There’s been lots of talks lately about how well Woody and I have been doing. When we met the owners, they were very impressed with some of our ideas, especially Woody’s glass-bottom boat venture. Stuart said several times that he would fly Woody anywhere to check out boats for sale so we could start doing reef tours and champagne sunset tours and pretty much any other tour idea we came up with. Paul (manager) asked Woody today if he wanted to work as the maintenance man as well as the lead tour guide which would be amazing because it makes Woody Paul’s right-hand-man and also allows us to stay in Exmouth for the off-season because maintenance is needed all year round.

I’ve also been hearing a few rumours from some of the veteran staff that our current lodge supervisor, Noah, will likely be fired and I’ll be taking his place and another housekeeper will be hired to take mine. I didn’t want to get my hopes up about it, but lately Candice has been acting extra chummy with me. I went to her office to chat about work stuff tonight and asked me how I would like being in a management role so that when Candice and Paul take time off (which they weren’t able to do at all last season) they’d have Woody and I running the lodge while they’re off. She was looking at the roster when I went into the office and explained how she would change our schedules to fit theirs, so we’d end up getting Friday-Monday off instead of Wednesday-Saturday. She wasn’t sure if/how it could all work, and she said not to get my hopes up because there’s a lot of politics involved with firing someone, but she said Paul and her adore us and would love nothing more than to run the lodge with us. It’s all very exciting, but only time will tell. I know the chefs are pushing for me to replace Noah, so I’ve got a lot of people backing us. Woody and I are lucky to have one another. We definitely make a dream team.

Also, today Woody has gotten on really well with our first guests, Chistoph and Christine (a retired couple from Austria) and they’ve asked him to organize a private scuba diving tour for them, a tour which Sal Salis doesn’t currently offer. Woody got in contact with some friends in town and set up a private boat tour for Friday with a diving instructor. Candice and Paul were so impressed with Woody that they’re allowing him to go on the trip with them all day Friday. I’m so proud of him. He’s been working so hard.

Last night, we had an impromptu staff party featuring a table dance party, drinking games and “taste-testing” every type of alcohol you would imagine. I don’t think I’ve laughed that much in years! We got off work early because Paul wanted us to “enjoy our last day of freedom” before all the guests start to arrive. Rather than going snorkeling or going for a group picnic/hike like I suggested, we ended up getting day drunk which continued into the late night. I was exhausted and ready for bed by 8pm, but when I mentioned I was going to bed, Candice threatened to “fire my silly ass”. Paul agreed saying, “If you go to bed, don’t come to work in the morning!” After several sassy exchanges, they attempted bribery instead saying, “How about if you stay up for another hour, you can have any bottle of liquor you want.” I grabbed the bottle of Makers Mark whiskey, a handful of shot glasses and lime wedges, and took a seat at the table. The rest of the night was rather hazy. Frenchy (our sweet, young dishwasher) was taking photos and videos of all us buffoons. Candice and Paul started a dance party on the big wooden dining table, but at this point in the night I decided it best to head for bed before I ended up falling off the table. It was funny eating breakfast at the table covered in sandy footprints, surrounded by a bunch of sleep-eyed employees of this crazy lodge. Regardless of how hung over we all were, we pulled off the opening day without a hitch and all did really well. Luckily, we only have two guests at the moment, four arriving tomorrow, so it’s quite a soft opening.

I’m in bed now, waiting for Woody to wrap up his night. He volunteered to serve dinner tonight, so he’s been working all day and night and is still going. If he doesn’t stop in the next half hour, I’m going to go back to the lodge and open a can of whoop-ass so he doesn’t burn himself out. Until then I’m going to sip my chai tea, read my book and enjoy this cool 25 degree night. I hope I still love it here this much by the end of the season.