To have life sorted!

Have had such a cool couple of weeks.. have been manically busy but its been good. I'm knackered but happy!
Have been testing out my new sleeping bag by sleeping over RoRo's (Rosie's) house. Its very good so I made the right choice! I was worried about it rustling but it didn't so thats all cool! At least Dallen at work (kathmandu work) understood the rustling issue was an important consideration in the choosing of sleeping bags, am still giggling at his story of camping as a child and being absolutely terrifed and laying awake for hours because he could hear someone walking around in the leaves outside of the tent.. only to realise it was his eyelashes rustling against the sleeping bag everytime he blinked!
By the way for future reference when buying rainwear always get goretex!! We did this realy cool test at kathmandu (we always get to do cool stuff!) wearing a normal plastic anorak glove on one hand and a goretex glove on the other one. and then we had to dunk them in water and wear each for a while etc.. both were dry but the normal plastic one was so hot and clammy it felt wet.. and of course gortex is the most waterproof you can get for all conditions so there we are thats why you should get goretex!
Melanie at Kathmnadu work was telling me a story the other week of her days managing a backpackers in Punakaiki, made me realise I've been bloody lucky with the ones I've run that nothing really bad has ever happened.. apparently one night an american tourist caught one of the other guests (a kiwi) going through his bag while he was alseep and of course told him to get off and stopped him stealing his stuff, (as you would) only he stabbed the poor american tourist in the head... god can you imagine?! and I though Punakaiki was a perfect little place.. but I guess every tiny little village is still going to have dodgy people going through it ruining it.
I realised with my lovely little life the last couple of weeks I've been cocooned from stuff (which is great and I plan to keep it this way!). Here I am in the library and theres this group of girls one of which had a baby toddling around. I am so glad they have just gone because it was like working in the refuge again. The poor baby kept running around and needed its nappy changing so got screamed at and hit, and for 15 minutes every second word was f'ing this and f'ing that. Now I swear , so who am I to be judgmental? (mind you I dotn sear in front of children) but thats exactly what I'm doing, forming a judgment of them... 15 minutes in the same room as that lot raised my blood pressure and stressed me out.. as for that poor baby.. god I am soooo glad I got away from working in that refuge.. every day was like that..
Anyway.. I think most of my good mood has been the fact I have been at Tasman St so much. Its so lovely there.. so chilled out its not like work and the people are just great (especially Rosie and Helen).
I had a good weekend at the backpackers, it was busy but the people were interesting and friendly, had lots of cool chats with this english girl who's been travelling for 9 years.. but is finally going to do one more season as a tour rep and then go home!
But even though it was busy nearly everyone went out during the day so after I spent the morning cleaning I could chill out and read in the afternoons. Finished "The Horse Whisperer" which was great. I saw the film years ago but its a really lovely book too. It was beautuful weather so I moved the beanbags out and a few of us chilled out in the sunshine.. I made banana choc chip muffins and made lots of tourists happy! we had alot of japanese tourists in and they get so excited about things its really cute! They are so funny.. they were taking photos of the muffins and me cooking them.. not that I should take that as a compliment, two of the girls took a video of themselves hanging out their washing???!!! oh god I pity the poor people at home who have to sit through all those videos and photos!!
Anyway, come Sunday I was just cashing up for the night when Helen texted me and asked me if I wanted to go round Rosies for a DVD? Thought why not and was informed to bring my sleeping bag and be ready in 10 mins.. and I've been running around ever since!! Anyway, we had a nice nice, chat and stuff but were knackered so fell asleep early, the bright side is we were all going to work in the same place in the morning.. the bad side is we were all 5 minutes late!! (dont think chris was overly exstatic!). After work Helen invited me over to hers for dinner, so went over there, Marty cooked us chicken stufffed with all these yummy things..and home made mini steamed puds and then we went for a nice long walk with Daisy the dog and her 2 year old Elly. But he got tired so we walked to my house and I looked after Elly while she went and got the car.. it was really cute, the japanese girls were very excited!! He found a torch under my bed and flashed it in everyones eyes and then settled down with a pen and paper..! I assured worried lookign tourists that he was only their for 20 mins though and wasnt staying (although it would have been amusing to teaste tehm telling them yeah, course he was staying, he was in the bunk below them!). Then we headed over Ro'Ro's for a while and Helen headed home. Ro'Ro and I stayed up really late gossiping, it was really good, shes good at asking questions and finding out stuff but also really good at saying the right stuff.. I reckon she should be a therapist or something!! and shes planning on going travelling so we have plenty to chat about!We were very good despite our late night and managed to be EARLY for work the next day which is always good! Both Helen and RoRo are so easy to talk to and whats best is what you see is what you get!! They also take the chronic piss out of me all the time though but they assure me this is because they like me.. my current nicname is fudgie.. (?!!) everyone else at work just looks amused! (this is shortened from the previous nicname of fudgepacker).. I guess because they are from a family of 5 children they are just used to all the constant teasing!!
Anyway, another good day at work followed.. I went to Rosies for dinner and then she dropped me off at home just in time for Sharon to pick me up for Tuesday night group.. which was an awesome night.. really enjoyed it.. was basically an evening of analsying tarot cards.. we each had a card and then we went round individually giving the meanings for that card and that person.. I really enjoyed doing it as I have quite strong visons for people from the cards so it was a great oportunity to give people positive messages.. and they are a great bunch of people.. it went on pretty late so I pretty much fell into bed.. or would have if the bathrooms hadnt been occupied and got caught up in chat with a spanish dude who is shocked at how early kiwis eat.. he had no idea England was like that too.. I guess its just a completely different way of living.. he couldnt understand how people dont have a life after work as he puts it.. he reckons you should be off doing stuff for hours after work and then be coming home to eat at 10 or 11.. I can see the concept of having an evening is great but in reality it was 11pm and I was ready for bed and the thought of staying up eating was the last thing on my mind!
Funny the combo of people you get in a backpackers, this morning theres a very arguementative israeli guy in my room. I find alot of israelis like this, they like to confront people. Anyway he said I was stupid for going to Australia for so long and I was wasting my time and should go somewhere intersting like Africa.. I assured him if everyone wanted the same things it would be a boring world.. and I desperately wanted to go to Africa, but one place at a time.. and no country is ever a waste of time!
He also informed me I couldnt get teaching english abroad jobs in foreign countries if I didnt speak any other languages.. and got very tetchy when I said I had friends who were doing just that and doing great! So all in all it was good to be escaping him..!
I had the day off today and went on a bonecarving workshop which was absolutely brilliant! I had a such a good time! Last week I had drawn exactly what I wanted to do which was a wave and a koru combined. then last night in my sleep I changed my mind completely and had to get up early to put it on paper! I really wasnt sure if it would work or if it was possible because I had so many ideas it semed like I would have to make 6 carvings! But I managed to combine my ideas into one and make one carving which suited all my ideas!! I love it!! I am so happy with it!! and I did it all myself! Bone is such a warm product to work with. Could defiantely take it up as a hobby and could happily do the workshop again and again!! I said this after doing the pounamu (greenstone) carving so I would definately like to do more stuff like it and will be looking out for more stuff like it around the world!
Finished fairly early so headed back home and caught up with Louise who I havent seen in weeks..
Then finally after 6 months of living in Nelson finally went to Jensons Jewellers to see "the ring". This is the jewellers that made the lord of the rings jewellery and "the ring"!! I saw the original prototype and ones worn my cast members. Apparently the engravings were computer generated!!
Bumped into Dallen so popped into kathmandu. They are shut for the week and moving back into the old store so I am missing all the fun and excitement! I mean that genuinely without sarcasm.. am actually really jealous! they had some of the cover staff from last time, one of which was so happy to see me.. it was really nice to be missed! He informed me it wasnt nearly as much fun without me! They are such a nice bunch of people! so sat on the front desk being fed chocolate for a while (they know the way to my heart!). Andrew has been chosen for the next catalogue shoot. So he gets a month in Japan all expenses paid.. lucky bastard.. if I was the remotist bit photogenic I'd have applied too (I mean I know I'm not all sporty and dont have model good looks and all that stuff but since they now have clothing up to a size 20 they could do with some non size 8 models!! (and I'm all up for a month in japan!!) anyway, I know he'll be great at it, shame I wont be in NZ to see the new catelogue.. must make sure I go online to check it out next season.. (someone remind me!)
Now I'm in the library catching up on my blog.. (as you can see!) and then tonight I am off to the circus with Helen and co which should be cool.. am looking forward to it!
Hopefully at some point one night I will have some time to download some more photos on here.. I'll have to go to the internet shop as its incredibly slow at work and Ro'Ro's house..
anyway I only came in here to put a brief update on my blog to assure you I'm alive and here I am having written an essay!!