Posts by Russell Brown
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Up Front: One, in reply to Emma Hart,
I was saying on Megan’s blog ...
I had the same response as Megan: I was shocked how bleak things were. Not from you guys, or David and Jen -- you're all far too polite to be bleak in front of visitors -- but from actually spending that time at ground level, and realising how the city has been reshaped, and how that that must be for some people. Not for ever, but for some time yet.
It's been strange for me, because I got quite estranged from the place, then re-engaged thanks to a group of new friends like you. And even then, the northwestern 'burbs where I grew up look untouched, which is confusing.
One thing I thought was that Christchurch has always had its share of marginal characters, and I thought about how much harder things must be for those people now. All those things that don't show up on TV, like not having your local shops now. You can get quite sad riding a bike, you know.
But in happier news about sad things, NZ On Screen has licensed Blair's 'Chimney Book' video, and has a high-quality copy to encode. I'll send the editor there some resources for accompanying text, so feel free to kick in a quote.
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Up Front: One, in reply to recordari,
Apart from that, it seems that we really do need to get our arses down there to appreciate the extent of what you have all been through, and are going through.
As I've noted previously, my last visit, and that bike ride around the CBD red zone, was bloody sobering. At that point, I think, I got it.
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It's here! My scene-stealer pic from the little iPad app they have in the New Zealand On Screen installation. You pose for the photo and the system emails it to you ...
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Hard News: Those were different times ..., in reply to recordari,
Nice photos. Talk about ‘salivational’. I would be eating almost continuously if I lived there.
I was moved to ordain a Father's day dinner at Flourishing Cafe in Avondale. Different cuisine, I know, but I cannot believe how much the three of us ate.
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Hard News: Just don't call it "Party Central", in reply to Greg Dawson,
should read “ministerial interference” I think? Unless there’s a subtext there that I just don’t understand.
Lolz. Fixed now, thanks.
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Hard News: Just don't call it "Party Central", in reply to barnaclebarnes,
Yes, I think I meant that The Cloud looks good inside, rather than out.
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I can’t even remember September any more, not without going back and reading what we wrote: Jolisa, Russell, David and I. There for all to see forever, and just as bloody well, because memory is a tricky bugger.
I'm glad I wrote that post -- I'd forgotten enough of it that it was interesting to read. As you say, it is good to transcribe these things.
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Hard News: Those were different times ..., in reply to Simon Grigg,
I’ll go all nepotistic here and plug Brigid’s food blog – the second half of this post is an incredible family owned Southern Thai eatery near us. The images say more than I could.
Wow. And those are her photos too?
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Hard News: Those were different times ..., in reply to Simon Grigg,
However, I was also bought back to earth with a resounding cultural bang when I moved there. Large parts of what I thought would resonate with me made me cringe.
Same. It was a big thing realising I wasn't from there, I was of the Pacific.
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Hard News: Those were different times ..., in reply to Simon Grigg,
Quite. The implications in the homeland are quite ugly, as is the history – often quite recent – behind them. Our benign – rose tinted even – grasp of the Imperial British legacy still astounds me at times.
And yet, the ability to engage with British cultural tropes was an important part of my self-realisation as a younger man. I still do feel a strong affinity for parts of the culture.
