Feb 5

Monday, February 5

Super Bowl Monday here, not Super Bowl Sunday. Josh and I thought we'd get to sleep in today as we hadn't heard from Noel Munford (the Rotarian who likes American football because he's spent some time in the states...his favorite team is the San Diego Chargers) the night before or this morning. Then, we realized around noon that we had a text message from him about coming over to watch the game at 1. We quickly got ready and packed up our Tui brand beer (a tui is a NZ bird and Tui beer is really good) and drove over to Noel's.

Noel is a photographer so his house is also his studio. It's a really big Victorian house on Fitzherbert Street (one of the main streets in town and the only street that crosses the Manawatu River if you want to get to the main campus of Massey University). Well, although Noel's house is on the main road, we drove past it and had to turn around in a gas station. When we drove back by, we parked on the street and went up to the house (the name of his business is Colour Photique), rang the bell, and Noel welcomed us in. The front of the house is part of the business with photographs that Noel has taken placed on the walls. We walked through a set of peach drapes covering an archway and entered into the back of the house where the family lives.

Noel told us to take a seat and we watched as the Colts and the Bears geared up for the game. Noel asked my name because he couldn't remember it from the Rotary meeting last Thursday. I told him Janell and he was like, that's right, I have a sister named Janet and that's how I was going to remember your name but instead I want to call you Janet.

His way of trying to remember my name is actually quite funny because I have a cousin named Brian Noel. And the way I was going to remember Noel's name was to think of my cousin...but now I just want to call him Brian! I didn't share that story with him though.
Noel ran to the kitchen and then yelled for us to join him. He had made us hot dogs to have a true American Super Bowl experience! I ran out to the car to get the beer (we had wanted to make sure it was okay to bring in) and then Josh and I made up some hot dogs, watched the game, and talked to Noel.

Noel is also an astronomy buff so the pictures in his living room were of solar and lunar eclipses, comets, and the like that he had taken in places all over the world. He must be in his late 40's or early 50's because he has two sons that are our age. One is a pilot for Air New Zealand and one is studying in Japan. As the parent of an Air NZ pilot, Noel can ride in the cockpit during certain flights.

When the game was over, the Bears lost, Josh and I headed home to change clothes and to get ready for dinner at the Openshaws (Josh's research advisor). Well, if dinner with the Openshaws was going to be anything like dinner with the Rotarians, we'd better dress nicely and have something nice to bring them. We got slightly dolled up in order to make a good impression and discussed whether or not it would be appropriate to bring wine or nothing at all. Here, Josh dubbed me the "Social Chair" of our relationship. So, we brought the wine.

We found the Openshaw house easily enough that we drove around the Hokowhitu campus of Massey University (our side of the river) to avoid showing up too early. We arrived at 6 pm on time. Margaret Openshaw, greeted us on the lawn between the car at the curb and the house. She was casually dressed and barefoot so Josh and I looked a little fancy (me in white jeans, black top, and black heels and Josh in dress pants and a polo...but I was glad I didn't wear what I originally planned...dressy halter top).

We took a seat on the sofa along one wall and Margaret sat in a chair to our left. Across the room, still on the left side sat Roger. We were offered gin and tonics so we had that to drink and chat while dinner finished.

Dinner was ready around 8:30. So, we took a tour of the house, Margaret pointing out the built-on living room at the back of the house where she mentioned several times that it was dirty because her boys had hosted a Dungeons and Dragons party there over the weekend. The walls of this room were stacked high with books and also model ships which Roger builds as a hobby.

Out to the backyard where the Openshaws were planning to host a BBQ the following day in recogniti on of the national holiday Waitangi Day. Well, since dinner wasn't ready, we had some homemade bread and pesto dip which were very good. We also had some wine (Roger observing when he opened the bottle we'd brought, "Oh, it has a cork"). When dinner was ready (an older lamb called hogett?) and roasted vegetables. The food was really GREAT and I was happy to be eating my first lamb in New Zealand.

Josh and I mentioned that we wanted to get a couples massage at some point to which Margaret informed us not to go to the "massage parlours" because prostitution is legal in Palmerston North...whew, that could have been a close call! (looking up Massage Parlours in the Yellow Pages, you'll see a list of three places and also "See Also Sauna Baths.") So then, Margaret kept telling us about the "pros" as she called them for short. After dessert of apricot cake and vanilla ice cream, Josh and I returned home.