Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Caviar
Meant to post this ages ago. This left me scratching my head in Cary, NC. And not in a good way.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Catch Up
What a month.
The movers came and packed up our stuff in Fitzroy. We had 100 pieces, plus what has and will be flown.
Shannon and I flew to Auckland, and into some less than perfect weather.
We had about 5 days before flying to Raleigh for Christmas. We've chalked it up to a successful week because we found an apartment. In some way (watching a listing, drive by, call, viewing) I think we were involved in 44 places.
That's the dormant volcano that you can see from one of the porches.
We signed the lease on a Thursday, and flew out on Friday (Christmas Eve) so we went out of town, to the north, to see what we found. We wound up on a black sand beach, just north of town. Really pretty drive.
Not so great weather, but it wasn't looking at apartments, so it was pretty great.
And then it was off to Raleigh. Where, unlike in Auckland, and we were wearing shorts, it snowed. Not a lot. But, it crippled Raleigh, like snow does. It was good to see some family and some old friends, but it was only nine days before I flew back to Auckland.
I saw a repainted Continental/United Express plane in Raleigh. Despite the fact that at this point, I had a foot out the door at United, this is still a strange sight for me. Obviously, United is somewhat ingrained in my life.
Ever since I've been back, I've been trying (and am still trying) to buy a car. It's not like there aren't any cars, or they are all overly expensive, but a manual, hatchback (or wagon), non-lowered, Subaru is next to impossible to find because nobody in Tokyo wants a stick, and most of the cars that we're willing to pay for are imports. Tax policy wonk information - New Zealand has zero import duty on cars, which I believe makes it one of the few countries in the world who can say that.
Anyway. A few days later, Shannon dropped in on her way back to Australia. We spend a good bit of time ignoring our responsibilities to find a car, and headed north again. We didn't even make it all that far out of town, but I've got a good feeling about the north island. I'm excited to really get out there. Rolling hills, nice beaches, and I hear there are some significant mountains south of Auckland.
Then Shannon had to go back to Melbourne. So here we are. Another January, anther move, another couple months apart. One day, we will move together. I'm certain of it. This sucks.
To pass the time, I started my new job. It's been a week, but it's gone reasonably well. I'm only mildly over my head. I think it's going to be pretty interesting.
Now, it's a waiting game for our stuff to be released by MAF. The word is, they have selected what they want to inspect, but haven't indicated when they might actually inspect it. Who knows how much trouble we'll have with it. We tried to get things clean, but who knows what is "clean."
More to come, I guess. Maybe tomorrow I'll solve the car problem?
The movers came and packed up our stuff in Fitzroy. We had 100 pieces, plus what has and will be flown.
Shannon and I flew to Auckland, and into some less than perfect weather.
We had about 5 days before flying to Raleigh for Christmas. We've chalked it up to a successful week because we found an apartment. In some way (watching a listing, drive by, call, viewing) I think we were involved in 44 places.
That's the dormant volcano that you can see from one of the porches.
We signed the lease on a Thursday, and flew out on Friday (Christmas Eve) so we went out of town, to the north, to see what we found. We wound up on a black sand beach, just north of town. Really pretty drive.
Not so great weather, but it wasn't looking at apartments, so it was pretty great.
And then it was off to Raleigh. Where, unlike in Auckland, and we were wearing shorts, it snowed. Not a lot. But, it crippled Raleigh, like snow does. It was good to see some family and some old friends, but it was only nine days before I flew back to Auckland.
I saw a repainted Continental/United Express plane in Raleigh. Despite the fact that at this point, I had a foot out the door at United, this is still a strange sight for me. Obviously, United is somewhat ingrained in my life.
Ever since I've been back, I've been trying (and am still trying) to buy a car. It's not like there aren't any cars, or they are all overly expensive, but a manual, hatchback (or wagon), non-lowered, Subaru is next to impossible to find because nobody in Tokyo wants a stick, and most of the cars that we're willing to pay for are imports. Tax policy wonk information - New Zealand has zero import duty on cars, which I believe makes it one of the few countries in the world who can say that.
Anyway. A few days later, Shannon dropped in on her way back to Australia. We spend a good bit of time ignoring our responsibilities to find a car, and headed north again. We didn't even make it all that far out of town, but I've got a good feeling about the north island. I'm excited to really get out there. Rolling hills, nice beaches, and I hear there are some significant mountains south of Auckland.
Then Shannon had to go back to Melbourne. So here we are. Another January, anther move, another couple months apart. One day, we will move together. I'm certain of it. This sucks.
To pass the time, I started my new job. It's been a week, but it's gone reasonably well. I'm only mildly over my head. I think it's going to be pretty interesting.
Now, it's a waiting game for our stuff to be released by MAF. The word is, they have selected what they want to inspect, but haven't indicated when they might actually inspect it. Who knows how much trouble we'll have with it. We tried to get things clean, but who knows what is "clean."
More to come, I guess. Maybe tomorrow I'll solve the car problem?
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Leaving Melbourne
I don't feel like I really got to say goodbye to Melbourne. The visa, resignation, and move were really close together.
Melbourne has been a lot of fun and a great experience. We have had the chance to see and do things that many never will, and I don't want to marginalize what we got to do. But I would be lying if I said I didn't have some regrets.
We did a great job of seeing Victoria. We did a good job of seeing western Tassie. But for the other states and territories we really didn't excel.
Trouble is, with different work demands and schedules, it was really hard to do exploring that went longer than a long weekend.
I even have regrets in Victoria. We didn't spend nearly enough time in the alpine region. We didn't spend enough time backpacking. My new job strung out long enough that we (or at least me) sort of checked out of Australia prematurely and didn't take enough advantage at the end.
And that's the thing. For me, this is the end. I expect to make a trip in January. I'd like to think that before it's time to return to the US we will still get to drive around Oz, but I have no idea. I never expected to not be returning to SF when Shannon's assignment ended.
I just hope we really take advantage of NZ. We are embarking on a weeklong trip to Auckland to try to fond a house and a car. If we can knock that out fast, can we break Shannon off her job fast and get started exploring? NZ is small by comparison, but there is a lot to see. We will have more holiday time, but we may have booked out three weeks walking down the street last night.
How does one make the most of a place you aren't sure will be home for all that long? Our two and a half years in Melbourne really flew...
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Slaying the Environment
That's really what you're doing when you have professional movers box your life and take it away. I'm sure that the protective wrapping consumed today in our little apartment alone killed at least one species of tree somewhere. Total madness.
They did a good job though.
In related news, what's the fastest way to feel like an ass? Have three women pack your house while you sit around.
They did a good job though.
In related news, what's the fastest way to feel like an ass? Have three women pack your house while you sit around.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Change
Today was a pretty big day. Today, I quit my job.
Some folks are aware that it's been in the works, but for some, it may be news. I've accepted a job with Altitude Aerospace Interiors in Auckland, New Zealand. Shannon and I are in the process of getting our lives together to make the move to Auckland. Obviously, this is a pretty substantial change.
This was also a really difficult decision. In all reality, United has been very good to me. I've learned a lot and work with really good people. I have no complaints. In the end, I wanted to try to find a new challenge, and I wanted to remove some of the uncertainty in my job situation that I feel currently exists. I hope it was a good decision. It did not come lightly.
I finally got notice that my visa had been approved on Friday. This has been a long time coming. It's much more time consuming to get a visa in NZ than in Australia for over two years. There are full medical exams and police certificates that are challenging to get. There is a longer wait (or at least a variable one) with Immigration NZ. It's taken a full quarter to get it all lined up.
I'm excited and nervous. 2011 is going to be an interesting year. The movers come Thursday. That should be interesting too. Oh, and down here, movers are called removalists. Odd.
I guess the next question is - when will we have visitors?
Some folks are aware that it's been in the works, but for some, it may be news. I've accepted a job with Altitude Aerospace Interiors in Auckland, New Zealand. Shannon and I are in the process of getting our lives together to make the move to Auckland. Obviously, this is a pretty substantial change.
This was also a really difficult decision. In all reality, United has been very good to me. I've learned a lot and work with really good people. I have no complaints. In the end, I wanted to try to find a new challenge, and I wanted to remove some of the uncertainty in my job situation that I feel currently exists. I hope it was a good decision. It did not come lightly.
I finally got notice that my visa had been approved on Friday. This has been a long time coming. It's much more time consuming to get a visa in NZ than in Australia for over two years. There are full medical exams and police certificates that are challenging to get. There is a longer wait (or at least a variable one) with Immigration NZ. It's taken a full quarter to get it all lined up.
I'm excited and nervous. 2011 is going to be an interesting year. The movers come Thursday. That should be interesting too. Oh, and down here, movers are called removalists. Odd.
I guess the next question is - when will we have visitors?
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
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