Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to Blackie Sherrod. Here are a few random observances, occurances, and thoughts.
-I saw a Dodge Ram pickup truck today. There's nothing inherently strange about a Dodge Ram I'll grant you, except it's the first (and only) pickup truck I've seen since I've been here.
-Instead of handles, toilets in NZ have two seperate flush buttons on the tank. Think of it like a double-barrelled shotgun. 99% of the time, one barrell is all you'll ever need. But it's nice to know you've got that second barrell loaded and ready for bare for those truly heavy duty jobs.
-Ate at a burger joint yesterday called Murder Burger. Their marquee featered a cat in between the words Murder and Burger, and all the staff wore t-shirts that said "Meat is Murder." I had the chicken sandwich.
-While eating my tasty Murder Burger chicken sandwich I observed a sign on the wall that made me chuckle. It was a drawing of a panda on all fours with a second panda standing over the first with a metal folding chair raised over his head poised to come crashing down. The caption read: "Proudly supporting WWF."
-Had dinner the other night with two Kiwis, two Aussies, and a Brit. Several times over the course of the evening I had to reassure myself that all six of us were, in fact, speaking the same language.
-Walk signals at intersections make a futuristic ray gun kind of sound when it's safe to cross. It's a funny sound, and I like it.
-There's an inordinate amount of Turkish cafes in Auckland.
-In my opinion, previous attempts to introduce $1 coins (Susan B. Anthony and Sacajawea)in the US failed so miserably because of the continued existence of the $1 bill. NZ has both $1 and $2 coins and the lowest denomination bill is the $5, and it seems to work brilliantly.
-For $2.50 I sure wish I got a little more than 390 mL of Coca Cola.
-There's no tipping in NZ. That has been both refreshing and disconcerting.
-A full page newspaper ad for a local car dealer appearing in the NZ Herald advertized "All Jap brand vans priced to move. All Toyotas, Nissans, Fords, and Mitsubishis!" "Jap" apparently isn't un-PC here, and Fords are apparently a "Jap" brand.
-I haven't watched one minute of television since I've been here--and I haven't missed it one bit.
-WWF is the acronym for both the World Wildlife Fund--which uses the panda on their logo and the World Wrestling Federation--whose practitioners use metal folding chairs to pummel their opponents.
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Sounds like its a blast down there. Enjoy brother. We will be keeping track of you. Take care.
ReplyDeleteChris & Brook
Just remember, everything worked out fine and smoothly after the car broke down. Ask your self this. "If i am not in the United States where everything is go! go! go! Fast! Efficient! then what is my hurry? Half the adventure is just getting to your destination by any means possible. So if your car cannot be fixed will you try your THUMB at least twice before you purchase another. Think of all the hand massages you can afford with the money you'll save.
ReplyDeleteIf you want a car then buy it from someone you know. For instance: if you work for Andrew for a little while and do great work, above and beyond what he will expect from a traveller then i would bet he knows someone somewhere who has an old beater that they will sell you cheap and fair.
You are a good guy and people like you. Your personality will get you farther than your wallet ever will.
The World Wildlife Federation and the World Wrestling Federation were in a legal dispute a couple years ago about their acronym. The World Wildlife Federation won. That's right, there is no longer a WWF in wrestling. Two groups enter, one group leaves.
ReplyDeleteWell, your escapades sound like they are off to a rousing start. Good people, good food, a few minor roadblocks, and all in a whole new country.
It pointedly points out an interesting point: Everything you do, by virtue of being in a wholly new place, is a new experience. 'I've never eaten here. I've never seen this before. and so on and on.' Sometimes it takes a totally new place to recognize that every experience, even if we did the same thing yesterday, represents a completely new moment wherein we get to be completely new ourselves. So, enjoy the hell out of your newness.
one question, of course: what is an ordinant amount of Turkish cafes?