Lesson for the day

This blog entry is brought to you by the word "pants" and by the letter "z".

We continue to learn and adjust. Here are some examples of New Zealand vocabulary and spelling.

The word "pants"

slang definition - rubbish, no good, bag of shit

ex - "that's pants!"

The letter "Z" or as they call it here "zed"

Is apparently a rarely used letter.

Of course we use it regularly in the spelling of New Zealand

But otherwise the letter "z"(zed) is replaced with the letter "s" here

The 50 most common instances are: agonize, apologize, authorize, baptize, centralize, characterize, civilize, colonize, computerize, criticize, crystal(l)ize, dramatize, emphasize, exorcize, fertilize, fossilize, generalize, hypnotize, industrialize, institutionalize, jeopardize, localize, materialize, maximize, mechanize, mesmerize, minimize, mobilize, modernize, nationalize, naturalize, neutralize, organize, penalize, polarize, pressurize, publicize, rationalize, realize, revolutionize, scrutinize, specialize, subsidize, summarize, symbolize, sympathize, utilize, visualize.

http://www.spellingsociety.org/journals/j21/usukspell1.php

Parents and family close your eyes.

For those who like heights and a fun challenge...

Last weekend a group of us went to Adrenaline Forest http://www.adrenalin-forest.co.nz

It was a blast. I navigated courses #3 and #4. I really wanted to do #5 too, but I was exhausted and my muscles told me to take a break. It starts at about 13 meters above the ground and goes to 21 meters above. Course #5 is 25 meters high and they are currently building course #6. I do not know how high or difficult it will be yet. Next time I will do #4 and #5. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work. I have a few trophies (bruises) as well as some sore muscles but it was all worth it. Next time I will also be bringing my own pair of gloves - leather. It will make it easier I think. They only provided very worn, flimsy, cotton gloves.

Eric spent the day working so he missed out. But we will definitely be going back.

Adventurous in NZ,

Stacy

The Roxy opens in Miramar

It was a long time in the making, but the new Roxy Theatre (NZ spelling) in Miramar is now complete. It looks fabulous! All done in true 1930's Art Deco. Our good friend Warren Beaton did most of the designs for the theatre. It has two cinemas. Built to accommodate 3D - State of the art technology! A cafe and a full bar. If you want to find out more bout the theatre's history and the renovation check on the website.

http://www.roxycinema.co.nz

Wednesday March 30th, 2011 there was a special opening party held at the theatre. It was a Black tie affair - ideally dressed in 1930's attire, and invite only. While Eric and I are certainly not connected at that level, we had lots of friends that were there. Warren and Kim Beaton, Greg Broadmore who painted the amazing ceiling mural. Craig Campbell, who did some of the beautiful sculptures, and many other Weta crew.

Instead of going directly home after work, I hopped off the bus early to grab a few photos and see what I could see. I wished I had known that the party would include some beautiful old cars and that the public would be permitted to stand around outside as the guests arrived. I had assumed that it would have been kept private, blocked off and all inside - oh well.

So at least I had my nice little point and shoot camera with me. I got a few nice shots of the theatre with the old cars parked out in front, and few quick snaps of some familiar faces. Jamie Selkirk and Tania Rodgers (Richard Tayler's wife -her back towards us) are the two that drove this amazing project. That is them in front of the theatre. I got a lousy shot of Ian McKellen -he did not give the crowd much attention. The highlight, unfortunately not caught digitally, was the arrival of Peter Jackson. He does not usually attend these sort of things. He was one of the last to arrive, if not the last. He arrived sitting in the back seat of his own black Mercedes (dark windows) and they pulled up directly in front of the theatre entrance. He opened the door, got out and walked at a quick pace directly into the theatre giving none of the crowd any opportunity to grab a photo. It was truly a shame too. Because Peter had gone to the trouble of dressing himself up a the Rocketeer, complete with the original helmet which he apparently owns. Very cool!

We hope that movie theatre does well. It will be great if the little town area is rejuvenated. About three doors down there is also a new Mexican food restaurant opening up in a few weeks. La Boca Loca. Owned by a couple from California and the chef is from Puerto Vallarta. Our fingers are crossed that this will be good Mexican food -at least good enough to give us the much needed fix that we miss. We will let you know....

Cheers to all,

Stacy & Eric

A Day in the Life...

It is almost 8 months now that we have been here. We can't believe how fast the time has gone by. It is at this point that NZ life is settling down. The newness is wearing off and the day to day routines are setting in. We may be in one of the most amazing places on this planet, but just like anywhere else, there is still laundry to do and marketing and cleaning. All those mundane tasks that we all must do regularly.

So in addition to exploring this amazing country, we are doing he same things we always did. We get together with friends at least once or twice a week to enjoy TV, Movies, or fun conversation along with good food. And sometimes we just enjoy a lazy weekend doing not much of anything.

We still love our place, but I am not sure we will ever get used to renting and common walls. What we miss most at this point is some specific food - In N Out Burger and Mexican Food, family and friends, and I miss our shower in Seattle. It was very larger with dual shower heads. Okay that's probably too much information....

The weather is changing here and the rain will soon be regular along with more winds. We had a storm blow through the other night and it was kinda nice to hear the sound on the roof. It's always easier to enjoy a storm when you don't have to be out in it. Getting up in the morning has been rough - it is dark. We will be changing our clocks back in another 2 weeks.

Nothing more to report here at the moment. No real exciting plans on the near horizon. We will have a 4 day weekend in April (Easter) and we are trying to make plans to do something fun. I am waiting to hear on a new project at work - fingers crossed.

Warmest Regards to all,

Stacy & Eric

Christchurch

This is a photo taken on our trip in December. It was photographed after the September quake and obviously before February 22nd.

It is an odd feeling to realize that a place that you were standing in, experiencing and viewing is something that has now been destroyed. It is tragic, and saddening.

We have friends who are there, who are from there, who have family there.

It is amazing to see all the outpouring of help and support.

Cheers to everyone!

Those who have survived and those who are helping in any way they can.

What have I been doing?

We have been here now about 7 months (or as they say here "see-vin"). It is amazing how fast the time flies. Work has been good. And many people have been asking about what I am doing. I can't share all of the projects, but here are some that I can.

Check out:

www.rugbychallengegame.com

This will be releasing in time for the Rugby World Cup. I have been involved with the art work and with the motion capture sessions.

I have also been working on some of the "PikPok" titles. PikPok is the part of Sidhe that creates iPhone, iPad and Android games. Check out www.pikpok.com. I have credits on Zen Puzzle Garden, and Flick Kick Field Goal Kick Off.

Just having some fun

A friend was having a birthday party and we volunteered to do the cake.

Kim Graham and I baked, sculpted and decorated this together.

It was a challenge and lots of fun.

And fun is what it is all about. We are meeting lots of new and fun people.

Work is going well and I am enjoying it. Eric is still hoping to find work on the Hobbit, which has just announced it starts shooting on March 21st.(finally)

All in all, life is good. My only complaint if I had one would be that I am still trying to figure out the weather here. There are no patterns, it is not predictable, and it changes hourly. What they call "summer" in Wellington is much closer to "spring" in Seattle.