Orange is not a colour, it's a state of mind

So I survived my first ever presentation at NZX to the Australian Investor Relations Association conference on 12 November. The presentation was ‘Xero & Social Media’. I was totally petrified and worried that what I had to share wasn’t rocket science or anything particularly educational for a group of CEOs, CFOs, CIOs and comms/marketing people but it seemed to go down well. In the end it was a small case study (only had to survive at the podium for 10 mins!) on how we use a blog and Twitter at Xero to communicate with our customers.

I featured on the NZX blog pretty much straight away! And eventually got a recording of the presentation to go with a write-up on Xero’s blog.

When I was coming home from yoga the other night there were fire trucks outside The Garage (People’s Coffee, Garret St), firemen inside swooshing out water and evacuees hovering in the neighbouring car park. I forgot about it until today so we went over for a coffee and to get the goss.

Their glass front door was boarded up and it there was a kind of nice (if you didn’t think about how it got there) smokey coffee smell. Apparently a cigarette butt in their rubbish bin (tsk tsk) caught alight and smoked out the people in apartments above who called the fire brigade who smashed the glass front door open to get in there and hose the place down.

They are so lucky that all they lost was the bin.

Last night at Capitol we sat next to a couple of women. Using my bat hearing at one stage I heard one say to the other “Gosh I love that necklace, is it new?” The other said “No, Jane gave this to me for my 50th.” My mouth physically fell open. I could’ve sworn the women were in their 40’s. No WAY was one of them 50+ No way. Perhaps a really good hair job – no greys that I could spot from 2 metres (or probably less) away in the great flowing brown locks, crows feet around her eyes sure, but smooth plump skin and not too much makeup and still young-looking skin on her hands. The woman looked fabulous. I don’t remember Mother at 50; neither of my parents look like they’re in their mid-60’s so they probably didn’t look 50 when they were 50 so there’s hope for me!

10.20am today was a weekend for the first time since doing the 10.20 wedding anniversary meet-up so we were still at Gotham having our breakfast. So at least the coffee tradition continued.

Later in the day, we’re up at the bar enjoying a Nikau lunch as usual although Paul thought the occasion meant I should have some bubbles (at lunch time?!?) – thanks!

We didn’t really mean to watch the Santa parade today but as we were wandering around enjoying a day away from work we didn’t have anything else to do but stop and watch it for a while. I got a kiddy’s flag to wave around and we found a spot on Willis St. There was a pretty good turn out and we realised just how much smaller it was to our visits to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

I didn’t realise there would be a Shrek balloon

Like the one in New York

And Santa was the favourite of the day as expected

Although the view of him here was easier without 3 million people waving and screaming at him like there were in New York!

The Mister fronted a handy-cam recruitment video for Xero this week. I got a part waving in the background. Bit of a laugh!

While at Nikau last Saturday we were quite excited to see a helicopter land on the grass just near Civic Square. It was part of a civil defense exercise, pretty impressive.

When my hands get hot (ironing, housework, walking) the veins down the back of my right hand really stick out. I was staring at the most bulgy one this morning and lamenting the time it was dented.

It was many many years ago when I had my wisdom teeth out (before I started howling on the slab):

Nurse: this is nothing to worry about, just a little prick like a blood test

Me: but I’ve never had a blood test

Nurse [to the anesthetist]: wow, we’ve got an innocent here – never had a blood test!? That’s unheard of! [To me] In that case it’ll be like a harmless mozzie bite

Me [as she jabbed the back of my hand]: WAAAAAAAAAAAAA …. [sleep]

Mozzie bite?! No way! That jab altered the course of my blood flow! That once-straight vein turns a corner on the back of my hand now. It’s damaged!

Went to the show last night. My god. What a fantastic evening! I’m not really a musicals person, have seen Cats, Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera all when I was a teenager or early 20’s, The Producers in New York 4 years ago, and that’s it. However I really enjoyed the Mamma Mia movie when it came out – I went last year on my own when The Mister was in Las Vegas and I couldn’t believe how sore my face was at the end of it. I just could not stop smiling.

And that’s how it was last night. Show was at the Queen’s Wharf Arena which really is a big barn of a place and the makeshift tiered auditorium seating is rather uncomfortable and extends miles away from the stage. Our seats were pretty good – in the front row of the second section which was possibly just a bit far back but offered an unencumbered view – mind you we booked them back in February!

It didn’t dawn on me until they started singing Mamma Mia that hardcore ABBA or Mamma Mia fans would be there – groups of middle-aged ladies whooping and hollering and standing up and waving their arms in the air. I felt quite embarrassed for them. And very angry at them when they wouldn’t clap in time! Luckily no-one stood up in front of me. And I was glad people didn’t sing along either.

The singers’ voices were quite different to opera – pretty much all of them had very strong, fantastic, spine chilling sound when they were in their mid range and really let go, whereas I find opera singers to be much stronger throughout their entire range. But it just didn’t matter – no-one was terrible, the dancing was truly amazing and it was fascinating to see how many of the cast resembled actors in the film – I’m sure that’s the wrong comparison to make, but I saw the film first.

However right at the end, everything changed and I was up on my feet with the ladies – singing at the top of my voice (well, the bits I knew) and jumping up and down in front of my seat, attempting actions that everyone else seemed to know already and waving my arms. And so was The Mister! It was such a great night we went and brought more tickets today to go again!!

Am try to get out of the office for a walk in the afternoons, even if it’s to a Fuel Espresso bar that’s on the other side of town – probably doesn’t count as proper exercise but for me new air is just as important. On my walk yesterday I noticed silverbeet flourishing in the traffic islands outside Kirkcaldie & Stains! I wonder if people pick it for dinner? I guess it’s probably got dog pee and traffic gunge all over it but quite a good idea. I’ve seen rosemary growing rather prolifically down the side of concrete gardens in the city and botannical gardens before and thought it quite handy – usually you only need a stalk for the roast lamb or pizza, not a whole bunch, so if you could just grab that stalk out of a city vegie patch that’d be great!