New Year, New Chapter

Hi, Friends and Family!

First of all, I'd like to say that Brandon and I love you all a whole lot. It's mid-January, but it's only just beginning to feel like the holidays have really and truly ended since until a week ago Auckland was basically empty. No one told us, but apparently there's some mandatory evacuation during the holidays because the whole city seemed to pack up and go on vacation for about a month. Now, however, the city is back together and jiving once again. The good ole kiwi dads are back in their offices, but the kids are on their summer break, which means that the parks are filled with summer barbecues, just bubbling with ecstatic toddlers and gossiping mums; community gatherings seem to sprout up spontaneously along the coasts and anywhere near a picnic bench. It's a cool vibe, and I think it's making B and me think that much more about home, where our families and friends have been gathering and celebrating in a different season but with equally good cheer.

So to get down to our news: Turns out that the director B and I met with a couple Saturdays ago was, in fact, a little full of hot air. Or perhaps just a bit... over-enthusiastic about the state of his script. We met with him at his apartment on a Thursday afternoon, where he talked to us about his concept, showed us an example of what his $17,000 camera can do, and played for us a short film that he directed and produced not long ago. Brandon and I were both impressed by his short film, but when he brought out his script, and we realized that he'd only written 15 pages, and those 15 pages were in a sad state themselves, we began to lose a little bit of faith in the project. He was definitely very gung ho about the whole thing, and B and I hated to give up so prematurely, so we asked if we could take a shot at a rewrite and went home to ponder our options.

We let the script sit over the weekend while we continued to apply for real jobs that could offer us monetary compensation, if not a creative outlet. The weekend was kind of funny, really. On Saturday we woke up at 6am because we wanted to catch the earlier, cheaper ferry to an uninhabited island called Rangitoto - a volcanic piece of land known for its lack of infrastructure (no toilets, even) and easy, pleasant hikes. We got there on time, but for the life of us we couldn't find a place to park. Since it was before 7am on a Saturday Brandon eventually just stopped in the middle of the road while I ran in to ask the ladies at the information booth where we should park. They looked at each other for a few moments, hmmming and huhhhing, and finally one of them suggested we park in a public lot near the grocery store down the street. By the time we would have parked and walked back to the pier, however, we would have, quite literally, missed the boat, so instead we headed home via a revisiting of One Tree Hill, which, especially in the early morning, will always hold a special place in our hearts.

We parked at the base of the hill this time and hiked up to the top, intent on getting a mini-hike in even though we weren't on Rangitoto, and then at the top of the hill we plopped down in a grassy spot and took out our travel chess game, which we'd been toting with us everywhere. You see, Brandon had never beaten me at chess. We played our first game a year ago at the lodge in Brianhead. We played again on the cruise ship last March. Then, recently we'd taken to playing a game a day, but I always won or we stalemated. Brandon never managed to beat me, which, I think, rankled in his soul just the slightest bit. I won that game on One Tree Hill, as well, beating him rather spectacularly. My reign of glory was not to last forever, but since we only have the attention span for one chess game a day, my crown was at least secure for Saturday.

That evening we went to the house that Geoff and Lisa are babysitting for the next month and met up with them and half a dozen other young kiwis for some games and good times. Once we were all assembled, meeted and greeted we played a rather theatrical game called "Werewolf" where everyone chooses a card out of a small stack and whoever gets the joker becomes the werewolf. The previous game's werewolf acts as a narrator and does the dramatic bit of flickering the lights and saying something along the lines of "Twilight was beginning to descend over the small village. The blood-curdling howl of a werewolf could be heard in the distance," at which point the obliging villagers howl more like a pack of retarded dogs than threatening mythological beasts. "The villagers locked themselves away in their cottages as night descended and the werewolf AWOKE and chose his victim." Then the designated werewolf brings up his head and points at the person he/she wants to kill. Then everyone wakes up, the narrator has to "kill" the victim, and the villagers guess who the culprit is. It's a really entertaining game, especially with a group of lively, actorly young folk just yearning for a chance to perform.

Now, I enjoy theater as much as the next person, but there are two reasons why I was really really really hoping I didn't get the joker card. Number one, I am a TERRIBLE liar. Number two, I hate improvising. I really, totally suck at it. Of course, I was one of the first people to get the joker card. After I'd pointed to my victim and the lights went up again I just couldn't help it. I burst out laughing. Of course, that was a pretty easy round for everyone else. Then I just had to make a quick go at my narrator bit and then I got to sit down again. It was too bad because Brandon never got to be the werewolf, and he would have done a much better job. Despite me being totally ill-equipped for party-atmosphere social interactions, the evening was a success and loads of fun. (Brandon note: Jenny was totally awesome, as werewolf, narrator, and Kiwi partier. Don't let her fool you.)

Eventually, however, we knew we had to do something about that script. Finally we decided that we would just write up a brand new outline for the story using some of the original elements and see what the director thought. We couldn't commit to a project we didn't believe in, and if the script was set as it was then we'd just have to bow out. Neither Brandon nor I really like the horror genre - actually, I loathe horror films completely - but we didn't feel quite brave enough to just write up a treatment for a comedy and email it over saying, so, what do ya think? In the end we simplified the script, did what we could to eliminate confustigating curses and illogical plot lines and emailed it over, anxiously awaiting a reply.

Now, when I say I loathe horror films, I feel like I need to elaborate with a little example: Freshman year of college I was coerced into watching the movie Se7en, which is arguably more a crime drama than a horror film, and I didn't sleep well for the rest of the year. Since we've been talking about this new script, even, I don't like being left home alone and have been tagging along in the car to Brandon's interviews sporting a book or a bit of paper to do some writing on. I really really really don't like horror films.

So, now I'm writing a horror film, which is just super. You see, even though the outline we sent to the director was vastly different from most of the things we'd discussed, he still liked it. That meant that not only were Brandon and I still in on the project, we're spearheading the writing side of it.

Around this time is when I started losing at chess. It was our eighth game together when Brandon finally beat me for the first time, and he won the next day, too. Though, to be fair to myself, he brought our traveling chess game on our walk and made me play most of the game on our way to the library. We were both feeling a bit chessed-out after so many days of chess games, so now we've taken a break. Though, I have high hopes for our next game. (Brandon note: We'll see about that.)

In the meantime, Brandon and I have been applying to jobs left and right, and it's finally started to pay off. Brandon had an interview on Monday of this week for a sales position, and on Wednesday he was hired, after a full day "out in the field" with his now coworkers. Turns out that the sales position is actually as a door-to-door salesperson, working for a mercenary selling conglomerate that goes out advertising and signing people up for whichever causes or companies hire them. On Wednesday they were signing people up for WWF - World Wildlife Fund - a charitable organization that operates on behalf of cleaner air and endangered species, so it's hard to say it's not a noble cause. But Brandon and I both balked at the idea of door-to-door sales. I mean, is that even safe? In New Zealand it apparently is. Even crummier still, the job only pays on commission. So if you happen to be selling towel racks and nobody wants a new towel rack, you've been walking around Auckland in the summer heat all day for absolutely nothing. Of course, it's our first job since the commercial in December, so Brandon is giving it a try.

I had an interview on Tuesday to be a singing tutor for this non-profit organization that does workshops for special needs kids. It would be a great job, if only once a week, but I'm not sure if they'll take me since I'm leaving before the end of the year. We'll see. It would definitely be the most rewarding job I'd have had in NZ so far.

Other possibilities include lab clean-up for a horticulture research facility nearby. That's a project-to-project based gig, but they might be wanting me to go for a trial some day next week. Then there's an evening telemarketing gig (which is actually mostly just surveying-via-phone) that we heard about through the director of that film. It's just three hours a night, four nights a week, but if Brandon and I both did that then we'd be making plenty, actually, to stay afloat. And then he wouldn't have to be doing door-to-door sales. AND we'd get to work together, which would be great.

Oh! And I almost forgot to mention that the gym I worked at for our first two kiwi months texted me this past week and asked if I could teach a yoga lesson on Sundays, which would be GREAT. I miss teaching yoga. I've made Brandon do yoga with me on occassion, but he's generally fitter than I am, so it's not as good for my ego.

B and I wrote the first 14 pages of that script today and sent it over to the director, who has been forwarding us emails that he's sending around saying that there will be a reading of the script in two weeks, which, I think is his subtle way to tell us to get moving. Brandon and I actually make quite a writing team - he's way more valuable to the project than he'll admit, and if I get too creeped out by working on the project then he'd be able to take over no sweat.

So this is what the future holds for Gigi and B: we have our telemarketing interview tomorrow. THIS Saturday we're going to leave for Rangitoto with plenty of time to park and walk from Foodtown. I actually had a kidney infection these past two weeks, but now I'm finally weening off the antibiotics and everything seems to be going up from there. This month as unemployed bums has been absolute bliss, but we know we'll have to go out into the real world and accomplish something eventually, and the weather will never be more encouraging than it is right now.

To end this rather haphazard blog entry I am going to make a cursory list of some things I've been mentally noting that I will miss about New Zealand when we leave, and some things about the states that I will be very glad to have back.

Cool Kiwi Things:
the clouds
the mild summer
the interesting trees that almost seem familiar, but are actually totally unique
the accessibility of the coastline
the nonexistence of traffic (except at major rush periods)
the artist colonies and resident bohemians
the fact that you don't need any sort of qualification to do most things
all of the gorgeous parks
black swans, roaming chickens, and wild sheep
the complete lack of anything poisonous


Cool American Things:
Mexican food (oh, the irony)
Disneyland
Laguna Beach
DRY HEAT
Family
Friends
My Dog (and Brandon's dog, Bentley)
The fact that my college degree will once again be worth something
The fact that being American will once again be a good thing when I go to a job interview
And Mexican Food

Love and well-wishes from the kiwis,
Brandon and Jenny