Nanny State

11/05/2012

Today a lady tried to get me to go and dry up all my mopping as my shift was ending. I told her I could put some wet floor signs up but that didn't seem to appeal to her so I just left. I mopped under the shelves where nobody walks anyways... Later, on the way back to work, a truck backed out in front of me and then pulled over a bit further down the road behind a girl who was walking. As I passed her she started running and as I looked over she told me not to talk to her... so I just kept riding. Hard to say what was going on there but I'm guessing the guy in the truck was up to something and she was trying to avoid some sort of confrontation. At work I had another incident with the store people not sharing the cleaning closet - they took my mop, bucket and cleaning chemicals. I don't know why they're so territorial about that closet but it's really starting to bug me. They also blocked off my cleaning cage so I can't get to my equipment...

11/06/2012

Today a couple of the ladies gave me a condescending lecture about the floors again. I had "wet floor" signs up but they were still concerned that some illiterate fool would slip and sue the store... I also got stared down by one of the deli ladies while I was buffering the floor. Finally, after I returned home, I got a call that the store people complained but weren't clear on the problem. First it was that the store was dirty, then it was that the floors weren't shiny enough, then it was that my mop and water were dirty... well, of course the water is dirty, I just finished mopping the floor with it! Doesn't help that they hid my cleaning chemicals... with all of the complaints and constantly derailing my work efforts it would seem that I am not quite welcome there.

11/07/2012

Today I spoke with the manager in charge and she gave me a couple things to fix but nothing major. Apparently the floors were a bit spotty from the scrubber having issues yesterday and the stockers left some marks by the milk after I finished that area so none of it was actually my fault but all of it is my problem...

11/08/2012

Today I didn't get any complaints and I met a very Aussie sheila in the bakery. She told me about some good hiking around Brisbane and a job at the meat works that looks specifically for backpacker and pays $30/hour... probably too late for me now though since they require a few months but, then again, I've heard that the meat works factories are very disgusting, depressing and full of gore so maybe it's best that I'm just now hearing about this one. After work I went home and bought some chicken pies from Jenny for $10. A bit steep on the price but a nice arrangement nonetheless.

11/11/2012

For the last couple days I've been sleeping a lot and fortunately avoiding the rain on my way to and from work. Today I got back with just enough time to leave for the meeting but after brekky it just wasn't going to happen. Around noon I finally received my first major pay but it wasn't as expected. Apparently when Jeff told me $700/week for my new job he was including my other one as well so the new job only contributes $500/week... this will still be good, just not great.

11/12/2012

Today is my birthday. I had an awesome brekky with three slices of ham, three eggs, cheese, toast and hash browns. Later I spoke with Jeff because he was short $50 on my pay. Apparently he forgot that I'm doing the extra job for a total $200/week for the evenings so he only paid me $150 for the first week of the fortnight. What I don't understand is that he says the morning shift is $500 more a week so he knows that $700 is $200 more than that. Anyways, we eventually sorted it out and he will send me the $50.

11/13/2012

Today I got told to dry up a "puddle" by the checkouts... of course, as usual, it was just a bit damp by the edge but the safety patrol deemed it a risk and made me dry it with some towels. I wouldn't mind but its near the end of my shift when I'm just trying to finish up and its nothing that wouldn't dry in a few by itself anyways ...

All Photos

Karawatha Revisited

After the meeting this morning I went home and met up with my Italian friend Giacomo for a hike in the Karawatha. I took him to the new area that I found.


After checking out the new lookout and water tower we went along Wallaby Track. The fire had severely damaged one side but left the other as green as it was the first time.


Finally, we went back to the house and both got ready for work at our respective jobs.

All Photos

Back to the Grind

10/28/2012

Today I brought Anita to the meeting. On the way I got a call from Jeff offering me a new job - this one is five hours a day and will result in an extra $700/week, a total of $1800 a fortnight when you add in my current wages! This should pay off my credit line, give me a good buffer on my student loan payments and provide me with all the funds I need to travel around NZ for the next year assuming I find a way to cover room and board. Happy days!

10/29/2012

Today I trained 4-8 so I could take on my new contract cleaning the whole store. Back home I slept till noon then ended up teaching Anita how to ride a bike. I noticed my tyre was flat on my bike so I had to ride down to Browns Plains and replace the tube. I came back briefly to eat but then had to return back to Browns Plains for work...

10/30/2012

Today I left for work at 3a again; on the way I saw wallabies skipping around by the freeway.

10/31/2012

After my night shift today I was on my way back when I started hearing sounds of something smacking into the pavement. I didn't realize at first and when I heard the bushes move I figured it was something in there. Then I heard some laughing and saw the projectiles coming from across the road. I figured it was just some kids but I wasn't sure what they were doing so curiosity got the best of me and I headed over. Sure enough it was a group of about four adults and a kid all hucking eggs out at passersby. They explained that they were throwing them as a Halloween prank. I figured they seemed pretty harmless and was about to leave when their leader told me I had five seconds. Of course, I assumed they would start chucking the eggs as soon as I turned to leave so I told the guy, "you throw that at me and I'm coming after you."

I figured that comment would either buy me more time to leave or get them to give up altogether... I was a bit groggy from work and didn't realize how aggressive that came across... They chucked a few eggs at me and as one hit I realized they were trying to inflict some pain so, after they ran out of ammo, I walked down the hill to have a go at them (verbally). The others dove into the car (to reload) and I was about to tell this guy off when he started shaking and moving into a fighting stance - this drunken idiot wanted to fight. Judging by his body language he was about to come at me so I told him to relax and left.

As I was leaving they began the assault again but kept missing so I got away with just a little egg on me. After I had made some ground I noticed my arm was bleeding so I decided to stop and report them for being excessively violent. On the phone it took a while but they eventually transferred me to the police who were more concerned with what I was doing out on my push bike then what had actually happened. I told the officer on the phone that the main guy had red hair, seemingly an Irish background, to which the he said, "oh right, he has red hair so he must be Irish?"

I said, "well, he does look Irish."

He kept a sarcastic tone in response and asked a couple of times if I wanted to press charges. I explained again that my arm was bleeding but I just wanted these guys dealt with before they hurt someone - they were throwing eggs into traffic and the aggro guy was clearly looking for a fight.

11/02/2012

Today was a miserable day. I was exhausted, more of my cleaning supplies were missing, the scrubber vacuum wasn't working and I received complaints for missing a spot - there was even talk about having me go all the way back down just to spot mop for about five minutes. Note: they have heaps of staff...

11/03/2012

Today I filled out my election ballot then checked online for the hours of the post office. Most branches were closed for the weekend but a couple were open till noon. It was about 11:20a so I rushed out and arrived just in time to post my ballot.

Life in Brissy

10/18/2012

The garden has sprouted! Today I went up to the shopping centre and got a couple pairs of cheapo headphones for $20 paying all in shrapnel (change) from my jug bank. Needless to say, this got me some funny looks from the attendants.

10/19/2012

Today I explored the Karawatha Forest with housemate Anita from Hong Kong. As we arrived we noticed there had been a bush fire. Thinking back to my last visit I remembered seeing some smoke plumes up in the trees where the Aussie dudes were hanging out - could they have started this?

Apparently, it was more likely caused by controlled burns, but you still have to wonder about those smoke plumes... At the quarry I swam across twice and we went up to the lookout. We ended up taking the scenic route which ended up being a lot more interesting than the usual route - completely different environments just up the way from where I usually turn back.

10/20/2012

Today I cooked up a steak and made biscuits aka scones - Australians call them scones, we Americans call them biscuits. Of course, Australians refer to cookies as biscuits... a bit of potential for confusion there.

10/21/2012

Today I went to the meeting then home where I cleaned followed by work where I cleaned some more. While I was at work my boss Jeff called me. A few days ago the day cleaner complained that I wasn't charging the scrubber but I knew I was, so I stopped using it. Sure enough, the day cleaner complained again today so when Jeff called to tell me that I needed to charge the scrubber properly I explained that I wasn't even using it anymore. Hopefully this will make the day cleaner think twice about blaming others the next time he has a problem with his equipment...

10/25/2012

Over the last few days I had another interview and Jeff offered me a new job. Unfortunately, the new job would be across town and doesn't work with my current schedule so I had to turn it down.

Today on my way to and from work I got honked at twice. Once while I was turning into Coles and again was I was turning onto the highway. Without any alternative bike path I have no choice but to ride in these places but people don't seem to understand that. In Adelaide people would yell, even circle around to do it again... here it's worse. Here I cycle (on the left hand side) to and from my job at Coles every evening and people completely lose it as if I'm some kind of deranged lunatic, "a push bike on the road - preposterous!"

10/27/2012

The garden is looking good; I went ahead and separated the corn to give them more space to grow. Later Ben paid me $10 to clean for his week of cleaning. Unfortunately, it seems that the cleaning has not been successful - we now have a rat problem... a big black one.

ALL PHOTOS

Hot Enough?

The weather here is nothing like what you would expect in the Springtime but I guess that's what makes it a sub-tropical climate. Today I decided to make a special trip to the Karawatha Forest for a dip in the quarry. After I arrived I jumped in and swam straight across to the other side where I met a bunch of Aussies who were jumping off the cliffs. We jumped off a few times then I raced one of them back to the other side. This guy, Cameron from Cairns, told me that people they actually swim in the ocean in Cairns even with the credible risk of being eaten by a croc. I've had this image of the ocean up there just teeming with crocs and the idea of large groups of people wading out into the death waters is a bit of a surprise.

After the swim I said goodbye to the Aussie blokes and decided to explore another section of the forest that I hadn't yet seen. I figured it would be more of the same as the rest of the forest but I was wrong. I went down on path called Wallaby Track where, go figure, I saw a Wallaby. Then I found a massive water reservoir with some cheeky signs about snakes and not climbing the reservoir.

Next I found another rock outcrop overlooking the other side of the forest and cycled down to the main entrance to the forest.

There I finally discovered a legitimate map of the hiking paths, cycling paths and the rest of the forest as well as signs discussing the various flora and fauna.

At work I picked up an extra job during my night shift for an extra $50/week.

Odd Jobs

10/08/2012

Today I followed up on a few jobs and seared up some smoked salmon.

10/09/2012

Today I went to interview at a place called "Tuition Fruition" for a tutoring job. Vijay, the owner, was very keen to get me on a couple computer projects with him and a client as well as possibly tutoring some kids after I get a blue card. Vijay is a kiwi from New Zealand and he suggested getting work at the universities when I get there. Apparently they have a lot less "red tape" on the hiring process there as opposed to Australia where serious certification is required for any and all work. After the interview I headed up to the Sunnybank Shoppingtown and had a release of interest notarized by a JP (Justice of the Peace) for free then sent it off to America for Brian to transfer my car into his name.

10/10/2012

Today I met my driving student in Browns Plains and made another $50.

10/15/2012

The last few days I relaxed, went slack lining again and went to the church meeting. Today I did some graphic design for Vijay and he paid me $25 for a couple hours of what I consider playing on the computer. At work I finally got my money from a guy named Money - Jeff accidentally gave my money to Money so I had to get my money from Money today.

10/16/2012

Today we got a new housemate from Hong Kong named Anita - she is also a backpacker.

Slacking

10/03/2012

Today I applied for a bunch of jobs and later I rode down to the bike shop in Browns Plains and used their tools to replace a tire and adjust the brakes. I ended up making friends with the guys there, and I didn't have to be at work down the street for another hour, so we had a couple drinks. We talked about the Northern Territory's killer crocs and political sovereignty - a similar governmental disposition to ACT (Australian Capitol Territory). Apparently the highways in the NT just recently set up speed limits at 130 km. While we were talking I gave them my resume and one of the guys helped tweak my bike a bit so it would operate more smoothly.

10/04/2012

Today I went up the road to apply for a few promising local jobs then drove over to Karawatha Forest for a hike up to the quarry with Jenny and Liam. After Liam and I jumped in a couple times and had a nice swim we all headed back.

10/06/2012

Today I went up to the city to catch a ride with a group to Sunshine Coast but the car we were supposed to use broke down so I started on other plans. After having some Sushi for lunch I went to the artificial beach on South Bank and had a swim while waiting for my friend Jack from Western Australia to join in. We hung out a bit then he dropped me off at the City Botanic Gardens where I did some slacklining with some couchsurfers. One guy could do back flips on the line; it was a risky maneuver so early in the day but he gave it a go for the camera.

Tamborine State Forest

Today I went to Tamborine State Forest with Jenny and Liam while down interviewing for a job at the Coles in Beaudesert.

First we went to Cedar Creek to check out the falls. It was a short walk to a lookout then another trail down to a swimming hole. The water was a bit cold so we dare not go in.

On the Curtis Falls walk we saw some interesting trees/plants, an Akidna and, of course, the falls.

Next we had a barbie in the park and hiked the Knoll Walking Track.

There we saw more strange plant life...

The rain forest was very jungle-like, some parts very reminiscent of the movie Tarzan.

Finally we went to my interview at Coles in Beaudesert, where my visa was a concern yet again, then headed back and made ice cream. Later in the evening I saw my little lizard friend on the window again and caught some video of him hunting a moth :-)

All Photos

River Fire

09/30/2012

Today I woke up late - still sore from falling off my bike. Back at the house I looked for a car but ultimately ended up making a deal with Jenny for a ride to my upcoming interview in Beaudesert - an hour away. Ben and I went for pizza and then caught a ride with Vick and Vicky up to South Bank for River Fire - a loud and entertaining fireworks display.

Later, after work, one of the night fill managers was letting me out and complaining about how late they would have to work to finish - which prompted me to ask if they needed any more people. She told me this is absolutely the case and to talk to her boss so tomorrow I will bring my resume for her to pass on for me.

10/01/2012

Today I was supposed to go on a trip to sunshine coast but it was moved to Saturday because of the weather. Instead I expanded the garden and planted Beans, Corn, Carrots and Rockmelon (Cantelope).

ALL PHOTOS

Fair Dinkum

09/19/2012

Today I received my $980 tax back and later some of us from the share house went to a friends engagement party. Vick knew the owner of the restaurant and got us all free Indian cuisine for the night.

09/20/2012

Today I got my RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) certification after a five hour online class then applied for some more jobs.

09/21/2012

Today I went to be a driving instructor again. This time my student drove and, while she struggled a bit at first, we seemed to be making a lot of progress. I started to become very confident in my student, even felt a bit of pride in my teaching abilities... until she crashed. We were going around a roundabout for probably the 20th time when she neglected to fully turn out of it and went straight into an island. She ran over a sign post and busted off the front bumper... I sorted it out for her and took her home where we had some lunch before going to a couple of smash repair joints to see what it would cost to fix. Of course, in Australia this simple job costs well over $2000.

09/22/2012

Today I watered the garden then a few of us went to the West End Block Party. Ben and I went with Vick and Vicky stopping first at a small festival in Garden City. That ended up being for kids so we headed up to West End and spent some time hanging out there. We played some pool at a place called the Archives then met up with a friend of mine. After a bit we all got some "Yiros" while waiting for a couple Columbian friends to show but they didn't so we headed back to the house and sat around the fire.

09/23/2012

Today I went up to Chermside again for fellowship then, after lunch, I sat and read all day. At about 6p we had tea then Samuel brought me into the city and I took the bus home. On the way I was next to a crack head who left a needle laying on the floor... before I got off I had him pick it up.

09/24/2012

Today I waited all day for an interview call from Flight Centre. The call came but unfortunately the first thing they asked me was if I was on a working holiday. They then apologized for having overlooked that fact and told me they could not hire me. This isn't the first time I'm being rejected for being a "transient" and it wont be the last.

09/25/2012

Today I applied for a few jobs online, went to the shopping centre, got a library card, printed a few resumes, handed out a couple at the shopping centre then took another one over to Woolworths to apply in person. Later my housemate Vicky got me in touch with a friend and I ended up getting a daily cleaning job down the road. I start on Thursday night.

09/27/2012

Today I made a map of all the turfs I knocked in Adelaide then went to work. For the first day we were very thorough - apparently Coles is a new client for my boss and he wants to get off to a good start. Unfortunately, this took so long that I missed my bus and had to take a taxi back. Before leaving the bus station I met a Russian who has lived in Australia for the last 15 years. He told me that my first stop if/when I ever visit Russia should be St. Petersburg, not Moscow. I made my way over to the taxi pickup and there I met another transplant. This guy just so happened to be a former tenant in my house! I only had $10 but I told him I would run in and grab the rest from my room. He didn't trust me until he realized that I was American - seems Aussies are a bit sneaky about cab fair. As thanks for his help I gave him a little taste of America by giving him a tip.

09/28/2012

Today I bought a men's bike for getting to work for $20. On the way back I rode it while steering the old kid's bike back with one of my hands. This seemed an alright idea until the spare one hit a bump and came crashing into me. This sent me hurtling into the cement which I thought for sure would put me in the hospital. Fortunately I just ended up with a bloody toe, some road rash up my back and some slowly fading pain in my tailbone. After recovering from the shock I continued on carefully. Later on I tried riding to work in Browns Plains but couldn't find a way past the motorway - I did find a cane toad though. I returned and took the bus. This time I worked fast so I could be done by 10p and take the bus back instead of a taxi. My boss was actually impressed that I finished as quickly as I did.

All Photos

Girraween

09/17/2012

Today I got up at 5a to go meet a German named Steffi and her French friend Sammie to go to camping in Girraween National Forrest. I immediately noticed they were a bit... different - rather cold and abrupt, but it wasn't until later that I realized just how strange they were. I actually found out within the first hour that Sammie was, in fact, a stripper... yet I assumed nothing of her personality. We eventually arrived in a small NSW town called Tenterfield and made a relatively short drive up to Boonoo Boonoo for our first excursion.

After having a quick barbie we found that Boonoo Boonoo had only a short trail to the waterfalls.

We then hiked through a tall moist forest to climb the largest granite dome in the Southern Hemisphere, an ancient 220 million year old volcanic extrusion called "Bald Rock."

We scaled some major slopes and managed to make it to the summit overlooking vast amounts of forestry and one particularly cool rainbow coloured flow of rock.

We also found some roundish boulders balancing at the top called "The Brothers."

On the way back down the girls looked a little bored so I jumped out from behind some rocks and gave them a little scare... they did not appreciate the gesture. For the rest of the trip my input would be requested only for the sake of doing the complete opposite. Back at the car they asked me where to camp then, when I said "here is fine," they decided we would drive back to Tenterfield where I could set up my tent for $10. On the way I suggested checking the GPS but this was clearly a profound waste of energy... until we ended up 20km south of the town... my fault, of course. We arrived in the town and followed the instructions given to me over the phone down Miles St; a street that, to my dismay, continues on both sides of the showgrounds where we would be camping. I sat back as a frenzy of bitter confusion ensued but, thankfully, we eventually found our way over to the entrance on the other side. The attendant was nice enough to let us in for $5 at which point I set up my tent and immediately passed out inside. That night it was cold and rainy, every hour or so I could hear the girls starting up the car to keep warm - they didn't exactly have a proper sleeping bag, and they were sharing that, so it must have been pretty uncomfortable.

09/18/2012

This morning I was pleasantly surprised to find that my tent had held it's own against natures fury the night before. After attempting to bid the girls a "good morning" I packed up and joined them in the car. We had a quick brekky then headed back to Girraween.

There we played with some kangaroos and grabbed some rather disgusting water from some sinks which were the only apparent water source in the park.

During the first leg of our hike we stopped in at the Granite Arch - an arch of three boulders formed naturally by erosion.

Many similar formations were created this way.

Finally we arrived at the Pyramids which were pretty impressive and rather similar to Bald Rock, if not just a bit steeper.

I quickly made my way to the top and waited while the girls made their way up the hard way.

After the girls joined me at the top we headed back down and had lunch. Then we made our way back and found some decent water in a tank hidden behind one of the buildings. Our next hike was up to Castle Rock where Sammie decided to stop just short of the finish, so I continued with the agreement that I would catch up in a bit.

Though, it would seem my intention to "catch up" was not understood and, despite my most diplomatic efforts, the rest of the trip was tainted with ever increasing angst and distrust from the girls. Upon our return to the car I was hesitantly elected to drive. This hesitation increased as we drove into what appeared to be a snow drift... in Australia?

About an hour of backseat driving later I was feeling a bit unsympathetic... at this point I may have made a few references to their poor language/communication skills, double standards (calling me "stupid" then getting offended when I couldn't understand their "funny accents") and my generally misunderstood goodwill. This surprisingly led to laughter but I suspect there may have been a murderous undertone to it... As we approached my home I had the distinct impression that, if not for the rest of my financial contribution sitting in my closet, my return trip would have come to an abrupt end long ago. With everyone's last bit of patience hanging by a thread we managed to reach my house as Steffi was turning into a bit of a rage monster - cutting corners and basically trying to flip the car. I handed them the money while simultaneously grabbing my gear, as if in some sort of hostage exchange, then hurried off. Just then Sammie attempted one more jab at me saying something along the lines of, "I'm looking forward to never seeing you again" to which I replied, "love you too" and retreated before another word could be said.

ALL PHOTOS

Less Work, More Play

09/08/2012

Today I went to the Mt Coot-tha lookout again to meet for lunch before heading down to Gold Coast. As we were leaving I had a soft drink and noticed red all down the side of the can - my blood. Not one, not two, but three of my fingers were gushing blood for no apparent reason. After drying the blood off I could see that they had split in many places due to chapping.

09/10/2012

Today I went to get my taxes done at the community centre. I got on the wrong bus from Mt Gravatt so I ended up having to walk from a few blocks East. The lady there sorted it out pretty fast only to discover that I owed $1500. After reading through some things though we found cause to call me a resident for tax purposes which put me with a refund of $980. Back home I started to notice lizards on my window.

09/11/2012

Today I went and folded leaflets for a guy named Mark. At first it seemed like things would go well, he even suggested he might have a job for me after this. Later a girl named Marina showed up and we worked together for the rest of the day. Marina was from the south of France so we spoke some Spanish but stopped when Mark told us that we were behind. We were supposed to be done by four but Mark suggested that we had taken too long and that we would not be paid our $50 for the 8+ hour day if we did not finish. After working an extra hour Marina took off and only recieved $40 and about two hours later I finally finished and recieved $10 extra - $60, for about 11 hours work... With bus fare in mind I probably made about $50 but at least I did get some good news about an interview tomorrow for a moving job. Marina also got called about an interview so hopefully we will both have decent jobs soon.

09/12/2012

Today I went for my interview finding not one bus to be on time. The first bus came five minutes early and was leaving as I ran up. The next bus was five minutes late so it threw off my whole bus schedule. Another bus was late as well and I ended up arriving at my interview a good ten minutes late, even though I ran the last kilometer to get there. The interview went well but they have another 48 hours of interviews so I wont know for a while yet if the job is mine. On the return trip the buses were even more dysfunctional. The first bus came after a half hour and, as I hailed him, he just kept going. I called into Translink to report that one. The next bus was an hour later... I managed to get into the city and catch a few more buses that couldn't be bothered to show up on time before finally arriving home. Fortunately I did finally get a call from the lady who wants me to teach her to drive manual. She had posted for someone older and more experienced in teaching but I convinced her that I would be less overpriced than the $50/hour most instructors charge so she hired me instead.

09/13/2012

Today I went down to drive my student to the mechanic so they could look over her car. At 3p I went back down and drive her car home for her then took the bus up to the city to meet Ria, a German couchsurfer. I was really late and of course the buses made it worse by making prolonged stops for whatever reason. Ria and I met at King George Square and went to the dinner at Giacs where we ate delicious Italian food and spoke with people from all over. I spoke Spanish to a girl from Spain, talked to a German from Berlin about the cultural clash since the fall of the wall (some people don't like having to compete for jobs) and I discussed politics with a Singaporian and a Mexican. I also talked to a fellow American about her world travels over the last five years teaching English in South Africa and Turkey. Meanwhile, Giac continued to bring out appetizers, main course and dessert until none of us could eat another bite.

Before I left Giac gave me some leftovers to enjoy later and then I caught a ride into the city. Unfortunately I couldn't get a bus home so I ended up hiring a taxi. $30 later I arrived home and fell into a deep sleep.

09/14/2012

This morning I discovered that the planned trip to Tamborine National Park wasn't going to work since my housemate Jenny had made other plans with her son. About an hour of calling/texting later I finally got a backup plan into place to go camping in the Karawatha. We could have gone to Straddie (Stradbroke Island) but with another $30 in transport, three hours each way, it just didn't seem like the best idea. Around noon Ben and I bought a couple $12 tents at Kmart for my couchsurfing friends then went to a job interview for a courier job. Unfortunately this job requires the rental of a van among other things which would cost more than the job pays. Back at the house I met up with the others and we headed to Lake Karawatha. After a swim we set up camp and made a fire. About an hour later we cooked up some veggie skewers, corn and veggie burgers (the others are Vegetarian/Vegan) and at about 10p we all passed out in our tents for the night.

09/15/2012

Today I woke up several times, rolled over onto a side that wasn't sore and went back to sleep. At about 7a someone was playing with their dog in the lake so we got up and started cleaning up the site. During a hike up to the lookout I saw a kangaroo barrel roll away from the fence and skip off in a hurry but, yet again, I was the only one to see it. After visiting the lookout we went back and packed everything up.

On the way out I heard something moving so I stopped. The others asked me why I stopped. I looked around for a few seconds then I saw it. Down next to my foot an Eastern Brown Snake was sitting waiting for me to take one more step. I waited until it slithered off then we continued walking. Back at the house we ate some brekky and the others headed on their way.

09/16/2012

Today I went to meet in Chermside again and, after lunch, I headed over to the City Botanic Gardens for a park crawl with Giac and some other couchsurfers. After walking around a bit more we stopped at Roma Street Park and had a picnic while watching some Italians play a seriously competative soccer game. Then we met some new friends and started up a soccer game of our own. It was intense and I ended up hurting myself during a discoordinated effort to kick the ball but we had a good time. Before leaving Beni played the guitar and I practiced my Spanish with some Colombians.

All Photos

Botanic Gardens

Today Giacomo and Ivy came over and we went hiking in the Karawatha. We stopped at the lake first where we saw some snakes on the cliffs then headed up to the rock lookout and back to my place.

Next we went up to the city to have lunch at Giacomo's then over to the Mt Coot-tha lookout to meet up with an Aussie named Chris who actually thought I was an Aussie - maybe I'm losing my accent?

After a bit we headed down to the Botanic Gardens to meet another member of our group and walked over to the Tropical Dome, Fern House, Japanese Garden, and around the back of the gardens before leaving.


Finally, Chris told me about a possible job opportunity at an outdoors retailer on the way to the bus station.

All Photos

No Worries

08/19/2012

Today I went to the city where Samuel picked me up for the home meeting at his place in Chermside. After the meeting we ate and I headed to the showgrounds to get my pay from Casi. Casi gave me $1350 and Victor his $900 since he started a couple days after me. Victor then got us both rides into the city with his son and I grabbed a bus home.

08/21/2012

Today I made a fire and burned some of the tree trimmings in the backyard.

We roasted sausages and used the coals to bake potatoes which I used to make a shepards pie.

08/22/2012

Today Ben and I went for an interview up in the city but we were 10 minutes late so they wouldn't see us. On the way back we went to Aldi and Target where I bought an ice cream maker for $20. Later on Jenny came and let me into my room because I locked myself out this morning..

08/23/2012

Today Ben and I went to the centrelink office so he could register for welfare until he gets a job. The Australian government is pretty generous to those who live here. If you are unemployed or in school they provide you with enough cash for room and board as well as anything else you think you need. Unfortunately you have to be a citizen, permanent resident, refuge - pretty much anything other than a backpacker, in order to collect.

Back at the house I made homemade soft serve with my new Whirly Cream ice cream machine.

08/24/2012

Today Ben and I went to the shopping center to print out his "relief" form so he can set up a payment plan on his fines. Next I tagged along for a job interview and they put me in as another applicant. After the interview I went up to Chermside to meet for tea and a webcast video message. Then I met Ben in the city and we went to the Vic for a few drinks. We played a game of pool and had a couple more drinks then, out of nowhere, we got into an all out brawl. I backed off just as three security guys showed up and dragged Ben away. They came back for me as well and, after a while of waiting for them to release Ben, I decided to go up and ask what was going on. My phone had died so I had no way of knowing that he had already wandered off in the wrong direction from the bus station. I went looking for him but after a bit I had to catch the bus so I decided to check for him there. When I arrived home I found that Ben was already there so I iced my fat lip and went to bed thinking, "bar fight with an Australian - that's not cliche at all!"

08/25/2012

Today I prepared the soil in an area where the bonfire had cleared for growing tomatoes and anything else that might produce before I leave in four months. Later I spoke with Ben and found that neither of us were really sure what happened. We decided that our fight, or "blue" as Australians call it, was of no consequence - just that we need to keep our hands to ourselves from now on. Strangely enough it seems that the Vic actually has a reputation for being a provocative environment - two of my housemates were surprised to hear that Ben and I had actually struck one another until I told them where it happened. As soon as I mentioned "the Vic" they chuckled pointing out that this kind of thing actually happens there quite often.

08/26/2012

Today I went with Victor to the meeting down in Gold Coast. After lunch we spent some more time fellowshipping and went to Surfers Paradise then caught the train back to Brisbane.

08/27/2012

Today Ben and I went to the shops to get his application for relief signed by a JP (Justice of the Peace). It seems like an overly bureaucratic process but I guess the Aussies do maintain a similar political system to the English.

08/28/2012

Today I applied for a couple jobs and found a Huntsman on my wall... creepy buggers.

08/31/2012

Over the last couple days I cleaned one of the rooms for $10, made cake batter ice cream and fixed Jenny's computers for her. Today Jenny and I planted some herbs and a tomato plant in the garden.

In the evening we all made a fire and had a couple drinks.

09/03/2012

Over the last couple days I went to a couple meetings and looked for work.
Today I made plans to go camping with some couchsurfers and applied for a few local cleaning jobs. They're really small jobs (one or two hours a week each) so I can do them all and make a decent income.

09/04/2012

Today I went bought a tent from a guy for $20 then applied for heaps of jobs during which time I found another spider, this time in the middle of my floor.

09/05/2012

Today I set up an interview for a cleaning job with a guy named Skip then picked up my charger for my phone that recently arrived from Adelaide and got a small job teaching a lady to drive manual. I found another spider today... this one was on my windowsill.

09/06/2012

Today Skip dropped by and, after I told him I was leaving in four months, he kind of lost interest. After talking to Skip, Ben and I went up to the city to do an interview for a sales job working at malls and major events. The guy seemed keen and told us he would let us know in the next couple days. Really hope I get this one, my bank account went into the negative today because of the monthly $4 fee that banks charge. Seems the "poor tax" is a blatant reality here...

All Photos