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Published: August 12th 2007
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The Raging River...
After the past three days of rain, the creek was running at about 4 times its usual level. Head for high ground!! Sunday, August 12, 2007
Well, on my day off, I slept in, played some XBox, hung out with Cory for awhile when he got home from work, and am now just working on posting an update to the blog. It was STILL raining today- off and on, rather than the constant downpour we’ve had the past several days- so no skiing, no tramping, no excursions. Just me trying to stay warm, as the temperature has dropped again. Apparently, the higher mountains were getting DUMPED on the past few days though, so that is good. They really needed more snow. Coronet Peak might be done for the season though- they aren’t high enough, and I think they just got rained on for 3 days straight. Not good when you’re trying to preserve what little snow you already have…
Let’s see- how did we get an XBox, you might be wondering... Well, that is a long story, but the short of it is that the chef at the Sofitel insisted that we borrow his. Being that he is about 6-3, 250, when he insisted, we were happy to agree. Cory and I have built up a pretty good relationship with him
due to his interest in American Football- he is a HUGE Kansas City Chiefs fan. Has the Starter jacket, the hats, the screensaver on his computer- everything. Its pretty funny. I think he went to one game at Arrowhead back in the mid-90s, and has loved them ever since the days of Christian Okoye. He used to play in an American Football league, either here or in Australia, and he loves it. He is a huge Kansas State fan as well- I think his friends from the US live in Kansas or something… Anyway, he insisted that we borrow it, so Cory went over and got it this past week sometime, and we’ve been playing it ever since. He only has 3 games- Madden ’06, Tiger Woods Golf, and this snowboarding game called AMPED- but they are all pretty sweet. Good fun, all around. It has been so long since Ive actually played a video game, it took me about three days to get back into it. I’ve got to admit though- Tiger Woods Golf is pretty addictive. A great game to play when its rainy outside and theres not much else to do. It doesn’t help that we STILL
Cory Racking Up the Phone Bill...
Keeping in touch with our mates state-side... haven’t hooked up our TV yet- movies and video games is about all our TV us good for right now…
Speaking of rain, the little creek that runs beside our house was turned into a miniature river during the past few days. Cory and I though we might have to break out the sandbags and start building a levee to prevent our flat from flooding… Okay, maybe it wasn’t THAT bad, but still, it was running well above what its typical flow rate is. I got the video camera out to document the event. Still trying to figure out how to post videos to the blog- Im not sure I can do it with my HD camcorder- I think the files are too big. Maybe if I just do very short clips… Hmmm… I’ll figure something out. Anyway, the river has now receded to normal levels, so don’t worry. We’re not going to get wet…
Cory and I have been talking to the F/B supervisors at the Sofitel, trying to get him switched to working nights as well. Working the morning shift just wasn’t an ideal situation, and I think they understand that. One of the guys
Very Niiice...
Federico, clowning around as usual... who has been working the night shift is moving to Auckland in 2 weeks anyway, so the change shouldn’t be too difficult to swing. It will be better that way anyway- we will be working at the same time, and hopefully getting the same days off. We have 2 days off together this week, and I think we are going to take a trip to Wanaka to go skiing at a place called Treble Cone. They got 55cm (Approx. 21 inches) of fresh snow in the storm the past several days, so it should be really good. Everyone has been telling us that Treble Cone is where its at anyway, so this might be the best time to hit it up. Wanaka is about an hour and a half from Queenstown, so we are probably going to rent a car, drive up on Thurs morning, spend the afternoon hanging out in Wanaka, ski all day Friday, and then head back to Queenstown Saturday afternoon in time for Cory to be at work at 4pm. Should be a nice excursion- definitely looking forward it.
I think we are headed to a couple of parties here tonight- a going-away party and
a birthday party- despite the fact that it is Sunday night. Its crazy- weekends don’t exist here in Queenstown. Its full on, all the time. I can hardly remember what day of the week it is anymore- Ive got to look at my work schedule to figure it out. So weird to not have your life structured by a 5-day work week and a two day weekend. I think it’s a good thing though… I recently read something insightful on another guy’s travel blog about why he quit his job and started traveling- the idea of watching his life tick by a weekend at a time finally became so unappealing that he had to make a change. Now he has been traveling for 5 years, and wonders what took him so long to walk away and break free from the routine that defined him for so long. I can appreciate that. Not to say that working 5 days a week for your 2 days of freedom every weekend is a bad thing- everyone is wired differently. Im just not wired that way, I guess. Anyway, the parties tonight should be fun. The birthday party is for a girl who is
A Day in Arrowtown...
Arrowtown is a historic mining town about 45 minutes from Queenstown. It grew into a town of 30,000+ during the gold rush in the 1890s. Now its just a quiet spot, with a few cafes, taverns, and hotels. A good place to go to get away from Queenstown for a day. friends with Federico and Andy- sure to be a bunch of Argentineans there, which is always a good time. Trying to speak Spanish with them is hilarious…
For those of you that might be interested, Cory and I will be back in the States for his brother’s wedding from Sept. 13th through October 4th. I was originally planning on coming home for Christmas, but, not knowing exactly where we are going to be in December, it just makes more sense for both of us to come back at the same time. So, if you want to spend some quality time, mark it down. Im contemplating making a trip up to Chicago for a weekend as well- maybe for the NU-Michigan game- but that’s still up in the air. Ive got a free RT on SWA that I need to use, so that might be the time… Ill keep you posted though.
Okay, that’s it for now. Ill post a few random pics from the past several days- some from the rain-soaked days, and a few from last Monday, when Cory and I went to a small town called Arrowtown. Its a quiet little historical town about 45 minutes
Main Street, Arrowtown...
We really felt like we were in a small, old, western town from the US. Cory and I compared it to historic St. Charles, MO. from Queesntown. It grew to about 30,000 residents during the gold rush in the 1890s, but now is just a quaint little spot to get away from Queenstown for the day. Cory and I just wanted to check it out. It was pretty cool- we will probably go back again to explore it more thoroughly though- our visit got cut short b/c I got called into work, on my DAY OFF!!! BLIMEY!! 😊
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Cullen
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You're back!
Good to see the posts back up. Coffee and beer remind of Paris and Munich, though I'm concerned your beer mug is not a full liter. I'll be back in Chicago for the Michigan game, though I'm going to a wedding the night of the game. You should definitely come up to Chicago. Chris Wright will also be in town for the game. We can make it a mini-pre-homecoming!