Welcome to purgatory...uh I mean, Christchurch

Finished out orientation and headed for Flight Marathon 2008. My bag weighed a crap load. Between my thermal waste hoodie and my work issue insulated steel toe Timberland boots they gave me in Denver I added a good 8-10 lbs to my stuff. Luckily flying international you get more weight allowance…but it’s still going to be a pain in the ass to come in under 75lbs when I take the C-17.

Maybe it was how cold I got while sleeping in my window seat on the way to LAX (I am more of an aisle seat kind of girl) but by the time I got to Los Angeles I was feeling pretty sad. And when I got on the Qantas flight to NZ things felt even worse.

I’d gotten stuck in the middle of the middle row and the usual On-Demand movies had been downgraded to that thing where they play on a schedule (What happened to you Qantas? You used to be cool)…and I really didn’t freakin’ need that right then, I mean I know it’s a long flight and it’s going to be difficult anyways, but we had all spent the majority of our day in the Denver airport (to the point where it felt like there was nothing beyond it) and my stupid vaccine sensitive lymph nodes were all swollen and achey from the stupid flu shot and being jammed in the very center of the center of the plane did not bode well for me and my somewhat claustrophobic self. And then…a miracle. Seriously, clouds parting, chorus of angels, sunlight streaming down…the guy on the end was upgraded to first class. Okay, yeah, it would have been better had I been upgraded to first class, but this guy moving meant Ben Morin (who was sitting next to me) could move over to the aisle seat, so that while I was still in the middle I had two seats to myself. At which point I curled up in a semi-ball and slept for 8 hours. It did wonders for my disposition.

Getting into Chch yesterday felt somewhat same old same old. This is my 5th time in this city and I’ve never had a particular fondness for it but I figured I wouldn’t look down on a few extra flightless days to let the jet lag wear off…Though as it turns out, delays are not as desirable as they have been in years past. Per diem isn’t what it used to be and with everyone getting stacked up in Chch (I am the 4th flight in line waiting here) it’s getting a bit crowded. People here are a little surly from waiting around in this money pit of a town for so long and, from what I hear, things on the ice are much worse. It would suck to be a winter-over right now.

There are a few upsides to Christchurch:

1) The Lush store. I visit it every time I am in town…I probably spent too much money picking up some Flying Fox, The Olive Branch, and a bar of The Soft Touch but honestly I think I could die happy if my life always smelled like the Lush store.

2) Breakfast at the Honey Pot. Porridge with Berries at the Honey Pot is one of my all time top breakfasts. It doesn’t sound like porridge could be that good but it is amazing. Creamy and rich but not too sweet, full of raspberries and blueberries, I think I will probably eat it every morning until I leave.

3) Uhhh…I don’t have a three yet. New Zealand is just really bumming me out.


I mean, yeah I am anxious to get back to the ice but I think I’m bumming out because for the first time I’m not anxious to get back not because of what’s there so much as I had no other plan/money at home. And to realize that’s why I have been itching to be back in Mactown for the past few months not because of what’s there but basically because I have nothing better to do and could use the money. Not that I didn’t kind of know that before but not to this extent…and I would rather not be stuck in NZ for too long because, though I am getting paid my salary to basically do nothing but wait, it’s boring as hell and I’ve basically been doing nothing but waiting for months. I guess I am just more of the attitude “Get in, do my job, get my paycheck, and head home” more then I have ever been before and it’s kinda getting’ me down. Not that bad really, just a bit of enuii.

Looks like the earliest I could possibly fly out is 2 or 3 days from now so perhaps I should figure out how to chill out, eat my porridge, and wash my hair…I haven’t washed it since Denver and I am beginning to look like Edward Scissorhands.