Moving!

I spent my last night in camp for awhile. I am moving into town on LOA. I am guessing for a year a least. It will make for long days on the bus back and forth, but I will be able to get away from camp food and also get back to a good gym. I will miss the camaraderie with the boys at camp but a least I will feel human, or even like a member of society. Another thing is I will have to cook for myself again which is kind of cool, maybe I will be able to lose those few extra pounds I gained since I returned to camp life back in July.

Big money no whammys.

It has been almost a year to the day that I have been in the oilsands. I have finally been made General Foreman. That means I would plan the work and as well supervise the foreman. Sounds hard but really it only gets easier. 200,000.0 a year how am I to complain.

Survivor Oilsands Style.

Take almost 600 guys and put them in close quarters and you get the biggest game of survivor. You have to watch every word you say as Innocent as it might be because it will be twisted so far out of context. It is hilarious to here all the crazy stuff that's goes around and I know I have blogged previously about this, but it is just nuts. A few people get fired at least monthly and sometimes more often for getting themselves in some kind of trouble. Anyways it was one of those days where all you could do was laugh. Oh yeah did I mention I fly home tomorrow? For the first time in awhile I will be home for a few important dates. Sept.25 my wedding anniversary, Sept. 26 my 35th birthday. Oh the humanity! Just joking can't wait to get home.

Blah.

Blah! Winter is coming and the way I have been feeling lately is showing it. One day you can feel like your on top of the world and the next it feels like somebody kicked you in the ass. I doesn't help that over half the people here feel the same way. I know I have a choice and if I don't want to be here I can go home, but it is about sacrifices. If I can manage for a few more years, I can feel comfortable in coming home and doing the things I want to do. I guess it is about putting on a good positive front and just givr! I really miss my family and especially my wife. She does a little better than me because she is around the family. I just work and then comeback to camp to eat and sleep. I think I am turning into a hermit. Sorry about the wining but it helps some times to just vent it out. On a positive note I have purchased my flights to Europe for this upcoming Spring. I can't wait. Later!

Where is home?

Dumb question. I Know where home is but given the amount of travel back and forth from Halifax to Fort Mac, I seem to get caught up in the whole thing. I can honestly say I do like the new job, and as well the opportunities that are available. In the last 18 years I have received my Red Seal in both plumbing and pipefitting. Just recently I became indentured as a apprentice in Instrumentation. What is funny is that my Mom used to say stuff like ( get a trade you will never be out of work). Of course I am working on my third trade. Also she said ( buy a small piece of land, prices always go up). Of course a few years back I purchased 67 acres. Go big or stay home. I know I am getting off track. Actually I didn't realize this blog really had a format.
As mentioned before I am back in camp again and it has been a bit of a struggle keeping those 15 pounds off, I think I gained about 4 back. I know one thing safety on this site is not as good as previous sites, you could be walking over to the bathroom and have to walk right beside one of those large cranes on its way to a different part of the site. Scary. One day my buddy walked behind one of them and noticed bolts flying out of the back of the crane, of course he stopped the crane and showed them the bolts and now the crane has just been sitting there until they figure out where they came from. Crazy.

4 Days in a week?

When I leave home to travel to site (via plane) that is equivalent to a Sunday. The next 19 mornings are Mondays. The last day (day 20) is a Friday. Then of course the next 7 days are Saturdays. You think that is weird, check out the way I count down my days until I come home. Alright I start on the first day, of course you don't count the day your on and of course you don't count your last day of work, so really in total, instead of twenty days, it is more like eighteen. I know my wife likes to ask what happens to the time at the end where you can't anymore days I just say one more getup, she doesn't really understand but that's OK. It is all a matter of perspective. The seven days off are really nice. I have the equivalent of about 13-14 weeks off in a year, that's over twice the amount I would accumulate after years as a civil servant. I know being away from home alot kind of sucks but when you tally up the fact I make three times as much as I used to and have all this extra vacation time, this turns out to be a good gig for a couple more years. In another year, after my Wife and I come back from our second trip to Europe we are probably going to give up Foster Parenting so we can better enjoy my time off. I really enjoy being around the babies but for the most part my wife does all the hard work, she needs a break. Our kids are pretty much self sufficient, obviously they still need some supervision but were getting there. By for now.

Blah Blah

Well I have been on this new site for a couple of weeks and lets just say it has been interesting. The particular company that I am working for is a limited partnership between two companies not from Canada. There is a big learning curve so things have been kind of unorganized. Suffice it to say it has been a little frustrating. I will say this there is alot of opportunities here and I will continue to take advantage of them. I apologize that this particular blog is not very light hearted, but I just got my computer back after almost 4 weeks. I will hopefully be back soon.

Drug Free.

Well of course in order to start working at a new site you must come up drug free. No problem those days are long gone. I am just waiting for my flight intinery. I am looking forward to the next project, it will be a green site no more coke dust flying around. I am also looking forward to seeing the newer camp. Flat screen t.v. with D.V.D., and Internet connection. That's not bad. I 'll have to get used to the bathroom down the hall. It also sounds like a close friend of mine is going to give this a try as well. That will be nice. Although I do have some friends up there it will be nice to have someone from my circle of friends. The new job will be interesting given it is a new company and a new team so to speak. I will like the new turnaround schedule of 20/8 at least when I am there I will work, get it over with and then head home. I will blog soon. Later.

7 days and counting.

Well it is official I am taking a layoff for one week and then starting at a new project and for now a different company. I was lucky enough to secure another foreman position. The new turnaround schedule is also a little better, 20 days on then a direct flight to Halifax for 8 days off. There will be more travelling but I will see my family more often and also make about 45% more salary. That makes it easier to swallow. I will eventually head for home permanently, the only thing is I might call some other place home? I like the idea of moving around for the next few years. My wife has the travel bug and I love to travel. With this job I could live almost anywhere. Since I have been on L.O.A. (living out of camp) it has been hard to blog. I have been busy especially with the extra travel each day. I have since lost a total of 17 lbs since leaving camp, I also joined the local YMCA it has been nice. I will have to work extra hard on not gaining the weight back since I will be eating camp food again. Well signing off for now.

Up in the air.

Well it is the last few weeks before they either send us to another project or lay us off for awhile. Just in time though, my red seal pipefitting exam is in two weeks, this will make future employment opportunities easier to obtain. Soon I will be going home for a shorter than usual break, I want to make the best of the man hours left on this gig. I am glad that I will be starting the next project from scratch, this means years of steady work with no concern of layoffs and such. I figure the way things are going I can pay off my bills and save some for retirement and just work part of the year starting in about five years. The weather is at least warm for awhile, winter was brutal. I have officially lost 10lbs and I am working on at least another 5 to bring me to my ideal weight. Living in camp was not conducive to healthy eating. The first week or so of changing eating habits is the hardest, but after that it is quite easy. I have started to walk and running as well. I am starting to feel small changes. It is hard to find the time to keep healthy, you just have to try to fit it in. See ya later.

The Trap

I'll try not to be to deep with this one. This place can get to you if you let it. I find myself constantly reassuring myself that this is what I need to be doing, even though I miss my family very much. I don't know how people get by even on two incomes. Obviously with a lot of hard work and possibly credit? There are days more often than not when I just want to pack it in and just live a much simpler life. I don't want to sound spoiled or like I am whining, because I do appreciate the fact that others are not so fortunate with what their salaries might be, or even their luck. It is a constant battle with me to find that happy medium, just like everybody else! I finally find a good paying job and it has to be in the middle of nowhere and thousands of miles from home. I thought about moving the family closer but the cost involved and even the cost of living is out of hand. There are no magical answers or fixes, just grin and bare it and hope it doesn't change the relationships with your loved ones or cause any resentments? I lied about not getting to deep I guess when you start to vent, what can you do. I haven't blogged in so long and then I hit you with this one. Oh well.

Superbug?!

I know it has been a long time since I have blogged. Things are very routine out here and sometimes it doesn't feel like there is much to say. I am still living in town and not at camp. I do like it better and have more control over my diet, but it includes more travel time, so there is not much spare time to do other than what is required. I am just recovering from a bad flu and missed work the first time since being out here. Now that the flu seems to be gone unless having sinus type headaches is part of it I feel like I now have a head cold, wonderful. All in all things are good other than missing family. I go home for only ten days in June. The job is winding down so I need to max out whatever hours I can put in. The new shift at the next job will be either 14/7 or 20/8 so I will be home more often but home for less time. That is okay because this type of shift cycle will allow for more actual working hours which means more pay. I fought with myself with issue of being away from family just to make good money and although money is not everything, this way I will get our bills paid down and open the door to a comfortable future. I guess a little sacrifice will be worth it so we will have to tough it out. I really miss my wife, not to mention my whole family but what are you going to do? We are still planning our trip to Europe next April so that is an excitng goal to work towards. It seems far away but there is some planning still to do so time will go by smoothly. I will write hopefully sooner than the last time, by for now.

Home at last.

After what I think, was one of the longest shifts I am finally back at home. It will take a few days to adjust, but I am really happy to be here. For the most part not much has changed around here, and I think that is the bad part. When I get home and look at all the things that need to be done around the house I want to scream. The thing is I am saving for a trip to Europe and as far as I am concerned the house can wait. I prefer travel over almost everything. When I move again It will be to a place that doesn't need any work. Anyways back to the oilsands in two and a half weeks. I am sure the crew will be much smaller when I get back. Like I mentioned before on a couple of occasions,the job is almost complete. I do believe they will shift some of us around to other crews and or other job sites to keep who they can, otherwise then we will have to wait for the other projects to start up or even find other work. Most of these types of projects happen in phases and only take a few years. Having said that, job security is not really the problem, it is the moving around that will get you. I like living out of camp, the fumes at camp are really irritating, not to mention the blah food. There was a small few of us from our crew that went out to dinner the other night. That is nice when you can hang out with the crew after hours and enjoy a conversation not work related. Well I will blog soon, I need to think of other things other than work.

Shocking!

Everything is going pretty well. I have been in my new place for a week and it has been good. Taking the bus back and forth is actually not bad, I get to nap in the reclining seats. I only have a few days to go and I get to go home for a couple of weeks. This has been a long turnaround. I miss home but this is what I signed up for. I think this could be my last turnaround for this particular project, there is not much left to do. Of course I have mentioned before this project is ending and everybody is wondering what's next. I have been emailing resumes, but I hope they find something for me first. As per usual I arrived at work and expected the same run of the mill routine, but no they had to find a dead body on site, just wonderful. We all think it must be criminal because the R.C.M.P. is all over the place. Suffice it to say the plant was on lock down and we couldn't work or leave for hours, finally they left after a bunch of security measures were taken. Now I am home early and taken this opportunity to catch up on some laundry, blogging and just relaxing.

City Of Shuttles

I spent my first night in my new digs. I went okay, didn't sleep all that well. The company that I work for was very slack in giving me the appropriate info on bus routes and schedules. I managed the right bus to the plant, but not home. The bus driver was nice and drove me anyway. I purchased some groceries at the local Safeway. The lady at my new place lent me her truck so I didn't have to walk five km. I can't believe the amount of shuttling that goes on. I had to take a coach style bus down to site and then a yellow bus to the actual plant that I work in. I have seen more coach buses and shuttle buses than I don't know what. They start driving around the neighborhoods and picking up at various spots around 5am. I couldn't imagine living in a 350,000.00 dollar home and being woken up by a bus out in front of my house. Then again this is Boom Town and 14 hour days for most is not unusual. I am about to pass out off to bed I go. 445am comes fast.

It's Official

Well after a few phone calls I have found a place to stay while o L.O.A. It's not bad, a townhouse in the area of Thickwood. At least on my days off I can wonder around town to kill time. For once I won't smell bitumen when outside. I was starting to get a little stir crazy. Again, I will have to cook for myself. I don't think it will be bad at all. After eating camp food for six months I will think that I am treating myself to a five star restaurant. The bus ride to and from the site will be a little longer but I think it will be worth it. There is three roommates, two women and one guy. Funny they are from Nova Scotia as well. Small world eh! I guess I need to start packing up my fold up room. Tomorrow is the start of the first of three, 11 and 3 shifts. A little bit of overtime for once. I can't wait to settle in my new place and then soon after I will be home with my lovely wife and and kids. The next few months the shifts are kind of mixed up, so between now in June time will fly. I will probably be home for the month of July, that will be nice. Hopefully after that, it is off to Albian Sands (Shell).

The Homestreatch

Thirteen days and counting. It has been a long turnaround. I'm not sure why but it feels long. To move or not to move? I have been offered by the company that I work for, to take L.O.A. This means I will be paid 2800.00/mth, to live away from the camp and closer to town. I guess they are trying to free up some rooms here at the camp for an upcoming shut down. If I can find reasonable accommodations I think I will move. This way on my days off I can be in town, where there is more to do. This will also mean I will have to cook my own food and so on. That's OK I am a big boy. My wife will laugh at that because generally she takes care of me. Prior to her I did take care of myself albeit not so well. I can't wait to see my wife and kids. I also hope my mother in law invites me over for dinner. I have lots of little projects at home to work on to keep me busy. I know my wife has a honey do list on the go. We hope to either move out west or for me to find equal paying job back east. This way we can be together more often. My dear wife is such a trooper, she is taking care of our three children and two foster babies with little to no help from anyone. She needs a vacation, as do I. From the information that I have gathered, we will be on this job until at least August. Then where is anyones guess. I will try and update more often, but during the shift I am pretty tired.

Jibberish.

I don't know why, but some turnarounds seem a little longer than others. Just when you think hey, this is easy. Time goes slow. Of course I don't wish time away, on the other hand I miss my family. The job is coming along well, it looks like we will be completed the portion assigned to our crew when I come back after this break. The workers on site are all wondering where, if at all, will we be transferred. It does not really not matter to me much just not knowing is frustrating. I know my lovely wife and I have been debating the possibilities of moving closer, so that we can see each other more frequently. Then there is always going home to Halifax to work. I like the idea in principal, but that negates the reason why I came here to begin with. Money, and just getting away from the regular grind. I can only imagine how many men are thinking the same thing right now. Some guys up here are already retired and some are here because they have little choice. Then there are the guys that are single and just love it. Then of course there is the situation I am in, I like it, but only seeing my loved ones every 38 days is not a way to raise a family. I know if I will have to start looking after my weight soon. I know it is mostly the size of the portions and I also believe it is the way the food is prepared. As the shifts get old, it gets a little harder to find the time to blog, I get pretty worn out. I hope to be more creative in the future. More blogging coming soon.

School days.

I have been a plumber for about eighteen years. It has served me quite well. As mentioned before though it is time to move on. Fortunately the company I work for believes in upgrading and even lateral training. I chose to challenge the red seal pipefitting exam. Up front it will cost x amount of dollars but when I pass I will get that money back. I know plumbing and pipefitting are fairly similar, but it is more than that. I always believe in taking as many small courses that are available. The reason I say small is because of time restraints and financially taking long courses means time off of work. Sure while first starting out going to university or trade school is perfect, but if you already have a trade or degree upgrading with short courses is great. It looks good on a resume. It also keeps you sharp and employers see that you are willing to keep up with the times not to mention challenging yourself. The reason I decided to blog about this, is because I always found it interesting when you ask somebody what made them decide to choose the career thier in, and you get a long convoluted answer. Something like well I started in such and such, and then this and then that,on and on. I find that this is the way people find what is right for them. When I started out in plumbing I was naive, I thought well this is it. I will be a plumber for ever. As I go through life other things have interested me, and so it is these things that driven me to open up my mind and explore these options. Some things have worked out, some haven't. Where am I going with all of this? Good question, well while I am taking this training to get my pipeftting liscense, I have again realized my love of knowledge and already I am looking for the next challenge. I guess I will be one of those people who will answer with the long convoluted stories on how they got were they are.

What's that buzz?

Like any work place with any amount of employees there is bound to be gossip. Along with the whiners. When I first arrived here, I was totally off guard. Some of the people I got to know, would proceed to tell me things, like this job sucks, I am going over the road to such and such plant, they treat their workers better. At first I was like yeah you are right this job does suck. I was pretty naive. I started to figure out that these guys were just complainers, they would complain if it was cold or if it was to warm. People would complain about everything. After awhile, I realized these people were actually not very good workers and made up for it by trying to blame everything and everybody else. I mean don't get me wrong sure everybody complains sometimes, but it was almost to the point where even I believed all the hype and wanted to leave too. The next job we are going to will have a swimming pool, skating, rink, strippers, Tim Hortin's, shopping mall, landing strip, and we will make twice as much money!!!! No there will be no strippers that was a joke and no half this stuff is not true, but believe me I have heard it all. I think I touched on it before, rumours run rampant. I know all this is human nature, but if you get caught off guard you might get sucked in for a minute.

Days off.

Like I mentioned before I am on a 6 and 2 flight program and the work schedule is 10 days on and 4 days off. Although I would prefer only 2 days off, that's the way it is. It is nice to try and sleep in or at least take a nap on demand. There is not a lot to do unless you want to take the free shuttle to Fort McMurray and go shopping or something. Or in some peoples case they like to party hard while up here whether in town or at the camp bar. Personally I am here for the money not to give it away. You can only play pool or throw darts so much. I worked out back east quite a bit, but have a hard time getting into a groove up here. Not to mention the gym is small so when you do get into the mood, the gym is busy. Catching up on laundry or maybe tidying up your room is a way to kill a couple of hours. I also like to read and for this particular trip I am actually taking a course so that I can challenge the pipefitter red seal exam. I think this trip is going by pretty good. I do wish I could be home and able to do this type of work, so I don't miss out on time with the family. We are getting by alright though. I know my daughter who is ready to test for her driving liscense would like me to be there because my wife doesn't have the nerves to drive with her. Blogging is a good way to dwindle some time away as well. That is also a good point, if you bring a computer you can hook up the internet and use that to keep you busy too.I have a T.V. but it is hard to get used to the channels and scheduling, so most times I miss the programs I normally might watch. If you have a CD player or game system or like to watch DVDs or something, thats also a good idea.

In the spirit of drag up day.

What? Drag up day is the last day of shift when you allow the last remaining hours of shift to clean up the site. Why use spirit in the same sentence? Maybe this could be a movie idea? Zombies with a split personality rise from the dead start telling jokes and even ask fellow zombies if they want to hang out and even go partying before returning to the depths of hell on Tuesday(start of new shift.). It is amazing to watch the transformation, not to mention going through it yourself.

Old habbits die hard.

As mentioned in a previous post I am here for the money. Also important to me is that I break some cycles or habits that have bothered me over the years. Like I said before 18 years of plumbing has been a great experience, but time to move on. Unfortunately going back to school to retrain is out of the question. I would not be able to support my family. To walk away from a career and start over for most people would be very stressful. It is a little for me as well but instead of complaining about how things need to change I like to do something about it. The only thing is just changing careers is not that simple, especially when you have a standard of living to deal with. I don't mean a high standard but just a regular standard, eg. like making 20-22/hr in comparison to 14-15/hr. Working as a certified trades person allows a certain standard of living.I may not have all the skill sets to obtain a job with similar re numeration. Again that's what brought me to Alberta. To be able to escape my old career without jeopardizing my financial situation. The crazy part is that when ever I am home on my turnaround I always manage some plumbing for somebody, but that is coming to a stop, ( I disconnected my cell phone).

Ground hog day.

To elaborate on my most recent post. I will try to relate to you a typical day on site. After finding all your crew members and foremen ,(it is really not hard there is a pre determined place to meet). It is call a sea can or maybe a temporary hoarding of some sort. A sea can is a container off of a ship that is used for the purpose of storing equipment and most of all a place to hide and keep warm. While standing around waiting for your foreman everybody tells jokes and teases one another. This can be quite amusing. Cultural diversity is very accepted here.My crew alone has East Indians,Chinese,Newfoundlanders,Nova Scotians, Cape Bretoners(yes I know Cape Breton is in Nova Scotia),Flatliners (from saskatchewan),Albertans, French guys from New Brunswick. I am almost positive that it is these situations that racial jokes come from. I don' t mean the bad ones, I mean ones like a Newfie and a Flatliner walk into a bar and see this Chinese guy, blah blah blah that type. I never laughed so much. When you put that many different backgrounds together you are bound to have a lot of mis-understandings. Once the foreman arrives, the work scope is discussed and any questions that come up are answered. Now we must fill out our THA's (task hazard acessments). This is basically a list of all the type of work that will be performed and how it should be done safely. Now that these are completed and signed off by the foreman work can begin. The workers will now gather all tools and or equipment for the jobs at hand a venture out in the massive plant. When work has started and you walk up onto one of the tall platforms it looks like little worker bees building a hive for there beloved Queen. In this case it is the oil company, and believe me they act like a Queen. While all this work is taking place there is a lot of machinery moving around like zoom booms, man lifts and of course big cranes. When I first walked on site I thought there was a murder I never saw so much caution tape. The caution tape is so that areas can be designated for work that might be above or in the imediate area. Cross red tape your fired. Unless you are the one working within the red tape. You can tell who are the electricians they wear yellow hard hats and newly hired labourers wear green for three months and then there are blue hats which is all other tradespeople like pipefitters,welders and labourers that have been on the job longer than three months. Of course then ther are the white hats. Don't piss off a white hat. Some are just regular foremen which can still cause you trouble, but some are general foremen or supervisors and even safety personale, its hard to tell until you have been here for awhile. All of the above can spell a quick ride to the gate if you piss them off. I always feel like I should go home with a prize at the end of the day, with all the beeping and whistles and horns not to mention the odd rig rat alarm, I feel like I am in a huge outdoor casino. A rig rat is a sour gas alarm if one goes off or a you hear an air raid siren walk don't run to the nearest muster point and gather with all your crew members so when the plant blows you can all blow up to together. One of many other things that don't come to mind right now is safety. Saftey is the most important thing out here this makes every thing go very slow. There is a lot of procedure so if you are used to working fast then you better hurry up and wait because this plant won't get built in a day. It will be a lot of days just like today.

The March Of The Penguins

This is only my cynical look at things. It is not meant to offend or deter anybody from coming out here. I actually don't mind it here, but if you don't laugh you will cry. A typical day for most workers in a camp setting. Wake up between 4-5 am get dressed, head to the cafeteria. In the hallways it is like the return of the dead, zombies everywhere.In the cafeteria, line up in a orderly fashion to get your rash ins. Everything from scrambled eggs to french toast or hot and cold cereal. After indulging in this great feast it is off to the lunch line. Everybody scurrying around in this little room that I am pretty sure used to be the morgue. There is a huge variety of sweets and also sandwiches with leather on them. Or is it sliced turkey? There is fruit and vegetables which my guess is were picked months before they are ready so they would be some what edible by the time it got here. Now off to line up for the yellow bus. On the bus you would think you were in the waiting room at your local walk in medical clinic. Getting sick is pretty common given the amount of people here and the close proximity in which everybody works. The air is also dry not to mention probably filled with deadly toxins. Now the twenty minute bus ride to the bomb shelter. What!! bomb shelter yes the building that we take our breaks in and hang our jackets is a legitimate bomb shelter. If you don't have the right footing when you open the door to go in then you will put your back out. Time to swipe in on the electronic head counter. Usually most workers arrive 45 minutes early to read the paper and have sulphur water A.K.A. coffee. At about 6:45am it is time for bible chat. This is when the high priest tells us our work scope for the day and to be safe or we will fire you. And believe me it happens. 7:00 time to put our fireproof penguin suit on as well as our earplugs and safety glasses, gloves and balaclavas and of course your hard hat. Then we all march out on to the job site and try to find our co-workers because everybody looks the same and acts the same not to mention it is so loud and your screaming at one another you can't recognize voices. I 'll have to admit it can be pretty funny because it took me a month to recognize who all were on my crew when there safety gear was off. Obviuosly there is snow up here I was hoping that might fit into my penguin theme.

Rewind

Why am I here? Good question. Well right back to trade school eighteen years ago when the economy was slow in Nova Scotia the hype was go west. Eventually I did. My brother was living in B.C. at the time so I left the girl I was with and took off. I'll leave all the personal details out and try to stick to the story. In total I think I stayed out there for about a year. I was only an apprentice but it still paid well. Like most people I ended up back home. Twelve years have passed since then and many changes in my life. One thing has always been constant about me, I am a bit of a free spirit I like to kind of make my own rules as I go. I have never held a full time job for more than three years. It is this reason I decided to open my own business. I am far from lazy I just always like to be in control. My business worked out quite well, the only thing is that the business side of it is not my thing. Getting work was a breeze, and actually for most of the businesses life I had multiple employees. I just sucked at the books. Eventually this wore me down. I ended up meeting somebody special and we settled and married(completely another story). Over time It was hard to live a normal life because my hours were late and the phone never stopped, not to mention having multiple employees is like operating a adult day care. So I gave it all up just like that. Then of course I said *%*#$@$$$*&^ for lack of a better word, because now what. I never worry to much, there is always something. I need some kind of career now, so I completed the Nova Scotia Real Estate course but didn't follow through with the exam, I figured that type of work would be just more of the same when it came to personal time. I also applied to the RCMP and passed all of what they could throw at me, unfortunately my financial situation held me back from that route. I could have taken a job with any plumbing company that was hiring but eighteen years is enough. Not to mention the hourly wage in N.S. is not bad but not all that great, (20-22/hr). After some phone calls I took a job with the company I am with currently. The pay is good and as I explained in a earlier post 38 days on and 18 days off so I make double what I did home and also have roughly 117 days off a year. I know not any more than the average but longer cycles so I can plan out vacations and such way easier,(like another trip to Europe in spring 2008). Oh yeah did I mention for three of the twelve years I was back in N.S. I worked for the municipal government as a Plumbing and Building Inspector, good job but turned out it didn't fit my personality. Does this job fit my personality? I really don't know, but it is a good job for now and we will see were it takes me. I miss my family. Yes that means you as well M and G.

Hows the kids

As per my ritual after getting off the school bus from work its straight to the cafeteria. Its about 6PM and that means 9PM back east. My wife is awaiting my call so she can go to bed. Picking out something good to eat is difficult there is no denying it camp food sucks. I am sorry and generally I complain about very little and in fact I am not because if I can't change it why bother. I mean there is lots to choose from. Lets see there is steak Monday, I don't know because I won't try it. Bet you will never guess whats on Tuesday for supper. Yup beef stew or something like that. Kitchen catch atore serves up some of the kitchens best left overs. Thanks but no thanks. Fried chicken I think is somewheres in there, the reason I say think is because I have noticed less Ravens flying around camp lately. And of course fish Friday I am pretty sure these fish are caught in the trailing ponds down at the refinery. Seriously there is always some thing to eat, it might not be Wolfgang Pucks but it is free and if you want it hot there is a microwave. After a quick shower and call home to my wife and kids it is time to unwind a little which is nothing more than a blog or two and possibly some reading. 4:45 AM comes quick.

Fooled them again

I made it through my first day back. And as my good Newfie friend says (we fooled the again). Its no secret that most people here are from down east. Other than missing my family a lot you quickly become part of a different family here. In turn this makes the stay palatable. When you first arrive on these types of sites you must be oriented which includes a few short safety courses that you have to attend. It is during these sessions that you start to meet the people that become part of this family away from home. There is a varied amount of structure here. This includes getting to the cafeteria at the allotted times and getting the right school bus to work. Yes I did say school bus. The nice thing is that everybody sort of watches your back. If somebody can help they will. You learn to get around pretty quickly and make friends fast. There is no place for big heads here.If for some strange reason you can't get along with somebody you just ignore them. If you get into a squabble or fight chances are you will be fired. It is really that simple. They have us here to work and they don't mess around. It is not unusual to see a garbage can full of hard hats. I call it a cleansing because if they don't see a group of people working out SEE YA! Or the most famous TO THE GATE!

Mission time recovery.

Flying back and forth from Alberta does present a time problem. There is three hours difference between here and Nova Scotia, so guess what? I have been up since 3AM yikes! One way I can try and correct this is by going to sleep a little early and trying to actually stay on east coast time. It will take about a week. This way when I do go back home for my turnaround I will be roughly on the same schedule,sort of.

Today will be my first day back to work since Feb 8/07. Even though thats only about three weeks or so it feels like a long time. I have heard there are a few new guys on are crew. The one thing about this job is that even though I am foreman of the crew , there is another foreman that fills the void when your gone. This takes alot of stress off you because there is nothing to think about when your gone. Honestly when I am off , I sometimes forget I even have a job. Today of course that is not the case.

Well I finally made it!! Travelling to Fort McMurray only took four days. Not really but Mondays flight was cancelled and today being the earliest I could try again. It didn't start off well after sitting on the plane for oh lets just say awhile , captain calmly announces that due to a oxygen problem flight will be delayed. Wait, no the flight has been cancelled. So after re-booking for the next day which of course means a third forty minute trip to the airport, and obviously having to inform super mom. Wait a second flight is back on again. Now of course all connections will be missed. Doesn't matter I am leaving if even if I have to flap my arms real hard. Anotherwords I will take my chances on making some connections somewhere. Now I am back at camp. The routine begins. The food at camp has not changed, I guess my wish didn't come true or better yet maybe they just didn't read the comment cards I left.

Getting ready to head out.

Hi my name is Mike. I am from Nova Scotia. I am a Plumber and Pipefitter by trade. My super wife is a nurse (she no longer practices) nursing schedule is tough to work around when you have school age children. That brings me to the next thing, we are foster parents. Well actually she is for the most part I no longer work in Nova Scotia. My job takes me to the oilsands on a six week and two week rotation. Currently we have two infants which is why I call my wife super. Somehow my wife manages to take care of all these children and sometimes more. This weekend past we had two toddlers for respite care. Yes thats seven children. Its no wonder I am actually looking forward to flying out tomorrow. No really I don't mind the kids,but my time is up its back to camp I go.