Friday night I trotted down a whole 8 minutes to the Student Union bar on campus to meet DJ and Luci (friends/relatives of friends of Glenda's who are really awesome and know the NZ music scene like the back of their hand) to hear some bands. Normally I would prescreen via MySpace Music to see what I was getting into but I headed to this show without being briefed. Dj's band opened, followed by Disaster Radio and So So Modern (see links below to listen). Overall, the show was quite electric (electronic?) and fun. Disaster Radio puts on quite a show-- it's just one dude who does a his own modern dance while simultaneously jamming away on keyboards and synthesizers. It was very different from the indie scene back home, but I was expecting this. The States is not known for it's discotechs, at least not in NC. I quite enjoyed myself, not only because I was introduced to a to-die-for organic pilsner beer made right in Dunedin, but because I love the scene that is promoted by this pretty much lyric-free music. You can just lose yourself and forget about how you STILL do not have a job ;)
www.myspace.com/sosomodern www.myspace.com/disasteradio
I spent the Saturday at the Farmer's market, rain and all, because I was dying to stock up on this delish cheese I had at Rhubarb. The spread of booths was more compact than the one in Raleigh, however, the variety was quite wide. Meat and fish vendors, Middle eastern fare, Pies (!--btw these are savory not sweet & I am obsessed), free range dairy and poultry products, artisan bread, jam, veg, etc etc. The cheese monger was hilarious, practically throwing samples at people- I could have stayed there all day. It is only open on Saturdays from 8 to 1230; definitely worth rousing yourself early to get the good stuff. I bought these wee (NZers love to use "wee" to describe everything-wee little arms, take a wee nap, he has a wee dog...it's cute actually!) pies and ate one promptly for lunch. The make made a wee star out of dough and baked it along with the pie as decoration-it was sweet, I took a pic which I will add later. Strangely enough, that makes me want to buy more to see what else they might add. I am hoping for a little sheep!!
Saturday night I laid low, did laundry, tried to watch Hulu and was denied due to my foreign location (boooo). I cleaned my room ( can you believe it is messy already??) and made a few to do lists. Sunday I swam and soaked at the local pool (they have a spinning class too! yay), devised a running path along all the flat roads, and went for Sunday night dinner with G's clan.
Monday at the cafe went really well. It was a definite adjustment as I was thrown right into the hub of activity and I am so glad, because you really have to adapt quickly. I still get a little apprehensive when I think about running drinks but since I haven't had like, a formal training session (which would be ideal for my worry-wart personality) I have to take a deep breathe and fake it like a champion. The girls were social, sweet, and fun, and they weren't afraid to give me tips and tricks, which I appreciated. I am better for the knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes at a restaurant, though I feel this is only the tip of the iceberg.
So I've talked music and food, and finally I can get to shopping! I haven't been partaking in much :( besides the necessities, however I took some time browsing through the different stores to get an idea of the products behind the names-- it has been tough hearing the stores names out of context. There are a few mall-esque establishments along George St. along with great boutiques and OP (which is like second hand bargain) shops. Some of my favorites have been Country Road, which, to me, is like NZ J.Crew for basics, good leather, trendy classics, Smiggle, which has color-coded and unusual office and desk supplies (remember my pencil case? I miss that thing), Refind Rig, which sells fantastic new and second hand clothes (def the place for function dresses), Redcurrant, which is an over accessories store for home and self. Seriously, this list will continue- I already have been make mental notes after paychecks arrive. However, my luggage was already cutting it close with weight so either something needs to get stained really fast or we are going to have a problem.
Oh , did I mention it HAILED today? It was so sunny this morning it woke me up- an event that is so common in Raleigh that I acutally HATED it. It was impossible to take a decent nap. Here in Dunedin, I was pleasantly surprised. Sunshine = make haste to get outside before it passes. The sun quickly was periodically replaced by dark storm clouds which would last all of 15 or 30 minutes, dump a few spits of precip, and be gone. Some tourist boat was in the harbour, so the locals were saying the weather was giving them the full Dunedin experience.
Tomorrow I have more potential job meetings, cafe work, & running, the usual. I'll post some pics soon, though you are warned: I haven't really been anywhere scenic yet. It's a holiday weekend this weekend so I hopefully get out to somewhere cool.
Saturday night I laid low, did laundry, tried to watch Hulu and was denied due to my foreign location (boooo). I cleaned my room ( can you believe it is messy already??) and made a few to do lists. Sunday I swam and soaked at the local pool (they have a spinning class too! yay), devised a running path along all the flat roads, and went for Sunday night dinner with G's clan.
Monday at the cafe went really well. It was a definite adjustment as I was thrown right into the hub of activity and I am so glad, because you really have to adapt quickly. I still get a little apprehensive when I think about running drinks but since I haven't had like, a formal training session (which would be ideal for my worry-wart personality) I have to take a deep breathe and fake it like a champion. The girls were social, sweet, and fun, and they weren't afraid to give me tips and tricks, which I appreciated. I am better for the knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes at a restaurant, though I feel this is only the tip of the iceberg.
So I've talked music and food, and finally I can get to shopping! I haven't been partaking in much :( besides the necessities, however I took some time browsing through the different stores to get an idea of the products behind the names-- it has been tough hearing the stores names out of context. There are a few mall-esque establishments along George St. along with great boutiques and OP (which is like second hand bargain) shops. Some of my favorites have been Country Road, which, to me, is like NZ J.Crew for basics, good leather, trendy classics, Smiggle, which has color-coded and unusual office and desk supplies (remember my pencil case? I miss that thing), Refind Rig, which sells fantastic new and second hand clothes (def the place for function dresses), Redcurrant, which is an over accessories store for home and self. Seriously, this list will continue- I already have been make mental notes after paychecks arrive. However, my luggage was already cutting it close with weight so either something needs to get stained really fast or we are going to have a problem.
Oh , did I mention it HAILED today? It was so sunny this morning it woke me up- an event that is so common in Raleigh that I acutally HATED it. It was impossible to take a decent nap. Here in Dunedin, I was pleasantly surprised. Sunshine = make haste to get outside before it passes. The sun quickly was periodically replaced by dark storm clouds which would last all of 15 or 30 minutes, dump a few spits of precip, and be gone. Some tourist boat was in the harbour, so the locals were saying the weather was giving them the full Dunedin experience.
Tomorrow I have more potential job meetings, cafe work, & running, the usual. I'll post some pics soon, though you are warned: I haven't really been anywhere scenic yet. It's a holiday weekend this weekend so I hopefully get out to somewhere cool.
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