Today was Good. And Bad.

Today was totally a Kady day.  I slept until 9ish, lazily had a bowl of cereal and two pieces of toast which I forgot in the toaster and didn't even eat.  Then I WENT FOR A RUN!!!  I haven't been for a run in SO LONG.  I might have run next to the office hottie on the treadmill a couple times in November, but since then, NOTHING. 

So today I threw on my running clothes and just went out for a nice walk that turned into a run.  It was fantastic.  Bloomin' fantastic.  I mean it felt really really good.  I just ran up and down the street that I'm staying on.  Palmers Road I think.  I was gone for 25 minutes, so I probably only went two miles or less, but that's good enough for me.  After that I washed my running clothes (I only brought one set) in hopes that I'll go again tomorrow.  After a shower and hanging my clothes on the line, I walked out to the bus stop.  My bus was # 84, and it was just a few minutes away from its' every-half-hour stop on Palmers.  Before I got on, I ran across the street to confirm that the returning bus was also #84.

The bus brought me to the City Center, where I basically just walked around and went shopping. At Cathedral Square, there were tons of street musicians. MY FAVORITE. One of my favorite favorite things to do whilst traveling in a city is to go to the square and just sit there with my coffee and watch the musicians. And I got to do that today! It was a group of Maori singer/dancers (pronounced Mau like Chinese leader, so Mau-ree), a lady saxophonist, a pan-flautist, and guitar/drum machine guy. Also there was a street market, where I bought a camel-leather pouch-style purse that I LOVE, to replace my stolen South Africa tote. Also I bought one of those skirts you can tie in one hundred ways. I figure that will be nice in SE Asia. Then, to get me through the next couple weeks in New Zealand, I bought a pair of long underwear and a jacket. The jacket is that brand name Columbia, probably made in America. There goes my idea of getting a merino/possum New Zealand special. They're just too expensive. Like $250 for a vest. But I like my new jacket, it seems warm, and I'll definitely wear it for my next Minnesota winter (hopefully not until 2011). I also bought a small backpack!  It was originally $159NZ and I got it for $39NZ! One other thing that I bought is a mobile internet USB thingee. It was $99NZ, or $70US, but that came with a $40NZ credit, or $28US to buy internet credits. I decided to go for it, because I HATE being without the internet! This would mean I can be on the internet whenever I want! Plus it will work all over the South Island and also in SE Asia; all I have to do is buy a new SIM card once I get there. So I was stoked (I'm irritated with the speed now that I'm using it but whatever). Anyway when I got to the register, it rang up at $30NZ or $21US! So it was on sale -- like 70% off -- and I didn't even know it! I love it when that happens!!! LOVE IT. They paid me $10NZ to take it basically, after that $40NZ credit, which I still got! ANYWAY...

So the girls I am staying with here invited me to a dinner party at 5:30pm. I agreed to show up at 4:30 in order to help them get ready. So I went to the bus station at 3:45 so I could get to their place in plenty of time. I boarded bus # 84, and at 4:30 I looked out the bus window, wondering why nothing looked familiar. Finally I figured out that I had travelled to the entire opposite side of the city. Like trying to get to Hopkins but ending up in White Bear Lake. On a bus. So the bus driver advised me that I should just stay on his bus and head back to the bus depot in the City Centre and then change buses (his turned into a #83 at the turn-around). What happened is I took the #84 the WRONG WAY.  

I didn't get back to their house until 6:15.  Two and a half freaking hours on the bus ARGH SAD FACE :(.  They saved some dinner for me (seafood chowder YUM), but I felt SO BAD.  I even borrowed a mobile phone from a school girl on the bus to text my friend in Thames to text the girl I'm staying with because I don't have her number.  They didn't get my text.  But they figured I just got on the wrong bus, and weren't worried.  I was glad, because I kept picturing them freaking out, which caused me a stress pain in my back that is only now cured by this third glass of wine that I'm drinking.

Alls well that ends well, I always say.

p.s. Here's a new TV show for you to throw in your Netflix queue. This means you: Kay and Josette. It's called Black Books. It's British. You've probably already heard of it?  Kay being British and all...anyway, very funny.