Instead I went about cleaning the bathrooms. I clean a mean bathroom, seriously. If you live in the Auckland area and don't like cleaning bathrooms, bang me a text. I will clean your bathroom to perfection. Anyway, such cleaning requires gloves and preferably a cleaning product that isn't so gummed up with dried cleaner that you can't squeeze any out. And that is how I ended up at Takapuna New World before 9am. It was some sort of small miracle, and for whatever reason, it made sense in my head that I could go out and buy the necessary stuff, clean the bathrooms and still make the 9:25am ferry.
But it was not to be. By the time I got home, it was pretty evident that I was going to have to choose between cleaning and swimming. I attempted to "rush" out the door with my bike to the ferry terminal, but my choice of bag (a Nike messenger bag) wasn't really working out for the ride and when I finally arrived at the terminal, I saw my ferry floating away.
Within minutes, I was back at 2/70, exasperated.
"Today is just not working out for me." I announced firmly. Of course, the darlings I live with all had a laugh when I explained my so far unsuccessful morning. And with that I set upon the bathrooms with my new 3-in-1 scrubbing pad and some Clorox.
Feeling motivated by my spate of cleaning, I then tidied and vaccuumed my room. I stopped short of doing some baking, simply because my cupboard currently contains the following items: a near-empty jar of Nutella, a packet of Vita-Weat crackers and two tins of tinned fish, which I refuse to eat because well, ew. It's fish. I'm going to make a great housewife some day.
Me, ten years from now
Sam appeared shortly afterwards with my Air Force packet. I got pretty excited about it and read it (out loud, no less) while soaking up some rays on our deck. I decided that I've spent far too many Saturdays wasting my life away, and with that I fairly bounded out the door, and to the Devonport ferry terminal.
Within twenty minutes I was splashing around at the Parnell Baths. Now, "splashing around" is a relative term. It was no 8km workout, like what I used to churn out on a twice-daily basis, but I also refrained from performing handstands and other ridiculous gymnastic exercises. For the first 90 minutes, anyway. I get pretty happy in the water, so when I was sufficiently satisfied with having wasted the other swimmer on every lap, I admit I went for a paddle in the play area and may have indulged in a few round-off back handspring double Arabians.
After my swim, I arrived back at the downtown ferry terminal suitably early to spend twenty minutes riding my bike around the viaduct. No wonder everyone in Hamilton complains about living there. It's so shit, and Auckland is so fun. I could probably visit the viaduct every day for the rest of my existence and not get bored. I sometimes forget, when I'm roaming around Parnell with my gossipy makeup school clique, that I live on a beautiful island in the South Pacific. But this afternoon while I appreciated the view of the Waitemata (you can see the little Bayswater boat ramp from here!), I don't remember another time where I've felt so surrounded by water. It's quite a cool feeling.
The ferry trip back to Bayswater was entertaining at the very least, with a guy - presumably on his stag do - dressed in a floral women's bathing costume over his underwear, with "Gay Lord" painted on his arms. Being the only girl on the ferry, I had to have my photo taken with him (I'm hoping to somehow find it on Facebook at some stage, airbrush out my face, and replace it with Holly Hodgkinson's). His friends told me to give him a kiss, and when I didn't, they called me a "stink bitch" when I got off the ferry. Shame.
It's now 4:30pm, and I'm feeling happy with my productive day. Tomorrow: look out Rangitoto Island!
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