Not very many lines at all to get into the country, I don’t know what everyone complains about! Then again, arriving as early as I did, I don’t expect many people would really be there. Probably more lines when I fly out tomorrow. Today was spent waiting, getting ready for tomorrow, getting a room (with two Australians, sigh), wandering a little bit and getting a Subway (yes they taste just as good as in New Zealand), sleeping for a bit, having a shower, then shuttling down to Manhattan Beach. On the beach I wandered the pier, had some superb pizza in a little Italian place before having to run out and leave a big tip so I didn’t miss the shuttle back to the hotel in time for orientation! Orientation was boring/interesting in that some stuff (taxes, wages, laws) I needed to know but it wasn’t exactly a riveting presentation. Luckily we were warned as such. Jumping back a bit, the BBQ chicken pizza that I had was good, the waitress Ivy was lovely, and when I ran out I had to run after the shuttle waving my arms so I wasn’t late and had my visa canceled! So far I’m very impressed with the roads, they’re all huge things with palm trees and these big columns which light up first purple and then a pale blue at night. No internet places around unfortunately, but if I had a laptop I could use the high speed internet in my room (the one being shared with the two Aussies, Adam and Phil) for the princely sum of US$9.95 (no idea about the taxes or the time-frame on that!). I may wander down to the phones and see about ringing home, then I’ll come back to bed — while the flight to LA wasn’t bad, including no less than four movies (Pirates of the Caribbean, Johnny English and some other crap). I only get about two hours of sleep on the flight in half-awake, half-hour patches, and my nap in the hotel didn’t help much. I’m excited I’m here, but it’s still very surreal.

Today was spent wandering around Auckland after a brief trip to the US Consulate where I spoke briefly to a guy through a glass window after finally getting through security with the crankiest lady on security I’ve seen for a while. My brief conversation seemed to assure the cheery man with the American accent that I was not, in fact, a terrorist and I reacquired my passport complete with working US Visa! Hurrah! Lots of lines and checking to get to the right gate, although I’m expeccting that LA will have lots more!!!