I got a Job!

I guess the days do go by quite fast here... It feels like just yesterday that I was "blogging" about surfing and whatnot.  Lets see, Tuesday was pretty friggin' rad because I got to go on my first snorkel expedition EVER!!!  After a relatively quiet morning, Giaco informed Julie that it was an exponentially nice day out at the rocks (Julian Rocks).  I had planned on going out to distribute a few CV's (resume's) to some of the local hostels to see if they needed any help for pay or accommodation.  That being said, YES I'LL GO FOR A SNORKEL!!!  Although I have been waiting to go for a true scuba dive, I still need to get a doctor's approval for my F-ing asthma!  (thanks Mom & Dad)  Julie and I arrived at Sundive to pure craziness; the morning boat had just come in from a dive and the divers and instructors were all unloading themselves and the gear.  I got my wetsuit on and patiently waited for departure.  We arrived at The Pass, which we previously came to the first day I arrived to check out the surfers.  It took a few minutes to unload the boat, jump on, and navigate through the surfers tryin' to catch some waves.  (this process is extremely dangerous and Sundive's skippers are surfers from the area that know the waves quite well)  We got out to the rocks and without much instruction, I was told to just jump in and stay within a hundred meters or so from the boat and not to touch the rocks.  Touching the rocks can hurt the ecosystem and natural environment of the sea life.  Immediately after jumping in, I was astonished by what you could actually see from the surface!  The goggles DO give you a sense of being a bit closer, but it was amazing to see how many fish were simply a few feet below me.  Without getting too detailed about the things I saw, I'll highlight the coolest fish.  I swam around quite a bit, but at one point about 20 minutes in, I saw a fish that appeared to be a small shark.  I just couldn't tell; so I asked Prince Rob (dive instructor) and Julie after the dive and they confirmed it was a Wobbegong Shark.  This was pretty amazing and I knew it at the time, so I definitely stayed with him for a while hoping he would swim off the rocks I found him on.  He didn't, but it was still a great find anyway!  Click here, to check out Giac's Wobbegong Shark bite on his arse!  I found numerous beautiful fish with many different colours that will probably be glorified in future blogs.  The next big find came about 10 minutes before the end of the dive trip.  I happened upon Prince Rob & Julie diving about 10-15 feet below me.  They signed to me that they had found something, it happened to be a Manta Ray!  I had seen one earlier in the dive, but this one was HUGE.  This Manta must have been 10 feet wing to wing, it was absolutely amazing!  I definitely hung around for this one right up until the end.  Apparently Prince Rob and Julie had three of them at one point surrounding them as they watched in aww!  Click here, and you can see a video taken by one of the other divers my vary trip!  She video'd the exact Manta Ray that I saw; it's amazing.

That was our Tuesday adventure and it was absolutely amazing.  So much so, that I want to do an actual scuba dive more than anything.  We had homemade burritos on Tuesday night; Julie continues to outdue herself night after night!  We always have salad, and the food is usually organic/locally grown.  Night after night it's like eating in a high end restaurant.  When I find a place of my own, I'll be sure to continue to come over to "House de Cavazzini" for dinner!
Wednesday, yesterday Giac and Julie's friends arrived from Scotland.  They are in the process of a move from Scotland to Byron Bay; and will be staying here at the house for a bit until they find a house of their own.  They are great people, and it's great to meet more of their friends with wonderful stories of their previous times in Australia and Scotland.  We had a pretty relaxed day and went to The Beach Hotel for a beer before heading back to the house for dinner.  Julie with the help of Gwen prepared a wonderful fish dinner, and a great salad.  We had a great meal and great conversation; it reminded me of the usual dinner with my folks.  It's the experience that counts; good food and great conversation equals a quality meal!  Dell had brought some Scottish Whiskey (Talisker), which we indulged in a glass after dinner.  This was a departure from Giac and I's usual Crown Royal we'd been enjoying each night since my arrival.  I don't know much about whiskey, but luckily my father has good taste or I'd never know what's good to get.  At any rate, the Talisker was quite good and a bit more bite than the Crown.

We got to bed at a reasonable time as usual.  I was able to wake up about 7am, the latest I've awoken since arriving in Australia.  I headed out to Cheeky Monkey's to drop off a CV about 9:30.  I spoke with a women who referred me to the manager who'd be arriving at 12:30; although she would give him my CV.  After leaving there, I headed to the weekly Farmer's Market to check out what they had to offer.  It was amazing that there were maybe 40 stalls and every one was basically different foods to offer.  There was even a local Byron Bay winery that had a stall; I didn't have a chance to buy a bottle today, but I'm sure to in the future!

Flash to arriving back at the house and post "unscheduled nap;" I got a phone call from Rae's on Watego's.  This was one of the places that I had applied to work a day or two earlier.  This was a job for either a cleaner or waiter, as it's a boutique hotel with a high falootin restaurant attached.  They asked if I would be willing to come in for a "trial run" at 3pm; of course I abliged.  I arrived there in my khaki's and white dress shirt that I had borrowed from Giac; 10 minutes early of course.  The job was for cleaner, which was just fine.  (I'm not much of a server as those who knew me in my Tommy's Pizza days)  I was assigned to shadow and help out the current cleaner on duty, Barbara.  Barbara was from Spain and had been living in Byron Shire for 14 years; she seemed to be in her 40's.  She was quite the pleasant lady and showed me the ropes, unbeknownst to her, she also showed me 1/2 of her "tramp stamp" on the small of her back.  It was a flowery sort of tattoo, and although I wasn't attracted to her by any means, it was definitely an eye catcher.  Anyway, we worked on the pool area and tidy'd up a bit around there.  Then we moved on to the already cleaned Room 1, and put some finishing touches on the room as the there would be some guests arriving shortly.  I was only there for an hour and a half before all the work had been completed.  I spoke again with LoriAnne at the conclusion of my "shift"where she said that I had done well and she would contact me on Sunday regarding a schedule.  My expected wage is $20/hr, which is quite modest around here; but no worries as a job is a job is a job and I'll take anything that's willing to pay me to stay here!  I walked back to the house from Rae's and gave the news to the gang.  Now, here we are as I sit at the dinette table awaiting the next amazing meal, in which it appears Gwen is spearheading.  Chicken meal with corn and some homemade salsa of sorts.  As I said to Giac the other night, "You're really living the life!"  He responded with "The grass is always greener, but yes, I am."

If I had gone any further without blogging I would undoubtedly forgotton some stuff; sorry it's been a few days.  btw, go ahead and click on these new ads that have appeared on the site!  There is some great information regarding trips to Australia and whatnot, and I think the more people that check them out the better?  Anyway I can get some $, right?  Also, check out Giac's video from today's scuba dive!  It's totally sweet how they interact with the Loggerhead Turtle...

Rainbow and Lawn Bowling at the Sundive Xmas party on Monday!!!  Lawn Bowling isn't just for old people, folks!  Apparently, as long as you have a beer in your hand it's the real deal!  (it was actually a faint "double rainbow"; WHAT DOES IT MEAN)