Geeks

Main topics of conversations in class yesterday:

1. Firefox 3 launch!!!!! Get online and upgrade today!! They're trying to break the record for the most downloads!!!

2. I woke up at 5am so I could be one of the first to download Firefox

3. How annoying it is that Apple held up the launch of Firefox 3 while the programmers worked out the bugs that would make it compatible on Mac and PC

4. The daily Mac versus PC argument (yes, this occurs DAILY)

5. Only losers use Norton Utilities!

6. Let's go online to see how many people have downloaded Firefox 3 so far!

7. Does anyone still use Safari? (this stirred up another Mac-bashing debate from the PC lovers)

I tried to tune it out but it's really tough.

After class I went home and downloaded Firefox 3. I caught myself making fun of Iain for still using Internet Explorer. He retorted, "Don't you geek out in front of me! Save it for school!"

Come ON

I went online to the Obama store today and saw that one of the tshirts is a take on the old "got milk"campaign. Instead it's "got hope?" Really? I'm sorry, I love Obama but that is beyond lame. That's like spoofing the played out Mastercard 'priceless' campaign. I was FURIOUS. But then I ordered a tshirt (a different one, obviously!)

I sent in my absentee ballot application last month. I called the Philly office to find out if they'd received it. After being sent to like 3 different people, each one less helpful than the last, I got this totally rude guy on the phone who informed me that it was way too early to apply. He said there was "no way" my application would be accepted this soon. "We probably lost it," he added. I said, "Well, can you check?!" He said no, try again in a few months, then he hung up on me. Ah, Philly!!

Auckland public transportation

I ran out the door to catch the bus this morning and forgot to pee. So, 45 minutes and one bus ride later, I arrived in Auckland desperate for a Starbucks. There's one a block away that's usually crowded, allowing me to sneak into their bathroom without feeling obligated to buy anything. Not so today. It was empty, so I reluctantly ordered a cappuccino and then raced to the bathroom.

Coffee in hand I walked to my second bus stop, two blocks away. Remember my post about the busses being so clean? Well, now I know why. The bus driver gave me a firm but polite lecture about beverages being prohibited. I mumbled an apology and went to pay for my ticket. Nope - I was asked to please leave the bus until I was finished with my coffee. I said, "Well, when are you leaving?" and the driver said, "We depart in 5 minutes." So I had to sit outside in the rain with my stupid coffee that I didn't even want in the first place. Then I got on the bus.

Heat -- sort of

It's winter in NZ and while Auckland doesn't get freezing, it does get cold. We were originally going to tough it out this year and "see what happens", which we soon realized was stupid. We know what happens. It turns cold and you have no heat. Still, we didn't get on the heat bandwagon until about a month or so ago, so it's only just been installed. 6 guys, saws, drills, and lots of equipment took over the house on Monday morning to install the furnace and heat ducts. Now we just need the gas company to swing by to turn the whole thing on...

That should happen sometime next week. To celebrate, we're having a dinner party next weekend.

(FYI: the picture of the main vent is on a wall not yet stripped & painted)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM PATEFIELD!

Iain's Mom turns 70 today! Happy birthday, Pat! We'll see you next month!


Iain's Mom turns 70 today! Woo-hoo! Happy birthday, Pat! We'll see you next month!

Yawn.

I'm sorry the blog has been so lame lately. It's been a pretty quiet week:

1. I have a huge project for school (creating a working website for a hotel) so I spent all weekend on the sofa, working (well, and emailing people, reading Slate, and Lostpedia).

2. Iain's been working on house stuff like fixing windows, etc.

3. We weren't feeling well last week -- I had a cold and stayed home for 2 days, and worked (and of course got WAY more done than I would've in class)

4. "Lost" is over for another season, so I'm going through withdrawal.

So, there hasn't been much to report. But my project is due this Friday so I am hoping to relax a bit this weekend. By "relax" I mean "have a very strong Cosmopolitan".

It's fall here but the weather has been really nice lately.

A day in the life of Tama

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICK RHODES!

Nick Rhodes turns 46 today.
What's even scarier is that Prince is 50!

Herald Island & Greenhithe

Here are pictures of some cool local places we drove to last weekend. Both are rural areas but still considered part of Auckland (I think - but what do I know?)

Friday night

Iain and I don't get out much, so when we do, we like to really whoop it up. Last Friday we met friends in town for dinner, and then went out for many, many drinks. It wasn't the amount of drinks, necessarily, but the TYPE. Who drinks hot toddies? Us. Who takes the bartender's suggestion to try brandy & Benedictine? Us. Here are some really blurry pictures.

Before all of this, we enjoyed a really great dinner at an Italian place (it was very good, despite my ridiculously small portion of spaghetti carbonara). Iain made some at home the next week to make up for it.

30 Rock

I had Iain rewind this scene like 3x.

"Guess who has two thumbs, speaks limited French, and hasn't cried once today? THIS moi!"
- Liz Lemon

Dumbass

I like to subscribe to the free podcasts on iTunes -- stuff like "This American Life" and more recently, "Women of the Web." Ok, this is really embarrassing, but I actually thought that "Women of the Web" would be about women who work in web development or design. Imagine my surprise when an obnoxious DJ guy started counting down the week's hottest / sexiest/ sluttiest women online. Thank god it was free. It was like an audiobook, only instead of a book it's Maxim magazine.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM!

Pimp my ride

We drove by this car that was totally pimped out, complete with a confusing vanity plate reading "obease". I wasn't able to get shots of the stickers all over the back windshield. The detail on this car was insane, especially compared to the house it was parked in front of.

Riveting Television

Here are some sample TV shows we get here in New Zealand: 'Lamest Girl Alive' (Danielle, silver platter....) and 'Music Wank'.


I must admit that I was EXTREMELY excited by the True Hollywood Story on Mariska and watched it and loved every minute of it because she's so awesome. Thanks to Kate B for providing lots of Law & Order: SVU for me to watch.