Just call me Spence..

I know I promised you some pics from my cousin Asher's exhibition, but in all the excitement of going somewhere without my textbooks, I forgot my camera. For those on Facebook though, you can see some pics of his work here.  Also I swiped the above pic, which was my favourite exhibition painting, from Facebook. I had to crop it, apologies to the artist. I've probably changed its entire raison d'être. 

It's a very psychological piece of work, but I won't say too about that, in case that insight comes under the category of personal stuff that you tell your cousin over a few wines and don't expect to be blabbed to the world on her blog. :D I know when to hold it in, most of the time.

The lack of camera was probably a good thing, seeing as the mulled wine, Jamie Oliver recipe, was too delicious and required an intense, two-handed sip and sniff technique. I am definitely making that wine recipe, very, very soon.  Friday 1st of October looks good for that; that day marks the end of Semester 2 assignment deadlines.

That's a paper from the British Journal of Psychiatry. It's relaxing bedtime reading.

I'm writing two hefty assignments. One on the post traumatic stress issues that one might encounter after a natural disaster - for example, an earthquake (for some reason, I'm quite fascinated all things quaky, it's really hard to say why..), and one on Forensic Psychology: Risk Assessment. That one is a bit Criminal Minds.

I'm not sure that Forensic Psychology is something I want to pursue, but I've done my research, just in case. I've watched seasons one through six. I know that if I want to catch baddies, I'd better get a new wardrobe. :D 

Do you think CSI's and Behavioural Analysts really traipse around crime scenes in high-heels and white pants, contaminating the site with flyaway blowdried hair? I am a doubter. 

There's a lot of work to do, so I'd better get back to it. I'll leave you with some foody pics and a few others that I just found on the camera card. 

Razzy monitoring the progress of the pumpkin seeds drying

Lunch at Bully Hayes, Akaroa. Now that I've seen this pic, I intend to head back there ASAP. That was a great lunch.

Bully Hayes is right by the water. I need more of this outdoor ambiance in my life.

Last nights dinner - Roast vege quiche. It has mayo mixed in with the eggs - I had some that needed to be used up. The veges were sauteed with a bit of white wine vingear and salt. This gave the whole thing a more interesting flavour. Quiches can be a bit boring.

Kumara chips and mayo - lunch today.

The Programmer talking to some donkeys. I know.. cute+cute+cute. I can hardly handle it.

I hope you are having a great weekend! I'll be back with more ramblings and pics on Monday ;)

Mad cats and fun with packaging

Please excuse the phone pics today. It was pure laziness. My phone was 'right there' >> and getting my camera would have required walking about 20m. :D

These tea bags drive my cats crazy.

It's a pretty serious situation. If I don't lock these tea bags away at night, the cats will mount a search and destroy operation. In the morning there will be a torn up box and tea bag parts strewn all over the kitchen floor.

If they find a used one in a cup, they will fish it out with a paw and roll on it with a goofy expression. It's like a catnip high, only... more extreme. The ingredients are: valerian, hops, and lemongrass. At first I just assumed that the tea bag factory had accidentally or intentionally swapped in some catnip (hey, I have worked in health food manufacture, don't tell me this would never happen.. oops we are a bit short on Valerian and the shipment is running late, do you think anyone would notice if we used a bit of this stuff?). 

However, having consulted a herbalist, it seems that actually, cats quite like Valerian. Valerian is the plant from which Valium is extracted. My cats like to get their groove on by snorting herbals. I would totally recommend these tea bags as a method of amusing yourself. Give one to your cat and watch them get high. This is not recommended with children, but with animals, I think it's ok.

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Today I have been messing around with packaging. I got a big sample box in the mail.

I am on a mission to put the Sana product in the most environmentally friendly packaging available that  is also free of Bisphenol A (BPA). It's turning out to be quite a task. Packaging in general is not an entirely eco friendly thing and you just have to do your best.  We have always tried to keep packaging minimal, focus on larger pack sizes and (as our customers would know) not use excessive ink on the labels. 

Now I'm tossing up the options to see if we can do even better. Biodegradable or recyclable? Is it better for the customer to be able to see the product, or is an opaque bag better? Is a foil lined brown paper bag really a more eco option, or does it just 'look' more environmentally friendly? Gold? Blue? Red? Black? Print on the bag? It takes a lot of mental argument to analyse the many variables that add up to 'that is the bag for my product!' Sometimes it also takes verbal argument with business partners, but this time, it's all up to me to fulfill the requirements of the business and the planet (oh, the responsibility..).

Tonight I'm taking a break from bags, although I may dream about them later! I'm heading off to an art exhibition opening, which should be a chance to get out of my workout gear (bad habit when working/studying from home: just schlep about in trackies all day) and give my social skills an airing. I will see if I can get pics and report back tomorrow.