Last time I was here was this autumn, and the trees that were then all golden are now blooming again. I skipped the wintery part. I was half expecting snow in the streets, but it's been sunny & warm during the day. The temperature will drop at night though.
I spent the weekend pretty much locked away in my room reading George Orwell's Keep the Aspidistra Flying - I think he's my new literary hero. That book's a fairly dark satire quite applicable to how I've been feeling recently. For some reason I just ran out of steam on the course a month too early. I made the fatal error of letting depression get to me. It's sad how my hair's been falling out the last couple of months, maybe as a result of that, if it doesn't stop I'll end up with a bald spot. I wouldn't mind going grey but really don't want to be bald. My dad's kept his hair pretty well but my grandad had hardly any so I could be in trouble. Maybe I'm using the wrong kind of shampoo or maybe it was shorthand that did it.
This morning I was a nervous wreck, getting up late and then scurrying around frantically to get ready for my flight. I made it to the airport OK though. The flight to Christchurch seemed surprisingly quick, and there was nothing but grey out the window. The physical travel seemed illusionary, especially since Christchurch airport looks pretty similar to Wellington's - same chain stores. I felt better being out of town though, had a slice of pizza at the airport and got the next flight to Dunedin. The small measured doses of food and drink were oddly amusing - 100ml of chilled water on each flight, a lolly before Christchurch (which I dropped on the floor, interfering with the sterile feel of the plane), 15g of chocolate and a cup of coffee before Dunedin.
There was less cloud further south, and looking down on the South Island from the air was pretty wonderful. I can absolutely see why they call this 'the mainland', I'd like to spend a bit of time here. The snowy alps looked pretty enticing.
One of my bags failed to turn up in Dunedin - has my laptop in it so could have been a major problem. They say they'll courier it to the newspaper tomorrow morning though.
The Mosgiel newspaper is pretty provincial - one reporter. Her office is small and windowless. She seems slightly mistrustful of me, hopefully I don't prove incompetent. My shorthand sucks but if I actually try and use it for note taking it should improve. The hours are 8.30am-5.30pm, so I'll have to get up early since I'm spending tonight in Dunedin.
I've also got a gig lined up for tomorrow at None Gallery if any of you are in Dunedin. I didn't bring a guitar though, too much hassle in the end to carry around. Maybe I can borrow one, or failing that just perform a short story. I really have no idea what's going to happen tomorrow, the sense of improvisation is refreshing. I'm definitely in for a challenge here, but that's a good thing. It does feel a relief to be out of Wellington.
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Posted by fiffdimension at October 18, 2004 06:09 PM | TrackBack