jobless joe and a few nz stories

A gifted person like myself? Jobless? Happens to the best of us, kids.

The first couple days were sluggish in cloudy Auckland, but I've had a great few days since I've been here. Adam and Adrian, a couple of cheeky Welsh guys, have been my source of entertainment for a good two or three days. We had a day at Waiheke Island, a short ferry ride from Auckland. They're not joking when they talk about New Zealand having fantasic scenery.

Met an American who wasn't from one of the major 'travelling states' like Florida or California - yep, Dan was from good old Alabama. What an eye-opener. He was a top lad but some of the stuff he was telling me was scary man. It went something like this (imagine our Dan is chatting to his mates back in Alabama about travelling):

Kevin: Hey Dan, you been dosie doe'in with Katrina again? Want another beer?
Dan: I'll have a beer sure. No more square dancin' with Katrina. I'm going to New Zealand in a few days.
Kevin: Hat damn, I seen all the world me, and I ain't never heard o' no New Zealand. I seen all fitty-six states o' this world I tell ya.
Dan: No Kevin, it's not in the States, it's the other side of the world.
Kevin: What you mean the other side o' the world?! This world goes all the way from San Fransisco to New York and all the goodness that's in between. That's all there is to it. Aaaaay, you been on that potato beer again Danny boy? You know daddy don't like that.
Dan: Never mind Kevin. And he's not our dad, that's Uncle Roger.

Or something like that. He pretty much told me that that's how they are. Very scary. And he also told me how his good friends were helping on the Bush campaign. Surprise surprise. But yea, Dan himself was a top guy and he taught me a thing or two about his place.

Went to a busking festival yesterday for four hours of low-lives making pennies through nearly killing themselves with swords, glass, fire and axes. It was actually great fun.

Well that's all to report for now. I'll just leave with you an example of how small the world really is. As I was updating my lovely website, a man old enough to be my father came and asked me a question about an email he didn't quite understand. It turned out his name was Yousif (my name in Arabic) who lives in Saudi Arabia and comes from Egypt. The chances of that happening are slim to none, but he was sitting here five minutes ago. Crazy.