Well the gas is back on! Finally I again have hot water and am able to cook proper meals. Normally a welcome sin, being forced to eat at mcdonalds for lack of a working stove is no fun after eating out everyday for a month. There has been an army of gas company workers and a bulldozer in the driveway much of the week. They have finally cleared off and left a warm legacy of gas-fuelled heating in their wake. Bernard the landlord is not looking forward to the bill.

King Kong is out in cinemas. I haven't seen it yet but look forward to seeing it in the coming week when i rope someone in to seeing it with me. I always thought the impact of the Lord of the Rings on New Zealand's image was overstated, but I was wrong. Nine times out of ten the first thing people here say to you when they find out you're from New Zealand is about the movies. One cashier said "wow! all my favorite movies are filmed there!" Its actually good that they can talk about the movies because if they say anything else about New Zealand they usually sound stupid - like my all time favorite: "I've heard the seasons are the oposite down there... is that true? Why do they do that?"

The other night i went to the coolest bar in the world. It is called the church and is a huge complex combining a wine bar, sushi bar, coctail bar, 3 dance floors and a restaurant all in the gutted remains of a grand old cathedral. Kind of an abomination of what the building was originally for, but it sure is a cool place!

Work is easy. I look forward to finding something more challenging. And yet there is something quite comical about waking up here each morning, getting up and going to work. It feels much the same as it used to, only now when I wake up in the morning I find myself on the otherside of the world, with a whole new territory to prowl. The past five weeks that got me here really seem like a blur.

I still have a lot to learn about American customs and language. I still catch myself saying things like "eh" and "no worries" and no one knows what on earth i'm on about.

Last night i met a neighbor of mine. I found out he comes from Santa Barbara, California the town where my Mum and Dad lived when they first moved to America nearly 30 years ago.

As I finished work last night and headed towards another weekend of exploring, I felt on top of the world. This move has not been easy, but it has been a fantastic experience and I would not say its been difficult. I have plenty of work to do and more to see, but I am happy with how things are going.

The phone installer showed up this morning more than two weeks after I ordered a phone line, and 4 days after i cancelled the phone line. I told him since he's here now he might as well install the darn phoneline so i'm going to cancel my high speed cable internet scheduled for later in the week. I can't have everything! My phone number is +1 303 798 5372.