move ins and movie theatres.
It's late, no matter where in the world you are. Well, it's probably not late somewhere, but here in Wellington and back in my hometown of Pittsburgh it is normal sleeping hours for most people, so lets all just agree that it is late.
Because of the aforementioned lateness, I will keep this brief and include lots of pretty pictures for you to look at. We have been all moved in at the new flat for exactly a week now. By "all moved in" I of course mean we have a bed and the contents of our five suitcases. I have never been one for buying things new that I can get cheaper second-hand, unfortunately New Zealand doesn't agree it's a good policy to sell second-hand items cheaper. Seriously, today I saw a basket full of second-hand cloth napkins with a sign stating "$2 each", upon inspection of one of the said napkins I saw the original price tag, $1.99. It's ridiculous. So we pick things up as we find decent prices. Our kitchen is coming along nicely while our lounge is completely empty save five books and hard-drive sitting on the floor.
Today I learned a very valuable lesson that I probably learned in fourth grade and then promptly forgot. A measuring cup for solid foodstuffs may be called a cup, but there are two different types, US cups and metric cups. A metric cup is slightly bigger than a US cup, so even though my dumplings turned out completely delicious and dumpling-y, I will have to be extra careful when baking from recipes I used back in the States.
Today was also the day I received my very first piece of mail in New Zealand! Seth got lucky as he received a whole package on our very first day in our new home, but alas, it was just addressed to him. (Sure, it was just the router from the internet company, but I will never forgive him for getting mail a whole week before me.) Prior to that we got stuff in our mailbox, but I am not actually certain that it was mail. There were pamphlets on organ harvesting, a letter inviting us to visit a home that was for sale in the area, and an advert for a musical pre-school, but none of them had any address on them, nor did they have any postage. I am convinced there are people that just walk around the neighborhood sticking pamphlets into people's mailboxes.*
At $16, movie tickets here are pricier than they are in the United States, but if you are attending a screening at the Roxy I would say the price of admission is absolutely worth it.
Located in Mirimar, home to Weta, the theatre itself pays homage to Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit with a hobbit hole doorway and other various Tolkien memorabilia.
A fairly accurate Lego model of the Roxy, inside of the Roxy. Meta. Not pictured: The huge comfy theatre seats with ample leg room and little trays for you to stick your coffee on. Aside from the fact that there are Lego's in the lobby, this place feels more like a classic theatre you would visit to see a stage-preformance than a multiplex with sticky floors. When you purchase your ticket they ask you to select your seat. Yes, you read that correctly, you get to select where you will be sitting for a general admission movie! I'd say that's well worth the sixteen bucks.
*UPDATE: I was correct! There are people who walk around and stick not-mail into your post-box. I saw one of them doing it on Sunday evening and as any good Harry Potter fan knows, there's no post on Sundays. Further mail developments were made on Monday when I discovered that the mailmen here ride bicycles to deliver the post!
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| Landlord's cat peering through the cat door |
Today I learned a very valuable lesson that I probably learned in fourth grade and then promptly forgot. A measuring cup for solid foodstuffs may be called a cup, but there are two different types, US cups and metric cups. A metric cup is slightly bigger than a US cup, so even though my dumplings turned out completely delicious and dumpling-y, I will have to be extra careful when baking from recipes I used back in the States.
Today was also the day I received my very first piece of mail in New Zealand! Seth got lucky as he received a whole package on our very first day in our new home, but alas, it was just addressed to him. (Sure, it was just the router from the internet company, but I will never forgive him for getting mail a whole week before me.) Prior to that we got stuff in our mailbox, but I am not actually certain that it was mail. There were pamphlets on organ harvesting, a letter inviting us to visit a home that was for sale in the area, and an advert for a musical pre-school, but none of them had any address on them, nor did they have any postage. I am convinced there are people that just walk around the neighborhood sticking pamphlets into people's mailboxes.*
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| NZ mail |
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| Some NZ coins |
This past Sunday we attended our first Kiwi church service, complete with tea and biscuits afterwards. Everyone was incredibly friendly and quite a few members of the congregation sat with us during the tea and biscuits bit so they could get to know us better. There was even an old war vet who shared stories of the time he was sent to America for exercises and ended up on an American game show. Hearing stories of the past like that made me feel right at home.
After the service we ventured out to our very first movie together! (No, not the entire congregation, just me and Seth.) Yes, we have been dating for almost a year and we had never seen a proper film in a proper theatre. Filmmakers doesn't count and neither does The Day of the Doctor. The Roxy is the most amazing cinema, inside is a fancy restaurant called CoCo where you can dine before your movie starts. If a meal is too much for you, but you still want something to munch on during the movie you can purchase tea and scones instead. The cinema actually offers Monday matinees where instead of $5 popcorn you receive complimentary tea and scones... at the movie theatre. Seriously. These people are bloody brilliant!
At $16, movie tickets here are pricier than they are in the United States, but if you are attending a screening at the Roxy I would say the price of admission is absolutely worth it. Located in Mirimar, home to Weta, the theatre itself pays homage to Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit with a hobbit hole doorway and other various Tolkien memorabilia. A fairly accurate Lego model of the Roxy, inside of the Roxy. Meta. Not pictured: The huge comfy theatre seats with ample leg room and little trays for you to stick your coffee on. Aside from the fact that there are Lego's in the lobby, this place feels more like a classic theatre you would visit to see a stage-preformance than a multiplex with sticky floors. When you purchase your ticket they ask you to select your seat. Yes, you read that correctly, you get to select where you will be sitting for a general admission movie! I'd say that's well worth the sixteen bucks.*UPDATE: I was correct! There are people who walk around and stick not-mail into your post-box. I saw one of them doing it on Sunday evening and as any good Harry Potter fan knows, there's no post on Sundays. Further mail developments were made on Monday when I discovered that the mailmen here ride bicycles to deliver the post!
