We saw Episode 1 on the first day in NZ - 14/06/99

I got real lucky and scored a pair of tickets from Hewlett-Packard so Rory and I went to see Episode I. It started about 7:00pm and he was fading in parts, but we both enjoyed it. Really pleased that I could get him in to it on the first day, he spent the next day telling everyone he knew that he had seen it, and some complete strangers. It is a good movie, not necessarily the best of all time or anything, but a good movie nevertheless. The first movie Samuel L Jackson appears in where he doesn't say motherf**ker or kill someone.
He (Rory) wants to see it again. Talk about a packed program on Thursday. Soccer from 5-6, parent teacher interview at 6, then home to get changed (removed boots while talking to the teacher) and at the theatre and seated by about 6:40. Phew.
I reckon I might be taking my grandchildren to Episode VII - it is about 21 years since I first saw Episode IV. George Lucas could die before then, so he may have to hurry up. I hear Episode II is not due out until 2002.
We lost convincingly to the SAfs on Wed night/Thurs morning, which severely reduced our chances of making the semi's.
England keeps drawing with other teams in the Euro Soccer qualifying, which is pretty pathetic.
Woman with two dead kids in her boot was charged with murder.
Another woman, charged with stabbing someone during the week, was discharged from some sort of psychiatric care a few hours beforehand. Duh! Release them into the community - good thinking. Then they stab people they know rather than psychiatric nurses, reduces ACC costs.
A crim that escaped from Paremoremo a few years ago, someone said six but it can't be that long, was found in a Wellington night club, so his little holiday was all over. I think one that escaped at the time is still on the run, or on the dance floor.
Speaking of ACC, we go private at the end of the month, major hassle. Still have to pay ACC something for outstanding liability - good one, we have never had a claim, why should we care? Wankers never paid me a cent when I was off work with my leg a couple of years ago.
Some dorkish woman reckons we need signs on swings at playgrounds warning they are dangerous, after her 14 month old fell out of a baby swing and broke her leg. If this happens, you will see playgrounds dotted with signs like this:
Warning - grass slippery when wet!
Attention - slide works on gravity and heavy people may go faster
Beware - if you walk backwards across this carpark with your eyes shut you may get hit by a car, or possibly bump into something. Please emit a loud beeping sound to warn others if you do so.
Warning - don't yell "nigger" in this playground - signed Otara City Council
I mean come on! This is so pathetic. As bad as that case about the kid that drowned in a pool when unsupervised. Haven't heard what happened on that yet.
Some decision last week about NZ children of Christmas Island nuclear test victims and Agent Orange sufferers that they aren't suffering due to their Father's exposure. However, they decided there is a moral obligation to help them.
The Beligian Dioxin scare reached down here. All bottles of Belgian Dioxin have been removed from shelves. Local Dioxin manufacturers are doing very well. Now they are selling it in a squeezable bottle with a handy pourer.
The Kosovo war seems to be sorting itself out, thank god. Got a little bit hairy for a while with the Russki's, could have been Berlin all over again.
Locally, Telecom are trying to charge for local calls when used for internet, bastards. Comes about a week after offering a flat rate for Xtra, their ISP. Complete bastards.
Approval was given for dead men's sperm to be used for their wives to have babies in NZ late last week. Christians don't like it, the whole lack of family angle mainly. Seems kind of strange that it is okay for a single woman to be inseminated with sperm from a complete stranger who may be dead or alive, and yet a widow couldn't do so. They have to have written consent from the donor before they become dead. Post-death consent is yet to be approved.

The Toys are going okay, gross sales now very close to half the cost of the first shipment. Halfway to the first target I suppose.

Sport was a little dreary over the weekend, except for the Orcas game. We played at Ellerslie at 8:30, on the weekend Diana was away in Tauranga (more on that later), so I had to get the two person team ready on my own, quickly and be out the door by 8:00am. Was tough, but we did it. The lads did very well, Rory had a good game, a few good runs and great support of others with the ball. Joseph had tonsilitis, but played anyway, true commitment these lads. We won 4-0, but the last goal was awesome. Harry threw in the ball near the enemy goal, Logan chipped it towards the goal and Liam popped it in, three people, bing, bang, boom, classic movement, very quick, everyone was stunned, including the other seven in the team. Joseph got two goals, Ryan one, thought he had broken his wrist in a tackle at one point, and Liam got player of the day (hung around the enemy goal the whole game, so it had to happen - the goal I mean, although a pass from Ryan to Liam was dead on the goal so Liam let it go, so he was discerning). They really are starting to act like a cohesive team. Next year they start to play positions, if they keep playing.
The All Blacks played NZA on Friday night, not exactly riveting, bit like kissing your grandmother, not a real test. They won, but the NZA team could have come close if they had a bit more luck. SA beat Italy, and Australia beat Ireland no real surprises there. Wales beat Argentina to win the series, well done. France played Western Samoa in Apia, at one point Samoa was down to 13 men, so they lost although it was 22-22 with about four minutes to go and France ended up about 37-22. We play Manu Samoa next Friday night I think. South Island versus South Auckland.
The women's hockey team beat South Korea 1-0 then lost to the Netherlands 2-1 in a tournament in Australia. They need to come 5th out of 6 to qualify for the Olympics.
The Warriors must have lost, they played a team that wasn't made up entirely of blind paraplegics with the 'flu. Talks of them and Wests joining forces as merger fever strikes the NRL. I think the Roosters won (Sydney City), they scored two tries in about four minutes at the start of the game, now top of the table.
Nearly forgot the cricket. We beat the Indians and made the semi-finals, bit lucky but we are there. Watched the last half hour or so in the morning, twice. South Africa thumped Zimbabwe, so we ended up on the same points as them but with a better run-rate, put us third with one game left between Aust and SAf. Australia beat South Africa to squeak in at the last minute. We play Pakistan and Australia play South Africa again. Interestingly, all three of the teams from our half of the super six came through, and only one from the other pool (SAF). That was the pool the poms couldn't qualify in, doesn't sound good for English cricket but gives us hope for the tour of England that starts after the World Cup finishes. After our two losses in a row to Pakistan in 1992, this is crunch/payback time against them. Imzamam Al Haq is still in their team, he knackered us in those other two games. A couple of players are in our team that played them then, not many. Harris and Larsen, maybe Cairns. Can't say I am very optimistic, but you never know. They have done well already, considering we get beaten by the Ilford Girls 3rd XI.
Well, spent the weekend as a solo dad. Diana went off to Tauranga for a wine/rain soaked weekend with three other supposedly oppressed Pt Chev Mums, Helena Thompson, Jan Lewis, and Leslie Mitchell. Chaos at the Thommies on Friday night, with ten kids racing around. I took my two home early as Ruby splashed turps all over Hannah before she got to the Thommies and I wanted to get it out of her hair and off her skin sooner rather than later. Didn't bother her much, guess she got used to the smell.
Quiet night with pizza at home in front of the telly on Friday, then mad scramble for soccer in the morning. Then we came home and Jared and Harry came over to play, Hannah had a party to go to (Henri, son of the roof painter, Mum), so I figured it was a good thing to do. After dropping off Hannah, we went to Rocket Park and mostly played soccer games. Bumped into Brian and Cathy and their three kids (don't know his last name, friends of Joanne and Wendy and Richard).
Another Pt Chev mother, Megan I think, saw me while I was looking for wool in the Goldmine and took pity (maybe it was the "Diana's left me and I don't know how to knit and it's cold and the kids have got nothing to wear" and the tears that did it) - Hannah wanted to do some knitting after Jackie popped in on Friday night and did some "threading" as Hannah called it. I spent a chunk of the weekend on looking for information on how to French knit - took about half an hour on the web to find out what it was called. Anyway, Megan dropped off some wool for me. After about three versions, I had a suitable device, and figuring out the how was the problem. Got there in the end with some advice from Kath, but still took some figuring. Mind bogglingly simple if you know what to do. The Mark IV proved to be the best, an improvement after we had got started. Spent a fair bit of time in the garage making these things. Anyway, Hannah was into it in a big way on Sunday and by today we had two long skinny knitted things. She is going to kindy today with one tied in her hair. Diana said the last thing she expected was to come home to find me and Hannah knitting, but said it was good that I did something like that after Star Wars the other day with Rory.
Went to Macdonalds for the obligatory breakfast yesterday, went swimming at Henderson, and that was just about it. Diana was happy to get home to an alcohol free environment. They certainly contributed to a local wine and latte shortage in Tauranga over the weekend.