Shit show

On first day of shift: Mikey, oh, Mikey, what are we doing here..let's go back to Medicine Hat.

At camp, not less than three people tell me "welcome to the shit show."

I brought my own PPE, but Nanton hands out stuff during safety orientation. Claudine, trainer, shows photo of pickup overran by hundred-ton haul truck. Felt like a bump.

Ray will pick you up and take you to yard. Nanton pickup pulls up. You Ray? I get in. You a dozer guy? No, maintenance. Radio chatter – this is not Ray S., this is Ray Fox, foreman, and he’s there to pick someone else.

-Your English is good.

-oilfields, foreign operators

-How long have you been in Canada

- three years

Ray drives around the yard, introduces to mechanics. Beanie– all tattooed. Who do you know in Nanton? First thing we do is turn that hard hat backwards.

People greet each other, first day of hitch, morning, 4 am:

- What are you doing here?

- Overtime, fuckers!

- I thought you told me the line where I will get hit.

- The line is you are fully retarded

More chatter on 5 pm return bus.

-Someone got yelled at on radio, told shut the fuck up!

- what channel is that ?

- Projects 2

- I gotta get on that channel

- third person: these are voices in your head.

Steam off caked mud from all hoses, torque box, steering, struts, transmission to prepare for mechanics. Takes two days to clean 777 thoroughly. I learn everything that typically breaks. Earling guy, comes to inspect, crawls under, points to areas that need more cleaning

Ray: its fucking Earling guy, let him do it.

Love and hate.

Carl, introducing me to the team (after three days):

- this is LJ, he worked at oil site at …

- China? No, on Caspian Sea…

Nova Scotia, Chilliwack, Medicine Hat, Anzac, Athabasca, Edmonton, Victoria, Kelowna, Calgary, Lloydmister, Newfies, New Brunswick. Small towns defined as “I live 2 hours outside of” name city.

Belmonts are 26.5 in commissary

- fuck

-that's why I get mine, thirty a carton

Many smoke Canadian Lights. Native cheap cigarettes. Filter falls off if you hold it too long in mouth.

-they have less tobacco, so you can't smoke them enough, smoke twice as much.

Lockout /tag-out training, permit office. Pulled from cleaning job. Walk in dirty as fuck.

- We got here HDM, fuel and lub, electricians, all are maintenance. We call operators here drivers. Because operators here are plant operators.

Nanton is building north mine expansion, it's all new, unmarked territory. Water guy couldn't find it. When I mention we are between gate D and RMSP 12, another guy says - “that’s where we got lost.”

Two new mechanics. Dick and Victor. Nanton hired them, did not ask for anything - no abstract, no CVP, no crane inspection.

Walk over to Victor. Bushing sleeve stuck in hoe boom. Tried to cut it out, no go. Sledgehammer? This one won’t do it, bigger one. He holds punch pin, I swing. We switch.

- Swing it!!

In concrete days, clamps would get stuck on hoses. After we’re done:

- you’re not just rail guy, you had people reporting to you, eh?

- little rail crew

I oversaw ~500 kbbl/d export logistics operation before coming to Canada.