Knotty Knickers

Finally!

Sorry there are no hotties to have you twittering over in my first real proper blog post from my new home. Nelson isn't the studly capital of New Zealand. I hear there is a 25 year old male virgin about the place.... I promise to do my best and stir up some sort of trouble. Last night we meant to but the pub across from Tania's house but it was closed. At 11. Balls.

Sexual Soap Box

Kiwi women are told to get cervical pap smears every THREE years.

American women are told to get them yearly from age 18 or whenever they become sexually active.

This is due to the increasing risk of HPV, forms of which cause cervical cancer, with each new partner.  The more partners, the higher your chances of getting it. 

Not so much a need to freak out - most women will get HPV and their body will take care of the problem within two years.  But it's a good thing to keep an eye on should you have a nastier form and the cervical cells begin to develop wonky.  

Now, the fact that New Zealand women were scientifically rated as the most promiscuous nationality in studies published in late 2007, early 2008 - this alarms me to no end.  Mostly because I presume that they are sleeping with a good number of Kiwi men - and since I myself don't mind the idea of that...the general health status of New Zealanders concerns me.  Because in having sex with one person, I am effectively having sex with everyone they've ever had sex with.  I learnt that at Summit K-12, my alternative school in Seattle and the idea was so repulsive and upsetting I remained a virgin until I was 20 and to this day it still grosses me out and causes happy and varying long lengths of self-protective celibacy.

So...along with the knowledge that Thailand has such an active sex industry and having decided that no male who has been there is getting abosolutely access to a particular oraffice - I think that in general for the duration of my life here in New Zealand there will be no brazilian waxes (skin on skin contact increases the risks for everything under the sun - and I just don't like the look on me) and there will be some high standards for sexytime partners.  

And, that concludes today's rant.  Because I'm getting kicked out of the building!

Nothing Doing

I am still alive.  Homework has yet to incapacitate me.  No foreign boys are sapping my energy.  (How I wish!)  I haven't fallen into an alcoholic stupor.  I've just not got lots of easy internet access, haven't been toting my camera around, and have been sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeping in the comfort of my very own bed in the safety of my very own flat. 

If you really think about it, I've been on the move since June of 2007 when I first moved home to Ellensburg.  Three months of whipping back and forth to Seattle melded into eight months of backpacking momentum, broken arm notwithstanding, and then ten months of not just Seattle visits but major time on Alaska Airlines going off to multiple Yoga trainings and now - Nelson.  For the year.  Or most of it anyway.  It's a little bit of a shock to the system being in one place and knowing that I'm not going to be venturing too far from it for any great length or even regularly.  When the time to fly off to Ireland comes I expect there will be a bit of effort required to stir myself from my cozy nest.  Just at present though, it's all about grounding and rooting myself. 

Helps that I stayed with Kat to start off with.  And that her friends are happy to be my friends.  That there was quite a good start - people nearby who cared that I found a suitable place and was getting on alright driving etc in a new country.  I rather expect of Kiwis, but it is still nice to encounter.  Now I've got the girls at school to get to know.  We've all had a rough go of sorting teachers and homework and expectations and study related quirks and housing issues, but now that the rhythm is coming more easily to us I guess there'll be more actual socializing.  Hope so at least!  Sophie and Sam, the couple whose flat I've taken, are indeed lovely and friendly and so there is a nice feeling in my new home of presence.  I promise I'll be a good girl and pester all these new people for photo opps and post them.  I have an idea certain of my friends back home require physical images of anyone I might be spending time with to allay their worries. 

Really, besides the small circle of new people there isn't a huge amount to tell you about or post pictures of.  I saw an art shoe on my walk today - some old man's shoe painted yellow with red snakes on it setting on the side of the walkway coming down from the Centre of NZ.  I was rather gutted at not having a camera on me when I came across it.  Ah well.  It'll do me good to know you lot expect some decent rabble rousing out of me - if only I can find somebody to come along for the retardation that is sure to ensue! 

Oh - it's likely that tomorrow I will be posting a nice long sexual health rant - so if you would like to pretend that I am virginal, I suggest you skip it.  Or, if you want to be reassured I was brought up with sensible health minded ideas, then you might just choose to overlook the agenda underlying the topic and take a peek.  Either way - you have been warned. 

I Want My TV!

I have just learned that Hulu and the CW are United State centered pigs.

I can't watch Supernatural on either site because they only cater to residents of the United States.  What the hell!?  

There are new episodes!  Dean might shag another angel!  Or he and Sam might get all BBG with Ruby!  Hot daddy Winchester might make another showing!  Sam might develop laser eyes!  Bobby was the guy that Greg saved when he hit that fanny smacker on CSI!  

Which makes me wonder...I haven't seen ANY CSI for ages now either.  Deb got me into season 8 while I stayed with her, but now...for the sake of all the money I put into my Film & Video Communications degree!  I can't watch my crushes because I'm in New Zealand!

And when I go home - I'll still have heaps of NCIS to catch up on in the rambly shambly order that USA puts them on rerun in.  

I wonder if my new flatmates have a dvd?  I wonder if NZ has a Netflix sort of thing.  I wonder if I'm going to have to hole up at my mothers and watch several years worth of tv shows whenever I finally make my way back.  

On the plus side - the Drunk of the Week photo from The Stranger made me immensely happy.

Death By Bugs

Cannot be pleasant.  And I fear it may be near.

Last night was the first night since I've been in the hostel dorm that I didn't put up my two travel towels to shield myself from the overhead lights and other people's individual lights (and to shield them from my own - it's only polite if you are staying up later than everyone else).  Apparently this one small thing has been keeping the mozzies from eating my sweet flesh.  You see - with 6 girls in one room, the window seriously needs to be left open.  Though there is one girl who ALWAYS closes it.  The effect?  At 2am either myself or some other sane person has to open it because of the heat, condensation, and stench created by said 6 sleeping bodies.  

Why didn't I put up my towels?  I'm not sure.  Exhaustion?  Haven't been getting good sleep eye at all in the single bed - keep flinging extremities into the wall as I turn and change sides and until recently was waking myself up coughing.  Worry about needing to get up on time?  I am totally able to sleep through and turn off alarms and this is only my second week in classes, I was a bit paranoid about it happening.  

Whatever the cause of my failure to act - it will not happen again.  I've got at least 13 big, red, nasty, swollen, painful, itching, immense reaction sites to being bitten.  My right hand, by the thumb, is at least doubled in size.  

For Aphrodite's sake! I woke up and figured the situation out at 4:something am because there are matching attacks on my breasts!  What sort of evil bug does that!?

First thing this morning I went and got an antihistamine at the pharmacy.  It's done all of nothing.  When I get my lazy person's dinner in the hostel bar tonight I'll take some Panadol and see if that at least can't relieve some of the overwhelming aching and inflammation.  

To make matters better?  Well - the blisters on arm and leg that were my secondary concerns (after the sinus infection) when I saw the doctor on Saturday? - basically gone.  Only to be replaced soon by new formations of more of same on the right arm and hand...I can see the bastard things coming up.  

OW!

I swear - if I have to bathe in DEET, I will.

P.S. - YarnMama, I tried to take photos of my pretty self all disfigured by the bug bites but they simply didn't come out well.  

Beached As

I now live in New Zealand.  This little cartoon short may enlighten some of you about the place.  Others will not get it.  Some will laugh after 3 seconds.  There may be all three responses in your less than two minute viewing.  I don't judge you for your response to it.  Just want to share.  And lazily not have to post anything witty of my own creation.  So, go HERE and ponder the wonderousness of Kiwi humour.  

If, after giving you two links to it, you still haven't watched it - well, then I very well may judge you.  

Meow and More

It was sort of awkward to take this photo with one of the car's owners getting into it. But, you know, it's New Zealand, the lady didn't care. If she had, I would have just trotted out my sad tale of cats left behind... Though everyone says they are fine and well and don't miss me a lick. Haven't even been up to my room since I left. Stinkers.

Big week of school is over. Leaving my head full of homework woes and my tail bone sore from 20+ hours sitting in a chair. I'm going to have to do my Yoga thing and get on the floor so I can move my legs about a bit. I'd forgotten how awful chair sitting can be.

Last night I had an honest to goodness fever. The kind where you don't have to ask whoever is near if you have one. You know. You sweat. You toss. You can't sleep.

In light of that nasty reality, today, after viewing a flat I am not taking, I walked to the 24 Hour Duty Doctor place and got looked at. I guess it is good that I had a UTI when I was here previously 'cause I knew just where to go. They were as nice and quick as last time too.

Turns out I've got a sinus infection (thought so!). And the allergic reaction I've had this past week, while just like the one from LA, is probably due, said Doctor Robert from Holland, to the evil tropical bitey things that the wet summer has lured here. He said that the blistering is a not uncommon reaction and not to worry overly about it. The antibiotics for the sinus infection are also anti-inflammatory so should reduce the reaction, and the antibacterial cream is to protect against a secondary infection.

Great start, eh?

Still - I'm happy. I mean, after thinking about it for 15 years, I've finally moved to another country! And a pleasant one at that. Plus - it's the end of summer and so there are tons of tomatoes (oh! I forgot to tell you how Kat's little Monkey corrected my pronunciation of that word...it was really funny. She also got snippy about my saying 'excuse me' instead of 'pardon me' and a few other things.) and I got two nice boxes of blueberries to nom on. Additionally, I'm going to a Candlelight Yin class tomorrow at Hot Yoga of NZ with two girls from class - Grace (China) and Reiko (Japan) - so how bad can life be?

I mean a life without cats, obviously. This is the height of that sort of life.

Homework Bound

Today was the first proper day of the Diploma of Aromatherapy in which I am enrolled.  It was a good day.  We met most of the tutors (aka - teachers) and got an explanation from them of what they would be teaching and what is expected of us.  Did some nice introductions with one another.  I think the group is lovely overall and am looking forward to getting to know everyone better.  Only 8 of us, so that is sort of nice and sort of worrisome.  Smelled some oils in the afternoon too.  And, in a very clear and concise way were told what our homework and case studies was going to be.  

It's going to be a bloody lot!  

Homework books don't look like they'll bother me overly.  Pretty straight forward.  Even the A&P and chemistry stuff isn't freaking me out because we'll be showing what we did or didn't get from the classes and we have the ability to redo what we missed the first go or got wrong.  Case studies on the other hand...apart from not really knowing anyone and therefore having to work with people who are, basically, complete and utter strangers, there is simply a flipping lot of it!  

Makes me hope more than one person (dearest Miss Lit) will come away to Ireland for the month of July and be a happy massage practice body.  Really.  Please.  If you were thinking that maybe you'd come for a week or so, just know that I will be massaging you something ridiculous like twice a week just to make sure I don't fall behind on my work.  Truly.

The panic, if I am to panic, will come a bit later however.  Currently I'm keeping it at bay with the understanding that until my prime delight of organizing has sat down and figured out the best way to go about this enormous looking pile of expectation becoming reality and come up with bad numbers, I need not fear.  Instead of fear I'm settled on self-miffedness about not realizing this is tertiary school and they do indeed expect a lot of us.

Oh, and that I'll have to be professionally dressed on Fridays, which are massage days, because it is part of the requirements and expectations.  Hippie Seattle, I miss you.  Not enough to return just yet, but to the degree where I've added 'Yoga clothed massage practitioners' to my list of laid back things I think fondly on.  It's next to such joys as Remedy Tea, Macrina Devil's Food Cupcake, chai, Chinese food, and friends and family.  

AND I KNOW YOU WANT PHOTOS!  I'M WORKING ON IT!  Really.  Trying to find a flat as well though.  Give a girl some space and time to juggle...else I might take someone out accidentally. 

Besides, I have homework due Friday!  AAAAAHHHHHHHH!

Proper Study Required

Bullocks.  

Well, there goes the idealism that millions of Yoga training hours and Reiki Mastery study have shined my life up with.  Proper study will be required for this course.  I'm told that the A&P portion is a deal in and of itself (here people 'take papers' instead of 'take courses' which I find really amusing) yet here I am set to do it and the Aromatherapy diploma in one go...uh oh.  

What makes it all so tragic is the freshly learned fact that apart from the Introductory case work which can be 10 massages on any 10 people, for the Stage 1-4 case work we will be expected to carry on over time with a limited number of folks.  Like the Reflexology case studies which have been buggering my bonnet just thinking about already!  Leave it to me to come up with a brilliant way of living in New Zealand that seems very cruisy and will allow me tromping around time only to learn that I'm going to need to be around and on some sort of regular schedule to complete things in a timely manner.

Now I need friends pronto to get to work on!  I've got way more of a need and desire to find nice, friendly, sane flatmates than ever.  Faster too.

Balls.

Really Arrived

I'm in Nelson.  My home until the end of November.  Except for July when a car seat in Ireland next to Miss Lit will be my home.

I got the same buzz as last time as the ferry reached the South Island.  I think I have a land lust for this place as wicked strong as any yearning for a man.  Land lover.  Me + South Island = Bliss.  

So far, at any rate.  

It does smell different.  And feel different.  But, despite my dear friend living up on the North Island, this is the place that really calls me.  Good I am here then, eh?

Only have 30 minutes of free wireless daily which bites and means that I'll just be sorting photos tonight, not loading any up.  Sorry dears.