This year I’ll try to have shorter updates so
that you can still enjoy the randomness of them, but also actually read them.
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| Kindles, iPad, old skewl book and original art |
Also, as a quick plug, the Kindle version of The
Death of Rock ‘n’ Roll, The Impossibility of Time Travel and Other Lies is
now finally ready for download. For those of you who have asked, thanks for
your patience and support. Here it is. If you’ve purchased the physical
copy of the book, you should be able to get the Kindle version for free now.
Please let me know if this isn’t the case, but now you can enjoy it anyway you want it. Same deal as before, double your money back if you don't enjoy.
Pixies in the Park – Antipodal Post
“You want to go see Pixies in the Park
tonight?” Nicole asked me.
Immediately, I start reflecting upon the
legendary alternative band from the late 80s, I had heard they were back at it,
but in New Zealand; I had no idea. “Yeah, of course.” It turned out to be
perfect examples of hearing what I wanted to hear and also of how much my life
had changed.
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| Sunset from our patio, our remote part of life on the edge |
Still seeing the Pixies in a park, any park,
was something to look forward to and would make for a great evening.
Legendary. But I was confused. It didn’t seem right that the Pixies would be in
New Zealand let alone New Plymouth.
Life has been this way; confusing because of
how quickly things seem to move, but also because life just keeps moving. As
you know from the other updates, during the last year we’ve moved from Brisbane
(via Canada) and travelled to Europe and Australia. We’ve managed to relocate
most everything to New Zealand (still no iTunes and therefore we can’t close
our Australian bank accounts - seriously) but art, professional qualifications
and we’ve even managed to stock back up on certain coveted “North
American-centric” items such as freezer bags, Crest toothpaste and other things
that seem ridiculous to try and procure.
Actually if you looked at the energy we’ve
spent getting proper Tylenol, salsa, freezer bags and Crest alone into New
Zealand you’d think we’re in training for drug trafficking. I can assure you
that the only thing more ridiculous that the efforts we’ve undertaken to source
such items is living with the local substitutes. Really. Currently we
have a standing order for salsa that includes full purchase price, plus a loaf
of homemade bread per jar. The alternative is unbearable, just one of the
many challenges we face in remote New Zealand. Life on the edge in deed.
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| Will 2014 be the year our boats come in? |
One of the biggest challenges that we’ve all
noticed has been the local nuances. Like the difference between Pixies and
Fairies, but more on that later, it is interesting that this is the third
English speaking Commonwealth country we’ve lived in, but still find so much
that’s different. Some of these things are challenges and others merely
things as parents we manipulate.
Recently, Spencer caught us out in what would
have been a bald faced lie in Canada but, in her mind, is a “regional
nuance”. One of our friends had suggested calling certain vegetables
“super foods” in order to get Spencer to eat more veg. Unfortunately for us,
Spencer saw through that trick in less time that it takes to score on the
Flames; leaving us stuck with frozen peas or corn for her only non-meat food.
I later tried telling her that broad beans were
simply big or “super peas”. That’s right, frozen broad beans that usually taste
like neoprene the same as the delicious little sweet garden peas. But she
went for it. Happily. For years, at least until she gets to school here and
some other little bastard kid decides to tell her the truth. Bless my
little girl and all the travel she’s done, because at dinner she announces,
“you know how you say ‘elevator’ for ‘lift’ like I do, and when you ‘sweater’
instead of ‘jumper’; well in New Zealand, ‘super peas’ are called ‘broad beans’.
Isn’t that interesting? Funny heeay?”
“Yes honey, very interesting…” (We don’t mind
the “heeay” as much as pronouncing ‘ing” as “ink” in the local manner.)
Our life in New Zealand has been that of
managing the nuances and even the understanding of the world seen through our
daughter’s eyes, not really much different from your life wherever you might be
reading this I suppose. But still it’s the exercise of reconciling our
expectations with our realities that presents the challenge.
Now in the height of summer here, we’re at the
beach as much as we’re able, but usually with long sleeved shirts because the
wind often has a child. Sure, hardly something to complain about but certainly
a departure from what is anticipated.
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| It's really just not the same here (no carrot - chilli is from our garden though) |
There is also the entire Christmas experience
which is different from what we’ve come to enjoy and how Spencer understands it
should be, like building snowmen. Spencer had a Christmas wish to build a
snowman. But on the beach. On a beach that’s covered in sand, where the average
daily temperature has been around 20c. The worst of it all is that I’m a sucker
for her challenges.
In the end she was happy and it’s provided
another new experience for us.
Something else that we’ve noticed looking at
the recently released “Happiness Study” the Legatum Prosperity Index
has identified Canada, Australia and New Zealand as consistently in the top 10
for various categories. Admittedly, the criteria is more subjective (like mine
when I say our daughter is so great) rather than critically objective (like
mine when I say my wife is so great), but it’s interesting because life is
still a lot of work. Even in places that are supposed to be enjoying high
levels of happiness, or freedom, or entrepreneurial spirit, things still take a
lot of energy and attention. As much as our lives have changed with our moves,
many things remain relatively static.
But, back to the Pixies. Getting to the
park I should have known something was amiss. Spencer was just as excited
to be going as I was to see the Pixies in the park and when we arrived I
understood why. Missing was Black Francis and anything resembling the loud
jangling guitars I was expecting, but rather scores, certainly more than a
hundred little girls running around in frilly dresses with wings, some carrying
bespangled wands.
“Nicole, I thought you said the Pixies were
playing?”
“Did I say Pixies? I meant fairies, but is
there really a difference? Look at all the fairies playing. Spencer
should we dance with the fairies and blow bubbles?”
Where was my mind indeed? My mind was now
watching our lovely little girl flit around a playground that had been
transformed by fairies. It was still a great night. Just different than
anticipated.
We are hoping that you are all well, that 2014
proves to be a good year and that we have the opportunity to see you as we move
through time and space.
By this time next year, Spencer will be hooked on the new Pixies
album, just don’t tell Nicole.
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| Sangria for Christmas isn't much of a hardship. A new tradition is born! |
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