Down Came the Water...and New Living Situation

Citizens of California and even the Pacific Northwest:

Drought got ya down? Can't blame you. A whole litany of woes comes with a drought:  government-imposed fines for lawn watering or car washing, a reduction in produce requiring much more water than you would have ever guessed (1 gallon of water for a single almond?!), the guilt of necessarily draining the Colorado River and other groundwater wells. It is a tough situation only exacerbated by a vicious cycle of climate change induced drought. And it probably makes you want to have a drink. Well hold off there, because even that glass of California Red your sipping is a contributing factor. Bummer. It seems there is no way to win; not by staying in California at least.

Another great poster, but I would like to draw your attention to Bret's t-shirt.

Solution? Come to New Zealand, where our rainy (winter) season is actually rainy! I've been here for 10 days now, and it has rained at some point during each of those days. Sometimes just a piddle, a smattering of mist from on-high, and at other times a veritable deluge. And it's predictably unpredictable. I've three times been walking down a sunny street, with nary a cloud in sight, when *splash*, the rains come hard and fast.

Still, it makes for extremely lush and verdant flora, which I'll post about some other time. Until then, I'll urge the Californian population to detach (please read this yahoo question and answer, so funny), hook onto a couple hundred thousand tug boats, and drag itself down to the South Pacific, where the grass is green, drinks are wet and guilt free, and there's such a heavy (winter) humidity that drying clothes takes days on a rack.


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After my first week on the job, in which I spent 80% of the time getting access to various networks, printers, computers, hospital areas, and even a desk, I moved to an apartment (called a flat here, because fitting in is the most important thing, mate). It's a pretty sweet deal. I have a literal 45 second walk to work (I've timed it!). It's unclear if that will make me more or less productive; I can go home at any time, but also spend less time commuting and can easily pop in on the weekends to check on an experiment.

Like something from New Orleans, this house might be haunted. And, my room has a view of downtown!

Anyway, it's a beautiful old brick house (rare in Auckland) with high ceilings, 4 other very interesting 20-something Kiwis (Real World Auckland!), is close to work, and is also just down the street from a large park (where earlier today I ingratiated myself with a Japanese pickup soccer group), as well as a lovely little shopping area rife with cafes and restaurants. All in all, I've settled in quite quickly.

Cheers!