According to the venerable Nick Venter, a Treasury hack.

Again, in your head.

I was also talking about taking ownership of one's one bullshit — and don't bloody tell me that throwing that shit at Black (however sotto voice it may be) would be tolerated for…

At least it is a reprieve from the complaint that fireworks don't last as long as they used to?

Wasn't Craig saying he was trying to listen, earlier? Or does that only apply on Emma's threads?

Quite the understatement! Like the sign on Dyers Rd at the moment that says "Earthquake Damage", which made me laugh. Imagine if we started signposting all the earthquake damage, the world doesn't have enough signs! And it's just about impossible to express in words…

You'll bounce back,…

Not what I was talking about either. Hard to believe, I know.

No that wasn't patronising at all. Do carry on

Being a lot patronising, dear. Cease and desist. 1) I’ve had a long standing objection to that canard against Black, and it becomes no more endearing because it’s couched in the…

One in ten PAS threads end in a discussion about how the Listener ain't what it used to be ...

No, that’s a piece of bait far too tempting not to rise to. We all know who Joanne Black’s husband works for – build a bridge to the 21st century where femme-bots are no longer retired for holding jobs without permission from…

Didn't I read somewhere that a certain Mrs Panic-pants had been commuting from darkest Welli to ensure the rag's ideological rigour is maintained? Current company not expected to comment on that.

It was the Listener than made me happy I've been too lazy-arse to cancel my subscription. If only I had hope of it continuing in that vein.

My understanding is that many of the same old wonderful writers are still around; but unless the editorial team has changed recently (has it? I wouldn't know, I stopped buying or reading it years ago) I have…

I was so happy with it. I was hoping I'd see Jane at SlutWalk to thank her for it, she did an utterly fabulous job. And I sound all cogent and intelligent and just the right degree of trampy. Which, yay, because that…

I just hope it's a return to form for the Listener of old.

Quite – I walk around there fairly often and must admit I tend to be a little cautious around spots like that after heavy rain. As Lucy alluded to, there's plenty of minor slippage on spots…

Some kind of raptorial buisness thing will continue on – but it wont be Christchurch.

I didnt think I could have had any sentiment left in me, to grieve for the city that once was.
BUT – with all…

Perhaps someone could do a t-shirt, "I felt the Auckland earthquake". A badge of pride for those feeling left out of the Southern Shaky Fun? ;-)

Indeed. But I did notice it, and I've missed small quakes before. I…

Obviously Geonet has rated it 5 on the MMI scale in response to felt reports, worth noting that a 2.9 moment magnitude yielding a 5…

Okay, okay...

No one's been killed by a rock fall on the North Shore coast for... maybe 15 or 20 years. Similarly, Auckland's not had a similarly significant (for what it's worth) earthquake in nearly 10 years. This…

The article seems to indicate there have been plenty of other slips in the area over the past months. It's a bit of a stretch to attribute the death directly to the quake.

And please feel free to keep Dave Dobbyn as long as you need him.

I, personally, would be quite keen on Dave Dobbyn comforting us in our Tiny Earthquake Hour of Need.

Sad to hear about that one

my sympathies to your and Emma's broods

I'm ok with not being too close to school because I know there are always adults my kids (and I) trust there but my youngest really needs me around school…

Hebe, most of my whanau with kids have now shifted out…

"It's just gone. All gone."

That's a…

Nope my glass did not spill at all.

Oh no, you can't have him!! He's much too cute to give away.

There was one 3-4 years ago. That one, I thought I'd left the handbrake off on the car and it had gently rolled into the house.

This one was strong enough that I…

Or Gerry Brownlee. Send the signing guy though, so he can tell us with appropriate sign language where to stick our non-quake event.

state of emergency declared in Auckland after 2.9 earthquake reportedly disturbs 2 glasses of Pinot and causes 3 machiatos to spill

See also Emma's friend JSR:

That did not deserve a #aklquake…

And dammit I didn't even feel it.

Not to worry, she's given us a good giggle down here. :-)

It was unusual getting a measurable earthquake in Auckland. First time I can recall feeling one here.

But it was NOT "scary". It was a short ripple that made the floorboards crack.

Aucklanders on Twitter are cracking self-deprecating jokes and Jackie Blue spoils it. Sigh.

A magnitude 2.9!

"There was a big jolt and Auckland doesn't get earthquakes, so this was scary,'' Dr Blue said.

''It's quite scary given what has happened in Christchurch and to think it could happen to Aucklanders is worrying and unnerving.''

Auckland's always summerish, from our perspective! :-)

Yes.

I’m going to have to manufacture an excuse to come up to Wellington and be drunk and disreputable again sometime soon, aren’t I? I do find the getting away thing double edged though – it’s…

It's true, I have never been that covered-up. And that's the way it stayed, all night.

And I actually did think for a moment, "But that woman next to you, she looks vaguely familiar..." One has never seen so little of Emma ;-)

He could probably extort helium straight from the Sun, the poor thing is shit scared of him.

So she did.

Dear Megan
1) You made my cry.
2) Yes you freakin' are.

That is all.
J

Yes, if it were somehow possible to make helium, rather than buy it from the United States, there might be more of them around now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F54rqDh2mWA

oh the humanity indeed...

Hang on, I'm in Auckland next week... (that's fair warning to every Feijoa-based drink available too, funny the things you miss).

The volcanoes used to scare me…

You do realize they've dug up Bagshot row, while you've been "away North?".

I am actually embarrassed by how many times I have watched that silly BBC docudrama on…

At least the ensuing nuclear winter will solve our global warming problem.

They may need sponsorship – I have been known to strongly encourage use of credit cards.

Excuse me – we have quite enough volcanoes at the moment thanks – you do know middle America is due a really big one soon (that is in the next 10000 yrs or so)

and is likely to improve Takapuna

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU0uLZWqRdE&feature=related

(skip to about 2.00, when the music actually starts)

Cheryl Bernstein describes being in her local park playground with her daughter, as part of another eloquent exploration of the impact of #eqnz on Chch's architectural history. h/t Giovanni

She had just got off the slide when the big earthquake struck. There was a deep, terrible…

#i'llgetmecoat

You need to live in…

And I know just what you mean with the numb flippancy about the falling-down CBD.

I remember post-September 4, watching online video of demolitions: the pub in Heathcote and the jeweller's in Riccarton Rd, and shedding actual tears, despite neither building…

See, for me, it is the opposite. Since I…

You have to remember that that northern chick is a ticking time bomb and that one day she'll give you a wolloping completely out…

The violence of the earth itself hits to the core of something we instinctively feel we should be able to trust.

This is something that... hits me harder, I guess, because I was outside for "the six". (By which I mean the…

Passing strangers, that bouncer at the Malthouse, Derby girls...

So, you told me before you came up, you wanted a break from worrying about *everything*. I did OK?…

You know, Bart, Emma keeps trying to get me to come to Auckland with her. And one of the reasons she keeps mentioning is that I need to meet (and go drunk shoe-shopping with) you.…

And you can bury this all you like but for us this is SUCH good news!!!!

And while I don't do twinkly, I do do hugs. Looking forward to your visit.

That's the only way I know how much I'm not myself any more, and you know, I don't much fucking like it.

I guess part of grieving is learning to let go of painful memory, which involves learning not…

hush ... he does words not numbers

phwoar she looks tasty?

That's a loose description. I counted at least 9. And I assume this is still not including Emma's secret projectoring,

Excited much? Unwittingly even.

And Russell acquitted himself with utter gentlemanliness. Even when I used him to taunt Emma.

My immediate thought was "why is there going to be an old British steam engine at OGB?". I don't know if that makes me more or less hip.

1. I can faithfully report that in Wellington Emma was so ladylike and decorous that even passing strangers remarked on her delicacy.

2. Emma will be projecting her ethereal ladylikeness from the stage at the Orcon Great Blend, Thursday August 4, Auckland Town Hall concert chamber, along with…

So, you told me before you came up, you wanted a break from worrying about *everything*. I did OK?

I am excited, but confused. About right?

In the middle. That's an easy one.

I'm all a bit bouncy this morning because the Orcon Great Blend just got officially tweeted, but I'm still not ready to announce my super-secrect secret project which is all terribly exciting. So if you…

It's really saying something that you associate these two things with Wellington.