My Summer...aka an Update!

I'm sure you're all dying to know what's been going on in my life lately, so here's an update!

I'm a bartender!! Thanks to my woofing (sp?) job, I've been able to display my true Wisconsin roots quite well by showing off my beer pouring skills. Who knew not everyone knows to tilt the glass sideways? Here I thought that was common sense...guess not as I've had to teach a couple other people how to do that already. I've also learned how to make a mean lemon, lime, and bitters! And let's not forget about the glass polishing skills I've acquired! And kudos to my brother for teaching me that trick where you twist the wine bottle at the end of the pour to avoid dripping all those years ago when he bartended! If only I'd remembered that my first week before I dripped red wine all over right in front of a customer.

I'm also a waitress!! Not so good at that though...my awkward social skills really shine at times. Especially when I forget to give my table utensils...woops. Or when my awful balance comes into play and makes me spill coke all over a nice family's table. At least I didn't actually spill it on anyone though!

Everyone thinks I'm Canadian!! Which much to the delight of friends from Colorado I'm sure, I've been  forced to admit that maybe, just maybe, my accent sounds just a tiny bit Canadian. But in my defense, every actual Canadian I've talked to has told me I don't sound the least bit Canadian. Well except for that one from Toronto...but he doesn't count! And apparently people always ask if I'm Canadian first partly because whenever they mistake a Canadian for an American, the Canadian always gets quite upset. I feel your pain, travelling Canadians, I really do.

My faith in Kiwi boys is almost completely gone!! They seem to like to do this thing where they say you're friends, and would love to hang out, and even go so far as to put it in writing on facebook and offer you a ride back to Dunedin...and then they decide to completely stop talking to you and can't be bothered to respond. That's essentially happened to me twice since I've been in this country. I really don't get it. And would really like an apology, but that's not gonna happen. So I'm venting passive aggressively via blog post! Totes the best way to handle it I think (not).

I'm ridiculously tan!! I didn't even know my skin had it in it to get this tan. I'm not gonna lie, I'm enjoying the fact that I'm at my tannest ever while everyone I knew before I got here is pale as due to winter in the northern hemisphere. But don't worry folks, I'm sure I'll be back to my normal pale shade within a couple weeks of being back in the states. I'm just hoping it lasts until my bro's wedding, gotta look good standing up there as a bridesmaid! And hopefully not too jet-lagged seeing as I'll be getting back only about a week before!

I still hate spiders!! Not a surprise, I know. But I swear the spiders are ten times more awful here than they ever were back home. First off, they're everywhere. Second of all, they are all GIANT. Some more giant than others. There was one a while back that even the locals said was pretty big, and of course I was the one who found it (and subsequently freaked out) behind the bar. I swear that thing was poisonous too, it was too big not to be! I have however, come to a sort of agreement with the daddy long legs in the corners of my bedroom. They stay in their corners, and eat the mosquitos, and I stay as close to the center of the room as possible. The one pictured is my fave. We've gotten pretty tight the last few months, as he's been here as long I have. I didn't even vacuum him up when I had to change rooms! He stayed in his corner of the shelves, and kept the other spiders (I actually saw him take one down once) and bugs away from the other corner where I kept some stuff. Unfortunately I had to move rooms, so I don't know what's happened to him...the best of luck to him though! (And yes, I realise the fact that I've essentially befriended a spider says a lot about my minimal social life)

Beaches are awesome!! People always laugh at me when I'm playing in the waves as I can't stop laughing myself. But I can't help it, they're just so much fun! Definitely did not have waves like that growing up on Lake Michigan. Also didn't have natural bodies of water that felt like bathwater they're so warm! And who doesn't love laying out in the sun and soaking up all those gorgeously warm rays?! Thank goodness the beaches are awesome, otherwise I would have some serious depression about having to miss a ski season.

I can't wait to get back home!! And by home, I mean Dunedin! Can't believe I actually miss the place, but I really do. However, I still need to figure out how to get back as my original plan seems to have fallen through (see paragraph 4 RE: Kiwi Boys ****ing up). Really don't want to have to take a two day bus odyssey again, but it looks like I'm gonna have to. Gross. Plus, that means I won't be able to buy the $50 guitar I want as I would have too much luggage then. Which sucks as I really wanted to start playing again and could use something to do with my spare time (besides getting to know the spiders).

So overall, I've had a really awesome summer!!! Like probably the best summer of my life! Yeah, I worked a lot and didn't go out much, but I love the people I work with (too many to name) and getting to go to the beach at least once a week if not more and enjoying the sun and learning to play back yard cricket and pouring some deserving customers a nice cold beer and occasionally pouring one for myself as well!! Yep, this summer is definitely one I'll be telling my future kids and grandkids about!

Love and miss you all, and stay warm those of you in the Northern Hemisphere!