So endeth the hiatus

The first post of 2014, and the first from the new office.

In our last episode, your intrepid blogger was about to disconnect his computer at the old open plan offices in Kirkwood Village. The movers carted everything out of the sheds Friday, 13 December, to move to the new offices. We were supposed to be able to move into our new digs on Tuesday, 17 December. But it was not to be. One story had it that the fire marshals had changed their minds about the sprinkler requirements on the second floor and that we couldn't access the higher floors until things there were sorted. When we moved in this morning, it seemed pretty clear that the fire marshals weren't the only binding constraint. The last bits of construction here on the fourth floor aren't quite done yet - we have little red stickers everywhere pointing out the bits that need attention. Some doors still didn't have latches. Lots of painting yet to be finished. The usual. 

But, I again have an office (and a rather nice corner one at that!) in the refurbishing-in-progress Law Building. And, more importantly, I can now connect my laptop to a monitor. Why should that matter? Well, the laptop's monitor failed before Christmas. I started trying to order a new one in early November. But, the University's processes being as they are, it was impossible to secure the required permissions before late November, much as I pleaded that delays were very likely to make it impossible for me to get the machine before everybody shut down for Christmas break. The final order went out 29 November. I still haven't seen the machine. This only matters for present purposes because, with a broken screen, my existing laptop didn't exactly work well for blogging or working at home over the break. The loaner laptop was fine for the few urgent grad school recommendation letters that had to go out, but not so hot for anything beyond that. And so I had a semi-enforced holiday, with no office from which to work and, with a house full of kids and family, little chance to work from their either. It was rather nice. I splashed in the pool and at the beach.

Wanaka, Tekapo and Oamaru were great. The new steampunk-themed kids' playground near the wharf at Oamaru was great. Kayaking with the kids at Wanaka made me miss white Christmases even less than I otherwise might have. Slice of heaven.