Minimum Wage

Since I have too much free time the team hooked me up with a job at a local baseball/softball gear store called Fielders Choice. Everyone who works at Fielders is on the Perth baseball or softball team, so it's more of a casual hangout than job.  Our store doesn't put prices on anything so depending on how well you know the workers and how loyal you are to buying at Fielders, the prices you get vary. Basically we just make up a price when you ask... this has to be illegal, but no one seems to think it's weird! I've only worked one day so far but in that day I managed to shoot off multiple emails, catch up on perezhilton.com, and even creep on facebook.  While work may be dull, our pay check is not! Minimum wage in au is $16.70/hr but most retail places pay around $20. In addition, your work buys you lunch everyday and you get paid during your lunch break. I'd love to bring this concept back to the states!

While I'm not punching the clock at Fielders I am also coaching a grade school softball team. It is the least competitive form of softball ever! We have a team bag filled with floppy cloth gloves and one metal bat that each home team needs to supply. The girls use a glove from the team bag and then leave it at their position so the other team can use it while we bat. While the softball may be at a low level, my girls treat every play like it is the game winner of the world series! The girls are 13-14, so even the littlest thing gets a full minute of high pitched screaming. Even though I usually leave the games deaf I still love coaching these girls. The school that they go to is a preppy private boarding school where they were polo uniforms and sweaters. They love trying to talk to me in an American accent and they always bombard me with 50 questions. So far we have only lost once and our last game is on Thursday so hopefully we will place first in the league!