My IQ probably peaked in elementary school

My friend Violet has a pithy post on her blog (sorry, password protected, no link!) on how quickly her ego cycles.  I sympathize as I alternate between supreme intelligence in the face of incredibly insipid individuals and the soul-crushing realization that my IQ probably peaked in elementary school.  This latter has become more apparent as I negotiate on a rather prickly bi-lateral issue that involves nuanced and often biased interpretations of certain aspects of international law and emotional attachment to patriotic ideals.  I'm in over my head.  But I wonder if I'm the only one that sees it that way, as I have been told in the past that I come off as fairly competent when engaged in these discussions.  I guess we never see ourselves as others do, and I know I'm my own worst critic.

Anyway, insanely busy - headed off to Samoa in early August and from there to the States for a vacation.  You can't imagine trying to plan your packing list for 6 weeks, when the temperatures will vary from 40 to 100 degrees, business attire and casual wear.  I welcome the challenge if it gets me R&R at home!!

holy matrimony, for very unholy reasons

  (Another new post appears below)
In other news, it appears that my job wants to force me into holy matrimony, for very unholy reasons.  Apparently travelling with a partner around the world from posting to posting involves the employee paying for every last one of the partner's expenses.  That can be quite expensive as those of you who have bought tickets to, say, Tashkent can attest.  I'm sure the policies are designed to prevent even a whiff of an allegation that gay relationships are OK, but part of me wants to yell, "It's the 21st Century!"  New Zealand is debating a law on Civil Unions, and many of the arguments on the sanctity of marriage, the importance of the fabric of the family, etc would sound familiar to Americans.  But before I get off topic, I would like to take my current partner with me.  I can not afford that on my salary.  He could not work in the U.S. unless we were married.  Ergo, I must either marry solely for financial reasons, or "live in sin" in a foreign country!  I know it all sounds very dramatic, but with the dearth of life-threatening incidents here, I have to create my own drama. (Ooh, I do recommend, though, that you check out Hamas' recent endorsement of the New Zealand government.... What!) Wacky things are afoot down under...

I'll assume it's a "British thing" and leave it at that

Well, then, it's been a while, hasn't it! Last Saturday I attended the Bledisloe Cup Rugby Test Match between New Zealand and Australia.  The NZ All Blacks trounced the Aussies, both winning the game and (in my opinion) winning the fight that broke out of the field.  The weather, true to form for this lovely town, was abysmal.  The wind in the stadium actually swirls like a tornado, so when the ball is kicked it is likely to go sideways and backwards.  (This could have contributed to NZ's win, as those types of conditions are tough for visiting teams to replicate.)  Our seats were uncovered - it was cold and wet, and by the second half even my underwear was wet.  Thankfully, we had a couple of warm beers purchased at exorbitant prices to help pass the time (!)  Complaining aside, the game really was awesome, and I look forward to catching a few more international tests before I leave next year.  No- I have no idea why they call them tests, I mean it's a real game, not a practice, but since they call them Cricket tests, too, I'll assume it's a "British thing" and leave it at that.