ID6 - One Way Or Another

Wow, what a weekend. On Friday I worked from 9 am until 10 pm, on Saturday from 8 am to 1 am and on Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm.

On Friday the concert arrangements were in full force. Darcy had brought some of his friends to help and we put up a big marquee in the cafe with Richard, winemaker-Andrew, Alex and Graham. We also put up some fences, but a lot of work was left until Saturday so I, again, was out of work from 3 to 5:30. Then I helped Krystal and Aimee put up some cheap furniture in the backstage area. At 7:30 Helmut called me up and me and Richard moved nine pieces five meter pipes on the green in front of the stage. The pipes were really heavy and very hard to lift. I felt I was close to pulling an abdominal muscle on the last one.

Then the diggers arrived and I mostly stood around and made and brought the real workers some coffee. Helmut wanted me to stay until Sascha and Ana were done setting up the restaurant. It took them forever even though they had the returning bar man Goldie helping them. Goldie is a tall Indian man and everyone seems to like him. Everybody but me that is. He keeps calling his co-workers his bitches and he has this general arrogance about him. Of course he's friends with Sascha and he exploits that friendship to his fullest. I haven't seen Sascha talk that much during workman he did with Goldie on Friday. Because Goldie is a casual he gets payed by the hour and he doesn't seem to be in a rush to get some things done and to get home like some people. Ana also takes her sweet time when she's setting up the restaurant. But finally we were able to get home. Sascha and Ana went out for a drink with Goldie while I saw LeBron James blow out his former team in the first quarter.

I woke up at six the next morning because I thought we'd be going back at seven but Sascha slept in. At work I first helped Darcy's friends set up the chairs in the VIP areas near the stage. Then I moved in goths restaurant where I was supposed to work the bar with Goldie. Instead I barely saw him and ended up working for him. I was so overwhelmed at the bar by myself that my emotions boiled to point that I ended up shouting at Ana and Sascha, kicking a barrel and Sascha threatening to throw me out if I ever did that again. We both brewed for awhile but he was very nice to me from then on. He hadn't seen me pushed that far and was probably thinking something must have really been wrong for me to get that steamed.

I fortunately got to take some time of from the bar as I went to help Rami move the trash and recycling bins down to the shed. On the first trip we were helped by Rory and Rami asked me if he could go back to the restaurant quickly. I told him I had to go back too and that we should just do this together quickly. Once we got back up, Rami said thank you and headed back inside leaving me in charge of five more bins!

It was hot but it gave me time to cool off mentally. I actually wasn't feeling very enthusiastic about working in the bar. To be honest, I think I'd rather work outside five days a week than try to keep up in there. Fortunately we were ready and the customers arrived soon after I got back in. Goldie actually worked pretty fast at that point. At that point the time just flew. We did get a lot of glasses to wash and polish...

I was feeling pretty good and especially good when Blondie performed. I actually ventured outside a couple of times and circled around during Atomic, probably my favorite Blondie song. I was too self conscious of my Rochford attire to full enjoy the moment. But it was still great. This day was a big factor in making me want to come down and do this job. The way it sounded back then was a little cooler and than what it has felt like. But I think I can truly say that seeing Deborah Harrie perform on that stage is the most incredible thing that has happened to me at the job and something I will try to cherish as long as I can for the rest of my life. Still doesn't make all the other stuff worth it. Fortunately the money helps and can generate more unforgettable memories for me after I leave this place.

The main act was The Pretenders and during their performance I was sent outside to sell drinks in the parking lot marquees. I generally liked it, but boy, half of those people shouldn't have been drinking anymore alcohol and many more would have been better off with light beer. Plus these thirty to forty year old Australians who barely can afford to come a concur like this are the worst kind of consumers in the world. Some people tried to get their drinks without paying the full price.

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While I was writing the last paragraph Sascha got a call from a hysterical Eva. Alex had hit on her at home earlier and last night she was attacked by a stranger in the city. She can't live with Alex anymore and she's moving in with Sascha and Ana and I'm moving in with Alex or maybe Boaz. It's not fair but we have to help her. Wow... Let's just get back to the story.

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The evening wound down and we polished "so many glasses" as the hysterical waitresses said it. I also got to guard the wines so drunk people wouldn't steal them and met my old friend, the guy from the Farnham concert with the Finnish girlfriend. She had been there too but she'd already left. Earlier in the day I met Rebecca, Richard's daughter, who lives in Sydney and who I'll be meeting down there to check out her project of teaching school kids leadership skills. The last things we did was tear down all the marquees and carry all the trash bags from the VIP areas near the stage over the fences.

Six hours of sleep later it was back to work for me and Sascha. I started outside with Helmut, Richard an others. We cleared the winery area of all the extra crap and had some lunch. Then everybody else left and I had to go work inside.

David was in the bar and he was worse than ever. I guess he was tired too. He didn't talk loud enough for people to hear, he kept running into me and was just a general pain to be around. Then Goldie stepped in to "help" us. He's more relaxed than anyone and sometimes he's just talking while I'm constantly working non-stop and he has the nerve to say that I'm too slow...

All of a sudden the day was almost over and the chefs went home. Sascha told most of the waitresses to "knock off" and go home. One of them was Goldie who stayed for two more hours, but fortunately he cleaned the bar pretty well while he was there. I, once again, became Rami's bitch. First I took all of the kitchen's dirty rubbish bins out and then I cleaned the floors. When that shit was done it was still only five o'clock and some of the customers were still there. One of them bought two ugly paintings for $395 a piece. After me and Eva had polished the last glasses I spent an hour reading my magazine before we left giving Eva a lift to the Lilydale train station.

I almost fell asleep in the car. My legs were killing me and I don't remember feeling so exhausted since working 18 hours in a day as a moving man. Still I was able to get some KFC and enjoy a couple of excellent episodes of Six Feet Under in the living room while S&A were away at the movies.

Today's my touristy day in Melbourne and currently I'm in the car with Sascha and Ana who are meeting Goldie for lunch in the city. I'm trying to gather my thoughts about all this Eva-Alex business. I could stay with Alex and work at Rochford until the end of January like I planned to. Then again it might be the opportunity to make a change earlier. One idea I came up with is to look for a job in Tasmania and staying there for a month before going to Sydney if I found one. The restaurant work is so hard and unnatural for me at the moment that quitting doesn't sound too bad. Besides I don't think it'll be easy to stay civil with Alex who's basically responsible for the situation and who I'd be staying with. I smell a vicious circle. Boaz is great but he has to go to work at 7 am so often that it would be counterproductive staying with him. Less time to sleep and relax a little better? But the number one person I want to talk to is Helmut.

He might be grumpy very often but I like the man and he's given me a pretty good job considering the circumstances. I don't want to disappoint him especially during their busiest time of the year and he might be able to lessen my workload in the bar. Or I could be taught how to use the till and make some coffees. But I will always be slow on Sundays. No matter how hard I try that's what it'll look like to the people who judge my work performance. It's just so stressful. Maybe the universe can give me a signal...?

I wanted to end this post with a salute to Finland on her 93rd birthday. I have never been a very patriotic person cause I think blind patriotism isn't very smart. Just because some things have been the way they are since World War II doesn't mean they couldn't be changed. While I reserve my right to criticize the country and some of it policies I have fallen in love with it while being away. Not only does Finland offer at least a passable quality of living to rich or poor and the world's best education for everyone, it's "all free" and people are happy to pay their taxes and vote for the people who don't neglect the less fortunate. I'm not saying I'm looking forward to waking up before 7 am through out my career as a teacher, but I will het used to it and I will get to enjoy the world's best winter. Not too cold, but still snowy for quite some time. Besides, spring and summer are awesome in Finland followed by a beautiful September-October with leaves in all colors and beautiful sunsets. The months I'd pass on are the dark-but-not-always-snowy November and hayfever-May. Finland is a beautiful country and there are a lot of smart people who want the best for not only themselves but others and the whole world too. I love my family and my friends. I love Helsinki and Turku and I want to spend more time in Naantali. Next summer I want to go to the Midnight Summer film festival in Sodankylä and maybe go up to Kilpisjärvi on the same trip. I'm looking forward to coming back next summer and making and keeping on making our summer house in Vihti enjoyable for myself and my family for many, many summers to come.

Wether you're going to the party, protesting it, watching it at home or you couldn't care less Stay independent and congratulations!

Happy Independence Day F!