14. Danger, Danger...High Voltage!

14. 

Danger, Danger...High Voltage!

So I started my new job this week. I did a full weeks worth of training last week and now I'm out in the firing line. I won't lie it's a bit monotonous, but what call centre work isn't, right? It seems like a pretty decent company to be working for, good staff conditions, decent salary, etc, but at the end of the day...how exciting can it be supplying electricity to people? It isn't exactly the 'sexiest' industry to be in be involved in. 


I've learned quite a bit about the energy industry over the last week and a bit, and there's no way I would have bothered to learn a fraction of it unless it was my job. It got me thinking about things I've learned in life since I left school and how I may come to use these skills throughout the course of my life. I know a lot about current accounts, loans, interest rates, mortgages, etc from my time in banking, a useful thing to have. I know a lot about the telecoms industry from selling mobiles phones, frequencies of LTE networks, copper cabling and fibre optic. I now know about hydro-electricity, meter readings and carbon pricing. But forget all this nonsense. The thing I have learned that I shall cherish the most. The piece of knowledge every man yearns for. I know how to make a Big Mac. Boom!

I've ventured away from the Sherlock Holmes stories for a while because I was recommended a book by a lad I work with. It's called 'Killing Pablo' and is about the Colombian drug cartel Pablo Escobar. Some of you may have heard of him, especially if you watched Entourage (It's the film Vinnie Chase made called Medellín). It's a great read and documents the rise and fall of a man who made billions of dollars through drug trafficking and was responsible for thousands of murders throughout South America and the U.S.A. It's a great read so far and a fascinating story, I strongly recommend it.

Teddy, the new addition to the household, has been getting to know his new surroundings and exploring the place. Yesterday he got to know the fish pond a little bit more than he would have liked to and fell in head first, resulting in him looking like a drowned rat. See below. I do think he quite enjoyed the treatment he received afterwards though, being snuggled in a warm towel for an hour or so. Legend.

Only three more weeks until I venture off to Fiji. I can't bloody wait! Thinking of investing in a new lens for the camera before I head out there because the photography spots on the smaller islands are supposed to be fantastic. There'll be plenty of snapping taking place and I'll be sure to put some of the best ones on here for your viewing pleasure.


I was down the pub on Friday, having a few after work beers with some of my mates, and I decided to get on the Guinness. I've not had it for a while but I get a craving for it now and again. When I asked the young lass behind the bar for a Guinness and black she hadn't got the foggiest idea what I was going on about. I then proceeded to try and explain what blackcurrant cordial was, again to no avail. I promptly gave up, settling for a standard pint of the black stuff. It's time like this when I do feel properly foreign in Australia. I guarantee I could go to any drinking establishment back home and order the same drink without a bother, but if it ain't a 'pot' or a 'schooner' and it ain't lager, they ain't got a bloody clue, mate. Friggin' Aussies.


I'm heading up to Sydney at the weekend for my mate Nathans' 21st. If previous outings with him are anything to go off, it should be a pretty drunken night. I once challenged him to down a bottle of wine in under a minute. The gun did it in 21 seconds. I'll probably forget to mention it next week, so I'll give me a mention now. Happy birthday you big, lanky, southern piece of shit.




I'm still very much aggrieved to be missing out on the Olympics back home, I don't think I would have necessarily gone down to London, but I would have most definitely gone into Manchester or Liverpool and watched it on the big screens, or even down the local with everyone and felt a part of it. From what I read on Sky News or Facebook most people seem to be enjoying it and soaking it up back home, which I'm pleased about. A personal highlight as a spectator was seeing Bradley Wiggins sitting on a thrown after winning a gold medal. Just look at those side-burns!

Here his a transcript of a conversation I had with an Australian man over the telephone today. This was the first and last time of speaking to him.


MAN: "Yeah?"
ME: "Hi it's Daniel calling from Red Energy"
MAN: "Hey Dano, I've been waiting for your call"
ME: *slightly puzzled* "Oh yeah?"
MAN: "Yeah I've been waiting to tell you to get fucked mate!"


Got to love the gentrified old Australian blokes. To be fair he probably gets harassed by companies on a daily basis and I had it coming to me. 

Now I know I always write this, but I do actually mean it. If there's anything you would like to read about, see more of or you just have some general feedback about the blog, please don't be afraid to leave a comment telling me. There's the option to do so anonymously too.


Hudson Out.