Aramac, Week 2

I've been in Aramac for a week and a half, and I still stand by my initial opinion (see earlier post). I'm having a good time doing cool stuff and I'm never really bored-- it's just that there is nobody that I have anything in common with. Example: nobody has heard of Kanye West. When I mentioned that country sucks and rap is way better, a cowboy named Davo winked at me and said, "I think I know what you want", then walked over to the jukebox and played Coolio's 1995 hit "Gangsta's Paradise" & Eminem's 1999 ditty "My Name Is." So as you can see, it's really no big deal, but little things like that make me miss civilization.

I've already met 90% of Aramac's inhabitants, and will now begin to introduce them, beginning with the major players:
Greg: My boss, 40 years old, prematurely grey. He's so nice. He doesn't care about money, just casually drinking and hanging out with everyone. He's great.
Judy: His fat wife-- like, enormous. She spends most of her time sitting in her house, because she hates drunk people. Ironic that she owns a bar, huh?
Axelle: My 30-year old roommate. She doesn't speak much English and thus my sarcasm is beyond her capacity-- I think she just thinks I'm a bitch sometimes. We get along fine, though. I taught her the word "sucks"-- as in, "man, the produce in this town sucks." She is a vegetarian, and is heavily judged by the locals for it. She likes to complain about her weight a lot, and barely eats anything.
Merv: 30 year-old townie who has made it his mission to take me on adventures. He loves to show off/brag about how tough he is- chauvinistic, like most of the guys here. They think they're always right and girls are always wrong. Which, obviously, doesn't sit well with me.
Ampy, Finchy, Marco, and Graham: Old dudes who come into the bar every single day to suck down alcohol, bet on horses, and make lude comments towards me. Example: Kelly: "Can I grab something for you?" Finchy: "I can think of something you can grab, and it's right down here." Graham (who has wild grey hair/beard & a glass eye): "Yeah, do you like sex?" And so on and so forth.
Kym: Toughest gal in Aramac, around 25. Tried to intimidate me away from Merv (people think we're dating, which we're not, yuck), but decided that she like me better. Bought me tons of drinks and hung around me for hours. I have just discovered that she is a bisexual prostitute. Yikes!

There are many, many more that I'll introduce in later posts. My days are uneventful but relaxing. I work pretty much every day, either from 10-4:30 or 4-10:30. If I'm at work, I serve the drunkards and try not to kill myself as they play that Kid Rock songs for the 5000th time. If I'm not at work, I usually go for a run, swim in the creek, read, or watch VHS's. Or adventure, sometimes. Merv took me to Lake Dunn the other day, and I got to ride on an inner tube behind a speedboat. Today I have just gotten back from a run, but have realized that there is no water in the whole town. Like none. I don't know why. So I can't shower. I smell bad. I'd go to the dry goods store to pick up some water, but it's only open for about an hour a day. Maybe I'll hydrate with a cold beer. Sick.

A couple other little things:
1. I clean rooms for extra money, which makes me feel like a pauper.
2. I said that I was rooting for the Chicago Bears, and the Aussie folk laughed for at least an hour. Apparently "rooting" means having sex. Charming. Australians are so crude.
3. The stars are really pretty here. I wish I could let you see what I see, but a photo just doesn't capture it.
4. We just got a slushie machine!!! The whole town came out for its debut. The guy who installed it is basically a travelling salesman and is full of stories, jokes, and little presents (candy!). I was forcibly reminded of the tin salesman from Farmer Boy, for those of you who enjoy Laura Ingalls Wilder...it might just be Dad who gets what I'm talking about.
5. I have uploaded some photos. Mostly of Aramac, for Mom & Dad's benefit, but there are a couple of Brisbane & Sydney. They're pretty boring, but here is the link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31757538@N08/

All for now. I like reading updates about other people's lives, too, so please email me!