Black Dog

G'day.


Yet another fun filled week, some interesting moments in it. Not entirely sure where to start, so I'll try the beginning.

Monday was pretty uneventful, which was good, it gave me a chance to unpack from the previous mine stint and get back into the Gladstone way of operation. Tuesday I ended up helping the installer with a taxi... taxis are the same the world over I have discovered, impossible to please. We put all the metering, taxi signs, cameras, and everything in, so it is a mammoth task as you may well imagine.

Wednesday I had a bit of a lollipop job, a mine not too far away had a failed repeater which I had to go and swap out. It took longer to travel there and back than it did onsite actually doing the job. I like those nice straight forward ones now and again.

Thursday was when it all started to get more interesting... The catalyst which started my main problem I believe is my new computer. You see, on the previous evening I was playing counter strike online and decided to remove my wallet from my back pocket, where I was sitting on it. I placed it next to my keyboard with the intention of not forgetting it. That was well and good, and I continued to be slayed by my online counterparts, until I finally decided to go to bed. Next morning, I of course arose and loaded my pockets with the usual junk I carry around, but of course my wallet was not on my bedside dresser where it usually lives, it was still camouflaged on my computer desk.

You can probably see where this is leading, but of course I ended up at work without my wallet. Now, this would not normally be a major problem. One would usually be able to carry out their daily tasks and it would not affect production whatsoever.

However, of course, being my luck, today was the day which I had booked in to go and apply for a marine security card. So come 9 o clock, I went trundling down to the marine office with the appropriate paperwork. We went through most of it, and then came to the point where she requested my multiple forms of ID. Feeling smug at this point, as I had remembered to put my passport in my pocket, I retrieved it and she ticked it off. She then asked for my drivers license as a supporting ID document, and, fully prepared to hand it over, I reached into my pocket. Which of course was empty.

After a brief period of minor panic at realising my wallet was not there, my mind immediately recalled where I had left it. A second or two passed, where the cogs in my head were frantically spinning, trying to think of a way around the problem, when it hit me that I was indeed sunk. There was no getting around this one. I sheepishly confessed to the lady that it appeared I had misplaced my wallet, and the corresponding license which she was requiring. She immediately froze over, and became icily cold. (I suspect she thought I was a terrorist trying to break into the secure marine environment and had forgotten my forged documents.) She informed me that she "was incredibly busy today" and I would have to rebook at a later date. Which turns out it will be 2 weeks in the future.

So, I left, kicking myself for such a simple mistake which on a normal day would have 0 repercussions, but today had me totally snookered. As it transpired, I was also booked in to obtain some safety glasses too, which I also required my wallet for, so I ended up going home and retrieving it.

The day continued to get better and better. I had a job about an hour and a half south, so I jumped in the car and took off. Made it to the site, it was pouring down with rain. This was supposed to be another easy as job, swapping some batteries out and plugging in a power supply. How difficult could it be. Firstly when I opened the door a huntsman ran at me from the left, and a giant lizard from the right. It took me a few seconds to identify the lesser of the two evils and I ducked towards the lizard. Huntsmen are really really fast, and this one was doing his best to beat his high school sprint record. He shot behind the rack where I was about to begin work and hid. The lizard meanwhile shot out of the door and took off. Regaining my composure, I began working on the rack, expecting Mr Huntsman to reappear at any moment. I eventually spotted his legs around the back of the rack, so I figured as long as I could see his legs I was pretty safe. I don't believe they would usually bite, but I wasn't intending to find out.

Anyhow, after putting all this new gear in, I fired up the existing on site UPS and discovered it was completely shot. So I jerry rigged the system to run without the UPS and took down it's name and number in my notebook in a manner consistent to that of any good police academy.

So, I proceeded to jump back into the car, and drove back down the road towards Gladstone. It was pouring down, cats, dogs, small elephants, you name it. I was driving along, thinking about the fault, and how to best solve it, and eventually started to think the road was a little different to how I remembered. Dismissing it as just my imagination, I continued on. 25 minutes later, I reached a T intersection leading to Bunderburg. Which is the opposite direction to Gladstone. Realising I had missed the turnoff, I turned around and retraced the 30 KM which I had overshot the turnoff by. How I missed it I have no idea, there is a large restaurant and a huge sign pointing down the road... I must have been completely immersed in thinking about the fault and not concentrating on directions. I remember when I left the site and started driving I thought "next major landmark is the next town", but I had of course forgotten about the turn off. So my autopilot kept going, expecting to see a town. So that added 60 KM to my trip for not much gain really.

Friday was marginally better, for a start. The original plan for the following week was I was going to be going to Callide mine on monday for an induction, and then putting a tower up at Callide later that week. That was sweet as. Then, it was changed late Thursday night, that I was going to Callide for the induction on Monday, and then going to Clermont to put up a tower there instead. (That's about 500 KM away). So, I was all prepared for that plan. Then the guy from Callide rung me up asking if I had a current drug screen, which I had not. And I was miles away, doing a vodafone fault, so I had no chance to come into town to get it done on the Friday. So the induction at Callide was postponed, and I was going direct to Clermont. Ok, no worries. Carried on with the task at hand, finally got back to work about 4:30, and the supervisor tells me that the plans have been changed yet again, and I now am going to Moura all next week.

Turns out the guy we had lined up to do the Moura work did the induction and one week training, and then threw in the towel and got a job with another crowd out there instead, and gave us 2 days notice. IE, the weekend. So if I ever meet him I might have a word or two to say to him.

That's the way it goes over here at the moment, you never know where you might end up at a moments notice. On the bright side, it looks like I might end up with this guys vehicle, on the down side, it appears to be falling to bits. Anyhow, waste not want not.

Righto, I think I've rambled enough for one sitting, I better go and prepare for... the unexpected.

TTFN.