Hosted a party

Most people enjoyed themselves but I was already low on energy. A carefully timed nap in the afternoon and careful conservation of resources saw me through the night on a fairly even keel.

There was a minimum of drama
- the first I'm not going to detail but there was collateral emotional damage on a newish attendee which, as host, I take personally
- the second involved a car driving by and either throwing bottles at people out front or driving over a bottle which people out front had left lying on the road. I hope it was the first because I'd like to think everyone here was smarter than to leave empty bottle in the street. Either way I went out and swept the glass into the gutter.

There were some people bought along that we could have done without, there were also people who I was happy didn't show up so it balances. Some people showed up for less time than I would have liked.

The toilet cistern decided to have filling/leaking issues - nothing drastic but I see I'm going to have to get a plumber in before any more parties here.

The last of the attendees did a bunch of cleanup before leaving which I'm grateful for as I'm really not looking forward to doing even what remains. After the traditional delivery home of a last few people I got to bed abut 4:30.

This morning I feel really flat and empty. Clean up will be addressed one bottletop or piece of furniture at a time.

[Update]
- someone has managed to tear one of the guide ropes off the gazebo
- found: dark coloured hoodie with a tobacco pipe in the pocket

Photos: KAOS goes Back to School

Back to School party

Earthquake accomodation (non)assistance - I was right

This Press/Stuff article has a Q & A at the bottom. Particular to my point

Q. Will uninsured residents be able to apply for the temporary financial assistance?

A. Only in exceptional circumstances. If you don't have insurance or your insurance policy doesn't cover temporary accommodation and you require assistance, please visit one of the Canterbury Earthquake Temporary Accommodation Service offices to discuss your circumstances.

"Uninsured residents" to me includes not only a hypothetical family who might have scraped together a deposit to buy but have found themselves skimping on insurance to make ends meet, but also the very real example in this article on SeaBreeze Close I linked to in an earlier post.

But for a cruel twist of fate, McConchie, 32, wouldn't be here. She and her partner had separated and moved out of the four-bedroom home, putting it on the market and accepting an offer of $400,000, the same amount they paid for it. By September 4 the sale had gone unconditional, but they agreed to let the contract go after the quake hit.

Because she was not living in the house at the time, McConchie was not eligible for emergency rental payments from her insurance company, AMI. She stayed with her parents but in December decided to move back into the badly damaged home, as storage was costing her a fortune and her dog and three cats were overcrowding her parents. She is now paying a mortgage, rates and insurance by herself.

Ms McConchie has been in the media, so I've no doubt she'll be considered in "exceptional circumstances". I've equally little doubt that many other people who most need help won't be.

But I guess to John Key and the rest of National those people are just more who made poor choices.

~~~
On the personal claim front, I was contacted by EQC today to confirm my second claim. However since I haven't been contacted or assessed for the -first- one yet the second had to be put back on the merry-go-round.

Several people I know have seen assessors over the past couple of weeks, so I hold out hope.