Fashionably late-to-everything day in Adventures in paradise

I was bringing in trolleys at work today (just something I do to help out front-end whenever I’m returning from a break - Also, customers leave them all outside the front of the other stores, which I’m sure they don’t appreciate) when this guy who was sitting on one of the benches out the front of our store asked if he could use my phone to make a phone call.
I guess he could probably make out the outline of my smartphone in my pants-pocket, as it is quite large (the phone, you dirty-minded people). Anyway, I said “sure” and gave him my phone, you know, like an absolute insane person.
I kept collecting trolleys, making sure to keep an eye on him, waiting for him to make a run for it. I don’t have an expensive IPhone or anything, but it’s still a $600+ish Android. Anyway, he made his call and then he just seemed to be playing with my phone, so I asked him if he was done. He asked if he could make one more call, but I said I had to get back to work (which I did) and quickly took my phone back off of him. Phew. That could’ve gone against me.

Isn’t it’s shame that my automated response is to get ready to chase him, rather than just trust a stranger with a phone call. I mean, physically I did, but mentally I didn’t.
Anyway, I haven’t had any weird calls or messages so I hope he managed to do what he needed to do. I hope it wasn’t a drug deal or anything lol.
I just checked my messages and it says, “Yo it’s Frenchy, send your.. ” and then it got sent to ‘drafts’ so that must’ve been when I took my phone back off him. Whoops. Oh well I’m sure he’ll figure it out. He had a phone with him, so when I resumed work I assume he was either out of credit or had a flat battery. Anyway, that was weird.

It was good to have yesterday off. I didn’t get out of bed until 9:30am because I had a guy over, the same guy from a few nights ago. It wasn’t as good this time but I think that’s because I was probably more bored than horny. Anyway, he’s alright to chat to. We only finished up at around 4am so he asked if he could crash and I let him. Another thing I don’t really like doing these days.

So I made it to Sunshine Coast Pride… as everyone was packing up. It takes about 3 hours on the train/bus so I arrived as it ended. I probably saw maybe one lesbian couple and a couple of rainbow flags outside a few shops on the strip, showing their support.
There was a kind of cute guy on the train, sitting right across from me, that seemed like he could be gay, but probz not.

I finally got a pic of the Glasshouse Mountains. The last time I went up was on that stupid old train with the shutters and I couldn’t get a decent pic of it from the window.

I was almost going to turn around and go straight home. There was a bus going back in 10 minutes. But I didn’t. I saw there was another one in 1.5 hours and decided I’d at least wander around Eumundi. I really shouldn’t have bothered. Even the markets were mostly packed up. I saw the sign welcoming people to pride, but all evidence of a crowd were gone. Just empty awnings. A few people stacking up the last of audio equipment.
I only made it to the local bakery as they were closing also. I wanted a pie but the lady just laughed when I asked if any were left. I probably would have done the same. “Yeah, suuuure mate” 😅

So I wandered around a bit, which you can basically do in 10 minutes. There’s only one main street in Eumundi and a street behind where the school and cop station is. I thought to myself, “Wow, they must be bored shitless.”
I also thought that Eumundi people must be like Byron Bay people, in that they like to go home from work really early. I mean, I get it was a Saturday, but everywhere but one ship was closed up by 2:30pm.

Me bored on Snapchat. It was actually ‘Coplick’

This is how exciting it was by the time I arrived LOL

So I bought a few supplies from the one general store (yes, a general store with the fuel pumps out the front and all) which was surprisingly open until 6pm and went and waited at the train station for my train home. I had planned it so that I would get back to Brisbane in time for Reece’s birthday party that night, and if I caught the train, I wouldn’t even need to transfer from the bus, as the train went right through.
Anyway, the train never showed lol. Turns out I misread the tinted timetable at the station. That train only runs on Sundays, not Saturdays. Which made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. The day the markets AREN’T even on is the day the train runs? Weird-ass QLD trains. The next one would have been at 9:30pm, which was another 5 hours away.
The sign was a little misleading though. On Saturday it was highlighted in blue, which represented Sundays, but in the Saturday timetable it was highlighted in green, even though it said ‘SUN’ so I assumed that meant both days lol. DOH.

Now I was gonna be late back. And I had to wait another hour for a bus. So I tapped off with my GO Card at the same station, thinking it would just cancel it like it normally dispatched, but the fucking thing came up with a screen saying, “Charged $10”
Fuckers! I hadn’t even gone anywhere!
So I rang Translink and got a guy, but he said it hadn’t showed up in their system yet and to ring back in 15 minutes.
So I did that, got a chick this time, and she kindly refunded the amount to my card. Woohoo, something went right!

When the bus arrived, there was a kid seated up the front draped in a rainbow flag, wearing it like a jacket. He was alone, had his head buried down flipping through some pamphlets he had.
I was thinking, “I never saw him there!” and there really weren’t many people. Then he went all the way to the train station and transferred onto it. So the guy was walking along the Nambour train station platform wearing his rainbow Cape. I was so fucking impressed that he didn’t give a shit. He can’t have been any more than 19 and was a skinny-looking fella. I was half-expecting some uneducated hick to yell out something derogatory (given the area) but thankfully noone did. I was prepping myself to stand up for him if I needed to.
He stood near me at the train station but we sat at opposite ends of the train when it departed and I never saw him deboard the train, so he must’ve gotten off at the first station, being a Sunny Coast local.
I guess it’s cos I grew up in a rural area and I know how rife the homophobia can be, even now.
My electorate (Maranoa) is the only one in Australia where less than 50% of residents support gay marriage. So yes, someone like me used to live in the most backward part of Australia lol. Explains my father to a T.

Creeper me again. The guy seemed so shy, but who knows.

So much respect for him seeing him showing his pride here of all places

Finally got back to Brisbane at 9pm. I was wearing things so went home and changed into jeans and shoes and made my way to The Wickham, where Reece’s party was with his friend Sean. I thought I’d missed everybody, but then I recognised Bonnie and she pointed out the Blondey which I immediately knew was Reece haha.
He gave me a big hug and a cuddle. I apologized for being almost three hours late LOL.
Everyone was sufficiently boozed, so I had to catch up a bit. But I didn’t stay long.

Then, like a 6th sense that he seems to have, Ayden (crazy ex-housemate) rings me and asks if I’m home. I said I was out and he said he was coming to say hi with Lachlan. I said, “Who’s Lachlan?” “My future boyfriend”, he replies. Typical Ayden answer haha.
Turns out he’d just seen Andrew walking into ‘Number 29’ (a gay sex-on-premises venue near all the club’s here) but apparently Andrew didn’t recognise him.
I found that very hard to believe. Yes, Ayden looks a lot different to when I lived with him, but I’ve told Andrew that he’s bald now, so I think he’d know.
I warned Ayden that Andrew told me that he was going to come here for a drink, and that he had been warned.
Basically they both want to punch each other LOL.
Ayden just said, “We’ll cross that bridge if it happens’

Next thing I knew, Reece was with Ayden and palming him off to me. I have no idea if Reece even likes Ayden these days. They got along great as housemates but Ayden is known for being a complete cunt, let’s face it.
So I really hoped Reece wasn’t mad at me. Technically I didn’t invite him, he just came to see me whilst I was at Reece’s party… which he probably wasn’t invited to. Haha, whoops.
Anyway, they seemed to be getting along well and Ayden was showing off his new abs to people so I had a bit of a feel. He’s done well! He was always slim though and they are a lot easier to get then

Anyway, I couldn’t find anyone so left to go home. I got home and the housemates we’re having drinks with some friends on the back deck. Coop invited me out with them to The Beat, but I was like, “I was just out!”
Really nice of them to invite me. If I hadn’t had such a huge day, and if I didn’t have work today, I probably would have! It’d be interesting to see what the scene is like these days. I’m so out of the loop.

But I have Mardi Gras this week and am on a week’s holiday. Woohoo!

Last updated February 26, 2017