Good job hunting

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I was up early again today as I wanted to head into the city for a workout and to begin looking for work. Admittedly the later was more important, but for my sanity as well as my vanity I needed to get my gym on. I had breakfast and a cup of coffee while I waited for Carmen and Lee to get themselves ready. Lee wanted to head into town again to buy some birkinstocks for work and I'd invited him to join me for a workout. As much as money was tight it was nice to head into town and escape the house for a little while so we could both get some independence. We left home about 8.45am and headed to the Hyperdome to catch the bus. Lee hadn't been himself last night so we talked things out on our journey into the city.

He seemed more upbeat as we got off the bus and walked through the streets of Brisbane, more relaxed and I couldn't help but think that blowing off some steam at the gym would help him more. With his shoes in hand we headed for Fitness First on Hershel Street. Sadly my plan of sneaking Lee in as a friend didn't quite go to plan and the poor soul had to sit through the whole sales pitch as patiently as a saint before we could get our workout in. On the upside I did manage to had a copy of my CV to the receptionist who passed it on to Doug, the manager, almost immediately. I explained my situation and he seemed keen to set up an interview tomorrow with me which sounded great.

After we'd blown some steam off we headed down to the Sofitel so I could hand my CV in and Lee could call one of his other potential employers. The weather was still very changeable as we made our way to the hotel flipping regularly between humid sunshine and light downpours. Ironically just as I approached one of the receptionist to ask about handing in my CV my phone rang and it was Doug calling to arrange an interview for tomorrow. Although gym work wasn't my first choice, my bank account was telling me I couldn't be fussy so I agreed to meet him. After asking for the HR department I was pointed back downstairs where we had just come from. I was still running hot from my workout and was sweating a bit whilst I was talking to one of the guys about my experience and what I was after. Unhopeful of a positive outcome I rejoined Lee and we went to grab some lunch.

We went to a food court in the basement of one of the shopping malls near the information centre and were lured in by the Chinese counter. I happened to spot a sign for 'Employment Opportunities' at the Oporto counter as we sat and ate. Lee dared me to hand my CV in and I thought I may as well as I had nothing to lose. We went and had a wonder around town once we had eaten as Lee was after some Vibrams like mine. We found a stockist in Albert Street and made our way over via a couple of clothes shops. Sadly they were more expensive than Lee could afford, as he was still waiting for work to start so we jumped back onto the bus with a hoard of people all bound for the Hyperdome.

We had a wonder around some of the cheaper clothes stores that Lee had recommended because I was desperate to get something else to wear other than the few T-shirts that I'd packed. I only managed to find a pair of jeans that I liked as well as a couple of extra pairs of boxers - something you can never have enough of. We decided to call it a day for today, and made our way to the car park and Lee's car. We were met with a chorus of sound coming from the trees surrounding the car park. It was the most spectacular din, like nothing I'd ever heard before. Lee told me that it was a combination of song from fruit bats, cicada and parrots - it sounded phenomenal.

I drove us home and we demobbed from a pretty full on day in the city. I'd managed to hand out four CV's and organised one interview, which made me feel more positive about my situation. The whole family and I sat down to a roast dinner this evening with properly roasted potatoes, unlike Vang Vieng, and Des's unique vegetables. It was great to have a proper roast beef dinner even if the vegetables were a bit interesting. Lee and I ended our day as we had become accustomed to since coming back from the Easter camping trip by watching US crime dramas on tv. I was looking forward to my interview tomorrow and the potential of being able to do something meaningful with my days as well as being able to start earning money to enjoy the rest of my trip.

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