February 12 - Australia: Cairns, Queensland
A Really Bad Morning
I woke up at 8:30 to run some errands before we had to take Myrt and Martin to the airport. So I got some gas and went to the Big W to buy calculators for the Instructor Exam. Then I stopped at Northern Circuits to pick up the laptop - which they've had for over a week now and which was supposed to have been ready yesterday. And this is where the morning started to decline.
There was a message for me at the front desk saying that they needed my password. Makes sense, so I gave it to them and was told that - because Thomas was out on a job - the laptop probably wouldn't be ready until 4:30 tonight. This was annoying, to say the least, but there was really nothing I could do about it. But I thought, "Now why didn't Thomas call last night to ask for the password?". Turns out, he had left a voice mail message at 4:45 last evening. How could I have missed that call? We were home all afternoon and evening and the ringer on the phone is quite loud. In fact, we were watching TV at 4:45 because Jon and I had a conversation about calling them. So here's what Jon figures happened:
Telstra is the local phone company. They have one 800- number to access personal voice mail and other voice mails. So you can dial this number, put in someone's phone number and leave a voice mail message without having the phone ring. This is obviously what Thomas did at 4:45 because he wanted to go home at 5:00. And we have to wait another day to get the laptop. Schmuck.
To top it off, the "Turbo" light on the truck has stopped working. It kicks in when the truck runs about 2000 RPM, but it has somehow ceased since yesterday. This gave me a minor heart attack as I frantically wondered if I'd put the wrong fuel in the tank. But I knew I'd correctly put diesel in because I had to press the "Are you sure you want diesel?" button three times. Whew. But that still doesn't explain why the light's not working. Could be as simple as a burnt bulb, or as serious as a dead transmission. Good thing we're still under warranty.
Back home, it was 9:30 and Myrt and Martin were still asleep. Monica had told me last night that she wanted to be up at 8:30 to leave at 10:30, so I figured they'd overslept and I should knock on their door. Bad idea. Martin was not at all pleased that I'd woken them up, and so from now on I'll let my houseguests oversleep if they choose. It was all very uncomfortable, and Jon got upset with me because my mood further degenerated after that.
Well. Consider me duly chastised, but also consider me in a bitch of a mood.
Martin's flight time had been moved up, so we all piled into the truck at 10:15: my terrible mood, my pissed-off husband, and my perplexed houseguests. We said our good-byes at the airport and Jon and I prepared to go to the Air New Zealand office to change our flight to LA. Except that we'd forgotten the tickets. This ticked Jon off even more, and we had a very silent ride home to get the tickets and then come back to the airport. Luckily, the flight change was trauma-free, if you don't count the fact that our seats are in the rear of the plane next to the bathroom. On a fourteen hour flight.
After that, Jon dropped me off at the Immigration Office while he took the truck to the mechanic. We decided to meet up at the library when we were done. My mission was to extend our Visas. Our sublettors have decided to stay through at least April 15, so Jon and I can hang in Oz a little longer. I walked in with all the required paperwork, airline tickets, and proof of funds (traveler's cheques). But the government bureaucrat behind the desk told me that the "proof of funds" weren't enough - I have to provide proof of $1000 AUS per person per month. Fine. I can do that, but it means a trip to the internet cafe and back again. Which means this has to be done another day. And what's up with this "proof of funds" requirement anyway? Doesn't Australia want to encourage tourist extensions? More foreign investment, additional local revenues, substantial growth for the tourism industry, yada-yada-yada? Whatever. Just another thing to add to my stellar day.
So after my five-minute trip to the Immigration Office, I walked the block to the library, where I planned to do some studying.
Except, I'd left one of the two books I needed in the car.
Yep. This just keeps getting better.
The Afternoon
After two hours in the library, I figured that things with the truck was really bad and I was glad when Jon walked up at 1:30. It turns out that he'd been on the other side of the library for an hour and a half! The problem with the truck was an old hose that had detached, and it took all of five minutes to fix.
Wow. Something good!
So Jon took me to McDonald's because I didn't feel like making lunch and wanted a treat.
When we got home, there was a message from Thomas that the laptop was ready and we could pick it up anytime, so that was exciting. We went to pick it up, and then spent the rest of the day studying. Physics for me, and I-don't -know-what for Jon. The boy doesn't need to study. He remembers most of what we learned in Thailand. He's a sponge. I'm more like a colander. Such a sad little memory I have.