Update from the metropolitian hub that is Fraser Lake. I've been working hard, did a couple 12 hour shifts the last couple nights that almost wiped me out. My body is starting to feel the strain, but I'm still healthy and people around here seem to like me.
The food is still grade A, tonight was steak and prawns night. It's supposed to be a dry camp, but with the kind of crowd this kind of work draws, you can imagine how well that rule is observed. They don't have ice, so you can't really keep beer around, and all the really have for mix is every kind of juice you can imagine, in te cafeteria, so I've taken to vodka. Not that i'm drinking a lot, shit, I don't have time for much of anything, after dinner, gym, and a shower, I have like an hour before I go to sleep. I keep a mickey in my desk drawer and have a screwdriver, now and then. :)
They have an interesting situation at Endako mines. Since the job we are working on is an expansion on an existing mine, the mine in opperating, as we're bulding the new portion. This wouldn't even be noticable normaly, since they are completely seperate buildings, but there is a constant cloud of SO2 (sulfer dioxide)being pumped out of a stack at the top of the hill, and when the wind blows westerly, that smoke comes right into the new plant. It's nasty shit, it doesn't have any lasting effects, its not like we're all getting poisoned, and we're all wearing air quality monitors, so that if it exceeds acceptable levels, we get the hell out. It sucks to work in though, it burns your eyes, and makes your throat all raw, and you can taste it when you breathe in. Last Sunday we had to get out, and man were people bitching. One thing about working on a union job like this, everyone thinks they're are fucking doctor or a lawyer. I just kept thinking, "suck it up cream puff, we're all fine, we all followed proceedure, and everyone is safe." You'd think we were working in a reactor meltdown, the way people were acting. So funny to see grown men, especially burly tradesmen acting like babys, because they got a little smoke in their eyes, and their throats. We sat around for 4 hours, and got paid, while most of them sucked back half a pack of cigarettes and bitched about a little SO2. :)
I miss my girls, I miss my friends, I miss home. I especially notice it on weekends. I seldom even realize what day it is, but if for some reason I realize its a weekend, all I can think about is home. Maybe its because I usually get my girls on the weekends, maybe its because I usually get to have a life outside of work on weekends. Whatever the reason, homesickness hits me hardest on the weekends.
I'm here for the money, and its coming in fast. I got paid last thursday, for my first 5 days + travel pay, and its about what I would normally make in 2 weeks. They're tossing around the option of a night shift, which would suck for my turn arounds, because I'd be trying to adjust my schedual all the time, but for another 6 dollars an hour I, told them I'd do it. We're still waiting to hear back as to whether or not my crew is going to nights. I figure, i'm here to work, i'm here to make money, the more money they want to throw my way, I'll take it, for as long as my body can handle it.
Tomorrow is fathers day. It's gunna be a tough one for me. God, I miss my girls...
Saturday, 18 June 2011
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
20 More to go.
I arrived at camp, with Ron Feilding, two days ago, after a long 9 hour drive to Prince George, a night at the PG days inn, and another 2 hour drive to Fraser lake, where the camp is located. It's like a compound, all fenced in, and built of portables, but like 100's of portables. I'm in D pod, room 6. It's about the size of a college dorm room, single bed, 20" TV, desk, and a closet. (w/ no hangers) The internet is really slow, even loading pages takes forever, especially in the evening, when everyone is on it.
The food is amazing. The first night there was BBQ chicken and salmon fillets, last night was ribs and chicken stir fry, I had a cherry cheesecake for dessert. there is always potatoes cooked in some way, rice, mixed veggys, pasta, a full salad bar with like 4 different salads... just unreal food. Every morning I have 3 eggs, toast, a bowl of fruit salad, orange juice, and like half pound of bacon :) I'm seriously going to be so fat. Luckily they have a gym and I've been using it, but I can't imagine ow i'll ever be able to burn as many calories as I'm takng in here :)
There are lots of old guys here, like i'll bet the mean age for the whole camp is like 50. Makes me think that in 10 years there is going to be a rediculous amount of work. :) There are maybe 6 girls i've seen in camp, most of them are native.
I had my first day yesterday. (i'm writing this in the morning because the net is a bit better this time of day) It was a full 10 hour day of orientation. This stuff is boring when you only have to do like 2 hours of it (on most commercial sites) Everyone was falling asleep in their chairs after about 5 hours of it. :) They gave us a bunch of cool schwag though. I got a new hardhat, a cartrage resporator, tool leash, 4 pairs of sweet safety glasses, (they're like oakleys, but safety glasses) a new high vis vest. Today, we're supposed to have another half day of orientation, (yippy!) but we were told to bring our tools, so we might get to do something today.
The food is amazing. The first night there was BBQ chicken and salmon fillets, last night was ribs and chicken stir fry, I had a cherry cheesecake for dessert. there is always potatoes cooked in some way, rice, mixed veggys, pasta, a full salad bar with like 4 different salads... just unreal food. Every morning I have 3 eggs, toast, a bowl of fruit salad, orange juice, and like half pound of bacon :) I'm seriously going to be so fat. Luckily they have a gym and I've been using it, but I can't imagine ow i'll ever be able to burn as many calories as I'm takng in here :)
There are lots of old guys here, like i'll bet the mean age for the whole camp is like 50. Makes me think that in 10 years there is going to be a rediculous amount of work. :) There are maybe 6 girls i've seen in camp, most of them are native.
I had my first day yesterday. (i'm writing this in the morning because the net is a bit better this time of day) It was a full 10 hour day of orientation. This stuff is boring when you only have to do like 2 hours of it (on most commercial sites) Everyone was falling asleep in their chairs after about 5 hours of it. :) They gave us a bunch of cool schwag though. I got a new hardhat, a cartrage resporator, tool leash, 4 pairs of sweet safety glasses, (they're like oakleys, but safety glasses) a new high vis vest. Today, we're supposed to have another half day of orientation, (yippy!) but we were told to bring our tools, so we might get to do something today.
Friday, 3 June 2011
Endako mines! I'm coming for you!
My ride has arrived! I leave Sunday morning for Endako mines, near Burns lake, BC. I'm driving to Prince George with a guy named Ron, who I met at my drug test (for the job) on Wednesday. We'll be staying in a hotel Sunday night, and driving to the camp Monday morning. I start work Tuesday morning.
21 days straight, 10 hour days, 7 days off. I got the job through the plumbing union, I took a "pipefitting" job, which is apparently allowed as a journeyman plumber in BC, and through the union. I just can't take "Steamfitting" jobs. So, not only am I going to be working some crazy hours, but I'm going to get my full journeyman rate!
Everything happens for a reason, if I would have gotten the job in Firebag, I never would have found this job. It's so hard to see and beleive that from the other side, while you're sitting there "waiting" for something to happen. But when you can look back, and see the steps it took to lead you to where you are, it all makes sence. This job has me salivating.
I'm going to miss more of my summer, but at least I get a full 7 days of time off when I come back to town. Not only that, but they are basically the best weeks of the summer, as both long weekends fall right in the middle of my time off. I'm not going to see my girls for like two months! From July 4th until August 23rd, that makes me sad. I've never been apart from them for that long, not even close. At least they'll be having a blast with their grandparents, and aunts, and uncles in Ontario.
I'm hoping that the job lasts at least 4 "turn arounds," and not much more. I mean, don't get wrong, its going to be hard to turn down that kind of money, but I just don't know if I have the fortitude to be away from my kids for that kind of time. 4 or 5 months, will be enough to full pay off my debts, put a good chunk away as savings, and get me back on my feet. It would be nice to know there will be a job waiting for me to come back to, but that's so far down the road that I couldn't even hazard a guess at it. That's kinda why I hope the job doesn't last any longer then that, because if I can get laid off then I can come back and collect EI and look for work, debt free, and I won't have to feel like if I don't get work the next day that my kids are going to starve. If I don't get laid off, and work hasn't picked up around here... well... I'll probs have to keep going north. Again, it's so far down the road that it's not worth worrying about, especially since I just got the best news I've had in a very long time.
I'm not sure that i'll have access to internet at this camp, and I know that my time is going to be pretty limited regardless, and I'm going to be tired. I'm going to be falling off the face of the planet for a bit here, so if you're reading this, and you haven't seen or heard from me in a long time. I wish you all the best, and I'll catch you all up when I come back to earth. I love you all.
21 days straight, 10 hour days, 7 days off. I got the job through the plumbing union, I took a "pipefitting" job, which is apparently allowed as a journeyman plumber in BC, and through the union. I just can't take "Steamfitting" jobs. So, not only am I going to be working some crazy hours, but I'm going to get my full journeyman rate!
Everything happens for a reason, if I would have gotten the job in Firebag, I never would have found this job. It's so hard to see and beleive that from the other side, while you're sitting there "waiting" for something to happen. But when you can look back, and see the steps it took to lead you to where you are, it all makes sence. This job has me salivating.
I'm going to miss more of my summer, but at least I get a full 7 days of time off when I come back to town. Not only that, but they are basically the best weeks of the summer, as both long weekends fall right in the middle of my time off. I'm not going to see my girls for like two months! From July 4th until August 23rd, that makes me sad. I've never been apart from them for that long, not even close. At least they'll be having a blast with their grandparents, and aunts, and uncles in Ontario.
I'm hoping that the job lasts at least 4 "turn arounds," and not much more. I mean, don't get wrong, its going to be hard to turn down that kind of money, but I just don't know if I have the fortitude to be away from my kids for that kind of time. 4 or 5 months, will be enough to full pay off my debts, put a good chunk away as savings, and get me back on my feet. It would be nice to know there will be a job waiting for me to come back to, but that's so far down the road that I couldn't even hazard a guess at it. That's kinda why I hope the job doesn't last any longer then that, because if I can get laid off then I can come back and collect EI and look for work, debt free, and I won't have to feel like if I don't get work the next day that my kids are going to starve. If I don't get laid off, and work hasn't picked up around here... well... I'll probs have to keep going north. Again, it's so far down the road that it's not worth worrying about, especially since I just got the best news I've had in a very long time.
I'm not sure that i'll have access to internet at this camp, and I know that my time is going to be pretty limited regardless, and I'm going to be tired. I'm going to be falling off the face of the planet for a bit here, so if you're reading this, and you haven't seen or heard from me in a long time. I wish you all the best, and I'll catch you all up when I come back to earth. I love you all.
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