bill_the_cat

Hey kids! Sorry it's been so long since my last update, but I've been pretty busy working. The job in Adelaide turned out to be pretty much guaranteed even before I met the employer. The interview was less about whether they wanted to hire me and more about whether I wanted to work there, and how much I was worth. the answers were, respectively, "yes." and "more than their willing to pay me, yet." I'm not bothered by the pay. It's less that I'd be making working in Canada, but I suppose, since I'm only here for a short period, there is a certain amount of reliability missing. It's still a fair chunk of change though, and it will ease my travelling. The arrangement I've made is that I will stay and work in Adelaide for 2 or 3 weeks at a time, then take a week 2 off to travel around. My first trip will be a week in Perth, starting, possibly, next weekend. I'm also renting a room in a house that they own for $100 a week, though this weekend I'll be trading up to the more private granny suite out back, the Brit who's staying there will move into the house, and start saving the extra $20 a week for a trip to India on his way home, after his 1 yr job placement is over.

As well as the housemates (who are 22 and 18; living here makes me feel old) I've made some friends here in town, at the hostel I stayed in the first week, in fact. After my job interview I was eating supper in the common room when I was joined at my table by a couple of fellow travelers (actually, strictly speaking L is a student, but her friend A is. He's from Britain, she's from Kitchener/Waterloo Ontario) we immediately fell into conversation, beginning with my recognition of L's accent, and I was subsequently invited to play "Ring of Fire" with them later that night. Now I generally avoid drinking games, for good reason, but I felt like I should start making friends right away, so I agreed. It turned out to be an interesting night, filled with random Canadians, that ended with me falling asleep with my head in a urinal. There have been subsequent games of "Ring of Fire" but now that I know the rules, I generally come out the most sober of them all. This past weekend I booked into the hostel just so I could stay out late and not have to worry about fimding a bus or cab home at the end of the night. I'm not sure if I'll do the same this weekend, as it's race weekend, and I'll be moving house.

That's the story so far. I have a few pictures, but I'll leave them for another time. They mostly have to do with the destructive habits of cockatoos. I never seem to have my camera at the right times.

That's the story so far, kids. I hope you all are having adventures as well.
Love, etc.
Brendan