Something I stole ...

Its been awhile since my last post mostly because I life a sad existence where nothing much happens. But hopefully this weekend I will be road tripping to Dunners so there might be posting involved with that.

However I follow a blog called Blog Idle with Moata and she posted a rather funny blog today about Earthquakes and I fully agree with her. So instead of being witty and creative I just stole her blog post. Its as follows ....

The thing about earthquakes is that they can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pain or fear. They don't take bribes. They can't be cajoled or enticed. They have no deep, dark secrets with which they can be blackmailed. And they certainly don't give a crap about people complaining about them.

Nup, earthquakes, like taxes and telemarketers, show neither mercy nor consideration. Basically they're totally badass and not very nice. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

And the thing about that is...people don't really know how to handle that. In this day and age when there's a Facebook group that lets you be politically "active" about everything from pet control to parking, child-smacking to chocolate (fairtrade, natch) it really does seem that Cantabrians should be able to sign a petition, "Like" a page or take part in a protest march against the great injustice of...geological processes.

See? It doesn't really work. You can't engage in an earnest email campaign against the earth, no matter how much it seems like you should be able to. At best all you can do is impotently shake your fist at the sky (it should really be in the other direction but have you ever tried shaking your fist at the ground? For some reason, don't ask me why, it's just not as satisfying).

I expressed the desire yesterday, while I was at work, to picket a fault line. Yes, to make signs that say "Earthquakes go home" and "down with this sort of thing" and troop up and down grumpily muttering about my right to live an earthquake-free existence and to complain bitterly to anyone who would listen about earthquakes stealing our jobs and homes, running rampant. The next thing you know they'll be marrying our women and using our cats in their cuisine. Damn them! Damn them to hell! It's enough to make a person quite fist-shakey!

When I mentioned this to my colleague (a relocated Brit) she was surprised that people weren't blaming the government for the earthquakes, because sure as eggs that's what they'd do back home. Having lived in the UK for a couple of years my reaction was one of those dry, wry half-laughs that you sometimes find yourself doing that doesn't so much express glee as it does bitter agreement.

Because, crazy conspiracy theories aside, we can't really blame the government for this one, which really just leaves us with a letter-writing campaign against the earth itself. Or, if you've a flair for the dramatic, a bit of focused group screaming.

But let's just say that you could protest earthquakes, what would your signs say? What catchy protest slogans would you hurl? (I'm in favour of "What do we want? No more quakes! When do we want it? Now!")

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Funny song about Christchurch ...

My old office building ...

So in the first earthquake on 4th Sept 2010 we were kicked out of our offices thanks to the building being damaged. Which I'm glad about when you take a look at the building today. As far as I understand it collapsed on the 22nd Feb after the deadly earthquake hit us. But yeah here is some pictures.
In the back of this picture you can see a building with a lot of railings that's a car parking building in front of it is what looks like a grey roof that has collapsed. Thats my old office building you can make out the hand railing for the ladder that went to the top of the roof which was basically above our office. The building was 2 stories high. We were on the top floor.
This is it from the back of the building. If you live in Christchurch the corrogated iron fence to the bottom left is the back area of the former Winnie Bagoes (the building has been demolished already). I'm pretty sure you can actually see into our office (the old studio) in this photo.

Here is a link to more photos taken inside the Red Zone aka our cordon off Central Business District.

Should I go left or right ...

Welcome home Christchurch says ...

So Christchurch has welcomed me home the only way it can with a serious of massive after shocks with in an hour of each other. The first one hit when I was driving down the road (which is a challenge now thanks to driving on the wrong side of the road for 3 months). I was going about 100km's and thought my tire had blown out as I lost control of the car. I thought great only been in the country for a day and half and now I'm going to crash and die. Once I got the car under control and standing still on the side of the road I realized it wasn't the tire but an aftershock as the power lines was still dancing.

The first one was a magnitude of 5.5 this was the one while I was driving then there was more a 4.4, 3.4 and a 4.9 but the biggest on was a 6 pointer and it felt like it was going for at least 40 seconds there is also reports of more collapsed buildings and so far 6 people have been taken to hospital and 2 demolition workers had to be rescued from an already collapsed church. Well here is hoping nothing serious comes from these after shocks.

Well my flight here was pretty horrible too it was almost like the pilot entered into his GPS device "Auckland NZ shortest route there and avoid all toll roads". As it felt like we drove down a gravel road with massive pot holes or I suppose down one of Christchurch roads. When we arrived in Christchurch and taxiing towards the terminal building the Pilot said "Welcome to Christchurch its a very sunny 0°C here today..." my thought was great here comes the fripple weather.

Anyways talking about fripples I'm freezing my tits off and think its time I light the fire. But yeah for all of those playing in the States and Canada I got home safely and miss you guys lots well your warm weather more but you do make an short appearance in my missing emotion.

Love you long time and hope to see you soon again ...

Homeward bound ...

So here I am the second to last leg of my wild adventures in the land of the free and the land of the moose or the New World have it your way. This leg of the journey being my flight to Auckland and then the last being my flight home to Christchurch.

I'm at present sitting in a very cute little booth at San Fransisco Airport well at Gate G 93 to be precise writing this blog entry.

This tripped started with me leaving home town after the biggest natural disaster New Zealand has seen in some time. Arriving in America and then spending sometime in the Bahamas. Then a some more time in the US of Aye and then my beloved Victoria, Canada.

I have had an amazing time in a country I have never intended in visiting and had the opportunity to go and for fill a life long dream in Canada. But as life has shown me again and again its not about the end point but the journey itself and on this journey I have met some truly amazing people.

In the Bahamas I met an amazing group of people my Bahama Mama Carole introduced me to the saying "I call Bullshit on that.." and her lovely husband made me aware of the conspiracy surrounding Mrs C and Charles.

In Bradenton we met the Awesome family Jay, Tanya, Eli, Sarah, Aaron, Sam and Baby Rachel (yes they have 5 kids and live on a Cat Crazy people I tell you). They were like a family away from home and I will miss them greatly and then of course there is Debbie I see her more as the disfunctional Aunty in the family the one that will get drunk and not disappoint you by dancing on the table. I still haven't seen her do this but I know she has it in her and hopefully one day I will be able to witness it. There is also Dana well you can drink and laugh anyone under the table and you made those long West Marine visits bearable.

I met some amazing people in Canada too, there is Sarah the crazy weird lady on the ferry to Victoria, she still owes me a beer and hopefully soon I will be able to come claim it. There was Steven well what can I say about him other then it was an honour meeting you and its a pity I didn't have more time to sit and discuss some of the topics we only touched on. There is also my baby mama Kellie from Seattle who I actually met in Key West and missed out on hanging out with her again but I will pour her a drink when she comes to NZ and Finally there is Craig. There is so much more I wanted to say to you but didn't have the time thanks for an awesome week and hopefully we will talk again soon.

I also crossed a massive country by car all by myself something I didn't really think I would be able to do and was scared of doing because I was by myself but as I have learned there is a lot one can do if you put your mind to it. I will finish this blog entry with a quote I stole from the 'Families' blog.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

-- Mark Twain

Dreams do come true ...

So today I finally made one of my life long dreams come true, well kind of. Ever since I saw a documentary about Vancouver and Vancouver Island and the Orca's I have always wanted to come here and kayak with them. The only problem was that I came to Canada the wrong time of the year so there was next to no Orca's and the guy at the kayak shop pretty much told me not to wast my time going kayaking in the north part of Vancouver Island. So I took his advice and went on a Whale Watching tour instead, now it annoyed me that they call it Whale watching when we only went out there to see Orca's who are dolphins but anyways I digress.

I'm glad I went on the trip as we saw two Orca's a male and female. The Female poked her head out of the water at one point to see what we were up to. You couldn't really see much of them but my whole point of coming here was to see them in their natural environment. Not splashing around a pool to rock music. So yeah finally I can stop saying one day I will do that and now say ooooh yeah done that.

So after I did the "Whale Watching" I hoped onto a plane to Vancouver. Now this wasn't any normal plane it was a Aquaplane. Personally I find them rather ridiculous and therefore love them. Its is the weirdest feeling motor boating as such down the harbor and then just taking off. Landing is even more freaky as you come in for the landing on water. Hmmm maybe they should make the planes that take off from Wellington Airport Aquaplanes would make me feel saver.

Anyways its 1:16am in the morning I need sleep as tomorrow I will travel into the future.