The single dad's path through work and study

The academic community

2012-03-14T14:49:00.000+13:00

I'm gently being introduced to the academic world and academic community and I must say that to date I have been a little under-whelmed.

The most interesting aspect by it's absence seems to be the sharing of information amongst staff. I would have thought with so many obviously clever people together then the ability to leverage off each other would be immense and add value for everyone. If that was the case then there would be systems and events to facilitate this but evidence suggests the logic chain is broken as the actual interactions seem quite the opposite.

I'm left scratching my head as to why. I'm one of those people who find easy ways to do things (call it laziness or efficiency) and finding out tips, tricks, lessons, ideas and insights from other people makes sense to me.

Maybe it will change over time but you know I somehow doubt it. We'll see.......

New office

2012-03-12T16:02:00.001+13:00

I have been struggling a little for time lately on my PhD with both consulting work and lecturing taking large hunks of available time, energy and focus. It is really easy to watch a month go by and really do very little. I made myself a note to do a revised timeline tomorrow to try and get some urgency back into the process.

One aspect that should help is I have been given an office and whilst I do enjoy the collegial aspects of the PhD lab, the acres of extra space and quiet should allow me to speed through things, especially work things much quicker and make better use of my time. Today I managed to get a draft strategy together as well as prepare for my Thursday lecture so tomorrow should be able to be all study.

Having to retrace my steps a little isn't that bad and it makes you realise just how solid the ground needs to be before you go out collecting data. I'm still keen to collect yachting data and will tie the two exercises together but now I have to develop a robust method for identifying business strategists.

All in all things are travelling okay but with a PhD I think there is always room for self-doubt but I'll keep my mantra up - what's the worst that could happen??????

So you think you work in a bureaucracy? Part III

2012-03-05T15:21:00.002+13:00

This is another blog on the tell tale signs you should watch for that let you know you are stuck in bureaucracy and maybe some of those that give you a clue, you are a bureaucrat......

Dodgy/Questionable Management
Bureaucracies and public sector organisations tend to pay less than their switched on counter parts so the most able managers tend to go to the private sector. This leaves, most unfortunately, the less able and upwardly mobile managers in charge.

How does look in practice? Usually there are a number of obvious indicators;

Randomness - there is often a lack of consistency in decision making and requests for $2 items will be rejected due to budget constraints and $10K items (that are desired) will be purchased in spite of budget constraints
Micro focus - a real focus on the minutia of things and a real lack of ability to see the bigger picture. They will spend much of their time in the 'thick of thin things' - car parks, tea and coffee etc etc.
Longevity - Managerial longevity is normally a positive thing but not if longevity is due to not being able to move. If they have been around for a while ask yourself if you were an investor would you want them in charge? if the answer is no there is a high likelihood they won't be going anywhere because they can't.
Policies rule - Rather than decision making and influencing behaviour by use of their personality, these managers rely on policies and rules mainly to avoid ever having to make a decision.
Use of position power. Simplistically managers have three main types of power they can use when interacting with staff who report to them. Personal power - action because you respect me, Knowledge power - action because I know and you don't, Position power - action because I'm the boss. Position power rules in bureaucracies.
Status symbols to speak of their importance - Car parks with their name or title, company car, web biographies (with photos at least ten years and 20 Kg's ago) etc etc

There will be others but hopefully you get the idea.........

So you think you work in a bureaucracy? Part II

2012-02-29T10:16:00.001+13:00

This is another blog on the tell tale signs you should watch for that let you know you are stuck in bureaucracy and maybe some of those that give you a clue, you are a bureaucrat......

Sign 2 - Rigid morning and afternoon tea times
Morning and afternoon tea time is an institution in New Zealand organisations but bureaucracies do them in a special way, they fix them rigidly. 10:00am - 10:15am and 3:00pm - 3:15pm (or variations of shifts in bigger organisations) Sound familiar??

What do they remind you of and what are they actually? Play time at school signified by the bell!!!!

In an adult run organisation staffed with adults, people grab a cup of tea or coffee when they need one and not when the bell goes. If it is time for a chat then great, see who else is keen but many people will be in the middle of something and will carry on and take a break when it is time for a break.

A school tells children when they can and can't take a break for two very good reason, they are children and classes need to run on time. Why do bureaucracies run like schools? In my opinion (this whole blog is my opinion actually) because it simplifies management for managers who aren't really managers.

Some organisations that deal with customers/clients obviously have to a system for tea times because that makes sense. The big clue that it is still a bureaucracy is if they make everyone conform to this system whether they deal with customers or not. Why can't you have two systems depending on the work circumstance? Because children get very jealous..............

So you think you work in a bureaucracy?

2012-02-26T21:42:00.001+13:00

It is a concern for many. You leave school or Uni and join an organisation and over time you get into the flow of things and work is work. One day something happens at work, something a little crazy, a little stupid and you suddenly wonder - do I work in a bureaucracy? Am I a bureaucrat???

Over the next few blogs I'll be taking you through some of the tell tale signs you should watch for that let you know you are stuck in bureaucracy and maybe some of those that give you a clue, you are a bureaucrat......

Sign 1 - The glossy strategic plan
Bureaucracies love strategic planning and often the highlight of the process is the glossy strategic plan filled with pictures of people having fun whilst receiving whatever services they provide. A key part is the message from the CEO/General Manager/Regional Manager etc etc off course with their picture (often one about ten years old when they still looked relatively young and keen).

These documents however don't actually contain any strategy because the organisations themselves don't need to strategise, just operationalise. If you can't go out of business and you have no competitors, what's the actual point of the strategy?? Management like them because it feels like they are in a fast moving corporate environment.................

Key features of the documents are:

Long
Glossy
Expensive (often tax payer money)
Very clean (nobody ever reads them more than once)
Generic - they often follow a set formula

Why do they produce them? Because they have to, often many varieties of them as well such as:

Strategic plan
Annual plan
Statement of Intent
Accountability document
etc etc

If your organisation produces one (or more) of these then beware...........

List of foods to avoid to lose weight

2012-02-24T07:46:00.000+13:00

Interesting study coming out of the University of Otago this morning identifying foods to avoid if you want to lose weight. Most of the foods are quite obvious but there are a few on there that are quite interesting like muesli bars that are equated with toffee pops.........

Here is the list (with healthy alternatives suggested where appropriate) and as someone commented - if you avoid all these foods you may not live longer but it will feel like you have........

1. Alcoholic drinks (Water/diet soft drinks)
2. Biscuits
3. Butter, lard, dripping or similar fat (Lite margarine or similar spread or omit)
4. Cakes
5. Chocolate
6. Coconut cream (Lite coconut milk/coconut flavoured lite evaporated milk)
7. Condensed milk
8. Cordial (Water/Sugar free cordial)
9. Corn chips
10. Cream, including crème fraiche (Natural yoghurt, or flavoured yoghurt depending on use)
11. Crisps, including vegetable crisps
12. Desserts/puddings
13. Doughnuts
14. Drinking Chocolate, Milo etc (Cocoa plus artificial sweetener)
15. Energy drinks (Water)
16. Flavoured milk/milkshakes (Trim, Calcitrim or Lite Blue Milk)
17. Fruit tinned in syrup, even lite syrup (Fruit tinned in juice/artificially sweetened)
18. Fried food (Boiled, grilled or baked food)
19. Frozen yoghurt (Ordinary yoghurt)
20. Fruit juice, except tomato juice and unsweetened blackcurrant juice (Fresh fruit)
21. Glucose (Artificial sweetener)
22. High fat crackers (Lower fat crackers)
23. Honey
24. Hot chips
25. Ice cream
26. Jam
27. Marmalade
28. Mayonnaise (Lite dressings/lite mayonnaise)
29. Muesli bars
30. Muffins
31. Nuts roasted in fat or oil (Dry roasted or raw nuts)
32. Pastries
33. Pies
34. Popcorn with butter or oil (Air popped popcorn)
35. Quiches (Crust-less quiches)
36. Reduced cream (Natural yoghurt)
37. Regular luncheon sausage (Low fat luncheon sausage)
38. Regular powdered drinks (e.g. Raro) (Water/Diet/Sugar free powdered drinks)
39. Regular salami (Low fat salami)
40. Regular sausages (Low fat sausages)
41. Regular soft drinks (Water/Diet soft drinks)
42. Rollups (Fresh fruit)
43. Sour cream (Natural yoghurt)
44. Sugar (Artificial sweetener)
45. Sweets/lollies
46. Syrups such as golden syrup, treacle, maple syrup (Artificial sweetener)
47. Toasted muesli and any other breakfast cereal with greater than 15g sugar per 100g cereal
48. Whole Milk (Trim, Calcitrim or Lite Blue Milk)
49. Yoghurt type products with greater than 10g sugar per 100g yoghurt

Humble Pie

2012-02-22T08:36:00.002+13:00

I blogged a little in frustration the other day about the lack of help I got from Google to resolve an issue I was having. Whilst I did get stuck in an unhelpful loop it was also in part something I could have helped resolved if I had done a little more homework.

In the end through a very helpful user called PeggyK and Google themselves it looks like it will be resolved very soon.

I've worked in and around IT for many years (starting out as a mainframe programmer) so to become an ineffective user is quite embarrassing. So my apologies to Google, you have restored my faith and maybe large organisations can still have that personal touch though it must be a difficult balance........

Children are expensive.......

2012-02-20T20:13:00.000+13:00

And I know that they are only going to get more expensive but the bills just seem to be endless at this time of the year (start of the new school year).

There are the clothes when you discover that their longs have now turned into three quarters, their T shirts are now muscle shirts (even though they haven't got any muscles, my children are more like greyhounds) and I have to work out if cutting the toes out of the shoes will make them last another month or two.......

Then there are the school costs; school fees, activity donations, camp fees, new stationary (even though we now own more felts, coloured pencils and crayons than most schools) etc etc

Then sports and activities; Rog has cricket and piano, Liv swimming and tennis.

And after all that when you are feeling a little besieged, Liv (poor Liv though she seems quite okay) needs braces and a helix thingy. The cost made me start to think about doing as cost/benefit analysis on her but she is pretty cute when she isn't grinding her skinny elbows (like needles) into my thighs so she gets to stay.

Oh well, I'm sure they really appreciate everything, yeah right!!!!!! Though to be fair I can't remember thanking my parents too much when I was their age, it is only hindsight that you get to see what sort of a childhood you had and mine was pretty cool and cruisy.

Rog and Liv will I guess at some stage have issues about having parents in different houses but I hope not as we try pretty hard to make things as good and normal as possible and what is normal anyway? And what is best?? Parents fighting but together, not talking to each but together, getting divorced as soon as the children leave home???

I guess time will tell..............

Google, when companies get big

2012-02-18T14:32:00.000+13:00

I have always been a bit of a Google fan ever since we started using their search engine in the days when they were competing with a myriad of other providers like Alta Vista etc. I even read 'The Google Story' and kind of liked what I heard, the company seemed to have a sole.......

But if you look to the left of this post (and if it isn't fixed which I'm betting it isn't) there are no Google Ads, just some white space. Now I don't have huge traffic volumes and clicks but like many others out there we always live in hope of becoming a bit of a hit or even just to get our 15 seconds of fame...... Google adsense, which to be fair is very good product, is aligned with this because that is probably the easiest way to turn interest into dollars and so now the ads have disappeared it is little bit of a pain.

Like most capable users I tried to solve the problem myself and it appears the most likely cause is being stopped by Google itself for some breach but they do give you a message to this effect and I certainly haven't had a message and nor is there one in my adsense account.

I used their troubleshooter and at the bottom it said 'please fill in this form so we can help you get this fixed' or something to that effect and I was impressed as they must get a substantial volume of traffic. Impressed went to unimpressed when I got a canned email back basically saying you need to go somewhere else which was basically back where I started.

And I have been looping around ever since trying to get to the bottom of the problem. I raised a question in the appropriate Google forum and a very helpful person PeggyK tried to help but so far I'm still none the wiser and having read other comments it seems getting Google to help is pretty unlikely. I do get the fact that they are big and the logistics make it difficult but maybe they should plough a little bit of all that profit into services. After all we all know when companies behave like that, and Microsoft is a good example, us users all can't wait to jump on the next train that comes around the corner..............

Time, motion and petrol

2012-02-14T13:53:00.000+13:00

We live in a busy age, or at least that is what we all tell ourselves but often there really doesn't seem to be much time spare and often we have to juggle priorities.

Yesterday I was running slightly late back from Dannevirke to get home in time to pick up Liv from school at 3:00pm. Normally the trip back takes about 50 minutes (depending on the traffic) but because the gorge is closed by one of the biggest slips we have seen (see following picture) it takes about 60 minutes but that is even more dependent on not getting stuck in road works and behind trucks.

Added to this I was very low on petrol and only had 60kms left in the tank according to my cars computer.

So leaving at 2:08pm meant I had to make up 8 minutes and conserve petrol or stop and get petrol and doom myself to be quite late and being the adventurous sort, I choose the former and go for the doctor......

Luckily I wasn't held up and by the time I got to the '19kms to Palmerston North sign I reckon I was about on time (no traffic allowed this). The problem was the car was telling me I had 21kms of fuel left and when you add on the 3 kms from the edge of Palmerston North to my place I figured I would run out around the BP on Fitzherbert Avenue which wouldn't be the worlds worst result apart from not picking up Liv that is.

I nursed the car as uch as I could and managed to get all the way home with 6kms left in the car and got to school just as Liv was emerging from her class, leggggeeennndddddd............

And with a petrol station just around the corner there was no way I wouldn't head straight there the next time I jumped in the car, well you would think that wouldn't you.

The next time I jumped in the car happened to be the next morning, it was raining and when it rains I usually pick up Rog's friend and drive them to school before dropping Liv off at her school. As I was running late I was halfway there when I glanced at the fuel gauge for the first time, 3kms left, pouring with rain and three children to get to school...........

And.............I made it!!!!!!!!!

Parliament

2012-02-10T14:43:00.001+13:00

I had some very good meetings in Wellington yesterday and had a couple of hours up my sleeve and thought why not go and sit in on parliament as I've never seen it in session.

I got there halfway through the new national MP for Northland's maiden speech and the house was quite full though I noticed many of the big names including the PM wasn't in attendance. He spoke quite well and when he finished and house returned to business of the day nearly every MP buggered off. 120 MPs and I think there may have been about 30 sitting, really quite strange.

I guess when the legislation is quite boring (and the first item was a taxation reform bill which unless you are unfortunate enough to be an accountant, is dry as the Sahara on a really hot day) they don't need to be there but it still seems somehow not quite right. Speeches however continued to be made and basically ignored by all the MPs who seemed busy reading or intent on some form of technology, maybe they have an "angry MPs" game for ipods now.......

I stayed for an hour and actually found some of the discussion quite interesting (once they put the tax bill off to select committee) but I may have been in the minority.

The other interesting aspect is that the MPs all seem quite plain and I guess that shouldn't be so strange at all as they are just normal people who happen to be MPs. The new MPs in particular seemed to be at a loss as to what to do, they have yet to gain that look of the seasoned MP who appeared to be very industrious.

I would like to visit when the debating chamber is in full flow, that would be quite interesting!!!!!!!

To have an office or not

2012-02-07T15:14:00.000+13:00

I've been offered an individual office to help with my teaching and on the face of it it doesn't sound like a difficult decision, almost a no-brainer, right? Well I'm hoping by the time I finish this blog I will have made up my mind.....

Why it isn't a no-brainer is more to do with the social side of study rather than the logistics and requirements of study. Study, and a PhD in particular is a very solo endeavour, like sailing single handed around the world. Although there are lots of other people doing PhDs they aren't doing what you are doing and honestly don't care about your topic and this means interacting with other students has to be more at the social level.

When you share an area you tend to get to know the people around you much better and start to socialise, it's just the way things tend to go. So in the PhD lab I'm currently in where there are about 8 of us we have now had a number of shared lunches and started a 'fat losers' club in which we try and beat the others by losing more weight each month. Check out the group at the last shared lunch, everyone is very happy!!!

Contrast this with the three other PhD students who live just two doors down and we hardly ever see and although we always invite them to our events, they don't tend to attend because they don;t really know us.

As my other work, consultancy, is also mainly solo I really don't want to isolate myself.

On the other-hand, we are crammed in like sardines and I have hardly any desk space left to study. Piled up around me are books, journal articles etc etc and the thought of adding teaching material will tip this space over the edge. Also in an office you can speak on the phone when ever you want (I tend to wander outside and use my cell phone) so I can run my consultancy business more effectively as well.

Cell-phone and Wifi connectivity is rubbish from the PhD lab, a fact that often gets me swearing and I know the office will be better as I wander down there with my laptop to get some descent bandwidth when frustration boils over.

The options I have then are;

Take the office and abandon my small space
Take the office and keep my small space in the interim (will ultimately be option 1 though)
Try and get two spaces in the PhD lab by negotiation and give the office back.
Try and survive where I am.

Don't like 4 and as 2 will turn into 1 it is 1 or 3 in reality - An office or two spaces.

I guess the office does make sense, offers a lot more flexibility and will make things a lot easier in the future.

I'm still not sure though..................

Having a slight nightmare

2012-02-06T13:48:00.002+13:00

Only a small nightmare but ever felt like you are just off the pace with stuff? I do at the moment.

Yesterday (Sunday) I was heading out of the door with my arms full. I had a cat carrier and cat pillow to take to my Ma's in one hand, my cell-phone ipod and wallet under my chin and some letters to post in the other hand. I managed to lock the door with my nose and then hook my foot around to the door to close it as I staggered out to the car. If you look at the list of items of course the keys are not amongst them but I had so much stuff I didn't notice.

Off course I had done an admirable job of locking the house up (for once as I have a history of leaving all sorts of things open including the front door at times) and I was knackered. I remembered the last time I did this I said to myself that I really had to get another key cut............. Luckily my Mum has a key and she isn't too far away but there went my list of things to do and it still remains undone!!!!

Today is Waitangi Day (it used to be called New Zealand Day) and is therefore a public holiday but of course when you work for yourself and study that makes it pretty meaningless. I decided to take the bus out to Massey as I wasn't going to the gym and checked the timetable very carefully and discovered the buses run as per the Sunday timetable so I aimed for the 9:00am bus.

I watched the 9:00am bus sail past from about 50 metres away, not even the chance of a sprint in conjunction with furious arm waving......... I walked out to Massey which I figured would be at least some good exercise.

Finally just managed to delete some files off the server accidentally and will now need the IT help desk to recover them for me, how embarrassing. I was cleaning and tidying my files when it happened, thankfully nothing I was working on today so it shouldn't be too hard a task but what a pain

I'm aiming to take the last bus home so maybe some more 'good' exercise in store.........

The slings and arrows of workload

2012-02-02T15:37:00.000+13:00

PhD workload comes and goes and you have to be prepared to experience days like today where there really isn't that much to do!!!!!!

Oh there is always stuff that can be done but often it starts to get into the category of either 'make work' tasks like refining presentation or rereading journal articles or tasks that aren't required for ages like finalising presentation to committee or tidy thesis document. Until I can really get my teeth into data collection I effectively am walking around in a small circle poking my thesis with a stick every now and again to make sure it is alive.

In the mean time I'm also getting ready to teach a postgrad paper this semester on innovation and new ventures and depressingly only 3 people have enrolled internally (the part I'm taking). I certainly don't and can't take it personally as I haven't taken it before so nobody can be steering clear because of me. I was rather hoping for a larger group to teach as it doesn't really feel like teaching with such a small number. Lecturing becomes more like chatting and I will in fact develop that sort of rapport with the students as it makes much more sense.

There have been 25 people enrol for the course extramurally (distance learning) and although I'm not meant to be taking that, it may make more sense for me to do the lot, I have a meeting first thing tomorrow about the paper so I'll see which way the winds blowing then.

Until then I shall stalk my topic once more and give it a gentle poke and see if it is still growling.......

Confirmation and data collection

2012-01-30T16:29:00.000+13:00

Just where did January go? My confirmation date (Massey requires all PhD candidates are confirmed after 1 years study) has been for so long, next year and now it is next year and a date has been set - 24th February.

Luckily I am and have been very prepared for this for a while so I can actually turn the upcoming hurdle into a positive as it gets another group of people to read and think about my topic and approach and provide feedback and suggestions. I have to prepare a 3,000 - 10,000 word document covering what I'm doing, why and how (done) and a 20 minute presentation covering effectively the same material (half done). Hopefully I'll get a few people along (3 is the minimum) as the more people the better I reckon at this stage of the process.

I hopefully will have also started data collection but that is another story and I'm having a little difficulty getting that process off the ground which is frustrating. Mind you I have only been back in the office for a day so i should probably lighten up just a little at this stage.

The other thought/revelation I had with my data collection was about the time I thought would be best. As I'm after yachting strategists I figured Summer would be best as they would be around but it actually maybe better in Winter when they aren't sailing. Either way I have a 'bob each-way' on getting some so hopefully once the ball starts rolling it starts rolling with a little ease.

Stewart Island Kaka's

2012-01-28T11:39:00.000+13:00

A real treat during our time on Stewart island was the arrival of the very mischievous, but very cute Kaka's. Although we weren't meant to feed them on the balcony they kind of demanded to be fed there as every time we tried to feed them on the ground they either ignored us or simply flew away.

The Kaka's look like and act like naughty children and often they would take some food just so they could throw it away and then fly off. What is special is to be able to be so close to them without a cage in between us!!!!

The two videos are of Rog and Liv feeding them by hand.

On a road trip - staying on Stewart Island

2012-01-26T16:32:00.001+13:00

Stewart Island is an interesting place to visit though to be honest unless hunting and fishing is your two main loves you probably wouldn't want to live here as it as remote as you would expect. Saying that I think all kiwis should visit as it does contain all the things that make a lot of New Zealand, New Zealand.

There are numerous walks suited to all abilities and the kids and I headed off on a three hour round trip to Ackers point. We saw many birds on the way and spectacular views of Halfmoon Bay and Foveaux Straight. At the lighthouse you could see many seabirds (we think they were mainly Butlers Mollyhawks) swooping over the ocean, very impressive.

In the afternoon we headed to Bathing Beach for a swim as it was warm and sunny. I guess the lack of locals on the beach and the proximity to the South Pole should have been a clue to the waters temperature, but it was cold!!!!! Rog dived in, once, and Liv and I just waded around scared. The water itself was beautifully clear and inviting, shame about the fridgity, Bathing Beach is a little bit misleading!!!!!!

In the evening I taught the children Euchre, or Eureka as Liv keeps calling it, which has quickly replaced last card as the game of choice. It is nice to be able to spend time in the evening without TV though I do see Sky dishes around so clearly you can get a couple of hundred channels if you want......

Today was meant to be hot and calm but the wind has whipped up so it maybe a little cold on our nature cruise today.

On a road trip - Stewart Island

2012-01-23T17:34:00.003+13:00

Up nice and early to get to the Invercargill iSite to catch the bus to Bluff, the southern most point of the South Island, and then the ferry to Stewart Island. Strangely even though the centre had a lot of people the cafe didn't open until 10am and so we had to wander into the city for breakfast.

We struck Foveaux straight on a very good day and we still got bounced around a great deal. Poor Liv thought it was great, then okay, then not good and then lost her breakfast off the back of the boat!!! An hour was long enough and I was pleased when we made it into port.

The cottage we have is okay though pretty tired but it will be fine. The kitchen is rudimentary which is a great excuse to eat out!!!! We have done some early exploring and will do some children friendly walking tomorrow and then visit bathing beach.

First impressions is that Stewart Island is inhabited by tourists and I imagine it may be pretty deserted in the winter though to be fair that can be leveled at many places.

Tonight we are aiming to have the blue cod and chips at the South Seas hotel which looks and feels like a good old NZ pub and they aren't usually famous for their food.......

On a road trip - Invercargill

2012-01-23T17:34:00.001+13:00

No wifi where we are staying so I will publish this post when I get back on the grid.

Pleasant drive between Invercargill and Dunedin, didn't go via The Caitlin's in the end, just looked like it would add too much time and the kids are unfortunately underwhelmed by scenery!!!

We stopped at Gore for a break and had a milkshake at that place that is everywhere and should never be named. You should never judge a place by the clientele at those places and so I may never know if Gore is an okay place or not.

We had rain for the first time on our trip but it wasn't too bad and better to have rain on the road than when we are doing stuff.

We wandered around the sprawling expanse that is Queens Park and came across a couple of gems. The Burt Monroe collection in the museum (worlds fastest Indian) and Henry, a Tuatara who was born around 1890!!!!! He doesn't move much but who can blame him when he is over 120 years old!!!!!!!

We will be up and about earlyish in the morning ready for our crossing of Foveaux Straight. The weather means it will be an adventure........

On a road trip - Dunedin (day 2)

2012-01-22T09:49:00.001+13:00

Very enjoyable and busy day spent in Dunedin which seemed extremely quiet for a Saturday, maybe Dunedin is quiet without the truckloads of students that arrive each semester.

We started out by climbing Baldwin street, the world's steepest street and believe me your calves know all about it. There was a very fit older guy at the top who was chatty and I found out later he runs up 30 times a day!!!!

The Otago museum is well worth a visit and section set up to entertain children was excellent. There was a mind contest where you wore a head band that measured brain activity and the person who could relax and lower their brain activity moved a ball along to a goal. Rog and I dueled for about 5 minutes with the ball going back and forwards until he won, much to his delight. The butterfly experience was fun too.

The Chinese gardens were nice but a little plain and the brewery tour would have been better if the brewery was in operation. As it was the tour guide had to Ad lib stories more like a stand up comic. Most people were keen to get to the tasting rooms anyway where they did have ice cream and soft drinks for the children. For the record, I'm not a Speights convert after the experience and will stick with other brands.

The fitness lunatic on Baldwin street suggested the drive through the Catlins was well worth considering although it looks like adding a couple of hours to the drive to Invercargill. I'm not sure so will have a think over breakfast.

I have been keeping an eye on emails and nothing so far from my PhD contacts for data collection. I can't do much from the road so I will worry about that and earning some money when I get back.

The children are still fast asleep while I type this and to publish I have to hang over the balcony of the hotel to get a strong enough signal. I can imagine that it won't be to long until coverage and speed catches up with demand......

On a road trip - Dunedin

2012-01-21T08:10:00.001+13:00

Reached Dunedin today. On the road between Oamaru and Dunedin were the Moeraki boulders which were impressive as well as fun. The kids were able to stand on the boulders with the sea crashing around them, plenty of good photo ops!

As a real bonus in front of the boulders was a seal who just seemed to want to have a rest. When the sea reached his flippers he/she just lumbered forward a few feet and flopped down like an old dog in front of a fire. I have some nice photos which I will add when I'm back in Palmerston North.

Incidentally, we also drove through Palmerston which is why Palmerston North has the North!!

The major highlight for the children so far in Dunedin was a tour of the Cadbury chocolate factory. They been lucky enough to have visited places such as the Louvre but the excitement today was on another level!!!! It was fun but I think I have been put off chocolate for a while....

We have the day in Dunedin tomorrow so will get up to some stuff though not sure what yet.

PS - thanks Meagan, that parcel is meant for me, I'm impressed with your resourcefulness!!!

On a road trip - Oamaru

2012-01-20T19:59:00.001+13:00

The drive from Christchurch to Oamaru was pretty cruisy. Took a while for the traffic to thin and the sun to shine but after that sun glasses and arm out the window all the way (one sunburnt arm!!!!)

Oamaru itself is nice. We tried to see penguins but they (and the local conditions) didn't really play ball. The views though are astounding, worth dwelling on that's for sure.

We have some time in the morning so will explore a cheese factory and Oamaru's Victorian precinct before heading off to Dunedin.

On a road trip - Christchurch

2012-01-19T08:27:00.001+13:00

This post is via my iPod so it will be quite brief as typing is slow and coffee and the morning paper await.......

The bus to Wellington was uneventful and after a night with little sleep the children attacked the breakfast buffet with rare gusto. We boarded the ferry in the morning for a pleasant and smooth sailing across Cook Straight.

Avoiding the over priced cafes in Picton we next hoped on the Coastal Pacific train to Christchurch where we are now. A long train trip, 5 and a bit hours, but the fact we could stand in an open carriage to take in many great views helped.

Christchurch isn't anything like you may expect after all the earthquakes and appears absolutely normal. We are planning to check out some of Chch today before heading by car to Oaru.

Signing off for now ( with tired finger from typing on the iPod)........

Planes, trains and automobiles (and boats)

2012-01-11T13:16:00.000+13:00

The children and I are off next week on a road trip doing what many New Zealanders never do, go to Stewart Island. The theme is based on that classic movie - Planes, Trains and Automobiles that starred the late John Candy and Steve Martin.

As the picture shows, the trip is planned as follows:

Palmerston North - Wellington - BUS
Wellington - Picton - FERRY
Picton - Christchurch - TRAIN
Christchurch - Oamaru - CAR
Oamaru - Dunedin - CAR
Dunedin - Invercargill - CAR
Invercargill - Stewart Island - FERRY
Stewart Island - Invercargill - Christchurch - Palmerston North - PLANES\

Spending three nights on Stewart Island will be great, just need a little luck with the weather.......... I have brought the children a digial camera and myself a nifty rugged sport video so will aim to document the trip in a fun way.

In the mean time I think I have just about got my PhD work to where it needs to be so may as well just put the feet up............

I need dollars, dollars, dollars......

2012-01-09T15:16:00.000+13:00

I know, who doesn't especially when trying to do a PhD. I'm currently trying to get some sponsorship or scholarship to lessen the number of work hours I need to put in but to date I haven't had much success.

Scholarships seem primarily focussed on people who have come through the university system and not people, like me, who have come from the real world. Sponsorships seem pretty tough to get and do understand why, especially as I'm basically cold calling, a task I really aren't that fond of.

Last year I thought I could supplement my income by using my expertise in the stock market. I was aiming for a quite modest return of 10% per trade and I think I ended up achieving about -15% on average. From that you may gather that dollars, dollars, dollars are required!!!!! I will try again this year as I really only got burnt on one company and then didn't get out when I should have. Janeen quoted one of my mantras back to me - Hope is not a risk management strategy!!!!!!!

Whilst writing this blog I have had another look through all the available scholarships and although there are plenty of them, the majority don't apply. The few that do close around October and also have their own unique criteria which make them seem a little bit of a waste of time.

Anyway I will try a new batch of cold calls, what's the worst that could happen........