I didn’t give this post a real title because there has been no outstanding theme since my last entry. That’s both good and bad. Although nothing has gone awry, I’m still dealing with the same struggles with which my success fluctuates daily.

Mike and Kath invited me to stay indefinitely as long as I could promise to make good use of my time in Rotorua and start earning my keep around the house and garden. Sounds like a great deal to me.

First, one detail I forgot to mention in my last post. Mike and Kath have an old cat that doesn’t like new people. Well, on Monday it finally decided it liked me. I got home when nobody else was around and the cat approached me for the first time. It let me pet it, and later when I was on the couch, crawled up and fell asleep.

Wednesday: This was many days ago, so I don’t remember all the details of what I did. I remember having a slow morning and going for a ride around noon. The ride was one of my best since arriving. It had been a few days since my last ride due to adverse weather, so my legs were fresh. It felt like I had a endless supply of energy I could tap into on the climbs, and I felt comfortable on my bike beneath me. The ride put me in a good mood. I stopped by the shop after.

Thursday: Rainy day. I had a hard time figuring how to spend my time. After moping around the house for awhile, I finally forced myself up and out. I went to a local shopping center to check out a store Kath had recommended. I stopped into a Superette next door for some tomatoes and an onion. Then, to kill time, I looked into some of the surrounding restaurants to familiarize myself with some of the food options here. Next, I went for a drive, something I’ve used as a therapeutic escape in the past. I drove out on Tarawera road which I had been on multiple times before to access parts of the forest and a few lakes further on. This time I drove it all the way to it’s end at Lake Tarawera. The scenery was incredible and the road reminded me of some of my favorites back home. At the end, I found a side street that led right down to the water and stretched out across the front bench seats of my van to read. The clouds and wildlife made for a peaceful setting, and my book was a nice distraction from boredom. It rained on and off, but right as I finished a chapter and decided to leave, the sun poked out. Five minutes down the road I was hit by a torrential rain, much heavier than any I had experienced up until then. Then it started hailing. I felt cozy in my van.

Friday: I had work at 8:30 and it was steadily busy. By the time my shift ended at 3:00 I was exhausted. The weather was good so I had planned to ride, but I went next door to veg out on the couch for a few minutes first. While I was relaxing, I got a text from Alex asking if I wanted to ride. It was perfect timing. He and another guy nicknamed “Weasel” took me for solid ride. My legs were tired and I had to push to keep up on the climbs. Also, I smacked my kneecap on my frame trying to ride a technical feature up and out of a creek bed. Ouch.

Saturday: I had work again at 8:30 and it rained so the place was a zoo. Morgan came in just as it was getting really crazy and helped relieve me (and my back from hunching over the sink). When he left I was able to keep up with the flow until the lunch wave hit. He returned from his errands and was able to save me once again. I was exhausted afterwards and came home for a chill afternoon. I watched my second rugby game last night. The All Blacks’ B-team smoked Japan 69-31.

It isn’t raining today, but it’s awfully windy. I want to make use of my day off by going for a ride in the decent weather, but I’m whipped. I probably will later once I’m feeling a little better, but in the meantime I’ll have to find stuff to do to keep myself engaged. I’m thinking more reading and grocery shopping. LOL

This past week Mike and I started a show called Gotham. I’m finding it very entertaining.

I miss my friends.