Daughters...lock up your teenage fathers

My people,

Well...the last post that I put up is almost 10 days old now. That is a long time in computer time. And just as many things have happened on the dub, dub, dub, many things have happened to me.

Teaching is going well. Really well. My liason/advisor person came last week and watched one of my lessons. She had nothing but kind words to say. She was amazed that I was able to keep the lesson on track even though it was the last period before a 6 day weekend. (Can you believe that? A 6 day weekend? How amazing would that be?) I am now half-way done my first teaching practice. I don't go back until Wednesday this week and then I just have 2.5 weeks left. My life is passing me by.

This weekend that surrounds me is Easter weekend here. Schools are off from Friday to Tuesday (mine was off Thursday to Tuesday...hence the 6 day weekend.) A friend of mine who teaches at another school in the area befriended some cool cats from Montana (who are also teaching in the area) and have a bitchin' hot rod (read 1980-something Toyota Corona that drags her ass on every speed bump and now smells like something from some deep ocean abyss.) Anyway...we all piled into Wilma Friday morning and made the tour to New Plymouth on the East coast of the North Island. The drive started out as somethin' special-pouring rain, gusting winds, grey skies-but the day got better the closer we got to NP. On the way the road winds it's way through some of the most incredible native bush that you will ever get to see in NZ. (The South Island has soooo much reforestation everywhere!) Anyway...reaching NP the skies parted (at least for a little while) and we were able to find Fitzroy beach and some sun to watch some people try to shred the whitewash that was rolling in. One of the reasons for heading to the coast is that the Montana boys wanted to try their newly learned surfing skilz on some world renowned waves. We headed to Oakura which is South of NP on the "Surf Highway 45" where the beach was a little more protected however the rains came back. The Surf highway is another famous little bit of Kiwi-ana because it is about 100km of the best surfing and windsurfing in the world.

Did I mention that we got to New Plymouth without any accomodation arrangements? This fact came to be one of the weekend's downfalls because not only was there a Master's Surf Competetion but also an REM concert (more on this later.) So we tried and tried to find somewhere to stay but everything was full. What we did find was "Lucy's Gully" in Egmont National park. Mt. Egmont in one of the tallest peaks on the North Island and Lucy's Gully is a fantastic little rest area just inside the park. So 2 of us slept in a tent and 2 of us slept in Wilma. I was lucky enough to sleep in Wilma and will forever have the neck pain to show for it.

So Friday night was filled up with all-you-can-eat Chinese food, euchre, gin and tonics, and rugby. You can't really find a better time anywhere. The downfall was that since it was Good Friday, establishments can't sell you alcohol without you ordering a meal. (I think Nova Scotia has the same law.) This meant that we had to stay at the Chinese food restaurant all night because we didn't want to buy another plate of food in order to get another drink.

We got an early start on Saturday. Wilma isn't the most comfortable sleep so we were ready and raring to get out of her. We found the Master's competition and chillaxed on the beach while watching some surfing greats rip it up. These guys were Master's...everything about them said Masterful...from their long hair, long boards, and radical facial hair. Someday man...someday... While at the beach my pal Teryn managed to get ahold of his brother who was able to get ahold of REM who was nice enough to donate some free backstage tickets to the weekend. We did some touristy stuff to fill in time then went back to Oakura to try to surf, start imbibing, and to clean up in the public showers (which by-the-way was the coldest shower I have ever had. I got 2 cold-headaches while trying to get all the soap on and off me.) We got to the concert all primed up (literally and figuratively) and tail-gated a little more before the show. Our tickets were "Gold Circle" which meant they were the closest you could get to the stage without standing in the pond right in front of the stage (which many poor souls chose to do...I figure most are fighting a bout of beaver fever as we speak.) The Check started the night out. They are a NZ pop-punk band. They were really good. Then Bright Eyes came out and blew my mind. He was possibly my favourite part of night (it is hard to say because there were so many.) Then REM came on stage. Now...let's get this straight...I have never been a fan of REM and probably never will be but I do respect those characters. And they put on a great show, playing a huge assortment of new tracks and old classics. The rain came back during the show but no one cared...it was wonderful. It really was great. Oh...did I mention we got backstage passes? Yeah...we did. So after the show we went backstage. It wasn't really as cool as I expected (there wasn't any Cristal flowin' and there weren't any celebrities to schmooze with-god knows at that point in the night I was way past being able to schmooze,) but it was still pretty cool. We talked to the guitarist but Micheal Stipe was too cool for school and didn't come out to meet and greet. Oh and they had free Heineken. After the show we got lost, got found, found a bar that would let us in, narrowly escaped a fight in the bar and got ourselves back to Lucy's Gully. More hijinks ensued but we'll leave those to the imaginations in order to protect those involved.

Sunday..oh Sunday is a morning that I would rather forget. Those that slept in Wilma had more than some aches and pains. We found a little place that was open and had some breakfast and got ourselves figured out. The rain and the wind returned (they never really left...really) and we decided instead of having another rain filled day and a rapture filled evening with Wilma we would rather just drive back here to Mount Maunganui. We toured out to Oakura to see if the waves were anymore ride-able than the days prior but they weren't. The four of us left Taranaki without ever riding one wave, sleeping in a backpackers or even seeing Mt. Taranaki come out from it's hiding place in the rain clouds. Don't get me wrong though...I don't regret going to New Plymouth, I just don't think I will go back again.

We made it back to the Mount safe, sound and smelly. Spent the night watching movies and today on the beach. It is amazing...I met the Montana boys on Thursday night and we have spent the last 3 days together without incident. I have never met anyone more compatible and easy to travel with. Friend's for life. It has been a great weekend.

This weekend I started and finished "The DaVinci Code." I guess I had to see what all the fuss was about. It was good-a quick, entertaining read. I guess the thing that bothered me was that there were just too many twists, too many made-for-movie turns. Why is it that people need so much stimulation? Slice-of-life dramas never make anyone's bestseller list. Anyway...if action, adventure, and suspense are your thing then check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Well...tomorrow I need to get some lesson plans down on paper and lay on the beach and read. Tough life.