Chiounard says that the word “adventure” is overused. Something like “when everything goes to hell in a handbasket, that’s when the adventure starts.”

The adventure keeps rolling right along here.

Consulate staff in Auckland is totally awesome. Came in at 8:00 on Sunday morning to issue emergency passports to all the CHCH refugees. Turns out,though, that the process requires accessing as server in DC that’s not normally used on weekends and was down for maintenance. I held my tongue while they scrambled for a workaround and wailed about IT professionals.

While we waited, they offered us snacks and fresh fruit from their stash. Around noon, they managed to get someone in DC into the office to reboot the server, printed me a shiny new temp passport, and amid cheers and wishes for luck, waved me out to run for the airport shuttle. I just might make it to the plane.

[Update @ 2:47: whew – made it.]

(From my phone)