Three days hence, I had booked a full day of travel: the 7:00 AM train from Christchurch to Picton, then the 2:15 Ferry from Picton to Wellington. Milford Sound was my first destination, but it was a long drive and there would be another drive to get to where I was staying that night – the Possum Lodge! (My Intrepid group was spending two nights in Te Anau [the Milford portal?], but I went a little further that day to the smaller enclave of Manapouri.) Actually a proper fjord, Milford Soundwas worth the trip…!

After looking out at the Tasman Sea, we made a U-turn and went back along the other side…

Leaving Milford Sound, I drove back to Te Anau, then on to Manapouri. (Possum Lodge’s wifi was not great!, but the key tree is charming.) I explored the area a bit, but it was raining and almost dark. The next morning I was off to hit the most southern point of the South Island, alas not Stewart Island, but a place called Bluff, and thereabouts. The historic bridge was a sideline. At another scenic spot, a protective glass panel had cracked, creating an artistic opportunity?

Amazingly, in one little town, I ran into my Intrepid tour group! They were on their way to or from Stewart Island, and it was great to see them. Then, I put “The Catlins” into GPS, and was taken far afield on a dirt road. Lots of forest and rolling hills. Eventually, I made it to downtown Dunedin, went to the Info office, walked around a bit, and took some pix of old buildings and wall art (murals or graffiti?)…

I had learned the existence of New Zealand’s “only castle” but when I saw it on Expedia as a relatively inexpensive place to stay, I was all in. Carpe Diem! And it was great! For the price of a room in the old stable, I also got to tour the castle & grounds and have a lovely breakfast! Serendipity strikes again!

The castle was closed when I had arrived, so I explored the distinctive, “significant” gardens around it. The next morning, after my slammin’ lil’ (big) breakfast, I toured the castle’s interior. Lovingly restored for decades since being purchased by the Barker family in 1967, one had access to the entire building. Perhaps more a mansion than an actual castle, it is beautiful, has amazing woodwork, and lots of historic furniture, artwork, and accoutrement. And you can even go to the very top to catch the spectacular view of the Otago Peninsula…

This batch starts with the Barker family, has more art, goes floor to ceiling, exits through the gift shop, just one shot about the Larnach family, some guns & the dining room, and includes an extra tramp to a magnificently situated WWI memorial (when are all over the place commemorating the local war dead…

I had to get to Christchurch and turn in my rental car that evening, so I was off to Oamaru, my one stop on a big driving day. The whole town has embraced Steampunk as a theme, it being a way to renovate and energize some of the old buildings and defunct factories as tourist attractions, thus making it a kookily charming little town…

There’s more to experience in Oamaru, but you’ll have to wait for the next post. We’ve come a long way, but have a long way to go. Enjoy the ride…

Intrepid did it again, another great tour. Great locations, an outstanding tour guide, and lots of fun with nice & interesting fellow travelers. However, there was one best day; it started with kayaking on a beautiful lake, included a rainforest walk with stunning views, and included a helicopter ride to the top of Fox Glacier (and of course another great dinner).

Paul had tried to go in the morning, but the weather didn’t cooperate. By the afternoon it had cleared up, so a figured “carpe diem” (which wasn’t hard because it was relatively inexpensive). Ollie, as a tourism professional, got to come with. Quick trip, but awesome (check video clips below)…

Normally, I don’t like tagging (graffiti and street art can be great), but this first pic had some impact. On our way to Wanaka, we stopped at a beach and a couple of great waterfalls. (Great view from our hotel.)

On a tip from Ollie, we went to this great smokehouse restaurant and got the group platter (sorry, can’t remember names). Paul was overwhelmed by his wine tasting flight, and the platter served six! Note that famous Wanaka Tree, small but majestic as in grew out of a fence post.

It was kinda rainy, but I managed to take a bike ride around a peninsula. Note the Google Maps screen shot that shows the extent of my ride around Beacon point (we were staying at the “W” in Wanaka). That evening Ollie had a gig at the Brew Bar and of course we groupies showed up. The next day there was a rainbow and we were off to Queenstown…

Queenstown was the end of my Intrepid tour (altho’ it continued for some of the others). But I spent two nights there on my own before renting a car and continuing my adventures. Perhaps my favorite town on the South Island (altho’ Dunedin is pretty cool), I first explored the garden on the peninsula…

Tramping Queenstown…

That first day I also took the gondola for the spectacular views :(but skipped the luge ride): The bean collage artwork was near the viewing deck.

That evening included anthropological observations of the significant night life there. There were a few street performers, and one, Reuben Stone, was particularly outstanding. The crowd were wearing headphones with blue lights, and to experience his music you had to have ’em on. The video clip below does not reflect his music, altho’ you can hear him play the trombone. To experience the Reuben Stone vibe, check out this clip on Youtube.

Like Wanaka, I’ve documented my lakeside bike ride with a Google Map screen shot. I started near the “s” in Queenstown and rode around most of the Frankton arm of Lake Wakatipu, which included crossing the historic dam (near the beach umbrella).

Amazingly, on my second evening in Queenstown, I met Jan Willey and her huband Tom for dinner. Our dad’s had been best of friends from when they were kids through adulthood, and I have several memories of our families getting together over the years. She had reached out about being in New Zealand (and had visited Ron in Rotorua), so we made the connection and had much to discuss. (Scroll to the bottom for a bonus shot.)

The next day I rented a car at the Queenstown airport and started the perilous process of driving on the left side of the road. I headed to Milford Sound and beyond, but you’ll have to wait for NZ Pt. 3 for more…

Here are some video clips, all very short. First up, just two from our helicopter ride, Ollie playing at the Brew Bar in Wanaka, the Queenstown Gondola, and Reuben Stone busking (but to hear what everyone who had the headphone could hear, check him out in Berlin)…

The blast from the past bonus pic. This is my dad, Evan Vail, and Jan’s dad, Allan Willey, at poker night in LA sometime in the 1940’s. Crazy to have reconnected after so many decades…

The retirement thing happened suddenly, and I thought perhaps I’d get another job in the private sector, or somewheres else? Nah! And, while it’s a cold, wet winter in the Santa Cruz mountains, it’s summer in New Zealand, where my brother Ron and his family live (in Rotorua, North Island). Boom! Amazingly, it’s been almost a decade since we were there for the first time after Dad passed away. Time to go back!

I started by flying to Christchurch on the South Island and taking an Intrepid tour of its west coast. Arriving a day early, I stayed at the meet up spot and did some exploring…

That exploring included a longish walk through the Botanical Gardens (something NZ has a lot of)…

NZ, like other places, also has a lot of memorials, particularly to war dead. Also, noteworthy locals. And, I like well done street art, waterways, and cool Mexican restaurant menues…

On January 14th 2024, our group met in the morning and immediately started driving to the west coast. It was too early to take the soak in the hot springs in a cute vacation town (name?), so some of us took a little walk in the sculptured woods. Then, we stopped in another cute town to learn about the history of gold mining in New Zealand, including miner digs, a local museum, and an old refinery…

Eventually, we made it to the coast, then went on a cute little train ride (still part of the early mining days) into part of the west coast rainforests (love them tree ferns!). Note fur seals, gulls, a selfie with our very cool Kiwi guide Ollie, and the first of several tour group shots. My fellow travelers included Paul (my Aussie roommate), Ann, Linda (both from England), Masha (from LA!), Louise (Aussie, but lived in Mt. View), and Maria (a youth from London who wound up leaving early)…

We stayed in Westport, then Kumara, and continued to stop at scenic spots along the way…

Glow worms (bioluminescent fungus gnat maggots) are a popular tourist attraction in this part of the world, and there was cool, non-touristy spot behind our Kumara hotel. Only visible at night, they’re in the dirt looking like the night sky. Hard to photograph, but here’s one, and then with the flash on.

The Hotika Gorge was particularly spectacular! In Greymouth, we made the mistake of not going to the new cultural museum, thinking the price (NZ$49) was too high. Since the spectacular Te Papa museum in Wellington is free, and others cheaper, that might’ve been reasonable. But it was unique, and might’ve been worth it. Only some street art in lieu.

We took another walk, more rigorous this time, to a magnificent view up and down the west coast…

I should’ve taken better notes, but another walk took us to a lovely lake with views of Mounts Cook & Tasman. This batch has some picnic table art, not a real Kiwi, a real spider’s nest, attractive mosses, and more NZ nature…

We spent two nights in Fox Glacier, a sporty lil’ town in the mountains, where most of us did some kayaking in the morning. In the afternoon, we went for a walk to see the Fox Glacier itself…

That’s not all that happened on this amazing day. But that’s all I’m gonna squeeze into this post.

Stay tuned…

Life is complicated. There is an onslaught of issues or situations to deal with, sectors or factors to consider, choices or decisions to make, etc. Eliminating some of them can make life easier, and the perspectives, values, or judgments that guide these choices define one as a person, perhaps giving direction to the trajectory of one’s life. 

At the risk of alienating some readers, yet defining myself as a person, I am going to give some examples of things I’ve tried to avoid, and recommend that others do the same. Rather than hard and fast rules, they are just suggestions based on ethical principles and basic simplicity. I start light, then get serious. Abide, or not, and come up with some of your own…

Self Storage. The proliferation of self storage units seems a concomitant of an acquisitive society. Affluenza! Garages are no longer for cars, they’re for stuff, and they’re no longer big enough for all the stuff we’ve acquired. Yes, I’ve used them temporarily when cleaning out the homes of late family members, and they may be essential to certain businesses. But to be charged monthly for having far more than we need seems a mistake. When in doubt, throw it out, or better yet, donate or sell your stuff. Travel lightly through life (or get a bigger house).

Cut flowers. If you know they’re locally & sustainably grown, OK. But why not grow your own or give whole live plants. Not only is the cut flower industry toxic with chemicals and carbon footprints, search up cut-flower culture/syndrome. And might it not be more meaningful to make your own bouquets? I know, weddings, funerals, sick people, Valentine’s Day, thus flower shops. Prefer nature, and wildflowers, and roots & leaves, stems & seeds, Ikebana…?

Conspicuous Consumption. A term coined by Thorstein Veblen in The Theory of the Leisure Class, it is essentially showing off. Worse than having too much stuff, it is an ostentatious lack of humility. Worse than letting the zeitgeist dictate your weltanschauung, it is competing with money. So crass to be such an ass. Voluntary simplicity is preferable. Be humble (yet secretly stacked with cash)!

Advertising. While some ads may be entertaining, all are manipulating people to buy things they don’t need. Related, don’t go into the advertising business. Isn’t marketing a kind of evil? Propaganda, persuasion, brainwashing are all to be avoided, and be aware of the crafty, conniving, and  subliminal methods. Don’t let your wants become needs. 

News = journalism. Use at least three sources to get information. None should be Fox or social media. Choose a couple “papers” like the Times (New York or LA), the Post, Trib, Chron, etc. (Reuters & Associated Press users) Choose a couple “media” like CNN, NPR, Aljazeera, etc. (compare US to international news!). Use the internet to cross-reference, fact-check, and go deeper or get the back stories. Wikipedia is just one of many sources. Be skeptical & curious.

Cigarettes & all tobacco products. It should go without saying, but I’ll say it, they kill. An insidious addiction and a worse industry. Most of that smoking you see in movies is fake, subliminal advertising. Smoking weed is not so good either (cherish your lungs), but the nicotine thing is bad. “I may be dumb, but I ain’t stupid!” Cherish time over the buzz. (Buzz killer?)

Gambling. Don’t be gamed by gaming. The house always wins! It’s a racket. Lottery tickets are for losers, casinos are for big losers. Do the math or do the research, boycott Vegas, invest your money in securities, or your house. Further, vote no on sports betting, and have your buddies bring only pennies to poker night. Bragging rights should be enough – but really? Just have fun – gratis.

Guns. The Second Amendment begins with, “A well regulated militia…” those are only the “people” who should “keep and bear arms.” So, the military, the police, other law enforcement agents, and that’s it, unless there are some well regulated groups I’m unaware of. Don’t like that? Scroll through this page fast. Can you? Then, there are accidents, suicides, and crimes of passion. Target shooting, OK (in your well regulated militia). “Sportsman” really? Use a bow & arrow, better yet, a knife or your bare hands. Consider the rest of the world. But in the US, we ain’t gonna get that toothpaste back in the tube, so start packin’ heat, get strapped, gear up for that home invasion, the zombie apocalypse, and the coming commies… Peace, or a piece, what do you prefer?

Tattoos. Is nature not sacred? Is pure skin not alluring? Graffiti on great architecture, is that an improvement? Tagging the Taj Mahal, is that cool? If you like an image so much, frame it on a wall. Better yet, put it on a tee shirt – you could have dozens and change them with the season, the event, your whim. But a tattoo (which you may not even be able to see) is a permanent commitment, perhaps more than marriage. Nowadays, it’s letting the zeitgeist dictate your weltanschauung. It’s being a trendazoid, a conformist, sheep to the ink shop. I’m not alone in avoiding this painful, toxic, contaminating trend. See. Here. Nevertheless, there are the Maori, the Yakuza, soldiers, sailors, gangsters, hipsters; maybe you’re one of them? Hopefully not one of these: A. B. C. D. E. Anyway, save money, donate blood, make art, wear art, and keep the sacred temple that is your body pure. Taboo tattoo.

Waste. A huge topic. In fact, the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island is one of the largest man made things in world, and if you added up all the landfills, dumps, trash heaps, and ocean garbage patches… A problem, yes, but that’s not my point. Reduce, reuse, recycle, refuse refuse. Clean your plate! Waste not, including money, time, energy, anything & everything. Sanitize with simplicity. Universal preciousness!

Manners = awareness. Don’t stand in doorways, nor sit on stairs. Get out of the way, and be polite. Know the etiquette of your surroundings. And, “a closed mouth gathers no feet.” (it makes those disgusting eating noises less audible.) Check out George Washington on this subject. Less is more. Again with the humility, as it can lead to greatness! Surprisingly, most things are not about you, but if they are, make ‘em good (so your family can be proud).. 

Vote with your wallet. I don’t eat at Chick-fil-a, buy Coors beer, use anything from Koch Industries, and need to research more on this topic. I do try to patronize progressive, sustainable businesses, and invest accordingly, but there’s a lot to know. More on finances in the previous post, but keeping your wallet in your pocket or purse might be best…?

Define your own parameters. Knowing a few things to avoid, or what you’re not gonna do, helps you focus.  For me, most TV, golf, video games, and other trivial diversions seem a waste of time, but I don’t matter, you do. And you can be an occasional hypocrite, like me. Grammar is useful, but violate it as your whimsy takes you. I like to travel, but often that involves deciding where I’m not gonna go, what I’m not gonna do. Alas, sometimes I miss out…

Young people, just starting out in life, need a plan. How to survive and eventually thrive requires some financial sense. In the first chapter of Walden: Economy, Thoreau describes the 4 necessaries of life: food, fuel, clothing, and shelter. How can you have more than that?

First, consider wages over time, ie. minimum wage (or more, say $20/hour) at 8 hours a day ($160), five days a week ($800), four weeks a monthish ($3200), and 12 months a year ($38,400), and that’s before taxes with no vacations! Of course, there are many other ways to make money, and that’s part of the discussion. In planning a budget, start with your income.

Then, what are one’s expenses? Returning to those priorities, I like to use a pie chart in quadrants. Necessaries (non-discretionary) on one side, divided into shelter (at 25%) and food, fuel, & clothing (25%); and non-essentials (discretionary) on the other, divided into savings (25%) and fun stuff (25%). It’s easier to follow and modify when drawn on a display…

The key to making a budget work is keeping your shelter or “rent” to no more than 25% of your income (certainly a challenge for young people given the cost of housing). Or, one should be able to pay for a month of rent with a week of work (or income). If it takes half your income to pay your rent, it ain’t gonna work! Either get a roommate or make more money.

One’s food, fuel, and clothing constitute essentials only. Food for survival (no condiments, snacks, booze, fancy restaurants, or desserts). Fuel for Thoreau was just heat, but for us it’s that and gas, electricity, and perhaps other utilities. Clothing is limited to what it takes to avoid being arrested for indecent exposure (no accessories, bling, fashion statements, or luxury items). Honor the basics, be discerning, buy quality, have humility, cherish simplicity.

The fun stuff is important. It can make life worth living, but it can also constitute modern essentials (ie. your smartphone, internet provider, important subscriptions, etc.). It includes the desserts and the accessories, but also all entertainments and any miscellaneous non-essentials. However, it also constitutes a slush fund. If your non-discretionary expenses exceed 50% of your income, use this quadrant to subsidize the others.

The last quadrant, savings, may be the most important, but it is also the most vulnerable, fragile, and susceptible to a lack of financial discipline. People will carve money out of their savings to pay rent or have fun, putting their future financial health – their wealth – at risk. Don’t do that! “Pay yourself first” and that means stashing your cash somewhere safe (so that it is not cash, it is an investment). 

In the same way you should set up an automatic deposit for your income, you should set up an automatic investment for your savings (deduct it from your income before paying your expenses). There are many good ways to do this, and while you may start small, with discipline and diligence your nest egg will grow. “A penny saved is a penny earned” = two cents (and eventually more, given the miracles of compound interest).

We’ve established a formula for survival, but there is much more to know! Curiosity is as important as frugality. For example, part of financial literacy is avoiding debt. Earn interest, don’t pay interest! Waste not, want not! Work smart hard! Think and grow rich!

In fact, considering quotations is a good way to inspire learning, and there are many on the subject of economics. Here’s one of my own, and I’ll leave the analysis up to you… “Ecology is the economics of nature. Economics is the ecology of society.” And a few more…

• Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. ~Albert Einstein
• Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. ~Mahatma Gandhi
• It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan. ~Eleanor Roosevelt
• The best thing money can buy is financial freedom. ~Malcolm Forbes
• If you can’t buy it twice you can’t afford it ~Jay Z
• Frugality includes all the other virtues. ~Cicero
• When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is. ~Oscar Wilde
• The only real security in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability. ~Henry Ford
• Floss a little, invest up in a mutual fund. ~Busta Rhymes
• A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore. ~Yogi Berra
• The real measure of your wealth is how much you’d be worth if you lost all your money. ~Anonymous
• Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” ~Joe Biden
• I’d like to live as a poor man with lots of money. ~Pablo Picasso
• Fortune sides with those who dare. ~Virgil

Yes, this post may be updated…

For years, at the beginning of most classes, I would give a mini-lecture called “Sensibilities.” It was an attempt to cultivate curiosity, to stimulate an attitude of gratitude for one’s education, to instill “a burnin’ yearnin’ for learnin’” in all my young scholars. So important, so elusive…

It started by harvesting answers to the question “What is cool?” Which in turn needed some analysis. As you, my children, used to tell me, “cool” stood for constipated, overweight, out-of-style, loser. So I’d have to plumb the shallows of teen talk to come of with generational alternatives: swell, fab, groovy, bad, dope, wicked, gnarly, rad, killer, funky, fresh, fly, phat, lit, tight, sweet, bodacious, money (from the movie Swingers), awesome, epic, slammin’, slappin’,  sick (sic.), dank, mint, fire, legit, and we’ll stop with that very low bar. Of course, the question “What is cool?” could also be phrased “What is hip?” (one of the greatest songs ever and a noteworthy attempt at an answer!). 

Style seemed always a central issue in many answers, which caused me to digress into learning styles (and Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences) in an attempt to encourage students to try ‘em all out. At the same time to at least appreciate the variety of styles of everything, and to like more than dislike, this being a way to increase one’s personal wealth, and perhaps even happiness? Eventually, this line of discussion would lead to other cultures and other time periods in history, and the suggestion that one appreciate all of it…

Here, I’d introduce some German vocabulary: Zeitgeist & Weltanschauung, or the spirit of the time and one’s world view. My main point was to not let the current zeitgeist be the sole source of one’s Weltanschauung. Of course, this entailed exploring other zeitgeists, ie. the cultural themes attached to various decades (ie. “the gay ‘90’s” [which can depend on the century one is considering]), or eras of history like the Enlightenment or the Depression. Here’s where the term “eclectic” comes in, that one could take what is useful or meaningful from various eras of history and from various places around the world. 

Ideally, students would then have an open mind and a desire to fill it. Ideally, they would add some capacity to their perspective and cultivate some perspicacity. Ah, but my reach exceeds my grasp… And, of late, I like to add another factor to this equation for intellectual growth: a tolerance for ambiguity. Not only might this sensibility add heft to one’s eclecticism, but it can guard against polemics, perhaps even synergize some wisdom? In other words, where is the truth in the paradox? Or, when asked to defend, challenge, or qualify, always qualify! Always look for the useful and meaningful, even the good, in both sides of an argument. Find value wherever you can, though you may need to dig, or clean, or reassemble. And likely, you will have to change yourself.

So what’s my point? Mindset is key. And it’s hard to always have a good one. In addition to having an expansive, positive, even loving weltanschauung with a healthy dollop of ambiguity tolerance, one must get enough sleep, exercise a bunch, don’t smoke, drink, eat too much, and don’t be overwhelmed by all there is to know. To do that, it helps to have a map. A map of the world and a map of your life. To help with that, I’d give another, not-so-mini-lecture called “Timelines.” (Here’s the deck.) It involves some Big History, my version of cultural literacy, a realistic take on planning one’s only life on earth, and some time management. 

So, there’s probably more than one point, but having a healthy mindset can help you explore them all…

Happy New Year! Among my resolutions for 2024, writing is more than one. Foremost of those endeavors is documenting some pointers for my kids (and perhaps others?) who don’t always seem to want to hear from their old man. 

So whether it is this year or never, at the very least, I’ve gotta give it a shot. My role model here, as in many other areas, is Mark Twain. His essay (lecture) “Advice to Youth” is a classic of the genre. Although having a good sense of humor competes with other great notions on my conceptual list of priorities. In any case, I’m borrowing his title for this series of posts. 

In fact, it’s a huge topic and I’ve thought that I should start with famous examples of other peoples’ suggestions. To that end, I will edit this first post, providing some links, but not too many. Then, I will add other parts/posts on various themes: philosophy, economics, psychology, history, society, cultures, etc. Daunted, I’m nonetheless determined. Thanks for your attention, especially if you are one of my own children!

• An incomplete list…
  • Confucius’s ideas of Filial Piety and Meritocracy are worthy (and of course his Analects). Consider other ancient Chinese, Indian, Greek, Roman, and everywhere indigenous, etc. philosophies…
  • George Washington (Rules of Civility) & Benjamin Franklin (13 Virtues, or his entire Autobiography, not to mention Poor Richard’s Almanack, etc.)
  • Ralph Waldo Emerson. Self Reliance, (and consider Nature). Be yourself! Whatever that means?
  • Henry David Thoreau. Walden, specifically Chapter 1: Economy for organizing a budget (and consider Civil Disobedience for being bold).
  • Mark Twain. In addition to Advice to Youth, check out Letters from the Earth, Thoughts on God,  The War Prayer, or his epic oeuvre at Project Gutenberg.
• Of course, I could go on, but time must be given, not just for learning, but for arguing! Certainly, any such list is criticizable as too old or new, too conservative or liberal, too culturally or racially one way or another… Had we but world enough and time I would analyze/synthesize some bits & pieces. Meanwhile, read, think, ask…