Winter Weekends

I think I've said this before but we've had an absolutely stunning winter. With the exception of a few freezing (not literally) days, it's been sunny and mild. And thanks to my massive down coat, I've been able to sit outside and enjoy the sun!

Tama doesn't like the cold, however, and prefers quick outside trips followed by long bouts of lounging in the sun. He's definitely not a winter kitty and would much rather have us all in the house together. Conversely, Blue is like a polar bear.

I've also sort of kind of maybe possibly started to watch rugby, or at least tolerate it. It's entertaining, to say the least. I never got to this point with American football (and never will) and still can't fathom cricket.


This morning, after I finish rewatching the hilarious Old Spice guy spots, we're heading out for a clifftop walk in Mairangi Bay. We'll make the walk to Browns Bay, have brunch, then walk back. It helps justify the hollandaise!

NZ All Blacks

The rugby game was on last night -- NZ v Wales, so we tuned in. Iain watched it, I sat on the sofa posting used clothing on TradeMe.com.

I hate sports, but I'm actually sorta kinda getting into rubgy (and not just because of Dan Carter).

For one thing. the haka is REALLY cool. It doesn't matter what country you're from, seeing the haka is pretty amazing. But of course, this being New Zealand, the commercial break that follows inevitably contains some weird deworming product for sheep. Classic.

More TV and Movie Clichés

#4. During a chase scene, the person being chased trips and completely wipes out spread eagle on the ground before scrambling back up again. C'mon!

#5. After an emotional confrontation where one person leaves, the other person shuts the door then leans against it - back to the door. This is almost always accompanied by looking up towards the ceiling, with a heavy sigh.

TV and Movie Clichés - part one

Iain and I are constantly pointing out those things you see on TV and in films that no one in real life actually does. Here are a few examples, seen today on episodes of SVU and Gossip Girl:

1. The woman sauntering around the man's apartment wearing his buttondown and nothing else.

2. The woman sitting at her dressing table brushing her hair at night while talking to her husband. Alt: woman sitting in bed rubbing moisturizer on her elbows while talking to her husband (oddly, this one seems reserved for the moms; you never see a single gal doing this)

3. "Surely you can't think I did this?" as an answer during police questioning. Usually followed by "... I LOVED her/him!"

I'm going to start keeping track of these. If you can think of any, please post a comment here or on Facebook.

Law and Order SVU

Is it just me or does SVU suck now? Honestly, the last few episodes I've seen have replaced decent plotlines for celebrity guest appearances. They've even tried injecting humor into the show which is just totally bizarre.

Also, I guess the writers finally realized how hot Mariska Hargitay is, and so now the show always has a scene where she just happens to play a dominatrix, a hard core lesbian, a sexy speed dater, or a slutty corrupt detective -- but it's okay 'cause it's for the plot.

The latest episode was a ridiculous dramedy featuring Kathy Griffin playing a man hating lesbian-turned-bisexual activist. Yeah.

Of course, I will continue to Tivo it and watch religiously....

Week

This week was much less hectic than last week. With my workload being back to normal, we were able to tag team the house chores: I'm responsible for hiring a carpet cleaner for our rental, arranging internet and satellite hook-up, and managing the upstairs closet build. Not too onerous. Iain took over the kitchen sink install, plumbers, screens, and our builder.

We're both taking off the week of March 8. Iain doesn't have enough vacation days to take the FULL week. So I'm handling the move on Monday the 8th, just like Iain handled our move into the rental back in October. I'd hoped to have the internet and TV hooked up in time to watch the Oscars but it won't happen. Damn!

There's a huge sale on at Smith + Caughey this week, so I spent numerous lunch breaks looking at sheets, towels, shoes (not house-related but c'mon...), housewares, etc. I got us some fantastic orange towels for the upstairs bathroom. I might go back next week and look for towels for the downstairs, too.

Here are pictures of the rangehood and - finally! - the correct kitchen sink: 500mm X 400mm X 200mm (19.6" X 14.74" X 7.87"). The kitchen company agreed to reimburse us for 50% of the value of the handles, since they're wrong and we couldn't agree on an adequate replacement. This is a pretty good deal since they originally threw the handles in for free.

Lastly: the backsplash. Or is it splashback?

Drag Me to Hell

It has always been a goal of mine to get Iain to watch horror movies with me. We're starting small, with a not-scary-at-all film. What we both found fascinating was our cats' reactions to the movie. We couldn't believe it.

Here is Tama, who is technically Iain's kitty. Blue is mine.

Mo' to Love

Every November is Movember - a huge fund raising drive for prostate cancer.

Guys grow mustaches, look ridiculous, raise money. In Iain's case, he's slowly starting to look an awful lot like Brian Cranston from Breaking Bad. Stay tuned -- he has two more weeks to grow!

Television

Halloween!

We celebrated Halloween with the season premiere of Buffy the Vampire - season six. The stupid DVD kept skipping and stalling, causing much frustration and cursing. We had about 10 Trick or Treaters, mostly kids in make-up and ripped tshirts or mom's skirt and jewelry. It was nice to see zero store-bought costumes, although this might be a sign of the economic status of our neighborhood more than anything else.

What happens when Iain picks the movie

Birthday Fun

It was my 38th birthday on Thursday so I milked it for all it was worth.  We celebrated the "Week of Birthday", a term coined by our friend Laura.  The concept of WOB is simple:  from the day of your birthday until the following week, you get to eat and drink whatever you want (within reason) and generally slack off Because It's My Birthday.  This usually involves stuff like the avoidance of washing dishes ("But it's my birthday!") and not being responsible for changing the DVD ("I know I'm closer, but....").  The key to WOB is to not be too annoying about it while still enjoying as many small privileges as possible.

WOB was launched with a fabulous decorating of the rental house by Iain  - a lovely surprise!  Saturday and Sunday was a continuation:  a great weekend of oysters, champagne, walks, fun Skype calls, and lots of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (we're on season 4 right now). Even the weather cooperated somewhat - Saturday was gross out but Sunday was really sunny and allowed us to sit us outside.

I couldn't completely absolve myself from all domestic responsibilities, so there was some laundry done, but that was it.  Oh!  And Blue finally figured out how to use the new cat door!

Here are some pictures.

Louis Theroux can suck it!

This documentary was a terrifying look at the city's rougher neighborhoods, but anyone who sees it will immediately think this represents all of Philly.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Commentary

I know they're constantly in the tabloids and we're all sick of them, but I'm really beginning to dislike them. I thought it was ridiculous when they claimed that they wouldn't get married until gay marriage became legal. I agree with their cause - everyone should be able to get married - but then stick with it! How lame of Brad to then turn around and say that the REAL reason they aren't married is because he's terrified of going through the same emotional hell as his divorce from Jennifer Aniston. That's lame on like 50 levels. If you don't want to get married, fine - but just say so already!

I also thought the shots of Angelina in 'W' weren't so great. So there! (ok, she looked really pretty in the breastfeeding shots, and the picture of her and Maddox is cool, but that's it)

Back to School

Man, after 4 days off it's tough to go back to school!

Yesterday was gorgeous outside, so we did a few hours of work inside then headed off for brunch where we sat outside and enjoyed some mimosas and eggs. Everyone was outside with their dogs, their kids, etc. It was great. Then we hung out on our deck with the cats and read books and magazines. The NZ sun is ridiculously strong so we slathered ourselves with sunscreen but I still managed to burn my knee. Not my leg. Not even both legs. Just one knee. I have no idea how I managed to do that.

Then we went for a walk to help offset the eggs benedict and champagne, came home, showered, and watched episodes of Eli Stone (thanks Danielle & Nam!) until bedtime.

Labor Day!

It's Labor Day weekend over here (that's right - I'm leaving out the "u" in Labour). We're enjoying our day off by sanding & painting (Iain) and writing code while obsessively checking Facebook and email every 10 minutes (me). It's terrifying how addictive Facebook can be. I hate it - but I kind of love it, too.

My updated site is up, after a few weeks of finessing. It's still a major work in progress, but at least now I have something to show prospective employers. I added a client login feature that doesn't work yet, but I'll worry about that next weekend.

Our useless group project at school is over, and tomorrow we're scheduled to begin learning Flash. I am really psyched!

Last night we caught about 10 minutes of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition". What's the deal with this show? I've never watched a full episode but every time I catch a snippet of it, it's about someone who either fought in Iraq or had something to do with 9/11. Whatever it is, whoever it is, there's always an American flag and someone crying. It's completely bizarre and a little too subversive for my taste.

Once Iain finishes up some painting we're off for brunch!

Who needs Gossip Girl & Eli Stone?!?!

Slow News Day....(again)

More music videos...

Friday night we watched music videos. Iain loves Lionel Ritchie so were required to watch this in its entirety. I don't know if it's because it's so old, or if something happened in the conversion from NTSC to PAL when they shipped a copy over here, but the audio is totally out of sync. Check it out. It's HORRIBLE:

Weirdest Music Video EVER

Has anyone seen this? It's got Linda Dano from Attitudes, Coldplay, a large Lifetime TV flag, and a 90 year old diminutive yoga expert in an S&M-type body suit.