Jan 23 2005

Mmm, I love this movie - The Big Hit - and this particular scene, the bust some caps scene LOL.



Anyways, Upper Hutt, after surverying the greatness that was our room (hairdryer provided as well OMG), did the Upper Hutt Reminiscing Tour. To the old house at Merton Street, then to the high school, then past GM and GD's house, looking over the vista to Quinns Post (the Challenge petrol station has closed) and then next to Golders Road, detour to Fraser Crescent - I hadn't been there since I actually left (my primary school) LOL - and McLeod Street. Fraser Crescent V started glaring at me, she had had enough walking and was getting blisters. Then it was is there a bus route on McLeod Street and is there one on Fergusson Drive, one plaster later and up to town next to Pak N Save street, and stopped in at Charlton's, or O'Riley's as it's been renamed.



Taken over by pokie machines, geez it looks ugly - two diet Cokes and then further into town - of course at 5.30 everything shut - I thought it was late night Thursdays in Upper Hutt. Wandered past everything, was about to go into the Goatherd and thought better of it. To the remodelled Maccas for sundaes and then catching the bus back home.



Over to the pub for a drink and meal (pub as in next door Tote I mean) and beer, lemonade, Cobb bread, pumpkin and chicken pizza, and dessert pizza, raspberry sorbet with chocolate bits, was people watching and cute barmaid watching, and talking to them, when suddenly I looked up and RB was coming in. With MR next to him and SR and KA behind. OMG moment, in the best of ways, was a surprise and sheer luck that I saw them then.



Introduced V to them, had a quick chat to KA, SR ignored us, surprise surprise, and then the girls left, leaving V and I with the boys. V left shortly afterwards, leaving me to drink with the boys - was a good catch up, talking work, and South Park, and Reservoir Dogs and MR is thinking of joining the army or doing another course at uni - hmm, and RB there who has been certain of what he's been doing since leaving high school. Although he said it sounded like he had missed a lot of parties doing his training in Auckland, he and KA look solid though, and he has a set career. Tequila shot and of course had to have a jug sized chaser, LOL, and was home about 11.30...



Next day the plan was to go down to Queensgate... which was a surpirse, it is being remodelled and only a quarter of the size as I knew it. Only thing of note left was Farmers, and even that was slashed in size heaps - what a shame LOL. So up Queen and High Street, V got some postcards and that was the shopping for the day. Went to McDs and had a Boss Burger, Megafeast with an extra pattie and swiss cheese, and it was yum, and I wanted a second one, but I didn't because I just wanted the taste and my eyes would have been bigger than my tummy.



Back to the unit to make ourselves pretty for the wedding, of course. I only had to do minimal work, because I'm a guy LOL. Went up to Kaitoke in a cab, with the driver being a talker, complaining about the venue, and playing terrible c&w music. Was the never ending trip, and V had only brought $50 with her for cab fair, as it ticked over $40 she looked at me wonderingly and I was like let's go to the summit or Masterton LOL.



Pulled in, saw C of JR and C fame in the carpark, and first people we saw were JR and SR's parents - the previous night partly due to SR ignoring us, and general intuition, that V had deduced that she was difficult to be around LOL. And again, all by her ownsome, V figured out that SR's Mum was equally difficult LOL.



Apart from the bride and groom, best man and bridesmaid, JR and C, there wasn't anyone I either knew or would want to talk to. We started talking to another couple there, but then they were on speaking terms with SR and didn't really chat after that - surprise again!



Lovely gardens, had the wedding ceremony in a shady area next to a waterfall arrangement. RB was wound as tight as a drum with MR goofing off. After the traditional wait of five minutes, the bride arrived - nice outfit KA wore, nice ceremony, mice self composed vows, nice setting - the only thing not perfect was that I was at a tight angle to take any good pics - and got a scroll with the vows and the music on it.



Then up to the bar being open while endless photos were taken, with V people watching, and towards the end of the photos friends were included and V and I were in a name specific one (with MR, SR, JR and C), well chuffed with that. Lots of brownie points for coming over have been accrued with Mr and Mrs B now, a couple of the other old from school friends in Oz had better things to do.



Went into the reception room, table at the back with JR, C and assorted others - recognised two of the guys as having been at parties and stuff - KA's age range I think, with the girlfriend's and KA's younger brother. That was our table, and one of the other gfs broke the ice - pretty thing as well, no, not just pretty, very attractive - J, who works for NZ Post in HR, was split between listening/talking to her or the JR/C axis... talk about bad timing though, as I was at the bar, RB and KA were announced and presented down the staircase, a la Scarlett in Gone With The Wind LOL.



Prawn cocktail for the entree, roast pork for dinner, and a bit of everything for dessert. Then the speeches - first KA's Dad which started alright - started the speeches alright I mean. Then RB, who hates speeches, had a long one AND kept getting interrupted, he got through it though and it had an aww ending, the whole re-kissing the bride thing LOL. KA got up, gave her angle of the story her Dad had already told, although two different ppl, two different stories, was good.



MR got up as best man and did a good one, the interruptions and ad lips he came up with added to an already good speech - V said she thought MR must have always been as laid back as he is now, umm no, in two words. From what I remember he had major self confidence issues the first couple of years out of high school, as did we all from memory LOL. RB's Dad finished off the speeches with a short and to the point one - by that stage, short was good...



Then the wedding cake and the bridal waltz, to U2's All I Want Is You. Now I thought they were alone for the first song before being joined, I know it's a long song, but at least the first three minutes? But almost even before the first verse was over, SR had MR up on the floor as well... and then dancing ensued etc...



J from our table had been barred by the bf from request I Am Woman, so we got around that by me requesting it - the things I do for pretty women LOL. I got a pretty flat look from the bf thought, but J was delighted... Then was trying to get V on the dancefloor with NO success, and she was getting more than annoyed with my attempts to get her up. Requested Fight For Your Right To Party by Beastie Boys, saw RB and MR headbanging around on the floor, and finally decided to go down by myself, had fun, KA was up on the floor at that time as well, and after that, getting the endorphins going, our table going up for the next song, and V adamant that she wouldn't be joining me or anyone else anytime that night - 'I don't dance Paul'.



So we are both annoyed and I am in a huff, because, after getting Dutch courage (less needed than in the past) I love dancing. RB and KA both come over (seperately) to talk to us. Requested Khe Sanh, which JR and C had picked up on as Cold Chisel being for the Aussie, just had started as KA came over a second time - talking to the bride, or singing a song we can replay, wasn't a hard choice LOL. The bfs and gfs on our table were having tiffs by this stage, not talking to each other, storming off to the bar and dancefloor respectively - bit of drama for the evening. As well as the who's hogging the dancefloor more game, SR or her mother LOL.



Just as an aside, watching the latest cricket from Oz, against the Pakistanis in the VB series, and they are in front of a small crowd at the SCG, totally outclassed the Pakistanis in their innings, and then just wasted four overs to ensure a Clarke century - three parts boredom, one part statistics fixing, and I thought this was a TEAM sport boys? I remember people saying Ferrari winning all the time in F1 was making the sport boring, Australia being so good is doing the same to cricket - even you Aussie fans, the most exciting games were the tied one day series against the Kiwis eh? This season I mean...



Then, the evening flying by, it was midnight and time to go - said bye to MR, JR, RB - and I got a hug from KA (or should I say now KB, she took his surname - yay me with the hug LOL, lucky lucky guy Rob is), and we will catch up by email soon, Australia in midwninter is nice (compared to home), they put off their honeymoon til the winter, and Australia is an option in amongst the Pacific Islands...



Hope the photos come out well - then the endless trip back from Kaitoke to Trentham, and crashing into bed basically...