Monthly Archive for June, 2007

so i woke up yesterday morning feeling quite poorly. when i was walking to get my morning coffee i had a horrible headache and my head was spinning. i went to the grocery store to get some bland staples (bananas, golden kiwis [of course] bread, butter, jam, apple juice) but it didn’t seem to help. worse as the day went on. i did a bit of exploring in the car but had a race back to the apartment thinking i was going to pass out. try driving (on the left) in a busy strange city when you feel like you are about to lose it. well i made it back to the apartment just time in time to loose my lunch. nice.

but i can now certify that the water in the toilet does spin the other way when you flush. some real up close and personal experience that i’m hoping not to repeat.

the double bummer was that last night the kiwi rugby team (the all blacks) played australia and the nz sailing team was battling the swiss team in the america’s cup finals – and i was planning on heading out into the city to watch them both with my new wellitonian mates. instead i crashed in the couch in the apartment. if it helps at all both teams lost so the mood here is a bit subdued.

feeling much better today.

spoke with jackie last night and she reminded me that she got sick that last time we arrived and blamed in on bad indian food. coincidence that i had indian food my first night here and got so sick?

i spent a most of the first two days walking around the cbd trying to get my bearings and a feel for the city. i am staying in the cuba section of the te aro neighborhood. the cuba area is well into a revival from seedy to hip & funky. lots of great juxtapositions like this one with the new school of architecture & design with lots of green space next to an old strip club. they have converted cuba street into a pedestrian only walkway and it has been bustling whenever i have been there.

the city is nicely compact – everything is within a 15 to 20 minute walk from the city centre.

(click for larger image – on the map from left to right is 1.5 km or 0.9 miles)

friday morning i had a appointment at company e2 to meet the hiring manger, my team lead, some of the team and to learn more details about the position.

the visit went well. the office is in the heart of the cbd so it would be easy to get to by public transport and a huge selection of shops and cafes within a few minutes walk. the office itself is middle of the road glamour wise, but they are in the middle of a rehab and it will be a bit more flash (kiwi slang for good) by the time i would start. everyone i met was very nice. after talking with members of the team for about an hour no alarms or concerns. i indicated to them that i wanted to noodle on it over the weekend and i would let them know my decision by monday morning.

on the way our the hiring manager said that the team was gathering at the office at 4:30 for a beer and then was heading out bowling and that i was welcome to join them if i wished. it seemed like a great chance to met more of the team and get a better vibe for the crew so i said i would be there.

after my visit to company e2 i found a company in truth business and another selling giant birds

in the afternoon i went back to company e2 for beer & bowling at the lanes. i had a good time (bowled 187) and was able to met more of the team. a bit awkward since everyone understandingly asked me if i was going to join and i had to say that i would make my decision over the weekend.

still working on the jet lag a bit i headed home after a few hours and stopped at burgerfuel for a burger to go on the way home. interesting place that i think could do well in the states. creative gourmet burgers mostly to go combined with funky music.

don’t think there could be a better place to wake up after a long journey. coffee is a huge part of the culture in nz – and even more so in wellington. all the coffee is espresso based and made by hand and not by pushing a button (hi sheilac) by baristas who take a lot of pride in their work. this is my flat white from the front page cafe (right next to the dominion post – wellington’s daily).

i started counting the number of coffee cafes that i passed in the 5 block walk from my apartment and company e2 – i stopped counting at 10.

one of the local coffee roasters weighs in on the quality of their product.

oh – and more evidence of that new & improved lifestyle i’m looking forward to in cafe shot #7. most (but not all) wellingtonians dutifully wait at the intersections for the crosswalk signal.

this weekend jackie bought a lawnmower (both of the mowers we have in vermont are broken) loaded it, ten 40 lb bags of topsoil and gromit into the car, drove to vermont, assembled the mower, mowed the knee high lawn, spread the topsoil, painted the front porch and lined up someone to mow the lawn moving forward.

i hooked up with my sister and her family at disney and went to animal kingdom on thursday, epcot on friday and the magic kingdom on saturday.

it was hot at disney – does that help?

really hot.

guess not.