so far, so good

23 May 2009

Long overdue update

The highlight of 2008 was what we call our ‘endless summer’. Thanks in large part to the generosity of family and friends (and their respective couches and beds – most notably Ian and Aleisa’s converted back porch), we were able to squeeze in two summers in 2008. Migrating from Auckland as winter in New Zealand approached to Boston we were able to both do research fellowships and dodge an unpleasant winter. We enjoyed our time on the east coast so much last year that we are doing the same thing again this year – this time in New York. Dave is already there and I leave in four days to join him. Our time will be divided between West Harlem, Manhattan and Brooklyn, and all the vegetarian restaurants that we can find.

The first half of the year has flown by working on our studies and hosting the various Egan’s that have visited. It's incredible that we've had 7 family members since December. New Zealand has an incredible supply of beauty and it's always nice to have an excuse to appreciate it. The prize winning visitors have to be my mom, dad, and Seth who were put to serious work - felling trees, cutting trails, pulling weeds and hiking until toenails fell off. I hope they remember their time fondly.

I'm supposedly halfway through my thesis and keep thinking of the quote by Will Durant - "Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance." As Dave would say, at least this is keeping me off the streets.

Dave and I (or we should actually say Aaron) put up a cabin in Tairua. We spent our first weekend there a ew weeks ago celebrating my 30^th birthday. The cabin has amazing views and is incredibly comfortable - we slept on the same air mattress that we used at Harvard and marvelled at all the amazing things in our lives that we get to do.

Now, as I write this, I’m drinking another cup of tea in an effort to stay warm and huddling next to the little space heater that I’ve been dragging from room to room. I woke up this morning and saw my breath. It looks like it’s time to migrate.

06 January 2009

The P-nut & the Pickle are going to Beantown

I didn’t think that we’d like Auckland as much as we do. We have been spoiled in the last month with music and socializing and eating out and attending lectures.

In the past week Dave and I have had some fairly significant milestones; Dave finally turned in his thesis (and is no longer absolved of his share in the household duties) and we both got word that we have been offered internships in Boston. After we stopped jumping on the bed and screaming about how happy we are, we started calling family and friends to let them know that we would be in the same hemisphere with them for June, July and August. Again, we’re doing our damnedest to arrange our lives in a way that we can have an endless summer.

Now my favorite refrain is, “what are you looking forward to most?” Next to the obvious things that we are both excited for (with one squishy little nephew being at the apex), we are both ecstatic that we have been given opportunities to work with organizations that we are truly inspired by.

So, beware - if you live within a four hour radius of Boston (either by plane or by car), we will be knocking at your door and sleeping on your couch.

Crazy Larry with his Bum Knee

My time in the U.S. over the holidays was excellent, but i’m not sure that I will ever get used to living my life in these concentrated doses. It’s like the Brandeis quote: “A man may have six meals one day and none the next, making an average of three meals per day, but that is not a good way to live.” I grudgingly admit that most people live their lives either in the past or the future; however, I would like to average out the two at some point in my life and find a way to live mostly in the present.

As we prepare to move to Auckland and I pack my life once again into neatly (and not so neatly) labeled boxes, I marvel at the fact that over a year and a half has lapsed for us here in Tairua. I wonder if we’re going to miss this place and then, drunk on the ecstasy of knowing that our departure is imminent, I think of all the good times that we’ve had:

Wah baptizing himself in the river at Te Moata or finding out that Crazy Larry (the guy that tried to pick a fight with aaron) has a vulnerable knee that we could use to our advantage in our next altercation. Far too many of my good memories of Tairua involve Crazy Larry. I don’t think that I’ve ever exchanged a word with him, but the image of him riding a tractor through town towing a fishing boat has left an indelible impression on me and I’m sure he won’t soon be forgotten. I might even miss the cranky lady at the corner store.

We will miss the beauty of the Coromandel and the abundant supply of beaches, but like my dad says, I still haven't come across a part of New Zealand that isn't beautiful.

Cree-eepy

Aaron and Lynsey had a Day of the Dead celebration that included a 15 meter homemade cave that took a year in the making, handmade tamales with smuggled ingredients from the U.S., and more chocolate treats than my belly had room for.

I love Halloween - partially because I don’t think that I ever fully recovered from missing 6 consecutive Halloweens as a kid in Australia (and my mom giving the neighbors candy in advance to give to us doesn’t count). The following are some photos to prove my overcompensation.