Today, after crossing the street (with the light), I was handed a "lollie" by a city worker in a bright yellow rain jacket. Turns out the City of Wellington is rewarding mindful pedestrians with sugary sweets. This sums up New Zealand culture to me. At times, it seems that they are trying to create a perfect society. Every third advertisement on the "tellie" is some government-sponsored preaching about not leaving cooking unattended, not speeding on corners, being cautious at intersections, checking the batteries in smoke detectors and not drinking too much. All worthy ideas, but I'm sick of getting it hammered into my head in graphic televised scenarios. They give my half a mind to chug eight beers, start cooking a steak, then go to the store to buy cigarettes for minors (and not get my
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