rambling on about our move to new zealand
we’ve been notified by the police that there has been a bit of a crime wave in our neighborhood and we should be on the look out for suspicious activity.
details of the heinous crime? “between Monday and Wednesday, the offender entered the garage and stole a skateboard.“
jackie’s ready if they decide to come back…
today is my one year anniversary at company e2 and also the completion of it’s acquisition by company h2. i now work for “e2 – an h2 company”. i don’t expect this will have any impact on me, but we have been assured that “any workforce reductions will be made in adherence to all local laws.” quite comforting to know that their threshold for making firing decisions is “we won’t do anything illegal.”
my year at e2 has been fairly uneventful – although i continue to be surprised by the *big* company ways of working. my computer login in the past has always been “afoster” or “antony” or some such. at e2 my login is “zzsq42.” and my team name – no joke – is “ASFO AP A&NZ CM&E TNZ DEL MOBILE & CONS”
about once a week a get an email like this.
Subject: Important Organizational Announcement
From: Executive-I’ve-Never-Heard-Of-Before
To better serve the rapidly changing needs of our customers we have restructured our organization. I am pleased to announce Sub-Executive-I’ve-Never-Heard-Of-Before will be assuming responsibility for Team-I’ve-Never-Heard-Of-Before and reporting directly to me.
This change is an important part of our efforts to build and maintain a World Class organization.
Regards,
Executive-I’ve-Never-Heard-Of-Before
my favourite tidbit. in may we were all asked and then repeatedly reminded to complete an anonymous employee satisfaction survey. we were assured that the results would be quickly reviewed by the executives and we would be presented with the results and the appropriate actions. nothing until late july when they said that there had been a problem at the survey company and they were not able to provide all the results.
my cynical view has the conversation playing out like this:
survey company “we have compiled the results of the survey for your review”
e2 “thanks, but we wanted *all* the results, not just the negative ones”
survey company “but those are *all* the results”
e2 “no – i don’t think so. so go away and don’t come back until you’ve found *all* the results including the really good ones”
tonight we went to romeo & juliet at the royal nz ballet. second time to the rnz ballet for me, first for the jboss. it was going to be hard to top the performance of cinderella i saw a year ago, but it quickly became apparent that this was not going to be a competition.
whilst all of the advertisements and the catalogue had images of a classic production when the curtain rises we see a modern italian street scene and performers in modern attire.
doh. just like the performance of la boheme we attended recently this is a modern interpretation of a classic.
This Romeo and Juliet, minted in 2003 by Christopher Hampson for the Royal New Zealand Ballet in its 50th jubilee year, was a triumph here and in England, where it received a Laurence Olivier nomination for Best New Dance Production
we’ve learned to ask more questions before we buy tickets next time.
all through the first act i’m fighting sleep and am afraid that it will be obvious if i do big head bob. i make it to the first interval and i’m trying to choose my words carefully so not rain on the parade – but then the jboss fesses up that she is also struggling to make it through. there is serious discussion of bagging, but we decide we’ll dash out to get some cold caffeine and give the second act a chance. whilst we’re now both wide awake, the performance has not magically morphed back to its classic form, so i’m still enduring rather than enjoying.
at the beginning of the second interval the gent in the seat next to me turns and says
“isn’t this wonderful?”
“uh – yes, it certainly is”
“my son is one of the performers and i’ve traveled here from australia to see him. i’m very proud”
okay… that certainly seals our fate for the night. no leaving early now.
we spent the rest of the interval talking with dad. it helped to make the show more interesting – but in going-to-see-your-niece-in-a-preschool-ballet-recital kind of way.
[updated 24-AUG with final results]
a slightly different way to look at the current olympic medal count
today marks the one year mark for me in new zealand.
the highlights
- public transport that works. a 3 block walk to my bus stop in island bay, a wait usually less than 10 minutes and i’m in the cbd 20 minutes later. less than a block from my bus stop in the city to my desk. the buses are clean, the drivers friendly and the riders courteous.
- a 12 minute commute. i hop on my vespa, park in one of the free spots in the cbd for scooters/motorcycles and i’m at my desk after a short walk. 20 minutes from door to desk
- neighborhood shops. from our house in island bay i can walk to the grocery, butcher, bakery (2), dairy (4), movie theater, pharmacy, post office, library, doctor, book shop, cafe (3), bar, fish & chips, chinese (3), malaysian, indian & thai.
- the cafe culture. almost every block has several small, independent cafes with coffee, drinks, light food and outside tables along the sidewalk.
- common courtesy. for example i’ve ridden the bus hundreds of times now and i can’t think of a single time someone was yacking away on their mobile phone. before they get on folks switch their phones to silent mode. my boston experience was the inevitable hummer parked in the fire lane and blocking the entrance outside the whole foods. or the person ahead of you at the check out counter more focused on their mobile phone conversation than paying for their purchases
- a vibrant city full of small businesses. only one mall way out in the suburbs and no big box stores. jackie went to our local hardware store and asked for a magnetic key box. they didn’t have any in stock but the manager said he would look into getting some. he called the next day to let her know they had been ordered, and then again when they had arrived. more than once i have been in a shop, asked for something it turns out they didn’t have, and had them point me to competitor
- a sense of community. wellington’s not small (500,000), but i feel much more of a part of the community that i did in boston. the city council takes out a full page ad in the paper with the latest community news, events and planned city works. i’ve already participated in two council surveys (public transport & road planning), something i never did (was never asked) before
- the ocean. i lived within an hour of the ocean for 21 years in boston and had no interest in it. since i’ve been here i’ve spent time at the water almost every day. i have no interest in going to the beach to lie down on a blanket and get a tan. but most of the coastline is too rugged for that anyway and is great to walk along. the rock and tides make it a new experience every time.
- the climate. i haven’t worn a winter coat since i’ve been here. and none of the melting heat in the summer. it feels like spring or fall most of the time.
- renting. my home chore list is empty for the first time since 1991. our weekends are for recreation, exploring and having fun.
- safe & secure. no colour coded national threat level. no tsa hassles at the airport. and yet i feel *much* safer.
- kids being kids. playing in the streets, getting to school on their push scooters, busy playgrounds.
- the simple life. used car, small house, less stuff.
- public healthcare that works. universally accessible healthcare for primary and acute care, the accident compensation corporation (acc) providing no-fault coverage for all accidents & injuries eliminating lawsuits, and pharmac objectively deciding what medicines will be provided. even though i had great employer provided coverage in boston there was always the fear of losing your job and being bankrupted by a medical expense. you do have to wait your turn for many procedures though.
- social services that work. kiwis may struggle to make ends meet, but no one goes hungry and everyone has a place to sleep. perhaps even a bit too generous at times, but i would rather error in this direction.
- the integration of maori culture into daily kiwi life. i’m struck by both the maori and pakeha (a new zealander of non-maori and non-polynesian heritage) actions here. the pakeha are very respectful of the maori culture – and the maori are comfortable sharing their traditions with the nation. when mahe drysdale wore a traditional maori cloak whilst caring the new zealand flag during the olympic ceremony it felt like a celebration of the maori traditions. the tomahawk chop at a braves game is not quite the same. when the national anthem was played before the all blacks game everyone sang both the english and maori verses.
![thebeach-7-2006[1].jpg](http://fryphone.com/nzblog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/thebeach-7-20061.jpg)
what i miss
- cheap books. even taking the exchange rate into account books are almost twice as dear here.
- tivo. once you’ve had it, it is hard to do without.
- affordable home ownership. things have peaked here, but home prices had reached the stratosphere – totally unaffordable (80% of take home pay for example). and we thought boston was expensive.
- good pay. kiwi salaries are quite low relative to the us, the uk or australia.
- going to the ballpark. hard to beat a redsox game at fenway park.
- dunkin donuts. i don’t expect there is anywhere that had more coffee cafes and better coffee, but sometimes i just want my big styrofoam cup of dd, ready for me in 30 seconds. and an occasional donut is a fine guilty pleasure.
- the vermont cabin. actually, the cabin in the first few years we owned it when it was a relaxing place to enjoy the snow and sit in front of the fire. unfortunately in the end it was just a place to do chores.
- the climate. i do miss winter a bit. something about a gentle snowfall, or even the feeling of battling mother nature during a fierce winter storm. and the smells of the flowers in spring and the leaves in fall are hard to beat.
- having a shared history with others – particularly with the few that tolerate my sense of humour and cater to my near constant need for positive feedback.
- turkey day. food, family & football.
- christmas in winter. it should be cold and the ground covered with snow when you are picking out your christmas tree. there are also noticeably few christmas lights and decorations. we may have to set the example this year.
we are nearing an election in new zealand so the level of political theatre is rising.
the national party (more conservative) led by john key is currently ahead in the polls and on track to beat the labour party (more liberal) led by prime minister helen clark.
(helen clark official photo, helen clark untouched photo with not uncommon kiwi teeth, john key)
labour has been leading government for 9 years and there seems to be strong sentiment for change. there is underlying concern though that national intends to make changes that are quite unpopular including selling off assets (railways, kiwibank) and funding tax cuts with increased debt (nz currently runs a surplus) – but they have been very reluctant to disclose any details of their platform. so there was a huge media storm when two secret recordings of senior national leaders were released saying that they if elected would do what everyone suspected. the leaders were quick to say that they “had not chosen their word carefully”, but the general sentiment was captured well by the the wellington paper that said they were “caught telling the truth”.
the fallout has been national leader john key being obsessed with finding out who made the recordings – and accusing the labour party of being behind it. the source of the recording has insisted that he has no party loyalty, but national is still pressing hard. this week they released a photo that they said was of trash strewn outside john key’s office – clearly the work of a labour party dirty trick campaign.
the great thing about a parliamentary system is that all members of parliament – including the prime minister – met 3 days a week in the house to conduct business. the most interesting part is question time where members can ask other members questions. this holds the party in power accountable and provides great entertainment. can you image if george w and members of his cabinet had to face direct questions on the floor of congress 3 times a week?
this week when john key asked a question to labour if they would investigate the alleged dirty tricks campaign including rooting through his trash, labour party was ready with a response. they announced that after a thorough investigation that they found the perpetrator, and offered a photo.
they said the hoodie (popular with kiwi thugs) made it clear that this suspect was of dubious character.
great political theatre.
going to the cinema here in wellington is quite a different experience than we’re used to at the boston megaplex.
firstly there are several great old classic theatres to choose from – the penthouse in brooklyn, the embassy in the cbd and the empire just 3 blocks from our house here in island bay.
the embassy has changed little expect it’s name (originally deluxe) since it first opened in 1924. unfortunately i don’t have the best photos but after entering a great italian tiled lobby you head up one of the sweeping marble staircases to the main lounge. on the right you have the jazz lounge with the overstuffed leather chairs and live music. to the left the cafe where you can get a coffee, slice of cake or a nice glass of wine. in the middle the ticket counter where you can also get a beer, juice or ice cream.
not your typical movie theatre restrooms.
your seat (assigned – early ticket buyers get the primo spots) is a large overstuffed leather chair or half of a 2 seater couch. there is a small built in table between seats for your wine glass (or whatever else you choose).
for the last 2 weeks the new zealand international film festival has been here in wellington. it travels around the country stopping in all the large and medium sized cities. it is a bit overwhelming with 200+ films to choose from – many that we wanted to see. we settled on just 3 with the highlight tonight – a screening of the 1925 harold lloyd silent classic “the freshman” with live accompaniment by the vector wellington orchestra.
the head of the film festival was on hand to introduce the film and give a bit of background. he noted his pleasure that the oldest movie in the festival by far was the fastest to sell out.
great movie, music and surroundings.
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