be sure to rollover ‘notes’ to see photo captions!
Today was Waitangi Day, a New Zealand public holiday, but very contoversial. We drove from Wellington to Hawke’s Bay and had another fantastic lunch at Black Barn winery. I had gazpacho and it was exactly what I’d been wanting. A little dog wandered into the big outdoor patio and we found him later, napping in the sun in front of the little art gallery.
We drove on to Napier, found a pharmacy to fill my prescriptions, relaxed a bit and watched tv coverage of the Sevens. We walked down Marine Parade, saw the Sunken Gardens, and did the Art Deco Walking Tour. The tour was very interesting, with good architectural info and human interest stories to do with the great earthquake that leveled the city in 1931 (more here).
We had dinner at an Australian chain, Hog’s Breath Café, and filled up on ribs and steaks. We caught the Sevens Shield finals and watched the USA team win! Back at the hotel for the night, we watched ‘No Country for Old Men’.
via science news:
Scientists spotted the animal, known as an amphipod, frolicking in a hole drilled through the ice in late 2009.
…
This video feed comes from a camera looking upward from the bottom of a hole that has just been drilled through the ice using a jet of warm water; the jet creates a scalloped pattern as it swirls downward.
4.4 in pico rivera (about 18 miles from me) about 10 minutes ago!
be sure to rollover ‘notes’ to see photo captions!
We drove to Picton and toured the ship ‘Edwin Fox’ and its museum. It was really interesting, and being able to walk around the ship itself really gave some perspective to ocean travel.
We got in the vehicle queue for the Cook Strait ferry and I took a nap. We were finally able to drive aboard the huge cargo/passenger boat and enjoyed a picturesque cruise through the sounds. We ate aboard the ferry and had plenty of time to relax.
In Wellington, the NZI Sevens were on, so crazily-dressed rugby fans filled the streets on the way to the stadium. It made for great people-watching as we negotiated the downtown streets. We took the cable car up to the Wellington Botanical Gardens and walked around the observatory and Lady Norwood Rose Garden. We ate at the restaurant in the garden, then drove to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary for our nighttime tour.
The tour was great and very educational – we saw tree wetas and tuataras and heard some little spotted kiwi, but didn’t catch a glimpse of them. Our guide was fantastic and had plenty of information about the animals and plants around us. We got to see some glowworms up close too! In the beams of our red-light flashlights we could even see the long sticky threads the glowworms – really larvae – use to ‘fish’ for insects.
When we got to the hotel the insect bites on my leg which had been bothering me since Milford Sound seemed a lot worse – hot to the touch, swollen and purple – so Mom took me to the after-hours clinic. Sure enough, my leg was ‘quite infected’ so I was prescribed a load of antibiotics, both oral and topical.
the descriptive text from today’s deal at woot (which, if you can’t tell, is a sharper image tens back pain relief system):
Momma Said Reverse The Neutron Flow (Momma Said, Momma Said)
“Hi, mom, I’ll be in my room for a while, so don’t come in, okay?”
“Hey, hey, hey, wait a second, kiddo! Where are you going with our Sharper Image TENS Back Pain Relief System?”
“It’s not a Sharper Image TENS Back Pain Relief System, Mom, it’s a time machine! Hello? Don’t you even know what a time machine looks like?”
“Oh, a time machine, is it? So then what exactly would you call these four included electrode pads, designed to block pain signals by interrupting their transmission signals through the nerves?”
“Those are the skin contact points for the quantum steering mechanism, Mom. And these two things that look like two connecting cables are actually the temporal dampers.”
“Uh huh. And what about the storage pouch?”
“That’s just a storage pouch, Mom. Once you finish time traveling you have to put the Sharper Image TENS Back Pain Relief Time Traveling System somewhere to keep it out of the hands of the locals.”
“Well, I have to admit, you’ve really thought this through. I’m very impressed. I guess you can have your fun. But just have that ‘time machine’ back before your father gets home at six. He’ll want to use the Sharper Image TENS Back Pain Relief System to generate temporary relief for lower back pain generally associated with his sore and aching muscles.”
“Don’t worry, Mom, it’s a time machine, remember? I can do everything I need to do and still be back an instant after I left.”
“Well, I guess that’s true. You’re a pretty smart kid, aren’t you? By the way, where are you going in that little ol’ time machine of yours?”
“To kill President Kennedy.”
“To… to what?”
“Yeah. I mean, don’t worry, it already happened, so you know I’ll get away with it. I’ll be back in time for dinner, I promise.”
“Honey, I don’t want you playing this game.”
“It’s not a game, Mom, it’s history! And more than that, if I don’t go, the entire structure of the universe could collapse! I’ve been reading the encyclopedia, and some people say that the JFK assassination was the gateway to the entire modern geo-political worldview. Kennedy has to die, because he’s always died, and if I don’t pull the trigger, then who will, Mom? Who will?”
“Okay, c’mon, that’s enough of that. I’m taking back this Sharper Image TENS Back Pain Relief System and you’re going to your room.”
“Mom, wait! You can’t fight destiny, Mom! The universe finds a way! Mom! Mom! You have to let me have that Sharper Image TENS Back Pain Relief System!”
“Sorry, honey, this isn’t a game I want you playing any more.”
“Mom, I didn’t want to do this but… if you don’t let me go, right now, when I turn twenty-one, I’ll make a time machine of my own, and send killer robots back to this very second to stop you from stopping me.”
“Killer robots, huh?”
“That’s right, Mom. Now, are you going to give me back that time machine?”
“No, I’m not. Instead, I’m going to put this Sharper Image TENS Back Pain Relief System back in the closet where your father can find it. And then I’m going to stand right here for a few seconds. Because since I know you can’t even remember to clean up your room once a week, I’m pretty sure you aren’t going to remember to send back killer robots a few decades from now. Especially after you discover girls.”
“Girls? Gross! Look, Mom, I’m warning you. This is your last chance before the robots arrive.”
“No dice, kiddo. Off to your room till your father gets home.”
“Okay, Mom. I didn’t want to do this but… but…
“But what, kiddo? Come on, I haven’t got all day. Make with the robots.”
“I… I… man. I must have forgotten, just like you said. Stupid future me.”
“A mother knows these things, kiddo. A mother knows.”
via eric
I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is; I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.
~ Rebecca West
via angie