Randomness, volume two

Hi everyone,

Here is a collection of jumbled thoughts:

1. The picture above is a house in Island Bay. If you look closely, the balcony is really a boat.
2. There is so much beach glass on the coast here: Brown, green, turquoise, and white. I'm pretty sure they all contained alcohol at some point, but now they are beautiful.
3. We have a racist little old lady for a neighbor. She introduced herself, and then promptly complained about the "damn Maoris stealing the rubbish bins."
4. I've had some good conversations with complete strangers. One large Polynesian man sat next to me on the bus, and we chatted away for ten minutes we reached his stop, where he said good-bye and jumped off. Kiwis are usually very friendly...that never happened to me on the train in England.
5. It is always polite to say "Thanks, driver" as you exit the bus, and to give a little wave.
6. New Zealand's television can be quite funny. The news anchors aren't as polished as they are in the States, and I've seen a few of them break into laughter after reading a pretty serious headline. It was also reported on the news that one of the stations accidentally cut to a porno film during a rugby match, and it was seen by hundreds of thousands of people.
7. It is nice to live in a country so unconcerned with terrorism. You never hear about it, read about it, and you can drive right by the Beehive (parliament building). Security is really at a minimum, and it is refreshing.
8. Sara's pregnant sister and her husband are coming to stay this weekend. I've been invited to go maternity shopping with the girls, which should be fun.
9. Most of the houses here are wooden, and are brightly colored. Pinks, greens, blues, yellows...it is aesthetically pleasing to see an entire neighborhood of houses so cheerfully painted.
10. Nik is currently trying to secure a grant in order to work independently, so him and I are the ones around during the day. Therefore, him and I have done nearly all of the cooking. It has been a little complicated because he is allergic to certain herbs and wishes to go dairy-free, and Sara is pretty much a vegetarian. We've decided that we'd only eat together a few nights per week, so that Rory and I can eat a semi-normal diet.
11. We've discovered the most amazing beer: Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen. LOVELY German beer available at our local supermarket.
12. I'd like to wish my extended family a safe and happy trip to Hawaii. They are probably in the air as I write this. Love everyone!

That's it for now. Will write again soon.

~Amy