Posts by Rachel Prosser

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  • Hard News: Where are the foreigners?!,

    Wellington's waterfront has been lovely at the weekends - lots of tourists, and languages - there are a few people about midweek too. Lots of campervans parked abut the place, a few people on the street.

    And numerous companies and departments have travel bans in place - which is of course stopping people doing productive work, as well as cutting hotel revenues.

    We got travel advisories to plan stuff before and after, due to expected price rises, and then we got a revised memo last week from the travel agents to say that prices hadn't got as high as expected.

    That said, I suspect plenty of people get productive work done by having a whole week in the office for a change rather than jumping on and off a plane....

    Christchurch • Since Mar 2008 • 228 posts Report Reply

  • Southerly: That CERA Rumour,

    The other good thing about Christchurch buses (and I say this as a Christchurch Refugee now working in Wellington) is the 2 hour tickets all over the city for $1.90 ish. And that after the second trip, every further one that day was free, and after the 10th trip in a week, the rest of the bus trips that week were free.

    I often hopped on the first bus that approached, stopped off to pop into a shop, back on another and caught the right one home. And my Metrocard charged me $1.90 for the privilege – whether I stopped once or 4 times from The Cup cafe up Dyer’s Pass road to home in St Albans.

    In Wellington, if I want to catch the bus after work from Lambton Quay, stop off in Willis Street for groceries, hop off at Cuba street to pick something up, and then in Courtney Place before heading home to Balaena Bay I pay an extra $1.50 every time I get on and off the bus – even covering exactly the same route. It’s small, but it’s enough of a disincentive that I don’t, say, stop off at Whitcoulls in Courtney Place just for a browse, or nip into New World Willis Street to grab something for dinner.

    And there isn’t a 2 zone monthly pass either – it’s $135 a month whether you live Mirimar or Manners Street , whereas if I bus to and from work 10 times a week it’s $116 ish.

    That said, I do love paying for taxis and using it at the dairy - the stored value function is useful!

    Christchurch • Since Mar 2008 • 228 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Again: Is everyone okay?,

    I'm in Dunedin - flew out yesterday night - so am afraid I can't do a Whiskey Galore update this time. My family OK - house a mess but structurally seems OK.

    An indication of the force: the large stereo speaker stored on shelves 6 feet above ground flew across a double garage and landed in the laundry sink.

    Mum in Wellington, got news of quake by Dad phoning her to say he was OK.

    An example of kindness: taxi driver who took Mum home to where she's staying in Wellington, overheard her conversation and didn't accept payment.

    Christchurch • Since Mar 2008 • 228 posts Report Reply

  • Southerly: At Last, David Haywood's 2010…,

    I have several friends who have self-published non-fiction and one who has just published fiction.

    They are professional speakers, so can promote it and sell it themselves - they are willing to actively work on thheir own marketing.

    The one fiction publisher in the group is Jennifer Manson, who has recently published her first fiction novel, and a second is out soon, with 3 more in the pipeline. I haven't finished my copy, my sister stole it and read it in a sitting. Other friends say they've found it hard to put down.

    Details of first book here: http://www.jennifermanson.co.nz/ plus Amazon Kindle Edition is online.

    Jennifer said at the National Speakers Association Christchurch chapter meeting that she'd sold $3K in her first month (and that was before her formal launch, and in a month when the quake struck Christchurch and disrupted normal plans).

    That said, Jennifer has taken time and lots of energy and discipline to learn and apply the skills to do this - not everyone will want to do that.

    If you want to learn, then I do recommend National Speakers Association membership (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Whangarei chapters)

    Lots of NSANZ members publish (either on their own or with a traditional publisher) and can share war stories of both kinds. The Authorship and Product Development module is run in Auckland/Wellington/Christchurch each year (Christchurch's was last month with Anne Howie, Wellington's is next weekend with Lawrence Green)

    Actual publishing - in the sense of making a book available on Amazon.com has very low up-front costs through CreateSpace - you just need to upload pdfs of the cover and contents and pay to ship a sample book to you to approve.

    That's good when you're targeting the US market - but a similar POD printer with lower postage costs to us in NZ would be good (although of course Amazon does ship).

    Regardless - in practice, if you want to be successful as an author it's always up to you to promote your book - at least with non-fiction, and Jennifer's decided to do that for fiction too.

    If you don't want to do marketing, then writing as a hobby has its own rewards. An average book with good marketing will sell more than good books with bad marketing.

    (Disclosure: I wrote the NSANZ website and am a member, so I am biased!)

    Christchurch • Since Mar 2008 • 228 posts Report Reply

  • Busytown: Reading Room,

    I never bloody get past chapter three of any Dickens

    I couldn't either, until travelling in Germany.

    Classics were the easiest and most affordable thing to buy, and because I wasn't saturated in English, I had room to take in Dickens. I had no papers, newspapers, TV, or work. If you work with words all day then Dickens is a bit much at night.

    Christchurch • Since Mar 2008 • 228 posts Report Reply

  • Up Front: Lessons from Nature,

    Me too, though it was more sort of "what kind of a universe sends this level of damage but leaves Camelot Court completely untouched?"

    I visited Brian and Penny (who own and run Camelot Court and are lovely) a week or so after the quake and Penny showed me a photo she took on the morning of the quake, with one of their guests wearing a T shirt "Today is my Lucky Day!"

    He was right.

    Christchurch • Since Mar 2008 • 228 posts Report Reply

  • Cracker: Strike Nine (and counting),

    All I can do is hope that some one, some where will use the headline 'Jackal and Hide'.

    I'm waiting for the headline "xxxxx MP confirms he has no convictions"

    Christchurch • Since Mar 2008 • 228 posts Report Reply

  • Southerly: Refugee Status,

    In 4 years living in Wellington, I always thought of earthquakes as entertainment. The house shaking, the low noise. A low risk novelty, like high winds or excessive rain.

    I've yet to have them turn into an object of fear, but I'm beginning to suspect that transformation is approaching.

    Actually that sums up my feelings rather well pre-earthquake, and post-quake (oops there goes a babyquake now) I find them more curious than annoying. I did love earthquake drills at school and find plane turbulence interesting too.

    I am more afraid of things that could be my fault than things that are beyond my control - and the earth will shake the same whether I am afraid or not.

    I didn't mind the aftershocks on Saturday or yesterday, but the heightened adrenaline - the sense that everything was different and senses full alert is very wearing. It took me 2 days to relax properly in Auckland, and I was anxious coming back, but now Christchurch is 90% normal, and it's easy to forget that the earthquake happened.


    Town has double the number of shops open and traffic seems to have tripled by my estimate.

    The lovely cooking shop near the whiskey shop was open, and the ladies there were so appreciative that I called in to buy a silicone spatula - they said it helped them feel things were normal.

    Christchurch • Since Mar 2008 • 228 posts Report Reply

  • Up Front: Day Five,

    The $350/employee small business grant is good.

    However, there is an asymmetry in that self-employed people are eligible for only the unemployment benefit at most - 240 ish.

    This affects a colleague who like me works part-time
    (in his case only casually) and runs a business part-time in the central city.

    Portfolio careers are great, but hard for government departments to work with.

    Christchurch • Since Mar 2008 • 228 posts Report Reply

  • Up Front: Day Five,

    I began this morning in Mt Eden, and felt quite apprehensive flying back, and at the airport.

    People are noticeably much much more stressed and strung out and tired than they were when I left. This morning's 5.1 disturbed a lot of people.

    I went straight into work at 11, and have just finished, feeling really good now - work was a great way of dealing with anxiety. Great to have other things to think about. Walking back home now the inapt phrase that spung to mind linked work and freedom - but it's true (in this context) that it feels so much better to be productively occupied.

    I've realised that for my own mental health, I'm best to avoid the TV news and disaster porn. It's better just to get on with stuff, as best I can.

    And a 3 day holiday away from here did wonders for my general adrenaline level.

    Christchurch • Since Mar 2008 • 228 posts Report Reply

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