May 2001

Wednesday 2 May

Settling in to Welly. Sue and I have been badgering the many recruitment agencies with phone calls and emailed CVs and have a few positive leads. I’ll actually have to be a bit more mindful of what I write here though: in an interview at Lacey Lee on Tuesday my consultant had read this weblog and knew all about me! Bit unsettling but no harm was done and I think it helped him get a better picture of me. Sue’s got a day’s work this week and I’m crossing fingers about a few opportunities. Need some cash to pay back that fine…

Haven’t actually seen too much of the touristy side of the city. Dan came round for a few beers last night at our Kingston Mansion and we’re going to a restaurant with Joanna tonight. Apart from that, the limits of our new experiences are catching a trolley bus (bit like a tram with overhead electricity cables but otherwise a normal bus) and sitting in new internet cafes like, erm, this one.

Tuesday 8 May

Still no job and, although I’ve just had my third personnel agency interview in successive days with positive feedback and test results, it’s starting to piss me off. The only job I’ve (jokingly) been offered is sorting bottles of urine for some testing lab. That’s what it’s come to! Doesn’t help that Sue’s just started a month-long office job leaving me bored in the flat with only god-awful Kiwi TV for comfort.

Went to Te Papa, the free national museum, over the weekend. Throughly impressed and entertained and we couldn’t even manage to see everything we wanted to in one day. We’ve got plans to see a play at one of Wellington’s many theatres this weekend and start exploring the pubs and bars in Courtenay Place, the main entertainment street. Fingers crossed I’ll have something to celebrate!

Saturday 12 May

Panic’s over, depression’s over and all’s okay again. Started my new job at Morse Media, a funky web design/development company in the centre of Wellington. It’s quite a small company with just four full-time employees but everyone’s really nice, they’re excellent designers and know what they’re talking about. My main work’s going to be ColdFusion development on their Kiwi music portal, nzmusic.com and help them scale up the database. It’s provisionally for a week’s trial but hopefully I’ll have done enough to extend my contract. They’re all music nuts and my lack of Kiwi music knowledge is a bit embarrassing. Need to find out about Shihad, Weta and the rest of them to stop being the ignorant foreigner I am!

Sue’s also got a new job and has turned the tables on me by working on the 22nd floor of one of the biggest buildings in the city. Cow. She’s working for State Insurance doing marketing and PR with her own Spectacular View over the harbour. Think she’s a bit daunted, having never done anything like it before, but I’m sure she’ll be able to handle it. Clever girl, my Sue!

The good news is that the FA Cup Final (Arsenal v Liverpool) is live on terrestial TV tonight; the bad news is that the kick-off’s 2am, NZ time. Think I’m going to have to overdose on caffeine to get through the night! Was cheesily wearing my Arsenal shirt around town today, walked into a record shop and was inevitably served by a “cheeky” scouser. Made sure to check he hadn’t nicked the CD from inside the case. Come on you Reds!

Tuesday 22 May

Football is a cruel mistress that continues to snatch my dreams away from me right at the death. Stupid twats.

So much to do with nzmusic.com which I’ll be helping to rebuild over the next four months. It’s the sort of project I’ve always wanted to get my teeth into so it’s about time I started putting my money where my mouth is.

Sue and I made it to a gig on Friday night - my first in far too long - at the local university. We’d had a few beers with Joanna and Richard (who’s in the capital for a few days) and only caught the excellent end of second-billing Garageland (Kiwi). Headliners Superjesus (Aussie) were shit but we still had a good night, blagging ourselves backstage and then into the City with Marystaple and new workmates, Dusty and Teina (who are doing their new video), to the Matterhorn. A little bit pissed, I was introduced to Garageland’s singer who didn’t seem to mind when I gushed and told him that I loved, “that Tinderbox song,” which is actually called “Fingerpops”.

Remember, children, you’re representing your country…