Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ Parks and Recreation.

~ Related to the above: When an actor's real life partner cameos on their show.

~ Seeing a group of teenagers in cardboard Burger King crowns pushing each other in supermarket trolleys down a suburban street at 10am on a Sunday morning.

~ My sister, because she lent me her awesome scarf and brand new bag to take away on a trip to Auckland.

~ My other sister, because she bought me a second hand copy of S.E. Hinton's Tex. I'm so looking forward to reading it.

~ Compliments from kids.

TAMER

~ The sudden death of Peaches Geldof at 25 is so awful. I always admired how eloquent and outspoken she was. She seemed like an original, and came across as a dedicated mother. It is all too, too sad.

~ The words 'breeder', 'spawn' & 'feral' when used to describe human beings.

~ Ants, cockroaches, & any other bug that invades your home. Yuck! I'm cool with the spiders though, they can stay.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ A day trip to the beach.

~ My friend's 6 year old daughter, who said to me unprompted, "My favourite animals are Lions. I'm a Leo." Love that kid.

~ New friends becoming good friends. Always the best feeling.

~ Wearing all of the rings.

~ City Gallery's exhibition of John Millar's 1981 Springbok Tour protest photos, Tour Scrums. Excellent. A++. So good I'm going to try and get there again before it ends.

~ Happy tears.

~ Impromptu living room dance parties with Koko (& a couple of her toys) to David Bowie's Heroes.

~ Smart & sassy feminist kids. They make me excited about the future.

~ When people find a joke so funny they repeat the punchline twice while laughing.

TAMER

~ Seeing a surf caster snag a Ray on his line. Rays are some of my absolute favourites, so to see a little one struggling was most distressing to me.

~ Sunburn. Awful, horrible, really really bad sunburn. So painful. So stupid.

~ Finding a whitehead on your nose right after you've met cool new people. D'oh!

~ I thought I'd discovered an awesome new podcast, but then I listened to it and the host kept stopping mid sentence, leaving dead air until her guest would have to jump in and try to cover it. It was so awkward and hard to listen to. If you have any recommendations for good podcasts where this doesn't happen, I'd love to hear them.

~ When publications that you respect publish really shitty things. So doubly disappointing.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ My uncle joined facebook a while back and has been uploading a shit ton of old family photos, like the gem above (that's my Dad second from the end). It's so great seeing photos of my uncles and aunties as kids, and also getting to know my extended family and genealogy better.

~ Winning competitions. Double pass to the movies? I'll take it!

 

~ I went to an incredible Curator's talk on Te Papa's current World of Wearable Arts exhibition. Seriously folks, keep an eye out for these things. They are free and they are good.

 

TAMER

~ Passing an unwelcome parenting milestone - Koko's first tummy bug. Vomit in the car. Vomit on me. Yuck.

~ Catching aforementioned tummy bug. Not cool. Not cool at all.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ YA Reading Bingo. I love a good reading list to work through.

~ My first week back at work has gone really well. Long may this goodness continue.

 

~ Getting to spend all day with kids, which means building towers out of blocks again and again, trying a new configuration every time a toddler sends the previous structure toppling down.

 

~ Last night's outing to the Botanical Gardens to see The Digg play. Koko handled it like a pro, even though we were there two hours after her usual bedtime. Awesome sauce! Gonna try again next week for Eb & Sparrow.

 

~ Compliments. Nice to give, lovely to receive.

TAMER

~ Online arguments, where people either miss the point entirely, or ignore the question being asked, or use it to air an unrelated grievance.  Ugh, interwebs, I love you, but sometimes I need my space so I can head-desk to full effect.

~ Accusing an author of plagiarism on twitter & having them find my tweet & respond to me. Big whoops.

 

~ I completely missed an appointment I had scheduled for this week, for no other reason than it just vanished from my brain. What a dick.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ Cracked Pepper Pate - the perfect blend of creamy, sweet, savoury & spicy. Delish!

~ Friends. New friends, old friends, and everything in between. I have been overdosing in friend time over the holiday period, and it has been very good for my soul.

~ Drinking Buddies. Don't let the name fool you. This movie is smart & relevant & really good & REAL.

 

~ Holidays. Having a big chunk of time where Apa & I are both home at the same time is awesome.

TAMER

~ Getting a hole in my brand new Kowtow top on the first wear. A tiny hole, but still, stink buzz.

 

~ The impossibility of finding pants that fit.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ I commissioned the super talented Pinky Fang to do a portrait of Kowhai for her second birthday. Isn't it awesome?! I'm so happy with it.

~ Tomato sandwiches on fresh bread. Mmmm, yeah!

~ Adventure Time. Yeah, I know I'm late to the game here, but this cartoon is rad!

~ I finally caught up on some episodes of Stuff You Missed In History Class, and now I have a major obsession with Audre Lorde. Hello, new Wilder Woman hero.

~ $10 burgers at Monterey on a Tuesday. Dinner = sorted.

TAMER

~ I heard that Air New Zealand were offering Auckland to Hawai'i return flights for $550. I got all excited about this, and had pretty much decided I was gonna do it, and then I found out the deal was only available to people in the travel industry. Hopes = dashed. Bummer.

~ Koko and her cousin seem to be in competition with each other as to who can come up with a way to most horrify me when I go get them after their naps. I have had to deal with poop and wees and now the new found skill of climbing out of the cot. This is not cool.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ This delightfully beautiful song and lovely new video from Joe Blossom.

TAMER

~ Dressing completely inappropriately for the weather.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ Eleanor Catton winning The Man Booker Prize!

~ When your friend arrives to babysit, which is awesome enough in itself, but then turns up with a loaf of freshly baked bread for you as well. Amazing! Thanks Erin!

~ The resulting Bruschetta that the aforementioned bread became.

~ Unexpected yet absolutely perfect & awesome gifts.

~ Apa's Lasagne. Yum!

~ Watching Koko play really nicely with her cousin or her friends. To see her developing and engaging and learning is so awesome.

~ Raw honesty.

TAMER

~ Waking up in the night with a bad earache.

~ Green phlegm.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ Koko in plaits. Plaits! (This was the best picture I could get of the Plaits!, sorry.)

~ When new friends turn into good friends.

~ Having painted finger & toenails. It's one of those simple things that gives me so much pleasure.

~ Toasted English Muffins with butter and golden syrup. Mmmmmm.

~ Toddler mischief. So cute.

~ The West Wing. I watched a bunch of season one when it first screened, but that was it. I've borrowed my friend's DVDs and am loving it So Much.

~ It feels so weird to be saying this, but, Pizza Hut Chocolate Mousse. I'm going to go out on a limb here & proclaim it as good as any gourmet made from scratch chocolate mousse that I've ever eaten. Mouth wateringly good.

~ Monterey for dinner. Onion Rings, burgers, soda, sundaes. Yum!

TAMER

~ $22 dress, $38 postage. Nope. Uh-uh.

~ Messed up sleep patterns, sore throats, black dog moods; these things may all be related.

~ Snobbery & smugness.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ Bah! I forgot to note the source of this lovely tea print. Sorry! However, tea dates & happy talks with friends are lovely.

~ New experiences.

~ When you get back to your car in the supermarket carpark & the space directly opposite you is empty, meaning you can pull forward instead of reversing out of your park. Ah, small pleasures.

~ A good friend of mine got married recently, and it was a fabulous occasion. Our friends were babes, the bride looked like a total film star, there were heartfelt vows, happy tears, a first dance to a Prince song, yummy food, photo booth hi-jinks and dance floor fun times. Lovely!

~ Urban Bakery Ginger & Dark Chocolate cookies. You know that thing when you take a first bite of something & you know instantly that this is a food that is served in your own personal heaven? That. These cookies. Oh my word, the deliciousness!

~ No Lights No Lycra. There's nothing quite like dancing the pain away and getting wild in a darkened room full of strangers (all fully clothed). Dance is just good for the soul.

TAMER

~ Movies that have two volume settings: whisper whisper whisper & EXPLOSION EXPLOSION EXPLOSION!

~ Not being invited.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ King Kapisi's new(ish) song Crush, with Rakaa Iriscience.

~ Holding myself to higher standards.

~ Pickle Eating House. I was fortunate to finally eat here recently for a friend's Hen's Night, & we tried the Dinner Party menu. It was AMAZING! Sooo much good food & drink. I really want to recommend that you go there, but alas, they are closing soon due to earthquake strengthening, so y'all best hurry up.

~ Line drying a load of washing on a crisp winter's day. This requires precision timing in terms of getting the washing out & in, & when you nail it it is so satisfying.

TAMER

~ Television Spoilers. I HATE spoilers, but I'm not prepared to give up the internet in its entirety to avoid them. Sigh. Conundrum.

~ I saw a woman on the street heading home after work with a dozen beer when the carton broke open & all the bottles fell onto the pavement. Stink buzz! On the Wilder side, a bunch of people stopped to help her pick them up & clean up the mess.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ The uber-awesome Delaney Davidson & Marlon Williams won Best Song (as seen above) & Best Album at the New Zealand Country Music Awards yesterday. Of course.

 

~ Nice Blocks. Organic, fair trade, vegan ice-blocks. Yum!

~ Getting a radio shout out. No matter how old I am, I will always feel like a kid getting wished Happy Birthday by Buzz O'Bumble when I get a radio shout out.

~ New TV shows to watch: Luther, Top of the Lake, season five of True Blood.

~ Good books: The Rosie Project, Sydney Bridge Upside Down.

~ Making sensible financial decisions.

TAMER

~ Good friends going through shitty times.

~ House envy.

 

~ Trying to decide what to wear for an event & having no idea whether you are going to look completely inappropriate & out of place or not.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

This is pretty much my philosophy.

~ When you go to the op shop & they have exactly what you're looking for.

~ My new black shorts. I think I've found my summer uniform.

~ Hot English Mustard that clears the sinuses.

~ Salads.

~ I've been thinking it's a day ahead all week, so I'm pretty stoked that today is only Friday, & not Saturday already.

~ Interacting online with people you really respect & admire.

TAMER

~ Listening to your next door neighbours having a massive angry shouting fight.

~ I've been feeding my friends' cat while they are on holiday, & the other day when I went to let him in for his evening feed he was nowhere to be seen. Cue a stressful night of me worrying that he's lost/dead.

~ Koko has four teeth now, two top & two bottom, which means she can bite, & even worse, SHE GRINDS THEM TOGETHER! Worst sounds in the world.

~ Having to chase up people who haven't RSVP'd to my wedding invites.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ I know it's not a great picture, but the above Pacman flower bed in Wellington is so cool.

~ Heading to the waterfront on the most gloriously beautiful hot sunny day. There were masses of teens jumping off the wharf, & lots of people out enjoying the sun.

~ The Sea Shepherd crews. I really respect the work these passionate volunteers are doing to stand up for something they believe in. I checked out their vessel the Bob Barker on the aforementioned glorious day, & took along some potatoes as koha.

~ The RSVPs have started coming in for my wedding in February. Super exciting.

~ Going out for dinner with friends.

~ Meeting your friends' families & finding out they are just as awesome as your friends are.

~ Good discussions & debates.

TAMER

~ Getting your hopes up & then being let down.

~ I've been having cravings for Snifters lately. They're not made anymore. Worst.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ Madonna. My love for this Fantastic Bitch was renewed after a viewing of In Bed With Madonna.

~ Cheese jokes. My new favourite thing.

~ A good story told by a good storyteller.

~ Killinchy Gold Boysenberry Cheesecake ice-cream. Heavenly.

~ Vogel's Cafe-Style Light Berry cereal. Yum! I've desperately missed muesli since I found out I'm allergic to oats. This is oat free & pretty damn close to muesli. So delicious.

~ The combination of chocolate & peanut in any form.

~ Downton Abbey. I've just started watching this & OH MY GODDESS IT'S AMAZING!

~ Being cosied up inside watching a downpour on the other side of the windows.

TAMER

~ House envy.

~ I've said this before & I'll say it again ~ Twitter RIPs. I have an irrational hatred for them.

~ Speaking too soon.

~ Feeling like a fool.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ This family selfie, which was taken up at the Ataturk Memorial on the most glorious sunshiney evening.

~ The smell of sunscreen. It just means summer!

~ Exploring rock pools.

~ Kowhai blew a kiss in her sleep the other morning. It was pretty much the cutest thing ever.

~ Cate Blanchett at the premiere of The Hobbit. This woman can do no wrong.

TAMER

~ Kowhai is at the stage where she is pulling herself up & practising her climbing. This means lots of head bumps & tumbles.

~ Toilets that don't flush properly.

~ The sound of paint scrapers. Ugh, just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine.

~ Medicine bottles with child-proof caps.

~ Trying to change the nappy of a baby who is determined to roll over. Dude, babies are strong!

~ When you go to add hot sauce to your meal and it comes out of the bottle way faster than you expected.

What made your lists this week?

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

It's my birthday today! And so far it's been a good one. Apa has been cooking me special meals all week & bringing home some of my favourite treats (Scorched Almonds, Belgian biscuits, licorice). Kowhai slept through the night last night! This is unheard of! I got up early this morning, bundled Kowhai in her pram & went for a stroll through Newtown to pick up a couple of things at the supermarket. When we got home Apa was ready for us with this song...

...and we had a family dance party. He then gifted me the PJ Harvey album that I've been wanting for ages on vinyl, and cooked me a delicious breakfast. While Kowhai's been napping I took a long shower (fellow parents will know what a luxury this is). Soon I'll be dropping Kowhai off to play with her cousin so I can do some shopping, treat myself to lunch, have an appointment with a naturopath friend of mine, and meet another friend for afternoon tea. Then Kowhai's Aunty will be coming to babysit this evening so Apa & I can go out for dinner. Birthday's rule!

TAMER

How can anything be Tamer when it's Birthday Week?

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ Koko's Halloween costume.

Little Hannibal Lecter

~ Dinosaur Jr.

~ Tattoos.

~ People that can't wait until Guy Fawkes to set off their fireworks.

~ Sing along Grease at the Embassy. Costumes! Singing! Dancing! Alcohol! Fun!

TAMER

~ Spoilsports.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ The Bishop family house from Moonrise Kingdom.

~ Friends who are willing to help you out when you need it, & expect nothing in return.

~ Watching Kowhai smile in her sleep.

~ I left Koko with her Granny On Wednesday afternoon & took myself on a date. I went to see Pitch Perfect, which was great, bought myself popcorn & soda, & completely blissed out. It was a much needed recharge. Although I have had No Diggity stuck in my head ever since. I can't decide if this is Wilder or Tamer.

~ Pikelets for breakfast.

TAMER

~ Paul Henry apologists.

~ Maggots.

~ Prowlers.

~ Holiday weekend road tolls.

~ 'Saints & Angels' parties for Halloween. I love that Halloween is about embracing the sinister & the scary. If you're not into that then just ignore the holiday altogether, which is pretty easy to do here in New Zealand.

Wilder & Tamer

WILDER

~ When strangers offer to lend you a hand on the street.

~ Movie nights with friends.

~ That house cleaning motivation that comes with impending visitors. So productive.

~ Trying new things.

~ My Doctor. He is nice.

~ Lunch dates.

TAMER

~ Flies.

~ My lungs.