The Book of Sifty

Screw Dr Who - I am the Master! 11:34AM

On Thursday I went to the mail-sorting center in Petone, where they sort about 1/3 of NZs post. Long story how i got there.. but it was very different to how I imagined it. For no reason really, I was expecting trucks backing up to big bins, tipping the mail out and it popping out the other end into posties mail bags having been OCR'd and machine sorted.

In reality it was actually a very manual process. Okay there were some very fast machines.. that could OCR the addresses on envelopes at some huge rate.. but they still had a lot of mail sorted by hand, and not because it was cheaper. They had investigated machines. But a person could still be more efficient for some tasks, and if they had to feed the mail into a machine, then feed half of that mail back in with the envelope turned around so the stamp could be read.. it was infact quicker for the person to just do it by hand once. Hence there is bunch of people who check all the mail for the correct stamps, on a conveyer belt, by hand. Okay some of the time they might miss an underpaid envelope.. but on average they usually get it and its quicker then having to load a machine, then do it again, double handling the mail.

Interestingly enough they have got the whole process so efficient it been sold to other countries, and they are talking about sorting some Australian mail here. Like it will be cheaper to fly Aus mail here, sort it, then fly it back! Also they are the only mail system in the world that has lowered the cost of standard post due to efficiencies.

Any way theres yet another job I'm very grateful that somebody is willing to do it, because I'd go made doing it, and another job for my list of things I don't want to be when I grow up!

Friday was huge.
It was Matt's farewell drinks from his work.. had dinner with Deanne as payback from helping her move, and our new flat mate came out for drinks with us.

Friday was apparently an interesting night for my upholsterer also. He was supposed to be putting new vinyl onto my scooter seat. But instead he was out getting arrested for something. So hence my scooter seat wasn't ready on Saturday morning and there was a number of annoyed customers outside his unattended work.

Saturday I was still recovering from the Friday and had a quite one at the movies seeing 'Dinner Rush'. Which was very good, although being set in an Italian kitchen .. with lots of yummy food.. made me very hungry.

Flat party 11:48AM

So the time has come again.

To celebrate the departure of Matty D to foreign shores, 6 months in our flat, the middle of winter, and just because
- we are having another 'flat warming' party.

This is also a legitimate 'flat warming' for our new flat mate, Brooke.

This will take the form of BBQ dinner from 5pm accompanied by suitably eclectic range of DJs, and the usual party frivolity.

Of course as it's a 'flat warming', and to take advantage of our flats excellent Indoor - Outdoor Flow (TM) there will be some outdoor heating provided.

So the important bits for the people who only read bullet points:

* Saturday the 5th of July.

* 5pm onwards.

* BBQ.

* BYO.

* Some nibbles and drinks provided.

* DJs.

* Heated Indoor - Outdoor Flow (TM).

If you know where I live then CU there.
If you don't then CU