Birthdays weekend part 1

One year old!!


Cows in Suburbia


"Truck."

What a beautiful day! It started out looking a bit cloudy, but cleared up soon enough as Aussie weather always does. The birthday party for one-year old Jemayne was a smash--he's adorable! I gave him a gift certificate for unlimited piano lessons for when he's older :) OK, so maybe one is a little young to start, but I have Yamaha fever and couldn't help myself! On the drive back, Marty and I saw cows. I had to take a picture, not because it's unusual to see cows in Australia, but because it was in the middle of a suburb! As in, where a park would normally be, or an elementary school, there was a field of cows. Houses on all sides, no big deal. Also I captured a photo of this odd-looking "truck" which isn't really a truck at all but a low-riding vehicle that males claim to be their "man-cars." Compared to American trucks, these things are terribly feminine, I'm afraid! Having one in bright green with the license plate reading the name of a child's animated cartoon character certainly doesn't help :)

WONDERFUL Sunday all in all. Birthday party, relaxing, reading, sunning, resting, recovering....really really remarkable!!

Bday parties weekend part 1

Jenna, Nicki and me


Michigan pride in SYDNEY!!

Weekend work=not fun. Weekend work in Australia when the weather is nice=really, REALLY unfun. I had work at Maths Worldwide from 10-4 on Saturday and had an EXCEPTIONAL day. Boss man called me into his office and put me in charge of the whole sales team, which isn't a bad thing. I organised the board, managed some people, and still managed to make 12 appointments out of 18 calls. KPI=pretty good. Boss man offered me two more hours a day, from 10 am-12 pm, giving me a 4 hour gap in between shifts. But there's a library nearby, and a pool, so maybe I'll start going for arvo swims or something.

Saturday night Marty and I headed into the city, in Circular Quay, to a pub called the Basement for Blanka's birthday. It was a wonderful night, with a salsa band to boot. On the bus into the city, the guy in front of us was wearing a Michigan hat!! I had to get it on camera. I see M's all over the place, and I need to start getting them on the record! GO BLUE is an international phenomenon. :)

Christmas in the Air

Today work wasn't so bad. It was pretty good, actually. Boss man was still a jerkface, and Melissa isn't going to come in anymore, but things aren't so bad as I'm getting better at this whole sales thing. It was 88, sunny and beautiful in Sydney today! There was a fantastic Christmas tree up at Martin Place (above) so on the way home from work I was really feeling the Christmas spirit. I'm spending a quiet one at home tonight, as I have work at 10 am tomorrow and have to get up at 7. Public transport takes sooo long! I can't wait until I save up enough for a car. I can wait, however, for the process of me getting used to driving on the left side of the road. Hopefully I manage to stay safe and not hit anything/one!

This morning, I got a call from Integrated, a recruitment company. They want me to come in on Monday morning to register! It's harder than you might think to get registered at one of these companies, and they'll offer me temp work--hopefully a full-time three month position, ideally :)

More tomorrow...g'night!

Thanksgiving in Melbourne

Melbourne skyline, right after lunch


A few of us new Yamaha teachers!


A famous Melbourne tram!


Thistlethwaite Street...try saying THAT five times fast


SO MUCH STUFF!! Educational materials, teaching guides, "laptop," DVDs, CDs...

Today I was in Melbourne all day for the first training seminar. What a long day! My flight left at 7:15 am, so I was up at 5:15. I met the other three teachers at the airport, and they are all absolutely lovely. Love them! We had a bit of a chat on the hour flight, but I ended up falling asleep for a little bit. I didn’t get much sleep last night, as we got back from the Robin Hood pretty late.

Finally, I can now say I’ve been to Melbourne! My first experience of the second largest city in the country was fairly uneventful, in terms of contact with the city itself. In fact, all I saw of it was the grey skies from the airport to Yamaha, the less grey but still grey skies during our lunch, and the so-grey-it-was-pouring-rain skies from Yamaha to the airport. It was yucky and dull outside all day, and humid. Upon our flight's arrival, we hopped in a taxi straight away. After about a half an hour, we arrived at the Yamaha Corporate Headquarters, where everything was taking place. The seminar was scheduled to start at 10 am, but we were a little late.

My head is officially stuffed with Yamaha (which is TOTALLY fitting, as my tummy would normally be stuffed with turkey on this day!) We performed dances, we sang songs, we learned about the habits of 3 ½ year olds, we observed teachers, we became teachers, we analyzed music, we listened, we learned….we were educators. It was, to be quite blunt, BLOODY FANTASTIC!

There’s a catch (as always). We have HEAPS of homework to do before our next seminar (3 days in Melbourne) in two weeks. We have to memorize a whole list of songs, both playing on the piano and singing the lryics, all the verses. We have to know these songs so well that we can play them without looking, sing in perfect tune, maintain eye contact with each of the kids that are crowded around the piano, as well as assess which of those kids are participating and how they’re each going--all with an excited, enthusiastic expression. Of course, all of this makes for superb teaching practices, and this is why I had to go through what I did to become a Yamaha teacher. I have a lot of work ahead of me in the next few weeks! Will it be worth it? I think so. There’s a three-day seminar on 11-14 December, and the four of us Sydney teachers will be put up in an apartment in Melbourne. Then, in January, there’s a 4-day seminar, and after that we’ll be ready to teach on our own. A room full of a dozen 4 year olds and their parents—no pressure! I’m stoked, though, and ready to take it on.

The seminar ended around 5. We had an hour for lunch (which they didn’t pay for, and I wasn’t too happy about this) but the day was long and many of us were wearing out by 4 pm. So much dancing, singing, learning and jumping around for one day! Robyn, the senior instructor who had been the speaker in the morning session, had ordered us Sydney girls a taxi to arrive at 5:15. Of course, it was pissing down rain at 5 pm, and the taxi never arrived. At 5:20, we decided that we needed to get to the airport and so set off to find a taxi on our own. We slugged through the rain down the road and across the street, to the Crown Plaza Hotel. There was a taxi queue (aka line for all you American readers), alright, and it was looooong. Wet from the rain, and weighted down by our 4 teacher’s manuals (two each for the Music Wonderland and Junior Music Course), 3 kids’ music packs (including DVDs and 2 CDs each, the student and teacher edition) on top of a “laptop” (this amazingly awesome educational resource that I wish had been available when I was learning music—you open it up and it’s a magnetized musical staff! There are little black dots for notes and the kids can create their own songs by rearranging the notes any way they want) and more music books (see above). So we all had a fair bit of stuff with us, and after evading puddles and unsuccessfully hailing down taxis on the main road, we resorted to the hotel queue. After about twenty minutes, we finally had ourselves a taxi and made our way to the airport. On the way, I learned two new Aussie phrases, courtesy of the driver:

“Bob’s your uncle.” = There it is. Example: "It’s about 6 pm now, we’ll dodge through such and such highway, make a right on such and such street, and have you at terminal three by 6:30. Bob’s your uncle.”

“She’ll be apples.” = She’ll be sweet/alright. Example: "Yeah, Emily was pretty hung over this morning, but she'll be apples."

Silly Australians! We made it to the airport with plenty of time until our flight, which was scheduled to depart at 7:45. We had a bite to eat, and found out that our flight was delayed due to the thunderstorms. Take-off was only twenty minutes late, however, and we ended up back in Sydney by 9:45 pm.

I was pretty exhausted by this point, and Marty was waiting for me at the airport when we landed. I got home around 10:30, and crashed. What a day!

VIP Loves Me

This is me saying, yeah, what's up, I'm awesome

Interesting day today. I woke up feeling a bit off, but showered and shook it off. I headed up to Chatswood via train for a follow up meeting with VIP music. The director and founder of the company, a Japanese man whose name I do not know, had a long, long chat with me. He was extremely complimentary of me, and it made me feel fantastic. Wonderful, exemplary, like maybe I’m not so bad, after all. I love self-esteem boosters!! I told that that I was prepared to move to the northern beaches to take on the role of the job. I presented him with my passport and a copy of my diploma, and explained to him the status of my visa, which expires in September 2010. He asked me why I wanted to job, and I rambled on about how much I love music and kids, blah blah. I spoke from my heart, and it apparently really paid off. He told me that he wanted to hire me, but that there were three problems standing in his way of doing so:

1. Uni schedule: I need to be 100% certain that my uni schedule will involve classes beginning at 6 pm. The afternoon classes for VIP Music end at 5 pm, and there cannot be a conflict with my uni timetable and any of the music classes I would be teaching.

a. Solution: I’m almost positive that classes begin at 6 pm, as in grad school students are 90% of the time working day jobs and need to have the option of taking night classes. All I have to do is email the program director and ask her about the schedule, as she probably know it already.

2. Insurance: As a self-employed contractor, VIP music does not provide me with income insurance. I need to obtain this before working for them, and he said it’s hard for overseas students to get it.

a. Solution: Call up an insurance company and have a chat.

3. Permanent Residency: VIP Music is looking for long-term teachers. He sees this as a commitment on both of our ends, and wants to be sure that I am in Australia for many years. 12 months is not enough; he wants a commitment from me. I explained to him that I intend to stay in Australia for as long as I can, but he is not convinced as I haven’t yet figured out how to obtain permanent residency, and also because immigration laws have been getting stricter and stricter in the past few years. They’re about to change again, apparently.

a. Solution: I don’t have one. I haven't really thought about permanent residency, and haven't considered what I'll do come September 2010. I was planning on crossing that bridge when I came to it. However, I can schedule an appointment with an immigrations officer and find out what my options are when I graduate from UNSW. This is the best I can offer VIP Music. I need to look into the different kinds of visas I can get: skilled migrant visa? Sponsorship? This dude is serious about me.

The director went on to ensure me that they really wanted to hire me but couldn’t as of now for the above reasons. He said that he was interviewing two more girls that afternoon, but doubted that they would have my “character” and “bubbly personality” and that “I can imagine kids just flocking to you.” At one point he turned to his assistant (or some lady sitting behind him and to the left), and remarked, “23. So mature, only 23 year old!” For the first time since I turned 22, I didn’t feel so bad about not being 21 anymore :) “Only 23.” Damn straight, I’m only 23. Anyway, we ended on great terms, and I promised that I would research the three issues and get back to him with some possible solutions. The school year doesn’t start until February, so I still have some time to work things out. I’m still really, really keen on the job, and so I’m going to do everything I can to get it!

When my interview finished, I had over an hour to kill before I had to be at work. Chatswood has a HUGE shopping centre, so I decided to have a look around. I ended up buying a birthday present for a one-year old, for a birthday party I’m going to on Sunday arvo. North Sydney (work) was only a 20-minute bus ride down the road, so it actually worked out pretty well.

Work was pretty good today. Melissa and I each set five appointments, and our KPI stands at 1 in 6. For cold calling, that’s pretty damn good! The boss dude was a total jackass, as usual. He’s on a major power trip and loves himself a little bit too much. He was terrible to the new girls, and gave them a “warning” for not getting the numbers he wanted. Nevermind that nobody had any training whatsoever, and that all of us are doing the very jobs that we possibly can. I found out today that he’s only twenty years old! It makes me think differently of him, and I don’t feel bad talking back to him. For instance, the other day a girl was leaving at ten to eight, when the shift ends at eight. He asked where she was going, and she said she had gotten there early and had somewhere to be that night, and had called earlier and cleared it with someone. Well, boss man wasn’t happy about this, and declared that it would never happen again, because “I don’t pay anyone until 4 pm, and you work until 8, when I stop paying you.” What a jackass. Then, at 8 pm, he tells us to wrap it up, and goes over to the whiteboard and has each of us report our numbers, one by one. Of course, by the time this is over, it’s ten past. No matter that I have a bus to catch, and that’s 8 at night, and that I have far better things to do. Nevermind that buses run far less frequently at night, so if I don’t catch the 8:07 I have to wait another thirty minutes for the next one. Let’s forget the fact that he stops paying us at 8 pm, as he made quite clear to us. So tonight, instead of waiting for this ridiculous line up, Melissa and I stopped working at 7:55, calculated our numbers, wrote them up on the board, and of course by then it was 8 pm. We waved good bye to boss man, who was on the phone, but he waved us to stay. Hmph. It was 8:06 by the time he got off, and this is when he gave the other girls the “warning” lecture. Melissa and I told him that we wouldn’t stay past 8 anymore, because we had public transport to catch. Take that, boss man! Melissa reckons she just won’t show up on Monday if he continues to treat the sales staff so poorly.

I didn’t get home until 9:40 that night. Not cool. I wasn't tired, though, and went down to the Robin Hood (local pub) for a feed and a few beers. Tomorrow=Melbourne!!

Rainy Sydney

Somehow Sydney is still spectacular..despite showers! If anything, the Opera House looks majestic through the fog.

This morning I was off to North Sydney, via 1.5 hours of busses, for an interview with xLife Insurance. It was rainy and gross out, but for once in my life I had remembered an umbrella. The interview was held in a cafe, and it went...ok. I'm getting really good at interviewing, and I have answers for all of the standard questions ("What two words best describe yourself? What your strengths and weaknesses? Where do you see yourself in five years? Why do you want to work for us?" etc) Butttt some questions about the financial markets arose and I'm not sure if I bullshat them well enough. I guess we'll see!

After the interview, I had..oh....six hours until I was to begin work at Maths Worthwide, which was only a twenty minute walk from the cafe. I found a library and plopped myself down for a while; it was glorious. Nice and cool, not to mention dry, and quiet. I had my laptop with me, and applied for more jobs (since I'm not exactly thrilled with the one I have now) and read quite a bit. Then I went to work til 8 pm. The hours dragged on, but I reached my quota. I liked North Sydney, and it's easier and closer to get to public transport than I thought.

First Day at New Job

Today was my first day as sales consultant at Maths Worldwide. How did it go? Ehhhhh. I'm glad I have another interview tomorrow, suffice to say. It was terrible waiting around all day, first of all, for work to start. 4-8 pm is a TERRIBLE shift, and it ended up taking exactly half the time of my shift for the commute. Two busses, an hour each way: first to the city from the eastern suburbs, then to North Sydney (across the bridge) from CBD. I left at 1:30, giving myself two hours to get there (the boss wanted me there early to train), and I'm glad I did. I always give myself extra time to get places I haven't been before, as public transportation is unreliable and I wanted to make sure I was on time for my first shift at my brand new job. The 339 bus from Clovelly only comes every half an hour during off-peak hours, and after waiting 20 minutes, I finally saw it approaching. It was raining, so I had been standing under the cover, but as soon as I saw it down the road I emerged and flailed it down. It didn't appear to be slowing, however, and as I waved my arms frantically, it whizzed right past me without stopping. I was SO PISSED!! I stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do with myself, just staring blankly at the butt of the bus as it continued down Clovelly Road without me in it. I was soaking wet, with my mouth wide open, just staring. It was probably quite a sight, to be honest.

Regardless, I made it to work on time. I met a wonderful Aussie girl named Melissa, who was fantastically friendly. She had started late last week, and has the same role as me. We chatted it up both before and during our shift (quite a bit, actually) and hopefully we'll be able to catch up for dinner and drinks sometime. She's a third year uni student at Sydney U, studying Occupational Therapy. She, too, has a lovely telephone voice, and we both did appointment setting for the evening.

It wasn't fun, and the hours dragged on. I didn't believe in the product which I was selling (educational math materials for primary school children) and I didn't really care whether or not my phone calls resulted in sales. It was great when I did set an appointment, and Melissa and I each set three. Boss man, Louis, wanted four. Hopefully tomorrow this goal will be reached. Pay is $15/hour plus commission, but there is no way for me to know whether or not an appointment I set results in a sale. So basically, my pay is $15/hour. I would have been better off at Infinity Property Agents, (where pay was $18/hour) but hours there aren't guaranteed. I'm not sure yet if I regret leaving Michael and the IPA crew, but time will tell.

I didn't get home until 9:15, but my Yamaha contract was waiting for me at my door! I read it through, and found nothing which restricted me from working for another music company. I had called VIP music this morning and said that I was willing to move (!!) so I have another appointment with them on Wednesday morning, when I'll bring in a copy of my degree as well as my passport. I wish that the VIP job started straight away, as having that kind of money right now would be REALLY NICE !! What with all this job hopping, and rent being due every week nonetheless, and strep throat giving me heaps of doctors bills and prescription bills and cough drops (though I did save money on groceries that week)...I have to admit that my head is barely above water from a financial point of view.

Alas, I'm in Australia, and I can toughen it out. If ramen noodles and boxes of goon be the answer, then so be it!! If I sit at home with library books and water bottles instead of frolicking around pubs with beers and steaks, then so be it. I'll pull myself out of this eventually!! The goal for now is to find FULL time work, I have had heaps of opportunities for part time work, but I want/need one steady, reliable 40 hours a week job. Preferably not one which takes an hour each way to get to and hopefully one which I can halfway stand!

Tomorrow: interview with xlife insurance in the morning, Maths Worldwide 4-8 pm.
Wednesday: VIP music in the morning, MWW 4-8 pm
Thursday: MELBOURNE FOR YAMAHA!!!
Friday: Maths Worldwide 4-8 pm
Saturday: MWW 10 am-4 pm, birthday party 8 pm in city
Sunday: bday party (for 1 year old!!) in arvo

A hot, sunny Sunday

Manly Beach, 10:30 am


Manly corso, 11 am


View from North Head--suicide cliffs--11:30 am


Fantastic view!! You can actually see the Syndey Bridge in there--very tiny, on the right



North Head view in Sydney Harbour National Park


We didn't find any :(


Balmoral Beach--no waves!!


Near Coogee Beach, 2 pm


Crowded Coogee, a little after 2 pm

107 degrees F in Sydney today--bloody HOT, mate! Marty and I drove to Manly beach this morning, since I'd never been there before. It was beautiful, and the water was FREEZING. Not too crowded, though it was only mid-morning. It was pretty cloudy and windy around 10:30 am, however, and we decided to head back to the Eastern Suburbs to catch some better rays. But before going home, we drove through a national park and I had my first peek as some BEAUTIFUL views from the Sydney Harbour National Park (above). We could see the city in the distance, through salt-infested ocean air and sailboats floating peacefully in the bright blue waves below. It was blazing before noon, and after a walk around the park the sun began to peak out from behind the clouds to say gidday. I wish we'd seen a bandicoot on our little hike, but no such luck.

We had salads for lunch at Balmoral Beach (above), where I was very temped to settle down for the arvo. The reason? No waves! Lots of families and little kiddies for this reason. The water was extremely calm, and as Marty said, "It's impossible to drown here." I definitely liked the sounds of that, but manned up and agreed to go back to Coogee Beach, where there are real waves, real currents, real rips, and the real possibility of drowning. I live here, so I have to face the music, right?

We headed back to Coogee, and the beach was PACKED! (see above) Not surprised, as Coogee is a huge tourist hot-spot (and my favourite beach). We absolutely got the sun we were hoping for. In fact, we were sweating within minutes, and the ocean provided the perfect relief. We were there for about an hour, until I had had enough and needed to get out of the heat.

Pasta for dinner, and a relaxing Sunday. Tomorrow: hope to hear from the Lucas Group, who I've been emailing back and for with for about a week. The company is based in the states. They offered me a job but I'm not sure if it's legit or not; all via skype and I'd act as a recruitment agent, making phone calls and asking potential employers questions on behalf of companies. I hope it's legit-$22/hour, 6 am-12 pm Monday-Friday. Tomorrow is also my first day at my new sales job in North Sydney. Tuesday, interview with insurance company, which if the Lucas Group turns out to be dodgy I'll take (if I get it) and quit the sales job. I also have to call VIP music by noon tomorrow and let them know my decision, and my Yamaha contract is arriving express post tomorrow, as well. I think I'm going to tell VIP Music that I'm willing to move, and when my Yamaha contract arrives I can have a look and see if I'm allowed to work for other music education companies. I'm going through a lot of changes right now, but I'm ready for it. Life, BRING IT!!

Thanksgiving Down Under--Great Success!!

Me with my Mac n Cheese!!


Thanksgiving dinner at Vu and Jenna's

As you can see, my mac n cheese did NOT turn out to be brown and gross (as it did in the trial experiment--I was too ashamed to take photos) and I was very proud of myself for my contribution. I cooked this morning and Marty and I arrived at Vu and Jenna's around 2, mac n cheese in hand. Drinks on the balcony (Marty had picked up some Budweiser--how American--and I must add, it tasted cool, refreshing and delicious) before dinner around 4. Jenna and Vu had cooked TWO turkeys, stuffing, mashed, green bean caserole, and veggies. It was all amazing! There were around 20 of us there, and it was a fantastic day of eating, drinking and merriment. There were little kids running around, too, which made it more like the holidays. We left around 9, at which point I called my brother and Darius to wake them up (it was around 6 am Michigan time) before the Michigan-Ohio State game. I found out later that we lost, and I wasn't too surprised, but was pretty content that we weren't slaughtered. Score: 21-10. Michigan football: a complete disaster. Me: in Australia, not too concerned about it. Does that mean I follow rugby and cricket instead? Absolutely not.

Vu and Jenna live in the penthouse of an amazing apartment, and the view (above) is spectacular. You can see Acer Arena, where Britney Spears performed last night. Her Australian concert tour has been a huge flop, with lip syncing and pole dancing and everything pre-recorded--including her interactions with the crowd. Ridiculous. On a happier note, Pearl Jam is in Australia, and performing in Sydney on Sunday night. Chris Ohio is going, I believe.

I can cook!! One meal down, about a thousand more to go. Oh, and it wasn't from a box, or a can, or a bottle. Score!!!

Fantastic, Fabulous Friday

Sooo I'm absolutely, positively, without a doubt, hands-down, THEE happiest girl in Australia right now. I can't believe it. I got the Yamaha job!! I'm one of three new teachers in the Greater Sydney Area. I'M AWESOME!!!!!!

Yep, so I was planning on taking the day to relax, read, work out, and possibly attempt to cook something up for the Thanksgiving dinner this weekend. Instead, more craziness ensued. Read on.

I got the call from Yamaha around 10 am. I FREAKED OUT, naturally. I'm sooo excited. BEYOND excited. I wanted this job SOOO much, and I GOT IT!! There's a training seminar in Melbourne next week, and they fly me there and back for the day. Then I fly there again in January, for the national seminar for 3 days, and they put me in a hotel. I'M SO STOKED!! AHHH!! I definitely screamed, and probably scared the neighbours. I called home, and told my parents. Mom was at exercise class, but Dad and Marg (sis) were there, and they seemed happy for me. We made a skype date for later that night (it was Thursday night back home) when BRENDAN!! and DARIUS!!! (brother and AWESOMENESS) would be there. I hopped in the shower and got allll prepped up for the big skype date, as I haven't seen my parents once in the 9 months that I've been here, and they haven't seen me either. I didn't want them to think I'd turned into a bum or anything :) I even blew dried and straightened my hair, despite the 88 degree weather (and it wasn't even noon yet!). Talk about effort!

But, when the time came, there were technical difficulties one after the another. First there was no sound, then they couldn't see me. When I finally got it up and running, it was great...for about thirty seconds. I got to see mom, Brendan, Darius and Ben (Brendan's friend) in addition to our new dog Chase (who I haven't yet met) and parts of dad. The boys were furiously eating (Navy boys...always hungry) and while we got to chat for a few seconds, the call was soon dropped and noone called me back. I was very disappointed in my family's efforts...it seemed to me they were too busy to chat with me, what with my brother's arrival and food on the table....when they didn't call me back and didn't go back on Skype, I was slightly heartbroken and felt family-less. No phone call, either. Where is the love?

I soon was able to push this aside, however, when I received a phone call from VIP Music. I had applied to be a piano teacher with this company when I applied to Yamaha, except they were a bit slower in processing applications. They called me, and wanted an interview. TODAY!! In Chatswood, where I'd never been before. I was still bustling with happiness from the Yamaha job, and while I of course immediately said to myself, "Screw VIP--I work for YAMAHA now!" I then realised that I actually had nothing better to do, had never been to Chatswood before, had been wanting to take the city rail (train) for some time anyway, and that it wouldn't hurt to check it out, if anything to work on my interviewing skills. Boy, am I glad that I did.

At the busstop to Bondi, where I would board the train, I met a guy named Chris. He's Australian, and now in my phone as "Chris Guitar," because, as you might guess, he was playing one while waiting for the bus. Of course, us musicians easily struck up a convo, and it lasted all the way to Town Hall Train station (one bus ride + one train ride). He was going to one of his good mate's wedding, to provide the music! We chatted it up majorly, and since he lives right across the street from me, we exchanged numbers. Maybe I have a prospective piano student, maybe I have just a new friend. I love meeting people!!!

Then came the interview. WOW. The job pays $1000 a week, untaxed (!!!!!) Unbelievable! It would be teaching piano lessons in primary schools 5 days a week, 3 times a day: 8-8:45 am, lunch time, and after school. For each student, I receive $8.50. The interviewer said that it usually amounts to $75 per lesson. What an INCREDIBLE opportunity! I'm a little bit worried about the employee contract I have to sign with Yamaha (they express posted it today, so I'll get it Monday) which I was told was 30 pages long. She said it was mostly about copyright, but I wonder if it prohibits me from teaching for another company? I HOPE NOT!! I could work for VIP during the week and for Yamaha on the weekends. HOW AWESOME WOULD MY LIFE BE?!!?!?! It would be paradise. Teach by day, class by night. Teach by weekend, beach by weekend. WOW.

OK, OK, so there's a catch.OK, maybe two. OK, maybe two HUGE catches. I need to move o the northern suburbs. Alos, I need a car. I HAVE to have a car, as I need to transport four keyboards to the schools. Soooo the cheapest car I could get would probably be a couple of grand. Do I have that kind of money? Absolutely not. Soo here's yet ANOTHER laydown for yet ANOTHER prospective job. Well, basically, I have it. I have to call by Monday at noon, and then training starts. Hot damn, I'm good!

VIP MUSIC: Piano teacher
$1125/week, untaxed!!!
- Create own lesson plans (Not like Yamaha)
- In charge of all schools in the area
- Monday-Friday 8-8:45 am, lunch time and after school class (starts in Feb 2010)
- 3 classes x 5 days=15 classes @ 8.50 per child per class = $75ish per class
- Must drive to work with keyboards, must buy car

So there you have it. I took the train home and changed into more comfortable clothes, drank some wine and did some writing, and out to the Palace I went, where I met up with Chris and Rob. Later we traversed the road to the Coogee Bay Hotel, and I somehow ended up with a new hat by the end of the night.

Another GREAT day in Oz!!

CRAZY Thursday

Today was absolutely nuts, and it ended with a glass of wine and a ton of bree (yes, by myself). Let's go back to the beginning (a very good place to start..when you read you begin with A-B-C...)

Sound of Music? Anyone? Anyone?

This morning I did some writing and reading. Around mid-morning I began the journey to North Sydney, where I had an interview with Maths Worldwide for a position in sales. Since my job at Infinity Property Agents is only part-time and my boss has NOT been giving me more hours as promised, I've been applying for other jobs. My interviewer's name was Louis, and he was quite keen on me. So keen, in fact, that he offered me a job on the spot. So keen, in fact, that he wanted me to start THAT AFTERNOON! I politely stated that while I would love to get a head start (it was all happening so fast), I was still committed to Infinity and I had work that afternoon and the next day, Friday. But I'm going back in Monday at 3:30 to begin! (Or so I told him...read on to find out why this may or may not happen.)

I left my interview thrilled. Off to Infinity Property Management I went, where I told Michael (boss man) that I needed to talk to him before I left that day. In our talk, I explained to him that while I was certainly learning and enjoying my time at his company, I took on the job because he had promised me a full-time position during the summer, 40 hours a week. He told me that he loved working with me, and that he liked me, but that he could not hire me full time because I would be going to school in March, and he would have to train someone else. The plan had been to do part-time work until summer, then train me for a full time roll in summer. But during school sessions, I can only work 20 hours a week as per my visa conditions. His company is thriving, and he needs someone full-time for a long-time. He advised that I do what's best for myself, and take the sales job. I had told him that I had been offered a job in sales (because he hadn't been giving me hours, as promised) hoping that it would persuade him to give me full-time work. He couldn't do it, however, but said that when uni was over to please call him as he may be able to offer me a position and that I was a fantastic employee :) So, today was my last shift. I walked out of Infinity Property Agents quite content with myself, because I had been worried that the talk might not go over so well. Alas, I have another reference for my CV, and we parted ways on grand terms.

I was walking to busstop to catch the 370 to Randwick, when my phone went off. It was an unfamiliar number, but I answered it. And guess who it was? Another company that wanted to interview me! This time, it was xLife Insurance, in North Sydney again. The job I had applied for was also in sales, as Sales Support Consultant. I had a brief phone interview on the spot, and she invited me to come in for a face-to-face next week. Another opportunity! It sounded like the job would suit me well (read on for more details) and so I'm happy to explore my options. Which, it seems, are growing by the second :)

Sooo finally the 370 rolled up (30 minutes late, as usual) and I headed home, stopping at the gym for a work out. This is where the picture above comes in. Right outside Fitness First, there is an Internet Centre where you can pay per minute to go online. Well, these two lovely characters were perched on the computers, and I just couldn't help myself. I had to get it on camera. And yes, that classy lady is, in fact, wearing a playboy hat. No comment on the rest of her..clothes. Or lack thereof. Ahem.

I got home around 8, and the wine and cheese was just way too tempting to resist. Beauty and the Geek Australia was on (yay!) and I had myself a nice little evening. What a day!!!!

So, here's what I have to think about: the two jobs on the table are both in sales, which is great because I've been becoming more and more interested in this area since my work with Infinity Property Agents. I've been doing some telemarketing work, and I've become very comfortable dealing with all sorts of people, both polite and rude, and have learned how to work them the way I want to, convincing them to meet with sales agents about buying properties. But the math company job is ALL sales, whereas the insurance job company is sales and more. Both jobs, I think, have ample opportunities for growth. Here's how they look:

XLIFE INSURANCE--SALES SUPPORT CONSULTANT:

Pay: $20/hour
Hours: 26/week: 3 days, 9-5:30
Weekly Pay: $520 before tax

Daily Responsibilities Include:

• Compiling and sending out completed application forms & packs to clients
• Work closely with the support team to ensure timely processing of applications, improving systems, processes and full administration
• Building and maintaining client relationships and coordinating administration processes.
• Liaising with Fund Managers and Insurance companies to ensure the timely processing of all applications through the application process
• Providing Financial Adviser’s with daily updates on all proposals.
• General office administration and support

MATHS WORLDWIDE--TELESALES AND DIRECT SALES

Pay: $15/hour + commission (anywhere from $25-$200 per sale, depending)
Hours: 25.5/week, Monday-Friday 4-8 pm, Saturday 10-4 pm
Weekly Pay: $382.5 before tax

Daily Responsibilities Include:

• Cold calling and telesales
• Opportunity for management great (according to my interviewer, I would be great for the role and it could happen in a matter of weeks)
  
• Development to direct sales (going to houses of people I make telesales contact with, closing the deal)

SOOO as of now the insurance job looks wayyy more promising in terms of money (over a hundred dollars more per week, and a half hour less work) and opportunities in gaining experience (it's not just sales, as the math company job is). Plus, the hours are WAY better, and I get weekends to myself.

Both are in North Sydney, which is weird, but good because it's not too far from where I live.

If anyone is wondering, I haven't heard from Yamaha yet. Nothing. At all. And yes, they said they would contact me by "mid-next week," and yes, it's Thursday. I know. Don't rub it in.

Despite the above, what a day!!

Highlight of the Week on Tuesday

Today I had another wonderful surprise in the mail, and it already made my week. My sister is AWESOME! Not much else is going on; I turned in my final feature story on Sunday, relaxed and read. Monday I had work and a work out, and Tuesday was like-wise. This morning I hit the gym early (not my ideal work-out time) and then went to work. Marty picked me up, and we went grocery shopping for the "Thanksgiving" dinner we're attending this weekend. Obviously, no such holiday in Australia exists, but one of Marty's friends is also dating an American girl, and so decided to celebrate accordingly with turkey, mashed, etc. My duty: create an American dish. I've decided to go with mac n cheese, a classic American dish. Me + cooking = ....hmmm. This should be interesting!

Subway Saturday

Today was another lovely day. I woke up fairly early and worked on my writing. My feature article on two-up is just about done! I couldn't stand being inside on such a beautiful day, so I headed over to Coogee and worked from the Palace (free interet!) which took me back to my glory-days of study abroad, March-June 2009. Back when I had no internet, and went to the Palace to do "work" and catch up on "emails" but usually (after being Internet deprived for days..gasp!) ended up on facebook chat and drinking beers with boys after a few hours time. I worked on my article, and made major headway. Maybe it was something about being so close to the ocean, so near the beach and the sun..but my creative juices were just flowing! I met up with Rob and we had lunch at Subway a few metres away from the palace, to harass Chris, who was working. He complains about how busy it gets on nice beach days, but as you can see, he really shouldn't. Girls in bikinis who are parched and hungry and half naked stroll into Subway, tanned and moist with sunscreen, and who better to greet them but an intriguing, single young American boy? He should count his blessings!

Then I called home, and it was..ahh...can't even describe it. By call home I mean I called my friends, who I knew were all together at that time (Friday night in Ann Arbor). B had flown in from Pittsburgh, and together with three of my other friends had re-created the old crew. They didn't know I was going to call; in fact, I'm not sure they knew that I COULD call, and they all freaked out. It was sooo great to hear everybody, and I was pretty much near tears by the end of the conversation. It made me extremely homesick. Not cool! I miss my friends like crazy, and though I've been here for almost nine months, I still have almost another year to go. I can do it!!

By the time I got home it was after 3 pm, and I did more writing and editing and editing and writing. I had a quiet Saturday night, watching Blow and just relaxing with my laptop. Tomorrow, final edits to my feature will be made for submission on Monday!

Cheers xoxo

BEST DAY EVER!! (and Friday the 13th)

THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY WEEK!!! footprint ghosts, hand-trees, blue and maize bracelet, pumpkin, hand-written letter...!!!



North Sydney, on the bus back to the city


Crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge (on the bus to the city)


Today was a FANTASTIC DAY!!! SO many things to be grateful for today. Friday the 13th is nonsense. I started the day off hang-over free, which was a relief as I hadn't drank in a few weeks. I went for a run, just to be safe, and it was an absolutely beautiful day out. 77 and sunny, with a slight breeze. PERFECT!! Home, shower, get ready, and out the door to my interview with 2mbs FM, a classical music radio station that I'd like to volunteer for. HOWEVER, before my day could get better, it got better. I checked the mail on my way to the bus, and found the above. THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY!! Letters and pictures and bracelets from my favorite kids in the world, the Cattells. Sara Grace, the oldest, was my piano student--and a great one at that. Not to brag, but she is pretty much a mini-me. Playing Fur Elise at age 6, DYING to play F# scales, hands together 2 octaves--?!?!?! And they are THEE most adorable set of children in the world. I wish I had photos to post of them. Anyway, so I was just FLOATING on air on the way to the city, and then..I got a phone call from a producer at THE ABC who wants me to start WORKING FOR THEM IMMEDIATELY!! Ahhh!! The ABC is Australia's national station (radio and TV) and I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I could get an internship with them. But, low and behold, Susan is ready to start as soon as insurance details (nonsense) gets worked out from uni. I have to figure out what I'm doing with my summer, though. As awesome as working for the ABC would be, it would be non-paid 2-3 days a week. I need to work, and I need money, and I need it in a bad kind of way :( I'm going to have to sit down and figure this one out.

Anyway, my day continued to be brilliant at the radio station interview, where the Volunteer Coordinator is keen to have me PROGRAMMING for them straight away! She gave me informational sheets, and I can start anytime I want. I just put together a program, send it in, and once it gets approved I will be "inducted" into the music library. Then I have unlimited access to all the classical music I can dream of (!!) all from my computer at home! This is brilliant because I could work from home. I'm also on the waiting list to be a presenter, but Sue told me that probably wouldn't happen until February or March.

Later that night, I worked on transcribing my interview. Then Mark, Nicole Marty and I went to see Mark and Nikki's new apartment in Maroubra, and then to the CBH for beers and dancing. Lots of dancing! It was a fantastic way to end a fantastic day. This American in Oz is one happy girl :)

Yamaha FINAL interview/audition + huge dog

Massive dog outside the palace

Today I had my Yamaha audition, and it went...???? I can't really say because I don't know what the competition was like. Were other applicants playing Beethoven sonatas, instead of my pathetic Mozart Sonata in D? Was that asian girl waiting before me in mental preparation for a Chopin Etude, compared to my lame Bach Prelude and Fugue? I have no idea. I played to the best of my ability, and my practicing paid off. I let my expressiveness shine though in the Mozart, since Yamaha emphasizes their desire for "expressiveness." I nailed the singing/playing song the had me prepare ("Sky Games") and actually really enjoyed preparing the piece more than I expected to. I miss singing; maybe next semester I'll try to get back in the UNSW choir. The sight-reading was BRILLIANT! I've always been a good sight reader, and I'm thrilled that my nerves didn't prevent me from doing my best. Unfortunately, I really, really mucked up the sight singing. I ended up in a completely different key than I started :( Other than that, I think it went pretty well. The personal interview was ok, though of COURSE (as I always do) I thought of much better answers and comments on the way home. I'm absolutely terrible at saying what I want to say, how I want to say it, at the moment I want to say it. Hopefully this masters in communications will help fix that...

Overall, I think it went well. They questioned my availability for the three Yamaha locations in the Sydney area, and I had no idea where the third place was in relation to my apartment. They actually took the time to find a map book and look it up! They (there were two interviewers) said that they hadn't had a single person all day (I was the last audition) that was available in that particular location. They figured I was about 40 minutes away from it, but afterwards I found out that I was more like twenty. Damn, if only I'd known that! I find out mid-next week the results of my audition. I'll be massively disappointed if I don't get it, but I'll understand. They only need three Yamaha music teachers in the entire Sydney area. THREE. I figured my odds are about 3/16, after a few miscalculations previously. Over 100 applicants were phone interviewed, but I forgot that there were TWO group interviews, each with 20. Also, I thought that 3 were chosen from each group, which is wrong. Three are chosen in total at the end of the entire process. So I think about 16 were chosen to interview/audition, 8 from each group, because I know there was just one day of auditioning and they were half an hour each. At the start of it all, I began with a 3% chance that I would become a Yamaha teacher, with 3 people chosen out of the 100+ applicants. After phone interviews, I beat 40% odds, 40 out of 100+ chosen for the group interview. After the group interview, I beat 40% odds again, 16 of 40 chosen to audition/interview. Now I have to beat 18.75% odds, with 3 chosen of the 16 to become a Yamaha teacher. My fingers are crossed. I want it.

After the audition, I went to $10 pizza at the Palace night with Chris Ohio, and also met up with Rob, one of Chris' friends. It was a glorious night, as I was finally able to enjoy Pure Blonds (that's a beer) guilt-free!! Oh, and we saw this GINORMOUS dogs outside, and Chris Ohio ruthlessly grabbed my phone and snapped photos. Shameless, those kids from Ohio!

Speaking of crazy kids from Ohio, I happened to jot down some memorable quotes from the "writer" himself, during on Thursday Pizza at the Palace session...

(when asked which door he was referring to)
"The door that opens."

(when asked how old the girl was)
"She was...young."

(no context necessary)
"Maybe I'll name my kid...syllabic."

"It pops out." (OK, so I have no idea why I wrote this down. Apparently, it was funny at the time.)

Right.....welp, he sure can communicate!

View from Chris Ohio's ROOF!

Today: Wednesday. I practiced this morning, read a bit, and headed to the Clovelly RSL to get an interview for my two-up story. Mission: accomplished. Today is Remembrance Day, and veterans were sure in the mood to talk! I got on record (via wonderful i-phone app) a 45-minute conversation/rambling of three old men discussing the glory days of two-up. I'm excited to get it all transcribed and make a feature story out of it. They had a plate of sandwiches, and insisted I have a light beer. Fine gentlemen, indeed! Then I walked down to Coogee Beach to catch the 370 to work (which started at 3) but it was only 1, so I relaxed on the boardwalk. I texted Chris Ohio that I was nearby (on the steps where we had met) and he invited me over to his place to check out his apartment. And I'm so glad I did; see above! He has a FANTASTIC view with ROOF ACCESS!! Ahh it was glorious. A huge space up there, with tables, chairs, the works. And the view was all across Coogee and even some buildings of Sydney CBD. I'm insanely jealous of Chris and his fantastic apartment, though he does pair a fair bit more in rent than I do. Plus...mere metres from the Coogee Bay Hotel!! My parents called me while I was checking out the view, and we had a chat for about twenty minutes (it was still my birthday in the states, as my dad determinedly pointed out) and it was nice to talk to them for a bit. Then up the hill I went, and on the bus to work from 3-7. Then Marty met up with me at the Doncaster Hotel, where I've been dying to try their $11.50 steaks. ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT!! T-bone and ALL OUT salad bar for $11.50---genius!! The steak was DELICIOUS and the salad was VERY refreshing (and included pasta and rice!) We decided that we'd have to turn up there once a week for a feed. Back home, transcriptions, and bed. Big day tomorrow!!! I'm not nervous at all....I'm ready. BRING IT, YAMAHA!

Final Birthday Celebration

Happy birthday to me...23 years old. Merrrr. I'm not too keen on becoming 23, but not much can be done about it! I had a serious practice session this morning, exchanged some promising emails with coordinators and producers at the ABC (!) re: summer internship, and worked 3-7 at Infinity. Marty picked me up, and we headed to Surry Hills. Seven uni friends + Chris Ohio turned up at a pub called the Dolphin, and we all got to catch up. Still...one beer for Mariah. It was really tough to be so good on my day of birth, but I managed! More post-audition and post-semester celebrations to come this weekend.

Birthday Weekend Part 4

This morning I practiced and read, and practiced and read. Life is tough. I worked 3-7 at Infinity, and Marty surprised me with THEE most fantastic dinner I've eaten in a very, very long time. CRABCAKES!! Maryland crabcakes, to be exact (my favorite food in the world), from a restaurant in Northern Sydney. They were ABSOLUTELY delicious. I'm quite upset with myself because I forgot to get a photo of the meal he prepared for me. He made baked potatoes, corn and carrots, and a salad--in addition to the crab cake. It was bloody brilliant, and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect meal. Wait--it gets better. Double coated tim tams for dessert!!! Ahhhhh!!! After tomorrow: NO MORE EATING FOR MARIAH!!

Birthday Weekend Part 3

Shopping (from yesterday)!! + my Yamaha keyboard :)

The celebrations continued tonight. I relaxed all day, which was brilliant, and read a ton. I'm currently reading Updike's Rabbit at Rest as part of my goal to read all of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction books. I haven't tackled it in a while, and I thought I'd dive back into it. It's fantastic so far; I'm about 100 pages in out of 500. It's a hardcover, and a royal pain to carry around, but worth it nonetheless. I also practiced quite a bit today, and I'm happy to say that my Mozart and Bach are in better shape than I had hoped. I last performed them back in late May for my uni exam, and I don't think it will be much trouble to bring back up to speed. The singing/playing I have to do needs serious work, however, and I tackled it head on this arvo. Marty and I went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Randwick. One margarita for me, but still no serious drinking until after Thursday's audition!

Birthday Weekend Part 2!!

This morning, Saturday, I was up early and off to the Yamaha Music Education Centre to observe two classes: Music Wonderland (3 year olds) at 9 am and the Junior Music Class (6ish year olds) at 11:15. Both were...different. I still can't get used to the fixed do system, and when singing in F major I kept wanting to sing F as do. The younger class was mostly singing and hand movements, with story telling to accompany orchestral arrangements and body movements to correlate with themed songs. The older class mostly sang in solfege and identified notes in solfege, but did little actual note-identifying, i.e. "this is C" or "this is b-flat." Instead, C was always "do" and B-flat was always "tee-flat." I'm still not sure how I feel about the Yamaha methodology. Sarah Grace was six years old when I stopped teaching her, and while she didn't know solfege, she always knew what key she was playing in, which sharps and flats were in the piece, the time signature, dynamics and the value and letter-name of each and every note. If half of the kids in the older class had individual instruction, I'm confident that they could accomplish likewise. The group teaching may slow down some of the students, but I suppose that's a decision the parents make when enrolling them in the Yamaha program. Arguably, however, if they are going to spend over $500 a semester for music lessons, wouldn't they want to just go ahead and get private lessons? I'm not sure what the cost difference is. One parent sat with the student for both groups, but was more interactive with the child in the younger group.

The next step in the recruitment process, the audition and interview, is THURSDAY...coming up!! I have to prepare two contrasting pieces of a certain level, sight-sing, play and sing a prescribed piece, sight-read music and harmonize a few bars. I'm only worried about the singing, as I'm still getting over strep throat. NO drinking until after the audition! It's been ages since I've drank anyway, so one more week won't hurt. I'm a bit saddened that I can't celebrate with a drink or two on my birthday, but I know it will be worth it if I end up getting this job. I can't seem to shake off this sickness! Every few hours a cough will bounce from my throat out of nowhere, often taking me by surprise. I'm still sniffling, yet I can breathe through my nose. And my voice is juuust a little bit lower than normal. I'm so close to being back to 100%, but my body doesn't seem to want to get there. It stubbornly stays around 95%, and I need to be at 100% for my audition.

Marty drove me to the Yamaha Centre in Baulkham Hills, and went to see his dad at work while I was in class. He picked me up afterwards and we went to Castle Hill Shopping Centre, the ex-largest shopping centre in NSW. (What's the largest? Not sure.) It was HUGE. I used my David Jones $120 gift card to buy a new purple dress, to be worn on my birthday :) Marty bought me shoes and a handbag, both lovely, and I also bought a few tops and a dress at a store called Soul. Marty bought some shoes and shorts, as well. We had salads for lunch, and I went home exhausted. I fell asleep on the couch for about an hour, and woke up just in time to spruce up for dinner. Emily and I headed back to good ole' Coogee Bay Road, where we found a lovely Italian restaurant at which to dine. Home to change, then SWISS CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM for dessert...hands down THEE best ice cream I've ever had in my life! That stuff should be illegal...seriously! Soooo delicious. Then back home for a quiet rest of the evening, and here I am. Tomorrow=R&R on my Railroad to RECOVERY!!! I need my singing and teaching voice to be in tip-top shape for Thursday. More birthday celebrations to come :)

Birthday Weekend Part 1

Sooo I decided to celebrate my birthday all weekend :) Starting with today, Friday. I had work at Infinity in the arvo, where it was very busy. I did administrative support work instead of telemarketing; this was a nice break for my still-recovering voice. Around 7, Marty and I went to dinner at Sushi Train (see above) where I enjoyed many crab filled delights as well as salmon and other things. Sushi Train is this really cool chain of restaurants where the food rotates around the (small) restaurant, and you just grab what you want, when you want. If you want something that isn't in rotation, you simply request it and the chefs will make it straight away and the waitress will bring it out to you. Pricing is based on the color of the plate, so when you're done eating the waitress just adds up the colors and rings you up accordingly. Very good stuff; you can't go wrong with sushi in Australia. Oh, and no Wasabi for me, thanks. My tongue can't take the stuff. After dinner (where I ate a ton, as it was fantastic to eat solid foods again), we went bowling in Randwick, where by the end of three games I finally figured out how the damn game works. I'm still a terrible bowler, of course, but hitting far fewer gutter balls than I used to. I'll be a bowler, yet! More celebrations to come, straight through to Tuesday; I'll keep you posted :)

My new BFF, errr BMF: best mates forever

Today was back to work at Infinity Property Agents. Finally! It was good to be back, and having a sense of worth again. I was sure to drink plenty of water to keep myself hydrated.

I would like to officially dedicate this post to my new BFF, the fine-looking gentleman pictured above in a typical "look how cool I am (and in case you don't know who I am, I'm pointing to myself to make sure you know) because I'm in college and wasted but obviously a gangsta as you can see by my hand gestures" pose, Chris Ohio. OK, so he has a real name, and it's Chris Lambert, but whatever. He's in my phone as Chris Ohio and I will forever know him as Chris Ohio. We met at Coogee Beach one beautiful Sunday arvo (many weeks ago), a few minutes before I was due at the Coogee Bay Hotel for work. I had arrived early, for once, and was enjoying the sand and sun of of my favourite beach in Australia. The beach where it all happened--my first dip in the Australian ocean, endless hours of tanning with fellow study abroaders, late night get-togethers with goon bags (ahhh, Goon. I'll never go back to you), swims with KCK (completely intrepid despite sharks lurking nearby, I might add)...so many memories. I heard the American accent, and struck up a convo. Within minutes, I heard the word "Ohio," and as tempted as I was to just walk away without saying another word...I stayed. I blessed him with the honour of hearing more of my words, and I'm actually quite glad that I did. What a fine bloke! He's writing a novel!!! (When we met up last Wednesday at the palace with all my uni friends, I kept introducing him as "Chris. He's writing a NOVEL!") This kid is awesome. Not only does he write, but he writes well. I've had the pleasure of sampling some of his word-play via text messages, and the kid has talent. I'm quite honoured to be one of his five friends here. (Kidding! But seriously, Chris, being socially deprived is good for the soul. It enhances personal reflection and can often make for better writing. Not to mention more time for reading, and less motivation for drinking. Not that I would know.) He also has a blog, and is a much better blogger than I am. He contributes daily, damn him!! AND he works at Subway...MY FAVOURITE!! Need I remind you that for a solid three years at U of M my diet consisted purely of Subway and Natty Lite? Entree Plus (meal card) allowed me to swipe away at Subway, and it was fantastic. I wish I had a pre-paid meal plan that worked at Subway here. Alternatively, I could pull a Chris and just work there and get $1 subs!! Hmmm...there's some food for thought. Anyway, he's the shit. We're gonna be best mates!!