Day 35: "Hell yeahhh, it's Saturday"

Dear readers, I hope you are not living vicariously through my blog, for although my adventures here in Australia are thrilling and well... adventurous, today was not very exciting. Tomorrow night is Lois' birthday though, so I should be able to make my story quota for the week.

Emma gave Teagan and me a lift, so that she could spend the day learning to breathe underwater while I filled tanks and washed gear. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good day of washing and filling, but it doesn't tend to make for good reading.

After work wasn't all bad though. We came back to the accommodation, and I got to have a brief conversation with Uncle Max, who is apparently a very important figure in local aboriginal society. He told me of his experiences freediving back in the day when their technique consisted of holding on to a rock until they reached the sea floor. A very interesting man, and like everyone around here, incredibly friendly. After deciding to save the excitement tomorrow night, Teagan and I watched Monsters Inc. before I crashed. Lois, who's in Jervis Bay with Sam and Caroline, totally missed out on the fun.

Yours in Planning More Adventures for Your Entertainment,
Robert

Day 34: Physics and New Faces

I woke up bright and early today for what I'd been looking forward to all week: the Physics of Diving exam! In my excitement, I misread several questions, and didn't do nearly as well as I hoped. But it was over, and now I could focus on the day's work.

Today was busier than most. The shop had a ton of new gear come in, and it fell to yours truly to label it all. I even got to wield the gun that puts those white plastic tags in clothing. Try to contain your jealousy.

This weekend is Lois' birthday weekend (we've been reminded daily for the past two weeks) and her parents came into town for the festivities. I was a bit apprehensive to meet them, knowing Lois, but they were terribly friendly. After sharing the story of my ear (I swear everyone will know about it), I bid them farewell so Lois could show them around town. Also new to town was Teagan, a girl from Melbourne. She's lucky enough to be living in the same accommodation as Lois and me. She'll miss out on much of the charm though, as she's only here for a week.

After work, I got myself gussied up for dinner with Teagan and some of the folks from the shop. Not much to report there, it was a quiet night. After dinner, we headed back to Pixie's house , although Teagan and I didn't stay long. Tomorrow will be a day full of tank filling and all manner of in-shop excitement, so I'm hitting the hay early.

Yours in Partying Hard,
Robert

Day 33: Robert's Stint as a Washerwoman

As it was my day off, and I had nowhere to be, I slept in like a champ. I woke up at an almost reasonable hour and prepared myself for the Herculean task ahead of me: laundry.

In my defense, I know how to do laundry; my momma didn't raise no fool. But there's a certain difficulty that comes with doing laundry in machines that have no knobs. At one point, I scrubbed my clothes in the sink. Which in itself is not a problem, but I'm dreadfully uneducated in the art of washerwoman singing, so I don't think the job was done properly. Maybe I'll just stick to the Kenmore.

My day hanging around doing laundry also gave me a chance to interact with some of the other residents of the guesthouse. I've found that most of them know my name, despite the fact that I've never introduced myself to them. I'm assuming that's a good thing. All in all, they're a friendly bunch, always asking how the day went, and surprisingly, remembering. People ask me how the diving's been or how my ear is coming along, which is somewhat refreshing. A few of them aren't from Australia, so there's an interesting blend of accents to be heard.

Now back to studying for the Physics test tomorrow, hopefully I can get that finished at a decent hour. And I still have clothes that need drying.

Yours in Exasperated Laundering,
Robert

Day 32: Oh! Darling(hurst)

I hopped on the train bright and early (11-ish), on my way to the city for my appointment with Dr. Flanagan. I spent last night reading up on eardrum ruptures and how sometimes they don't fully heal, causing equalization problems and hearing loss. Being overly optimistic wasn't a problem for me today. Still, I had my fingers crossed.

I stopped in Bondi to get a referral from Dr. Hirshowitz, who was apparently offended by my wanting a second opinion. After assuring me that I would get the same diagnosis from the new doctor, he sent me on my way, referral in hand and heavy of heart. The walk back to the train station in the rain didn't do much for my mood.

The doctor called me in to his office, and after introducing himself, asked me about why I was there. Toning the story down a bit, I explained how it all happened, and how I needed to be in shape to dive soon. Like Dr. Harry, he told me that there wasn't much to do but give the hole time to mend. But before I had time to get sad, he said that there's a chance it'll be healed and ready for diving in a few weeks. There are no words for how happy I was/am. Just so I knew what I was dealing with, he inserted a camera into my ear canal, and I received a tour via computer monitor. There, just beyond a small forest of ear hair, I saw my eardrum and the little hole that was causing me so much grief. Dr. Flanagan said that because of the size and shape of the hole, he knows it's healing well, and should continue to do so. He's much less of a drama queen than Dr. Harry. I have another appointment with him in three weeks, and if he gives me the O.K. to dive, I should be able to pick up where I left off in terms of my internship. And I'll be able to dive!

In my post-appointment joy, I forgot to look both ways while crossing the street, nearly getting myself struck by a taxi. At this point, paralysis sould have been the only thing to put a damper on my day. I spent the train ride back reading a newspaper someone else had left behind, which included an article on visions that Americans hold for the future. Apparently we believe that before 2050, cancer will be cured, Christ will return, and a Latino president will be elected. It's nice to know we have such highly valued opinions on these sorts of things.

Odd news stories aside, it was a quiet night. Spent some time at the gym and watched Up, which is undoubtedly the saddest animated movie I've ever seen. That being said, I didn't shed a single tear.

Yours in Masculinity Preservation,
Robert

Day 31: "It's A Shit Job..."

Any time your assignment for the day is preceded by that statement, the fate of your day is pretty much sealed. Today I was tasked with cleaning and organizing the kitchen area in the shop. It was tedious work, but I blasted music from my laptop to keep me company (because nothing says adventure in the Outback like scrubbing dishes to AC/DC). From time to time, Sam would have me help her with the stock check, which should hopefully be finished soon.

After five hours of work, I'd finished my Sistine Chapel of kitchen organization. As there wasn't much time left in the day, I was set to filing paperwork. Some of the folders are a shambles, so I look forward to organizing the hell out of them in the days to come.

It was again a quiet night back at the accommodation. I rowed at the gym for a bit, whic is going to make falling asleep a nightmare (Is that possible?). Tomorrow I have an doctors appointment in the city. Dr. Flanagan is an ear surgery specialist, and while I hope that it doesn't come down to surgery, it reassures me that he'll know how best to proceed. I'm just hoping for good news.

Yours in Getting Second Opinions,
Robert