Alleyways

Finding an alley is like crawling into a tight space, there is the element of the unknown.
Buildings make the space dark even in the brightest sunlight. It is a shortcut to another street, space or shop but there is no-one else about, is it safe?

In the bigger cities, they are necessary accessways for loading docks, creative businesses and flats. In small towns they hide rubbish bins and plumbing.

I'm fascinated by their unpolished nature, dirty and gritty they are ultimate in urban decay.

The above photos are a sample of what remains me of alleyways. The first is behind Napier's Emerson Street, rotten and dripping.
The next is the side accessway of an old office building. It had chicken wire windows on the left for light.
On the right is inside a 'flat'. I was doing documentation of an old building and persuaded the tenant to let me take some photos. This is on my descent from the roof down to the flat. It was about to be demolished and was particularly wrecked.

I question safety in my exploration but you never know what you'll find or see. If I'm really worried there is always the zoom lens.

TV Stereotypes

New Season TV is coming to a small screen near you.

Every new programme buys into standard stereotypes. There are so many, the only variety is the combinations of these boring characters in reality TV, drama and comedy.

Poor little rich girls/bored housewives/frustrated young office workers seems to be the latest offering from America.

Kiwi shows are pure agony. Prolonged excuses to rehash kiwi cultural stereotypes and ex-shortland street stars put me off my cocoa before they have even begun.

I confess as a long time TV junkie I have become rather cynical. I'd just like something fresh and slightly intellectual to grace our screens. Any non-children cartoons that appear late at night, I keep an eye on.

Pictured is "The Oblongs" circa 2002. Even though it seems ages ago, a cartoon about an anti-stereotypical family living in a toxic wasteland is not your typical fare so of course it appealed.

It had a short run in the US which seems to be the usual consequence.

While I try and enjoy shows without looking for moral messages, I like the "outsider gets on with life regardless" message of this show.

There are so many 'be a clone/sheep' characters everywhere else on TV, your whole TV schedule can become overloaded with the trials of perfection for real or imaginary people.

Maybe thats why shows about models/celebrities are so popular and addictive.

It's a charmed life, guess someone has to live it and film it.

hair talk

Having shorter hair means regular hairdresser visits.
For several years I enjoyed changing my hairdresser every couple of appointments.

Each salon has its own style depending on how expensive the cuts are. The staff are like walking advertisements with their hair, makeup and clothes. The waiting area has comfy couches and a mountain of gossip magazines and the atmosphere is self-absorbed.
Then your hairdresser comes along and there is an ease of conversation about TV and random items.

I've settled with my latest hairdresser for about 2 years and I'm dreading our next appointment as usual.
She's not the greatest conversationalist and is extremely negative about everything.
When you get blunt answers, a conversation becomes lots of questions. Am I still a child on a kitchen stool wanting some chocolate? Not mature enough to understand the world or engage in discussion.

Months in a row it was a 40min lecture on using product and my lack of hair styling interest.
It has become slightly better as I have learnt some lessons.
Stay clear of certain topics:
-movies
-marriage (she's engaged but don't mention the wedding)
-hair competitions
-public holidays

After a while, I'm completely spent and have no questions left so I try and use the time constructively for internal monologues.
Its like a monthly resolution, how will I do things better next month (work and health wise) rather than talk to someone who doesn't care.

Some months I've gotten so mad that I'm ready to chuck it in and decline a new appointment. She must realise I'm absolutely fuming because that haircut is particularly good.

What is more important a good hairdresser or a conversationalist. I never thought I'd be so dependant on conversation to keep life pleasant.
Is 40 mins monthly of stonewalled talk really worth the haircut?

A to B

"Public transport, have you smelt these people?...We believe in human energy but profit from human laziness, what are you going to do..walk?" - just heard this on the radio parodying petrol companies values.

So Let's review the 'sensible' options:
Walking- weather and considerable distances sadly put me off.

Cycling- It's dangerous as cars and buses don't respect personal space or the cycle lanes.

Buses and Trains-both save time and headaches from traffic but is boring if you are ill-prepared.
They used to have advertising on the ceiling and on the wall but that has all but vanished.
I didn't really care about tyre repairs or bus fares but it is something to kill time. If that fails or there is nothing about, I look at the scenery then the passengers.

Sights- unless you are a tourist, you'll know the route back to front so that becomes tiresome.

Passengers: You are relatively safe in the bus as they are not usually facing you.
You can:
-analyse the drivers ornaments or decorations.
-look at people's clothes, hair and/or what they are reading.
-if a pushchair plus mum get on, then there is some manoeuvring and bus lowering.

Even if I bring something to occupy myself, boredom is not my sole enemy.

I try and sit on the aisle seat so I can have a whole seat to myself. People go for the empty aisle seat first.
In the latest Sunday magazine, bad bus etiquette was on the down list. Commenting on how your bag doesn't need a window seat. I disagree completely.

Even though I sympathise with later passengers, they don't look beyond the obvious and search for a seat, that means lots of standing.

On the train, I used to catch the limited stops service so often fell asleep and woke just before my stop.
If that is not possible, the scenery is going past fast so stalker staring begins.

It requires some skill of averting your eyes when caught staring. Unfortunately your gaze naturally goes back to the same person at the other end of the carriage regularly so you can get stung over and over.
Suddenly your shoes are super interesting.
Sharing a seat is also inevitable as train users are particularly vigilant.
Both buses and train users though seem to have a common sharing habit of seeking out the same gender or age group, if necessary.

Public transport may involve chatting with strangers, but as always I hope for simple weather comments and not long involved conversation. I'm trying to relax!

I'll try and learn my lesson and bring a good book or schedule a brainstorm session for my next trip but I can't promise anything.

Rip the city down

Rejuvenation is how a city evolves and expands over time. Areas become dilapidated and are targeted for re-development.

In the property game, investors and developers are always on the look out for the next up and coming suburb or precinct.

Gentrification 'renovates' an area so it appeals to a specific target market. This could include restoration, additions, relocation or new building developments.

New cafes, stores and galleries make a questionable area palatable to the masses. Previously I considered this a logical and inevitable process to keep urban areas progressive.

Reading "Hollow City: The siege of San Francisco and the crisis of American Urbanism" by Rebecca Solnit and Susan Schwartzenberg divided me on the issue.

It examined the gentrification of San Francisco during the 90s dot com craze. Residents were forced out of homes, residential hotels, workplaces and eventually the city by raising rents, new developments, demolition and developers tactics.

The dot com craze was a fast bubble that appeared and cause chaos in San Fran. New start up companies, their employees, clients and luxury brands arrived and demanded immediate residential and commercial space. Minorities and poorer communities in historic areas were the worse affected.

A photo essay of Starbucks around the city with a caption of the established businesses they replaced was particularly sobering.

We want brands but they come with bulldozers and white walls.

Locally, all re-development seems small and measured until a Westfield drops into your area.

Renovation of Wellington's upper Cuba St was a drawn out battle between locals and residents.

A motorway entrance and some restored and relocated historic buildings was the inevitable conclusion. When I last visited it felt like a cardboard film set without character.

Its a sad way for the past to be erased but the future requires progress to be made.