Finally! I didn't want to use the Xanga lock (which means that only other signed-in Xanga users can see your site) because I have some *gasp* non-Xanga using friends, but on the other hand I was not exactly comfortable with all my public posts/images ending up on Google/Yahoo/MSN search (not all of my images are on there, but a few are).
Anyway, I thought I would point out this new option to other Xangans looking for an in-between for their public posts.
Does anyone else have a DP that goes through little obsessive phases? DP went through his snowboarding phase, where he spent hours researching snowboarding and snowboarding equipment online, tried on about 50 different jackets, ordered snowboarding DVDs, etc. As an adjunct to the snowboarding obsession, he then went though his Antarctica phase, again spending hours reading about Antarctica and Antarctic explorers. He's been through a few others since then, but is currently in his home audio/ video phase. We are on our 3rd DVD player in the past month. He sent back the last 2 after he alternated watching scenes from the Lord of the Rings (with the sound off, so he could focus on the picture) on each of the DVD players-- and, here's the thing, none of them were even the new Blu-Ray or HD-DVD (before this, I thought all DVDs were high definition, boy do I feel silly now). Right this very minute, he's watching a DVD about how to choose and set up a good home theatre system, which includes some filters (colored pieces of plastic) to use to calibrate the color on the TV.
And, actually, if anyone would like to have our (perfectly good) Panasonic 5 disc DVD changer (Panasonic DVD-F85, see pictures below), please leave a comment. First comment from someone who wants it, who lives in the continental US, and who is in the MDC mommas blogring (or is someone else I know) gets it for free.
For LynnE73, who, when I listed my goals for the year including getting married and maybe getting pregnant, said the goal she was most excited about was my goal to get new glasses. So, without further ado...
PS My hair doesn't normally look this good, I just got it cut and highlighted today (which is why, even though I got the glasses back in March, I waited to take the pictures until now).
And, finally, pictures from my favorite part of the trip, Lake Taupo.
Located in the middle of North Island, Lake Taupo sits in the collapsed crater (caldera) of a massive volcano that erupted 26,500 years ago. The above shot was taken our first night there as we ate dinner at a little restaurant across from the shore.
The next day, we went on a 3-hour tour (anyone else hearing the theme of Gilligan's Island in their head?) of part of the lake by yacht. I say part of the lake because the lake is about 238 square miles (or 152,217 acres) in area. From the town of Lake Taupo, we thought we could see the whole lake, as we sailed out into it, the captain of the boat told us what we had been seeing was only about 6% of the lake.
At it's deepest point, the lake is about 610 feet deep.
The captain took us out to these carvings, anchored the boat, and let us go swimming! Yay!
You can see a little bit better in this picture how blue-green and clear the water was. What you can't see is how cold the water was, even in the Summer, and even in the shallow area where we were. Once you got used to it, it was actually pretty refreshing, but the lake is pretty much all glacial run off.
Carved in 1979, the Maori carvings aren't exactly ancient, but they are impressive nonetheless.
Avert your eyes! (More blindingly white photos of me and DP in the protected post above, again leave a comment if you'd like to be on the protected list.)
And, finally, caption contest time! Submit your entry for best slogan for...
the Super Loo! I saw this and just had to take a picture 
).
My submission: Super Loo... where you do that doo-doo that you do so well!
If there's one thing I love more than the Daily Show, it's John Hodgman on the Daily Show:
Net Neutrality
US Army Essay Writing Contest
Modern Ethnography
World Cup 2006
Good times.
Bikers (as in bicyclists, not motorcyclists)
So, I was sitting on my couch the other night watching TV and surfing the web. It's been pretty hot here the past few days (like in the 90s!) so, I had the sliding glass door open to let the cool air in. It was about 10 pm when all of a sudden I heard this CRASH and heard some guy yell an obscenity-- I ran out on our balcony and looked down (we only live on the 2nd floor), a biker had been hit by a car and was laying on the pavement. I called to DP, who was in the kitchen to call 911. He got up and came to look and handed me the phone, so I called 911 (I think that's the first time I have ever called 911). The operator asked if the biker was conscious, so I yelled down to the people on the street and they yelled back, yes he was. After the operator took my name and number and assured me an ambulance was on the way (I wasn't the only one who called), I ran downstairs to see if there was anything I could do.
The guy was totally conscious, I just asked him where it hurt (the left side of his head and body) and told him not to move his head, even when someone brought out a towel to rest his head on (as opposed to the concrete). I may not remember exactly what to do for big people (since I only work with neonates), but the one I thing I remembered was if you suspect or if think there might be a chance of spinal damage, don't move the head. Wait for the professional head-movers (i.e. paramedics/ EMTs) to arrive. The guy was about my age (maybe a little younger) and wasn't wearing a helmet. And, actually, given that the dent from the impact was in the passenger side door, it may have been that the biker hit the car. The driver, who looked like a fresh out of college frat boy, appeared pretty shaken up. It seemed to take forever for the ambulance to get there.
Anyway, that was scary, and today's lesson, kids, is always wear a helmet.
Pirates
So, in part to escape the heat, DP and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest last night. I liked it, but then I was in the mood to see something relatively light and fun (as opposed to seeing A Scanner Darkly, which was DPs vote-- and, which I want to see at some point, but wasn't in the mood for last night). Anyway, I thought it was a bit long, a little more fantastical than the first, and was clearly a set up for the 3rd movie, but I still enjoyed it. What floored me though, was some of the little kids I saw in there. I don't want to judge, but I remember that the octopus from Popeye scared the heck out of me and gave me nightmares for years as a kid, I can't imagine the type of nightmares the Kraken would cause.
(for Melissatulip and any other floraphiles that may frequent my blog)
What time is it? Time for FLOWERS!!
Spiky! Not the type of tree I would readily hug.
Succulents...
Fern! (Couldn't go to NZ and not get a pitcure of a fern, right?)
I'm not really sure what this is, but I call it "Lobster Flower" 
I've never seen this type of flower (shown in the following 2 pictures), does anyone know what it is? (Other than pretty!)
Most of these pictures were taken in the Wellington Botanic Gardens, there was a sign saying that the designs in the large flower beds were done by their corps of "Avant Gardeners." He he he...
This is a somewhat aerial shot of their rose garden, each different patch in the concentric circles is a different variety of rose.
Unfortunately, our camera battery was running low, so I only got a few shots of the roses (only one of them is shown below).
In the Begonia House
I don't think I've ever paid particular attention to begonias, but these were beautiful, and HUGE. The flower shown below was easily 6 inches in diameter.
Saving my favorite for last...
Pretty!
What's New:
*I finally found a TV show my DP is willing to watch with me, any Battlestar Gallactica fans out there? I got the miniseries from Netflix because I had heard it was really well done (and it is) and we are now finishing the season one on DVD. I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, per se, but what I really like about this show is that it seems more character driven than many other sci-fi shows which gives it an interesting psychological edge.
*DP agreed to go with me to see "The Lake House," which I enjoyed, but I am a sucker for romantic movies. I really need to get some good girl friends here to go with me to movies like this because, while DP agreed to go with me, it isn't exactly his cup of tea.
*Went out for the SF Gay Pride Parade the Sunday before last. We missed it last year (our first year in SF) because I had to work. This year I was determined to go because we may be leaving SF some time in the next year or two and I wanted to make sure we went out and experienced it. DP also always complains that we never get out and do anything-- and yet I had to drag him out of bed and put up with his grumpy self all morning until the coffee sunk in. Still, it was fun, all the assless chaps you could ask for and more!
What's Not New:
*I have a sunburn from said parade.
Note To Self:
Dear Self,
You are fair-skinned. Yes, I know when you were little and lived in Colorado that you had a dark tan and white-blonde hair, but those days are GONE and they aren't a-comin' back. Yes, I know that it was cloudy when you left the house and the weather report said it was going to be cool and then it was sunny and warm, but you should have brought the sunscreen anyway, why? See aforementioned comments about being fair-skinned.
Love,
Self
Seems like I just got back from one, right? Well, ya see, at my job we all put in vacation requests once a year and then they get assigned to everyone, with the promise that every one gets one "Summer" week off. Yeah. This past week has been my "Summer" week. At the very least the weather in Seattle has been predominately sunny-- I even got to wear shorts!! DP and I are visiting Seattle (where I spent most of my growing up years) to scout for Wedding locations. Any suggestions, Seattle People? Places we have looked at/ are considering:
-The Salish Lodge (located right next to Snoqualmie Falls)
-The Hollywood Schoolhouse in Woodinville
-The Columbia Winery
-Woodland Park Zoo (ceremony in their Rose Garden, reception in the Zoo)
-Stimson-Green Mansion (Seattle)
-Argosy Cruises (Out on either the Puget Sound or Lake Washington)
It will probably be a relatively small wedding (~75 people).
I was finally tagged, so...
6 Wierd Things About Me (Culled from the Unabridged 7058 Wierd Things About Me):
1. I hate cantaloupe. I particularly hate it in fruit salad because it kind of takes over and makes all the other fruit taste like cantaloupe. I even hate the cantaloupe flavored Jelly Belly jelly beans. I hate it so much that my friend T450 and I are co-founders of Citizens Against Cantaloupe, join us won't you? (For all my hating cantaloupe, I do like Honeydew Melon, so long as it isn't overripe.)
2. I am frequently known to watch movies on TV that I have on DVD. The wierdness of this was pointed out to me by DP who wondered aloud "I don't get it, do you enjoy watching commercials?" In my defence, I rarely just watch TV, I am usually on the internet reading things at the same time, so I guess the thing that's really wierd about me is that I have a low tolerance for silence and need background noise.
3. I hate making phone calls. Not so much to friends/ family (though occasionally my general phone aversion does cross over into that arena), but for pretty much anything else.
4. I *hate* throwing things away. I do it, but it is hard for me to get rid of anything I can see a possible use for even if I know I won't use it-- which actually means I end up donating a lot of things. The flip side of this is that I am probably over-the-top about throwing out food that might be even a tiny bit spoiled-- if I don't know how old it is or am even questioning it, out it goes.
5. Unless it is *really* cold, I have to sleep with my feet out of the covers.
6. I like peanut butter and freshly sliced tomato sandwhiches ( I don't have them very often, but they are yummy!)
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