Thank you so much to everyone for all of the well-wishes! I really appreciate it – reading your comments and congratulations made my day!
I’ve got a lot of things going on in my mind right now – stuff that I need to take care of and accomplish. It’s time for a bullet-format post!
- Buy sunblock! I was out on the rooftop terrace for about 45 minutes the other day and came in looking a little pink. New Zealand has a disproportionately high rate of skin cancer compared to the rest of the world {courtesy of the ozone hole}. Thanks to my Dutch genes, I have very fair skin and a family history for precancerous skin lesions. Time to start smearing on the high SPF factor lotion!
- With the sun comes the heat, and that means its also time to switch out our winter wardrobe for the summer one. I can’t stand having stuff lying around that isn’t being used, and its my policy that if something hasn’t been worn more than once during a season, then it goes to charity {this is of course excluding things like dressy, classic items that may only need to be worn once a season}. I go through everything, sort out what is to be kept and what is to be donated, and then put the stuff we’re keeping in vacuum space-saver bags that go under the bed.
- I don’t know what the deal is, but there have been bugs in our apartment! Not gross cockroaches, but moths. At least, I think they’re moths – they’re small and gray with fluttery wings. When I first noticed them I went out and bought these “supposedly” moth repellent scent cards that you placed around the house. Yeah – didn’t work! I now need to go out and find some traps. I have never had moths in the house before, so this will be a new challenge. Have any of you dealt with moths? What’s your secret?!
- Library fees – I’m so excited about our new library fees. Starting November 1st, Auckland libraries will only charge $2 for DVD rentals {instead of $5} and you can put items on hold for free. When we first moved here, Chris and I both requested items only to discover that we were charged for each one. When I picked them up and was told that I needed to pay, I was shocked! I know that libraries are affected by the economy just like everyone else, but every library that I’ve been at in the States has always provided this for free. They might charge for DVDs, but never for putting a book on hold. The new fee schedule has gotten rid of this, although they still charge $5 to check out a new release. Since the library is just across the street from us, we frequent it a lot. I predict that we’ll be going there even more often as a result of the fee reductions.
I know that the economy has affected library systems and that smaller countries (or towns, in the States – Massachusetts was particularly affected) have to charge in order to offer a wide selection. Regardless, I’m happy that the fees are lower. We’ll be using more of the library’s resources as a result.
Library fees are part of living in a country with a small population. I am happy to pay extra for services at the library, especially since I am a frequent user.
Wow that’s so sad about the library! I hope they don’t do anything like that here, I’d cry!
Thank you! My thoughts exactly!
You were charged to reserve things? That’s totally ghetto!
If you can get cedar block hangers to put in your closets, that will at least keep them from eating up your clothes. I used to buy them at the hardware store in the US in an old house I used to live in. Good Luck with trying to get rid of them.