While I was in Auckland this weekend, I exchanged the legs on my massage table. I’d inadvertently ordered a table with fixed-height legs¹. As of last night, it has been refitted with adjustable legs.

With the due-date rapidly approaching for my most recent massage assignment, I’ll be putting the new table and new legs through a good workout over the next couple weeks. Luckily, volunteers are not overly scarce, but I can’t say the same for available time.

¹ Why anyone would want a fixed-height table is beyond me. I was honestly surprised that it was an option.

I flew up to Auckland this past weekend with a friend of mine to see the Snow Patrol concert. Since it was a Thursday, we planned to take two days off work and spend the weekend. Being the peak of summer, there was a lot going on to choose from. For those who know me, it’s a surprise that I ended up at the beer festival.

Unfortunately, it was impossible to visit everyone I wanted to see, or spend as much time with them as I’d like, but that’s the nature of weekend travels. There’s never enough time.

The annual Round the Bays fun run was this past Sunday, with over 10000 participants. The course follows the harbour-side roads between Frank Kitts Park and Kilbirnie Park, for a total of 7km.

Results were printed in the newspaper the following morning, based on the real-time clock results. I was listed as taking 34:35, putting me in 717th place. Since then, the online results have been posted, which takes the time difference between crossing the start line and crossing the finish line. My differential time was 31:35, moving me up to 588th place. I was the 4th fastest Greg and the fastest Bodnar¹. I’m satisfied with that.

¹ Of the 6 registered Bodnars, 2 didn’t show and 3 were walking. I guess this is a hollow victory…

According to this snippet, Air New Zealand may be adding a direct route from NZ to Vancouver, bypassing the usual stops in Honolulu, Los Angeles or San Francisco. I can’t imagine better news; I’ve been hoping to find a flight path home without being subjected to the crappiness of American policies on in-transit passengers.

…not being able to donate blood because of a stupid sunburn-induced cold sore.

I went to see Escape last night, as part of the Wellington Fringe festival. It was directed by a friend of mine, so I’ve known a lot of the details surrounding it for quite a while. In fact, I saw it while it was part of her masters project at Toi Whakaari.

To see the ideas change between sitting in my living room with a few drinks and the two performances is pretty astounding. Upon seeing the first play, I was struck by how dissimilar it was to her original ideas. Further, the two performances would be barely recognisable as the same play. The background information stayed the same, but much of the context and nearly all of the imagery have been transformed into something else. The end result seems more tangible; it speaks with stronger images and makes a more directed statement. If anything, I think that the current version finally realises Kerina’s original goals for the project.

Escape runs until February 10th. If your fringe card isn’t already full this weekend, give it a try.

There is an odd feeling you get when you’re reading a story about earthquakes in Vancouver and you feel your building shake. Tectonic plate conspiracy?