
It seems unlikely that the all-powerful, all-knowing creator of everything would give you special attention if you built them a shrine on the corner of your house in San Bruno.
But then again, I guess it can’t hurt to ask.
Brattleboro Adventure – the Auckland Edition
In which we find ourselves in another part of the world
It seems unlikely that the all-powerful, all-knowing creator of everything would give you special attention if you built them a shrine on the corner of your house in San Bruno.
But then again, I guess it can’t hurt to ask.
We’ve been taught to believe, thanks to our exposure to Hollywood movies, that in order to find platform 9 3/4 you have to bash yourself into a brick post and hope that the magic works for you.
But in the Wellington train station, things are slightly easier. There’s a big sign. You still have to pay attention, because platform 9 3/4 is not where you expect it, but rather tucked somewhere between platforms six and seven. Even so, I find it quite generous of the Wellington Wizarding community to be so helpful.
I flew into Sydney this morning and got to make the same approach over the harbour that I’ve made before… normally a treat. Here’s a shot from last April:
And here’s the same today…
It’s been a good week for signs. Lee found the top one on a walk. The middle one is good bumper sticker material.
The bottom sign isn’t funny or ironic or anything. But it’s a thing that is true all over Auckland and should be signed more often. It’s been a hard transition from the US where the pedestrian gets the right of way a lot more often. In NZ, pedestrians have priority only in marked crosswalks. Everywhere else, you’re on your own.
What exactly does this business do? The mind boggles.
I saw this tableau on my way home last night… nobody around it.
I believe it is now widely accepted that telling a homeless person to “get a job” is unhelpful and inappropriate.
Is it more or less hateful to throw down a textbook on multivariate data analysis?
I’ve done my share of consulting engagements where the deliverables were poorly defined, but this shop seems like it might be operating at a whole different level.
… but if all the trappings of home are everywhere then maybe there’s no place NOT like home.
Starbucks Ubud
We are up north this weekend visiting ex-boss Tom at his family farm in Tutukaka. But the hotel there wanted way too much for a room, so we found an Airbnb in Ngunguru, the ngext towng over. Pronungciation has beeng a topic. There’s no hard G, so no gurus in Ngunguru.
Anyway…
Ngunguru sits on an estuary. There’s a few hundred houses, a mix of second homes, retirees, and some people who make the commute into Whangarei. Pretty sleepy.
The next morning we went for a walk around. Despite there being nothing to see, we saw a lot…
The jandal fence.
The time capsule.
A whole series of funny little ant-themed pictures on the sidewalk.
The blue car that drove off the road.
A funny sign at the golf course and sports complex clubhouse.
And more. Would you want to spend your remaining time here? I don’t think I would, but it’s always a nice surprise to find some of the “more than meets the eye” stuff that surely exists everywhere.
Trying to get the message across.
Two shrines on the wall at a Vietnamese restaurant … which one imparts the more important lesson?
I know a lot of what I publish in this blog is cryptic, idiosyncratic, an inside joke. Sorry not sorry for that. I like that kind of thing.
This little whiteboard was in the window of a construction site — well after Christmas — and even I found it to be especially mysterious.
– Hey I saw this shop for lease down in Newmarket. It would be perfect for your shop. And the agent is my friend Ken. You should call him.
– Cool, i will. Ken who?
– Right! Do you know him? He’s so great.
– I don’t know. What’s his last name?
– Hu.
– Ken, the agent.
– Like I said, Ken Hu!
– You said he’s your friend.
– …