Searching for Christmas cheer in summer

Due to lack of bicycle, this past week I've continued to explore Dunedin and surroundings on foot. Most notably I hiked the Pineapple track, which winds up a steep hill north of town through dense, seemingly tropical forest and emerges on a ridge covered in yellow wildflowers. Although the Pineapple track was restricted to walking, it ended at a junction with several mountain bike trails. Earlier this week I headed to the ocean beach in the pouring rain in search of the Tunnel Beach walk, which is advertised online as a superb seaside hike. I didn't find the crucial tunnel to access the trail, but walked along the beach anyway. It was just me, the rain, a chilly wind, and the waves, until I discovered Dunedin's Lovers Lane, which was full of a dozen parked cars aimed at the beach.

I plan to go to the Otago Tramping Club weekly meeting tonight. A free supper is included for first time attendees. Their friendly website advertizes weekend day hikes and overnight trips. I'm also hoping they can recommend a good track for a Chirstmastime tramp I'm planning with Peter Nunns, Williams class of '08 who is currently in Wellington.

On Tuesday night I saw my first movie in New Zealand, Quantum of Solace. The movie theater seats are like La-Z-Boys, but otherwise the experience was equivalent to an American cinema, including the never-ending previews. After the movie we went to a bar with an open mike, where a middle-aged gentleman was wailing away and freestyling about how he went to the supermarket to buy some good karma.

Last night the wardens of Carrington College invited us for pre-dinner drinks in the college lounge. I'm learning that residential colleges here are more akin to fraternities than dormitories in the U.S. Students must apply to live in a college and a spot is not guaranteed to first-years. Although the colleges are affiliated with the university, they each have their own reputation and traditions. Some are for pre-med students, some for religious Christians, others for international students. The wardens showered us with gifts of kitchen equipment, including baking pans, a cheese grater, and a full set of knives.

I have picked out a new bicycle, significantly higher end than the one that was stolen, but will not be able to take it from the shop until tomorrow. Since my debit card fails to work here (it worked in Tanzania), I can only get money through the ATM, which has a daily limit of NZ$800. I put down some money today, the rest tomorrow.

In the lab I proposed an idea for a project to Sigurd related to Alzheimer's Disease, and he appeared interested. It will take a while to assemble all the components for the experiments, so for now I'll be working on the basics of the FRET method.