on the brink of a dual
hi.
i'm becoming a dual citizen tomorrow. new zealand is kindly overlooking the fact that i stood up dick hubbard, and allowing me to attend a smaller ceremony rather than wait another 4 months. what a nice country. i think i'll join! this means many things, the most important of which is that i am required to serve three years of military service. ha! just kidding! the new zealand military is comprised of approximately 30 people. i believe the navy has 2 ships. i love it.
actually, the most immediate effect of becoming an official kiwi is that i won't have to get a visa when i travel to australia later this month to meet my dad. ha again! assuming my new (zealand!) passport comes through within the next three weeks.
i also finally - i know, you can't believe i didn't do this earlier, since i've only crossed the pacific what, 15 times now? - joined up with a frequent flyer program. two in fact. it was tallying up the distance i traveled on this past trip (55,893 km) that kind of kicked me into action at long last. and the fact that i am flying a not insignificant distance again in about two months. with a 16-hour stopover in shanghai!
my damn nose is still playing up. the lucky pebbles (sounds like a breakfast cereal) got the fast-track version of this cold. he came down with it on sunday night, stayed home yesterday and today and is already in the cough phase, whereas i stayed home last wednesday and friday, only got to the cough stage on sunday myself, and am still in it. humph.
as a testament to the fact that my brain is not working, i offer the following insight into my sick, congested head. i have been memorizing the maori words to the nz national anthem, which go:
E Ihoā Atua,
O ngā iwi mātou rā
Āta whaka rongona;
Me aroha noa
Kia hua ko te pai;
Kia tau tō atawhai;
Manaakitia mai
Aotearoa
that's bad enough, but while washing the dishes, i happened to look over and see the cat, dead to the world on the sofa, and this just came out:
he lies sleeping on the couch
his belly looks like a pouch
when he sits, it's more a slouch
our stealthy midnight cat
pointy feet and glossy fur
when he sleeps, he snores and purrs
it's a him, it's not a her...
don't you look at me like that [in answer to the baleful glare i got for serenading him].
soooo, anyone want to send me some good strong cold medicine?
