Dear Diary,
Its been a while.
Ill start with work – that being where ive spent most of my time for the last few weeks. I was working for Goldman Sachs, an investment bank in the city center the last time I updated, but that assignment came to an end weeks ahead of schedule due to my having done all the work far quicker than anyone expected. Dozens of pats on the back for me and a promise that if my manager had any openings he’d give me a call and I could work for them for the duration of my stay in Sydney.
In the mean time it was back to the recruitment agencies and job boards for me! I got a job straight away from a hostel noticeboard in a garden furniture warehouse, moving, unpacking and selling enormous pots and urns to Sydneys well heeled. One fountain I sold was tagged at close to $15,000… the garbage people buy is staggering sometimes. This job I really enjoyed regardless – it was no responsibility box moving, and had it not paid less than a Vietnamese sweatshop owner I might have stayed. But it didn’t, so I didn’t.
The call came on a Thursday. Could I please go back and take a full time roll at Goldman Sachs in the PWM Settlements Division. Ofcourse, said I – See you Monday at 8.30. And that’s where I am now, and where ill be until the day I leave Sydney. They want me as long as I can stay!! The job is, however, the hardest job in the world. People may as well be speaking Japanese to me, but fortunately its slowly sinking in. Id say that in another week ill be fluent in Japanese and almost fluent in the impossible computer system they use there, Lion – my arch nemesis.
As for our car, a few days ago i sold the old beast. Fortunate really, as a few days prior it had just failed its MOT and the mechanic wanted a whopping $700 to replace the front suspension. Then a pair of unsuspecting Germans rang me and withing hours they'd been to an ATM and taken advantage of the excellent deal i was offering them. I actually made a profit on the car itself. Its only fuel expences that have left me reeling, but im sure glad to be shot of that potential timebomb. Very satisfactory.
Jo is still working for the Oz Health Service and loving it. She is, however, no longer surrounded by 50 something obese ex-nurses, as someone her own mental age started a couple of weeks ago and weve been out for drinks with her and all sorts. Shes 29 on paper, but 19 in every other respect. And she has inhumaly low self esteem. Still, it made for an interesting night out.
We've been out drinking once in the last month pretty much, between me working every weekend at unusual times and very unusual jobs, and Jo's mercilessly tight saving schedule, but things are starting to take shape like we hoped. Our plans for the rest of the trip have had plenty of chopping,changing, tucking and trimming and i thing weve shaved off as much as we can here and there to leave only the most ultimate holiday schedule the world has ever seen. Infact, its been refined and distilled so much that we've had to knock the second trip to New Zealand on the head to finance the rest of the epic voyage we have planned. And thats including an extra 2 weeks of work we'll be doing as a result.
Once we leave Sydney were heading North to Cairns and the beaches of North Australia. 10 days ought to do it up there, with no time for dawdling and absolutely no relaxing whatsoever. Then its a flight to Fiji from where ever we happen to be. 8 days in Fiji holidaying with an intraveneus G+T drip, then off to hawaii for a follow up course of recreational alcoholism for an additional 8 days. With all that holidaying out the way we can then get down to business. On the 10th of November we arrive in San Francisco to the welcoming arms of our good friends Boloni and Lorna (referred to from this point on as BoLorna), where we'll take in the sights and sounds of Americas 14th most populous city for a few days before jumping in our rental car, picking up Alan, our 5th for this particular adventure, and hitting the open road. Ultimately this leg of our trip will be a blur of back slappingly bad jokes, ear to ear smiles and excessive use of the word "Bong!", but i maintain that i think im most excited about this little jaunt more than anything, ever. We'll end up in Vegas and have done everything the west coast has to offer, including that little backwater to the south, Mexico. We all go our seperate ways here with Jo and i heading North for a weeks skiing in Colorado. We've yet to decide where, but we have a friend there whos gonna guide the way and show us a good time. Im thinking Aspen. From there its off to Miami and we'll only have a few days to go before take off home to Sweden. About 18 days i reckon, giving us just enough time to enjoy Disney World (Jo's idea, honest), DC, Boston and a few days in NY NY for christmas shopping. As long as everyones happy with an "I heart NY" t shirt then that should take about 15 seconds. Done.
Home on the 20th of December which, going by how fast the last 6 months and 2 days have been, feels like itll be just after the weekend. It'll be straight back to work for us both squeezing in any hours we can before coming Scotland-side on the second of January. Were there until the 14th and want to see everybody. E v e r y b o d y! So that should be great fun! I was telling Jo yesterday that i miss the Highlander - sitting on the bar stools and having to be taxied home before its even dark after putting 9 pints across my throat and winning then losing at pool to everyone. Jo says she misses the home cooked food the most.
See you all soon.
