25 Oct

For almost a week New Zealand has been treated to an unseasonal winter blast. A chill, southern wind skates up the country's spine, dumping rain and snow as it goes. Farmland turns to lakes, roads to rivers--the real rivers are surging, so some communities open floodgates (the civic equivalent of loosening your belt after gorging on lasagna). While all the time the wind screams through with a fury so cold it borders on vindictive. So when Jamie noticed the sun beaming through his office window, he promptly grabbed jacket and headed outside. In a country where the weather changes by the minute, you take a walk when nature allows. Everything else can wait.

Jamie's favourite walk begins with a hike up the impossibly steep Bolton St. At the top are Wellington's Botanical Gardens, a terraced maze of lance wood and ferns. From there, he crosses three unique Wellington districts: the corporate offices of The Terrace, the mainstream shopping of Lambton Quay, and Cuba Street's trendy coffee shops. Finally, the harbour opens up before him. On clear days like these, he can see as far as the snow-capped Rimutakas. There he slows his pace, but never completely stops. Lunch-time joggers bounce past, and a group of school children experience roller blades for the first time. A slight breeze, mere remnant of the weeks' storms, nudges Jamie's back. It seems to urge him forward, but he is in no hurry. Taking his time, he finally returns to his office an hour and a half later.

The two other members of the Web team, Kate and Liam, are gone from their desks. Jamie figures they've gone for walks as well. However, when he logs back in to his computer, an Outlook reminder is there to greet him: Site Redesign Meeting: 30 minutes overdue. Within seconds, excuses are zipping through his head. None of them sound credible enough to use, though. He sits back in his chair and folds his arms behind his head. Sunlight is still singing through the window, and Jamie begins to relax.

"Why should I go?" He asks himself. "I'm already half an hour late. Besides, the last meeting was 2 hours long, and all I did was sneak glances at that girl's tits. . . on second thought, perhaps I should go." Jamie weighs up staying put with walking into a meeting 30 minutes late. As a contractor, he really didn't need to attend any meetings. And why should he make an excuse? "I'll just be straight up. I'll just tell Kate that I went for a walk and didn't get back in time. I am a free bird, and I will not be tied down! I don't need to be at this stupid meeting anyway." Jamie had firmly made his decision when his phone buzzed with a text message. It was from Kate, the Web team leader.

"Hey! Meeting N Rm 139. Wot, u n tha toilet or smthng?? :-)" Jamie takes a deep breath and replies.

"omw"