Week Ends & Odds April 12
Some link loving for you to start your week right.
- There’s a new hair salon on Cuba Street called Wildilocks. The pretty girls like it.
- Metlink Wellington have started a twitter account to keep bus riders informed of delays. They could probably use some feedback about it.
- The Aucklandista point out that Wellington’s social page pictures in the Sunday Star Times are of Ladies’ Night at the Establishment. How embarrassment.
- You like food reviews? Here’s one of the Cellar-Vate dinner for Coney Wines.
- Richter City Roller Derby is throwing a Quiz Night Fundraiser on April 28 at the Watusi. You should go along, but be warned – the Wellingtonista team will probably beat you.
What else should we know about?
Stone in the bosom
Shinobi Sushi Lounge is having two special kaiseki nights Monday and Tuesday this week. Tuesday is fully booked and Monday has less than ten places left so if a bloody amazing 3 course feast featuring 18 dishes using only fresh local ingredients appeals BOOK NOW.
We sampled a few of the bluff oysters that will be on the menu and saw the master handmaking ramen for the occassion. It is going to be an event in my mouth I am sure of it.
Oishii so desu.
What: Kaiseki (multi-course dinner)
Where: Shinobi Sushi Lounge
When: Monday 12 April (tomorrow)
Cost: $80
For more pictures from last year’s kaiseki head over to James Ogle Photography.
“Please don’t forget to tag off” finally tags off
You know when you tag on with a Snapper and the voice goes "PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO TAG OFF"? Well, duh.
Or when you tag on with less than $12 on your card – gasp! – and the voice goes "CARD VALUE LOW" in a tone that sounds really concerned for your financial wellbeing, like it wants to add "This has been happening for a while now. Oughtn’t you get some budgeting advice?"
Well, Snapper have realised that these voice alerts are kind of annoying and/or unnecessary; and that we as public transport users have learned how the magical fish box works, so they’re updating the Snapper sounds.
Here’s a handy table of the changes:
That’s right – the Snapper boxes will now go beedoo beedoo beedoobie diddly doo.
And not only that, it’s also going to be a lot quicker to tag on. No waiting for the previous passenger’s tag-on message to play before you can tag on.
Go Wellington buses will be updated with the new beeps and sounds from this Friday evening, 9 April.
And there’s a comprehensive post about the changes over at the Snapper blog.
Dialogues with Tomorrow
We’re not sure if science is the new rock ‘n’ roll, but art and science are coming together in Dialogues with Tomorrow, a series of collaborative talks over the next couple of months:
DIALOGUES WITH TOMORROW places artists in conversation with scientists, business people and thinkers on themes relating to climate change. In each session, an artist or cultural commentator presents ideas and work inspired by environmental issues. A response is provided by an expert in the field, followed by a discussion that brings together the knowledge, ideas and reactions of the speakers.
The first talk is next Thursday, April 15, 5.45pm at Downstage Theatre. Called Antarctica Terra Nullius?, it looks at art’s role in giving us a new understanding of Antarctica. Tickets are $15 and can be booked at Downstage.
Check out the full programme here – there’s a fine selection of speakers and topics.
200 People I Used To Know
Toby Morris is pretty famous in Wellington for his awesome gig posters, and for his time in Batrider.
Now he’s started a new project, called 200 People I Used To Know
This blog is my memories of 200 different characters I’ve known over the years, drawn and written about as I remember them. So I hope I remember right.
Because this is Wellington, we bet you will know at least half of the people too (Hi Jimmy!), so you should check it out, and thank The Morgue for giving us the hot tip.
The jumble sale is back!
Do you have plans for Easter Weekend the weekend after Easter? Well scrap them because something and someone rather amazing is coming to town. It’s not Santa or the Easter bunny, but even better – it’s Maria, of Eclectic fame in Nelson.
She’s arriving with the biggest haul of vintage and retro treasure like last year. But she’s also bringing FURNITURE!
TEXTILES, FABRIC, LACES, LINENS AND BRICBRAC. Plus hats, sunglasses, scarves, jackets, dresses, shoes and all manner of clothing! And there’ll be some guys’ stuff too.
It’s the kind of thing we never get to see in Wellington on jumble sale scale and price! $5-$20 with a few special items.
There is heaps of fabric and lots of jewellery and buttons etc for remaking. 10,000 items!!!!!
You will kick yourself if you can’t make it and there will be something for everyone, plus stuff is put out over the whole weekend so if you can’t make first thing Saturday morning, don’t be put off.
Come anytime over the weekend, go twice even and be amazed!
It will be the place to be. So if you are sad Craft2.0 isn’t on this weekend, well here’s one great place to be spending your money.
Fight for your right to party
If you want to do anything about the proposal to extend the liquor ban to cover the whole city 24/7, get your submission in now.
To recap: the proposal is to ban carrying or drinking alcohol in any public place in the city. This is meant to deal with the problem of antisocial drinkers in places like the middle of Newtown, but it’s a very broad draconian measure. Advocates say not to worry, because you can trust the police to use their discretion wisely. Some of us think that the right approach would be a bit more nuanced and involve actually engaging directly with the problem of street alcoholics rather than making all citizens who want a beer on the beach or a glass of wine at a picnic potential criminals.
Bye-bye, Wellywood sign
Wellington Airport has actually listened to the massive public opposition to the Wellywood sign (and potential legal troubles from Hollywood) and have ditched the idea.
Thank God for that.
Wellington Airport has backed down from a proposal to erect a "Wellywood" sign and is asking the public for alternative ideas.
… [O]pposition from the public – and a possible legal stoush after Hollywood lawyers said it would be a trademark violation – led to a change of plans.
Wellington Airport chief executive Steve Fitzgerald today invited alternative ideas for "a sign celebrating the global success of Wellington’s film industry" to be submitted via Facebook.
The question now is whereabouts on Facebook do we leave our ideas? There’s nothing for Wellington Airport, so we’re just left with the "Hey, let’s NOT have a "WELLYWOOD" sign in Wellington" group, and the slightly strange "Support Wellywood" page.
Let’s hope that whatever they come up with to grace the Miramar hills is something we’ll love.
UPDATE: The Facebook page for Wellington International Airport has appeared. Have at it!
What up, Easter?
So today we asked on Twitter for people to tell us what’s going to be open and what’s going to be closed over Easter. This is our list so far, please feel free to add more in the comments.
- Leuven is "open every day over Easter". They get away with it because they are a restaurant.
- The Malthouse is open Saturday and Monday and surcharge free all the way. They’ll be closing at midnight on Thursday and the Saturday, however.
- Readings Cinema will be open. We kind of figured that, but since they took the time to reply, we thought you should know.
- The Southern Cross will be open "for dining only" all weekend. Which means they will put cutlery on the tables and you can drink as usual.
Catching the fish
Last Tuesday, I was drawn like a fly to a pile of fishheads to the Overseas Terminal for the launch of FishHead magazine.I had to sort out the Mollusc for trying to step into my territory. How many anonymous troublemakers does this town need, after all?
The adventure started with a boat ride from Queen’s Wharf, where entertainment came in the form of giraffe-esque models in ridiculous heels trying to clamber into the trawler. They still managed the task better than one Wellingtonista whose flailing arm knocked the lens out of some unfortunate gentleman’s glasses. Perhaps she was unsteady on her feet because of being uncharacteristically sober?
The seven minute voyage across the harbour seemed to have been planned entirely so the hipsters could get their "on a boat" badge on Foursquare. Oh hipsters and their adorable need to collect things. Anyone would think that their lives were hollow and empty or something. Things got more lively on land, where we were welcomed by Batucada, fishheads firmly in place.
The band sounded great outside, marching back and forward and hitting their percussiony bits. When they came inside later on, it was a little too loud though, so this Fly wasn’t suprised to see guests slipping outside to get their Titanic on.