Meditations, Part 1

Meditations, Part 1


Light switches: What can THB say about light switches? Damn, they are everywhere here, including a switch over ever socket (so if it is a plug where you can plug in two separate devices, there are two controls right over the sockets). So, often, THB would plug in something (computer, chargers) and forget to flip the socket control. Or forget that maybe there was a control switch on the wall. How many ways can you protect yourself from actually getting something to turn on? We rarely (never) stayed anywhere that in one room didn’t have more controls for the plugs than we have light switches in the loft (there are 8 light controls for the entire loft). That is one room in NZ greater than entire living environment in E-ville. Why? THB is perplexed…how can it be saving energy, doesn’t the usage start when a device is turned on AFTER it is put in the socket?

Wines: THB thinks that the reds in this area are basically priced at about double (or more) what we would pay for a comparable wine at home, so his cheapness is keeping him from drinking the good stuff: a $90 syrah or pinot noir here is the equivalent of a $35-45 bottle of Californian wine, and the $40 and under bottle here is not all that drinkable (ie, probably not sold) in California (or not bought by THB to be drunk). THB did not have the time to search out the best buys, so this is strictly one blogger’s opinion based on very limited experience. We did much better with white wines, in the $15 to $35 range.

Department of Medical Conditions, an update: THB has essential tremors, which the doc says is way better than having non-essential, unessential, or inconsequential tremors (or Parkinson’s, which also would not be good). When we had dinner at Saffron in Arrowtown, the amuse-bouche (in this case not only not-so-amusing, also not so good to be a jump in the mouth) was a purple egg yolk thing wobbling in a small spoon. When the waiter left them off at the table with a small flourish, DB politely pushed the tray with the spoons of these purplish wobblers towards THB. THB shows his gratitude, skooshes up the wine list in front of him closer to make room for the tray and proceeds to watch his purple wobbler leave the spoon just as he begins to lift the spoon (most likely having essentially tremored the spoon and bumped the wine list simultaneously). Now the wobbler, having miraculously not broken out of the yolk sac, is sitting on the wine menu. THB is not looking at DB, he’s concentrating on the wobbler; something tells THB intuitively to not look up, stress only increases the tremors. Somehow, THB nudges the wobbler back on to the too small spoon, and even more amazing makes it into THB’s mouth, where it explodes into tomato juice. An amuse-catastrophy-bouche avoided…as an aside, sometimes THB finds his fingers jumping all over the keyboard, pounding (or attempting to pound) on the keys outside of his control. This should stand as the explanation for much of what gets written for the blog: essential tremors as literature.

And, dyslexia must be rampant in NZ. There is absolutely no consistency on which was hot or cold works on the faucets. Sometimes the H and C were even reversed on the faucets (not sure why). At least the turn signal on all four rental cars is on the right hand side (away from the gear shift).