WriteGroup Conference and Awards

Hi all,

As always, the week is flying! The biggest news I have is that I've been invited to attend the WriteGroup Conference and Awards Dinner next week (on September 11th, coincidentally). It is a formal affair at a posh waterfront restaurant called Shed 11, and as a new employee of Write I get to go for free. We will have international speakers about Plain English and then give out our annual awards to organizations who have produced the best websites and documents. This is the largest event of the year for the WriteGroup, so I was lucky to get hired when I did. There will be a gourmet dinner and champagne included!

Of course, it meant that I needed to find formal attire. The buses weren't running until 4pm because of a union meeting, so I used the delay as an excuse to shop. I was looking for a dress, but I ended up with a fancy, shimmery skirt and two shirts to layer as a top. I showed Sara tonight and she approved...and I only spent 23 dollars for the whole ensemble. This is pretty impressive considering that one of the shirts is from Trelise Cooper, THE most famous NZ designer.

That is another thing...almost everything I buy is made in NZ. I remember seeing American made clothing when I was young, but I had gotten used to all of my clothes being made in China. There is a real push here to support NZ manufacturing companies, and the clothes that I buy here are some of the most beautiful I've ever owned. I wonder if America will revert back to producing goods, if the dollar falls much further?

I'm feeling pretty happy with things in general. We had communal meals with Nik and Sara the last two nights, which is always nice. I made apple crumble for dessert (the best recipe is on the BBC website).

Will write again soon,
love,
Amy