northlandboy...and his girl

Many of you will have heard via other channels, but just in case you missed it: I have gotten engaged to Anna.

I first met Anna early last year, on a dive trip. We got on well from the start – just as well since we were doing a lot of work together as we began working towards being PADI Divemasters. It wasn’t until the middle of the year that we became an item. This worked out well, as we got to know each other in a more relaxed, friendly manner, before we started going out together.

Obviously my trip to South America put some strain on the relationship, but we got through that, and I moved in with Anna on my return. Things have been going well, and so I decided to make the next step. You can just drift along otherwise.

Anna didn’t know it was coming, but I first sought approval from her father, then surprised her by asking her to marry me, on the banks of the Hatea River in Whangarei. Once she established I was being serious, she agreed with almost unseemly haste. Now we just need to plan the details, of which there are many, but few resolved.

It turns out that men just say “Congratulations” while women go straight into planning mode, discussing outfits, arrangements, flowers…best I just keep out of all of that.

Someone asked me what it was that attracted me to Anna. The best way I can describe it is that she lights up a room, if not the whole house. You know when she’s entered a room, it is full of laughter and noise. The house is quiet when she’s not around. Anna’s social functions are a highlight, with great lengths gone to, to ensure everyone is enjoying themselves. There’s the bright, vibrant Anna that most people see, but there’s also the quieter, determined Anna, that would do anything for her friends. She’ll help you, but she won’t stand for bullshit from you.

She’s good for me – I just need to be good for her.

I’m sure I’ve remarked on it before, but in Europe, people see any flight over 2 hours as “long haul.” Things work a bit differently here at the end of the world though. What would those people think of me flying to San Francisco – a little over 12 hours – to attend a 2.5 day conference?

We use Splunk at work, and they were having their first ever conference. A couple of days in San Francisco, one of the great cities of the world, did I think I could go? You’ll have to stay in a hotel like this one though. Er…is a fish waterproof?

Turned out to be a good conference too, lots of ideas on things that we could do to get better use out of Splunk. Lots of serious sized organisations there, with some pretty massive installations.

Good to walk about in San Francisco too, a little shopping, a little sight-seeing. I visited the Apple temple, but it was a bit overwhelming. There’s so many iMacs, iPhones and iPads there to play with, so many people, most of them just using it as a free Internet cafe, plenty of stock being sold. There seemed to be presentations going on, classes for older users, blue-shirted Apple staff everywhere…Steve Jobs is a genius. Somehow the store was a destination.

Clothes shopping is cheap there too – Levis are around $50NZD, vs at least $100NZD here. Someone’s ripping us off. Pity all the shirts these days are in the “lumberjack” style.

I ate in Chinatown several times. Last time I was there, I ate in Chinatown, and thought it was good, but that was before spending several months in China. I’m pleased to say that I still see it as good. Although I’d rather be in China…

One of the surprising things about downtown San Francisco is the numbers of winos, homeless people, and general derelict types, just a few blocks from the financial district. There’s also a disturbing side to it – while I was there, a tourist was shot, just a couple of blocks from my hotel. Just doing the sort of thing I might have been doing, out walking around, ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Things like that could happen anywhere though.

Oh and it wasn’t cold, but it certainly was cool during a San Francisco summer. Heatwaves 50 miles away, fog over the Bay Area.

For many years, my mother has been well-known for her baking. Cakes and biscuits are turned out regularly, and are well-received. Indeed, when I went to Whangarei a couple of weeks ago, Anna dispatched me with several containers, and instructions to procure some biscuits.

One of the particular favourites is the “Sugar and Spice” biscuits. These are a chewy, spicey biscuit, with a strong hint of ginger to them. However, my mother has for years quite strongly stated that “There Is No Ginger In Them.” This has become something of a running joke in the family.

How can this be possible – how is it that so many people who try them think they are a ginger biscuit? At last, some detective work has revealed the answer. Looking at the ingredients, ginger is not listed…but mixed spice is. Who knows what’s in mixed spice? Well, I didn’t know, and it does vary by manufacturer, but I happened to be looking at a packet of Greggs mixed spice, and noticed it contained…ginger.

Ha! No more denying it, they are indeed ginger biscuits.

But it’s OK Mum, we still love them.

I’ve finally uploaded an interactive Google Map of my route. Look at the trips page. You can view it there, or follow the link to open in a new full size window.

It’s a bit rough, but it’s close enough to where I went. Over time I’ll add links from waypoints to blog entries, so that you can tie things together.