Day 316! I had a very short work shift today, but it was still a nice one. I also attempted to go to the beach since I have been CRAVING a beach day… but alas, it wasn’t a very successful one.

I woke up this morning to a bright and sunny day! But I unfortunately couldn’t do much outside with my morning because I had things to do…

First things first was getting ready for my day and eating breakfast.

I had a short shift of work at noon today, but before I headed out, I needed to complete my RCG application.

The course was the first step and the two “tests” during the course were the second. But there was one final step which was another test sent by the licensing committee. It essentially asked very similar questions to the other quizzes and was pretty much all common sense questions about what to do in specific situations, what information to provide, and how to gauge the severity of someone’s gambling problems.

The quiz had unlimited attempts, but I aced it on my first one. I spent the time I had left reading before walking up the hill to work.

My shift today was from 12pm to 2pm, so not a very intense one. Added to that, the bar was very slow. BUT because I finished the RCG quiz and my account updated, I could start helping out with the Kino and tab desk. This is for anyone making racing bets or bets on the game Kino which is a strange number gambling game.

I definitely have a bit to learn on this front, since my training had nothing to do with these systems (it was just about how to assess and assist problem gamblers). I did serve a number of people drinks and picked up plenty of glasses. But it was super slow and only two hours, so it was an easy and quick shift.

As I was working, the sky started getting dark, which was very disappointing! I’ve been wanting a beach day, but this rain has been getting in the way.

On my walk home, I decided to hop to the local grocer real quick to buy a few cans of tuna. And then I decided to stick inside for a bit and see what happens after I ate lunch… and sure enough, it started to rain.

So I sat and watched the end of Bleach while it poured outside. The main series of Bleach, consisting of 366 episodes, was super good, but there’s still more to watch. But I wasn’t going to start the next part of the series yet, because it looked like the rain was done for now.

So I made the decision to attempt a beach trip (emphasis on attempt).

I hopped on my bike and headed to Pippi Beach. It might have been the lack of sun and a bit of a breeze, but this ride was much easier and quicker than the last time biking to this beach.

It looked like the weather was going to be in my favor. So I set up camp, popped in my headphones to listen to the audio book (Girl, Forgotten) that I’ve been listening to on my beach trips, and relaxed.

But even with the sun peaking out infront of me… a bout of rain, that wasn’t on the radar came sweeping through not long after I lied down.

I decided at first to tough it out. I was on the beach, in a swimsuit, and my stuff was in a waterproof bag. So what would the rain change… but, it started picking up a fair amount, and it wasn’t the warm rain from Thailand.

So in defeat, I packed up and headed up to the park above the beach and listened to my audiobook in a covered pavilion. The rain was pouring around me which was a nice touch while looking out over the ocean. Eventually it did come down to a sprinkle and I decided it was clear enough to bike my way back home.

Thankfully the ride was mainly downhill on my way back, so it was nice and quick. When I got home, I took a warm shower and laid back down in bed to start the new arc of Bleach. The animation and story were insanely well done, so I got sucked in quick.

I took a bit of a break when I looked outside and saw a gorgeous sunset happening. So I went and admired it and then had dinner.

I cooked up some more chicken and had leftover noodles and sauce. But when I finished I was still hungry… but I was out of snacks, I definitely need a grocery store run on the sooner side.

Thankfully, the local grocer was still open for a few more minutes. So I quickly hopped over to the store and bought myself some yummy snacks.

It’s been a bit since I’ve had popcorn, it’s one of my favorite snacks. But I also found some mint chocolate cookies which were INSANELY good (especially frozen) and I also found some dairy free magnum bars, which is perfect for me so I don’t have to suffer the consequences of enjoying ice cream.

I got back to my room and watched a few more episodes of Bleach before reading a bit more of my book. Everything I’m consuming right now (book, audiobook, and tv show) are all at some amazing points and are all very exciting. They’re all hard to put down.

But, time came to call it a night. So I reluctantly closed my book before heading to bed.

Tomorrow morning I should be going to the beach with my friend Will before my shift starting at noon! We’ll see if that ends up happening, but I’ll be going for sure since it should be sunny out!

ALSO! While I was at the beach (before the rain came) I got in contact with the surf instructor in Yamba, that my coworker suggested to me. And I have two lessons scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday of next week!! So I’m very pumped to have that on my schedule too!

– Elie