St Pat's MADNESSSSSS

Wow what a coupla days! (Coupla is actually a gaelic word but it means 'a few' or 'a little').

St Pat's Madness is upon us. Don't know where to start right now, but basically we've had 200 backpackers check in, about 30 we had to turn away because their bookings weren't valid. We've got a new building and it has NO water connected/working in it...

I've decorated the office in St Pat's garb. It's fantastic and tacky-I love it. Sparkly shamrock banners and decorations and cut-outs of dancing leprechauns everywhere. Will take a photo to show you guys soon. We're also wearing our bright green shirts and we've added on big goofy hats (ohhhh I miss my wacky hat from Niagara) and temporary tattoos and badges/etc. We look like pillocks....right gits.

It is so lonely without all the long termers and all the backpackers/tour guests are out during the day so we have no distractions or anything. Quite different to what it's been like lately. I'm getting put more and more in charge of stuff, usually the shitty jobs, and while responsibility isn't a bad thing it's just stressful when the boss is expecting so much.

I got paid a sweet €450 last week-awesome! I'm working today which I thought would get me Tuesday off but it means they want me to take tomorrow (St Pat's Day proper) off. I would have preferred to work tomorrow and just slip out to see the parade because it's double time tomorrow and it won't be too busy. Also I need to go to the Visa office on a weekday-and really wanted it to be Tuesday. Oh well.

Darren has booked the Gallipoli tour for April. We got flights from Belfast to London for £8 each-taxes included!!! How can I never find cheap flights like that for myself?!? Anyway, I've already asked the boss if it's busy over ANZAC weekend here and he said it's not. So next step is to ask for the time off. I'll say if they give me the time off then I'll work there for sure until at least July, but if they don't want me to come back after then pffft no skin off my nose.

I had to sleep on the couch in the common room last night because we had more people than there were beds (including staff) and at first the staff were going to have to sleep on mattresses up in the attic of the new building, but then almost all the mattresses got taken away to give to the backpackers and that so we had nothing. Since I was working early today I just slept on the couch. It wasn't too bad, but it was weird waking up and having all these people around me. Finally got to break out the sleeping bag though!!!

OH! Another thing, it's so random but I met up last night with a friend from back in Sydney, Tubby. I know him through my friend Darren (the one I know from uni) and have known him for like, 3 or 4 years now. He's a top bloke and it's such a coincidence that he's here at the same time that I am (kind of, he's working in England at the moment actually) but it's so weird to be so far from home and be sitting around with friends from home like it was no big deal :-P I suppose I don't feel like it's that weird cos I have lots of Aussie friends here now and it just feels like he's another one of the gang. Nevermind the fact that we're almost 17000km from home. But yeah, the first friend from home I've met while I've been abroad (apart from Michael, cos that was pre-planned)! Would have met Melly in New York but the timings didn't match up :'(

So, because I spent the night on the couch and today is Sunday it's also 'Wear Your Pajamas To Work Day'. In my world it is, at least. At least the weather has cleared up-it was raining (quite hard, too) for, no exaggeration, ALL day yesterday. These poor bastards come in off the street sopping wet and think they have bookings but they had been cancelled long ago to make way for our tour groups and they never checked their emails or called to confirm their accommodation. Oh well. It sucks but that's what our job has been there's not much else I can do about it. We have a few cheeky spare dorm beds and the boss is making us sell them for €50 each, minimum 2 night stay. What a rip off. Nobody is buying them...if they were like €35 or 40 then *maybe* but not at €100 for the two nights.

But yeah, it's actually been a busy day-and it's been sweet because there has hardly been any people coming in through the doors and bothering us :-P We have to do the grocery shopping for breakfast stuff (free breakfast at this place) and I swear we're going to go through at least 20L of milk, 10 loaves of bread, cornflakes and weetbix galore...it's taking 3 people with two big bags each to go and bring it all back.

*edit*

OK sorry I got distracted had to run before. Turns out it took 4 regular carry bags and TWO GARBAGE BAGS to bring back all the groceries. Argh! Who knew bread could weigh so much?!?

Anyway, St Pats is over and it wasn't the horrible nightmare I thought it would be. The parade was cool-we watched it from the second story of a nearby pub, and it was a strange experience being semi-drunk at 3 in the afternoon and have it be not out of the ordinary...

Have discovered the joys of the 'baby guinness' shot. Kahlua and baileys goodness. Here is me with one:





It wasn't that bad, I promise!

On another note-looking at recent photos I've realised just how FAT I've gotten. It's disgusting. No more chocolate for breakfast...more exercising I suppose. I want to join a sports team or something here-gyms just don't inspire me anymore. Plus it's a good way to make new friends. But yes. I'm a fatty now and it's gross I hate it. I've been way too careless with what I've been eating and now that I'm sitting on my arse all day in the office it's not conducive to a healthy body. At least when I was backpacking around I was doing stacks of walking-I even lost a bit of weight for a while. But yes...fatty fat fat fat.

Speaking of food, Berny cooked a proper lamb roast and all that tonight for dinner. It was delicious and it's really cool sitting around a table with like, 7 other people and eating a proper meal. He does it once a month or thereabouts I think.

At the hostel, the staff have moved into the basement now. What once was the lesbian jungle is now the lesbian basement (long story-I wouldn't worry). I'm interested to see how it goes because some people really hate it and some people really love it down there. I'm sad I didn't get a photo of the old room before all our stuff got moved out though. I'm sure it won't be long til we make our room 'our own' but I'm worried that it's attached to another room and just anyone can go in there so it's not as secure as the old room (even though people would constantly leave that door open...).

I had better go and digest this roast-until I upload my photos from Pat's Day there isn't much more for me to say just now!

Easter is the next hairy time we have to deal with then hopefully after that it will be smooth(ish) sailing all the way to Summer. A new girl started today and she is really cool and I think we work well together so that's a bonus. After the last new staff member I really wanted somebody to come in who I got along with and who didn't irritate me every second of the day.

Slán go fóill! (Goodbye in gaelic)
xxx lisha