Smurfing

So the hunt for a new hat was very fruitful, if not a little arduous. When i was up at Coronet last week i tried on a few and Kate really liked this green one. I bought it, using Kates 10% discount as my 20% discount doesn't start until i do. The hat was a little tight but when i got home i stuffed it with other hats and socks to stretch it. It's first outing was at poker on Wednesday night. It failed miserably. It kept rising up and looking like a smurf hat! Kate made me laugh when she told me my hat had smurfed itself as "to smurf" means to slap ones penis around someones face, in the porn world at least. So i decided that the hat needed more drastic measures to try and stretch it and relax the weave. When i got in i managed to stretch it over my ski helmet. I put on my helmet and looked a lot like a soldier, a look i might replicate up on the hill! I left it for a few days and give it another outing. It was a lot better but still occasionally 'smurfed' itself. So i decided to leave it stretched over my ski helmet for a few more days and keep looking for an alternative. Yesterday i found my new hat. I wanted something comfortable and not too thick. Something i could possibly wear casually, like my old grey beannie. This hat is a wee bit more elaborate than that as it's bright orange and turquoise with a huge bobble! It sounds kinda gross but i really like it and it looks quite cool too. I will no doubt get some pics wearing it over the next few months, especially since the weather here has truly turned antarctic!

We popped out to the local video store yesterday and i gave Kate my newly stretched green beannie to wear. She was reluctant as she doesn't really like trendy head gear! She rocked it though! It looked so cute on her and i was totally jealous. It looks like all the stretching has worked but when i put it on my bigger head, i could tell it still wanted to 'smurf' itself. It's back on my helmet (ski helmet, you pervs!) and i reckon in a few more days it'll be where i want it. If not, Kate can have it and i will just rock the bright orange number. No fear of Kate wearing that as it will clash with her carrot top.

I start work on Monday, gulp! Have to go in to town tomorrow to sign my contract and give them all my bank details and hopefully get my lift pass. Monday begins 4 days of training, one in the local theatre for some reason. Hope i get on the stage. You know me, i like to perform. Hopefully will be all trained up for the start of the Winter Festival which starts next weekend. It looks like it will be a laugh. Fireworks, Mardi Gras, gigs and lots of other cool stuff including a flying man competition in the lake and an underwear race called "the undie 500." It draws lots of people to town so it'll be like being dropped in at the deep end but I'm sure i will manage. Gonna have to get used to the early starts too. I haven't really needed to be awake before noon for like 6 months. Well, apart from the numerous job interviews. I can't wait to get up on the mountain.

Biff caused us a wee bit of grief this week too, bless him. He had his WOF, which is the NZ equivalent of a MOT. He failed with a rear brake imbalance. We took him to a local mechanic and hoped that they could sort him out on the cheap for us. Turned out he needed a whole new rear brake system which had to be ordered in from Invercargill. Sounded expensive and it was. When they called to say the work had been done they had already had him for 4 days. It had snowed here and the whole area went on hiatus for a day though. I was so excited to hear he had been fixed i agreed to pick him up straight away, not really considering that it was 4.15pm and the garage closed at 5pm and was over 5k away, oh and i wasn't dressed yet. No worries, i got dressed and sprinted out of the door, jogging the 5k in only 25 mins (uphill all the way) to go collect him. It hadn't even occurred to me to wear any of my running gear, including my running trainers so i trudged all the way there in my jeans and my skate trainers. When i got home i suddenly realised what a bad idea that had been. I stiffened up and thought i had given myself shin splints! When Kate got in i could barely walk without clopping my feet around like i was wearing flippers! I was in agony but still managed to go into town for a game of poker with the guys. In fact, my shins have only just now started to feel normal but my knee feels like it has been hit with a sledge hammer. A stern reminder that i am no spring chicken anymore. Shit, I'm not old either but obviously should've considered my running shoes for that sort of distance. Oh well, we live and learn eh?

We have been entertaining this week too, albeit a bit impromptu. One of the guys we have met at poker is a local guy called Mike. He is a chef in town and has latched onto me and Kate. He is 29 and up until he met us he considered himself old. Cheers mate. Well, he brought his girlfriend with him the other night to poker and they ended up dropping us home and coming in for a night cap. I felt a bit weird having people over. It has been a very long time since we entertained and the flat was it's usual pig sty state. It wasn't actually that bad. Mike met us the following night and said his girlfriend had loved us and wanted to go out for drinks and a meal in town. Sounds good as we have only eaten out in town once for dinner since we got here! Don't get me wrong we eat out for lunch a fair bit but only venture into town for poker or beers. We'll see what happens.

Have still felt a bit helpless this week regarding my sister and her ankle dramas. She had her surgery and it went well, except the surgeon was super concerned about the lack of bone density my sister had in her legs. All sounds a bit ominous to me. They kept her in for tests but i doubt it'll be a while until we hear the results. I have spoken to her a few times and intend to more over the next few weeks. I just wish i was there to give her hugs. I miss you sis.

Anyway guys, i will let you know how my first week on the job goes. Chat soon.

Peace

D

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