New Years Resolutions

So I'm not really one of those people that does the nyr thing because I know that I'm not going to keep them, so what really would be the point. Besides, if you're going to do something, why wait until ny's to get around to making it happen.

This year, however, was an exception. I didn't come up with the usual "get fit", "eat better", "be nicer" sort of list tho. This year I resolved to write a list of things that i have always wanted to do but been too wimpy/unorganised/just damn lazy to get around to doing. This list-in-progress has been stuck to the fridge in my flat and i have to cross off at least two things a week. My original plan was then to blog the list and subsequent crossing off to make sure that things didn't slide after the first few weeks into the general state of laziness that i tend to live in.

So things kinda started out well....except for the blogging bit, which you may have noticed has slipped a little. Well, to be honest, never actually started. So this afternoon (when i really should be doing work) I shall start this venture in earnest (or some other wanky bollocks like that).

The completed list (thus far):

1. go swimming at the beach in knitted 1930's swimming togs
2. complete a hard sudoku
3. buy a gps and go geocaching
4. ride my bike wearing my spd bike shoes (they still scare me after the cracked rib incident)
5. become a journal editor (nz natural sciences look out)
6. go camping up the hawdon
7. stay at cass and help out with bug picking
8. start working on my sturgeon manuscripts
9. sell one of my screenprinted t-shirts
10. get a photo printed onto canvas
11. start learning spanish
12. start a cookie selling venture
13. make pesto from my homegrown basil

The uncompleted list:

1. try kite boarding
2. make a stunt kite
3. learn to use fire pois
4. send a letter/email to everyone in my address book
5. see bad jelly the witch at the theatre
6. brew beer
7. make custard squares
8. host a cranium/cocktail party
9. bike up dyer's pass road to sign of the kiwi
10. learn to play another song on the guitar
11. skydive
12. walk on fire
13. go camping at least once a month
14. do volunteer work on the hen & chicken islands
15. join weedbusters
16. organise a luuce event
17. buy a macro lens

This is a list in progress and i'm sure there is a bunch of stuff i've forgotten but the piece of paper is stuck to the fridge at home. Suggestions welcome.

fantail

nz falcon up the hawdon valley

Double whammy

This week you get a pictorial tour of my holiday to the North Island (minus the ones of me in my knitted swimsuit cos those just shouldn't ever be made public).

Lake Wakaremoana/iti nice. boots too small. nasty feet. whirinake gorgeous. boots too small. couldn't walk.

Rotorua fun. conference boring. best student talk. $500 cheque. tequila shot. vomit. nice.

the flight home from rotorua was not nice. hungover. cancelled flight. 3.5hr bus to auckland. lost bags (thankfully not mine). lost car (again thankfully not mine).

phd symposium the next day was a little stressful. changed timetable. still asleep and hour before my talk. best biodiversity talk. $100 cheque. no tequila!

Need holiday from holiday!

There was a canyon in whirinaki

Lake Waikaremoana

where there were swallows

and swans

and a cinabar moth

Lake Waikareiti was nice and sunny

and then it turned to custard!

mental note to self: buy bigger boots!!

ewww

holiday time

well almost...heading up to hamilton and te urewera national park tomorrow for a camping holiday before going to rotovegas for a conference. conference sahould be interesting - michelle and I have fashioned ourselves woollen bathing suits to wear to the dinner - very sexy and a tad itchy (and yes, the dinner is fancy dress and we are not just being weird). i should also add that there will be NO photos posted!!

Speaking of photos, I sort of accidentally ended up putting one of mine in an exhibition and it has been sold!! Twice!! how cool is that.

Speaking of selling things, Michelle and I have been getting into this screenprinting caper and have been wearing our shirts to uni (unfortunately usually the same ones on the same day) but people keep asking where we got them from and whether or not they can order some for xmas!! fun

i'll be back in two weeks or so with fun camping pics :o)

wrybill

black fronted terns

braided river birds

imagine getting paid $20/hr to jet boat 30 km up a river and then walk back down, counting birds. This has been my past week and next week hopefully as well!! the whole thing made much more exciting by having to launch oneself onto and off of a jetboat as it is drifting past in order to get to the next island. Amazingly, i have managed to do this without badly injuring myself (yet) - just a nice case of badly bruised jetboat knee.

looking up the waimak from bealey spur

moeraki boulders