Four Score and... uh... Ok 5 years ago...

Like is says... just a little over 5 years ago my husband John decided to take a leap of faith and applied for a job in the NWT. Well, he got the job and so began a new life.

Away from home for literally half the year, he works in a remote part of the world that one can only imagine or see on TV.  300km northeast of Yellowknife, is the Diavik Diamond Mine.

The Diavik diamond mine is situated on an island in the middle of Lac De Gras. You cannot drive there. You cannot go and visit. See the above photo?  To the right of the mine, is a line - that's the gravel airstrip. And below the big open pit, you can see the roads that lead to the mine for 8-10 weeks out of the year. This is the ice road that enables the trucks to bring supplies, equipment, vehicles and 70 million litres of diesel fuel to effectively run the plant for a year. Yeah it's pretty insane.

Rio Tinto owns 60% of Diavik, Harry Winston Corp owns 40%. This year, they expect to haul 6.8 million carats of industrial and gem quality diamonds. If anyone tells you that diamonds are rare - they're lying. But that's another blog :)

For 2 weeks at a time, John lives in his own hotel room, equipped with a bed, a TV, shower and internet access. He takes his meals in the cafeteria, where a variety of meals are prepared each day and you can pretty much eat as much as you want. As long as you eat what you take. There is a lounge where they bring in UFC fights, as well as gym and laundry facilities. He works 14 days (or nights) straight, 12 hour shifts from 6 to 6. Doesn't leave alot of time or energy for recreation but it's all there.

For 2 weeks, he is away from all comforts of home, but is able to call every couple days from the satellite phone system that is used for communications. Service is sketchy at best but it allows him to say hi to Jack and I and get the run down on any excitement from home. You can always hear the exhaustion in his voice, but he does his best to hide it by saying he's "a little tired but I'm okay". I know better...

When he's home, he's home for 2 weeks. No overtime calls, no monday to friday... just home. What he has sacrificed for us, allows many perks that most people don't have. It has enabled me to be home with Jack and not have to work. I will go back to work, but not until Jack is in school. If we want to take off for a few days, we don't have to arrange for holidays or time off. Long weekends don't mean anything. Appointments don't have to be arranged for after work hours, and best of all... John can go golfing 14 days straight if he wants to and not have to fight for a tee time on the weekends. He doesn't do this of course, but the point is, he can.

The company has been good to John and it's employees. They give bonuses if the company is doing well. If you work Christmas, there's always a gift waiting in your room after your day is through (this past Christmas they gave digital cameras to everyone). Wednesday is always steak night. And this shift back, John brought home a lovely little surprise... a .011 carat diamond mined from Diavik in appreciation for his 'contribution to the success of Diavik and attention to safety'.


It may not be the best gig, but it's his gig and it works for us.
~D

 
 

Year of the Dragrat

Okay it's actually the Year of the Dragon, but for us RATS, this year has a whole 'nother' meaning.

We're all turning 40.

For some, turning 40 isn't a big deal - just a number on a piece of paper. I tend to lean towards feeling this way. Many of my friends are older than I am but I don't see them as that. I actually see them as 27, because that's honestly how old I feel. (And if you've read anything Sylvia Browne has written or heard her speak, that makes a WHOLE lotta sense). Others have been dreading this year since they turned 36. Many have work done, some lose weight (like alot of weight) so they can put their best foot forward and look fabulously forty. Since July, I've lost nearly 35lbs but I'm not doing it because I'm turning 40 - I just decided that I'd like to live the second half of my life as someone thin and fit. No big whoop ;)

So, what do you do for someone who is turning 40? Do you throw a huge party and celebrate like nobody's watching, or do you tippy toe around it and hope to not offend the accused by even suggesting a quaint little gathering? When my husband turned 40, I threw him a man party. No women allowed except for me, and my friend Cindy who came to help with preparations and keep me and my whiskey bottle company downstairs while the men drank, farted, laughed and celebrated in man-style. He knew I was throwing this man-party for him but had no idea the power of the wife. I had people show up that he hadn't seen in years. It was an awesome night and it certainly made his day special.

 I've already been contacted by a few people planning surprise parties for some of my friends. One friend's husband is taking her to Cuba, a few others are planning a group trip to Vegas, others are planning camping weekends, and some are just taking the day in stride and hoping that maybe someone will take them out for free wings and a beer. Me? I turn 40 on a sunday and am planning a big ole BBQ in Puerto Backyardo. Yes - I'm planning my 40th. John tried to plan a surprise party for my 30th but either I'm too good or he's not that good at keeping it a surprise because I knew right away and took over the organizing. "Rats have keen observation skills and with those skills they’re able to deduce much about other people and other situations" says the Chinese zodiac chart.

So with that - I bid all my fellow Rats a happy year full of excitement, adventure, surprises and most of all good health. Beacause we all know that once you turn 40, it's all downhill from there.

~D

Hey Chachi...

"The best nicknames are the ones people don't know they have".

 It started years ago with me and a group of friends at high school. A group of us were sitting in the hallways of 'level 5' and saw a gaggle of beaners hanging out and giggling and being 13. There was one in particular that caught my eye. The one with the set of house keys. She shook them with all her might -  insinuating to the world that she actually may have a vehicle that went along with them. OH she rattled them, and threw them, pointed at other people with them, dropped them and asked people to carry them for her... it really got on my nerves. She was in grade 8 for cryin' out loud. So... it was just fitting that we all started calling her 'Housekeys'. Today I still refer to her as this.

 I never forget a face, when someone's birthday is, where they live etc... but I WILL forget their name. That's why I give nicknames - and some of them aren't all that glamorous, and usually for good reason. But most of them are kind of funny. For example (and some of you will know who these people are):

Pantload - a Realtor that used to work in the same office as me. I never was too quiet with this nickname and actually had a few others calling him this too.
Cat Boy - the tween at our old condo complex that always had one of his cats in tow.
Cat Boy's Mom - self explanatory, but she was the epitomy of the term 'cougar'.
Captain Hairdo - One of my medical professionals in town
Stupid - my stupid old neighbor that let (encouraged) her dogs to shit in my yard
Stupid's kids - her stupid kids that did the same
Dream Easy - Tamara knows...
Top Gun - My Doctor. John thought he rode a motorcycle like Tom Cruise had in the movie Top Gun. He didn't, but the name stuck.
The Kulbasow - I'll take this one to the grave and NO - it's not me!
Spanky - the heavy set kid up the street that would cry on his 2-wheeler
And the list goes on...

Now these are REAL nicknames. I'm not going to open up the whole can of worms with regards to internet handles and online profiles... that's a different creature altogether.

One thing I find sad is when people try to give themselves really cool nicknames (think George Costanza trying to call himself T-Bone, and ending up with KoKo). My husband refuses to call/refer to an aquaintance by the nickname he is known all over town for, because he gave it to himself, and I have to agree.

Most people have nicknames that others have bestowed on them, and usually for good reason. Cute, funny, happy nicknames...

And it's those nicknames we must embrace, as ridiculous as they can be. They have been given with love and we should be honored. Be proud - be true - tell the world!!

~Deener Wiener
This was given to me at the tender age of maybe THREE by one of my dad's friends back in the day. So get your head out of the gutter and stop thinking John is one hell of a lucky guy. Which he is, of course but I mean that's pretty obvious... isn't it?

My RANT for today

Ok so I like to read the letters to the editor in our local newspaper and once in a while I get heated up and proclaim to the husband "I'm gonna write a letter!!". I never do, and the letter I've actually comprised in my head goes away... usually with my whimsical thoughts of cleaning the house.
HOWEVER...
Today I'm writing my letter. It was mentioned today in one of the letters that there is no city transit available to the Silver Star Foothills. There is a committee now, that is currently focussing on getting transit to run up there. The writer knew that when she bought her house, city transit didn't run up there.  In fact I can pretty much guess that ALL RESIDENTS OF THE FOOTHILLS knew that when they bought up there. No different than all the people who bought homes in Parker Cove understand that the bus doesn't run out there either.  No different than the person who buys a house near a busy railway crossing knows that the trains blow that bloody horn THREE FRICKING TIMES at every crossing. Now I agree that 'green' methods of transportation are definitely desireable in this day and age but come on... And here's my rant: You are living in an upper scale neighborhood in Vernon. Would you SERIOUSLY take the bus to the grocery store if it was available to you? Are you willing to spend 45 minutes en route to the Superstore? Are you willing to spend another half hour waiting with bags upon bags of groceries IN THE RAIN/SNOW/HEAT for the next bus to take your righteous arse home?  I doubt it. 100%. I've been on the bus. I know. There are many people in our community that have no choice but to take the bus. They take their babies to the Dr on the bus...they get their groceries, get to their jobs, get their children to daycare on the bus. Listen, if you demand transit go to your neighborhood because it's 'pretty cool for the environment', you will undoubtedly be taking away from another route in Vernon. A route that people depend on for their livelihood.  Last year we lost our local bus stop due to restructuring - they added a route in an area where more people needed the service and I'm ok with that.

You want to make a difference? Buy a hybrid car. Carpool downtown. Only drive your car every third day or...? But please - don't try and take away from those who need.

I guess my rant isn't that huge of a rant but it was this morning. To me, anyhow.

Epic Fail

So I get all excited to show off my new blog to my friends on Facebook and the hotlink didn't work. Not the first time I've looked stupid in public. Well, I never said I was a professional so I guess it just adds to the fact that I still don't know what's going on. But it's progress nonetheless.
On a different note, I'll be tweaking the site and making it more 'me' later today when the boy is in pre-school. In the meantime I shall shovel the white shite that hath fallen from the heavens overnight.
~D

In the beginning...

In the beginning, Google created alot of technical thingies and computer stuffs that would allow people like me to start blogging without the faintest clue as to what the hell is going on. Not sure if it really was Google, but hey - I'm new at this so I can still plead the 5th. It is my intention to fumble along,write random musings and rants strictly for entertainment purposes only. So please bear with me as I navigate my way through making this blog worth the odd visit :)
~D