Sidetrack Cafe

I got a job! I’m proud to be the new dishwasher at the Sidetrack Café. It’s a great job!! Can anyone else out there wear whatever they want to work? Okay, maybe some of you can. Can anyone else beat my absolutely nonexistent level of work related stress? If you can match those two, get ready for this: I can see the ocean from my “office.” Believe it or not, I’ve always somewhat enjoyed washing dishes. There’s a certain Zen Buddhist quality to it that I enjoy. In addition, this setup, my office if you will, is a dishwasher’s paradise! I’ve got all the little utensils, all the different types of sponges, plenty of hot water, a great big sink, a few different faucets offering different water stream options from different angles, and a super duper power dishwashing machine that cleans the racks of dishes I load--in about 3 minutes. What more could a guy ask for!? My copilot Ria is a cool seeming 27 year-old Kiwi chef. I feel very comfortable manning the controls alongside her. Am I really the copilot of the chef? Well, I’d say so; ever seen a chef work without clean pots, pans, and dishes? Also, the café is pretty small, so I feel like I’m right in the middle of the action. There’s no wall separating the kitchen from the register, tables, door, patio, street, and ocean(!). If I simply look to my right, I can see all of the above. I’m very excited about my job.

We’ve had some hairy weather here lately. During one 17 hour period, beginning at 2 AM and continuing until 7 PM that night, we were hammered by nonstop rain and wind. The expression “it was raining cats and dogs” would be appropriate. The rain and wind varied in intensity and direction. It was like we were stuck on a weather controlled movie set with a mad monkey at the helm. He was twisting those knobs all around, trying to wreck our little bach (“bach”, pronounced batch, as in bachelor pad; I know I’ve already introduced the bach, but a reminder seemed in order). We were stuck inside all day, wondering “Is this normal?” Turns out it is not. Ron said one fellow he knows hasn’t seen weather like that, for that long, in the 7 years he’s lived here.

Speaking of the bach, the deal just got a little less sweet. Pushing past one month, we’re now considered “permanent” residents. Permanent residents pay NZ $130/week. I definitely grew spoiled during the three weeks we lived for free. We’re considering other options now, as colder weather is approaching. Today we’re looking at a flat listed in the paper.