booooh

It's been confirmed.. I am going to a bonfire party tomorrow night for Halloween :)
The guy throwing the party lives 20 min from Morgan City... and there's a haunted cemetery a block from his house... guess where I'm gonna end up hehehe

If you never here from me again, assume me lost to the Louisiana shadows ;)

rov life

I got my return date today. They don't want me "wasting time" doing shop work here, so I'll do only the first week of piloting. My last day will be Friday Dec 5th, so I should fly home either that night or Saturday morning.

The shitty part is that this probably means I'll be spending Christmas in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. When I come home from a job, there is a 2 weeks mandatory break, but then I'm fair game to be sent anywhere. If I had done the shop work and left here on the 20th, I would have had the two weeks off right in the Christmas/new year Holidays.. but now I'll be "eligible" to leave on Dec 21st... ho well, better get used to it, for the first couple of years I'll be getting the shitty shifts no one wants... that's offshore life... :S but the pay check is worth missing the turkey ;)

And sometime in January I'll start on fixed rotation 3/3 or 4/4, so I'll be able to plan in advance.. and make sure I'm home for the playoffs in May!!! :)

I filmed Chris today (the singer that should definitely get a record deal asap!). I'll put the video online as soon as I can upload it.. it's heavy and the connection is crap.. bad combination...

Donut Cop

The things you see in Morgan City...

That was just too good to pass up :P

My first gator

What d'ya think are the odds of me playing Crocodile Hunter before this trip is over? ;)

We were coming back from Houma and decided to take the scenic route. On the way we saw an ad for bayou tours so we took a turn and checked it out. It was closed, but near the boating dock was a swimming log :) My first alligator hehehe.

Then, on route 182, I spotted another one floating merrily in the swamps. We stopped to watch cause he was much closer than the first one.

One of the guys I was with has been here for 5 years and had never seen one... so either I'm lucky or I haven't lost my eagle eye to spot underwater critters :P

New Orleans

On se rejoint coin Bienville et Bourbon?

Interesting place...

I didn't know much about New Orleans before going there... the history, the reputation, the vampires... but that was about it. I didn't know the real important stuff... like you're allowed to drink in the streets as long as you carry the beer/margarita/hurricane in a plastic container. :P
I don't know why I was surprised though... in a State that sells Daiquiris in drive-throughs, it's only normal that its official party town would allow drinking everywhere.

The place reminds me of Amsterdam, except that instead of "coffee" shops it has liquor shops... right on the side-walk. Same party mood, music blaring, staggering tourists... The architecture is beautiful, lots of forged iron, a definite European look.

Yesterday we only saw Bourbon Street and the surroundings. We went to check the Voodoo Festival, which was in City Park, a bit outside of the party zone. Turns out it was a huge music fest! I wish I had known about it sooner.. cause none of the guys had the money to go in (the tickets for the day were 60$, 125$ for the full 3 days show), so I couldn't go either, I would have been stuck there with no ride home :( I hate not having my car!!!! Godamn car country, there's no way to get anywhere without one >:(
But check the line up here... Wyclef, NIN, REM, Panic at the Disco... all styles and sizes mixed together... would have been awesome *sigh* next time I guess...

The city has recovered well from the hurricanes, the only signs left of it are the blue tarps some houses still have on their roofs. Other than that it's clean and nice and safe. I don't understand why people say it's a death trap... I didn't see anything remotely "scary" out there. I wouldn't go during spring break though.. the amount of drunken, idiotic 21yo must be unbearable...

I noted a couple of very cool stores... when I go back there (by myself this time, I'll rent a car if I have to! no dealing with a pack of boys when hitting the stores!) I'll have one hell of a shopping spree day :D
Gotta get everybody xmas present anyway... ;) how do y'all feel about loads and loads of shiny beads? :P

two of the many attractions found on Bourbon streets...

hehe

Mui, you will be proud of me... I sang in public for the first time tonight!!!

We had a bbq at the hotel tonight, ended up about 20 guys hanging by the pool.. and one of them, Christopher (I'll have a video of him later.. what a voice!!!! holyshitman!!!!), has a guitar and he got us improvising on a freestyle version of "sweet home Alabama"... Sweet home Louisiana... and, as the only Canadian, I held up my ground and went free style for a verse... I didnt go out of tune and managed to come up with good lyrics, yay me!!

and now I'm freakin tired from my first week in southern territories, but f*** happy I made it through, and we're going to New Orleans tomorow!!! woohoo!!!!

:)

Bad Things

Jace Everett is da man!!!
With a voice like I bet most girls would say yes to anything (I would :P)! ... and considering that my nickname is Blue, the 2nd paragraph takes a whole new meaning ;)

I wanna do bad things with you.

When you came in the air went out.
And every shadow filled up with doubt.
I don't know who you think you are,
But before the night is through,
I wanna do bad things with you.

I'm the kind to sit up in his room.
Heart sick an' eyes filled up with Blue.
I don't know what you've done to me,
But I know this much is true:
I wanna do bad things with you.

When you came in the air went out.
And all those shadows there are filled up with doubt.
I don't know who you think you are,
But before the night is through,
I wanna do bad things with you.
I wanna do real bad things with you.
Ow, ooh.

I don't know what you've done to me,
But I know this much is true:
I wanna do bad things with you.
I wanna do real bad things with you.

True Blood... new very hot vampire show on HBO... hopefully soon in Canada, catch it on the net in the meantime to hear Jace's theme song :P

that was easy

I asked today... I'm already enrolled for dual certifications... I'm kickin ass and don't even know it :D

After class I went for dinner with two of the guys at a Cuban place... HMG!!!! best sandwiches ev-er! and sweet potato fries *drool*

My neck is a pain, got stuck with a real bad one this time :S I hope it'll clear for the weekend, I don't want to be moving as a block in New Orleans!!!

nothing much for the day.. it was death by overhead in the Gulf Orientation course... coffee to the rescue (I found the good stuff in the big bosses office... booya espresso!)

if you want to send a care package, I'm at the Days Inn, 7408 Hwy. 182 E., Morgan City, Louisiana, 70380

And those of you who want to become pilots/get more training or jobs, you can contact the Oceaneering office at 5004 Railroad Avenue, Morgan City, LA 70380, (985)395-5247

career choices

One of the managers asked me today if I was mechanics or electronics tech.. I said I wasn't sure yet. I have more mechanics skills, but I like E too... he suggested I'd do a dual certification. This way I'll get more work, and should move faster up in ranking. Since I can do both.. I will :)

Not sure what the procedure is to do so, I'll ask the right people tomorrow.

This place is getting more and more interesting, it's like a big frat :P At the hotel, the guys are always hanging outside (since they all have roomates, the rooms get a bit cramped) so it's easy to socialize and all.. just have to open the door.

I'm still amazed at how everybody knows who I am.. the word has spread that the Canadian girl is a tall red head, so everybody comes up to me to talk... and make joke about Canada :P

Bad news, I have yet another stiff neck... didn't have time to get my back fixed before I left... I'm stuck with hot patches and advil again... they don't sell robaxacet over the counter here, so no muscle relaxant for me :( ouch...
can we mail medication from Canada?

ho btw, there's a 1 hour (earlier) time difference with Mtl, doesn't make much of a difference but still... :)

day 2

While the guys were being dumped upside down in a sinking helicopter, I spent all day doing online modules to stop being a trainee and become a pilot for real... booooooooooooooring.. and, of course, got 100% on all of them :P

I took one picture... the view from my room... hum...

ok... this was the view I had in Utila:
this was the view I had in Costa Rica:
this was the view I had in Fort William:

...and this is the view I have in Morgan City:

Is it just me or there was quite a drop in scenery?? :P

First day done

It's warm and sunny here!!! I'm walking around in short skirt and flip flops!!! YAY Louisiana!!!

Ok, now that this is out of the way... I think this training is gonna be fun. Today was orientation, I met my classmates and was brainwashed about how Oceaneering is a great company to work for (but there was no need to do so... it IS a cool company, they built the Jaws attraction in Florida :P).

One of the guys, Benjamin, was at the Underwater Center this summer. When I told him I was there in spring he said "Ho so you're the Canadian girl"... my reputation precedes me, even in the southern states.. go figure :P

This week is a mix of everything. Tomorrow is survival... which I don't have to do after all!!! the one I did in Aberdeen is good enough... though not for the Canadian east coast... so I'll have to do that when I get back.. there's no escaping it :S .

Wednesday will be my 4th first aid/cpr course in a year... how ironic that I'll be the safest person to be around when I don't even like people!
Thursday is an introduction to the Gulf of Mexico (no swimming involved sadly.. just rules and regulations pertinent to this location)
Friday is basic rigging concepts... I'll be learning some new knots... hehehe

After that the fun begins.. intro to rov, mechanics, hydraulics, electronics and FLYING!!!
They have a simulator.. that should be fun to try.. hopefully I'll get some real flying time too, in actual water...

So all's good, the guys are nice so far, southern hospitality is not a myth, they go out of their way to be helpfull. I don't have a car, but I haven't paid for a taxi yet.. there's always someone around to offer a ride :)

Only downside, but it's all me, nothing to do with the place... is that I keep having flashbacks from my trip to Virginia... the towns look alike, the same restaurants aligned the same way on the road, and the hotel room too... except that here I'm alone in it :(
I hope it wont last for too long and that I'll paste some new feelings on the bad ones, cause now I'll look at the bed and my heart will squeeze and I have to go outside or crank the tv up to make it go away. It's a stress I don't need or want.. I have enough with the "new place, new crowd, new accent" to deal with. but fuck I miss him! I know, I'm an idiot, don't mention it.

Speaking of accent... it's not too thick so I can understand everybody, but medicine sounds like madisson and they do say y'all all the time :) Cute, but Scotland is still #1.

** and for those of you who are looking for work in ROVs.. now is the time to harass Oceaneering.. they are in full speed expansion and need people pronto! in the next 5 years they'll build over 100 rovs (do the maths, that's minimum 400 new rov people they'll hire) and set something like 97 new rigs. That also mean that I could make supervisor in about 6 months, if I kick butts at this :D **

I'm on my way!

more later tonight when I get there.. but I'm leaving for Morgan City, Louisiana, today!
Got the call Friday morning, confirmation Friday afternoon, that I was leaving for Louisiana for 7 to 9 weeks in less then 48 hours! woohoo!

So I'm at the airport, paying appalling wi-fi fees cause I'm bored... security checks took about 2 seconds.. go figure...

I'm going for a training course, kinda like the one I did in Fort William in April, but more specific to Oceaneering... and this time I'm getting paid for it!!! *happy dance* Not only do I have all my expenses taken care of (including cab fare or car rental to go to the movies on the weekends) but I get onshore wages for everyday I'm there... including right now! :P a nice change from the theatre business where, for 5 years, I had to pay to work...

to be continued when I get to the hotel...

coulda shoulda woulda

I've been crying because of him for a year now... it's pathetic...
though there was somewhat of a grace period in November and December... ok, so a year minus 2-3 weeks... it's still fuckin pathetic...

It's hard to see someone exceptional diminished to ordinary :(

woohahahahaha

In reply to the Cat Flushing the Toilet (thanx Mui!) here's the Hamster on a Piano... like the hamsterdance, the more you watch the funnier is gets :P



hihihihihihihihi XD

ED II

Are we allowed to eat a ballot?

The answer and more in the Election Canada FAQ section HERE
(errr ... eating a ballot?! ... frequently asked questions?!?... seriously?!?!?)

Election day

People speculate and get all fired up...
I don't

No matter who "wins" nothing will change in the long run. No matter what ideology reigns supreme it wont be reigning supreme at all. Canadians are lukewarm people, and I mean this in the best possible way.
When it comes to fiery subjects (like abortion, environment, the economy) if a bill, motion or idea is too far on one side (be it right or left) people say no way and it doesn't pass.
We stay in the middle and it's ok, in fact it's great. For the past 200 years we've been moving steadily forward, no matter who was in charge, and living conditions have slowly improved for all... and will continue to do so.

Life is good here... the fact that we bitch about it all the time makes it more so... we can whine and complain and, if the complaints make sense, the people in charge usually will listen... cant say as much for the rest of the world.

*goble goble*

I've officially gone insane... I have the worst craving for super-spicy chicken wings... I don't even like chicken wings! next I'll be wearing a cap backwards and ordering a budweiser... anybody knows a good exorcist?

I just found the 6 seasons of Sex and the City at a megasale price! :)
who said money cant buy happiness? or maybe it's sales that can...

changes

It's weird... my sister is moving today. She rented a house in the Laurentian and might buy it in January if she likes it.

It's the first time the Ranger clan will be split up permanently...

Over the years we've all traveled for extended periods, moved in (and out) with boyfriends, left for jobs for months at a time... so the family home was not complete all the time, but it was always temporary.
Now, sis has a house, next year I should have a condo in Montreal... and baby sis is talking of going to work for Disney Florida...

It's weird...

Stanley Cup in 2009!!!

When a french, hometown rap band writes a new cheering anthem for the Habs.. you know it's hockey fever in Montreal!




TO-NIGHT! TO-NIGHT! TO-NIGHT!
everybody's giddy like kids before xmas! :)

Go HABS Go!!

WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!
Tomorrow night is the first official match of the season for the Montreal's Canadiens!!!
Which means watching the game at Baloo's with beers, European sandwiches (fancy name for big hotdogs with sauerkraut:P) and loads and loads of hockey deprived friends :D

all together now! ♪ Tananananananana-hey! Tana-nana-nana-nananananana-hey! Tana-nana...

Hey, winter has got to be good for at least ONE thing :P

phone call from the East

I finally got my phone call!!!! ... and I'm nowhere closer to a departure date... :S

They have submitted my name to Petro-Canada and Husky Oil.. standard procedure, they have to approve me. Should take another week before the OK stamps arrive.
They are trying to find a place in Montreal where I could do the survival training, so I don't have to go to St-Johns. Once this is done, I have to do another medical (tell me why again I did all this in Aberdeen?) and then some more training in safety and procedures...
THEN I'll be allowed to work.. except that I wont exactly be working :P...

They have a new big project coming in January, which means all team will be reorganized and I'll have a permanent spot on one. 21/21 on rigs, 28/28 on vessels. For good... or until I get an offer from Mr "Jack Sparrow" Burt in Florida ;)

Until then, I will be on a team, but only to shadow operations and practice playing with the controls so I can learn :) I'll be working with a Magnum ROV (one of the puppies in the pics above).
I wont have a fixed schedule, I'll know 2 to 6 days in advance when I'm going somewhere, and not necessarily for 21/28 days at a time. Between trips, there's a legal minimum of 7/14 days off I have to have, but after that period, all bets are off on when I leave again.

They also want to send me to Morgan City, Louisiana, Nov 3-14, for another electronics course! :D
I've never been to Louisiana... I really want to go to Louisiana!!! weehee! (or yeehaaw?!)

They also provide all clothing! All I have to bring is my steel cap boots... the coveralls, shirts and winter coat(!) are conform to regulation (visibility and fire retardant) and free of charge :)

And, to top it all, they pay all my expenses, door to door. When they send me somewhere, for whatever reason -course, training, work-, I get paid for it, the plane and hotels are paid in advance, and they reimburse me all food bills! (Ok, I know it's standard for most business.. but I've never had that before and I'm excited :P)

And another good news: all their rigs and vessels have women on it... but I'm the only rov girl in the company. Which is just perfect. That means I wont be treated like shit for wreaking an all-boy environment, but will still get enough attention to flatter my over-sized ego :P
(plus I wont have to share my room with a smelly neanderthal hehehe)

The Oceaneering superintendant's wife was a pilot at some point, but it was a while ago. So the guys know it's possible for a girl to be interested in rovs, but there's never been one on the rigs. Sounds like an Animal Planet show "They know women pilot exist, but they've never actually seen one". I'll be the first... poor them... ;)

So all n all, lots of answers. I feel much better knowing I'll be in full training mode for a while, before jumping in for real.
Only down side is that I can't plan anything in advance until next year :S Can't buy the Riviera Maya vacations, show tickets or Xmas Florida trip cause I have no way to know where I'll be when for the next 3 months. Hopefully they'll be able to tell me my fixed Jan rotation quickly, so I can at least reserve the Mexico gig more than a month in advance and save some $ :P

Kablamo!

For those of you who enjoy a cigarette with your morning coffee, you might want to rethink your ritual if you use non-dairy creamer instead of milk (don't see WHY you'd use that crap but hey) ... that powder is highly flammable, as was proven by the Mythbusters...

That's the big almighty explosion, but during previous testing, just a small cup of it went whamo! when ignited with a lighter, creating a dangerous back draft...



That will definitely wake you up in the morning :P
So repeat after me : ♪ there's nothing like the real thing baby♪ ... stick to milk and cream people!

full day

I had a good day yesterday... full and busy to keep me from thinking
Got my hair done in the afternoon.. Isabelle outdid herself! I now have 4 shades of red intertwined, a deep copper as base, two tones of golden highlights and a deep burgundy... looks very cool! I don't know what I'll do when Isa finishes her pharmacy degree and stops working at the salon.. she's a star!

Then I met Sean at Hurley's. We rebuilt the world around a Guinness and tried to make sense of the universe... my own small one and the bigger picture. I left there smiling, which is a rare sight these days.

I called Andrew and went to his place, Christian showed up too. Andrew's place is still a mess.. I wonder if he'll ever be done with the neverending renovations... I guess the answer is in the question :P

We finished the night off at Passeport, a bit of dancing, a bit of drinking, a bit of chatting...
It's weird, lots of people tell me my job is so cool and I kick ass to do it, to follow my dream and all... if it's so, why do I feel so inadequate all the time? I'll probably have the answer to that when I get on the rig... but I still don't know when that will be!!!! :S

Where have all the Rick Astley gone? ;)

No, like, seriously... where are they???

global warming has one cool consequence...

An architect has designed floating cities to host the 50 000+ people who will be affected by the rise of the oceans' level. Those islands would drift merrily all over the world, following the currents and tides...

Where do I sign to reserve a unit?

-----

In other news, I called again today for the job... they will call me back tomorrow morning... the assistant I talked to told me not to worry... HA! fat chance of that happening, I'm in full "I'm an incompetent fraud" mode.

I can't learn patience, so Life, please stop the lessons

I called Oceaneering today, the woman wasn't there, I left a message... guess I wont know until tomorrow where I"m going and when.

I want to go, want to go NOW! I need to keep my brain busy with new skills so it wont have time to think about him and wonder endlessly about why I fucked up so bad... why I couldn't be more patient and get on the taxi* at the right time instead of forcing things and screwing them up... I wrecked it...

So come on Ms Smart (yes it's her name) call me! tell me I'm going to ocean land next week! My serotonin levels are down the drain, right next to my hope of a happy ending...

*click on link for explanation

Enough with the cool rides!!!!

Ok, it's Fall.. car season.. but damn! do all the companies HAVE to hire such great designers??? I don't have money yet.. stop making me drool pointlessly!

in the top 3 of "I wish I'd won the lottery!!!" :

Those of you who live in Quebec all know Albator... well that's his bike!!! Looks straight out of a manga!!! It was to be only a prototype in 2001, but the crowd's reaction was so overwhelming that Suzuki decided to produce it (guess I'm not the only one with a deep affection for cartoons :P)... this giant can be yours for 15 000$ (superhero suit not-included).



For the princess in you.. Cinderella's racecar! Like her glass slipper, this car is translucent. It's made of a mix of fiberglass and Makrolon, a polymer mostly used for cds. The seats are molded plastic, covered with some gel for comfort.. like Dr. Scholl's soles :P
Retail price 1,5 million... guess you really have to be a princess to buy it.


And last.. another electric car! It was suppose to be available in 2005, but production problems caused many delays and it will be out only next year. Don't have much more details... but it's nice to see that companies are finally taking seriously alternative source of energy to power their babies...