Foot fetish

There was a man on the train today who was either insane or had a foot fetish (or maybe both). He got on with a woman, commented on her sandals, she thanked him and told him the brand, after which he stroked her feet, which she took fairly well but moved them away. A minute or two later into the conversation he retrieved a foot, then went to kiss it! She protested, but in good humour, and he apologised profusely. I quietly wet myself laughing, but unfortunately had to leave at that point at Newtown, so will never discover whether he was actually a crazed murderer who is planning to lure her home so he can chop off her feet for use in some perverse sex act… hmm.

This week is passing better than I thought it would-Monday we all (as in all of Face2Face) met at Hyde park, where played some random team-bonding games, then headed off in our teams. Mine consisted of G, a lovely if vague irish lady, and Steven, a jolly newbie. We didn’t really try too hard as there was just no point-we were right in the depths of the CBD and really weren’t going to get any pledges. We just took extra long breaks and went home early. Went round to Nicolas in the evening (after buying credit in the 7-11 and being given a free can of V) and we put away 2 bottles of wine between us. Lovely to have a good chat.

Unsurprisingly, I felt a bit worse for wear the next morning, when our destination was Randwick. Not as bad as G though, who didn’t arrive until 11am, having not even made it home the previous night. We got the brilliant news that we were going to be mystery shopped, which of course made us hugely suspicious of everyone, and a little confused as to who it was… however I did get two very jammy sign-ups, and G and Stevo each got one, so we were happy. I then met Del and Nicola in the city to see a film. However, when we arrived at the cinema, there were crowds and press and a red carpet complete with Hugh Grant strolling along it-we’d happened upon the Aussie premiere of Have You Heard About the Morgans! We all managed to get some pics of him to prove it, had the normal group indecisiveness of where to eat, so didn’t eat at all, then watche Avatar 3D. The effects were fantastic, the plot was atrocious. To be honest, I was in a pissy mood by now (oh leave me be, I’d been hungover, spent a ton on a ticket, then been deprived of the pizza I’d been craving all day). Once we got back to Newtown, I pigged out on a pie and sausage roll from the late night bakery (all hail comfort eating).

Today I got to St James for 10.30am, and we pissed around for a bit not really attempting to work, then got the welcome news that we could stop at 12. Woohoo! So I sat in the botanic gardens for a while, then in the library, then had a nice swim in the hostel pool, ate, and am all set for an early night. Yay! Can’t believe it’s Christmas eve tomorrow, and even weirder, that I’m going to spend it sat on a beach!

Mice, Moths and villas

Today I was given a mouse. It was very sweet, very scared, very small and named Stuart even though it was a female. The teenagers had bought it then realised they were a little scared of it, and they wanted to go to the cinema, so were going to let it go. So I agreed to take it, debated keeping it, Ben turned up and nearly had a heart attack (not got quite enough pledges yet for that to be ok) and I figured returning it to the pet shop was the best plan of action. Turns out the going rate for a mouse in Tamworth is just $3.50. Phenomenal. And kind of shocking. I should have taken a photo of her.

In other news, the cabin we’re in at the minute is actually a mansion right on the riverbank. Brand new. I won the double bed challenge for Wednesday in Narrabri, so I have a room to myself (though there’s actually 3 double beds if you include the futon, which Ben has picked). Met an aborigine guy there called Andrew, who paints and does street performances for a living – he told us the story behind a painting that he was going to sell. Cool guy.

Today we were in the lovely city of Tamworth, country music capital of Oz. Nice place, and got 3 pledges. That gets me up to 10, so making a good amount this week. Also got my wages -$292, which is good. This job actually works out pretty nicely money-wise, if you factor in the accommodation and travel. Maybe I’ll stick it a bit longer. I think if I do another 2 weeks after Christmas then I get the pay for training, which is very worthwhile. It really isn’t such a bad job when you get in the swing of it.

Last night I amused everyone when I found a cicada to play with, an impressive beastie that I names Horace. He seemed to enjoy sitting on my hand, on the table and on Bens cigarette packet. He then enjoyed flying straight at Ben, whose reaction was so extreme that he very nearly knocked himself out on the table. Very very funny!

Moree

Today I am learning patience, and compassion, and to accept everyone for where they are on their path.

No pledges today, but did 20 laps in the pool, 20 minutes in the spa, now I’m drinking wine before doing 20 sit ups. Tomorrow we’re off to Tamworth. I miss Grace, my parents, the farm and my dog.

Score

Four pledges today, beat Ben!!! Hurrah! In a way-out-back place called Moree, which is pretty, but full of trucks. Had an old guy try to get me to come to the pub with him, then a nice bloke who couldn’t believe we wouldn’t accept cash, kept coming by to check, then gave up and offered to shout us coffee instead. Sweet as! I was hating hating hating it this morning, but so chuffed to already be on 4, takes the pressure off. Think Dels sweating it a bit, and Jackson, the new guy, is quite down – they both got 1.

The drive up was a laugh, took from 3.15pm til 11.15pm. Ben insisted on driving the whole way (‘its ok, I’m not tired yet’), and for a fair bit we were in convoy with Fletch, Anna and another guy. Stopped at a roadhouse in Scone, horse capital of Oz, and nearly ran out of fuel in Quirindi. Then it got dark, and a fox decided it would be a fantastic idea to trot out in front of us, and stop in the middle of the road. Ben did his best but there was no way he could miss it without killing us. We stopped to check the condition of the car (no way foxy could have survived!) – the bumper was a bit dented and covered in fur. Ben was a bit shaken up I reckon. Crazy. Thank goodness it wasn’t a roo.

The site is nice, treble bunks but tidy, nice pool. We went for a little jog this evening then I did 15 laps of the pool. And now we’re gonna do some push ups and sit ups!

Mathematics will save the World

I spent the majority of this morning talking to a scientist, who went by the name of Craig. He stopped for us in the small town of Kiama, but went a little apoplectic when I mentioned injections. It turns out he’s against medicine, against keeping any animals, including pets, in captivity, and into planting and propagating trees for the government. I sat on a bench with him and had a fantastic discussion with him, very considered, about what he reckoned should be done then with all the animals already in captivity, which he put a lot of thought into and concluded it should be worked out using mathematics. I was glad he acknowledged that he hadn’t actually thought about it, but he evidently doesn’t know much of animals, as he felt we could take them someplace and gradually leave them there for longer until they made friends with their own kind and stopped relying on us… Can’t really imagine that going down too well with Ellie… I did however like his idea that if you make friends with the birds in the countryside, ie by whistling to them, you’ll gain the trust of all the animals.

He kept referring to us as medical professionals, which I loved! Talked a bit about how we take things we’re told as truth, even though half of it is untested and potentially untrue. The importance of using all the body equally (and not using ‘right’ as positive and ‘left’ as negative). Then he gave us his company details in case he could ever help us out, and took the Heart Foundation details to send a donation. Then he asked if he could get us a drink, so we got mango slushies!!! Also an offer for a free lunch at a Chinese restaurant, which I feel really bad for not being able to take him up on. Though he did say to not feel in any way obliged. I didn’t get a single pledge due to talking to him for so long, but do you know, I got so much more value out of that conversation than out of earning money. He really made me think.

Last night we got drunk with 2 of the Cancer Council guys from training, Angelique and Sam, who were staying a few cabins down. Angelique was so pissed after 2 glasses of wine! We played I Have Never, which was hilarious, and went to bed about 11.30, not drunk but tipsy. Patrick set out to prove to Del that he wasn’t gay, which kept me amused, but did mean no one got much sleep!

Del is, I think, feeling a tad guilty about the whole thing, even though it was a non-event. We finished at about 12.30, had pizza, went to look at the blowhole (and the fantastic danger of death disclaimers listing 30 ways you could kill yourself there) then headed home, got to Dels at about 3pm, where we ate more food! Watched Saw VI then the boys headed off, we watched Milk and Jennifers Body (SO funny!!!), sang karaoke, and ate again, before retiring about 9.30. I have my own room! Del is so lovely!

Tomorrow we get a lie-in then something insane like a 7 hour drive north to Dubbo, and I have to split the driving as Patricks had to move to a different team. I’m determined to do well next week with the pledges! I also need to exercise, I’m getting fat. And I miss Grace

Luck

I reckon this job is all down to luck. I got 1 today, Patrick got 4. I did my best to stop everyone, I really tried, but only got 1. I don’t feel my pitch is any worse than anyone elses, it just depends who you get. So frustrating. Ben is of the theory that as long as you try you’re bound to get at least 1. Who knows. Gah.

Karma

However, to make up for that, we have arrived at our digs for the next 2 nights and they’re the nicest ever, a gorgeous luxury cabin at a site with a pool. With real single beds, a rug on the floor, and air-con. Fingers crossed for a good fundraising day tomorrow, though it sounds like we ain’t doing so bad after all-ran into one of the cancer council groups and most of the newbies either have 1 or 0. So that’s a bit less worrying! Oh, and Maidel has invited me to stay at hers on saturday night, so no hostel, yay!

Ouch

This job can be the job from hell, or a good fun way to spend the day, and I don’t think you can do much to influence which it is. I really did my utmost today to keep my chin up, good start to the day with a pledge by half nine, but such a sucky depressing day. It can really hurt, just small things. A woman walked past and said, “The Heart Foundation have too much money if they’re wasting it paying you to stand there” and I think that screwed me for the rest of the day. Man. It’s so hard to just let it slide.

Next time I get a job it’ll be one where I don’t have to piss people off.

First Fundraising Day

Today we had the pleasure of meeting every single inhabitant of the lovely settlement of Young. It took us all day but by the end of it we had a total of 11 pledges between us, including 2 for me, which I was pretty pleased with for my first day. Though to be fair, one practically told me to sign her up (then proceded to tell us about the importance of projecting positive energy towards ‘ducks on the water’, before going and buying me a mince pie. How nice! How she knew I’d been craving mince pies, I really don’t know…) The other guy I think maybe fancied me. Got frustratingly close to signing up a few others but they’d run away at the vital moment.

Lovely and sunny though, and a good team atmosphere, especially once we knew there was a prize for the team with the most pledges. We came joint first, little bit put out that Nicola managed 3 pledges mind! Once we got back to the cabin, spoke to Jo on the phone who sounds lovely, quite up for working there in January if they get the rain to create a job!

I haven’t earned this

I’m just so blown away by Dave’s generosity. He makes such an exceptional effort to make sure I fit in, that I have enough, that I’m comfortable. To invite me tonight was already so kind, to feed me gorgeous food, to keep checking that everyone was being ‘nice’. Then to include me in the secret Santa, even though I hadn’t known and so hadn’t brought a gift. And when I went to leave, he said how he’d try to work something out for Christmas, to fit something round his family commitments. Man, I was so touched, I feel bad, I was trying to reassure him that he doesn’t have to look out for me, I couldn’t think how to phrase it, but I don’t want him to feel guilt tripped into caring for me. Even though I don’t really think he does. I have a feeling it’s just how he is. He gave me some cash for working the two hours on Wednesday night. I didn’t look at the time, just thanked him and put it in my pocket.

It was only once I got on the bus that I thought to really look at it, and realised he’d given me $50. I thought he’d given me $20, that was what I’d been expecting, as he’d mentioned he normally paid $13 or so an hour. It should have been $25 tops. It’s kind of, well I want to say humbling. I’m not sure that’s the right word, but it just makes me feel so honoured to meet someone so kind, so giving, when I haven’t earnt it. I hate to liken it to Twilight, but that’s exactly how I feel, like Bella, not wanting Edward to give her anything because she can never deserve it. Man, I’ve not even known this guy 15 days, and it feels like forever. How can they all be so lovely? Dave, Kathryn, Ben, Cam, Tom. Even Andrew. I feel kind of comfortable with them. It just wouldn’t happen in Britain.