I am so lucky that I am able to stay in a house sleeping on a pull out bed. It is cold and windy with slight rain or drizzle out. That is not good camping weather but it made me realize that winter is upon me now. Saturday I will go to my first rugby union game in New Zealand's only indoor arena. It should be a good game, pitting the Highlanders against the Hurricanes. That does not mean much to me but people say it's a big deal. Yesterday I got to complete my tour of the Otago Museum. Last time I was here I ran out of time and was not able to finish seeing a few exhibits that interested me. Unfortunately the Animal Attic was closed. It has many stuffed and identified vertebrates plus a great introduction and explanation of zoology. I spent about an hour last time I was through but they are making upgrades and repairing some of the displays. I did get to spend a lot of time in the Southern Land, Southern People room. It is a cultural and geo-historical explanation of southern New Zealand. The geological climate of this area is interesting as it is where 2 plates come together to form the southern alps. On top of the up rising of young rock it is a land shaped by glaciers, with its weather heavily influenced by the antarctic ocean currents. The cultural side of the exhibit conveys the hardships of early human inhabitants and how they progressed and thrived into the southern folk they are today.
When I got over to the fossil section I started to contemplate the enormity of time and our earth. Here is where I get philosophical and preachy. The earth has existed for billions of years. Life is a new concept here showing up some couple hundred million years ago. There was a mass extinction when 80% of life on earth was wiped out. Those that survived this Armageddon are the ancestors of the organisms we currently see on earth. What makes humans think that we are the end of this chain of life or the top of the tree of life? There is so much concern about greenhouse gas and emissions that we are missing the big picture. Life will always exist here on earth. Our only say in the matter is wether we will be able to survive in the future when the world changes. How many average people know that all the continents were one large continent 800 million years ago? I enjoy history and science, this concept baffles me when I think of the enormity of the subject. Not to mention the distances between stars, but that is for another rant. So this thought does not really have an ending but hopefully you can think of these mysteries instead of watching the bachelor or the Rachel Ray show.
This brings me to NZ TV. I got to watch some tv lately and I have some interesting observations. First thing I noticed is the "networks" are called primarily the number channel they are on. Like TV one, TV two and FOUR. It does not leave much imagination but I guess it makes things simple. There are american shows here but they are a few months behind but that is to be expected. The purely kiwi shows are pretty good and add an insight into their culture. The one I have grown to love is The Mighty Johnston's, Norwegian gods living in New Zealand. Cant beat it. Another difference is that people are allowed to cuss on prime time. I kinda like that. The most entertaining channel by far is the Maori Channel. It is broadcast mostly in Maori and some of the shows are educational. Yesterday I caught the end of one of the best. It is a show where they remake music videos and sing in Maori. I dare you to keep a strait face to the remake of Katy Perry's, Yes and No. Classic Kiwi TV. To get my sports news fix I catch The Crowd Goes Wild, a two man show like sports center with more jokes. At least now I am watching less telly.
So, two incomplete thought are all I can come up with for now. Its cold and I am gonna eat some breakfast and I might get a good cheap lunch from Hari Krishnas. Stay warm where ever you are and ill keep writing about stuff. Peace Love and Pura Vida
