Monthly Archives: June 2011

What did you do today?

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What did you do today? I went to work, spoke to the IRD (again), had Burgerfuel with Belinda and went to a play One Day Moko at The Basement. I went to the play because I’d been hearing the name Tim Carlsen – he’s in Silo Theatre’s next play I LOVE YOU, BRO and another couple of plays later in the year – so I thought I’d like to see him in this show to get an idea of what he’s like. When I saw the show blog http://www.onedaymoko.blogspot.com, my suspicion that he might be related to the Carlsen brothers I know was confirmed – they look SO ALIKE.

The show is VERY clever and Tim embodies Moko, a homeless man, as well as the other characters he transmits. I don’t want to give things away, but I like how he uses props and technology to create a slice of Auckland. It wasn’t until the end, when he took his bow and dropped the character that you could see what he really looked like. This guy will go far, for now we get to see him in I LOVE YOU, BRO, End of the Golden Weather and Tartuffe. I totally recommending getting to this play before it closes on Saturday.

Here’s James Wenley’s interview with Tim http://www.theatrescenes.co.nz/interview-tim-carlsen-on-one-day-moko-and-more/ and here’s the show’s blog www.onedaymoko.blogspot.com. 

Back to the play: What did you do today?

Postscript: I finally got the answer I wanted at the IRD! No more cheesy hold music. Hurrah!

How to rugby: Break it down

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Sbwandme

I’ve long held that experts in most fields invent terms and generally describe straightforward things in terms that are as convoluted as possible so that the uninitiated feel confused and in awe of the few who can understand. This makes sense with brain surgery, but not so much when we’re all meant to be part of a ‘stadium of four million’ (SOFM). To help you out dear reader, here is my take on The Breakdown.

When I hear someone say breakdown, there are a number of meanings that come to mind;

  • What happens to your car, even the day after you’ve had a full service.
  • How you feel after you hear the estimate for fixing the aforementioned car.
  • A list of numbers outlining why there is no money in your bank account and that it is probably something to do with your new shoes, haircut and/or drinks with the gang.
  • What happens to most New Zealand males when their favourite sports team fails to make it past the quarter-finals in a significant international tournament.

However, in rugby, the breakdown means something quite different and is a term thrown around in interviews all the time by everyone from Graham Henry (aka Ted) and Dan Carter (I still can’t believe the awful white pants I spotted you wearing at Dominion Road Countdown that time).

In simple terms, the breakdown refers to the moments straight after a tackle. Players from both teams attempt to gain possession, first with their hands (nice or otherwise) then with their feet (rucking). There is the potential for exciting steals and also for all kinds of infringements.

A few media mentions of the breakdown include:

“…with Adam Thomson returning from injury they further bolster their chances at the breakdown as he looks to add to his eight turnover wins this season.”

“Scott Waldrom starred last week winning two breakdown turnovers and scoring two tries. He is the third best New Zealand flanker behind Matt Todd and Adam Thomson for stealing ball at the breakdown.”

NZ Herald 29 April

“In other matches, the Stormers won the battle of the breakdown and scored four unanswered tries to overwhelm the Sharks 32-12 in Cape Town.”

SMH 2 May

And  a whole article Crusaders breakdown a weak link, posted today:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/5197518/Crusaders-breakdown-a-weak-link

You’re welcome.

Some unconnected thoughts

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blahblah some things I keep meaning to blog about in bulletpoint form:

  • Eclipse mints are dead to me – I’m pretty sure they design the boxes so that open inside your handbags ALL THE TIME. RAGE. Here at this blog, we are back to SMINTS.
  • I listened to the new albums by The Adults and Cults and I like them both. Is this the start of a trend for band names ending in ULTS, or am I perhaps reading something into nothing? Surely not.
  • I went to some movies: 1. Medianeras – a quirky Argentinian rom-com. Super cute and screening as part of the NZ International Film Festival – check out the full programme at www.nzff.co.nz. 2. Larry Crowne – the latest Tom Hanks movie and this time he’s not starring opposite a volleyball or Meg Ryan, but rather Julia Roberts. It features the recession, scooters and Fez from That 70′s Show. I thought it was cute and funny! One of my friends in her 20s didn’t enjoy it, which got me thinking that part of the reason I liked it was the whole Tom Hanks in a rom-com nostalgia thing. 
  • Crumpets are much better as vessels for savoury toppings – such as butter, vegemite and cheese – than they are with sweet things like jam.
  • Sal’s NY Pizza has just extended the delivery area for the Takapuna store to my house. I’m really happy about this, and I might even order pizza sometime.
  • Topshop at The Department Store is always such a great place to visit. The clothes and shoes are lovely (except for the selection of crazy) and the staff are brilliant – even though they’re all beautiful. How about that?
  • It appears that the greatest achievement of my life is appearing in Sideswipe. If only I knew, I would never have done the charity work.
  • I’m going to some plays this coming week and just realised that they’re all written by New Zealanders. Cool.
  • Is it okay to think Dylan Moran and Joel McHale are both hilarious?

Crafty goodness

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Cake_plates

I just went to a FRAFT Market. Even though it’s not proper English, I still knew it would be amazing because I have been to these things before. I gave myself a $40 limit and got:

  • A pink scarf
  • Three gift tags
  • A handmade card
  • A knitted bowtie hairclip 
  • An amazing tiered cakestand (pictured)

I also put in a bid on an amazing quilted picture on a silent auction and got Katie-Maree Cole to hold a pair of her unbelievably gorgeous velvet pants. But I don’t have to pay for those today so I didn’t break my own rule eh? Her cloths are gorgeous though – I pretty much want them all. You can look at her latest collection at http://www.katiemareecole.com. I know. 

Now I just need some cake… and maybe some coconut slice. The cakestand is crying for some treats don’t you think?