While things are cooling down into autumn in the States, things are heating up here as spring comes to New Zealand. We spent a weekend in Rotorua, a "hot" New Zealand tourist attraction, full of thermal pools, natural springs, smoking mountains, and Redwoods!
In other news, Matt's parents have booked their flights to visit in December, so we're super stoked about that! We have a whirlwind 12-day trip planned all across the South Island with them, hitting a different town every day. Can't wait! We hope other friends and family will book their visit soon!
I'm up at the ass-crack of dawn, sipping a flat white, unable to sleep on this momentous Election Day in New Zealand.
Since I am ineligible to vote, I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to the political landscape here, but that isn't to say I haven't learned quite a bit. Here are my general observations and interesting factoids regarding politics in New Zealand:
Campaigning on Election Day is a criminal offense (or "offence" as the Kiwis spell it).
No one -- not the politicians themselves, the press, or your Tweeting grandma -- is allowed to campaign for any one party or politician on Election Day.
Cost of political campaigning in New Zealand to sway public opinion: millions of dollars. Making everyone shut the f*ck up so Kiwis can think for themselves for just a second about who they want running the country: priceless. (USA, take note. Oh, and make sure you bring your goat to the polls for a picture, because voting selfies are illegal, too! Take THAT, narcissists!)
Who the hell are all these people?
Coming from the United States with its woefully lacking two-party system, I am overwhelmed by the plethora of parties here: Labor, National, Green, Internet, ACT, Maori, Mana, and United Future. Seriously, can get a girl get a reference chart up in here?
Can you imagine the Primary debates in America if we had that many parties? There'd be like, 34 people up on stage. Oh, wait, we DO have that many parties in America, for real? Fooled me.
Voting on Saturday makes sense (more than the above picture does)
One thing I never understood about the US is why they make their election days on Tuesdays. I mean, come on, how can I vote on a Tuesday when I'm too busy waiting for my two-for-one Tuesday pizza deal to be delivered? I'm hungry, and those election lines are long....
But, seriously folks, to vote is an American right. But in our bass-ackwards country, it's also the right of any company to deny time off to its employees to leave to go vote. Moving election day to Saturday would free up a lot of voters to hit the polls, especially poor / minimum-wage voters. Now who do you think they would vote for? Food for thought...... okay now I'm hungry again. Where's my pizza?
I love you, New Zealand, but stop whining about your "dirty politics"
As an Ameri-Kiwi, I walk a fine line when it comes to talking about dirty politics. In conversations with Kiwis, I try to sympathize with their feelings about the country's "dirty politics." But inwardly, I roll my eyes, because, sorry guys, your "dirty" politics ain't got NUTHIN on America. So your country's squeaky clean image has never been more tarnished, and there has never been so much mud slinging as there has been in the last campaign. But, trust me, that shit is child's play compared to what we've had to endure in America for over the last, oh, CENTURY.
Not to say you are't entitled to your griping. And, ya know what, good on ya for bitching about it when it's still relatively good. Holding your politicians to a higher standard will hopefully prevent New Zealand from devolving into the ludicrous political circus that the United States has become.
Life's a beach
Since I can't rock the vote, guess I'll go rock my boat (video).
It's been a while since I posted a blog. Life got in the way, as it always does. So here's a little update from Middle Earth....
It's August, which means while the States are baking in 95 degrees and 158% humidity, we're enjoying what the Kiwis call "winter", which is just so laughable to us because most of these people don't know what a real winter is. Winter for North Island Kiwis involves eight weeks of not being able to go swimming. But kite surfing, sailing, hiking....no problem. Just throw on a wind breaker and you're good to go. And snow? What's that? Don't get me wrong, I am LOVING it. I just laugh when a North Island Kiwi complains about the weather here. It's like someone who's never lived in L.A. complaining about the "traffic" in Cleveland. Puh-lease. ;-)
When we weren't thawing our butts off, we did some hiking to Kaiate Falls, the most quintessential waterfall swimming and jumping hole you've ever seen, and we hiked out to the point at Mt. Maunganui to watch the surfers on a beautiful day. Check out the fun little video we made here.
By the looks of this, you might think we never work. But, we do, I promise. Lately my hula hooping has completely blown up. I have two (soon to be three) classes at a local gym for women, a private rhythmic gymnastic student, and by November I plan to have a DVD made. Matt meanwhile has been slaving away at work trying to get their product launched, with many interesting twists and turns in the process.
We're gunning to buy a little rowboat soon, and our resolve to get a good deal on TradeMe has been bolstered by the fact that we just learned that ORCAS (killer whales) frequent the harbor and bay where we live. They literally swim in our back yard!!!!!! Oh yeah and there are sting rays, octopus, sharks, and seals. Click here to watch the AMAZING VIDEO shot by my new friend Nathan of his close encounters with Orcas where we live! (You need to be logged into Facebook to watch the video)
In other news, my ornithological photography interest continues. Here are some shots I got recently:
Wild Pukeko
Tui
We still miss all of our friends and family greatly, and we're really hoping to see some of you this Thanksgiving or over Christmas/New Years. Come on over!
I'm the crazy cat lady without any cats. I spend most of my time working for Happy Cat Sanctuary in New York. Though I love it so much and I consider it my lifelong mission to help the cats in the sanctuary and feral cats wherever I can, it doesn't lend to much interaction with cats. So when Matt told me about the Geyserland Cat Club show in Tauranga, I dragged him there, much to his dismay, to get my fix of fury felines, and I was not disappointed - Maine Coons, Birmans, Siamese, Ragdolls, and even a Sphynx! Watch the video here. Warning: extreme cuteness!
Though these cats are loved and pampered, we must also remember our less-than-perfect feline friends who are left to fend for themselves as strays. If you are interested in adopting a cat, opt to adopt one from a shelter, not a breeder. And heed Bob Barker's message - spay or neuter your cats! And please make a donation to Happy Cat Sanctuary, thank you.
When I turned 10, I was excited to finally reach double-digits. At 12, my mom let me go to the mall and put two pieces of metal through my earlobes. At 13, I earned the lofty rank of "teenager." When I hit 17, the state of Delaware thought I was responsible enough to operate a large motor vehicle on my own (hahaha, idiots). At 21 I was finally able to (legally) drink. When I turned 26, I rejoiced when my car insurance premium dropped.
But at 31, all I really wanna do is get the hell out of town for a little while and have some fun, 'cause the next "important" life marker's gonna be just over the hill at 40, so I have nine more birthdays to act like a slightly irresponsible psuedo-adult, which looks like this:
In all honesty, I did not revel in my childhood; the first fourteen years of my life weren't my favorite. When I finally did start having some fun and calling the shots right around age 15, I realized (though not consciously) that, hey, life's pretty awesome, and I need to make up for lost time.
Maybe that's why I haven't had kids yet -- because I've been too busy reclaiming some of the fun I'd missed during my own kid-hood. (Don't worry would-be grandmas and aunties, the kiddies are coming.....but don't go storming Babies R Us for crocheted beanies and nipple shields just yet.)
So what did I do to commemorate my amazing feat of surviving 11,315 days on this Earth without dying? Hit the BEACH, of course! I made a little video of our trip to the Coromandel Peninsula, where we visited three world-famous beaches: New Chums, Cathedral, and Hot Water. Click here to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdKZ3w28rqw
The Coromandel Peninsula really portrays New Zealand's tendency for dichotomies. Ya know, the kind of place where you stumble upon a farm tractor parked on the beach.....
....or banana trees across the street from a sheep farm....
....or a peacock begging like a dog for your lunch.....
It's been about a month since I last posted a blog..... I just didn't have the energy after Amber died. But things are starting to smooth out for Matt and me.
My tour to Hawaii was really good, though very sad with Amber's passing, and lonely because this year I didn't have any of my bandmates with me. But I made a lot of contacts and new friends. I had about 9 gigs, including the 33rd Annual Hawaiian Scottish Festival, the 20th anniversary of the North Shore Country Market, and St. Patrick's Day at Kelly O'Neil's Irish Pub. So all in all, a great tour. When I wasn't performing, I communed with the turtles in Haleiwa and spent as much time in the water as I could, asking the Pacific to wash away my sorrow.
When I got back to New Zealand, Matt and I moved down to Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, which is 3 hours southeast of Auckland. We are renting a house on the bay from a lovely family that we met through Airbnb. They are fantastic people and we are so lucky to know them.
The house backs to a park area where tons of birds can be seen from the window. I was lucky enough to get shots of white faced herons, oystercatchers, and even a sacred kingfisher. It's a bird lover's dream!
Sacred kingfisher
White faced heron
Oystercatchers
White faced heron in flight
Matt loves his job with the dental engineering company. He rewarded himself by getting a new Breville espresso machine which is AMAZING, and a surfboard (long board).
As the Starks say, "Winter is coming" - even in New Zealand - so there are precious few beach weeks left.
We hope that our friends and family will plan to come visit us this Christmas break. December will be here before you know it, and it's summer in NZ in December! Start planning (and saving) now to come visit us down under! We miss everyone so much!
Yesterday we lost our baby Amber. She passed away peacefully on March 27. She had stage 3 kidney failure and we felt it best to let her pass without further suffering. I am heartbroken. We think it was a long time coming. Our educated guess is that she had kidney malfunction for years that caused alot of her bathrooms issues and other health issues. We are grateful she had loving people around her for the last months of her life. But I will regret for the rest of my life that I could not be there for her when she closed her eyes.
To commemorate her life, I started a memorial fund to raise donations for Happy Cat Sanctuary, where she lived the last four months of her life happily and with other friend kitties.
Amber's life had a greater purpose - to bring me and Happy Cat Sanctuary together so we can save even more cats in need. Your donation will go a long way to making that happen. Thank you.
Back in Elkton, I had this famous FDR quote scribbled on our refrigerator dry erase board. I look back on that time, 6 months ago, remembering just how fearful Matt and I both were about moving to New Zealand. About what would happen to Amber, our house, our relationship, our friendships, our future. We feared the unknown, seemingly insurmountable achievements, and mammoth to-do lists, not succeeding. It nearly paralyzed us into not making the leap to emigrate. Even on the plane to Auckland from Ohio, I had a mini-breakdown. "What the hell am I doing?!" I muttered through uncontrollable sobs. I was so scared.
Now, exactly three months to the day we left, I have some great news - Matt started his new job today, at a company in a little town in Katikati. And, we most likely have a place to live, renting one bedroom of an amazing house in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, from a beautiful, inspirational family. We're literally living in Hobbit land -- the Shire movie set from Lord of the Rings is only 45 minutes from where we will be living/working. YES, DREAMS DO COME TRUE, but not with persistence, sacrifice, and hard work.
I look at the scared "me" of last year, and this new, anything-is-possible "me" of now, and I realize just how right FDR was. We said NO to fear, YES to possibility, NO to stagnation, YES to growth, NO to safety and comfort, YES to trusting that everything will be okay, NO to giving up, YES to focusing and working hard.
This journey has opened up my eyes to the very real cyclical energies of the Universe, of fate, of loving, of life, of the Divine. These cyclical energies are not "hippy dippy flower power" obscure, fictional ideas. They are real energies that are mathematically PROVEN in art, science, the Universe, design, nature, and composition in the form of Phi, the Golden Number, 1.618033988749895....., the golden ratio, the Fibonacci series. (If you are not familiar with Phi, here are 15 examples in nature to help illustrate this very REAL concept.)
These energies / patterns / pulses exist within us, our bodies, our hearts, our minds, our dreams. You don't have to fully comprehend them to know that they are real and that they have an influence on your life and in your environment. However, a major road block that prevents us from fulfilling that natural cyclical energy is FEAR.
I have friends and family who often say to me that they're "jealous" of what Matt and I are doing, or that they wish they could do something like we're doing. I am here to tell you that YOU CAN. You have to ask yourself if the circumstances of your life are actually inhibiting you from making a leap similar to ours, or are you just saying that your life is too difficult right now and using that as the excuse not to do something, even though FEAR is the real reason for your inaction?
This doesn't pertain to just moving abroad. It pertains to EVERYTHING you do, from moving, to changing careers, to having a child, to starting a business, to going somewhere you've always wanted to go, to dating, to saying "I do" at the altar, to learning something you've always wanted to learn (language, instrument, art form, etc. etc.) I challenge you to look inward and really ask yourself why you aren't pursuing what you want to do, and try to identify just how much fear is inhibiting that dream.
I'm still afraid every day. I worry about Amber, Happy Cat Sanctuary, my house. But I know that life is made of cyclical energies, and if I keep striving to do good and be a good person, then good things will come back to me - because "what goes around, comes around" quite literally - and life will be balanced. It won't always be easy, and shit happens, but I choose to trust those mysterious energies instead of fear them.
"You've got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is." - Will Rogers
Oh the joys of flying! Cyclone Lusi is currently whipping New Zealand into submission, and I have to be on a plane in 12 hours. Why they have not cancelled my flight I can't comprehend.... I get air sick during slightly bumpy flights. Everyone please pray for me and my stomach, thanks.
For those of you in the vicinity of Honolulu / Waikiki / Oahu in March / April 2014, I hope you will swing by to one or a few of my shows during my fourth annual Hawaii Tour. If you have friends and family on the island, please pass along my tour schedule and let them know. Many shows are free. Aloha!
Sunday March 16, 8:00 pm * Diamond Head Cove Health Bar
3045 Monsarrat Ave, Honolulu, HI
(808) 732-8744
With Michael Tanenbaum
Free, donations appreciated * Contingent upon my flight out of Auckland
Monday, March 17, 4:30 p.m. St. Patrick’s Day Post-Parade Party
Kelly O’Neil’s Irish Pub
311 Lewers St, Honolulu, HI
No cover. With Michael Tanenbaum
Friday, March 21, 10 p.m. Hard Rock Café
280 Beachwalk, Honolulu, HI
No cover. With Nick Gertsson
Saturday, March 22, 11 a.m. North Shore Country Market
59 Kamehameha Hwy
Sunset Beach Elementary, Haleiwa, HI
Free.
Saturday, March 22, 7:00 p.m. Private House Concert
East Honolulu, HI
Donation at door Here's the deal on this show - I can't tell you exactly where it is for all kinds of privacy reasons, but if you live in Honolulu, this has been a gem of a house concert series for several decades and very well known to locals. If you want to attend this concert, email me by March 21 at melissacoxmusic@gmail.com for a private invitation and the address. Bring your own wine/beer (no hard liquor) and bring a picnic dinner.
Saturday, March 29, 11 a.m. North Shore Country Market
59 Kamehameha Hwy
Sunset Beach Elementary, Haleiwa, HI
Free.
Saturday, March 29, 7:00 p.m. Calvary by the Sea Lutheran Church
Youth Ministry Fundraiser & Chili Dinner
5339 Kalanianaole Hwy, Honolulu, HI
Donation at door.
Wednesday, April 2, 5:45 p.m. Honolulu Botanical Gardens
50 North Vineyard Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96817
Free. With Michael Tanenbaum and the Hawaii Celtic Pipes & Drums
(808) 522-7066
Saturday, April 5 & Sunday, April 6 Hawaiian Scottish Festival
1201 Ala Moana Blvd
McCoy Pavilion, Ala Moana Beach Park, Honolulu
$1 admission at gate, all ages.
Check http://www.melissacoxmusic.net for Melissa's exact set times at the festival.
I quit drinking two years ago this May. I did it for many personal and health reasons. It was one of the best decisions of my life. While it has had its temptations and challenges, I can unequivocally say that hoop dancing has pretty much saved me from going back to the bottle each and every day.
I quit drinking May 6, 2012. I started hooping two months later in July 2012. The timing of hooping coming into my life was absolutely crucial; I really don't know how long I would have lasted in a sober state without hooping. It was 4th of July weekend, and Matt and I headed down to Rehoboth Beach for a long weekend of camping with two girlfriends who were hoop dancers. I was edgy--there were triggers everywhere, especially in the party town of Dewey Beach. We hit the beach and I drummed on the djembe for my hoop-happy girls as they did their thing. I couldn't wrap my head around how they were doing all those crazy tricks or why they were into such a weird activity. I figured I had to investigate this odd sport. I quickly figured out the "why" -- because it's damn addictive! -- but the how was completely different story.
Kristin, one of my oldest and closest friends, gave me her hoop and walked me through some lessons. She and I met when we were 6 years old in ballet class. We grew up together, doing pirouettes and tour jetes at the Delaware Dance Center in Wilmington. We lost touch after I quit ballet at 16 years old to focus on my music, only to reunite later post-college through mutual friends. Kristin brought her friendship, and hooping, to me at just the right time when I needed it most in my life. Yes, everything happens for a reason.
On that beach in July, I spent an hour trying to keep Kristin's hoop on my waist, only to fail over, and over, and over again. It was embarrassing. It was annoying. It was unacceptable. I was on a mission to keep that damn piece of circular plastic revolving around my waist, even if it killed me. Part of it was prideful stubbornness. Part of it was my desire to do all the cool tricks that Kristin could do. And part of it was that it was just something to do other than drink.
It took about two weeks for me to become addicted to hooping. It was frustrating, exhilarating, blissful, and incredibly challenging. I watched endless online video tutorials on how to do certain tricks. I stalked the YouTube channels of Shakti Sunfire and Hoopalicious, two of the world's best hoop dancers, and studied their videos in slow-motion over and over and over to deduce hand placement, hoop direction, foot work, and speed to learn just how the hell to do that reverse elevator and the one-leg pop.
I sucked for the first three months. Slowly, I got better, only to plateau in my abilities around month twelve. I was very frustrated, and would yell at myself: Damnit why aren't you as good as everyone else?!
Then I heard Hoopalicious--the mother of modern hoop dance, a finalist on America's Got Talent--say something remarkable in an interview: she stopped doing talent shows, contests, and competitions, and she only hooped when she felt the music, because people misunderstood why she hooped, and so had she. She realized she was out to impress everyone else with her hooping instead of doing it to fulfill herself. She was on display for everyone's amusement and entertainment, and not doing it for her own self actualization. She expresses this beautifully in an amazing performance - watch her amazing video here.
The above video and her comments changed everything for me. Who cares if I can't do a back body roll, or if my flow isn't as "flowy" as someone else's? Who am I doing this for? No one is paying me. I'm not on display, and this isn't a race. This is for me. That was a very, very hard lesson for me to learn, considering the music business is based largely on the value that other people--fans, music consumers, A&R reps, managers, booking agencies, venues--put on you. You HAVE to be good. Push harder. BE BETTER. GO GO GO. As a performer - first as a ballet dancer, then as a musician, and later as a hula hooper - this idea gets drilled into you. You MUST BE THE BEST. Especially in today's culture, with all the contest-based shows like American Idol, Survivor, the Bachelor, Project Runway..... you're shit if you're not the shit. (Or shiznit.)
Failure has never really been my thing (is it really anyone's thing?) If hooping has taught me anything, it is that it is okay to fail. It is okay to be yourself. It's okay to drop the hoop (there is a saying: "If the hoop ain't flyin', you ain't tryin'). It's okay to fail at hooping because it's a hell of a lot better than failing at drinking. Because if you fail at drinking, you end up in the hospital, or dead.
As soon as I learned this secret to literally not give a shit about how good at hooping I am, I actually got better at hooping. (Go figure, right?) My flow improved and I got better doing harder tricks. I learned to LET GO. Am I the best hooper in the world? No. But who the hell cares? It's made me healthier, more focused, less stressed, calmer, and happier. It's helped me make new friends, given me better looking arms and a cuter butt, and it's kept me sober.
Last week, when I was busking in Brown's Bay in North Shore, NZ, a kid came up to me while I was hula hooping and said "Wow you are amazing! You should try out for New Zealand's Got Talent!" I smiled and said thank you to him. Inside, I was smiling even bigger, because I knew I had already won "the prize", and it's bigger, better, and more important than any talent trophy.
I love, love, love birds. I think my fondness of our feathered friends comes from my childhood trips to my grandparents' house in the woods (yes I would literally go over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house.) My grandparents had a bird feeder right at their kitchen window. I grew up watching chickadees, mourning doves, and cardinals eat, eat, and eat some more. But, where there are bird feeders, there are squirrels. My Poppop was obsessed with keeping the squirrels off the feeder. He had a super soaker water gun, ice, and traps in his arsenal. He would humanely relocate the squirrels he caught down the street in another wooded area, but they kept on coming.
New Zealand's bird populations have been and continue to be in danger of extinction. Luckily thanks to many volunteers and government intervention, many wonderful bird species, like the kiwi, have significantly rebounded. One of those species is the Eastern Rosella, which we have been very lucky to witness in the backyard of our temporary home stay in northern Auckland. (Though, they are not originally from New Zealand, but from Australia). Here are some shots of the duo. Over the past few days, we've never seen one without the other. They are an adorable little couple!
Female perched on pear tree
Eastern Rosellas are a type of parrot introduced from Australia into New Zealand as part of the bird revitalization. These two birds we keep seeing are 100% feral / wild. They are super skittish and incredibly intelligent. They saw me coming a mile away with the camera and I had to creep slow-motion towards them without any sound at all as to not scare them away.
Male Eastern Rosella (Matt took this one - good job hon!)
First I want to say thanks to those of you who responded to my last blog about Happy Cat Sanctuary by donating to help the cats. I am incredibly grateful and so is the sanctuary director, Chris. Every dollar helps - if anyone else would like to donate, please feel free at http://www.HappyCatSanctuary.org. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. All donations are tax-deductible!
Matt and I have been taking advantage of the dry weather and we were able to get up to Te Arai Point and Piroa Falls, which is about 2 hours north of Auckland. Both were amazing. Here is a video of our trip (sorry for the shaky camera at some points).
It's 12:24 a.m. on Thursday morning in Auckland. I can't sleep. The wooden handmade clock on the wall in the living room is mocking me. Tick. Tick. Tick. You. Can't. Sleep.
I know I haven't written a post in a while, and the midnight ramblings of a half-insane expat probably aren't what you were expecting when you decided to follow this blog. Trust me, unlike some other people, I'm not one to use a blog as my own public diary to air out all my dirty laundry (for instance, our last horrific privacy-invading housemate), because really who wants to read that kind of shit?
But, I thought I'd share a few hour-of-the-wolf insights about what's been going on so far down here in Aotearoa (Māori for "New Zealand"), if only to illustrate for any aspiring emigrants out there that it's not always smooth sailing after you make the big move.
The single thing plaguing my every waking moment is Happy Cat Sanctuary. For those who don't know, Happy Cat is an indoor/outdoor sanctuary in Long Island, New York that houses over 250+ cats. I paid Happy Cat to board/foster my Maine Coon cat, my dear, sweet, darling baby Amber. Amber is doing fine - she lost some weight, but she's eating now and content with her new-found feline friends. The sanctuary, on the other hand, is in grave danger of closing down. I've basically assumed the role of Happy Cat's Director of Communications and Development (pro bono, of course).
I have spent nearly 20 hours per week over the last two months helping Happy Cat Sanctuary - I redesigned their website, revamped their YouTube and Facebook pages, created a new donation-based Virtual Adoption program, written three grants (two were denied), secured at-cost medications through a pharmaceutical company nonprofit wholesale program, contracted with a NY-based rehabilitation program to source volunteers to clean the sanctuary...... but still, it's not enough.
Happy Cat's power will be shut off in April 2014 unless the owner can find $5,000 to pay the electric company. Unless we can raise $15,000 by June and also find a lower-cost food source (i.e. a wholesaler, or purchase option direct from the food manufacturers), Happy Cat will close, 250 cats will be homeless, and Amber will have nowhere to go.
I'll be honest, I'm panicked. Not just for Amber, but for Happy Cat Sanctuary and all the other cats. I'm trying every trick I've learned in the last 10 years working for nonprofits, but I really don't know if I can single-handedly save them.
You wouldn't believe the stories of how some of the cats came to the sanctuary. One cat was shot in the ear by some asshole with a gun; the ear had to be amputated. 30 cats were hoarded by a senile woman in a filthy, condemned house, where there were dead cats underneath the floor, which was caving in. Happy Cat has a rescue dog, Tyson, who was beaten and abused in NYC dog fighting rings. 21 cats that were living in a colony in a boat yard were nearly poisoned by one of the yard employees. Happy Cat saved 20 cats from NYC gangs who were trying to trap them for use as bait in dog fighting rings.
It's ironic: it took me moving halfway across the world to realize my calling: to help these animals, and to try my damnedest to keep Happy Cat Sanctuary afloat.
I don't really know what I will do if Happy Cat closes in summer 2014. It would be foolish to drop everything we worked so hard for just to come back for a cat. So, I suppose failure is not an option.
I'd hate for this to be a long-winded appeal for donations.... but if you seriously want to help this sanctuary stay afloat - this sanctuary that is doing so much good in a world full of evil - I know Chris, the CEO, would be so incredibly grateful.
You can choose which abused cat to "virtually adopt" at http://www.HappyCatSanctuary.org. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
In other news.....
Matt has had a couple of interviews, but nothing solid. He is going down to Christchurch next week for an interview, so we'll see how that goes.
We're still learning how to cope with the high gas and food prices. We're adopting some tricks (eat one egg in the morning instead of two; when we eat out, split one meal; buy as much in bulk as possible; bargain hunt like mad; walk more, drive less.) It's hard, but we're adapting.
But with the bad comes the good. We got invited out on a boat excursion of lower Hauraki Gulf with our awesome house hosts who are like family now to us. We zipped to the nearby islands, grabbed a delicious lunch overlooking the water, saw some rare birds on the sanctuary island, and did alot of swimming. I got seasick on the way back, but I was able to pull off some of these shots (if you can't see the pictures below, CLICK HERE to go to our picture gallery, and scroll DOWN to see the latest ones.)
Sunset over Auckland
My view of Matt from down below, where I was nearly losing my lunch.
A three twelve hour tour.
We miss everyone and we know the winter has been hard back in the States. We do implore those of you who want to come visit NZ and stay with us to start planning your trip and saving your pennies now. We'd love to have you over, and we promise to show you a kickin' Kiwi time!
busk [buhsk] verb (used without object)
Definition: Chiefly British; to entertain by dancing, singing, or reciting on the street or in a public place.
Last night, I performed at the first annual Orewa Buskers Festival in Orewa, New Zealand, which is about 45 minutes north of downtown Auckland. I emailed last minute and they happened to have an opening on Sunday night. Despite the wind, it was a good show! Here is a video of my double (twin) hoop dance - glad I didn't drop it!
So some of you know I have a pretty sick sense of humor absolutely inappropriate for most dinner conversations. But sometimes my love of Louis CK, Ricky Jervais, and Chris Rock gets the better of me and I find humor in the weirdest, most unexpected places, such as the bathroom of the Mac's Brew Bar and restaurant in Takapuna.....
Black guys drinking in the park and holding up skinny little white guys at gunpoint? Seriously?! Simultaneously the funniest, and worst, interior decor in the world.
Last week we headed to Te Henga (Bethells Beach) on the west coast for a gig. We learned a new definition of windblown as were were almost torn apart by the gale-force winds of the west side. Bethells is wild, full of little caves and huge waves. We got some video of it. Enjoy!
