Twelve months in the 09

A year from last Thursday I woke up to a cold winter's morning in Hunterville, where I'd been holed up for a few days, taking refuge from the world in front of a toasty fire with good friends and my life in flux. To quote myself, I was 'jobless, spinning a compass between my fingers and flipping a coin with the other hand.' I got into my dad's car, heavily weighed down with the detritus of my life, and drove to Auckland.

I remember stopping at the Bombay Hills service area for yet another energy drink, and to call Ru to announce my imminent arrival. She explained which motorway exit to take, and I plotted the route in my street directory, purchased weeks prior to moving.

That first night, I set up my little nest at a friend's warehouse flat in Takapuna. The next day was a Friday, and I worked the door at the Classic for the Phoenix Foundation, who were playing that night and the next with Cassette. It was a large night and quite a significant one - my first night partying in Auckland - I met several people who would later become friends, and was offered a job that I'm still happy with. Remarkable.

That's enough reminiscing for now. Whoa, Top of the Pops has been cancelled.