What's shaking in New Zealand - 29/11/04

A depressingly small number of days until Christmas. Our paper didn't arrive this morning, we are disoriented.

LOCAL NEWS

There was an earthquake in the South Island on Tuesday, it registered 7.2 on herr Richter's scale, 33km below the ground. Nobody was hurt. People felt it as far north as Rotorua.

An HIV-positive man who admitted having unsafe sex has been charged now with criminal nuisance when he had safe sex with someone else without admitting his status. It seems this guy gets around, and I have to say that the woman seems guilty of poor judgement. However, this does appear to be a poor use of police time and the courts.

There's been a pseudo-scandal for the last week or two about the SIS supposedly bugging maori activist type people and possibly some MPs. I am not really sure why, they are unlikely to say or do anything interesting.

Been lots about the Mt Erebus air crash this week, it is 25 years since nearly 300 people died in Air New Zealand's biggest accident (and NZs largest loss of life event).

There's been debate about a V8 race in Auckland for weeks, it got knocked on the head, and now other cities want it. I know that I don't care about motor racing, and you could argue I have a selfish view, but I don't really see why I should be upset about it when it would cause traffic mayhem for three or four days in the city. They reckon it would bring $300m into the city but I suspect I lack enough altruism to be bothered about it. Naturally, other cities are poking fun at Auckland for not doing it. Gives them something to do, I suppose.

People in NZ who have had non-custodial convictions can now not mention them after they have been out of trouble for seven years. I suppose that is a good thing, not sure what that means with travelling to US and such, apparently they have had "fading chalk" on the slate in Australia and England for a while.

WORLD NEWS

Iran narrowly escaped the justice of Team America this week.

REAL SPORT

Rory's Water Polo C team drew 8-8 on Monday night with Sacred Heart White. They should have won.

The North Island Intermediate School Tournament started on Thursday. Rory's Year 7 team had two very tough games (like 15-2) in pool play in the tournament and a very close game that they lost 2-3. Their first game was against Bruce McLaren that won the Div 1 final the week before (and they should have been playing in the A competition, it was pretty cheap that they didn’t). They then went into the plate round. They won their first game by default (other team didn't arrive). Then they won their second game against Glenfield, who looked good but didn't really fire. Then we were going to play a friendly against Glen Eden (who's opposition didn't show up either, same team I think) but then we realised we were due to play them the next day so we made it the real game (which gave us Saturday off). We won that game too. We lost the playoff for top team in the plate to the team we lost to on the first day, 2-3 (same result, too). We led until the fourth quarter, so annoying.

Tournament in Tauranga this weekend for the club team.

SPORT

We don't mention cricket.

We mention rugby, because the ABs won their game against France, convincingly (45-6) and we needed some good news.

We mention Man Utd winning 3-0 over West Brom, Chelsea beat Charlton 4-0, at half time Liverpool were up 1-0 over the Arse, they equalised, then Liverpool snuck one in during extra time to get a win 2-1. Chelsea lead table by five points.

MY SAD LIFE

With one lot of water polo finished, Rory had less training than usual (in fact, no training this week at all, only seven games). We went to the pool to swim four times this week, and although they closed earlier than expected one day, he swam nearly 5km this week. I swam 4.5km, which is pretty good. I reckon 182 lengths in a week is more than I do most years. Hannah has been coming now and again, did 55 on Saturday and was buggered, but a pretty good effort.

I finished two books this week. That is quite big news given that I have been reading one since Father's Day in September (A Complete History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson). It was funny because I told Diana I thought I was getting close to the end (on page 573, with about a hundred pages to go), then I looked at the pages that remained and they were all index and references and I was on the second to last page. Then I finished the book I was reading before I got it. Then, on Saturday, I got out another book from the library that I only half read (The Scientests, very long and hard to digest).

My friend Babara is slowly improving. Her fractured leg is the main problem now, but she is having cataract surgery this week (she needs it, believe me, she can barely see).

I heard from Jack this week.

Paul has been to Yosemite with Paul Chambers and Rachel. They are both working in skifields over winter in US.

Ben turned four on Saturday.

It is Charles' birthday on Saturday. It is mine on Friday, turning forty doesn't bother me, I just won't answer any more surveys. I like Judy's idea of changing from birthdays to anniversaries. I don't want hair dye or wrinkle cream for my birthday, in case you are wondering.

The cats both lost their collars this week. Ollie is able to remove his new one easily and Pandora decided she wasn't going to be the only one with a collar.

This next bit should be "Gavin's Sad Life"

Gavin's dog Shushi broke the bottom glass panel of his front door in the week leading up to Guy Fawkes because she is scared of the noise and she forces her way through the cat door (she's too big for it). It cost Gavin $160 to repair it. Then, while he was out on Saturday night, someone let off more fireworks - bang, there goes the door again. Gavin's been working long hours lately (like 55 hours a week) and earning overtime, which has been funding the replacement glass and his dental work. The second time, he wasn't too happy, especially when he worked out how many overtime hours it too to replace the glass panel. On Sunday, I suggested he use plywood or something else, thicker glass or perhaps perspex that would stand up to it better. Anyway, on Tuesday he had it replaced with thicker glass. Tuesday afternoon there was a thunderstorm, and she broke it again (miraculously, with glass everywhere, she doesn't actually hurt herself). The new glass had been in less than five hours (which is less time than it takes to earn the money to pay for the replacement. Poor Gavin was not feeling too happy, so I sent him a text message which went like this:
Glass: $85.
Labour: $75.
Having a friend that doesn't take the piss about his stupid dog: priceless.
I found out later the glass is cracked but intact so doesn't require immediate replacement, although the dog arguably might.

Well, bye for now. I have to install a larger letterbox to handle all the gifts.