4 September, 2006

We are moving to the new house in a few weeks. Initial packing has started and it feels a bit unreal at this stage. Our tenancy contract has been set up to end and we are starting to sort out all the things that need to be changed over to the new address. I have this little voice in the back of my head, way down deep that keeps asking silly things like “are you sure you bought a house?”. I guess I’ll find out soon.

Today was a hard day back at school for some as yet unknown reason. I was pretty into life when I biked to school this morning and even felt unusually charitable as drivers ripped passed in their usual dangerous, ‘who gives a crap about human life’ sort of way. The classes went well and I got a lot done but I finished with a headache and really tired. With this behind me I was watching the news and essentially heard the following things: 1) Major gas disruptions in Wellington are causing massive problems for businesses there (restaurant and hotel businesses), 2) A supermarket supply strike is causing supermarket shelves to start looking a bit empty (we noticed this last night while sorting our groceries), and 3) a group of Christchurch suburbanites are fighting a bus route through their area because ‘it brings crime’. #1 and #2 seem to me to be one hell of a warning shot over the bow about how fragile some of our systems really are and how dependent we have become on them. Something we should be thinking very hard about I would have said. #3 I had to sit up a bit for as I was sure I’d heard it incorrectly. Turns out the residents of a few of our wealthier gated communities think buses are basically prison transports shuttling criminals to their lovely, not at all small minded or snobby little areas. Considering what it looks like we’re going to face with the end of cheap energy and personal transport I can’t help but wonder how long it takes for them to beg for a bus system. Christchurch people seem intent on proving themselves as spoilt children but some things go a little too far to be taken seriously. Gated communities would be great if we could bolt the gates shut from the outside.

Our new house has a backyard with some fruit trees and space for some of my other little dreams. I am looking forward to finally getting all the plants I have in pots established.