And you did what they told you

So, hordes of music fans have organised themselves and made Killing In The Name Of this year's Christmas #1 as a protest against TV talent show hit singles. When they said "Download", you said "How many times?" It's been I-don't-know-how-many years since I bought a chart single or album, and I wouldn't say it bothers me enormously what's at #1 in any given week, but still, I quite like this bit of news. I'd rather have had Slade in there again, but I suppose you can't infer the same pithy comment on the talent show lovin' mob from the lyrics of Merry Christmas Everybody. (And you can't infer a similar comment on the activities of the backlash mob, nyuk nyuk...)

The Lovely Jo has been diligently keeping her blog up to date with our personal activities, which takes the pressure off me doing the same - I can just point to the link over on the right. Ah, expediency. To recap, as things currently stand we've been in New Zealand for about a month and a half now, and we're still looking for jobs. It isn't really so damning to still be job-hunting after a month and a half, particularly in the run up to Christmas. It's a bit annoying, because we're restraining our spending until at least one of us gets work, and dammit, I want professionally made coffee. Coffee and sushi. And more wild book-buying. Among the many things I want... I'll come in again.

We've already settled in well in Lower Hutt, thus continuing a trend of swift adjustment that began with having no jet lag at all and not feeling disoriented by the warm winter weather. The facilities are good, we've built up a promising relationship with our second-hand bookseller, we're beginning to feel more comfortable about the whole business of keeping an eye out for our elderly neighbour, and just lately someone's moved into the area with a friendly cat. We've found an orchestra, although they take the whole of December and January off, so we're not actually going to get to know them until February. Things, outside of the job situation, are going well.

But will we stay here? It seems that most of the Wellington SF group live in the Johnsonville/Newlands area, which is in the next valley along, and transport links between the valleys are pretty well limited to the bay road and central Wellington. We may be getting by now with a mixture of public transport and cadging lifts from some far too obliging fellow SF fans, but pretty soon we'll have to look at either getting a car, or relocating. It has to be said that Newlands doesn't offer much in the way of jolly Deco architecture, and what we've seen of the weather (admittedly one evening of it) was entirely mist and rain, probably more of it concentrated into a few hours than we've seen in six weeks in balmy Lower Hutt. What the facilities are like, we couldn't say. A reconnaissance trip to Johnsonville may be in order. MetLink may be of help here, since on Christmas Day all train travel in the two valleys is free! That's right, free train travel! Chew on that, First Great Western! Of course, it could chuck it down on Christmas Day, so we're playing it by ear. But what with the weather, environs and orchestra in Lower Hutt, it'd take a lot for us to move out. A car's the more likely solution.

And so onward to Christmas, New Year and probably another two weeks of no job news. Fingers crossed for January. More blogging in a week or so, when it'll be the usual monthly book blog again.

And a Merry Solstice to all of you at home.