oops

I'm not doing so well on the blog new year's resolution, am I?

Ok, so here's the really quick version of what I've been up to for the past 2 months or so: after the farm, we headed up to Christchurch by way of the Catlins. Sabrina got a job at City Oasis hostel for a couple of weeks before flying back to the States, and I set out to find a full-time job for the eight weeks or so before Ann (TJ/UVa friend) was set to arrive for a month-long trip. Office work was difficult to find on account of the extended holidays, so I did some very short-term assignments and went looking for a second job.

I fulfilled my kindergarten dream of becoming a waitress with a one-day trial at a burrito place, then took a better offer bartending at an Irish pub in town. The pub work was ridiculously fun for a while, but once I picked up full-time work in the finance department of Foodstuffs (major grocery/manufacturing co-op on S. Island), it wore off a little. I've definitely met some awesome people at the pub, on both sides of the bar, though. Oh, and I can pour a damn good pint of Guiness now. Important life skill.

I've spent most of the time between the two full-time positions sleeping, but still managed to work in some stuff like the Antarctic Centre, trips to the beach, the Christchurch gondola, Lyttleton harbour, swimming with dolphins in Akaroa, a couple of nights out, an intro to fly fishing, the Maize Maze, a 'kiwiana food crawl' (like a bar crawl, but more filling), sporting events, and just meeting new people from around the world. It will all, someday, make the blog and photo album.

Upcoming plans: I have my last shift at the pub tonight, so Ann and I will be leaving Christchurch tomorrow and heading south in the direction of the Catlins for some camping, then through Queenstown to the West Coast and hitting up the legendary Wildfoods Festival in Hokitika next weekend. Then some exploring on the northern part of the South Island for a week, followed by a sunrise ferry crossing to Wellington that Saturday. After that, the WOMAD festival and checking out places in the central North Island, then the Blues N' Roots festival (some big names! the first NZ-based offshoot of the famous Byron Bay one) in the Coromandel, and some diving and Bay of Islands exploration in there. Stay tuned...