It amazes me how much can happen in a month! I guess I'll start with the obvious.... I've been climbing a lot. Team Palmy has begun development of yet ANOTHER new area, this time MUCH closer to home. The area is named Foley Farm and is 3 full hillsides of limestone cliffs and boulders as tall as 30 feet! As that it only takes an hour from town to get there, it has taken a bit more of a priority for me as that it benifits the entire climbing community in the area. As that I am directly benifiting the local climbing scene, I have also managed to aquire a semi-sponsorship from the local climbing shop. They are currently supplying me with bolting hardware at cost, though I may be able to get some of the gear for free in the future.
I am still involved with the Massey University Alpine Club.... in fact, due to a bit of technical difficulty with the president of the club over summer break, I am now the acting president. As I said at the first meeting this semester.... George W. has been "acting" for almost 8 full years, so I should be able to pull it off for a few months! I have openly admitted to the club that I am highly disorganised and often VERY single minded (climbing, climbuing, climbing!)... but I have been assured that at this stage of the game all they really need is an enthusiastic body to run meetings and keep moral up. No worries!
So why not take on the position full time? I have to much on my plate. I have gotten back into a local dojo and am training in Shotokan again (thank goodness... about time!). I currently have 7 climbing guides in the work and am busy doing the feild work to make them better (ie climbing more, making maps, documenting ascents etc.), which despite being fun and rewarding certainly takes up a fair bit of my time. Last...... oooooh and this one may throw y'all for a loop.... I do not want to commit to anything long term here as that I may be moving to Switzerland.
Ok... the story goes like this: I showed up one morning to pick up Jonus for work. (Jonus is a Swissman who has been living in NZ for over 7 years now and is ALSO my neighbor, my landlord and my co-worker.) When I walked up his driveway I saw a new (super cute) face in his kitchen. Over the next day or 2 I managed to find evry exuse in the book to go over and meet the person belonging to that face. Her name is Velia. She was on a solo adventure around the South Island but thought she would start in the North Island as that she new Jonus through a mutual friend. I guess she was equally as interested in making exuses to hang out because she actually showed up to do tree work on a crew with Jonus and me for two days!
We flirted like..... well, you have seen me flirt, she was ALMOST as flirty as I am!!!! We basicly spent as much time together, for the 4 days that she was in Palmerston North, as my sleep schedule allowed. In fact, It was actually 5 days as that she cancelled a day of "touristing" in Wellington to spend an extra 24 hours with me before she had to catch her ferry down to the South Island.
Thankfully for my boss, I am very bad at saving money..... because if I had had ANY availible savings I probably would have followed her down south and travelled around with her the whole time she was in NZ. That being said, we are still keeping in contact quite regularly. Although I will not be so bold as to claim "love at first sight" (far too cliche for me anyways), I will admit to the fact that she is worth a bit of an adventure for. I am still coming home in July, as that I NEED to catch up with my fam and the Holmes crew..... but apon leaving Logan Airport I will be continuing my vacation with an additional 2 weeks in Switzerland.
New Zealand is fun, but it's a big world out there. I came here to taste life and have an adventure. Opening one door just leads to more..... The way I see it, although she may be "just another girl (to be honest she celebrated her 32 birthday while she was here in Palmy with Jonus, his family and me)" but if that's all it ends up being.... I still get to see Swizzy for 2 weeks! I really can't see a logical reason NOT to chase her to the otherside of the world!

So that's news. Keep smiling and be open to adventure. Life is DEFINITELY worth living!!!