A Long Overdue Update

Sorry for the delay in posting. It's been a busy week. I'll give a few updates, then share a few discoveries.

First, I'm still living with Lex. Here's the house.

It's been an absolute blast. He's a really fun dude. The other night we had a potluck, and much hilarity ensued. Lex and his group of friends are extremely competitive, so needless to say, a juggling contest broke out. At one point this devolved into seeing how many times a person could juggle while balanced on an exercise ball. It made for some tremendous wipeouts.

Second, I've already gained an absolutely phenomenal group of friends, and I just keep meeting more cool people. Everyone here is extremely friendly, and in the span of two weeks I've already started to forge some deep relationships.

Third, Jean Schwartz and I took a little trip to Hamilton the other day. Hamilton is a smallish town about an hour south of Auckland. In the course of our trip, we stopped in a tiny little burg called Huntly. It looked shockingly similar to every small town in South Georgia I've ever been to. So much so, in fact, that I was taken aback when I got out of the car and didn't hear Southern accents. Hamilton itself was quite fun. We went to some public gardens, which were absolutely stunning. The gardens were divided into different national styles of ... uh ... gardening ... I guess. Of particular interest was the American section which attempted to gather absolutely every variety of American flora imaginable, regardless of region, and was dominated by a faux-swimming pool, deck chairs and a huge Andy Warhol print. It really captured the national spirit, I should say. The funny thing is that I immediately felt at home.

OK, on to the discoveries.

First, Auckland weather has to be the strangest I've ever experienced. Many days, we seem to cycle through all four seasons within the span of a few hours. It's absolutely impossible to plan outfits accordingly.

Second, high hipster fashion right now in Auckland entails dressing like an early 90s hip-hopper. I'm not sure if this is big in the States at the moment, but every hipster here looks like they could be an extra in a school cafeteria scene from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It actually looks pretty cool, but I don't think it would work for me.

Lastly, I already knew that Kiwis love coffee, but until this week I was unaware of the majesty that is the latte bowl.

"Excuse me. I believe I ordered the large."

Look at that thing! I don't know whether to drink it or bathe in it! Pictured is my friend Todd relaxing with a bucket of coffee and a side of renal failure.

Hubbub and Goings On

Much to tell in this post. First and foremost, I'm no longer in the youth hostel. An awesome guy named Lex is letting me crash with him for awhile. It's so nice to actually be in a house. I finally unpacked, and I'm starting to feel settled here.

Second, I got a job. I'm bartending at a place called The Flying Moa. It seems like a cool place, though it is a long way from everything. Kind of out in the sticks, or, as Kiwis would say, the wop-wops.

Third, I found out that Eden Terrace, the place I've been spending all my time, is home to none other than Neil Finn of Crowded House fame. I was actually in his studio the other night. He lives directly above it, and I could feel his awesomeness emanating from up there.

Greatness lives here.

Finally, I've come to the conclusion that if Kevin Bacon were a Kiwi, the game would be called "Three Degrees of Kevin Bacon." Everyone here knows everyone, and one cannot go out in public without running into friends or friends of friends. Even in a city of 1.3 million people, everyone's connected. It's bizarre.

I'll leave you with this random photo.

This is evidently Jean-Paul Sartre's street.

Huzzah For Friends

After being here for about 48 hours, I've already made friends. People here are amazing. This group of folks has practically adopted me. It's lovely.

The youth hostel, however, is not entirely lovely. People there seem very standoffish. Most people seem to be German or French, and sitting in the lounge is like being in the cantina in Star Wars.  Here's the house band.

I'm hoping to find a bit more permanent residence soon, but I have some good leads. I'll let you all know how it turns out.