Country Music in NZ

omg... i just found a website of NZ County music clubs
and i'm all like yay!
and there is this...
Club Day:
3rd Sunday or the month at 1pm (their typo, not mine)
Rotorua RSA, Haupapa Street, Rotorua (behind the Police Station)

*clunk*
one sunday a month in Rotorua is country music day... after 1

For what it's worth...

http://www.nzcountrymusic.org.nz
http://www.nzcountrymusic.net
http://www.countrymusic.net.nz

*sigh*

Suzuki DL650 V-Strom

My head was turned by this tourer style bike on Hutt highway the other day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_DL650_V-Strom

I love how wiki has everything...

Anyway, I liked the upright yet still slightly forward position, I was envious of the windscreen, and I thought the whole setup looked versatile.  It is only in hindsight that I see the VStrom is in the same niche as the Multi-Strada although heaps cheaper and probably not as techno as a Ducati. (I looked at these last year).

I hopped down to Welly Motorcycles and checked one out.  I can't ride one until I get a Full Licence of course, but I was just looking anyway.  I am far too broke to even think about $15,000 motorbikes, but I still like to look.  At first glance it was too big to me.  The ferring is wider than I'm used to (by "used to" I mean none) and it seemed too tall.  I wasn't sure how well I'd be able to stand up with it.  But once all the shop mooks were out of view (so they couldn't mock me), I got up on it.  I was very surprised to feel how what looked like such a big bike from the side turned in to "no big deal" when I was on it.  I had no problem with the height and I could instantly see the appeal of the riding position and instruments.  So I guess I have to officially add "tourer" bikes to my "must check out" list when I think about the next one.

I still go back and forth deciding if I ever need a bike bigger than 250cc.  I know I would like such a bike for special roadtrips, but those opportunities are so rare that it seems silly to go for a "road bike" when 99% of my use will be commuting.  The DL650 would be a luxury commuter, but still a good commuter.  Something more "harley" like a V-Star or Boulevard would sure look cool, but not sure they would be "better" commuter bikes. 

But then I have nothing but time.  My L licence is due in March.  Then I'm on Restricted for at least 3 more months (probably 6 unless I pay extra).

Hope all is well in the great white north.  I keep hearing about the snow, but I just can't seem to care! 

A new meme

Today on Twitter I happened to receive the follow bit of pure gold...

"Totally fucking batshit whack-a-doodle" is completely inappropriate, even when referring to Lindsay Lohan.

Totally Fucking Batshit Whack-a-doodle is a phrase that simply must be added to the list of chat acronyms for all time.  After a bit of consideration, I think FBW is adequate.  This allows you to put in your own adjective.  For example...

Sarah Palin is absolutely FBW.

Everyone associated with Fred Phelps is totally FBW.

Most of what Glenn Beck says is FBW and hypocritical--although he has every right to say it.

The ideal that every American should give 80% of everything they earn over their whole lives to the 10% wealthiest individuals in the world as just the way Capitalism works is completely FBW.

FBW folks... Add it to your list of LOL's, FTW's, OMG's, and ROTFLMAO's. I think it is going to very handy for the next decade.

A Real Pickle

Okay this may seem weird, but I can't find a dill pickle in all Wellington.  NZ seems to have 25 kinds of sweet pickle in all the sliced and whole varieties, but they are all very distinctly sweet pickles.  I would say in general every sauce or familiar dish in NZ is sweeter than the American equivalents.  Don't mention this to Kiwi's as they universally deny having a "sweet tooth".  Strangely although every meal might be sweeter than the norm, the don't indulge in many purely sweet deserts.  Their pasteries are often just a shade or two from bland.

But back to pickles... Can't find them.  I've decided to experiment with the least sweet pickles I can find and adding my own dill to them and see how they turn out.  Any fellow expats and/or Kiwis know of these things called Dill Pickles?

The year 2009

     2009, where did it go?  It feels like I rolled over in bed and discovered it was 2010.  "Damn, slept in late!"  Yet, when I think back I can recall a full year of events.
     For me the year started with an amazing hope.  The election in the US rolled across the whole world with a wave of optimism.  At the time, I had not realized how important that election was.  When it happened, I was not prepare for my own feelings of it.  It was good.  Of course, reality being what it is, the world has still struggled in 2009.  I am not envious of Obama's place in history.  I hope he does well.
     We had many fantastic visitors this year.  My folks came down in January, then my Mom again with my kids in June.  My father-in-law, Don, was down in July--as he had the year before.  His sister, Maurine, joined us for a couple of those weeks.  Lastly, and not the least, Amy's step-mom, Cindy, who many thought could never make the trip, flew down for a week to pick up Gabe in December.  He is with all his grandparents now on holiday and will be back in Feb.  If we were to count days, we spent about 3 and half months with visitors in New Zealand.  I spent a week in Kansas in October for the kids' birthdays.  There is something entirely different about visiting with family for many days or weeks.  I remember seeing folks for a single occasion or just a dinner.  We'd chat and have a good time, but it doesn't compare with sharing a home with them for days.  It is a good thing.  I look forward to it.
     Of course we lost many people in 2009.  Two of my good friends lost their fathers.  My dad died in November.  Another dear friend lost her 19 year old son.  Always we are left with more questions than answers.  The world lost many... some good, some bad, and some that were hard to tell.  Humans were terrible to each other in some places and kind in other places with less media attention.  I have no scale to measure this year against other years.  Life remains a perfect balance between tragedy and miracle that is unevenly meted.  May we all find strength when we need it and share joy when we find it.
     My family is doing well.  I found my brother, Nathan, who I had lost for some 20 years.  Not only did I find Nathan, but he had a daughter in October.  My other brother, Justin, added to his family the easy way and adopted Kingsley just this year.  Many family members on my Dad's side have found me and we have talked.  I now have seven children in the generation after me.  Strange to think about.
     I have seen glittering black sand beaches with crashing turquoise and white waves.  I have seen volcanoes in the distance.  In Kiakoura we saw seals and perhaps the most beautiful vistas on Earth.  At the Abel Tasman park I witnessed the most beautiful sunsets of my life.  Each and every day, I have admired the Wellington harbour.  Many days I have sat at a cafe with a view to the water with a cappuccino and marvelled at how good life can be.
     Each year will have its struggles.  2009 was not easy, but I lived.  2010 looks to be a year of greater promise and perhaps greater challenges.  Whatever comes, I will be happy to live it.  When I find joy, I will share it.  When I need strength, I will ask for it.  To all who have made my life wonderful, I give a deeply felt and humble, thank you.

Making a List

     I set out to make a list of things I want out of life; things I want to do.  I was quite surprised how hard this was.  While it seems simple to roll around a mental list of things you might like to have, it is actually quite difficult to come up with things you want purely for yourself.  I performed this exercise because I felt that I may not be sure of what I wanted and thus might not really be focusing on it.  You might be fairly amazed at how thought provoking this can be.  This exercise has 3 rules.

     Rule 1: No wants that require another person to do something.
     You just can not control what other people may do no matter how much you want them to.  Leave these off your list.  Examples to avoid include: "I want Jane to love me", "I want a partner in my life", "I want to make my partner happy."

     Rule 2: No wants that don't directly involve you doing something.
     Examples: "I want world peace", "I want housing costs to be cheaper", or "I want life to be easier".  Basically these are all things that you probably can not achieve directly even if you can help them along.  If you really want to achieve world peace then say something like "I want to volunteer for the UN."

     Rule 3: No negative wants or "I do not wants"
     Examples: "I don't want to be poor", "I want Bob's house to burn down", etc.  Every example I came up with could be restated with a positive want.  If you don't want to be sick, then you want to be healthy and fit.  If you don't want to be afraid anymore, then you want to live bravely.

     This is primarily a set of things you want to actively do or seek in your life.  Now we'll make a separate list for what you want in a partner, but you need to have this list of what you want in life first.  Really write these down.  There is a real significance to seeing what you want written down.  I'd love to hear what you discover about yourself in this.  No one has to share their list.
     A little bit more about why I chose to do this...  For a long time I've been watching the Universe and seeing how it prods us all along on our paths.  I began to realize that while I know the Universe will conspire to deliver our happiness when we seek it, we still get to make our own choices.  I was too caught up in seeking what I was meant to do and not really deciding what I wanted to do.  Thus the list.

Inclusion

All the religions of the world got a few things right.  All the religions of the world got a few things wrong.  All the religions of the world were created by the human race.  The human race was created as part of the Universe.  The Universe includes the human race.  The human race through religion has tended to make itself separate from the Universe.

We tend to plod along imagining that our course is separate from the rest.  We imagine that we are special to other things or that our destiny is our own while the rest of the Universe merely tries to keep up or follow along.  We forget that all things have but a single origin.  All that is, is.  The origin of the tree, the stone, the river, the Sun and all the heavens is the same origin of the human race.  All things were created together to take shape in this Universe; to form and reform; to change.

We can not be separated from it.  We can not be excluded.  We are creatures of it born as part of it.  We are fully capable beings of the Universe.  Everyone and everything has a part.  We are actors and observers.  Our purpose is different from the tree or the stone, but our role is not any more, or less, significant.  While all things are connected we are also unique and travel a different path.

Feel this connection in your life.  We are a part of everything and each other.  In this way knowing yourself is knowing everything.