I still have the big post stewing...the 20th reunion/Cali/back to the grind thing. But I can't do it tonight. So instead some light entertainment.

In my continuing summation of all cool things Kiwi I have two more innovations to present. Neither Earth-shattering in import, but it is the Royales with Cheese of life that really set the tone.

Pants.
There is only one length of pants for men, in most cases. 34 inches. That's it. First clothing store I walked into I asked what length the pants were as they just posted a waist size. The girl looked at me as if I had asked for a filet (fill-a). Which is also unavailable here, but you can get a fillet (fill-ut), if you can overcome your fear of the French to actually pronounce it that way. So the girl had no clue what I was talking about in a major mall clothing retailer. I finally got another employee in another store to discuss it. She explains that it makes stocking much easier and items can be bought in bulk. When I mentioned that all the pants in her store were 2 inches too long for me she smiled and pointed out that I had it easy since any tailor or mother could hem them up, but try adding 2 inches to a pair of jeans. Which explains why all the men here wear stubbies (shorts). Personally, I'd live out of stubbies if work would grok it, so a big thumbs up to the 34 inch autocracy!

Garbage bags.
Kiwis have an issue about littering, in towns at least and certainly much worse the closer you get to the student sector. Not that Alaskans have any room to talk, but the Kiwis are otherwise considerably Greener than the average American, so it stands out a bit. But they have adopted very sensible lifestyle changes to help reduce their footprint. I have mentioned the toilets, the electric switches, the refusal to heat anything. The grocery stores charge five cents per plastic bag, which has made a very visible difference in the months it has been in place. The way they handle garbage bags is a clever novelty in my book (perhaps there are municipalities Stateside using this system, but I have never seen them).
Only official Dunedin City Council garbage bags will be picked up during collection. These bags must be purchased for a nominal fee ($1-4 each depending on the size and retailer). There is no other charge for trash pick-up. This gives you a very strong vested interest in minimizing your waste, recycling all you can, and thus keeping your costs down. If you put out a lot of waste, you pay for it in advance. Clever, elegant, and functional.


Finally, my favorite Kiwi band tonight. Displacing (barely) Little Bushman which produced some great antarctic Jam music at Refuel Saturday night are the Bads, two folks with some serious alt-country chops. It doesn't hurt that they played Chicks Hotel which is quickly becoming one of my favorite venues outside of the Discovery Saloon in Nome. Actually, it is about the same size as the Discovery, is filled with thrift store couches and armchairs, and the majority of the people there are present to HEAR music, so sit on the floor or furniture and pay attention. The only thing it has up on the Discovery is a full bar and a projected screen playing old films on top of the bands.
Back to the Bads. All acoustic show, good story songs, and a solid jangly base. Good stuff. Here is the only video I could find, which has them playing electric and with a much poppier tune than their style tonight. But it gives the idea:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKhSkMC06M0&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fthebads.com%2Fvideos.html&feature=player_embedded#t=242

Another, a bit closer to the show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dECX3iQJ5Sg&feature=related

Tomorrow night I'm off to hear an 8 piece funk outfit out of Christchurch, and if that bores there is a very, very, very weird noise outfit (Made for Chickens by Robots) playing Chicks. More later.