In which Dan proves that dropping all that cutlery was leading to something.

When I cook, I tend to spin the cooking instruments around my finger. I hold a knife and I have to wait a few moments, so I start spinning it round my fingers, same with forks, ladles, potato mashers you name it. I do this with pens, pencils and when I go for walks I pick up sticks... why you may wonder would I want to keep doing this? Well yesterday I found out.

I don't know how many people back home I told about this, I wouldn't be surprised to find it was no one but I had applied to a job that was advertised in the hostel. It was going to be Australia day and there was going to be a massive firework display on the swan river, apparently the biggest firework display in the southern hemisphere and seeing as I didn't even know there was such a day as Australia day I had not made plans and decided that this would be a good investment of time to make some money. So I rang up and he was like yes... so quite simply I waited until Thursday then turned up at the Glowman stand.

The guy in charge was very keen to assume lots of bad things about different parts of the world, he very strongly reminded me of that British guy who sits in the pub all day and complains false things about foreigners and also doesn't understand what Nationalism is, basically he just likes to complain. Everything I was going to try and sell was glowing except the flags, of which he only gave me five but more on that later. So this Australia day. It took place on the water front where the fireworks would go off from several floating barges (unlike those barges that don't float) and when I got there at four there were already people around waiting. I was given some paper work and I had to count out how much stock I had in order to check with the spread sheet. So I had a trolley, two big bags or glowy stuff, my rucksack and my hat... very important. I started walking... but there was no one around buying. I felt very much out of my depth straight away and felt like all eyes were on me. I knew that with things to sell I had the perfect weapon to avoid peoples' gaze and by looking at them I got them to look away from me, but that was still hard to do. I circled round and felt very bad. I was waiting for that delicious first sale but it wasn't coming... I felt like quitting as I was fed up of moving around and being too shy to hassle people to buy my crap.

But I am not a quitter and instead I made my way over to this large field that was the picnic area and just sort... of stopped. There was a large mass of people moving from the entrance and across the field and I knew that if I stood in their path then they'd all see me and decide for themselves if they wanted to buy something and sure enough I was approached by three girls. Now I'm not trying to boast, I am merely saying that doing this job is more evidence that I am not inept or geeky to a socially problematic level. People call me quiet and shy and mumbler but I'm saying these are not problems I have... anyway moving on. These girl wanted to by a flag and one of these awesome light sabre things which I spent the whole evening wanting to fight someone with. It was the first sale and it was a massive confidence boost. My time standing in the field yielded the sale of all my flags and made me really want to get some more to sell but after going back to Glowman he couldn't help me... which is silly because he was explaining how not many flags sold, yet I was asked by five more people if I had any flags and I don't know how many others looked on and saw no flags when they wanted some... anyway I had glow things to sell now. Three girls who were also attempting to sell things swung by me and asked how it was going. The problem I saw them having was that even with three of them they only represented one stand and therefore any monies they made would have to be split between the three of them. I advised they try and soak up the crowds as they entered and they said they couldn't... as one of them had an ex boyfriend in that direction, hmm...

So I decided to move on. Sales on the glow sticks went on, I sold all my flags. Then I decided it would be awesome to put on the flashing ears and glasses and I proceeded to walk along the busy path at the waterfront. This is where I was sure something would get robbed but I kept an eye out and things seemed to be going well, although I wasn't selling anything. Then I bumped into Paul and Claudia who were walking along. That's when I got my picture taken and was laughed at, yet somehow by then I was just enjoying it rather than feeling really bad. Some drunks got into the picture too and it was all very funny. Then suddenly I was being asked for stuff and I sold two or three things. I finally moved on and caught a big crowd coming past me and more things were being sold.

Then four girls came up to me, excited and a little drunk and bought some things. I sold three ears including the ones on my head and something else. Then as I was gearing up to move on one of the girls came back and told me that the ears they'd bought didn't work. I checked them over and agreed but at that moment, the moment where I was taken aback by something not working this lout nips by with his mates, we're talking same age as me or older with broad shoulders and just picks up one of the sabres and disappears into the crowd. I was carrying two bags, was dealing with a customer and had the trolley to manage so I couldn't go after him. The girl said something but I showed her I was in no position to move after him. I traded ears and she insisted I take a swig of her mixer can, which I did ohoho the celebrations. Then she started asking me whether I did this all the time and I was like no, a one off and then she asked me what I was doing on Saturday and whether I went out at all and I just replied that I was going to Wai-con and we talked a little more and she stepped off saying have a good evening and then once I started moving again I realised that she had just been hitting on me and I didn't know what to think, but I did laugh.

I moved on and sold a group of sabres to some Indian ladies and their children. They kept insisting I lower the price but if I did that I wouldn't get any money for them, but I didn't tell them that. If I chose not to sell them I wouldn't get charged either as the stock carries over to the next event. I sold some more to other people and then moved around and saw someone completely wasted and being stretchered into an ambulance. I was asked by loads of people how much stuff was and they all thought it too expensive. I bumped into some more one day sellers like me and they were doing about the same. I like to think I was doing better as I was moving around on my own instead of in a two and I had at least a half smile. Then the fire works started going off and I started to watch them. Then I bumped into the three girls from before who were also selling things. The thing about these people is that you know if you met them elsewhere you'd get along really well with them but instead you're never going to see them again, its getting over this that makes a mature social life. They were trying to sell during the fireworks and while at first I was tempted to just watch I did realise that these fireworks weren't anything different to what I've seen before elsewhere so I started to try selling too. I did actually sell quite a few things too.

Then the evening started to wind down. The fireworks ended and people started leaving. You'll love to hear this, I walked right down close to the exit, turned around and waved light sabres like mad and hoped people going home would be interested... and they were. But I also got some people asking if they could have anything for free. Then these people that were asking just wouldn't leave, they weren't pushy either though but they did get in the way of two girls, I think they were twelve, who bought a pair of flashing glasses each. The worrying thing about that was that while most people were spend conscious these two were like, right, yep, done... some families have too much money o_o Then I got fed up and gave this woman the glasses I was wearing on my head, they'd been on most of the night and they were no longer in a bag, and then I claimed they were stolen :P

At the end I unloaded over $200 but my pay was less, but receiving $83 for walking around seems pretty good to me. A guy that appeared at the end though made over a hundred and I felt sheepish at that.

Now enjoy me looking very serious.