- put out a fire at work while I wasn't on shift
- was told something really interesting about Australia in class.
I was extorting coffee out of my poor overworked manager (the place was understaffed) when suddenly an entire group of people starting banging on our fishbowl.
The fishbowl, as I call it, is this huge pane of glass that leads out to the side alley of where I work, where people sometimes gather as much as 5 deep to stare at us preparing desserts, making coffee, and just generally running around like headless chickens and looking really stressed and dishevelled.
I thought it was my manager's friends, so I ignored it, until she shouts out to no one in particular 'there's a fire!'
I quickly turn to see my manager running as I shout, 'fire extinguisher!' and then head for the door.
She's behind me, and we emerge to see that our portable gas heater has caught fire. But it's not our heater up top, it's the gas bottle down the bottom.
she aims the extinguisher, fires it and puts it out, then screams,
'EW!' really really loudly. There's a fine white powder layered all over everything in the proximity. And some of it has blown back into our faces. It tastes bitter, and scratches our throats.
The people banging on our window are far far far away, watching with a mixture of fear and excitement, a girlfriend peeps from behind her boyfriend's back.
We wait to see if it explodes, and when it doesn't, I flip open the latch and yank the gas bottle to hear a hissing noise.
'It's leaking' I look up. Then say 'we have to turn this thing off before it relights.'
My manager, seeing that I'm still in one piece, approaches and turns it off with her apron, and we dislodge it and leave it out in the open, just in case it explodes. (as opposed to in our storeroom)
Everyone's staring, we call the scared group back, and then call our boss. The cute gay guy from 2 restaurants away comes to check on us. It's all good, so I demand a double shot coffee instead of a single shot, and then leave.
So much for a nice sedate day.
and now to the boring stuff. (notice this is how the news does it too? This is my equivalent of a kitten getting caught up a tree)
Apparently whenever there are global surveys, there are always 2 countries that differ from the norm. If there is any chance that there will be a country that diverges, it's most likely to be one or the other, or both. And the countries are- France and Australia.
My lecturer went on to say that French people think they're the best in the world, so well, they don't really care and just do their own thing. (hellllooooooo Freedom Fries)
While Australia is descended from
a) convicts
and
b) people escaping something.
While war is an obvious one, others include crazy in-laws, crazy parents and seeking better lives. Up till recently, these people meant to stay, not to earn a quick buck and then try to go home and never succeed.
Which of course means that contrary natures seem to be a genetic thing. (or an upbringing thing - but let's not get into the whole nature/nurture debate)
Of course, this suits my nature perfectly well. What with being called a 'free spirit' and whatnot.
Not to mention that I seem to have the pre-requiste crazy parents.
That said, I realise I actually have 5 months to go. Not 3.
So.
5 months and a week to go. (maybe less)
