Since August, I've strived very, very, very hard to be more productive.  I've been working on a manuscript to submit soon (I've been saying this since February!), the 3-year follow-up methods chapter of my thesis, an online biostatistics/epidemiology class, and the beginnings of the online intervention development.  It feels like my mind is constantly running and sometimes it just needs a break.  Luckily, there's a botanic garden just a hop, skip and a jump from where I live.  This past week I took a break from PhD life to just wander around.

There are several themed gardens and I spent most of my time around the rhododendrons.  There's actually an annual Rhododendron Festival here!

I'll probably spend more time here as the weather gets nicer.  There are roses out and about already; it's going to be beautiful there in no time!

Jean Kristeller, Ph.D "Mindfulness Based Eating"

Mindfulness-based eating... can it help with weight maintenance?  There's potential to incorporate bits of Dr. Kristeller's work into my intervention.  Cool, eh?

Mumford & Sons in Christchurch

Mandy, Peter and I headed for an uneventful 4 1/2 hour car ride to Christchurch - home of the insanely huge and devastating 2011 earthquake.  Our mission? Seeing Mumford & Sons in concert.  This was one helluva a show and hands down the best I've ever seen.  Their energy didn't stop!  It was incredible to dance and sing with these guys for hours.

Unfortunately, I'm having trouble getting videos of the concert on here (probably because it's illegal and men in fancy black suits will show up at my flat to "suggest" that I take them down)... Look for them on Facebook! =)

Catlins Roadtrip

Last week, friends and I headed down to the Catlins for a mini road trip.  We spent the night at Tautuku Lodge.  This place was an awesome find!  For just $20/person, nine of us enjoyed each other's company in a heated cottage with hot showers and nice bunk beds.  This may not sound too exciting to most people, but I had visions of a basic DOC hut in my mind; so, this place was a palace compared to what I imagined.

Having a kitchen was a bonus!  It was such a nice feeling to make a meal with friends.  We made fajitas and drank copious amounts of hot beverages that night.

Who would have thought that some innocent looking silverware would be our evening's entertainment?  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, a room full of grad students enjoyed hours of spoons. This poor card felt the brunt of a particularly fiesty fight for a spoon:

On Sunday the weather wasn't quite as craptastic, so we took advantage of the lack of precipitation and explored nearby beaches and forests.

Check out this paua shell I found!

Someone told us about this confidence course.  It was pretty cool to run around and climb on things - guess we still have a little kid in each of us still!  Here's a shot of Sam above my head:

Unfortunately, I'm cutting down on fun time to focus on typing, analyzing, writing.  Hopefully, in January I'll have pictures from a road trip to share.