Maybe I can be one of those people who photograph dogs, particularly dogs who are waiting for their owner’s to return from some important errand. When I gather enough of these photos, I’ll make huge prints and sell them at a gallery in Sydney. The exhibit will have a clever title that captures the essence of these dog’s existence, something like “Providore.” I’ll set up a table in the gallery with a box of wine, California Rolls, and homemade dog treats. And I’ll station myself at the front, watching the doors, tilted on my shoe tips, waiting for somebody, anybody, to come inside. And I’ll wait. . . and wait. . . and wait. . . and wait. . .

Coles, a large grocery chain, is jumping on the de-colonializing band wagon, sort of? They don’t mention any specific tribes, nor place names. And something’s off with the phrase, “traditional custodians.” This makes the aboriginals sound like groundskeepers hired to keep the place tidy before their betters arrived.

On the plus side, lovely fake ferns!

Because my wife was prepping for a marathon, we only had one afternoon to visit the Blue Mountains. So we did the most touristy thing possible; we visited SCENIC WORLD in Katoomba, a hybrid national park / theme-park. We rode a tram, a plunging railway car, a cable car, and hop-on, hop-off buses. Almost our entire experience was mediated through windows! Very weird.

Over 80% of New Zealand has been terraformed for sheep. The country’s health is still measured by the sheep-to-human ratio. At one time it was almost 40 to 1. Today it is 5 to 1, mostly due to increases in the human population, genetically-modified monster sheep, and Lord of the Rings Film Locations.

Here is the hotel where we stayed on our third night in NZ, a place called Bag End. It was kind of dump, to be honest. I kept hitting my head and the bed was too short. Then we had an infestation of dwarves.

The oak tree above Bag End is actually fake! Apparently the original died between Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, so Peter Jackson had it recreated out of fiberglass, using silk for the leaves and wiring them to the branches. Love it!

Spotted some fake flowers in Hamilton. According to Floral Image’s website, “Fresh is not always best. Over an average 5 year lifespan, Floral Image lifelike flower arrangements are 80x better for the environment.”

Now this is sort of forward thinking we need. Way to go NZ! Any day now I expect a study that says fake humans are 80x better than fresh ones.

How are hobbit holes made? First an entire hill is removed and a concrete dome is constructed in its place. Then the hobbit quarters are assembled underneath the dome. Finally dirt and sod are piled on top, blending the dome seamlessly in with the surroundings hills.