or at least get a few more people to come out.
9:40: Canada and Ireland are talking about the first stop on their adventure trek, which involves a beach and digging holes in the sand that fill with hot springs water. NY is jealous but does not have quit a flush enough bank account to join them.
9:50: Jersey makes it out and starts eating Canada's left over snacks. there is much shouting over the band and the even louder jukebox that comes on when the band is on breaks.
10:00: everyone is on a second round. Jersey is drinking Guinness, Canada is trying to figure out just exactly where Scotland is from based on his accent. Ireland is eye-ing the pool table.
10:30: Canada, Ireland, and Jersey move on to round three of beers, NY opts out because this is the third day in a row that he has had two beers and he hasn't drunk this much since he was California back in March.
11:00: pool finally happens Ireland is good but not annoyingly so, Canada is not so good but sporting. Jersey and NY switch in for a bit.
11:15: the Kiwi cops arrive but are very mellow and are just there to bust some underage drinkers and give the bartender a fine, NY thinks it is probably the most polite raid ever.
11:20: most of the underage drinkers return
11:40: Alabama shows up.
11:45: everyone agrees that Alabama is a little weird, and awfully intense.
11:50: Alabama tells Canada that he was conceived in Maine, she is confused as to both how and why he knows this.
12:00: Ireland and Canada get more beer, NY sits in a very uncomfortable bar stool and waits for them to return. Alabama and Jersey are chatting.
12:05: Alabama mentions how his family was not excited when he moved to NYC on account of being "the gay." Jersey is unsure why he is being told this. NY in his pink shirt is not informed of such but can pretty much figure it out on his own.
12:20: Ireland and Canada are talking and no one can hear them, least of all either of them.
12:30: NY moves off of the hard bar stool and sits with Jersey and Alabama. Jersey is trying to bash New Jersey and Alabama is defending it and an oddly aggressive manner. he is also trying to touch Jersey in those casual ways that people do at bars.
12:45: Jersey and NY learn that Alabama is studding at Yeshiva[sic?] university in NYC and that he got mugged twice in the lower east side.
12:55: Alabama is very glad he no longer lives in Alabama but has very odd political beliefs and is almost aggressively cynical in a strangely upbeat way. Jersey is trying to not be to attractive, NY is intrigued.
1:00: Alabama wants to smoke, but doesn't want to go outside alone. Jersey and NY know who he wants to come out to smoke with him but Jersey couldn't be moved from his chair with a crowbar. NY offers to baby-sit him while he goes out to smoke.
1:03: Alabama continues to be odd while he smokes his cigarette. NY intends on hanging out in the hostel lounge tomorrow after Jersey leaves for his adventure trek, he wouldn't date Alabama but he would definitely make out with him.
1:05: while inside Ireland, Canada, and Jersey have decided they are leaving. NY and Alabama join them.
1:07: Alabama points out the epaulets on Jerseys shirt and starts playing with them. NY explains the origin of epaulets on shirts. Alabama is the kind of guy that despite being a gay in Alabama probably still slept with most of the football team, or at least that's what NY is imagining.
1:10: Alabama gets off on the 5th floor of the hostel. everyone else on the 9th, where they all discuss the oddness of Alabama in a way the probably woke up Germany, Poland, and Spain.
1:15 NY bids the three travelers good night and goes up to his room on the 10 floor.
10 June, 2009
I don’t love Auckland, at least not yet.
There is nothing wrong with it, it’s beautiful the people I’ve meet so far have all been nice but it’s just not stirring my heart at the moment.
I was feeling cranky after the afore blogged job search so I went for a walk, it was nice out and I wanted to take advantage of it and take some pictures and do some more non-damp exploring. I have only been here for three out of the potential 365 I might spend here but as I’ve been exploring there just hasn’t been anything that’s made me feel really excited about this city yet, the bookstores are kind of lackluster (though the library looked quite nice) the “gayborhood” is lame (and there are at least two titty bars there???). I’m going to check out the gay bar tomorrow night and hold out a little hope that it will be at least a little redeeming. (Though note that that was “the gay bar” as in singular)
The public transit sucks, or at least I think it does, I’ve found it too incomprehensible/destination-less to really judge yet.
There are tons of cloths shops but even the weird ones aren’t all that exciting, and I haven’t been able to find a decent hoodie yet. I kind of miss H&M, even though their stuff was getting ugly as I left the states.
There are plenty of exciting “adventure travel” kinds of things to do, some of which I fully intend on doing but when it comes to actual normal living kinds of things I haven’t found much yet, there is a theater-ish kind of place down the street from my hostel but not much going on there at present, I will have to check back.
Maybe I just need to find a good tour guide to show me places to love.
Or maybe when I figure out job stuff and have some money going in instead of just going out I will feel better about the place?
I don’t know, I’m starting to feel way to existentially fraught at the moment. I’m going to go hang out in the lounge of the Hostel and hope that something makes me feel less mopey. I promise that next post will not be about me freaking out.
-Peter-
I was feeling cranky after the afore blogged job search so I went for a walk, it was nice out and I wanted to take advantage of it and take some pictures and do some more non-damp exploring. I have only been here for three out of the potential 365 I might spend here but as I’ve been exploring there just hasn’t been anything that’s made me feel really excited about this city yet, the bookstores are kind of lackluster (though the library looked quite nice) the “gayborhood” is lame (and there are at least two titty bars there???). I’m going to check out the gay bar tomorrow night and hold out a little hope that it will be at least a little redeeming. (Though note that that was “the gay bar” as in singular)
The public transit sucks, or at least I think it does, I’ve found it too incomprehensible/destination-less to really judge yet.
There are tons of cloths shops but even the weird ones aren’t all that exciting, and I haven’t been able to find a decent hoodie yet. I kind of miss H&M, even though their stuff was getting ugly as I left the states.
There are plenty of exciting “adventure travel” kinds of things to do, some of which I fully intend on doing but when it comes to actual normal living kinds of things I haven’t found much yet, there is a theater-ish kind of place down the street from my hostel but not much going on there at present, I will have to check back.
Maybe I just need to find a good tour guide to show me places to love.
Or maybe when I figure out job stuff and have some money going in instead of just going out I will feel better about the place?
I don’t know, I’m starting to feel way to existentially fraught at the moment. I’m going to go hang out in the lounge of the Hostel and hope that something makes me feel less mopey. I promise that next post will not be about me freaking out.
-Peter-
Help Want Me.
(i wrote this yesterday but couldn't upload it till today)
This morning I officially started my “job hunt” and as usual just opening a job listings site sends me into paroxysms of self-doubt and confusion. Made all the more fun by the fact that I am in a foreign country and thousands of miles from anyone who uses the term miles. Nothing makes me feel as unqualified as reading a job posting, somehow even listings for jobs that I know require little to know skills manage to make them sound out of my reach, or they are so heinous sounding that my soul dies a little inside just reading the job description (though to be fair if you wrote out the job description of any of my bookstore jobs I would probably rather drink acid then do them, but I guess that’s why I left them.) I am uselessly picky in much the same way that I am when it comes to relationships, I assume all of the things I would like would never hire me and all of the things that are practically throwing themselves at me couldn't’t arouse my interest with a bottle of Viagra and a copy of freshman magazine.
Though to be fair I think the larger problem here is that it is a recession and there seem to be no publishing companies or magazines in the city of Auckland, the only kind of jobs I ever feel both vaguely interested in and vaguely qualified for. So on top of having “issues” with job hunting there are also just not that many things out there for me at the moment which is over feeding my pessimism. I’ve sort of started to look into temp agencies but haven’t made enough progress there yet to know if that will be useful to me. None of them had a convenient “start” here section on their websites and I need to work up the nerve to try and visit them in person. (Sidebar: at some point in my life I became terrified of unsolicited communication with people/entities, that I’ve just started to realize is incredibly problematic in my life. It makes me shy, anti-social, and scared of the kinds of things that it takes to get a job/friends/boyfriends. How do I fix this?)
Then there is the fact that I have borderline useless degree and little concrete idea of what I actually want to be doing with my life. I know I want to do something creative, and something that is sort of to do with words (problematic for someone who is dyslexic and has awful penmanship) but beyond that I can never quite come up with anything that comes close to an actual kind of employment. Editorial assistant was the last job I applied to that I really was interested in doing, but Chronicle decided that I should probably stay at my crapy retail post, which is at least better then how McS treated me vis-à-vis paid employment.
This is usually where I start thinking “maybe you should go back to school” at which point my brain really starts to spin wildly out of control. I like the school application process only a hair more then I like the job application process (and anything that would mean talking to Hofstra is its own bag of worms). As much as the idea of living in a dorm gives me an emotional (and actual) boner, I know it won’t be like that and then I remember that I have know idea what I would want to study (well I think the problem is actually that I have too many things I would like to study and none of them are any more practical then the stuff I already know) …
Ok I’m going to stop, now that I’ve annoyed my self with my neurotic ramblings I’m going leave off here. Maybe I will just work at the Borders down the street (I was shocked when I first saw it) or become a baker, or maybe I will join the Peace Corps. Who knows?
-Peter-
This morning I officially started my “job hunt” and as usual just opening a job listings site sends me into paroxysms of self-doubt and confusion. Made all the more fun by the fact that I am in a foreign country and thousands of miles from anyone who uses the term miles. Nothing makes me feel as unqualified as reading a job posting, somehow even listings for jobs that I know require little to know skills manage to make them sound out of my reach, or they are so heinous sounding that my soul dies a little inside just reading the job description (though to be fair if you wrote out the job description of any of my bookstore jobs I would probably rather drink acid then do them, but I guess that’s why I left them.) I am uselessly picky in much the same way that I am when it comes to relationships, I assume all of the things I would like would never hire me and all of the things that are practically throwing themselves at me couldn't’t arouse my interest with a bottle of Viagra and a copy of freshman magazine.
Though to be fair I think the larger problem here is that it is a recession and there seem to be no publishing companies or magazines in the city of Auckland, the only kind of jobs I ever feel both vaguely interested in and vaguely qualified for. So on top of having “issues” with job hunting there are also just not that many things out there for me at the moment which is over feeding my pessimism. I’ve sort of started to look into temp agencies but haven’t made enough progress there yet to know if that will be useful to me. None of them had a convenient “start” here section on their websites and I need to work up the nerve to try and visit them in person. (Sidebar: at some point in my life I became terrified of unsolicited communication with people/entities, that I’ve just started to realize is incredibly problematic in my life. It makes me shy, anti-social, and scared of the kinds of things that it takes to get a job/friends/boyfriends. How do I fix this?)
Then there is the fact that I have borderline useless degree and little concrete idea of what I actually want to be doing with my life. I know I want to do something creative, and something that is sort of to do with words (problematic for someone who is dyslexic and has awful penmanship) but beyond that I can never quite come up with anything that comes close to an actual kind of employment. Editorial assistant was the last job I applied to that I really was interested in doing, but Chronicle decided that I should probably stay at my crapy retail post, which is at least better then how McS treated me vis-à-vis paid employment.
This is usually where I start thinking “maybe you should go back to school” at which point my brain really starts to spin wildly out of control. I like the school application process only a hair more then I like the job application process (and anything that would mean talking to Hofstra is its own bag of worms). As much as the idea of living in a dorm gives me an emotional (and actual) boner, I know it won’t be like that and then I remember that I have know idea what I would want to study (well I think the problem is actually that I have too many things I would like to study and none of them are any more practical then the stuff I already know) …
Ok I’m going to stop, now that I’ve annoyed my self with my neurotic ramblings I’m going leave off here. Maybe I will just work at the Borders down the street (I was shocked when I first saw it) or become a baker, or maybe I will join the Peace Corps. Who knows?
-Peter-
08 June, 2009
I am Upsidedown.
It's raining.
I am not thrilled by this but i will live, mostly what annoys me is that i can't find a decent not 100NZD hoodie anywhere. to be fair i haven't looked that far yet but still. it is winter here, though north enough that it's not terribly cold and if you know me at all you know how much i hate my winter coat so the finding of an acceptable hoodie (is there a real way to spell this or does blogger just not consider it a word yet?) is an imperative. well at least it gives me a quest for the next few days.
so far bookstores here are quite disappointing, they all kind of look like that sad Walden books in the back end of the crappy mall, most books are kind of expensive (a lot of them being imported) and a very sad magazine selection. this is at least making my wallet happy. though on balance the library here in Auckland is very nice looking, i will need to explore that further when i have an address with which to get a library card.
Jet lag is still messing with me, it's not so much that i'm still on home time, its more like my body/brain just has no idea where/when it is and is cranky about it. though last night i made the mistake of going back to my hostel around 6:30 yesterday. i intended on doing a little bit of stock talking then either going out to get food or going down to the loungy area to hang out. neither of these happened. i passed out, way out. i only woke up again around 10 when my new hostel roommates arrived (i had been alone in a four person room up till then) not that i really stirred, just opened my eyes enough to realize there were new people in the room. unfortunately this meant that i woke up at 4:30AM. i tried to get back to sleep but nothing came of it. so i laid in bed listing to podcasts to kill time to a reasonable time of day to get out of bed.
but i did accomplish a lot yesterday, i applied for my tax number, got a cellphone, opened a bank account, wandered the town a bit, found the grocery store, and met a few new people (Ted from New Jersey, and a girl from Canada who's name i forgotten). i intend on going out to the happy hour thing the IEP office(more on them in the future) is arranging tonight, it's a pub quiz!
for now i'm putzing around on the interwebs (i need to start me some job searching) and then i'm going to go have lunch with a guy i met on CouchSurfing.com.
-Peter-
at some point i will get some pictures up. i found a really neat park to take pictures of but i want to wait till it isn't raining.
I am not thrilled by this but i will live, mostly what annoys me is that i can't find a decent not 100NZD hoodie anywhere. to be fair i haven't looked that far yet but still. it is winter here, though north enough that it's not terribly cold and if you know me at all you know how much i hate my winter coat so the finding of an acceptable hoodie (is there a real way to spell this or does blogger just not consider it a word yet?) is an imperative. well at least it gives me a quest for the next few days.
so far bookstores here are quite disappointing, they all kind of look like that sad Walden books in the back end of the crappy mall, most books are kind of expensive (a lot of them being imported) and a very sad magazine selection. this is at least making my wallet happy. though on balance the library here in Auckland is very nice looking, i will need to explore that further when i have an address with which to get a library card.
Jet lag is still messing with me, it's not so much that i'm still on home time, its more like my body/brain just has no idea where/when it is and is cranky about it. though last night i made the mistake of going back to my hostel around 6:30 yesterday. i intended on doing a little bit of stock talking then either going out to get food or going down to the loungy area to hang out. neither of these happened. i passed out, way out. i only woke up again around 10 when my new hostel roommates arrived (i had been alone in a four person room up till then) not that i really stirred, just opened my eyes enough to realize there were new people in the room. unfortunately this meant that i woke up at 4:30AM. i tried to get back to sleep but nothing came of it. so i laid in bed listing to podcasts to kill time to a reasonable time of day to get out of bed.
but i did accomplish a lot yesterday, i applied for my tax number, got a cellphone, opened a bank account, wandered the town a bit, found the grocery store, and met a few new people (Ted from New Jersey, and a girl from Canada who's name i forgotten). i intend on going out to the happy hour thing the IEP office(more on them in the future) is arranging tonight, it's a pub quiz!
for now i'm putzing around on the interwebs (i need to start me some job searching) and then i'm going to go have lunch with a guy i met on CouchSurfing.com.
-Peter-
at some point i will get some pictures up. i found a really neat park to take pictures of but i want to wait till it isn't raining.
05 June, 2009
Pre-Flight
so i should be off doing other things, packing and the like (my last load of laundry needs to be moved into the dryer) and i'm going to head out to my last target trip when i'm done with that, but i wanted to make sure i got in one pre-departure post on here. i also want to start getting in the habit of doing this, i'm going to be away for a while and i know lots of you are excited to hear/see what kinds of things i will be getting up to down in the land of sheep and kiwis (hmmm, do they actually grow kiwis there? someone look into that.) there will hopefully be many posts to come and i'm thinking of setting up a flickr photo stream too, all of which i will announce here (and of course tell some of you directly).
well packing and some phone calls await me.
-Peter-
well packing and some phone calls await me.
-Peter-
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