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!!