And Upon Ye Shall Come a Plague of Frogs

Evidently the albatrosses didn't like my portrayal of them or my gumption in emailing the department of obscure studies--I have now come down with a serious case of froggy throat. After a three hour nap, I've decided that sounding like a sex siren with a slight cold is a consolation prize.

Plans are evolving for the New Zealand trip. We're seriously enamored of Dunedin and are planning on taking a rail journey across the North Island. Dunedin has fairly easy access to tramping, yellow-eyed penguins, albatrosses nesting, and seals (or sea lions; I can never keep them straight). It also has interesting architecture, much of which was designed by my architect ancestor Henry Thomas Mandeno (1879-1973--longevity runs in the family). The rail journey passes through a pretty cool national park with a volcano in it; we haven't decided whether we'll do our tramping there or elsewhere. Then it's north to Te Awamutu to visit the rellies (note that there is a Mandeno Street; there is also a Mandeno Road that ends at the rather old family farm.

Alright, now that my brain is somewhat engaged (and fed), I should get back to work. Have I mentioned that I love having a job I can do much of from home, in my sweatpants, on an oh-so-sleek MacBook?