Return bus to camp
Return bus rans into hole. “Sorry, grader has deceived me.” Ensol gates, wiggle, lowboy, rows of generators, Rundle. Night shift takes over the bus, "any suspension left?" We ran to catch 11.
Dust, all Athabasca soil is in the air. Off the top to the hill, haul tricks crawl maybe fifteen an hour at most, bitumen ore piles make them look like fat beetles, white lights as eyes. Somalian driver smiles as we rush into bus. One bar on cell phone. Dawson is three-level camp for fancy people. Our shack, Tamarack, is just rows of temp rooms.
Evening, camp
Biggest decision of the day. Kitchen 1 or 2. Groups of men stand, study menu intensely.
Older guys chat in chairs near bag-up room:
- We are discussing his options
- Tons of options, you can stay and work here
- Wow, great options
- Are you rolling your eyes, are we allowed to do that
- When I was here, Rundle was a camp
- Hydrolic oil temp sensor. Occasionally throws 360-3. Pegged. 5 volt drops to 2 volts. You old enough to remember when there was stop pegs on gauges
- Engine flooded, she stalled
- (sigh) of course
Toolbox
Travis: six fifty called our lube truck on 35-10,told them to stop let haul truck to pass by. Don’t ever do it, I don’t care who tells you to do. When someone gives directions, even if six fifty, call me or GF. No parking on active haul road. He was passing you on blind side. Little chick, Melissa, this will be on Sunridge meeting this morning. She doesn’t know what she is talking about.
Day
Jun says - fuck this, fuck that. Fuck operators. Fuck fuel and lube. Fuck safety. Fuck mechanics. Gay mechanics.
- you're too generous with your fucks.
Jun starts counting and limiting them. Puts on “Fuck this job” by Wheeler Walker.
These are nine year olds, trapped in 30 year old bodies. And some are 12 year old gossiping girls.
Then Dave Finley, “Stuck on you,” Jun’s favourite song, he says.
He runs math for me. At 32 an hour, with overtime kicking after eight hours, a labourer makes hundred twelve grand. In city, that’s sixty or seventy.
When you don’t wash, time goes by very slowly. But if you pressure wash, hours fly by. Zane drove steam truck right into the sand in third gear. Rear wheels knee-deep. I steam lonely dee eight and daydream. Loneliness, sand dunes, stuck old steam truck, dozer, that dozer will be in mud again soon. I could do it for hundred years.
Evening, shack
Beanie describes seven day, off hitch plan:
One, buddies, drink.
Two, recover.
Three, Edmonton, hotel, fuck a whore.
Four, Saskatchewan, buddies, drink.
Five, recover.
Six, whore.
Recover and back
Morning smoke pit
Sunrise at 4-30, usually seen from bus. at 3-50 , tens of people stand in darkness, smoke, very queit.
Foreman gives instructions . People discuss vaping flavors. Every second word is fucking. Fort Fireweed is a beatiful place. At sunrise, meadows are full of fog, look like foam rivers.
Toolbox
"Lots of fog - leave plenty of space between vehicle if you're driving. Poor visibility. Dont be trying to come off the ladder with 3 wrenches."
Mechanics, Frank, Travis often chill in the office:
- Where do I bill it , AC not working, half an hour spent, works perfectly
Frank: told accounting people we should not be able to change work order history. I go today to February 1 and can delete it. Well , this is not supposed to be, but you guys found a back door
Later, when mechanics leave:
- Easier if we had more mechanics
- We don't want to pay people one forty for paperwork. Frank is always annoyed: I wish management had its shit together with ATW, don't have to change it for these guys every two weeks.
Trey stops by at the end of the day - gives 3 freezies. Jun passes me 2. In office can - "he's grooming you."
- I asked her if she can spit some white monster in my mouth
- That’s a yes!