Just before I left for Auckland, I found out that I had won a mountain bike in a raffle at a local photo shop. I was so excited. I have been out riding a few times since then, mostly at 5am after I take Lauren to the pool. I have really loved it. There are so many pluses. Seeing the sunrise, the exercise. I have disovered this really cool place to ride. It was the mountain bike and equestrian centre for the Olympics so there are heaps of tracks. I am just going on the cement ones at the moment but if I get fitter, I may progress to the grass and then even the real bike tracks.

I also found a track that takes me back via Prospect Reservour to my house with virtually no travelling on roads. This is going to be so much fun.

The thing that most struck me about this article was not gullibility, but rather how sad it is that people would be so poor that cutting off their hair for $4 would be worth considering. I wish I had a way of showing this to my children so that they would realise how lucky they are.Hair-raising hoax - www.smh.com.au

What a morning. I managed to wake before 7am, which surprised me since my body thinks it is 5am, then had a leisurely breakfast and wandered round the block to what i thought was the office of Wizard in Auckland. I had gotten the address from the White pages on line and since it was only one block from where they had put me up, it made sense. when I got there it was an empty shell. I looked in the paper white pages and they had another address, and I looked on our database on my Laptop and yet another address, that seemed incomplete to me. I called the office and got a recording, so I am sitting here waiting for 9am when they will hopefully answer the phone. I have also sent an email to my contact hoping that he will answer. I have a horrible feeling that I will have an hour drive to where I have to go. Talk about "The best laid plans of mice and men ...".

Well here I am in an internet cafe in Auckland. I am feeling tired but it is only 5:42 to my body. I will be going back to the Hotel to have dinner soon, then I guess I will probably watch a movie. It feels really strange being here and not knowing anyone. I dont really want to spend a whole lot of money so I can't really go to a bar to meet someone. It is not something that I really feel all that comfortable doing anyway. I am staying at the Quay West Apartments which are two minutes walk from the harbour.

I am sitting at the International airport waiting for boarding. I arrived at the designated 2 hours before and was amazed that it took 45 minutes to get through check-in and immigration. Standing in line for most of that time.

I am catching myself feeling a sense of self-importance sitting here with all these jet setters. It takes quite an effort to remind myself that there is nothing about traveling overseas that indicates that I am better than others. It is funny, I think I spend a huge amount of my mental effort convincing myself that I am special. This tends to be by constantly comparing myself with others. When I realize that I am special and loved by God, regardless of what I do, it is very confusing. It requires me to rewrite the tapes that I play to myself as I wander through life. One that I am trying out at the moment is to focus on another person, and imagine that they are part of me. However, I tend to mainly choose attractive women and so my reflection gets distracted by lust.

I am also annoyed with Donna. I can understand that she is jealous and annoyed that she will have to do more work with me away for a couple of days, but it is like I can’t show any enthusiasm for the trip without her getting angry. If she had the chance to do something like this, I would want her to have a good time and enjoy herself.

Off to New Zealand

I am off to NZ tomorrow morning for two days at our office in Auckland. It will be nice to visit the offices there. This is my first 'overseas' trip for work. I may get to go back again when we implement the software, but I cant imagine many more trips while working for Wizard.

Apparently I will be staying in apartments about two minutes walk from the harbour and five minutes from the office. I dont know how much free time I will have but I will have tomorrow afternoon anyway. I get there at 4:30pm, although who knows how long it will take to get through customs.