| Following the exam on Tues, the court case on Weds, Steve lost his UK job on Thurs. The benefit of this means that his evenings are now his own. He no longer has to have midnight conference calls, meet weekend deadlines. He's quite happy about that fact. However, the way in which they did it was completely unfair. Denying him contractual obligations because the company has merged? We have no choice but to hire a lawyer in the UK to work on our behalf. We did have a good referral in NZ but unfortunately, he felt that it would be easier and move cost effective to hire someone based in the UK. I'm not concerned with yet another pressing legal issue, I appreciate that these things will take a lot of time, but at least, it can tick away, with the only annoyance being the time difference. I realise that times are hard, but Steve worked damn hard for this company and I felt towards the end, he was becoming a scapegoat because of his removed position. Clearly, others are facing the same, and where Steve was concerned, it was very much a case of last in, first out. The meeting left him drained and both of us wishing that the week would end! Friday saw us fly up to Auckland for the Top Gear show. The humour was a bit more low brow for their antipodean audience, but on the whole, it was a good evening. We went to my favourite restaurant in Auckland, a Dikouku (sp?) place, where you all sit around a table, which the chef cooks on and various pieces of food are thrown into the air as part of the cooking performance. Although being fed like a fish is not the most ideal part, the food is incredible. We indulged in a couple of bottles of red to ease the stresses of the week. I made some guesses about the people that were sat with us, and in the end, with the red wine diminishing my inhibitions, I decided to simply ask them what they did. I got 2 out 4 right! One guy in particular was fascinating, a lecturer in Egyptian history. Currently on an 'acadamic break' we spoke with him all evening, it was wonderful to meet someone so interesting and so open. His group looked a little pissed off though! Steve and I left and ambled back to our hotel, the Sky City, for a dabble in the casino. I must say that despite going into the casino in Monaco and even visiting Las Vegas, I've never fancied giving gambling a go. I started at the so called, 'pokies' otherwise known as the one arm bandits. They were so boring, god knows how anyone can sit there for hours on end. I didn't have a clue what I was doing. Steve and I both started with $20 and when he went to change the coins into notes, it turned out that between us we had won $400!! I had no idea how much money had accumulated, all from a poultry $20! We moved onto the roulette table, but by this time, I was a little worse for wear and I kept placing my chips only to spend the next few minutes asking everyone which chips were mine! I think I lost a lot on that table! On a return from a toilet break, I saw Steve telling a new guy at the table that he was taking my seat. He was pretty intense and quite rude. Steve took insult to this, and I barely made it back before I noticed a security guy in a suit discreetly looking over and reading the situation. This guy was really intense and obviously really desperate for a win. Steve was unforgiving about the whole chair situation, so I decided to remove us from the table. This is one of the reasons that gambling has little appeal for me, some people don't take it as a bit of fun, they're desperate to win and the environment creates the same aggression as a bar. I was happy with the evening though, despite that little incident. Although I'd sobbed in the car earlier because I was leaving Egg for the first time, I'd forgotton what it felt like to be childless for the evening. My god, we slept in!! No bottles to sterilise or nappies to change! I must say, I felt bloody awful the next morning and it served as a prudent reminder why I don't really drink anymore. We took a dreadful drive back to the airport and took one of the most uncomfortable flights back I've ever done!! Being in Auckland was great, the traffic was dire and it took hours to move anywhere. I've kind of missed some aspects of Auckland, but now I remember why we left. The traffic was at a standstill on the motorway - crikey! As it was Valentines Day on Saturday, we decided to go out for an early dinner. We went to one of our favourite Cambodian places and Steve surprised me with a beautiful eternity ring. Bit naughty of him! Today, Sunday has seen me take part in the 7km fun run in the city as part of the Round The Bays half marathon. I was dreading it, wondering if I'd make a big fool out of myself, but I ended up really enjoying it. Being amongst crowds was quite difficult compared to being on my treadmill. It got a bit pushy in places. Seeing my little family at the finish line though was all I needed to spur me on! I did a combination of walking and running and finished in just over an hour. It was an extremely hot day which didn't help. Considering I've had my third child only just six months ago and I've only been training since December, I'm quite proud of myself. I'm looking forward to the next one in Rotorua. So, after everything that's happened this week, you'd think I'd be passed out in the bed refusing to move. Actually, I've been toying with the idea of starting my own business. Its just a few ideas being chucked around at the moment, but I'm going to look into it and just see what's involved, calculate risks and just see how it would all work. Luckily with Steve being a Business Analyst, he'll be able to help me decide if this could be a viable option. It will certainly be an early night tonight though! |