Art Deco weekend: four days of dressing like it's 1930 or some years thereabout, looking at vintage vehicles, listening to live big band performances and dancing whatever approximation of the Jitterbug you can manage. Our mate Kate even came up for it, and we had a grand time (though when the freaks who could actually jitterbug did their thing we ( Read more... )

Good God, but my thighs smart. Not in an exciting, dirty way, unfortunately, but in a "You have used us for serious physical exertion; did you not expect revenge?" way ( Read more... )

The job search continues, thus far without result. But I'm branching out! Today, instead of trawling all the depressing entry-level retail jobs available online, I went for the first two that looked interesting and didn't require prior experience: a front-desk receptionist at a hotel in Ahuriri, and a senior typist position at a girl's school. I ( Read more... )

I skated tonight for the first time since leaving Wellington, and it was glorious. The three of us have all decided to bite the bullet and sign up for the Hawkes Bay derby practices, so this evening Jenni took me down to the waterfront bike path to get my skate-legs back. It turns out Napier's waterfront path is pretty much perfect for our practice ( Read more... )

Yaaaay, I have a derby icon at last! Awesome artwork stolen from the Richter City Shakedown: Stop Drop and Roll poster; mediocre MS Paint editing by me ( Read more... )

Today was Jenni's birthday! It also happened to be the second Richter City Shakedown of the year, which was just damn perfect. Jenni made herself a giant castle-shaped cake, its courtyard packed with little gingerbread men. We took it and a truly gratuitous amount of food down to the pagoda by the duck pond, and enjoyed all the warm spring sunshine ( Read more... )

WOO I HAVE SPARKLY DINOSAUR STICKERS. SSar came round with them, and now my fugly white roller skates are adorned with mix-and-match skull laces and adorable-faced cartoon dinosaurs. We have roller skated around the cul-de-sac above the botanical gardens three times now, and will do it again tonight, and I will feel extra awesome doing it. :D ( Read more... )

MY ROLLERSKATES ARRIVED. They're battered and vinyl and white and hideous - and they fit! I have already jazzed them up with acid-green skull laces, and have been encouraged to wear them around the house. I sense that this would end in a messy stairs-related injury, but I am still tempted ( Read more... )

The bad ( Read more... )

So I've just been rollerskating for the first time in my life! Sas, Kate and I went to the Kilbirnie rink, where we were surrounded (and humiliated) by small children on inlines, skateboards and scooters, but whatevs. It was hella fun, and now I have bruises in improbable places and a new weekly sport... thing. I couldn't find any safety gear that ( Read more... )