In which Ginger skates (as Ginger) in the Cuba Street Carnival Parade

Writing this at training - my ankle of doom is a bit bruised and tender after spending all last night on skates and after last week's twisted ankle debacle. Thus, I am sitting on my arse and watching the girls go nuts. They look fucking amazing, I just have to say. So easy to be proud of them!

Last night was Cuba Street Carnival night - and we skated a la league in the Parade. My Glorious Public, thank you for the INCREDIBLE response. We opened the parade by speed skating the length of the parade route - I went as hard and as fast as I could and, Darlings, it was all about MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE (sound of me yelling as I fly past you)... Then we walked around to the front of the parade route and skated the whole thing as a League, weaving and jumping and giving out fliers and making a shit load of noise. I only fell over once, when trying to jump over Danger Danger the Ref. Slightly embarrassing falling in front of a crowd of thousands of people. But did I mention that I'm a hell show pony? I promptly leapt up smiled and waved, and continued skating("My Glorious Public, I escape unscathed! Huzzah!"). My elbow hurt.

Now watching everyone practicing not hurting themselves when falling on their butts. Fascinating. Jet slides a long way...

In other news; I HAVE A BICYCLE. At least, I won a bicycle of Trade Me this morning. I am now eagerly awaiting its arrival, I love it so so so much already (and I've only seen photos! Like a mail order bride). So excited. I think I shall name it something snazzy. I also ordered a helmet and chain and light so I can ride it at night. I am making this bike count! The last time I owned and rode a bicycle, I rode to the waterfront from Aro Valley, fell off once on the way there and once on the way back, and swum in the sea while I had blood running off my knees (this stung). I will not be repeating this.

I can't believe how pro-exercise I have become in my old age.

I had this dream last night

that I moved back into my first flat in Aro Valley - Adams Terrace. It was a rather decrepit old place, and if it's not condemned now, I'd be surprised. So in my dream Josh, my old Fuel workmate, was moving out and I offered to take over the lease, only remembering after I moved in how dark it could be. But I didn't panic! I merely rearranged the kitchen, so that it magically became three times the size it was previously. I also bought his BBQ from him (he was moving overseas), and it was only twelve dollars. Bargain! Bella and Jude and another girl moved in and it was happy happy times as we redecorated the house. I had a great bedroom too, much nicer than any of the bedrooms that had actually been in the Adams Terrace flat. It was a very hippy place, lots of crystals and bits of beads hanging in all the windows. I woke up suddenly and panicked: not recognising the bedroom I was in, I thought that I had actually moved back to Adams Tce and I was very very upset. Then, as I calmed down, I realised I was actually at Mum's house in the spare bedroom. Thank god.

Fabulous Dining Opportunities on your Doorstep!!!

I need someone to move into my room... So.... If you want to live in Wellington in the central city, above Manners Mall, let me know! Rent is $145 + $28 expenses... the room is internal but the flat itself is beautifully light and airy. I'm moving to Aro Valley in two weeks. Hooray!

Being in Wellington

At the moment I'm at my friend Liz's house - staying in her room while she's visiting another friend in New York. Up until last night I had been sleeping on the couch at my mother's house which was all good except for the part where I was woken up at 6.30 in the morning on a very consistent basis (my littlest brother is an early riser). Comfy couch though. Liz's house is absolutely beautiful - lots of fantastic things (vintage trinkets) sprinkled all around the place. There's a view from her bedroom, straight over Aro Valley and towards the Old Museum buildings. Just before she left she told me a story about her underwear being stolen off the washing line which has kind of freaked me a little, but there hasn't been any signs of spooky stalker/underwear-stealing types around. There's a flat upstairs too and the place is quite old. Hearing people creaking (bashing) about upstairs is comforting. Now that I'm home I keep noticing just how beautiful New Zealand really is. From the porch at Mum's place you could see Pauahatanui Inlet and the most beautiful lush green hills. These hills are the ultimate New Zealand hills (I swear the hills here look different). They catch all the shadows and look incredibly different from hour to hour. And they're so lush and consistently green, which means that from a distance they look unbelievably smooth and mossy. Mm. Hills.

Oprah, get your hands off of my spirit!

Ugh, watching cheesy Oprah episodes and feeling tearful.

I've just eaten a big bowl of scrambled eggs and quinoa pilaf with pasta sauce left over from last night, liberally seasoned with capers, olives and tobasco sauce. This is one of those meals that was both really revolting and really tasty, as only leftover lunch meals can be.

I'm thinking I might have a big slice of chocolate tofu cheesecake now.

The girl who took over me and Andy's room in our first flat had a real thing about Oprah and liked especially the "in touch with your spirit episodes". She was a rather peculiar German girl with a penchant for a trumpet player called Thomas, who would visit her armed with 2 litre bottles of milk (ostensibly for tea). Wore lots of leather coats and played the piano.

This was the time I learned of the dodginess of music students... so dodgy.

The flat was one of those typically Aro Valley student flats, mouldy with dampness and with steeply sloping floors. The sun warmed the house for about half an hour everyday, so it was permanently freezing and the washing came in off the line damper than when it went out.

However, we did have a friendly fantail and a family of tui lived in the bush up the back of the flat. We had a Hawaiian themed party for our flat warming and I was determined to wear my bikini and sarong, despite the fact it was the middle of winter.

 Ah! The fortitude of the youthful! I shake my grizzled head with affectionate dismay.

Rates Rises in Auckland and the People who Care.

(Rates rises in Auckland constitute a major headline on the 6 O'clock News tonight).

Sure, a third of the country lives in that godforsaken place, but there is another two thirds who emphatically do not. And have to pay for their roads. And hear about their rates increases. And their inability to secure an international car race ("...will really put Auckland on the map!").

The question is, do they hear about our bypass? The fact that a motorway is being built over the most creative and community based area of our city? Te Aro (my Valley) has always been a working class area... unlike the efforts to stop the demolition of Thorndon in the 1970s, there was no doctors and dentists and lawyers to stop the bulldozer of Kerry Prendergast's bureacracy. The only time this devastation was reported nationally was when some "crazy hippie types done chain themselves to a fence"
.

Autumnal

There is something really lovely about the word "Autumnal". Let's say it together. "AUTUMNAL" My house is cold and damp and dark. Te Valley is no good in the Winter time. But this matters not because.... in about six weeks time I will be in South Australia. Did you know... (Fun Facts: Adelaide) ~ The Cold Weather in South Australia only lasts until October (did you like the way I capitalised "The Cold Weather"? Noice.) ~ Temperatures in summer reach the early 40s. Bitching! I've never been hot during the summer in the Welli-hood. ~ Adelaide is quite flat. I could cycle everywhere: faster than walking, and possibly more outdoorsy. Perhaps I could cycle to the vineyards, that are just outside of the city (the Barossa Valley). Here I would enjoy the sunshine and drink glasses of beautiful shiraz. ~ Yum. Shiraz. ~ A nice Merlot would also be good. ~ I know its only 2.30 in the afternoon, but a glass of wine would be nice right now. ~ Or perhaps a single malt whiskey. ~ Apparently there are also sharks in Adelaide. Obviously not in the actual city, but up the coast a bit. Scary! Nature is coming to haunt me. AND There is a martian woman on tv who sings with no mouth.

I had a coffee with Sally and now I can't sleep

And here I am once again, writing in the middle of the night about the evening behind me and the neuroses that are sure to await me in the morning... Went to a launch of a new store: Little Brother (menswear). The store is visible from where I work at Ricochet and it looks likw quite a nice store. Clothes are kind of dull, well tailored shirts and jackets, pants looked really bad on all the models though, who were basically just nice looking guys from around town. The skinny boys didn't fill the pants out properly (hence; their arses looked even smaller) and the bigger boys had the pants riding up their cracks. However, some of the jackets were beautiful. Expensive though, I'm sure. The place was filled with people that I have never even seen wandering around town, felt very odd. The Matterhorn was beyond packed out, there was far too many people and we were all pushed cheek by jowl. Bex commented that she felt as though she were at the stockyards. Lots of random L'Affare people there which made me feel a bit funny. Lovely to be hanging out with my lovely Bex-shallah, although she abandoned me at ten to nine to go home with her new squeeze type. I forgive her for he is SO nice, and such a good person, but also biting and scathing enough for Bex. My only fear is that she'll break his heart... Andy and I were discussing this today and that was his contention, that she would break his heart in the end. I suspect that this would always be a danger with someone as fantabulous as Bex though, she is alike to the Monsoon. So, after being friend dumped I began to make my back to Te Valley, and decided that I should like to have a coffee and a piece of cake before I got home. Dropped into Midnight Espresso, saw Sally eating a piece of cake, who had also been at the launch and had clearly had a similar idea on her way home. So I sat in companionable silence/had a sort-of conversation with her for about an hour, before she left. Also had a chat with Charly's brother Hugo about Stuff. He is so lovely, and has just started a new band which I shall be investigating in the future perhaps. I figure that this is just about all the news I have for this evening, as random and as raving as it maybe. Oh, excepting that we convinced Greg to blow a condom up on his head at work today, it was chocolate flavoured and Aiden will be posting a link to the photos pretty soon, hopefully. And that work was otherwise kind of dull, although fun as it always is when I'm not ridiculously run off my feet. I don't mind working in hospo provided I don't have to work too many shifts when I have to do a clean up. Lazy, huh.

Bemoaning my fate as "The Old Girl"

I am writing post good bye drinks at work: I am now officially the person who has worked at that crappy store the longest. Sitting in Te Valley and drinking a Nice Cup of Camomile Tea. Too much feijoa bubbly and thus (!) the requisite vegetarian kebab on the way home. This earns me a high five from Tom at the cafe. Information gleaned:? None, as far as I am aware. That is: either the reader of myself... (I flatter myself with a readership) or of another. No gossip around any workmate. I suspect that no one shares gossip with me.... I tend to pass things on, indiscriminantly. Relationship almost disgracefully peaceful given that I'm updating a diary. The dirtiest my dirty dreams get is ... me holding hands with a romantic boy. Strangely sad that I fantasise about romance and relationship honeymoon periods. I could be the most chronic serial monogamist if I gave it the chance. Unfortunately (or rather, better for me given my tragic luck in the flirtation front) I am completely and utterly Attached, like a big ole baby by the umbilical chord. Must drink tea, check email, and NOT watch BBC World until I fall asleep.