Dispatches from the Outer Rim

We've crammed a whole lot of livin' in the 11 days since we touched down in Wellington, so here's a run-down of the various points high and low:


1. I want to know what love is. I want you to show me. Actually, I have a pretty good handle on this, thank you, but I must have heard this song no less than four times in the Brentwood on our first day back in New Zealand. Not that I'm complaining, as I'm finding myself curiously attracted to the current spate of pop hits, which curiously remind me of that good old 80s stuff. I got darn near weepy at the New World (the local supermarket) when the Pet Shop Boys' rendition of "Always on My Mind" spilled into the aisles. Something is afoot here.


2. "Do you work for Weta?" I never tire of hearing this question, which for Wellington taxi drivers is apparently the most logical thing to ask Americans here on business. Of course, I explain our particular venture and plans, but that doesn't mean you know.


3. Finding an apartment is harder than you might think. In fact, finding even temporary quarters can be tough when you have to contend with an influx of young people in town for AC/DC or the NZI Sevens (some sort of "rugby tournament" that requires packs of the aforementioned younglings [and some oldsters] to dress like carrots, turtles, flip-flops, or Arabs). But yesterday we prevailed! Our new place is a 10-minute walk from work and not much further to the waterfront.


4. Coffee. Is. So. Good.


5. Good friends make you feel at home. We are keenly aware that we are here for business, have work to do, want to get busy, and are not on holiday. And there are sundry tasks each day to keep us busy and which are necessary to get the ball rolling. But our friends have taken it upon themselves to take us around town and invite us into their homes. We've watched the removal of the mast of King Kong's SS Venture in preparation for its scuttling (which happened a couple of days ago), hiked up to the stately memorial to Prime Minister Massey, dined at Scorching Bay's Scorch-O-Rama (the site of the original Chocolate Fish cafe, which has since been reincarnated elsewhere), and enjoyed the festivities for Waitangi Day, the national holiday celebrating the signing of the Waitangi Treaty between the English settlers and the Maori.

No matter what I've been doing or what's going on, every so often I have this recurring or perhaps multi-part epiphany: I live here. It's a great feeling.