« November 2007 | Main | January 2008 »
December 30, 2007
Happy New Year!
Yes, we get to celebrate the new year first this year. The poor folks back on the american continents won't start the new year until many hours later. Well due to a combination of bad weather forecast and a full tourist season, Becca and I did not get to kayak today. The trips were full by the time the weather report indicated reasonable seas. So instead we took a water taxi into the national park, hiked for about two hours and then spend the next few hours lying on a beach.
We are now both eating ice cream and waiting for Becca's pictures to load. So go to her blog to see what we've been up to.
In other news the new/next rental car is running well. It does weird shifty things around 100 kph, but since that is the national speed limit, we should have too much problems. If so, we'll just get another car. Becca and Emily are also doing their best to give me a cold. I'm holding my own right now, but we've a long hike coming up on the 2nd and I hope it does not flare up. I've also come down with some mysterious rash on my torso, neck, inside of one eye lid and the side of my face. I've exhausted my supply of hydrocortorsone cream and have started upping the does of my allergy meds. Tonight I'm going to take a benedryl and see if that doesn't help. Next stop is to actually go to a doctor here... Hopefully the cream and the benedryl will help.
Posted by kfeigh at 10:56 PM | Comments (0)
December 29, 2007
Greymouth
We are now in Greymouth having come around the southern end of the Southern islnd and then spent a day in Queenstown, adventure capital of the year. We're all in one piece, but have had to change cars as the first one's breaks have given out! Becca and I both find this hillarious. Next we are off to Abel Tasman national park, then it is good by to the South Island, and we are off to the North (which is actually the warmer than the South).
So things are good, unfortunately Emily leaves us here so our moderating influence is gone... Sigh. Now it is just the opposing forces of Becca and I.
Posted by kfeigh at 05:25 PM | Comments (0)
December 24, 2007
Happy Christmas
I hope that this post finds everyone well and happy having opened all of their gifts and having all of their gifts opened by others. We are all well in Te Anau, New Zealand. Things are going great. We found the fuse we needed hand have been gorging on Christmas carols in the car.
Today we went out on a cruise of Milford Sound where it rained on us, which made all of the waterfalls come out. It was cold & wet, but good fun. Right now we are cooking a leg of lamb for dinner with sweet potatoes, and a greek salad. All very Becca, but as there aren't many turkeys here, but plenty of lamb, we went for it. I'll try calling people tomorrow around 1-3pm. So please keep your phones on and near by.
Love ya!
Posted by kfeigh at 11:55 PM | Comments (1)
December 20, 2007
Mt. Cook
Yesterday Emily and I picked up Becca from the Christchurch Airport and made our way inland to Mt. Cook. We did a short hike yesterday afternoon and then did a few hikes today. The weather was beautiful, sunny and 60 degrees.
Tomorrow we have a long drive down the coast to Surat Bay.
Of course our car's cigarette lighter isn't working. Last night Emily and I figured out what fuse it was, so we will be looking to pick up a new 15 amp fuse somewhere. This is the second rental car with this issue. I"m going to start traveling with a pare or needle nose plyers and spare auto fuses... Right now we can either have the radio on or we can have the cigarette lighter powered, but not both. All other 15 amp fuses seem to either involve the battery or ignition systems.
Posted by kfeigh at 11:05 PM | Comments (1)
December 18, 2007
Emily & the rain
Emily got in OK last night, late, but OK. We are praying that the tiny band of rain will move and we can enjoy our day.
Posted by kfeigh at 03:14 PM | Comments (0)
December 17, 2007
Christchurch
I made it in one piece. Just checked in at my hostel. I made all of my filghts and even managed to get 6 hours of sleep in 2, 3 hour blocks last night. The flight from LAX-AKL was about 12 hours so it made getting a 'full' night's rest possibl. I got to sit in the top of the 747 and had absolutely fabulous seats, ones that actually reclined!
It was raining when I arrived, which is making it hard to get motivated to go out and look around. But if I don't start moving soon, I'm going to fall off the cliff and sucumb to sleep.
Emily arrives tomorrow, so Em, if you read this please post to either Becca's or my blog to indicate when you think you will arrive.
Posted by kfeigh at 09:02 PM | Comments (1)
December 16, 2007
New Zealand Trip
Today I begin my New Zealand trip. I thought I'd post a google map to show everyone what we had planned. You'll notice that it isn't fully complete, some stuff is TBD. Still it will give you a good idea of the distances involved.
Posted by kfeigh at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)
December 12, 2007
29
Happy Birthday to me.
Today marks the first day of the last year in my third decade. I always get a little contemplative around my birthday. The fact that the sun is usually down both when I go to work and when I get home, probably contributes to that.
So with only a year left before the big 30, I've got lots planned. I'm going to the other side of the world on Sunday for three weeks. I'm getting married in the spring. With any luck I'll graduate for the final time and will finally get a "real" job. I wonder what else will happen to me this year that I don't know about yet.
Posted by kfeigh at 07:21 PM | Comments (1)
December 09, 2007
Golden Compass
I went and saw the movie tonight. Going on a Sunday night is perfect to avoid crowds and lots of kids. Although with the state of this theater, I'd guess that I might be able to avoid crowds any night...
The movie was OK for what it was, a remake of a really good book. They got all of the wonder and sci-fi stuff down, but the way they pulled the script together just left much to be desired. I tend to feel this way about all books turn movies. I just don't feel that they give enough time to the important character development, which is so important in science fiction books and movies. I also felt that they give too much away, whereas the book just asks you to suspend disbelief and try to put things together on your own. I guess that's too much to ask for 90 minutes.
I will say though that the acting was pretty good from all of the main characters.
Then after the movie I went to put gas in my car. I've been told that I should keep a quarter tank at all times during the winter. This means I have to fill up every week. So in the 7 degree weather I dutifully filled up my car. Thank goodness for pay at the pump.
Posted by kfeigh at 10:17 PM | Comments (0)
Apartment wiring
Last weekend as I was making Christmas cookies, the mixer suddenly stopped working. Right before it stopped, I heard a pop. Hmm. Well I figured I must have blown a circuit breaker. I walked over to the panel and nothing... everything was still as it should be. Great, I some how managed (I figured) to break the only outlet on my island. I tried several electrical appliances in it, just to be sure. Nope, nothing. Completely kaput. I grudgingly moved my mixer onto a different counter and continued on. The next day I reported the problem to the apartment complex, knowing that as a non-emergency item it was not going to get fixed over the weekend anyway.
Well later that Sunday I went to make toast. No luck. The toast lever wouldn't stay down. What gives? I know they don't make things like they used to, but I figured it would take at least 6 months for me to break things, not 2. It was only as I was contemplating opening the toaster oven up and seeing if I could tell what had broken that I noticed that it was plugged into one of those safety sockets. I wondered if I had managed to trip that socket with my mixer (not that it was anywhere near the island mind you). I pushed in the button and sure enough the toaster oven and the outlet on the island began to work again.
It is just odd. My kitchen is L shaped, plus a nice size island in the center. On the long side of the L is a refrigerator cabinet, stove/microwave, corner cabinet. It then continues on the short side with a sink and dishwasher. In total there are 4 plugs above the counter, each is above a counter area. Then there is the island with its own outlet. Why on earth would you tie the outlet on the island with any of the outlets on top of the counter is beyond me. I'm telling you electrical planning in residential spaces is one of those lost or under developed skills.
Posted by kfeigh at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)
December 02, 2007
Winter Wonderland
This was the view out my window this morning. I've posted more pictures in the gallery.
Posted by kfeigh at 10:49 PM | Comments (0)
December 01, 2007
Still coming down
It is snowing as heavily as ever. We are up to about 2".
Posted by kfeigh at 12:20 PM | Comments (0)
Snow
The past week was rather busy at work. Nothing earth shattering in terms of what I'm actually doing, just busy.
Today we are supposed to get 10 inches of snow. As of 9:17 it is snowing and we've got a light dusting.
Posted by kfeigh at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)