It’s all coming together now… or at least it’s going to have to start coming together soon or I’ll find myself out in the gutter somewhere, or on a street corner juggling rocks for spare change.  But don’t despair just yet, as I said – it’s all coming together now..

After my laptop charger burnt out, the clutch on Mimi’s car followed suit. So we were stranded for a few days in the Coromandel, but not a bad place to be stranded, really.  We hitchhiked around the area while waiting for the local garage to overcharge us and we got to visit Hot Water Beach, where natural hot springs bubble up through the sand like little steamy personal spa pools with the cool ocean surf at your toes.

$700 and a couple days later, we were back on the road and en route to Auckland.  I was once again startled by the transition to the city, with its buses, traffic jams, tall buildings, shopping malls, and people everywhere.  Once again, I felt bamboozled by sights and sounds of big city life.  A weird feeling for a city-boy like me, who last called Los Angeles home.  More than ¼ of New Zealand’s population lives in Auckland, which means that most of the country has that small-town vibe that you find on isolated parts of the California coastline or nestled amongst the corn fields of the Mid West.  I’ve really become accustomed to that cruisy lifestyle and being back in the city had been a major adjustment for me.

On Saturday night, Mimi and I finished a bottle of wine and went for a walk into the city center to see if we could find in trouble to get into. Midway through our walk, I had to stop on a pedestrian overpass to get my bearings.  We were standing over a network of highway interchanges that twisted and wove around each other like giant concrete serpents.  I could smell the car exhaust mixed with a hint of salty humidity blowing in from the nearby marina.  Beyond the highway, the lights of the Sky Tower and the surrounding skyscrapers lit up the horizon.

I took a deep breath and smiled – I really had missed city life.

We continued on our walk and stopped into a couple of bars for a couple of drinks before heading back to our hostel on Ponsonby Rd.  A pretty mellow night, but a good time, none the less – next weekend should prove to be a bit more raucous.

Now, I’ve just got to decide what the hell to do with my life…

My funds are dwindling, so once again it’s time to start the old job hunt.  On the advice of Gaby and co. (thanks for all the wine and the subsequent headache, btw!) I’m considering staying in Auckland for a month or so before heading to the far north to find a summer job somewhere on the beach.

In the meantime, I’ve got to find some kind of temporary work to keep my bank account bloated enough to sustain my strict diet of greasy takeaway food, Jaeger Meister, and cigarettes.

So, it’s all going to have to come together soon, right?

As many of you know, I hate making decisions for myself unless I am absolutely forced to.  Chance and happenstance rule my life and I usually let the world figure everything out for me.

So world…any suggestions?

PS- A special thanks to Chris for getting me back on track with my laptop.  As agreed, I owe you a prostitute. Cheers!