Life in Westminster Court
We’ve been pretty busy lately going to lots of open homes. Turns out we can pay less rent to the bank and get a much better place than the one we’re living in. The building we’re in is incredibly beautiful, but our apartment is pretty gross. This is the main entrance of the building:
My BF always complains there is too much art on the walls. On the left is a picture my great grandfather, Allen Bryce, painted of fuchsias. They are my favourite flowers, and in the foreground you can I have a fuchsia plant. On the right is a corner of our living room. Didn’t bother cleaning it up for the photo. Yes I have a lot of OC DVDs, and the boardgame. Get over it.
This is my favourite chair, and my favourite record. You forgot it in People by Broken Social Scene. In fact if you’re looking on here for Chrtistmas present ideas I’d really like these record frames from UO. And a couple more canvases which we don’t have room to hang.
Probably the thing I hate most about this apartment is the wallpaper, which I describe as a water-damaged pattern. The stuff in the bathroom is even more outrageous. It’s shiny silver with green bird/ flowers patterns.
My favourite part of the apartment, which I couldn’t get a decent photo of, is the teacup cupboard in the kitchen. There are hooks which fit about 20 of my teacups and even a little window in the cupboard so you can look through and see all your china!
All in all I’m looking forward to living somewhere with clean white walls.
My favourite presents
It was my birthday this week, which is great because I love presents!
The best one I ever got was a Apple PPC on my eleventh birthday. My dad always gets me nerdy gifts like the entire collection of Star Trek films, hardrives and jewelry made out of computer chips.
My BF also has a fondness for giving me jewelry, including a new charm for my charm bracelet every birthday. But being a geek the favourite pieces he’s got me are these necklaces.
A Survival of the Hippest custom rose gold twitter necklace and a Swarovski Active Crystals USB necklace. Beautiful as well as practical, so much win.
This year’s bounty included some awesome books, a handknitted scarf, wine and a Crumple Map of London. Would have been more useful before the invention of Google Maps, but still what a brilliant idea. A map that you never have to worry about how to fold.
I had a splendid birthday day starting with breakfast at my favourite Ponsonby cafe, Bambina. A good day in the office with cake, flowers and a nice lunch. And then the meeting friends at the Comedy Festival to see Matt Mulholland who was hilarious! Finished off with a pleasant dinner in town.
Broken social scene, yes please
In Paris I had the pleasure of seeing BSS play live. It was a great night out with two of my favourite people in the world. Had a bit of a nightmare navigating the metro and got there quite late so had to stand at the back, squished up against the sound desk. Seriously French people suck at shows. They didn’t dance, they didn’t want an encore and when Kevin Drew promised to play one more song on the condition no one took photos or video during it… some idiot started taking photos.
Oh well I guess it’s people like that who enable me to share video of the show with you.
Probably the best thing about the show is I managed to buy three of their records which I didn’t have yet for the price I would pay for only one in Australia. They are a band I highly recommend having a listen to if you haven’t before >
Chocolate animals #easter
Yay for the resurrected (or zombie depending on your beliefs) Jesus!
And thank you God for inventing chocolate, of which I have been given so much this year, mostly in animal form.
The best thing about this Easter is I got to meet the real life versions of all the chocolate animals I got! We saw a duck at #gardenpicnic on Friday and a wombat, bunny and bilby at Featherdale Wildlife Park on Saturday.
The excitement continues with Wicked tonight and the Easter show on Thursday. I am really looking forward to seeing Robosaurus!
Hope you’ve had a happy Easter and feel free to come round if you are missing out on chocolate, there is plenty to share!
Gorgeous maps by @bexrad
Around the time my bf and I started dating he went to Melbourne for a poker tournament. I gave him a map of the city which I coloured in with places for him to see. He loved it so much he’s kept it in his wallet ever since.
Last time we were in Melbourne he showed this map to my friend Bex Rad who was also visiting the city. She completely outdid us with her own hand drawn map, far more detailed and awesome than I could ever imagine putting time into:
I’m pleased to see Bex is putting her amazing maps online for your viewing pleasure >
Check them out as they are filled with great places to visit in Melbourne, Christchurch and Wellington (so far).
Related: Nicholas Jones’ map of Flinders Lane >
Newnes glow worm tunnel #obscuraday
At 7.30am we started our Obscura Day adventure. We took a train three hours out of Sydney, past Paramatta, past Penrith up into the Blue Mountains.
The drive from Lithgow with the other explorers was slow and dusty with very high chances of death. After an hour of windy cliff roads and termite hills we made it to a point where we could only proceed on foot. The lush ferns in the forest reminded me of home until we came across a large red bellied black snake who slithered away we neared him.
After following the old railway line for 15 minutes we entered the tunnel, every so often turning off our torches to reveal the glow worms. They were pretty, but not as impressive as some of the caves I have seen in NZ. When we reached the end the others stopped to take photographs outside, James and I went back into the tunnel. This time waiting still and quiet for several minutes as the glow worms lit up. We even found one who was broken and stayed glowing when the torch was on.
On the return trip we found some more treasures which Lithgow had to offer including a Mining Museum which we jumped the fence and had a look at and the Blast Furnace (below). With trains scarce from the remote location we got a lift home with two lovely friends we made (above, crossing the bridge).
The drive home was probably the highlight of the trip with sing alongs and driving past Hooters, who knew there was one in Sydney! We got home 14 hours after our trip had begun incredibly tired, but surprisingly alive.
Obscura Day was organised by Atlas Obsucra >
Woman’s last stand
My boyfriend carries my lipbalm, I make him separate the recycling and put his underwear in the basket. I watch his vampire TV shows with him and he still makes me watch Mall Cop. When I get angry at him it usually is that time of the month. I’m only worth 75c to every man’s dollar because one day I will put my career on hold and raise children. And I expect I will love my children, not resent their father for their existence.
I actually love this spoof ad, probably because I’m not a very good feminist. Also because it has made a bunch of male bloggers angry, and they have become the assholes this ad portrays them to be.
At the end of the day boys buy cars to impress girls, and really neither your wife or the younger mistress is going to be impressed by a Dodge Charger.
Valentines day & one year living together
Crepes with “peaches poached in port” & raspberry lemonade
My two favourite colored roses out of the six colours I got (none were red so not tacky). Turns out flowers are VERY cheap on Valentines Day after 3pm.
New Mozart album in the background with a lovely yellow cover. Got it free with other from my Dad’s work.
Terrible photos of chicken breast covered in Turkish simmered beans and Moroccan potatoes, with pink iced cupcakes for dessert.
Some views on animal cruelty
James’ dad runs one of the big race courses in Auckland so when we were there I got to go in and pat the horses. It was damn awesome. I always thought horse racing was cruel, because vegans always tell you it is and compare it to dog fighting. But equines are actually very competitive and they love running really fast and getting the praise of being the best. Gambling is still bad in my books as well as whipping horses or putting them down just because they make no money for you. The horses I met were well looked after and while happy to be petted were looking forward to getting out on the tracks.
Also according to PETA idealism, it’s cruel to cage birds, well the little tweeters hate being anywhere else. Outside there is the threat of giant crows and the neightbours cat so who wants to be there when you are safe in your nest? Admittedly their cage is longer than they care to fly and having them in something smaller may be mean. Even Andrew Bird who we have had since he was a baby will fly straight back to the cage everytime we take him out.
So if some birds are happy to be in cages and some horses happy to race, what is cruel? Clubbing Seals?
Research has shown that when the hakapik is used correctly the seals die quickly and painlessly and we’re not running out of seals like we are whales. So what’s the problem? One issue is people who are not educated in how to use the hakapik correctly which causes prolonged pain for the animals. But instead of educating, animal rights groups rally against fur wearers >
There is one explanation to why seal clubbing is a prominent cruelty issue. I mean seriously who would you rather have on your poster?
There certainly are instances of animal cruelty which need to be dealt to, but try and look at it from another perceptive. My mother used to pity the Polar bears in the Auckland zoo, because it surely isn’t cold enough for them, and yet scientists are now predicting the north pole to be gone in summer 2013 > which means the only polar bears left will be those in a zoo.
I honestly wish we’d kept some mammoths in a zoo to breed!
Romance
As a house warming gift James got me a book called The Classic Era of American Comics which I used to have on permanent loan from the public library when I was in 7th form. There is a really cool comic in it which was the muse for my painting class. The book was an awesome present, but what he gave me for our anniversary was even better:
(The comic from the book painted by the guy who also did this > and the photo doesn’t really do it justice it’s huge!).
My gift for him was a whale watching cruise in Port Stephens, there were Humpbacks, dolphins and we got to feed giant pelicans as well as going to this place where you stand in a pool with sharks and sting rays and feed them shrimps. It was a good weekend and it’s been a good year.
Swiming with a liger of the sea
Today I met this weird creature, half bottle nose dolphin + half false killer whale aptly named a “wholphin”. I honestly didn’t know what to think when I saw it… how does something like this come into being?
Most hybrid animals are sterile but this girl gave birth to three pups, the latest of which is the only one to have survived. I got to jump in a pool and play with her, even ride on her tummy around the pool (holding onto her flippers). James wanted to do that as well but she wouldn’t pick him up until she got a kiss from me. It was pretty awesome. She chuckled heaps in a weird deeper than usual dolphin voice when James tried to give her a kiss. Apparently she’s a bit shy around boys.
Lessig on my favourite TV show… four years ago
When James found out that our flatmate had the first season of West Wing on DVD he decided it was imperative that I watch it. Our relationship could only survive if I loved it a much as he did. So we watched it and I liked it. I can not describe how ecstatic he was the next night when I asked if we could watch the second episode.
Three months and five and a half seasons later, I felt that same joy… OMGOSH it’s Lawrence Lessig on West Wing! Probably not my pick for an actor, but I guess West Wing is set in Back to the Future, where most things except Donna’s turtleneck jumpers are timeless.
Professor on the show:
And so is “fame” made: My story is on the West Wing because I was at Harvard — not because the brilliance of my intervention had been noted and reviewed, but because I was teaching talented kids who would prove to be important. Indeed, so has the most important of my “fame” been made: Did Justice Jackson pick me to be his special master because he had determined I was the perfect mix of Holmes and Ed Felten? No, I was picked because I was a Harvard Law Professor teaching the law of cyberspace. Remember: So is “fame” made.
Apple takes another stab at Microsoft ads
James was so proud when the Microsoft ads came out with people finding the best PC for them. I thought the ads were lame, this however is brilliant.
Tim Keller discusses his book Reasons for God
David Chambers shared this video with me. James and I started watching it, but ended up pausing it half way through to have a heated debate about religion.
My heart is beating like a drum
Rather awesome series of ads, which remind me of James singing Emiliana Torrini’s song which for him goes “my heart is beating like a drum, drum, drum, is goes a boom-de-boom”.
From Euro RSCG Switzerland courtesy of ibelieveinadv.
New Vinyl
Have been listening to our new vinyl today. James got his favourite R.E.M. record for his birthday, and I have recently purchased Cat Stevens – Tea for the Tillerman, The Shins – Oh Introverted World, Feist – The Reminder and Broken Social Scene – You Forgot it in People. However they always skip when I put them on 
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