Sunday, June 10, 2001
Has anyone noticed the huge gaps near the end of my travels? [not to mention the huge silence since I got home] Stuff happened, horrible stuff/good stuff/awkwardly good stuff/delayed stuff/train stuff. So much stuff happened in those last hours I find it hard to get the words out. Take me out for a drink and I'll tell all.
As you should know if you've been following along, before I went away I quit my job. Well. Finding another job on returning from overseas hasn't been as easy as it looks. Being told you're inexperienced and not skilled enough was bad enough, but on Friday I missed out on one job because I was overqualified. Now that is depressing. I am now officially depressed.
Today I met up with Rachelle to see Moulin Rouge. As usual, we met at Borders [either the IT section or the cafe] looked at books, had coffee and cake, then off to the theatre next door to thoroughly enjoy the movie. I didn't know what to expect, apart from disliking Nicole Kidman. Turns out she didn't suck and the movie was dreamylikebeautiful funny touching colourful experience.
What's on the cards for this week? same as most weeks these days: applying for work whenever and wherever I can, doing tutorials and reading books trying to cram new information into my brain, fiddling 'round with my portfolio, finishing and uploading my website. No rest for the wicked.
Thursday, June 21, 2001
My Uncle died last week. I didn't know him very well, he wasn't the type of person who liked to be known well. He was married to one of my favourite Aunts, so I was very sad for her, and for her loss. Attending his funeral meant a trip to the South Island of New Zealand, which apart from the circumstances was a very nice opportunity.
I decided to keep my cousin Kristy company on her flight from Rotorua to Christchurch so drove down early Wednesday morning. We caught the lunchtime flight. The flight was smooth and clear, the plane only had about 8 of us on board. We landed in Christchurch around 2pm and had a few hours until our connecting flight to Hokitika at 4:30pm. That flight was bumpy -- grab-the-seat-in-front-of-you bumpy -- they call these little planes "pencils" cos they're only about that wide.
David, my Aunt's son picked us up at Hokitika airport and drove the 20 or so kilometres to Greymouth where my Aunt and late Uncle had lived. It's the West Coast of the South Island, and the people who live there are a special breed. The number of times my Uncle had left the Coast in his 60 years could be counted on one hand. He only ever did it for the love of my Aunt -- when he needed to meet her parents before they married; for my grandmother's funeral; when my Aunt found David. Very rare for Coasters to leave the area they live in even for short periods of time.
It was lovely seeing my Aunt again, and we hugged and talked and ate dinner etc. Kristy and I were the first of the relatives to arrive from the North Island so we got the first pick of sleeping arrangements. The beds were soft and warm and I fell asleep almost instantly that night.
to dream
of my Uncle
a short dream, but a vivid dream. He was sitting on the edge of the bath in the bathroom. I walked in and he looked up at me and said "what's going on?" and I answered "you're dead, Uncle Brian." His expression was one first of shock, then of resignation. He nodded.
This dream is strange to me for several reasons. Firstly, my dreams are usually warped, askew, talking curtains funky juxtoposition of ideas and colours and times - this one wasn't - it was so vivid, so detailed in it's simplicity, so lucid. It was short -- my dreams usually go on and on and on like Gone With the Wind epect wide screen stereo masterpieces. He was in his bathroom, in a house I had never been in before -- I didn't dream him in the situations or places I had known him to be in, apart from brushing my teeth I'd never been in the bathroom before but my dream was picture accurate. I am thinking, maybe, it really was my uncle. He had died in his sleep of a massive heart attack. The stillness of his face and the calmness of his bedclothes'd indicated he didn't have any awareness of the heart attack, so, maybe, his spirit (or whatever) didn't know the body had died. Maybe.
Family continued to arrived in cars and on planes until the houses were groaning at the seams. The usual family niggles and comments, the alliances, the tag-team-teasing. It went as well as it could considering the family involved. The Funeral was simple and nice, no fuss or fluff. I read from Bible passages and Prayers of the Faithful. I tried not to be nervous and to lift my eyes to the congregation. I think I did okay. Afterwards, we had afternoon tea at the Railway Hotel. It was noisey and smokey and no one really stayed very long; although, as usual, I was one of the last to leave. I went back to the house for a nap before returning to the pub with my Uncle Brian (the younger) and David to watch the All Blacks vs. Manu Samoa game (50-6) just as an excuse to smoke and drink more beer really.
It was very sad to leave. We drove back, up to Picton and the ferry crossing to Wellington then driving through the night to Waitara at 5:30am Monday morning. Kristy's cousin picked us up about lunchtime and we then drove through to Rotorua. I slept the night there then after turning down the opportunity to fly back to Auckland in the Helicopter *I still can't belive I did that.. I needed my car in Auckland though* I drove through to Auckand to arrive in time for tea.
And now I'm back. Back to my life of looking for a job, applying for anything that sounds remotely like I'd be considered. Back to the cold and open of Auckland.
Tuesday, June 26, 2001
I got my helicopter flight! On Thursday night, Mark phoned and said it was all 'go' for taking the helicopter back to Rotorua. So I met him at the hanger at Ardmore and we flew the 50 minute flight from Auckland to Rotorua. It was wonderful. There was rain about, so it was bumpy in patches, but we flew at 1000 feet and there was plenty to see. The world looks so tidy and organised from up there. To see the shape of the land for the sky is amazing. I had such a good time and tons of thanks for Mark Young and Helipro.
Ended up staying in Rotorua for the weekend. Friday night we went out for drinks then off for an Indian meal. Mmmm.. Indian. In fact, I mostly spent the entire weekend eating! Went to the Fat Dog for brunch, and Kristy cooked an amazing meal for Saturday night's dinner. Watched the All Blacks game (second week in a row - amazing) and Thomas their cat slept in my bed to keep me warm (okay, that's probably not why he slept under my covers, cat's don't tend to be that generous). It was so nice staying with Mark and Kristy. They're coming up here weekend-after-next so that's going to be nice too.
I took the bus back. Next time, I might try a train trip instead, just because I can. Weird bus driver though. At one stage he left the drivers seat to fix some toggle thing that was flapping and left our bus driving down the road at 50km/hr with no-one at the wheel. freaky.
Now it's Tuesday already. I need to get things done but life keeps intruding on my time. *grr*
