These are my links for March 2nd: O2 launches iPhone Ireland and pulls a fast one on customers – Pat Pephelan documents O2’s iPhone Paddy Screw-Job. Curious to see what happens here in NZ. iPhone sales were reported to be happening sometime this year, though haven’t heard anything since we arrived. Residents say state is run for tourists [ The Honolulu Advertiser ] – A slim majority of Hawai’i residents told pollsters the state is run more for tourists than local people — a significant shift in attitudes from the previous survey commissioned by the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.
Countdown To Liftoff Has Begun
My wife, daughter and I have begun to make final preparations for our trip to Aotearoa. We head to Honolulu on Saturday and from there leave for Auckland on Sunday. Our travel arrangements were finalized over a month ago, and we’re now simply preparing our final checklists and making sure nothing is forgotten. I spent some time this evening going through my computer bag, and found a manila folder full of documents from our aborted trip to Ireland. Contained within it were the refusal letters we were handed after being turned back from the Dublin airport, a faxed copy of…
Hele On to Otago….
The last major question mark for our travel to Aotearoa was answered yesterday when our passports were returned with the proper visas – I as a student and my wife and daughter as visitors. My daughter is enrolled in Logan Park High School which is only a short walk from the flat we have arranged near the university, which is equally close. Our tickets are purchased, and the adventure begins in Honolulu on January 6. We arrive in Auckland on the evening of January 7, and after a brief overnight stay we will fly straight to Dunedin. We’ll have three…
Kia Ora!
It looks as though, barring an unforeseen obstacle, that we will indeed be traveling to Dunedin in Aotearoa next semester as I begin Ph.d. studies. It was a bit difficult to get motivated to go through this process again after our experience in Ireland, however, my window of opportunity is narrow. If I don’t begin Ph.d. studies next semester I would have little choice but to put off the start of Ph.d. work until fall of 2009. Fortunately the enthusiasm expressed by the faculty at the University of Otago has been infectious and my initial reluctance to go through another…
If I Were A Simpson…
… and maybe 50lbs lighter. I used the SimpsonizeMe site and came up with this. Actually, the original gave me all-white hair and beard, and made me look a bit like Peter Frampton when he was Simpsonized a few years back. I had to tweak the hair, eyebrows, and moustache a bit, but otherwise I look pretty good as a Simpsons character.
Hele On To… Aotearoa?
After quickly regrouping and pulling our Hilo lives back together, we’re starting to look toward the future again. I’ve been corresponding with the faculty of the music department at the University of Otago in Aotearoa (New Zealand) again, and they have been very encouraging about my beginning Ph.d. studies there in February 2008. Some details remain to be worked out, but unless a major obstacle is encountered we will likely be in Dunedin by January. What is exciting about this is that there are no issues in having my family accompany me there. Foreign students seeking a Ph.d. there are…
Final Thoughts On Our Dublin Disaster
We stopped in Las Vegas for a few days of R&R before heading back to Hawai’i. Flights were cheap and hotel prices reasonable in mid-week. Doing any gaming was out of the question with the string of bad luck we’ve been on, so we’ve just wandered the town, tried a few rides, saw Blue Man Group last night, and will perhaps catch a movie on this, our last day here. There has been continuing interest in our case back in Ireland. I’ve received calls and emails from various newspapers, some of whom have written about our ordeal and are following…
Heading Home
Aloha kakou. It is with a heavy heart that our family is packing up and will be headed home tomorrow, with a slight detour for R&R and to heal our wounds and souls. I received a fax from the Gardai Superintendent’s office that informed us that our appeal was denied; in his opinion the officer who refused us land was in compliance with immigration law and policy and was justified in his decision. Unfortunately the reason given to the Superintendent by said officer was that he claimed that we did not tell him the truth when he first asked us…
Philadelphia, Monday, 17 Sept.
I decided to cease blogging activities for the past weekend as there was no indication that there would be any news until today, and so far this is little to report now either. The prognosis does not appear to be good for a reversal of our initial refusal, though indications are that a solo attempt to re-enter Ireland would not be impaired by that previous attempt. We’re holding on a bit more for news today, if none comes, I may return on short notice. I probably won’t announce it here for obvious reasons, however, it will be through normal immigration…
Philadelphia, Day 4
I hate to sound like a scratched record, but no postive news from Ireland today, though there is continued discussion on our case. Conn and Deputy Ruairi Quinn continue to champion our cause, not only for our benefit but to shed light on the inadequacy of and lack of clarity in policies related to dependent families of students traveling to Ireland. Conn and TD Quin appeared in a forum on KCLR radio in Kilkenny this morning, I’m sorry that I did not have time to post a link before the show. (Update: Ken McGuire has posted audio of the discussion.…