take 2

I'm back in Montreal... 17 hours of transit for 15 hours in St.John's... my head is spinning a bit.

Because of the medical that was added in the morning I couldn't do the Water Survival... after trying to reschedule this week, it turned out there was no place available before next week. There was not enough work in the shop to justify my stay/wait until next Thursday, so I was sent home at 4pm yesterday.

That's where the fun began... The flight in St.john's was delayed for 4 hours because of ice rain and strong winds (more like monsoon winds I'd seen only in Utila before!). The incoming plane circled for 1h30, finally landed, we boarded and had to wait another 2h30 for conditions to improve before we could take off.

My seat was broken, didn't reclined and leaned to the left.. highly uncomfortable... good news is some people got fed up of waiting and left, so I ended up at the back of the plane with a row to myself... and a massive headache.

We left at the time we should have arrived in Toronto... yeah, Toronto....the flight was St.John's-To/To-Montreal... no direct flight mtl-St.John's, so the choices are through Halifax or Toronto, you be the judge of the logic route for me :S ... but I don't buy my tickets so I have no say on the choice of routes...

We arrived in To at 11:30pm, luckily there's a flight for Montreal just about every 10 seconds, so I was able to catch the last flight of the day at 12:30am. With de-icing and delays we landed in Mtl at 2am.... where I found out they had lost my suitcase!

Luckily I left my duffel bag with work clothes, PPE and competency books in St.John's, but all my regular clothes, bath products, combat boots and winter boots are in the suitcase!!! I had a fit of inspiration and decided to wear my running shoes and put my boots in the suitcase... making the 12h transit much more comfortable! .... but now they're all I have left :S so until that suitcase turns up, I'll be slip and sliding the sidewalks with cross trainers...

As for St.John's, a new schedule will be made and I should know this week my departure date "take 2" ...

more certs...

Apparently, the medical certs I got in Aberdeen are weird (not the results, it is well known that I'm not right in the head)...
They should be valid for Canada, but the people in St.John's suddenly realized that they'd never seen one like that and since they're not sure, I should have another medical evaluation done while I'm there :S
Is anything I did in Aberdeen worth something?! I kinda feel like I've spend 2 grand on wind :S

So Monday morning, at 7:50am, I have an appointment with the doc, then I have to jump in a taxi, get to another city for the water survival... at 8:15am... obviously not gonna happen, so they're going to pre-register me and hope I get there on time, at 9am, for the beginning of the training...

Looks like it'll be a very full/busy week...

Helicop-what?!

I just got the instructions for the helicopter ride... luggage limit: 1 bag/22lbs...

ARE YOU F***** KIDDING ME?!?!?!?

My suitcase alone is 11lbs!! add to that my pair of winter-knee-high-super-insulated-double-lined-mega-steel-nothing-will-cut-through-it-capped-toes boots and I'm already over the limit!!! >:(
That's not even counting the hard hat, work glove, coveralls (winter model that will make me look like the Michelin man's honey) and parka that they'll give me when I get there.. and must bring back with me!

That means that I have to buy yet another stupid piece of luggage, aka a duffel bag, and hope my underwear and toothbrush wont tip the scale.. and if it does, what? they throw my shit overboard??? more like it stays on land and I go without.. fuuuuun...

This job is getting too expensive for my taste...

le frette

Until Saturday, the temperature outside should be around minus 4 million (at this point it doesn't even matter if it's in Celsius or Fahrenheit!) ... I don't think I'll be going to the Igloofest afterall :(


La différence entre le froid et le frette : Le second est le produit du premier multiplié par le facteur éolien additionné à la haine de l'hiver à la puissance mille.

Aujourd'hui, demain et vendredi, par exemple, il va faire frette, à ce qu'on en prévoyait, hier. À Montréal, on parle de températures comprises entre -18 et - 33 degrés, sans compter le fameux facteur de refroidissement éolien qui, selon nos savants calculs, portera la température ressentie à -1000! (I still say more like -4,000,000!)

Mario Roy
-La Presse-
click here for the complete editorial

one more step...

... and plouf, you fall in...

This is where I'm going... notice the absence of... well... LAND! I bet I'll see Spain from my hotel window :P

going going almost gone!

Finally got the email!!!!
I'm leaving for St.Johns, NL, Sunday afternoon!

Monday I'm doing BSTR (water survival), 2-day version, to complement the one I already have from the UK. Tuesday is "the sea-day portion in Long Pond"... gulp.... apparently those rumors of being thrown in the sea with a "good luck, farewell and try to swim back mate!" are true.... gulp... it's January... did I say gulp?.... worst comes to, I can always climb on a iceberg and set a course towards Mexico hehehe...

If I survive the survival, Wednesday and Thursday I'll be in the office for an HSE "welcome to Oceaneering Canada" day. When that's done I'll be working in the shop, checking out the new Magnum that just came in, all new and shiny, before some pilots get a chance to bang it out of shape.

Friday is the H2S=poisonous-gas-so-don't-breath-it-if-you-don't-want-to-die course...

and then... well... ... ... ?
They'll try to get me offshore asap, but depending on approval and all, I might go home, I might not, I might go on a vessel, on a rig, to hellI hope not?

We'll see in due time... I sure am learning patience in this gig... not really but whatcanyado?

amazing

My dad asked my mom if she knew where some jewelry store was on Tashereau blvd... my mom answered : "just Google it" :O !!!

My parents have caught up with technology!!! I'm amazed! ;)

200000009

Is it just me or this new year is made of elastic?

I don't know if it's because I'm stressed or waiting to leave (or both) but the passing days seem to last twice as long... 2009 has been here for only 11 days, but they felt like forever!
I'm almost starting to think that snow should melt anytime now cause Spring is almost here (opening the door tends to put a damper on that thought but whatever...)

I'm restless...

countdown to the sea

I got an email Monday saying to be prepared to fly next week :)

I was suppose to get the details Tuesday.. that email never came... so this is speculation. I should be in St.Johns next week for 3-4 days, to do the 2 certs I'm missing (h2s + 2 days complementary water survival... I'll finally know if the rumors are true! will I be thrown in the ocean to get back on the raft or is it bs told to scare newbies off...).

Then I'll be sent offshore (probably, hopefully) right away. Where? that remains a mystery... somewhere East/North of Newfoundland, in the Atlantic, watching the icebergs go by... and NOT singing the Titanic song... unless there's a Romeo DiCaprio on board... then I just might... but I'll never admit to it!

I'm not so stressed anymore about what's in store for me offshore. Derek came back from his first job... and he said it was great! good people, no teasing, interesting work, he learned a lot, good food, good gym, a sauna to warm up, plenty of time to sleep and train...
then again, this is the guy who was able to find a good side to stupid jackass #1 so I'll keep some reservation about the wholesome greatness of the life offshore Mr Sunshine portrayed. But if it is like he said.. I'm gonna have fun out there.. can't wait to try it out :P

And no matter what, it's gotta be better than this :
;)

Montreal buried under yet another snow storm...

new toy

My dad just bought this hot new plaything... My mom asked him to go buy sausages for dinner.. and he came back with this :


My sisters and me have been hinting for a Mac for years... and apparently the idea made its way in his subconscious :D

Not sure what they did to my dad in Tunisia (he went with his brothers and sister), but since his return he is weeeeird! taking our dogs for a walk and petting them (he never cared for our pups! ev-er!), passing a Mac store and getting the latest toy just like that... he's taking my mom to Greece next fall, for a month! he already has the tickets!
I guess he really needed a vacation :P
In the meantime I'll go switch my backups to MAAAAAAAAAAAAC!!! woohoo!!!!!!! and now I just HAVE to change my laptop for a macbook :P

pics

The New Year's pics are up... enjoy! :)

Happy 2009!!!

Hopefully what went right in 2008 will keep on going, what was missing will be found and what was broken will mend...

review of 2008...

I was better than 2007... though worst would have been impossible, unless my house had burned down and my friends had died... I tried to deal with the leftover hurts of that blasted year... some days were easier, most were not. The million broken pieces I was left with are trying to piece themselves back together, but the seams are weak :S No matter how many coats of varnish, I'm now damaged good... thanx J, I shall never forget...

From a career/money point of view it was great! I love my new job at Oceaneering and the good.. more like indecent... money it pays will make it possible for me to buy a condo in 2009! (two if I buy them in Florida! LOL!) *happy dance* summer should be exciting... scouting for the perfect location and construction :) and if the economy keeps on falling and I get a good price, I, maybe, could get a boat too!! I must be the only person giddy with joy at the prospect of this recession :P

The travel book was happily full : Costa Rica, Scotland, London, The Netherlands and Louisiana...
met new people, made friends, realized there is such a thing as the Deep South (Jack-o-lantern anyone? :P)...

I learned plenty of new stuff, took on new challenges and won most of them :)

I now await 2009, curious to see where it'll take me... especially in 6 months or so, when I can apply for a transfer.. Australia? Qatar? Africa? Indonesia?

More projects might take shape too.. we'll see... we'll see...


**and in case you wonder... this was posted automatically at midnight... yay blogger!... I have better things to do like drinking and dancing with my friends on New Year's Eve than writing a blog :P **