Thoughts.com

Well this is my final night in Darwin. We had a little hiccup on Thursday with the van we got online. The idiots who had it before wrote the thing off and the company didn't have any replacements so weve had to use another company. Bit gutted really because the first company were paying for all our petrol, plus it was 4WD, 5 berth, costing only $5 a day and had loads of camping equipment in it. This new van sleeps only 3, has crappy equipment and is costing us $500 each. Quite a difference. Still, Ive got my sites set on this epic journey and we can have this new vehicle for two full weeks so we are taking it slowly to reach Perth for the 14 December. Tomorrow were getting up early to pick up the van and driving to a place only a few hours south called Katherine where we will be kayaking in the afternoon at the NT famous Katherine Gorge. The next day we'll setting off for Broome and when we get there we'll make new plans depending on weather. The climate can be quite rough out here at the mo, especially the beginning of the wet season. Its been all good here mind over the last week. Ive only ever seen the temperature drop lower than 30 degrees once in the 6 months Ive been here! Nowt wrong with that!

This last few days has just been hectic what with all the good byes and stuff. Monsoons bar has seen massive changes in popularity since Ive been there. It used to be an oasis of charm and middle eastern beauty but what with the new entertainments manager coming in and my larger than life persona and DJing experience, weve really turned the place around and its now Darwins number one party bar. Knowing that my presence has excelled that bar forwards to new limits makes me feel very proud indeed. Ive got a feeling I'll be back here in old Darwin. MC Josey (kinda my replacement) told me last night that hes gonna retain my legacy there and continue to push the boundaries. I sure hope he does because me, and my fellow colleague DJ Tazz, have worked harder than any DJ in the NT to keep Monsoons Bar at number one. Although Im closing the chapter on Darwin now, I feel a return is on the cards for next year.

So thus, I shall bring my time here to an end. Im gonna miss the people Ive met here dearly as Ive met some awesome individuals. Ive picked up many good memories that shall remain with me forever, but when its time to move on.....the Richmeister will do just that.

Monsoons, the bar I work in, is going through some massive changes at the moment. Some new woman called Laurie has taken over ALL our entertainment and promises to revamp the place. Were going from a sophisticated cocktail establishment to a crazy ‘coyote ugly’ back packer style venue. Because of this, one of the duty managers and a bloody good mate of mine has now left. The main reason he’s left is because Laurie has a reputation for taking over and doing things her way and management can’t do so sod all about it. I’ve had reason for worry also because she tends to bring her own DJs in so she had no reason to keep me on. Luckily I’ve been given good references from existing managers and she’s kept me and stepping up my game is definately on the cards! I expected her to be a complete bitch but she’s really surprised me. I can stand up for myself but I would not wanna get on the wrong side of this girl. The other DJ I work with, Tazz painted a picture of her being a female Hitler and although she ‘always’ gets the last word and comes across pedantic and rude....I fucking really like her!

I’ve been DJing since I was 15. After finishing college I moved to Spain where I learnt to be a real DJ. The next year I was in Ibiza for a season, then home working pubs and clubs, then Zante for 6 months and between then and now doing hundreds of small parties on the side and bits and bobs here and everywhere. But in all that time (Benidorm perhaps an exception) nobody has told me how to do my job. There isn’t a hand book for DJ’s. Sure there’s plenty of ‘how to’ books and instructional starter vids, but to become a truly awesome DJ takes years of practise. I’ve said for many years that DJing is 90% psychology and 10% skill. The 90% being tune selection, reading a crowd, knowing your tunes and knowing when to throw them in at the right time. The other 10% is using your hardware; decks, mixers, amps and knowing your right levels etc. So when Laurie told me in a staff meeting that I was a good little DJ but a shit MC, I was kinda confused. I’ve always thought of myself as being quite clever on a mic, especially when it comes to freestyling (which she hasn’t yet herd me do incidentally). If anyone else would have had the audacity to call me a shit MC I would have been highly offended, but Laurie has been in this game for years and years. Her company supplies PR girls and top DJs all over Australia. She was in charge of the outdoor event that was held on Bondi beach on Christmas day, an event that I was so close to going to, but opted out to spend my day on Bronte beach just next door. With all this experience under her belt I fully trust her. After dissing my MC skills (or lack of), she went on to tell me that once Ive mastered those lyrical abilities, shes gonna make me a superstar. A brave statement for someone who’s only seen me DJ twice, mid week, and to a relatively average sized crowd. Well this fire she’s lighting up my arse is giving me a hard on. Im gonna show this woman what the Richmeister is about. Ive always thought that Australian DJ’s are dog shit. They don’t have the 90/10 mentality and they lack charisma and craziness. Well this DJ possesses both on a grand scale. You wanna turn me into a rockstar Laurie......LETS FUCKING ROCK!

In other news, Im going on a hot date with a bird who I class as being the hottest girl in NT. I’ve gotta feeling this week is gonna be awesome.
 

I always suffer from it when I have something on my mind. I can’t sleep because there is a region in my subconscious that just won’t let me drift off into the wonderful land of sleep. Everybody suffers from it from time to time and I guess the elements that drive it are the same for most. It tends to be, for me, when I’m in a depressed state, stressed or experiencing unhelpful thoughts. It took me ages to grasp the concept of the latter but I’m much better at understanding my emotions now and insomnia just hasn’t been bothering me; until recently. But it’s not all negatives that lead to an over active imagination. Another symptom of insomnia could be excitement, like when you’re a kid on Christmas eve and you just can’t switch off because you know the event the next day is gonna be like the best day ever; Its irritation if anything! Not being able to switch off because your mind is focused on something else. Well for once in my life this lapse of insomnia isn’t from depression or unhelpful thoughts. This bout of insomnia is being caused by my complete enthusiasm of the future and where I’m planning to go next.

I came to Australia for a new life in Sydney, but things didn’t work out. I wasn’t happy with my new chosen career and the future started looking very bleak, very quickly. At first I was disappointed, and then came the loneliness, then the depression, then the anxiety, then darkness. Then along came hope, then a vision, then an epiphany. Good friends got me back on my feet and suddenly a great new me resurfaced to life. A lot of valuable lessons were learnt from my first few months in Oz. Since leaving Sydney (and probably Melbourne too) life has been great. While in Tully, I realized that I could push myself further than I ever believed imaginable, what felt like mountains to climb were actually mole hills to simply step over, and since being in Darwin I’ve completely forgot about what it means to be in a black hole mentally. I’m living again and I’m doing it in style. I have only eleven months left here in this awesome country and that thought alone has spurred me to push the boundaries of what I can achieve even further. I want to make the next chapter of my adventure something more than just great. I want to make it, epic.

And I know just how to do it.

Well that’s it then, time to move on again. I’ve been in Bundaberg for four weeks now and worked a pathetic SIX days! It may be more of a holiday visa that I’m currently on but obviously work is essential for survival. It’s a big shame cause I really wanted to stay here with Maryanne a good while longer and earn some hard dollars through proper graft but after bumming around waiting for work to come to me for the last few weeks, it’s time for me to pull my finger out and admit defeat. The recession has beaten me good and proper in Queensland and so it’s time to find a new job, in a new state, with a new friend, and a new hat!

Ruffey is the name of my new partner in crime. His main concern is finding work to fund his trip to Asia to teach kids how to speak English. He was earning bucket loads of cash last month picking avocados at Oolloo farm (stupid name) but after the farm fell into liquidation his employment was terminated leaving him in the same shitty boat as me. I walked down to his house yesterday and suggested we make a trip up north and luckily enough he agreed. I don’t mind travelling alone (it’s not like I’m a stranger to it) but admittedly I do like travelling with company. I woke up this morning after only 4 hours of broken sleep and was just full of optimism and faith. Me and Ruffey hiked down to the library and got busy with our research. Pearling in Broome (Western Australia) was my first thought but after speaking to a nice young lady from the Broome Recruitment bureau I was quickly persuaded against the idea due to low demand for pearls. After spending $30 of phone credit speaking to several hostels in the Northern Territory it was soon decided that that was gonna be our next venture. I phoned a travel agent to get a quote on a bus journey. $715!!! Err....no. Next stop; train station. It was here we booked our train and flights for tomorrow morning 9am and it is then that we shall be making our merry way to Darwin for only $300. SOLD; to the man in the hat with his new found partner in crime, Ruffey.

Ive a strong feeling that its gonna be an interesting and fun week ahead.

Ok, heres the rules to Mickey, the best drinking game ever (in reference to last blog).  Ive tried to document them the rules the best I can. Enjoy....

RULES FOR MICKEY!

Essentials:

• 2 x dice
• A small table (an empty beer box is ideal)
• A pint glass
• Plenty of alcohol

The aim of the game is to roll the highest number per round with two dice. Lowest number has to skull the drink in the middle of the table. When a drink is consumed it must be refilled before settling back down on the table, failing to refill the drink results in another skull. If during a round a player throws a 3 (2 and a one) he is automatically pardoned from skulling the drink and is safe in that round as he has rolled a ‘Mickey’. The loser of that specific round (the person with the lowest roll of the dice) will have to skull double the drinks because ‘Mickey’ has been rolled. If a second ‘Mickey’ is rolled by another player then the skull for the loser is doubled and keeps doubling to every Mickey rolled. Example; 1 player rolls Mickey, 2 drinks are skulled, a second player rolls ‘Mickey, 4 drinks are skulled, a third player, 8 drinks etc.
Dice rules:
2 and 1 rolled is always Mickey. If a 3 and a 1 is rolled that is the lowest number that can be rolled to a ‘Mickey’ and results in that player having to skull one drink. Each player has 2 rolls of the dice. If a player scores a high score on his first go he can keep those numbers but if he rolls a bad throw he can have a second chance. If the second roll is a lower number than the first roll though he must stick with his second roll and cannot use his first. Only two chances per person, per round. A 3 and 1 role on a first go always counts as a skull and the player has to roll again, if the same numbers are rolled he is instantly the loser. If pairs of numbers are rolled these are counted as 100s. So two 1’s is 100, two 2’s is 200, two 3’s is 300 etc. If non pairs are rolled i.e. five and a two, the highest number becomes the ten and the lowest the unit (2 & 5 = 52, 6 & 1 = 61 etc).
The drink must be skulled if
• A player takes the dice from another player (they should always be taken from the table.)
• A player rolls the dice off the table to which ‘Mickey’ is being played on.
• A player forgets his numbers thrown on the dice.
• A player forgets to refill the glass when he returns it after a skull.
• A player fills the skull glass and the froth exceeds 50% of the total drink.

Have fun now.