Willow texts Winona and asks if she wants to go to the market this weekend. Winona replies, asking which market? Willow said that she has heard of a farmer’s market that has started up in one of the parks. Winona asks if she means the one in Thorndon, or Te Aro, or on the waterfront? […]
Entries from April 30th, 2010
The Guardian Sphinx
April 28th, 2010 Comments Off on The Guardian Sphinx
It is now Winona’s turn to navigate the intricacies of a job interview. In Wellington, the mushy term “Business Analyst” can be read as “Smart Person Wanted.” So Winona sent in a CV for a position being guarded by an employment agency. Gratifyingly, her cellphone rang two days later. Now, she is facing off across […]
Tags: government · jobs · winona
Landlord’s Perogative
April 26th, 2010 Comments Off on Landlord’s Perogative
Wazzer lives in a rented bungalow in Kilbirnie with a manicurist, a call center worker, and a security/guard bouncer. (Yes, a female bouncer. Be very afraid.) In their late thirties to early forties, they have moved beyond most flatmate dramas: their occasional squabbles have a sisterly tone. There are also two potbellied cats, tabby and […]
Tags: real estate · wazzer
Unbrunched
April 23rd, 2010 1 Comment
There is now a new indignity for Willow to endure as a single Wellington woman. For three weekends in a row, she has been unbrunched. The dust from her move has settled, the little townhouse in Hataitai is all hers, avocado 1970s kitchen, peach-hued bathroom, and all. She had pictured entertaining in the rimu breakfast […]
Tags: food · social mores · willow
Celebrity Sighting
April 21st, 2010 Comments Off on Celebrity Sighting
Winona is at a cafe and a celebrity comes in. Everyone ignores him. At least, it seems that no one is looking at him directly. Even the waitress sidles up to his table as if she is overcoming peripheral vision difficulties. But a certain abbreviated murmuring goes around. Is that who I…you know…yes, I do […]
The Waiting Space
April 19th, 2010 Comments Off on The Waiting Space
Willow hadn’t minced words about her flat when she offered it to Winona. “It’s the kind of place that you live when you’re saving up for something.†“If everything works out, we’ll just be there for six months, maybe a year,” Winona admits. “I’m sure it’s fine for us.” It is, just barely. This abode […]
Tags: real estate · willow · winona
IAWL Likes…Poppies
April 18th, 2010 Comments Off on IAWL Likes…Poppies
It’s that week before Anzac Day when flashes of red appear on our lapels. Wearing the poppy for remembrance says so many things. “I respect my ancestors…Gallipoli was horrible…I gave a gold coin to the nice poppy-handing-out person, did you?” The poppy design can’t have changed since the early 60s – late enough for the […]
Wellington Men III: The Export
April 16th, 2010 Comments Off on Wellington Men III: The Export
Will has started his new job, at a private software development juggernaut. Out for drinks with the new crew, he meets someone else who’s recently come to Wellington. Woodrow has a knot of people around him, enjoying his happy, shouty vibe. He can’t believe his luck. He’s down here on contract for Weta Digital, working […]
Wellington Men II: The Cad
April 14th, 2010 Comments Off on Wellington Men II: The Cad
Set up in the new flat, there’s only so much online job hunting and waiting for the phone that Winona can stand. She fabricates errands. She is lingering through the New World Metro grocery store when she runs into an old acquaintance. In his rough, warm voice, he murmurs, “Choice to have you back. You […]
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Wellington Men I: The Best Mate
April 12th, 2010 Comments Off on Wellington Men I: The Best Mate
Will is deeply relieved that Wayne is still his best mate. The big O.E. has broken up mateships of longer duration than theirs, hatched at university. But Wayne is as reliable as ever. On moving day, he’s the one helping haul a king-sized bed out of a TradeMe seller’s home (“Must Pick Up”) into Will’s […]
Tags: bogans · mateship · real estate · wayne · will