You may recall that last time on this blog I mentioned Baxi the bike taxi service I was interested in joining. So on Wednesday I went down to meet the guy who owned the company, Thomas. He has a little garage near the night life area of town. He told me about the company, I learned that they had just started a week ago, it was completely new here. That had been doing alright so far though and had gotten some good publicity. Basically you rent the bikes from Thomas and then whatever you keep is your own. He had me try out riding one around the alley and saw that I could handle it. I decided to try it out for real the next night.
I came around 7pm to the garage on Thursday. Normally he would charge straight off for the bike but since it was my first night it was free. If I didn't do well or didn't like it no charge, if I made some money then we would work something out. I went out and road around with Thomas for a while, each on our own bike just getting a feel for things. He is a great guy and we really got along. He has been a bike courier in 4 cities and lived for 6 years in Austria. He is working crazy hours right now getting this business off the ground while working full time for the post. Luckily he's got a free espresso machine in the garage.
After a little while I got my first fair. A couple around my age wanting to go to a bar/restaraunt called the Southern Cross. Fares are negotiated on ride by ride basis. Normally this would have been probobly a ten dollar ride. Instead we agreed on 5 bucks and they'd buy me a beer. So I took them there, we chatted a bunch. James, the guy, told me they were celebrating him having a won a entreprenuership contest for his new company which sells bottled water with biodegradable bottles (made from corn, a very American idea in a way). They bought me a Montieth's Black (a boutique beer out here) and we shared a large antipasta platter. We had a blast as we hung out with each other and two girls they were meeting there. Eventually I left, though we may hang out in the future.
After that it was work, kinda. I loved it. In some ways it was one of the coolest nights of my life. Craziness packed into those next 6 hours. A fight practically broke out on my cab, I was kissed on the cheek by a transvestite passenger, I got a much more real kiss from a much more real woman, drove around promo girls from a strip club whilst they handed out flyers, and made countless new friends. People loved me, the idea is so new here that people are just curious and intrigued. I thought I might have issues with the local cab drivers or police but they were all great and I talked to a lot of them. When Thomas txted me and the other guy that was riding to bring the bike back I had made 150$, even after giving Thomas 30 for the bike. That makes me the current company record holder for one night, though to be fair the company hasn't exactly been going that long. Thomas really liked having me out there. As the company is young he is very image concious and feels like I am doing what he wants. I got home at 315 and got 3.5 hours off sleep before waking up for my day job with the ministy of justice (a post later this week about that).
So that is my new night job and I couldn't be happier about it. I quit the promo job. I hated it. Bad shifts and boring work. I am supposed to ride again tonight. The weather looks awful so it could be tough, we'll see. I am also set to work Wednesday and Thursday.
In other brief news:
-We moved into our flat today. I am so happy to finally be settled in somewhere. Details to come
-I am going to Taupo (a town 4.5 hours north of here known for its large lake) for a ultimate hat tournament next weekend. Details also probobly to come.
Joey
Friday, October 31, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Bars, Bush, and Baxis
So Saturdy I was working my Bar-Promo Job, which has been alright. The shifts are short, and it is a lot of handing out stuff. Anyway when I finished up (Midnight), the manager of the bar I was working for that night asked if I wanted to work for a while longer, they were short handed. I said sure and worked as a bar back for 4 hours. It was pretty easy. Pick up glasses, clean glasses, put glasses away mostly.
Apparently though all the staff were pretty surprised at how well I did considering I started when it was already packed and supposedly did better then most of the people that had been around for a while. It was pretty fun actualy. Lots of music and free red bull. After working for about an hour or so the manager asked me if I wanted a job at one of their other bars doing this. I might take it, I enjoyed the work and it goes quick. He is supposed to call me today. We'll see. At 4am when we were done working all the staff just hung around and drank for free for a little while. It was pretty sweet. The staff were all really appreciative for my help and we got on great. I enjoyed myself. So we'll see.
On Sunday Pjay, Ben and myself went on a tramp (hike). It was a two day trip, and we stayed overnight in one of the many 'huts' that are set up on New Zealand trails that you can stay at overnight for pretty cheap. We got a much later start than we originally intended because Peej had to work in the morning so we had to alter our plans a little. Still the hike was great both days. The taxi driver had told us that it was some 'rough bush' (country) and it was a little, though we didn't get to the toughest parts. It was quite muddy though. The highlight though wasn't looking up as looking down. They ground was really neat. There were all these mossy, fearny, soft spots that made the ground feel like a trampoline or memory foam. It was really cool. There was also some great river crossings, some easier than others.
Staying in the hut was great. There was one other group there (this one slept up to 20). We talked a lot to them and shared some of our food. We had pasta, apple crisp and s'mores (though Kiwi Marshmellows are not quite the same). They have gas stoves in the huts which is nice. Combined with a roof, and fireplaces, and some camp mattresses it was pretty comfortable. The next morning we hiked out a different way which was also great, very steep in the beginning. A nice little trip. With work it will be a while before we are able to get out and do something like this again I think.
The other night while working promo stuff I started talking to a guy would was baxi (bike taxi) driver and started asking him about. He told me a bit and said he had only done it a few times but thought it was cool. I got the phone number for the guy that runs it and called him. He said they are always looking for new drivers. It is an independant contractorship so, basically, you rent the bike, and then whatever you make is yours. You just let him know when you would like to work and it works on a first come first serve basis. He said the first time out the bike is free to try it out no-risk (just like crack, right). I told him it sounded good and asked if I could give it a go on Thursday. He said I could and that I should just come by for a quit orientation on Wednesday that he gives to everyone. So I am going to do that tomorrow and ride Thursday. I don't know how much I will make but if it is anything at all I might do it just for the fun one or two nights a week. Updates to come.
Oh and I am cooking lamb salad, tonight, I'm pumped.
Joey
Apparently though all the staff were pretty surprised at how well I did considering I started when it was already packed and supposedly did better then most of the people that had been around for a while. It was pretty fun actualy. Lots of music and free red bull. After working for about an hour or so the manager asked me if I wanted a job at one of their other bars doing this. I might take it, I enjoyed the work and it goes quick. He is supposed to call me today. We'll see. At 4am when we were done working all the staff just hung around and drank for free for a little while. It was pretty sweet. The staff were all really appreciative for my help and we got on great. I enjoyed myself. So we'll see.
On Sunday Pjay, Ben and myself went on a tramp (hike). It was a two day trip, and we stayed overnight in one of the many 'huts' that are set up on New Zealand trails that you can stay at overnight for pretty cheap. We got a much later start than we originally intended because Peej had to work in the morning so we had to alter our plans a little. Still the hike was great both days. The taxi driver had told us that it was some 'rough bush' (country) and it was a little, though we didn't get to the toughest parts. It was quite muddy though. The highlight though wasn't looking up as looking down. They ground was really neat. There were all these mossy, fearny, soft spots that made the ground feel like a trampoline or memory foam. It was really cool. There was also some great river crossings, some easier than others.
Staying in the hut was great. There was one other group there (this one slept up to 20). We talked a lot to them and shared some of our food. We had pasta, apple crisp and s'mores (though Kiwi Marshmellows are not quite the same). They have gas stoves in the huts which is nice. Combined with a roof, and fireplaces, and some camp mattresses it was pretty comfortable. The next morning we hiked out a different way which was also great, very steep in the beginning. A nice little trip. With work it will be a while before we are able to get out and do something like this again I think.
The other night while working promo stuff I started talking to a guy would was baxi (bike taxi) driver and started asking him about. He told me a bit and said he had only done it a few times but thought it was cool. I got the phone number for the guy that runs it and called him. He said they are always looking for new drivers. It is an independant contractorship so, basically, you rent the bike, and then whatever you make is yours. You just let him know when you would like to work and it works on a first come first serve basis. He said the first time out the bike is free to try it out no-risk (just like crack, right). I told him it sounded good and asked if I could give it a go on Thursday. He said I could and that I should just come by for a quit orientation on Wednesday that he gives to everyone. So I am going to do that tomorrow and ride Thursday. I don't know how much I will make but if it is anything at all I might do it just for the fun one or two nights a week. Updates to come.
Oh and I am cooking lamb salad, tonight, I'm pumped.
Joey
Friday, October 24, 2008
The grind
So I am no longer working at Leuvan and start a different job on Friday. Basically I hated my boss, and the pay wasn't near good enough to make me put up with it. The guy was just a big jerk, it is no surprise they had employee retention issues. Pjay is still working there and doing alright, he works nights so doesn't really deal with the him that much. Apparently though, the guy has been out of character nice since I left. Maybe hearing that I was leaving purely because I though he was a jerk made some impression, I doubt it though.
So on friday I start a job for two months doing data entry for the Ministry of Justice- Office of Coronial Services. Yep, I work with coroners. Basically I will be entering in info about people that have just died under any type of suspicious circumstances. As data entry positions go it is pretty weird, but it pays okay, 17/hour and the hours are good.
I have been doing my bar promo job recently as well. It has been mostly just handing out cards for free drinks. It is pretty cool. I just hang out and see a very different side of the city. I meet all kinds of people. Last night I got a free hot chocolate from the salvation army and was talking to a bike taxi guy about his job. I'm actually going to look into doing it a couple nights maybe, we'll see. People's responses to getting the cards are interesting; everything from enourmous gratitude to anger. All and all it is a pretty chill job. I don't usually work for more than 2 hours at a time so it is a nice extra little bit.
So that is it for now. All of us have Sunday/Monday off work so we might go hiking, camping for the night. Ok Peace.
Joey
Just Finished: Entire Hitchkiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series
Currently Reading: Foundation- Asimov
Up Next: The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao- Diaz
So on friday I start a job for two months doing data entry for the Ministry of Justice- Office of Coronial Services. Yep, I work with coroners. Basically I will be entering in info about people that have just died under any type of suspicious circumstances. As data entry positions go it is pretty weird, but it pays okay, 17/hour and the hours are good.
I have been doing my bar promo job recently as well. It has been mostly just handing out cards for free drinks. It is pretty cool. I just hang out and see a very different side of the city. I meet all kinds of people. Last night I got a free hot chocolate from the salvation army and was talking to a bike taxi guy about his job. I'm actually going to look into doing it a couple nights maybe, we'll see. People's responses to getting the cards are interesting; everything from enourmous gratitude to anger. All and all it is a pretty chill job. I don't usually work for more than 2 hours at a time so it is a nice extra little bit.
So that is it for now. All of us have Sunday/Monday off work so we might go hiking, camping for the night. Ok Peace.
Joey
Just Finished: Entire Hitchkiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series
Currently Reading: Foundation- Asimov
Up Next: The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao- Diaz
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Absolutely Positively Wellington
... is the slogan from the Wellington city council for promoting Welly and things to do here. It is a nice evocative slogan and I like it, much like I like Wellington. I have actually been in the city for a week now and the more I get to know it the more I like it. Welly combines so many of the things I look for in a city. It is a cosmopolitan city with a great deal of art of culture, partially stemming from it's status as New Zealand's capital. Welly is also just in a beautiful setting, it's harbor is gourgeous no matter how many angles see it it from and it is sliced through and closed off with hills and small mountains. You are never more than a few kilometers from both no matter where you are. Wellington also has benefited from these two natural barriers in another way. Its forced the city to stay very compact. You can walk most places and bike anywhere it no time. Welly has suburbs, but they are true, well defined suburbs, not sprawl.
Wellington is also just small, there aren't that many people here. The city proper has about 170,000 and there are another 200,000 in the burbs. Many people talk about big cities that feel small, I think Wellington is a small city that feels big. With all the culture, large buildings, and restaurants and cafes (Wellington supposedly has some of the most such establishments per capita of any city) you feel as if you are at the center of some huge city. Instead it is all just right there.
For a city of its size there is so much to discover. I have been the national museum, Te Papa, 3 times now and haven't seen half of it. Today Ben and I went on a great hike that took us from one of the suburbs (we took a train) through mountains and parks back into the city. During this we saw the South Island for the first time. Yesterday Pjay and I went mountain biking and found ourselves in a Newtown, a working class neighborhood of Wellington that we immediately fell in love with. On Friday we went to the National Rugby League semi-final, which the local team, the Lions were playing in and won. I've been running a good deal (I'll get to that) and have been discovering some parts of the city that way as well; little enclaves of shops that the top of hills, stairwells that provide convenient short cuts, and new places to eat, though mostly we just cook. We eat well though, we have been having a lot of Lamb, I love reasonably priced Lamb.
I've been working at Leuvan, a Belgian Beer Cafe for a few days now. I think I am going to stick it out there. I am waiting tables, it was tough at first, the place is very busy and there was a lot of stuff to learn, but I am getting there. They like me, though the owner is a bit of jerk, one of the assistant managers is awesome. It is good experience. They have a real nice menu and a great beer selection. They needed more people so Pjay went in and applied and he is working there now too. The money isn't great, but it's money and the hours are steady. Plus I get off from 2pm-3pm each day so I have enough time to go to a museum or go mountain biking or just get a beer and relax each day. Though it is tough waking up at 545am, I just kinda do it.
Also I have become pretty committed to running a marathon. Actually I have found the one I want to do and it is ambitious. It is an off road marathon in the South Island in March. It looks hard, a lot of hills and you have to carry some of your own water plus some bad weather gear. Still it looks awesome and would be a great challenge. I think I am going to run a 1/2 marathon in town mid December. I'll let you know how it goes. Here is the Link to the marathon.
Other than that, life is good, I just can't wait to get out of the hostel and into our own flat in a couple weeks. Hope all is well with you all. Bye.
Joey
Wellington is also just small, there aren't that many people here. The city proper has about 170,000 and there are another 200,000 in the burbs. Many people talk about big cities that feel small, I think Wellington is a small city that feels big. With all the culture, large buildings, and restaurants and cafes (Wellington supposedly has some of the most such establishments per capita of any city) you feel as if you are at the center of some huge city. Instead it is all just right there.
For a city of its size there is so much to discover. I have been the national museum, Te Papa, 3 times now and haven't seen half of it. Today Ben and I went on a great hike that took us from one of the suburbs (we took a train) through mountains and parks back into the city. During this we saw the South Island for the first time. Yesterday Pjay and I went mountain biking and found ourselves in a Newtown, a working class neighborhood of Wellington that we immediately fell in love with. On Friday we went to the National Rugby League semi-final, which the local team, the Lions were playing in and won. I've been running a good deal (I'll get to that) and have been discovering some parts of the city that way as well; little enclaves of shops that the top of hills, stairwells that provide convenient short cuts, and new places to eat, though mostly we just cook. We eat well though, we have been having a lot of Lamb, I love reasonably priced Lamb.
I've been working at Leuvan, a Belgian Beer Cafe for a few days now. I think I am going to stick it out there. I am waiting tables, it was tough at first, the place is very busy and there was a lot of stuff to learn, but I am getting there. They like me, though the owner is a bit of jerk, one of the assistant managers is awesome. It is good experience. They have a real nice menu and a great beer selection. They needed more people so Pjay went in and applied and he is working there now too. The money isn't great, but it's money and the hours are steady. Plus I get off from 2pm-3pm each day so I have enough time to go to a museum or go mountain biking or just get a beer and relax each day. Though it is tough waking up at 545am, I just kinda do it.
Also I have become pretty committed to running a marathon. Actually I have found the one I want to do and it is ambitious. It is an off road marathon in the South Island in March. It looks hard, a lot of hills and you have to carry some of your own water plus some bad weather gear. Still it looks awesome and would be a great challenge. I think I am going to run a 1/2 marathon in town mid December. I'll let you know how it goes. Here is the Link to the marathon.
Other than that, life is good, I just can't wait to get out of the hostel and into our own flat in a couple weeks. Hope all is well with you all. Bye.
Joey
Monday, October 13, 2008
In the city with two jobs
So I now living in Wellington proper, which is a great change. Being with the Milne's in Lower Hutt was great but I am excited to be where the action is. We are staying at a hostel for a few weeks before our lease starts in Nov. It is not too bad. It is a hostel which has is strong and weak points. We are all sharing a room, but it is just the three of us. We have done some interesting construction including a lot of rope and a large plastic bread tray we stole to give ourselves additional storing/clothes hanging space. It isn't so bad though.
In other new I have secured primary employment. I am serving at a Belgian Beer Restaurant breakfast and lunch. I start tomorrow at 630am, ouch. On the other hand it is Mon-Fri which is great, full time, and they have the best beer selection ever. Here is the place: www.leuven.co.nz
So hopefully that goes well. Also I have been doing some running recently. Thinking about doing a marathon while I am out here. The two questions though are will I have enough time to train between two jobs, ultimate, and fun and can my knees take that kind of running. We will see. I went on a great run to the top of Mt. Victoria last night. It was one of the best runs I have ever been on. I felt great and the view was unbelievable.
So now it is all about learning my new jobs and getting my ultimate club situation figured out. The local ultimate politics here are bewildering. I don't know what team I will be on but it will probably come down to me getting to choose. At least once I understand it all. Anyway I am off to eat, run, and go to an orientation at Leuvan.
Joey
Just Finished: Streets or Loredo (the last of the Lonesome Dove Saga)
Currently Reading: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Up Next: ?
In other new I have secured primary employment. I am serving at a Belgian Beer Restaurant breakfast and lunch. I start tomorrow at 630am, ouch. On the other hand it is Mon-Fri which is great, full time, and they have the best beer selection ever. Here is the place: www.leuven.co.nz
So hopefully that goes well. Also I have been doing some running recently. Thinking about doing a marathon while I am out here. The two questions though are will I have enough time to train between two jobs, ultimate, and fun and can my knees take that kind of running. We will see. I went on a great run to the top of Mt. Victoria last night. It was one of the best runs I have ever been on. I felt great and the view was unbelievable.
So now it is all about learning my new jobs and getting my ultimate club situation figured out. The local ultimate politics here are bewildering. I don't know what team I will be on but it will probably come down to me getting to choose. At least once I understand it all. Anyway I am off to eat, run, and go to an orientation at Leuvan.
Joey
Just Finished: Streets or Loredo (the last of the Lonesome Dove Saga)
Currently Reading: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Up Next: ?
Friday, October 10, 2008
Promo Job
So I was hired for a part time job. I had decided that in addition to working a full time day job (still getting that settled) it would be sweet to have a night job. This way I could save way more money and have another way to meet people. I was hoping to get a job working at a bar or
questions asked, she was just telling us about the job. I think she just wanted to size us up to see if we seemed like the type of people they wanted, and that we were all right looking (it's a cruel shallow world, but it's the one we live in). Anyway I will let you read the job description,
Hopefully it goes well. So I have a second job, now all I need is a first.
Joey
questions asked, she was just telling us about the job. I think she just wanted to size us up to see if we seemed like the type of people they wanted, and that we were all right looking (it's a cruel shallow world, but it's the one we live in). Anyway I will let you read the job description,
Role and Responsibilities
The role requires confident, bubbly and happy people who enjoy meeting new people and taking
on a challenge. Aspects of the role include:
- Distributing flyers or other promotional material in a specific area as required
and being friendly and fun
good time
or in pair
any of our bars.
So most of the time, since I will be primarily working at night, I will be getting paid to hang out at a bar and meet people. Life is tough. The bars are really nice, here is the link to the web site: http://www.ghgroup.co.nz/Hopefully it goes well. So I have a second job, now all I need is a first.
Joey
Thursday, October 9, 2008
And now there are three
So Pjay is in New Zealand. Yay. It has been great to see him, even though we only parted ways a few weeks ago it feels like much longer, maybe because we hadn't seen each other for four months right before that. Either way, he has arrived and I showed him around the city.
Other than that things are going well. On Sunday we will finally leave the hospitality of the Milnes, the family we have been staying with. We have a booked a triple room at a hostel in the city for a few weeks until our lease starts Nov 1.
I mentioned the job setback, but I have been diligently working again and have a few possibilities on the horizon. It was a big setback but hopefully I will be working soon. I'm not worried.
Ben and I went to the first Wellington ultimate training session for the upcoming Co-ed season. There was a good turnout, and we met some nice people. We were noticed quickly as quality players and were invited to a practice this Sunday which we will be going to.
I've been doing a good bit of mountain biking on trails around here, there are some nice ones and it has been good to get a feel for the new bike.
Lastly we were featured in the local paper for our hitch hiking experiment, the story can be seen online here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/4719109a24118.html
That's it,
Joey
Other than that things are going well. On Sunday we will finally leave the hospitality of the Milnes, the family we have been staying with. We have a booked a triple room at a hostel in the city for a few weeks until our lease starts Nov 1.
I mentioned the job setback, but I have been diligently working again and have a few possibilities on the horizon. It was a big setback but hopefully I will be working soon. I'm not worried.
Ben and I went to the first Wellington ultimate training session for the upcoming Co-ed season. There was a good turnout, and we met some nice people. We were noticed quickly as quality players and were invited to a practice this Sunday which we will be going to.
I've been doing a good bit of mountain biking on trails around here, there are some nice ones and it has been good to get a feel for the new bike.
Lastly we were featured in the local paper for our hitch hiking experiment, the story can be seen online here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/
That's it,
Joey
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Today kinda sucked
So in general in this blog, or when I am telling people how things are going I tend to create a pretty rosy picture. Not that I am dishonest, I just choose to write/talk about the good things; it's what people want to hear and what is more fun to talk about. Because of that, I think people tend to get a sense that everything is always going well. That is not actually the case, today is a great example.
Today was a bad day, no other way to put it. Primarily because as awesome job that I was all but told was mine slipped through my finger. It was such a good job, and was presented as such a likelihood that I turned down some other opportunities for it. I even went out and spent 100NZ$ (70US$) on new clothes I needed. It really was a big step backwards for me. I'm not back to square one in the job hunt now, but I'm not nearly that far from it to be honest. I was pretty much depressed all day. I tried to get myself out of it, but could only do so much.
The evening was a little better for a while as Ben and I went out with some people we had met to a quiz night at a bar. It was fun, and I had a good time. When we went to get the car we were using, Ben realized that he had left the lights on and killed the battery. This was an expensive mistake as it caused us to now have to take a bus then cab to get home as well as pay for a bunch of extra parking downtown before we can take care of it tomorrow. So ya.
All and all today sucked. Still, tomorrow will be better and sitting around feeling sorry for myself is unlikely to improve the situation. I can only count on myself to make things better and I most certainly will. I have already started working on new opportunities and hope something will come of it. Overall though I cannot complain, my life is still more than I could ask for or most could hope for. Besides it's not supposed to rain tomorrow.
Joey
Today was a bad day, no other way to put it. Primarily because as awesome job that I was all but told was mine slipped through my finger. It was such a good job, and was presented as such a likelihood that I turned down some other opportunities for it. I even went out and spent 100NZ$ (70US$) on new clothes I needed. It really was a big step backwards for me. I'm not back to square one in the job hunt now, but I'm not nearly that far from it to be honest. I was pretty much depressed all day. I tried to get myself out of it, but could only do so much.
The evening was a little better for a while as Ben and I went out with some people we had met to a quiz night at a bar. It was fun, and I had a good time. When we went to get the car we were using, Ben realized that he had left the lights on and killed the battery. This was an expensive mistake as it caused us to now have to take a bus then cab to get home as well as pay for a bunch of extra parking downtown before we can take care of it tomorrow. So ya.
All and all today sucked. Still, tomorrow will be better and sitting around feeling sorry for myself is unlikely to improve the situation. I can only count on myself to make things better and I most certainly will. I have already started working on new opportunities and hope something will come of it. Overall though I cannot complain, my life is still more than I could ask for or most could hope for. Besides it's not supposed to rain tomorrow.
Joey
Thursday, October 2, 2008
The legendary kindness of the Kiwis, hitchhiking and free cell phones
So in the neighbourhood where we are living there are these signs around that say "Hitching Post - Wellington CBD". I had noticed a few of them while driving around and found them intriguing. I thought it was a cool idea to have defined hitch hiking spots into the city, especially since that is where almost everyone is commuting. These posts came up in conversation back and the house and Chris (the dad) told us that he in fact was the person responsible for their creation. When he was on the city council he had them put out there.
He said that we should try them out because he said that although he knew some people used them he had no data on their effectiveness. I love hitch hiking (my last experience was in the back of a milk truck in Slovakia) so I was totally down. Chris further thought that it would be neat to have the editor of the local town paper come out to do a short story on our experience with it to highlight their use. I being a well known media/attention whore was more then happy to oblige.
So this morning we went out to one of these and met Simon, the editor of paper met us. He interviewed us quickly then snapped some photos of us at the stop. He then took off and told us that he would call for a follow up interview on our experience. He asked us how long we thought it would take to get picked up, we guessed 8 minutes, he seemed to think that was rather optimistic.
After 5 minutes of waiting someone stopped, unfortunately he wasn't going to the CBD. After 14 minutes another person stopped, was going to the CBD and we hopped in. We started talking and he was a nice guy, early 30's I would guess. He told us he was a project manager in construction. At some point on the drive it came out that Ben still needed a cell phone. Our new friend immediately makes a phone call to someone, which includes the phrase, "do you still have those phones". He hung up and asked us if we wanted free cell phones. I already had one but I figured that someone else coming might need it or I might lose mine so I said yes. We exchanged contact info (and found out his name was Matthew Banks) as he dropped us off and said he would drop them off where we were staying.
All and all the trip itself was quite convenient, a total process of 25 minutes including waiting and no cost. The bus/train would have been 30-40 minutes and 6 dollars. Around 1pm, I get a call and low and behold it is Matty Banks asking us if we can meet him somewhere to get the phones. 5 minutes later (Wellington is quite small) we meet up he gives us 3 brand new Nokia cell phones (older models, but never opened). He asks absolutely nothing in return and tells us that if we ever need anything give him a call. We haven't had our follow up interview yet, but probably tomorrow, who knew it would make such a great story. The paper with the story will come out on Tuesday though, woot.
The summery of this story is thus:
-Hitch hiking rocks
-New Zealanders are really nice (they really are)
-Attention is awesome
-Matthew Banks is the raddest fucking dude alive.
Joey
He said that we should try them out because he said that although he knew some people used them he had no data on their effectiveness. I love hitch hiking (my last experience was in the back of a milk truck in Slovakia) so I was totally down. Chris further thought that it would be neat to have the editor of the local town paper come out to do a short story on our experience with it to highlight their use. I being a well known media/attention whore was more then happy to oblige.
So this morning we went out to one of these and met Simon, the editor of paper met us. He interviewed us quickly then snapped some photos of us at the stop. He then took off and told us that he would call for a follow up interview on our experience. He asked us how long we thought it would take to get picked up, we guessed 8 minutes, he seemed to think that was rather optimistic.
After 5 minutes of waiting someone stopped, unfortunately he wasn't going to the CBD. After 14 minutes another person stopped, was going to the CBD and we hopped in. We started talking and he was a nice guy, early 30's I would guess. He told us he was a project manager in construction. At some point on the drive it came out that Ben still needed a cell phone. Our new friend immediately makes a phone call to someone, which includes the phrase, "do you still have those phones". He hung up and asked us if we wanted free cell phones. I already had one but I figured that someone else coming might need it or I might lose mine so I said yes. We exchanged contact info (and found out his name was Matthew Banks) as he dropped us off and said he would drop them off where we were staying.
All and all the trip itself was quite convenient, a total process of 25 minutes including waiting and no cost. The bus/train would have been 30-40 minutes and 6 dollars. Around 1pm, I get a call and low and behold it is Matty Banks asking us if we can meet him somewhere to get the phones. 5 minutes later (Wellington is quite small) we meet up he gives us 3 brand new Nokia cell phones (older models, but never opened). He asks absolutely nothing in return and tells us that if we ever need anything give him a call. We haven't had our follow up interview yet, but probably tomorrow, who knew it would make such a great story. The paper with the story will come out on Tuesday though, woot.
The summery of this story is thus:
-Hitch hiking rocks
-New Zealanders are really nice (they really are)
-Attention is awesome
-Matthew Banks is the raddest fucking dude alive.
Joey
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
New City, New Job, New Family
So I am here is Wellington as I have been for a few days. It has been a nice introduction. I have been staying with a family in one of the suburbs, Lower Hutt. While searching for possible nutrition work from the States, Ben came accross a women who was the president of the New Zealand Diatetics association, Jan. She couldn't get him a job but invited him to come stay with her once he was here and in doing so me as well.
So we flew into Welly, took a airport bus out of the city, followed by a cab to their place. We didn't really have any idea what the situation would be like, we didn't even know if she was married. The house is in a beautiful settin in the hills that hug the coast here. We came in and introductions with her, her husband (Chris) and their 17 year old son (Angus) and 14 year old daughter (Lucy). Within no time we were one of the family, and the relationship has been going great. I talk to Chris about politics (we are both classic liberals and he has involvement in local politics here which is interesting to hear about), to Lucy about youth culture in our respective countries (Facebook v. Bebo, Miley Cyrus, and Ipods), and Chris has been teaching me and Beb=n about Cricket and Rugby.
I've also been earning my keep so to speak; for the past two nights I have been tutoring Angus in math and physics for his upcoming exams (we have more working to do tonight). He has never been tutored before and seems to really respond to the extra help. Tonight Ben and I cooked dinner for our adopted Kiwi family; Chicken Fajitas, homemade Guacamole, and mixed fruit crisp (pears, plums, and tamarillos; a local favorite we had never used before).
My days have been spent in town looking for work. I think I have settled on what I am going to do for now. It looks like I am going to be a icon on any functioning CBD, the temp. Today I got taken on by my first temping agency. I had to go in and take a test and did quite well apparently. I typed 56 words per minute at 99% accuracy. I also did 7272 keys per second for alphanumeric data entry with 98% accuracy, apparently average speed is about 5200. Apparently I am plenty qualified. Having a B.S. in Math doesn't hurt either. So I have my first job one week from today, data entry for the NZ dept of Education. My contact person at the company thinks she can get me better work once it is available, or so she says.
My plan is to get on with a few more agencies so that I should hopefully have pretty consistant work. It won't be the most exciting work but it has some distinct advantages. It pays 15-18 dollars/ hours usually which is the best I could hope to get pretty much. I get to decide when I work so if I want to take two weeks to go travel, no big deal. Also it is only 9-5 work so I can get a weekend or night job if I want, I think I may work in a shop for the holidays to earn some extra scratch, but I am not going to worry about that for now.
Wellington is great, but that will be another post. Ben and I are happy here and will be staying with the family for a maybe another week. Tomorrow I start looking for a place in the city. University gets out at the end of the month so we are hoping to sublet for the summer, until then maybe just a hostel. I let you know how it goes. Alright, peace.
Joey
So we flew into Welly, took a airport bus out of the city, followed by a cab to their place. We didn't really have any idea what the situation would be like, we didn't even know if she was married. The house is in a beautiful settin in the hills that hug the coast here. We came in and introductions with her, her husband (Chris) and their 17 year old son (Angus) and 14 year old daughter (Lucy). Within no time we were one of the family, and the relationship has been going great. I talk to Chris about politics (we are both classic liberals and he has involvement in local politics here which is interesting to hear about), to Lucy about youth culture in our respective countries (Facebook v. Bebo, Miley Cyrus, and Ipods), and Chris has been teaching me and Beb=n about Cricket and Rugby.
I've also been earning my keep so to speak; for the past two nights I have been tutoring Angus in math and physics for his upcoming exams (we have more working to do tonight). He has never been tutored before and seems to really respond to the extra help. Tonight Ben and I cooked dinner for our adopted Kiwi family; Chicken Fajitas, homemade Guacamole, and mixed fruit crisp (pears, plums, and tamarillos; a local favorite we had never used before).
My days have been spent in town looking for work. I think I have settled on what I am going to do for now. It looks like I am going to be a icon on any functioning CBD, the temp. Today I got taken on by my first temping agency. I had to go in and take a test and did quite well apparently. I typed 56 words per minute at 99% accuracy. I also did 7272 keys per second for alphanumeric data entry with 98% accuracy, apparently average speed is about 5200. Apparently I am plenty qualified. Having a B.S. in Math doesn't hurt either. So I have my first job one week from today, data entry for the NZ dept of Education. My contact person at the company thinks she can get me better work once it is available, or so she says.
My plan is to get on with a few more agencies so that I should hopefully have pretty consistant work. It won't be the most exciting work but it has some distinct advantages. It pays 15-18 dollars/ hours usually which is the best I could hope to get pretty much. I get to decide when I work so if I want to take two weeks to go travel, no big deal. Also it is only 9-5 work so I can get a weekend or night job if I want, I think I may work in a shop for the holidays to earn some extra scratch, but I am not going to worry about that for now.
Wellington is great, but that will be another post. Ben and I are happy here and will be staying with the family for a maybe another week. Tomorrow I start looking for a place in the city. University gets out at the end of the month so we are hoping to sublet for the summer, until then maybe just a hostel. I let you know how it goes. Alright, peace.
Joey
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