Evening, shack

Ken asks me how do I like F&L.  I say very much. He is pleased. "After some time gets monotonous.  But beats being at the end of the steam wand all day. "

Under, I say, under the dozer . Ken never talked to me before.

- We bought (grader)

- Wow, you saved couple hundred bucks, shade in Derek’s voice.

I sense the real knob is how operations run fleet and PM, not buying.

-Whose bottle is this. Been sitting here for a while

Ken walks by - scoop it, put it in your prison wallet

- How was your day?

- Another day in paradise

- I texted Greff about that , he did not reply, so I ignore him, talked to HR, HR talked to all guys leaving, Dustin is doing Ray’s job, Beanie is apprentice, HR says oh (derision in Evan’s voice) we really want to focus on apprenticeship program.

At the end of my first hitch, five mechanics left. Nanton is desperate for mechanics – kind-ish.

Evening at camp

Dick, doing Dick things, during supper:

- The lady at the counter did not like my joke. She was like “anything else?”. I try to talk, but she is “anything else?” and I said “and then” from Dude where is my car. She did not like that

- Is she Asian? I ask

- No!

- I appreciate what you do, Frank, you’re bit cunt about it

- I fake it

- Seven business days, open the fucking work order (Frank fumes over Miles’s repeat ineptitude)

- If I had to shoot ….Hitler, Stalin or Miles… Derek’s theatrical pause, I start laughing and hide my face,… I’d shoot Miles

- He tried to be helpful to me, more than Carl

- That’s not a high bar (oh, Derek, et tu)

- He wanted to talk investing with me

- Don’t touch him, he worked at Bay Street

-As a hot dog vendor

Frank is overwhelmed with safety:

- Why you need gloves to run a crane. Well, because we are outside. What we should take off hard hats too? Then Ray pulls out thin flex gloves, with armor all around, that’s what ops labs use. Great, make and model so that we can order those

- Look my hands are tiny

- Yeah, you wrote small gloves (on order, it would take 4 more weeks for Dick to finally get those)

At dorm Q smoke pit, lots of folks did not get full day.

- stuck (in mud) two hours

- Whats worse

- six hours wait, no pay

- contractor life

- I was in Ontario, in gold mine

- I was with Newmont

Behind smoke pit, ey high, on the hill, leaves shake on trees under the wind.

I realize that people live here. As in their life is here at the mine camp. Their home is like work where they have to go every 2-3 weeks for a week.

Morning

Overslept, woke up at 3:51 am. At 3:59 am I am first in the bus line. Soft coffee cup.  Rain all night. I was sure it was 2:00 am and there won’t be any work today.

Ken– I had a dream last night , met you two (Evan and Luke), you were going to Montana. Walked through Montana with you. Meet my ex gf, back when I was 27. Jump over conveyor belt. Swang to the left. Go to the top, put my hands in air , I am alive.  I take it as I will win lottery. Ken wants to win badly.

Evan: six forty nine is fifteen now, lottomax is sixty. Too much money .

Everyone in AB knows current payout.

Toolbox & Day

Plan for today: “Bennett called, mine ops stopped. Asked what we’re doing it. We’ll clean up, fuel/grease machines, check on standing machines. We fly under the radar, get paid , lots of people today aren’t.”

Shovel/haul only, our channels all dead:

- Try to align with my teeth

- That was me not paying attention

- 340, don’t do that again

- Anybody need double tap for center pit area

- Ooooh, you betcha

Athabasca air after the rain is marvelous. I clean lube seacan. Three loud metal bangs, then loud "fuck!" Walk over. Evan and Ken on lube truck, broken compressor. Call for help? Ah, lots of issues.

We cleaned everything we could. I climb into triple cabin. Strong smell of perfume. Full view.