Christmas fun

Now that we've had the moping 'poor little peter has to work Christmas' post I'll tell you what I got up to during the festive season. Managed to insert some fun and frolics in between the casino...

Christmas Eve
Since I had today off I decided to immerse myself in tradition and do what the generations of wise Biblical-type folk of yore did during the Christmas period (probably). I got together with some friends and indulged in an all day, winner takes all session of Texas Holdem Poker. Excellent stuff, especially when I was the winner and I did take all! Drinking Wild Turkey all day long, and got home after 12 to have some Christmas drinks with my housemates.

Christmas Day
Seeing as I was the furthest from home I could possibly be on this world, I joined another family for the day. My housemate Jo invited me to spend Christmas day with her family, who live on a farm about an hour south of Auckland (third time out of Auckland in five months!). A veritable feast-o-rama, with dinner making two appearances and a whole pavlova mysteriously disappearing, last seen beside me. A very nice day with some very nice people, marred only by the fact I had to leave early and drive back to Auckland to begin work at 00:05 am boxing day! Nasty nasty casino. I'll have to take Jo's brother in law, Philip, up on his offer to go possum hunting...

Boxing Day
whats to tell? I had to work two shifts because of the day off on Christmas Eve. midnight to 8am, home for a little sleep, then more work at 8pm to 4am. And on a day when I should be nursing a hangover, watching the telly, and eating remains of Christmas Day dinner. Pish.

New Year's Eve and Day
Working again, and the casino was so stuffed it was verging on the stupid. BUT I got to deal in pit 4, where all the expensive tables are, and because of the lack of high rollers, got to talk to random people and watch the cabaret show they put on. Not bad. Promptly went out at 4am and drank till 9 or 10 (not sure), which turned out to be a big mistake seeing I was working again that night. The words "I can't go on" crossed my mind more than once that night I can tell you.

So all in all a very.... different Christmas. Certainly not one of the best, but by the kindness of Jo and her family it was saved from being a total disaster! One thing its made me think about is working at the casino. Its been a lot of fun and definitely a good experience, but perhaps its time to ditch this night work bullshit...