NEW BOOK!!

I started writing a new book on Sunday night, and have been exhausted ever since. I can honestly say that I have written more this week than I have in two or thee months. It's just writing itself. I find myself perched on my hard, poorly designed chair with pins and needles in all sorts of places, and not caring, just typing it out as it comes, then finally stopping to rub my eyes, and there's thousands of words raked up sine the last save, and I never even noticed the time go by.

It feels just so great to be being productive.

Of course M is ruining my buzz a bit, by asking me how it is going. I know that sounds innocent enough, but it always makes me feel like I'm failing if I haven't written an entire chapter since I saw her last.

But any way...

I'm so excited about the story, it's just fun. It's nice to have a simple story line (I should point out that this is the first kids book I have ever attempted), with no complex subplots and no difficult character development. The relationships are what they are, and there's no uncertainty in the charterers mind when it comes to those relationships. Her mum is her mum, and they love each other, the end. The story lies in her adventures and discoveries, not in her relationships.

And, even the baddy, isn't really that evil. But again, I've been writing a very dark and trying adult novel for over two years now, so maybe he just doesn't seem to evil to me by comparison to my other villain.

And the really fun part? People get it. I don't have to explain back story or anything like that. I say that one of the characters only has one eye, and it's like, "how cool", not "why?"

I'm so loving this. I just hope it keeps coming so I can finish and finally have an end product to show the people who remember the times when I was off sitting in some corner with with a pile of paper napkins in my lap, frantically scribbling things down while they were fresh in my mind.

It is my belief that the university of Waikato should offer a short summer course detailing the enrollment and re-enrollment process which also provides details correct on paper selections.

When I enrolled for first year, I called up to make an appointment to talk to someone about my options. They asked me what I wanted to study. I said I didn't really know, I just wanted to work in conservation. So, when I wondered into the office on the day of my appointment, the lady I spoke to already had the student hand book from the science department, and had a suggested course outline. I said okay, signed on the dotted line, end of story.

Now I am trying to finalize my enrollment for this year... and it had been a journey.

Before final exams last year, I went into the biology office to ask to make an appointment to speak with a course co-ordinator, as I wanted to change my specialization from ecology to genetics, and wanted to make sure I took the right papers to do this. I was told that Dr Mc was available to talk immediately. So, thinking not having to wait was best, I headed up to his office. I told him what I wanted to do, and he outlined seven of the second year biology papers I should choose from, telling me to defiantly take four specific papers, and then choose whichever two of the three others I wanted.

So, I went away, and looked at all the papers and did some more thinking. The hand book has little tables with suggested course structures for students wanting to specialize in different areas. The table for genetics lists two chemistry papers in first year, neither of which I took. So, I sent an email to Dr C, who was listed as the person to talk to if you had questions, asking if I absolutely had to have done chemistry, or if this was just a suggestion. She replied that it wasn't a requirement at all.

Taking these two conversations at face value, I sent in my enrollment application. A couple of weeks late I got a letter saying that I couldn't take the biochemistry paper i had listed for A semester. The letter provided a number to call to take care of this. I phoned up, and was told that I couldn't take it because I hadn't taken first year chemistry. (Which in honesty wasn't a surprise, just a bit annoying). I asked if I could just have it changed for 'statistical data analysis'. I was then asked if I had enrolled online, and when I said yes, I was told that I had to do a change of enrollment online.

So. I logged on to the university website and spent ten minutes trying to figure out how to do a change of enrollment. Finally I found the right page, only to discover I had to go through and reconfirm all my details. Changing the paper was a matter of a few mouse clicks, I hit done, and it came up with a big red sign saying there was a problem with my course selection, and to click here to find out more. SO I clicked, and was told that with making that single change, I had created 11 timetable clashes.

Sigh.

I chose yet another paper, (animal physiology) and this time was met with success. No problems. A week later I got a letter saying my application to enroll was accepted, and my enrollment contract thingy on its way (apparently thy enjoy paper work).

Now I have received an email. Only now do they tell me that it is a requirement of the biology department that students earn 40 points at second or third year level, outside of the major. In short, I have to take at least two papers that are not biology. This is not unreasonable, but I would have thought Dr Mc could have mentioned it instead of insisting that I take all biology.

Grrr.

Luckily, I don't have to change my papers this year, but I would have to compensate for it next year, so I would rather just tidy it all up now so I can all the third year papers I want.

It seems that second year statistical data analysis is in A semester, the the third year follow on is in B. So, next year I could take both. Good I thought, statistics and genetics go well together. But, then I saw that you also have to have done Math 102 to take the third year paper. But, I took math 168. To do math 1o2, I have to first pass 165 (because I didn't do math in high school).

So, to take the statistics paper I want to next year, I would have to drop plant ecology in B semester this year, and take math165, then take math 102 in the A semester next year, allowing with the second year stats paper I don't have room for this year, and only then can I take the third year paper. This, of course, would mean I was two third year papers short, and would have to at lest do a summer school course in order to complete my bachelors.

When will the chaos end?

In the absence of anything to add to my novel to be, I have been working in the garden, trying to make it look pretty so to raise my house price for when I sell. I can, for the first time in nearly two years, see where I've been. There are flower beds and peas growing up their little bamboo frame. I have tomatoes neatly spaced out with basil in between, apparently they grow well together. The only sadness is the failure to germinate of my two tones zucchini seeds and 3/4 of my sweet corn.

There is something truly satisfying about growing your own food. I am far more interested in the development of flowers on my little pumpkin plant than I am in the dozen or so stock running under the garage window. I pass the red robin "shrub" without so much as a glance, but I stop and look at both fejoas, watching as the little red flowers have disappeared, to be replaced with small green swelling growths I can't wait to collect.

I have decided to plant radishes in small patches, a few at a time, so to prolong the season, and not find my self over run with them (I have some two hundred seeds, so it is a very real possibility).

All this effort seems a waste, seeing I may not even be there to harvest much of what I plant, but it feels nice to be out in the sun, with dirt under my nails and sweat running down my face.

And then I look at eh photos of houses in the area I am looking to buy in, to be closer to the university so I can avoid using my car. The gardens are tiny and often the yard is paved over. I don't want to live in a sterile concrete box, if I did I would be looking for a town house, not an actual house. Besides, once I'm settled I'm getting chickens, I'll need the grass.

First day back at work

This is a tirade about the ways in which I hate my job- you don't have to read this, really you don't.

I just had such a crappy day. This was my first day back at work after the holiday, and it had a little bit of everything that I hate about my job. I had a woman calling to complain about non-delivery of an order placed for same day delivery in the first week of December last year. I had my mother/boss come into work and complain and sit around talking about feeling dizzy (I had been on my feet with no breaks of any kind for ten hours, I was a little dizzy and uncomfortable too). I had customers making a fuss because the phone started to ring when they were in the store, and apparently that means they are the centre of the universe, and then not buy anyhting any way. I had people asking questions that didn't comprise a question, just a few mumbled nouns and the rest was guess work. And the crazy and boring woman who carries around photos of her cats came in to chat!

And my mothers husband, who has threatened to kill me, who has the mental capacity of someone with a developmental disorder but without the excuse, this is the one who is hired to do the deliveries! So, I not only have to put up with this giant, violent, stupid person who specifically dislikes me, but he milked some cows this morning, so he reeked of cow poo.

Yay for my life.

So, I have been checking through every online job search site I can find for a job, any job. As long as it has flexible hours so I can fit it around classes when they starts back up, and is a permanent position. Not so easy when you haven't finished your degree and can't work in food service.

SCREAM!!!!!!

I'll be another year older in a week and a bit. I'm feeling it. I hate that I still have top put up with my mothers crappy life choices - when you work with her, her life infects your own. I would so love to be free to do as I wish, and hey, maybe even work for a company that allows their senior managers meal breaks once in a while. I want to work where I don't have customers, and no crazy people, and no family in my face, and no psychotic angry man threatening me.

Honestly, I can handle boring, I can handle long hours. I can handle repetitive. I can handle a long commute. At this point I could even handle experimenting on little animals, I just can't handle working in that evil little soul sucking flower shop any more.

AND! AND! AND! V-day is on its way!!! Valentines day is the bane of every florists existence. And I just know my mother and her stupid, worst-decision-she-ever-made, second husband are going to make my life hell, an absolute, living hell.


If you are still reading this I both apologize for the shouting, and wonder just how bored you must have been to have gotten this far.

New Zealand Forests and Conservation

New Zealand Temperate Evergreen Forests

We went for a walk within the Maungatautari reserve. The forest is old, more than predating European colonization of the country. You can feel the age of the forest as you step under the trees, it's cooler, but not just from the shade, it's like the air has more oxygen. If you have been to this place, or somewhere like it, you'll understand what it is I'm talking about. The cool fresh quality of the air, as unique as the salt air of the beach, but totally different. It is as if the air holds an abundance of fresh water but without increasing the humidity.


These pictures were all taken from the path of one of the short tracks that loop around at the edge of the reserve, just inside the fence.


I went to Yellow Stone National Park, and camped in the Teton National Park when I visited the USA a couple of years ago. I remember trying to explain to the Americans I was traveling with just how different the American wilderness is from the temperate rain forests of New Zealand.

Basically, in the Natianal Parks I visited, all the trees looked the same, and were evenly spaced. It is like there is only one tree, that has been perfectly replicated a hundred thousand times. There were spaces between the trees were you could walk, and you could wander away from the camp fire, walk for two minutes, turn and still see all your friends. New Zealand bush isn't like that. I have been to forests where walking more than five paces from the path will put you completely out of sight of it.


Maungatautari Reserve
This particular forest is very special, to the best of my knowledge it is unique. Well, it's not the forest that is special, so much as the fence around it. It started as a stand of native bush on the top of a mountain, stretching over a number of private property boundaries. Like all native bush, it had the potential to be home to an array of native birds, frogs, fish, insects and reptiles.

But, all our forests are plagued by foreign pests. All introduced, and all able to out compete our native wild life, or outright kill and devour said natives. These introduced little horrors are considered harmless in their countries of origin, some times even classed as the cute and cuddly. However here they destroy habitat, compete with natives for resources, hunt down our birds etc.

Wild Goats, Wild Deer, Wild Pigs, Mice, Rats, Possums, Stoats, Ferrets, Weasels, Hedgehogs and the common house cat. All are responsible for unforgivable damage to our native wildlife. And, as a dog person, I hesitate to add dogs to the list, but they do belong on it... apparently all dogs find the scent of our little defenseless kiwi's really interesting, a fact which hasd resulted in countless kiwi deaths.

Many of our native birds can not fly, and even if they can, many more choose not to, many also nest on the ground. They are literally sitting ducks/parrots/falcons. For example, if there are two stoats in a forest, no kiwi chicks will live for miles (I can't find the exact figure in my notes) in any direction.

So, a landowner decided to do something about all this. He designed fences, built them, then placed pests inside the fence. He observed how they got out, which told him what changes were needed to make the fence pest proof.

The fence is around seven feet tall, and topped with a smooth over hang, preventing things from climbing over the top. This is topped with a sensor cable that detects any tree limbs that might fall on top of the fence during strong weather, and sends an alert to a monitoring station so repairs can be under taken immediately. The fence is of stainless steal construction, with the wire mesh too fine for a mouse to squeeze through. This is protected by an eclectic wire on the outside, preventing farm animals rubbing against the fence. The fence goes deep into the ground, and comes outwards, preventing rabbits or other creatures from digging underneath it.

He managed to convince all his neighbors to agree to his plan of enclosing the entire mountain top with his fence. Once the fence was complete, an intensive trapping (and possibly poisoning, I'm not sure) program was put in place to completely irradiate all the introduced species within the fence.

While they are still fighting to catch the last mouse, they have essentially succeeded. This done, they have been introducing native species in a careful order in a bid to reestablish a perfectly balanced and functional, native ecosystem.

There are hiking trails within the fence, which are free to the public. You enter the reserve through a cage, with the door on one side not opening until the other door is securely closed.



This project is run by volunteers, who monitor and maintain the fence, when needed provide supplementary feeding, and maintain the paths within the reserve, and preform wedding to keep invasive exotic plants form taking hold within the forest.

Limited faith is placed in the multimillion dollar fence, so traps are set up within the reserve, to detect the presence of pest species which might breech the fence. These traps need to be checked and maintained. This is also done by volunteers.

The list
One the walk I saw a number of native birds, two of which I had never laid eyes on before, and were on my list of things to see.

1. The GreyWarbler
2. The Tomtit

Two ticks. Yay.