Ads, Rain, Cricket and Ricki Lee...

There are too many ads on TV...especially on Ten...every 2 mins and 34 seconds (the shortest time between ad breaks when I was watching House last week) or so, an ad would pop up...now, I understand that companies pay big $$$ to plaster their names and products across the screen....but seriously, guys...ad breaks that last longer than the segment of show that was what people originally tuned in for? Seriously?

The inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 series has finished, with a to the line outcome in the final...last over, the Chennai Super Kings (led by MS Dohni) were 163-5, with the Rajahstan Royals (Warne) chasing through some of the inning...then it came down to the last two overs...the Royals were needing 18 runs of 12 balls...long story short, last ball, of the last over...with scores level...Royals did it by just running...great effort by Tanvir and Warne to get back though....good fielding by the Kings...anyway, final score after 20 overs CSK 163-5, RR 164-7....and USD1.2 mil richer...

So...how was the first day of my new job with Queensland Hospitality and Security Services? It was wet...very very very wet...and I was under cover most of the day too...I was at Corbuld Park for the Ladies Oaks Day...but it rained...to 0900 on Friday, there was 58+ mm of rain, plus abour 20 from Thursday...it was soaked...I was put on the Admin gate, so only Turf club members, committee and people with a good reason were allowed through my way...there was about 3500 people in the end, but only 54 came through my gate...including Ricki Lee...which was rather interesting...I've rubbed shoulders with dignitaries and famous people before (like Hilary Clinton and Peter Brock), but they were always made up to look like they normally do on TV or where ever you see them...Ricki Lee, on the other hand, just got off the plane, or something, and arrived quietly at the side entrance...and looked like every other normal person on the street...except she had one of the guys with her and her manager (I think anyway) and obviously the turf club's PR person...or was it the radio stations' people...something like that anyway...yea, she was standing less than two feet away from me...which was rather cool...smelt like vanilla...dressed in jeans and a cardigan...about half an hour later, she was dressed like the singer she is, skirt, shoes, make up and everything...and off they went...during that time, we had a jumper...well, a group of them actually...there was about six of them, but one young kid (couldn't have been older than eighteen. which was why he was probably refused entry in the first place, or for intox), broke away and started running around...I was still at the gate, listening in to Adrian (who was in the sector next to mine) saying into the radio that the guys were running all over the place and to send back up...next thing you know, there's this head peaking out the side of the wall, and I'm looking straight at him, and just shouted at him...he gave up, but kept walking away (I'm on the other side of this fence)...called it in on the radio...and all these guys come bounding over and boof, down he goes...since he was in a double enclosure, the cops actually arrested him for trespass...but man....it was MESSY...in the first ten minutes of the race course actually opening, there was 23 refusals/ejections for intox, and before lunch, there was six arrests...there was one guy that was glassed on the side of his face/head with a bottle, and the guy that did the glassing had his fingers hanging off...there was a dislocated shoulder (no one really knew how that one happened...just the bloke came over and said, "Uh, I think I've hurt myself...") had girls who were drinking all day stand up and just go plunk...mud, water...they ran two races, then had to abandon all the other races, it was just too wet...and bloody dangerous too...there was fights and all that breaking out (when you put lots of alcohol [there was supposed to be about 11000 people there that day, so they geared up for 11000 people...when only 3500 show up...you do the math], limited space to stay dry under, and a cold, wet and windy place, tensions are sure to erupt)...glad Grace didn't go like she kinda planned...it was bloody dangerous...

Anyhow, wet boots and all, signed off finally at 1730 (which was earlier than the planned 1900), and asked if and where I was going that night...Sully said Redcliffe...which is about an hour and a bit away...yay...so, off I went with Clay (the Supervisor for the night)...the whole shift in the gaming room....very interesting for me...people who know me know I don't mind putting some through the pokies...so I was surrounded by 280 of them (the maximum in QLD apparently) and nearly a million $ in money...it was interesting working with the guys too, there was a few tips that Clayton (another guard) told me and showed me about IDs and all those things, or how to notice little things (that I probably used to do as well subconsciously when I was a punter instead of a guard)...quite a learning curve...and fun...finally got home from a wet first day about $270 richer...at 0400...long day...

Saturday was still raining...and in the afternoon, got a call from Sully going, Nick, you're at the Sands Tavern tonight...at least it's a bit more local, and familiar too (Lee started there his first night, and when he used to be there I got a lift in with him and walked to the Pig for drinks, and walked back later in the evening if he was still there)...so, started at a private function, then to the main door for the bands that were going to be playing that night...and learned more about IDs from Whopper (who's been doing this for close to 35 years), tricks with stamping people with pass out markers, how to look for things...again...it's all a learning curve...Steve (who I've met and talked to numerous times before from when he was a guard at the Pig) also helped me with little things, as did Tony (the Sup for the night, who used to be at Chancellors, the pub nearest to where I live)...all in all, a good night...could have turned messy, but didn't, thankfully...the lead singer for one of the bands celebrated his birthday at midnight...and had the bright idea to climb to the top of the speaker stack and jump into the crowd...yours truly was standing next to said speaker stack, which was a good 2.5 m high, and when the idiot climbed it, it started wobbling over the top of me didn't it...so, there I am, holding up this damned speaker stack while this dude climbed up....and dived into the crowd....now....it could have gone out either way....he crash and broke his neck, or crashed and crowd surfed...luckily for all involved, it turned into the latter, but everyone was still shaking their heads at the idiotic nature of the stunt...

So...three shifts...about $385 and change before deductions...should be a good little thing...so, we'll see how this pans out...haven't had anything major go down yet...but it's still early days yet...

Apart from that, my first semester at the University of the Sunshine Coast has finally come to an end...just got to wait three weeks until my exams...two exams...on the last two days of the exam period...which sounds about right for my luck...

Right, I'm finally sleepy...so I'll head...

Be safe...I'll try to be....

N