What? It's Saturday already?? I think I'll step inside my time machine & revert back to a Friday Five!
You have just won one million dollars:
1. Who do you call first?
I'll be sitting quiet until I get to call the Lotteries department & confirm that my tickets the winner. I'd sure hate to party hard only to find out later I'd been checking a prior weeks entry!
2. What is the first thing you buy for yourself?
I'd splurge on a new Mini Cooper S to start things off.
3. What is the first thing you buy for someone else?
What, you mean.... be generous? Nooooo!!
I'd actually be pretty careful & would only buy stuff for immediate family.
4. Do you give any away? If yes, to whom?
Again, morals are tested! If I had a friend who was is serious financial difficulty before the win & who got into diffuculty through no fault of their own, I'd help out. Other than that, I'd probably be a bit more giving to charities who deal with cancer research.
5. Do you invest any? If so, how?
After blowing probably $100,000, the remainder could sit in the bank earning 5%. Hell, if you can't live off $45,000 p.a., something is seriously wrong!
This one is for all those like minded guitarists out there.
I had a revelation today regarding the humble guitar strap. Without them, you're going to be sitting down the whole time, so they are very conducive to the whole ideal of standing whilst playing. That's not the revelation though, I was more concerned with what are the best types of straps to use.
After sifting through the 2003 Fender Frontline catalogue, there are many to choose from, but are they the best? In determining this, I began looking at all the artists appearing in the catalogue to see what straps they use to inhibit gravity sucking their guitars onto the stage. My surprise was that quite a few of them are using brands other than Fender, mainly Ernie Ball from what I can deduce. Anyway, it also struck me that I've never looked to see what my favourite artists are using. John Mayer uses pretty much everything Fender, so it wasn't a surprise. I wouldn't have the foggiest what Mark Knopfler uses or Paul Dempsey from "Something for Kate" for that matter. In fact the only strap which I could remember was that of Stevie Ray Vaughan, the one with the big white notes on a black strap. Very Stevie.
The strap I've had gracing my Strat since it's inception has been one of no-name. Not a mark on it gives any indication of who made it or where it came from. It's lasted forever & is still kicking on strongly. My main reason for looking, was for my acoustic which needs a strap that grips my shoulder due to the heavy neck which pulls the guitar down. I think I've decided on a Fender strap which is quite thick & padded but I can only find one in Adelaide, but it's the wrong colour. Due to the high price tag, I'll wait until I find the perfect one.
In the mean time, I did come across an olive strap which does look very snazzy with my electric..
Nice, don't you think?
I can't believe I just blogged about a guitar strap!!
Congrats to James & Claire for having the Adelaide Blogs website featured in this weeks Rip it up magazine. This site has been a huge assistance in getting unsuspecting visitors to stop by at 'one before unlucky' & has led me to some of my now regular reads.
Good work kudos also go to goldie, gjw & little miss stacked who achieved special mention in the Rip it up article. I didn't make the cut, which just confirms my site is full of self-absorbed crap!
I'm currently into day two of working at the Radi & I'm feeling like a complete newbie! I'm also bored beyond belief, as there's not a whole lot that anyone can throw me at this stage. I should learn my way around next week during end of month though.
The travelling to work is what's causing me grief. I had completely forgotten what it's like to work in the city. My aggressive driving techniques have been re-born, albeit at slow speeds. Covering the extra distance of a few kilometres takes an extra half hour!
Something I do have in front of me which is cmpletely out of left field is an email from Radi Seven Seas Cruises. It's not directly to me, but ironically passed on from another member of staff here at the Radi!
The email is for a 'Shipboard Finance Officer' for their vessels out of Fort Lauderdale. Positions like this are apparently rarer than hens teeth, but I also fit all the criteria!!
Well, that's it then, my time at the Pier has come to an end. After thirteen months, the trials & tribulations are over & will begin again tomorrow at the Radi.
It's all finished rather suddenly. When you change jobs, there is normally a lead time of a few weeks from the point of resignation, to the period of notice, to the actual moment of clearing out the desk & eliminating all the personal documents from the computer! Only a week ago, my departure was confirmed, even though it's been coming coming for months.
I'm filling in for a girl who is going on maternity leave, during which time I'm going to learn her job & then eventually teach someone else to do it, then move on myself when another property comes online & I travel off to set that one up! All rather confusing, since I'm being a bit of a "middle man", where they could have just employed someone for the role at the Radi straight out.
My feelings on the move vary. I'm not going to miss working in a closet sized office without any windows, looking at a blurry computer screen, all whilst sitting under the main electricity cables! I will however, miss quite a few of the staff who are more friends than anything now. I can still see myself at the bar with scotch-in-hand for a while to come.
I've had a very up & down week to blog about shortly, but before we begin, let's have a crack at the friday five.
At this moment, what is your favorite...
1. ...song?
I'm listening to so much good music at the moment, ranging from John Mayer, Muse, Jeff Buckley, Bjork, David Bowie & quite a few others. I'm not sure that I have a favourite right at the moment though. I have had a couple of moments during the week where I was humming a song which was caught in my head. Only after it started to annoy me did I put together what the song actually was & it was part of a song I've been working on!! That's a pretty good feeling when your own work beocmes catchy!
2. ...food?
I sat down to the biggest meal ever last night of a Mediteranean Burger from a cafe at the Pier. Way too big a meal for a mere mortal but also bloody tasty. The best part however were these potato wedgy thingo's on the side. Bugger the burger, give me a bowl of those!
3. ...tv show?
Since we're just finishing up the summer non-ratings season, all the decent programs worth watching are about to start. I'm hanging for the new series of 24.
4. ...scent?
A good friend at work (or as of today, former work) has a perfume that just "does it" for me! I have no idea what brand but there aren't too many girls that wear it. It's a really pretty scent & suits her perfectly & I always know when she's nearby.
5. ...quote?
Here's a quote from my farewell card from the Pier,
"Every now & then someones comes along that makes you think differently about things. You should keep aspiring to be that person, Cheers."
I so don't want to depress anyone out there today, so I offer this warning;
"The following post is true in it's entirety & contains material which has put the writer in a hole both mentally & emotionally & which may affect readers in a similar way."
Since owning an online journal is a way of getting things off my chest, here we go....
Friday afternoon topped off a rather long week, in which the second half of the week was unusually productive. Around 7pm, one of the girls here needed to vent some of the issues in her life & we ended up sitting on the lawn grounds in front of the hotel talking whilst also being ravaged by some nasty winds. This girl has ended up being a 'bit on the side' for another member of staff who has since decided (after getting caught) to try & remedy his relationship with his girlfriend. This girl knew what she was getting herself into, so the blame has t go in both directions, but I still feel for this girl in that she has been fully messed about. This combined with he being rather crook during the week, left her a bit drained & in need of some support.
Of far more importance than the above in the whole scheme of things (though I'm going chronologically here), is my sister becoming mighty ill from Thursday night & on into the weekend. My folks took her down to a clinic to get checked out after she was going through periods of burning up to freezing cold. She was given a shot to dull stomach cramps & was told it was a case of gastro.
By Saturday night, she was significantly worse & after a second opinion by a house call doctor, was advised to get treatment by a hospital. This doctor was quite happy to arrange an ambulance as well until dad stepped in to say he'll take her by car.
I don't mean to be critical but my parents lost all capability to think clearly by this stage. Eventually, I convinced them to call for an ambulance. The risk associated with driving anyone to a hospital is huge. The shock to the patient & the potential complications that could happen on the journey along with a driver trying to focus on both a patient & driving far out ways the cost of professional care.
My mother also all rationality telling me that my sister’s fiancé was not to find out what was going on. Regardless of this statement, I was always going to call him & did so. How can you tell someone that their future wife has been taken to hospital one or two days after it has occurred?!? Stupid & cruel! He was okay with everything & was able to reassure him.
Anyway, regardless of everything that happened, she’s fine now, just still a little fatigued.
I managed to get to bed by 6am on Sunday morning while the sun was well & truly in the sky. I was back up at 11am & sorted out the house before my folks returned home around 1pm. I went out while my parents slept, had my hair cut & then went to visit my sister.
In order to get my body clock somewhere near normal for Monday morning, I decided to head down to the Pier & catch up with a few of the staff, primarily Miss M. By 9pm, it felt like about three in the morning when I got to the hotel. I spoke to Miss M for about a minute while she finished work tidying up the café & then went off to chat to a few of the other staff. Once everyone was done & getting ready to hit the bars, I was snubbed completely by this young lady! She wouldn’t even make eye contact which was disturbing. I left at around 12:30am & sent her a message asking if she was okay, but never received a reply.
Today is now Thursday & Miss M & I have crossed paths a few times on the last two days & it is as though Sunday night never took place. There is still something still clouding the air & I don’t think there is a single thing I can do about it. I didn’t want to leave the Pier with loose ends regarding relationships with the people here, least of all her.
My official finishing date here is Friday & it’s going to be easy in some areas & harder in others to leave. Even though I’m still working for the same owners at another property only 20 minutes away, I feel a bit empty now.
God damn, I’ve written a thesis here! I think that’s enough for now.
Due to a kind bit of linkage from a fellow adelaidian blogger over at dramaqueen, I am here to share the giving spirit in accordance with the game of 'Blog it Forward'.
My first pick will go to 'blue like that'. If you're looking for someone who can paint an image in your head with words, Martha provides.
Another good read guaranteed is ‘J'aime ma vie’. A blog from a level-headed lady dealing with a business &
motherhood on a daily basis & the trials & pleasures that go along with both!
Since 'Blog it Forward' is an ongoing project, I'll keep hunting those rarely seen blogs to promote for next time.
Well, the big Saturday night ended up a little pear-shaped before it began. The whole point of the night was to get to know a particular young lady amongst a small group of friends, who had gone out of their way, to help me out.
No plan is foolproof & when I received a text message which stated; "Hey Peter, sorry bout the late reply, i just woke up.. I have the biggest head ache, so i not gonna be able to come, have a drink for me ok.. Have fun.", the purpose of the night was out the window. Thankfully, I still had some good company with which to hit the town.
If you remember, this girl has bailed on me once before, but I'm still interested! Maybe I'm completely crazy, but (no names mentioned, so I'll use code) "Miss M" keeps drawing me in. I'm not quite sure what it is about her. She's gorgeous, smart, funny & although we didn't really get to speak to one another for quite some time after she started at work, we 'clicked' & have flirted on & off for the last couple of months.
Miss M is probably not the sort of girl I would normally go for. There is a six year age gap between us & we work very different hours, but so far nothing has put me off.
A few people (those that know I'm keen) have been rather blunt in reminding me of a bit of so called "baggage". This "baggage" is in the form of Miss M's daughter, which I don't actually have a problem with. I've been close to this scenario in the past where a child is involved & it effected me last time. I'm still good friends with the girl involved & I'm effectively an uncle to her daughter, but there was no chemistry from my side.
Miss M is different & I can't seem to put my finger on what it is which pulls me in her direction. Someone asked me how I would feel if we did get together & the fact that I could end up as being an 'instant father'. I could only reply by telling them that nothing has happened between us at all & the only thing I'm really after at this point I to get to now her outside the boundaries of the Pier Hotel.
Maybe I'm deluded by the crush I have on this girl. Perhaps my hopes will be crushed by the end of work today.
Just maybe it's time to move on......
I said in the last entry that there would be more to come & last night & today the world turned. Unfortunately, there are both ups and downs that are swinging my mood.
The three girls that I mentioned in the last post (one that likes me, one I do like & one that I did like who is now in the process of setting me up with the one I like), are all going out on Saturday night, together!! I have no idea how all this eventuated but it sure will be an interesting evening & not much sleep was obtained last night due to a large mass & mess of thought processes. Again, there will be more to come.
Apparently, as of the 19th, I’ll be working at the Radi on North Terrace in town. This move has actually been coming for a few months & I should have actually been there a few weeks ago. I’m thinking that the delay has been for a reason, in that if I’d moved, I wouldn’t be having the fun in the above paragraph! Overall, I think I’m being painted into a corner with this company & will probably have to move on at some point. I’m already losing out in the money stakes & traveling further to work won’t help that at all. Then again, it all might fall my way & be a really good opportunity. Guess I’ll find out in a week or so.
On a good note, Coke shares are climbing nicely again & I’ve made $480 in two days.
Perhaps the whole astrology thing is working for me. Bring on Saturday night!
Okay, so it’s the 7th of January 2004 & a little belated, buy hey, it’s one of the first opportunities that I’ve had to blog without being either intoxicated or sleep deprived. This is also the third attempt at writing this entry, since Blogger has been eating up & losing all that I write. Not the best start to the year Mr Blogger!
Anyway, my New Year bash was reasonably quiet, finishing around 4am at my sister’s place.
Via text message during the night, I found I am part of a rumour within the Pier Hotel & I now have a twisted little circle of intrigue against my name. It goes a little something like this;
A girl who is interested in me heard a story about me being interested in another girl. This story was relayed to a girl everyone thought I was interested in, which I was, but who is leaving Australia in the middle of the year & we’ve ended up as really good friends. Now that girl is trying to set me up with the girl I am interested in!
It does make sense, just read it slow!
Now I have a little square of love that could end up completely exploding in my face. By the way, yes, it is the girl who stood me up in a previous entry…
I’m either crazy or stupid, but I’m sure there is plenty more to come!
So, enough about me, how was everyone else’s New Year out there in internet land???
