Mawidge

 The second half of 2010 was a whirlwind for me.  To the surprise of many (not the least of which was me), I got married in December.  We met in 2009 and started dating in July, which to some may seem quick but when you get to our age maturity you have a better idea of what you want in an Eternal Companion.

Let the above photo be a warning to all who are planning a wedding... Never let family and friends have access to your house while you are on honeymoon.  My flatmate (US translation: roommate) decided to express her happiness in a way she knew I'd understand.  We both love Princess Bride and one of our favourite scenes is Peter Cook performing the wedding ceremony.

After us newlyweds had managed to hit the road (muchly delayed by a toilet-papered, glad-wrapped, oreo-cookie-encrusted car - thanks Tony...), both sets of in-laws and sundry friends gathered to celebrate their chance to trash the house with no fear of retribution.  After all, we would be gone for a week and by then they would have scattered to their respective corners of the country and globe.

My flatmate's parting gift (and don't get me wrong - I laughed 'til my ribs hurt when I saw it) was to graffiti the window with a sentiment that's best pronounced with Peter Cook in mind.  Yes, folks - that's wedding cake.  Red velvet, to be precise (thanks Natascha, it was lovely!).

I think the only thing that amused me more was to connect two conversations with rellies when we got back:

Bro-in-law:     "Did you find all the eggs with holes in them?"
and
Mum:     "Your brother's plane was struck three times by lightning."

Oh - and we can't forget the wonderful job they did with decorating for Christmas.  The attic looked lovely.

The Doctor vs. Donna

I was the kid who had a ridiculously long scarf in honour of Tom Baker's Doctor.  So it was a happy day a couple of years ago when I discovered that not only had they brought Doctor Who back in 2005, but there are Americans who actually know about the series and enjoy watching it.

While engaging in an aimless internet surfing session online research, I stumbled across a comic gem.  David Tennant and Catherine Tate (as Lauren Cooper) back together again in this beauty of a skit:

Kia Kaha Christchurch

 By now you've likely heard about the recent earthquake which hit Christchurch, NZ.  TV, newspapers and blogs have all been loaded up with heart-rending images and reports.  This devastation is not my home; this is a war zone happening somewhere else.  It's hard to get my mind around it.

I got two calls the day the earthquake hit (Tues in NZ, Mon evening in ATL) - one from Mum to say she was okay and another from a friend checking on my family.  Mum's good like that; I find out family's okay before things make it into the news here.  Streaming NewstalkZB has helped greatly to keep up with what's going on and how people are doing in Christchurch and around the country.  One caller suggested people change the voicemail on their phones to say that they're okay.  Even if family and friends can't reach you, they still know you're alive.

Last night I received an email from the New Zealand Consulate in Atlanta, GA.  The Consul has been sending out regular updates which help give a feeling of connection to home. The internet is mightily impersonal when what you really need is human voices and a familiar accent.  Kiwi Expat organisation KEA posted on Facebook asking us to wear black and red - Canterbury's colours - on Fri 25 Feb and Sat 25 Feb.

Probably the only time in my life I'll wear Canterbury colours intentionally.  But this isn't about rugby.  This is about Kiwis doing what we do best in a crisis.  Kia Kaha Christchurch.

Honey Bees

When was the last time you saw a honey bee?  You may have heard something about the recent decline in honey bees.  Today I realised where they've all gone.  Watched any of the Soccer World Cup?  And you thought that buzzing was kazoos...

Okay, so I'm making light of a serious worry.  Ever thought about what the hard working honey bee does for us?  Why We Need Bees explains:

"More than $15 billion a year in U.S. crops are pollinated by bees, including apples, berries, cantaloupes, cucumbers, alfalfa, and almonds.  U.S. honey bees also produce about $150 million in honey annually. But fewer bees means the economy takes a hit: The global economic cost of bee decline, including lower crop yields and
increased production costs, has been estimated at as high as $5.7 billion per year."

As much as I didn't enjoy being stung two separate times as a teenager, I've always been fascinated by honey bees.  And they need our help.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

This arrived in an email today, regarding the New Zealand All Whites Soccer team at the World Cup.  Our lads didn't lose a match - they were all draws.  So technically we didn't lose.  Gotta love a positive thinker!

Vinegar!

Lately I've been using vinegar for cleaning all sorts of things.  It's a lot cheaper than standard cleaners and not as bad for the environment.  My two favourites (so far) are:

• use white vinegar instead of fabric softener in the final rinse.  You don't need much; half fill one of those plastic ball things that you can buy for fabric softener for a full load of clothes.
• apple cider vinegar is great on hair instead of conditioner.  Pour about a cup over your hair after shampooing - it will get rid of soap build-up and leave your hair shiny and soft.  They say you can use vinegar for a rinse every time you wash your hair, but I do it once a week or every other week.

Don't worry about having a vinegar smell - it's gone by the time it dries (the only time this hasn't happened was when I got a bit overzealous with one load of laundry and put in twice as much as I needed...).  Clothes come out smelling fresh like they've been hanging outside in clean air to dry.  Recently I reverted to fabric softener for a laundry load (the vinegar bottle was downstairs and I couldn't be bothered getting it) and when the clothes were dry I almost choked on the strong, sickly sweet smell of the fabric softener.  And I use a mildly scented one...  You don't notice how strongly they smell until you quit using them for a while.

There are plenty of web pages with tips, two good ones are HERE and HERE.  It's great for some plants too - azaleas, gardenias and rhododendrons love it apparently.  And it will stop ants from coming in the house.  Yay for vinegar!

Good Things to Come

A beautiful message of hope in a time of confusion and suffering.



The full text of Jeffrey R. Holland's talk can be found HERE