Schrodinger's Cat

in the sprawl

Here I am in Remuera, looking out on Rangitoto. Tonight's the night Sonic Youth are playing in Auckland, and I'll be there. I saw them in 1998 and to be honest found it a little anticlimactic, they were good rather than great. I left feeling like I wanted to see them again and get them on a good night. People still talk about seeing them on the Washing Machine tour of 1995...

It does add to my sense that 2004 is for me about revisiting things from the last few years and wrapping up loose ends so I can move on overseas next year. This is a much more stable year than last year, and I'm finally managing to relax. One of the good things about being a student again is that we get reasonable length holidays (three weeks a year is nowhere near enough, I think ten would be better, and nobody should work more than 30 hours per week unless they really want to) so I'm spending the first half of my semester break in Auckland. I'm not without responsibilities, I'm way behind on shorthand practice so I've got the holiday to catch up (wouldn't want to fail the course now would I?), but it is good to have a break.

It's all spring from here. I went to a pot-luck dinner last weekend at a 14-person flat on Allenby Terrace (in Wellington), seemed a good way to mark the solstice. I was amused to be mistaken for a gay when I didn't immediately make the sign of the cross and run screaming when I walked into a bedroom and some girls were watching gay porn. It was the meal where I asked for more Greek salad rather than more beef curry that convinced them though. Ironically in the end just for once I didn't have to sleep alone.

Getting to Auckland was pretty absurd, I waited for a bus to the airport when I should have got a taxi, and missed my flight. I hitchhiked to Palmerston North and got the overnight train from there, so not a big problem except for the $115 plane ticket down the toilet. I've always thought of Auckland as a black hole which sucks away my bank balance whenever I visit. I had a cheap night out last night though, went to a party for Fleet FM (which is just starting to broadcast in Wellington) - seven or eight bands for $5. I bought two beers and stayed out til 6am.

I arranged to play at Vitamin S on Monday. This is the Auckland weekly free improv music evening. Unlike Wellington which seems to have a core group of ten or so 'regulars' who always play together, the Vitamin S system is to draw three names out of a hat, people who haven't played together before, and see what happens. So I'll be thrown in the deep end with two locals on Monday and have no idea what to expect. Could be something good.

I can hopefully borrow my nephew's guitar for Monday - there's a choice of a Fender Stratocaster, a Musicman, and a Suzuki classical guitar. Vox or Fender amps. My nephews are rich kids, their dad (my brother in law) is a Fonterra executive. They've just come back from Tokyo and I'm now staying with them in Remuera. The house must cost a million dollars minimum, it has a small swimming pool etc. The boys are competitive swimmers, out all day today at a swim meet on the north shore. It's all another world to me. Auckland as a concept is hard to get my head around, it consists of suburbs and built up areas as far as the eye can see. It's rolling open countryside except for all these buildings and roads on it. From a good vantage point in Wellington you can see the edges of town, not so here. You could walk all day and still be in town I imagine.

Anyway, it's good to have reached the mid-point of the year, and doubly good to be on holiday. Auckland should keep me entertained for the next few days. If I can afford it (if I can get some work during the week) it should be worth staying around for the Dead C next Saturday. And Sonic Youth tonight... noise mecca. Anyone want to explain why they're not both playing in Wellington though?

Posted by fiffdimension at June 26, 2004 05:46 PM | TrackBack