Unexpected Events!

Well, the last 24 hours have been very eventful... Let's start with Monday, then work forwards in time until the present.

On Monday evening, I was at U Canterbury, doing a bit of reading to prepare for a phone call I was expecting very early the next morning (to discuss the prospect of doing some research on lake food webs and predator-prey interactions, but that is beside the point for now). I could feel a little rough patch on my lower right third molar (wisdom tooth); thinking it was bit of food stuck back there, I poked at it only to have a sizable piece of my tooth break away! I was surprised, and more than a little chagrined. I take any kind of tooth damage rather personally, and this was a substantial piece of enamel and dentine.

No longer focused on work, I went home. An inspection in the mirror showed that I now had a sizable cavern in the side of my wisdom tooth. To make a long story short, I went to bed so I could wake up at 6:00 the next morning for a long-distance phone call. I had a very nice talk with a DFO scientist, then went to work. I needed to find a reputable dentist, so I asked around in my office. Tanya (fellow quasi-post-doc) suggested her dentist, so I phoned and made an appointment for 3:30.

Before I could go to the dentist, however, Shelley and I had to go to the airport and pick up Shelley's mom (and her friend Sandy) who was arriving in Christchurch at 2:00... and before we could do that, Shelley and I had to go pick up the van we had rented for Shelley's mom's visit (our car can't accommodate everyone). So we managed to get all that done (much to Aya and Rowan's joy and delight), then off I went to the dentist.

Once I was firmly seated in the dentist chair (at Bradley Wood Dentists on Papanui Road), my dentist Jeremy told me that there was no saving the tooth. It was badly decayed on the inside, and had to come out. I had mentally and emotionally prepared myself for this moment. ;)

To be truthful, the procedure was pretty straightforward. The tooth broke into three pieces, and took a fair bit of work to get out (perhaps 30 minutes), but it was relatively painless (since I was well-frozen). I now have an odd number of teeth for the first time since I was a lad.

Now if I was just finished (a) my Christmas Shopping and (b) revisions to my latest manuscript which has been tentatively accepted to a decent scientific journal.

[I've included a picture of Rowan, standing amid the Kowhai flowers on the lawn.]

Cheers,

Trent.

December 10, 2010

Summer has definitely arrived here in the South Island! Most of the spring flowers are now gone, having been replaced with hot and sunny days, trips to the beach, and

We went to Castle Hill one day two weekends ago to do some bouldering. Castle Hill is such an amazing venue in which to climb. We arrived at the Hill around noon, and spent the remainder of the day on just a few boulders on Spittle Hill (very near the carpark, actually). I really prefer Spittle Hill to Quantum Field, if for no other reason than it is easier to keep track of A and R. All the mazes of Quantum Field are fun to visit, and easy to lose your children in. I did a bunch of problems there, including the brilliant (but very high) Dr. Jones (V1), Shortround (V3), and Quake (V4). I tried the aptly-named Tricky (V6), but I’m not quite up to that yet. Even after the day of bouldering my neck felt pretty rough, but luckily the pain was short-lived. My mantling abilities need some work – I spent considerable effort doing some short mantle problems that weren’t really (supposed to be) very hard.

A and R had a GREAT time – they both love climbing. We bought Rowan some Aqua-Sock type shoes to use as climbing shoes, so he had a good time climbing (and running around) all day. He did trip when he was walking around and hit his face on a rock, so he looked a little worse-for-wear for the next week or so. Aya loves to be up in the mountains and climbing. She had a great time, and plowed to the top of a couple of boulders without any fear.

I’ve included a few pictures (taken by Shelley) of our climbing day. It’s easy to see why Castle Hill has such a great reputation for good climbing and amazing scenery.

I also went (some time ago) to The Cave to go climbing with my European friends Luc and Jorge. The Cave has about 30 routes, and is savagely overhanging. The climbing is gymnastic and bouldery, and routes start at about .12a and end at about .14b. I tried a few things, but will need more endurance to be successful. I’m hoping to get back there and get some things done, including Super Glue (mid-12) and Scrubble (12+ or 13-).

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I am always amused that New Zealanders use the word “eh”. Almost in the same context as Canadians, too. The inflection is quite different, though, so it’s a little surreal. New Zealanders often wear no shoes, whereas Canadians are almost NEVER without shoes. Hmmm… Kiwis can drink alcohol walking down the street, whereas that is a crime in Canada. That is one thing that I genuinely enjoy about New Zealand – the lack of regulations that seek to prevent people from doing ordinary, everyday, practical things. You can bring your dog into a café here. Why not? I was at a very nice café downtown the other day, enjoying a croissant and cappuccino, when Shelley pointed out that the door of a café had a cat door. I love that about New Zealand. The quirkiness hasn’t been pounded out by decades of top-down societal control.

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Rowan, Aya, and I went to the beach at New Brighton on Monday. We had a great time building Sand Castles, and running and jumping in the waves. A and R love the ocean. The sun is pretty brutal here, though, and both A and R had hats and sunscreen on. I missed a tiny patch on Aya’s back, and she had a strange crescent-shaped sunburn about the length of a bar of soap. I was wearing a hat too, although I am certainly less prone to sunburn than A and R. I am getting pretty brown… far more brown than most Kiwis. Some very dark genes in my genetic makeup, somewhere.

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Christmas is almost here! Shelley’s mom is coming to visit for three weeks, so that will be nice. Still, it feels a bit strange to be Christmas shopping in shorts and sandals. Shelley and I went downtown yesterday to the Christchurch Art Gallery to see the Ron Mueck exhibition. For those of you who don’t know, Ron Mueck is likely the world’s foremost figurative sculptor, and makes hyper-realistic sculptures of people at a variety of scales (usually much larger or smaller than life-size). Genuinely amazing. The gallery here was the only place in NZ that this exhibition was showing, so we felt really lucky, especially since there were so many pieces on display. They included Wild Man, Pregnant Woman, Youth, Woman with Sticks, Man in Boat - all incredible works. As amazing as it is to see the sculptures, it is just as informative to watch people react to the sculptures with genuine emotion and wonder.

After that, we wandered around Christchurch for a bit. Had lunch at a café at the Arts Center, then I bought a new hat (remember – it is sunny here!).

I think we are going to go punting on the Avon River with Shelley’s mom. It seems a bit touristy, but I am looking forward to it nonetheless!

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I hope that all our Canadian friends are enjoying the Canadian winter! It may be cold, but it does have it’s perks. Of course, walking on the sunny beach after swimming has it’s perks, too.

Have a great day… eh!