At last something sort of positive on the job front

Well, i got offered a job at last! Did i take it? Er, not quite. The people at the big DIY store that i applied for weeks ago rang the other day and offered me a full time job. I asked about the hours and they were pretty much 9-5, Wednesday to Sunday. I groaned as that means i would never see Kate as she works Monday to Wednesday. We had already talked about one of us working full time and how it will mean that we will never see each other, let alone ski together, and that we are here on holiday after all. We're not here to start careers or anything. The nice, but very butch looking lady at the DIY store said she might be able to reduce to hours down to 3 days a week but would need to speak to personnel and someone first and would then get back to me. That was 4 days ago and i haven't heard back from them. Oh well. I know it was a job i could've done very easily but there is lots of rumblings in Q town about jobs coming up in the next few weeks.

The ski resort cocked up apparently. They usually are given 150 visas to employ people. This year they accepted loads of applicants from all over the world, denying me and Kate (who are already here!), before NZ immigration denied them the 150 visas, claiming that there are already too many people unemployed in the area and that they should offer them jobs instead! I have heard tales of friends of friends who have flown over from Canada to work and have been turned away. NZ is in a recession too so it makes perfect sense to employ the people who are already here. So, it means i have a doggy life. I get another chance to get a job on the hill. They have a big open day next weekend where they hold interviews for the remaining positions. Wish me luck. I don't wanna get my hopes up but a job with the resort will save me a bunch of cash as it means i won't have to buy a lift pass. It's what i really want to do too as it will go on the CV and will help in the future if i ever decide to get a job in a ski resort again. Watch this space.

So fingers crossed something will happen this week regarding work. Kate is still happily booking people jet boat trips and even has the opportunity for overtime, which is good. It gets her out of the apartment and obviously puts a few more pennies in the bank. I don't think Kate handles the boredom very well. The weather has been shocking this week. It has rained pretty much everyday but has also warmed up. So after all my comments about how rain in town equals snow on the hills last week, the warmer weather has meant that the rain has actually washed a fair bit of snow away this week! Poo! So the bad weather has confined us to the apartment for a lot of the week. I have tried to run a few times but have also preferred to stay in the warm. I'm worried that i will fall out of my healthy routine and go back into my old habits of eating junk and downing gallons of banana milk. The ski season is only a few weeks away so i need to get fit for that, plus i have other incentives. Stupid love handles!

Another week goes by with another relatively successful week on the poker tables. I finished 4th, 5th, 2nd and 2nd in this weeks tournaments winning $70 in drink and food vouchers. I wonder if i will develop a gambling habit but it's all free to enter so only costs the price of beer. I only drink on Thursday nights too so i doubt i'm turning into a alcoholic poker addict just yet. It's still really fun. Everyone is starting to chat to us now, and not just about poker stuff. I get asked all the time if i've found work, we talk about skiing, and the best thing is everyone doesn't believe me when i tell them how old i am! It's very flattering. I'm usually pegged for between 24-28 years old and no one believes i'm married either. It's pretty cool. One of the guys, called Cam, told me this week how he had got drunk at one of the bars and got his drink spiked! He said he woke up by the public toilets near the wharf shivering with this women asking him if he was ok? He then woke up at home with this women in his bed! He freaked out a little as you can imagine, especially when the women said she was married with two kids, was leaving her husband and was gonna move to Q town to be with him! He kicked her to the curb and i have recommended a restraining order. Weird huh?

Yeah so poker is getting really social. People are chatting more and buying us drinks and things like that. The Rattlesnake bar has a real friendly vibe. Mainly because it's a lot like a youth centre. We play free pool, then all sit at our tables playing cards drinking and having a laugh then go play pool with the bar staff when we get knocked out. The other tournaments in town are a lot more serious. Well, it all depends who you get on your table really. At the Surreal tournament this week we all knew each other and it was a great laugh. I felt quite bad knocking them all out as i eventually finished 2nd. I should've won but it was nearly 3am by the time it got down to the last 2 and i was beat. Like proper tired. The guy i lost to is a local skateboarder who seems pretty cool so i was just happy for it to be over.

So i guess thats it really. I am still writing my short story. Well, it is already over 6000 words and i only write it on Monday afternoons. It's great for eating up time too as i type like i have hooves, but it is also very relaxing and quite good therapy. I imagine no one will ever read it but it will be something i can look back on in a few years and think "Jeez, i was bored back then!"

Peace

D

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