What's been happening in Arthwollitown?

It's been some time since my last post here, so I'm going to do as full and complete an update as I can about what's been happening with my life.

First, I have moved out of Waramanga, and in with my parents. In a couple of weeks I'll be moving to a lovely little two-bedroom townhouse in Page where I'll be living by myself for the first time in my life. It's a little bit terrifying, but also exciting.

I've been a driver-partner for Uber since the beginning of March, and it's the best thing ever. No really, I'm not being sarcastic about that. Drunk people are hilarious. Damn, I'm sounding sarcastic. I'm not being sarcastic - I really do enjoy Ubering.

For a start, I get to make my own hours. Since I don't like being on the road for more than about six hours at a time, I've been regularly going online at about lunchtime on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and working until the early evening. Friday and Saturday I start at about 6pm and work until 11:30 or midnight, which just happens to be before the time that the really obnoxious drunk people want to go home. So that's about a 36 hour week that I aim for.

I'm often asked if anyone has vomited. Seriously - that's almost the most popular question. No, no-one has vomited in my car. I have had one close call, but she managed to get the door open before she spewed in the gutter on Bunda St. She has been my only one-star passenger since I started doing this. Pretty much everyone is super-cool.

No, I don't get politicians - they have their own drivers - but I certainly do get political and party staff. When parliament exists, I make several trips up the Hill each week.

The craziest ride I've had is a guy I picked up in Dickson and took to Giralang. He had white-guy dreads and a bottle of hooch in his hand that I was getting drunk from just by being in the same car. After laughing uproariously about the fact that I was wearing a shirt and tie, the first thing he said to me was "yeah, this morning I was up in the Brindies picking mushrooms and now I'm tripping balls!"

One time quite early on, I picked up a guy at about 12:30 on a Friday night (Saturday morning, I guess) from the Eastlake Football Club in Kingston, and when I started the trip and saw his destination, I asked "Are we really going out to Murrumbateman?" And he replied "yeah, we're really going out to Murrumbateman." It was about a 45 minute drive and cost the guy about $80. After dodging bunnies taking him out to his hobby-farm home I decided that I was going to close up shop for the night and had a lovely drive home.

I get to drive around Canberra - and Canberra is a great city to drive around in - work only the times when I want to, and meet some interesting and strange people.

So that's Uber. It's fun, and interesting, and it's been keeping my head above water. It hasn't, however, allowed me to build up my savings at all. Hence my new job.

I have a new job. It's with the Australian Bureau of Statistics. For the Census.

Yes, I know.

It's just data entry. I do have some problems with the way the Census has been handled this year, definitely. But at this point I need to be back in the workforce. It's always easier to get a job if you already have a job, and not very many people are interested in employing a 46-year old ex-IT guy who's been out of the regular workforce for a year. So I'm getting back in the workforce, starting the day after tomorrow. Timing could have been better, with the move and everything, but I'm not about to complain.

So that's where I am right now. I do want to have a small housewarming party when I'm moved - I'll keep you updated on that as circumstances warrant.