The last couple weeks have been pretty eventful, so this post might be long, but as always, worthwhile…The job front is still looking pretty bleak, unfortunately. I’ve been keeping myself occupied though, and trying my best to scrimp together any money I can. I’ve had a few interviews with various companies, apart from labouring in a quarry for a few days, hence the title, New Zealand… Rocks!!! I got paid to pick rocks up off one pile, carry them a short distance and drop them in another pile, from which they were selected based on shape and size, to be put through a custom made, hydraulic-action guillotine which cut them into smaller, more rectangular shapes. Awesome.
This week I did a little more labouring, on a construction site slightly outside town, but it was more interesting and fun than being at the quarry. Just basic stuff, a little carpentry work, but mostly carrying stuff and sweeping / raking the foundations for what will eventually become a pretty cool house, overlooking the Shotover River and with an awesome view North of Coronet Peak and further up the valley all the way to Cardrona mountain… check it out on google maps! Which reminds me, while working at this particular site its been really interesting just watching the mountain as the last few days have dropped a fair bit of powder up there, as well as on the Remarkables ski fields, which open this weekend.
I also finally got my own bed the other day. Until now I have been sleeping on a makeshift bedding area in the living room, in front of the TV, as I haven’t had the time or money to buy a bed. And of course other things take priority, such as buying my season ski pass, paying for hockey, and eating… mainly.
This is a dusk picture of our house, with Eddie resting peacefully in his little garage den.
Hockey has also been going really well. We’re still training hard, and have definitely turned into a better team for it. The boys are all really cool, and in typical fashion the changing rooms are my best source of the most hilarious stories. This weekend we played our first back-to-back games against the Auckland Admirals at home, which was amazing. There was a great crowd both nights and the games were in-wait for it-tense! I only actually played in the second game unfortunately, due to the restrictions on how many foreign players can suit up per game, but still enjoyed being on the bench, helping the boys out and got just as excited when scored. The Auckland team came out a little more aggressively in the second game, so it was a great opportunity to throw my body around and make some good hits hehehe… The final scores were 6-0 and 6-2, to us! Check out the website if you get a minute at http://www.southernstampede.co.nz/cleslambridis.html for the player profiles and pics and stuff...
Go Stampede!
Eddie is still running… barely. We decided to splurge and buy him a present, so we found a little used boom box from the Salvation Army, and now Eddie also has music! He made it all the way up the mountain yesterday as well, although he smelled a little funny by the time I got to the top, probably due to driving him up all the way in first and second…Mike and I haven’t properly been up the mountain together yet unfortunately, which is lame because he just finished doing a season in the French Alps, and I can’t wait to see him rock out in the powder…
This picture was taken on the mountain before the lifts ever opened, when Mike and I went up to do some hiking...One of the ski mountains opened last Saturday, which has put a permanent smile on my face. Coronet Peak is a pretty good hill, with some fun runs, albeit a bit short. The snow is really good though, mostly due to the abundance of snow cannons all over the pistes. And of course, the off-piste runs are pretty good too. On my first day I managed to fumble down one of the steeper off-piste runs and end up with a sore wrist and a mouthful of tasty powder… hehe.
I had my first run up at the Remarkables (the other closest ski field) today!!! Wow! What an awesome mountain! The day was just epic, sun shining, an ocean of cloud just below the pistes, and great great snow all over!
This is the view beneath the low clouds before we got up to the top of the Remarkables.
This is the Remarkables ski field basin. in the distance you can see the low-lying cloud covering the rest of Queenstown...
The runs on Remarks face the sun all day, so the snow loosens up by the end of the day, but it makes riding so much more fun! The park is awesome too! Its pretty big, with multiple channels that intertwine giving anyone the choice of hitting various kickers, step-down, rails, boxes and other terrain obstacles… And of course, I managed to hurt myself today in the park too… hehe, I landed a sweet air off the smaller of two pretty big step-downs, the biggest jump I’ve ever hit in my life, and then got cocky hitting one of the boxes, which I slid off and slammed my knee and shin into the sharp steel corner… ouch! Oh well, I’ll be more careful… tomorrow!
This is the bowl, part of the skate park right next to the ice rink. no story. just awesome.
And these pics are from a night out with some great people at a rave outside town. There was some cracking electro and DnB on, but it got shut down by the cops eventually... hehe, some things never change.ps. This post was written over a few days, and since I wrote the last installment, I found out that I've now officially got a job! I'll be working for A.J. Hackett Bungy, the largest and most broadly established bungy company here, and I'll be working in the film and photography department! I'm really excited, as I'll not only be working with media, but I also get unlimited, free bungy jumps!!! HA!
Love you all!xx Cleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees
