It's been about 4 months since my last post and most of the reason for this is laziness, but a small fraction is due to simple lack of time. Through a battle of attrition and stubbornness I have ended up as the most senior geologist on site at QR Mine. It sounds like fun on paper, but mostly involves me asking a lot of questions of everyone to know what the heck I'm supposed to be doing. The stress level is certainly up from when my only duty was to log core in a timely manner. It sounds cliche but 90% of my job is not geology but dealing with people. It is amazing how much you can get done with some friendliness and compromise. It may also help that I am female- asking nicely seems to do the trick most of the time.
A lot of people seem to see geology as this mysterious vocation and I am constantly getting questions about what my job entails. From my accountant to the woman who sold me my phone, everyone is curious. Woman are particularly interested in how I manage living and working in a place that is 95% men. I found this a surprising question at first since I had never really considered it before. Everyone is generally polite and respectful to me and there are rules on sexual harassment and discrimination should I ever be concerned, but it has never even come up. There is the odd stupid joke in the morning safety meeting about wives and the like, but nothing particularly offensive, as far as I'm concerned.
My standard day starts off at 6:30-6:45 with the morning safety meeting where the mine shift foreman goes over a particular safety topic and then we discuss the schedule for underground work for that day. I consult with my underground drillers and tell them where I need them to be working and then I head up to the geology trailer to talk to the other geologist(s) on site (if any) about what are plans are for the day. At 7:45 there is a main meeting with the Mine Manager, and the other department heads (mine, mill, geology, environment, surveying). After that I go underground to map the geology, check on the drillers and take samples. In the afternoon there is usually more office stuff and core logging to do, as well as check on the surface drill and sample the rock that has been brought up out of the mine that shift. On a quiet day I finish at 5:00 and go for supper. If we are nearing an ore body or lagging behind in core logging, I might not get out of the office until 6:30 and then have to come back after supper (one of the downfalls of a 1 minute commute is how easy it is to get back to the office in the evening).
As I said, not the most glamourous of occupations, but I love going underground and walking THROUGH the geology; sure beats working in a cubicle! And gold mine is not all that dangerous compared to a coal mine- no gasses or explosive dust to deal with. I promised my mom I would never work in a coal mine and I don't plan on it, especially after what happened in New Zealand. I am sure that I will end up at a desk all day at some point, but probably not until the osteoperosis kicks in.
-A.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Tunnel Vision
Tragedy! When did my blog turn into a monthly affair? Seems about the same time I started at QR Mine. I believe my job's awesomeness has been distracting me. I've had a sort of promotion- no raise but more responsibility; a good thing, I think? I will be cross-shifting as the site underground geologist. It may sound kind of creepy, but it is actually pretty bad-ass. Any geology map, by necessity, is in 2D thanks to the limitations of paper. When you walk through a drift (a.k.a. mine tunnel), you are surrounded by the rock and every structure and contact that crosses through is visible in 3D. It's a great way to get a handle on what the hell is going on beneath what you see on surface or in cross-sections. It doesn't hurt that underground geologists are in fairly high demand internationally. How do you say "Welcome to Brazil" in Portuguese?
On the topic of travel, my original plan for the year was to work through to the fall and then take off somewhere that requires a passport, preferably before Halloween. I had narrowed it down to Cambodia, Russia or Western Europe. As things look now, I will probably be here until Christmas, so some adjustments are in order. Both a blessing and a curse, since I will have to hang around Canada a little longer, but will have more funds in the end. I am already getting itchy feet, though; it's already been over a year since I got back from Australia. Winter will be a nice time to travel since it is way less touristy. My new new plan is to get an apartment in Ireland for a few months and maybe work a bit there until another geo contract turns up. Staying put for a while is a great way to meet people and get a proper feel for the culture (and maybe check out a pub or two along the way!). For now I will have to satisfy myself with chick flicks set in Ireland and Pogues albums to get me through.
-A.
On the topic of travel, my original plan for the year was to work through to the fall and then take off somewhere that requires a passport, preferably before Halloween. I had narrowed it down to Cambodia, Russia or Western Europe. As things look now, I will probably be here until Christmas, so some adjustments are in order. Both a blessing and a curse, since I will have to hang around Canada a little longer, but will have more funds in the end. I am already getting itchy feet, though; it's already been over a year since I got back from Australia. Winter will be a nice time to travel since it is way less touristy. My new new plan is to get an apartment in Ireland for a few months and maybe work a bit there until another geo contract turns up. Staying put for a while is a great way to meet people and get a proper feel for the culture (and maybe check out a pub or two along the way!). For now I will have to satisfy myself with chick flicks set in Ireland and Pogues albums to get me through.
-A.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Gold Digger
I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted. Things have changed quite a bit in the last month. Due to some rather complicated office politics, I am working for the same company, but instead of doing an exploration program in Wells, I am now stationed at the QR Gold Mine, about 60km southeast of Quesnel, BC. We are near ready for production with a concurrent exploration program also in the works. Basically I get to do way more diverse geology for more money. Win-win! The only downfall is that I am in a camp now instead of a village. A DRY camp, no less. Amy misses wine time. Alas!
My day generally consists of logging core, checking samples at the assay lab, making cross-sections in the office or checking on the drill and directing the drillers. I even have a student lackey to do my bidding. Oh the power I wield! My original contract was for a minimum of four months, but as things are looking now, this may end up being a bit more long term, at least till the snow flies. This will do great things for my winter travel budget, not to mention my credit card bills. And the icing on the cake is that I have 20/20 vision now. I honestly don't know how things could get better, at least in regard to working. I would always prefer to be sitting in a cafe in Paris or something, of course, but for the daily rate I'm getting, I will be there soon enough!
-A.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Stick 'em up!
Today was so weirdly random, I don't even know where to begin.
I am currently staying at my buddy Maureen's place in Edmonton because I am scheduled for laser surgery tomorrow at the Gimbel Eye Center. Today was my assessment day, so Maureen dropped me off at the clinic and I had my eyes poked and scanned for a couple hours. In the end I found out that I have asymmetrical corneas (there goes my eye model career!), which means I can't get the fancy instantaneous lasik surgery but must opt for PRK which is cheaper but with more recovery time. That's all fine with me because I still get to toss out my glasses at the end. After my appointment I hung around Kingsway Mall for a while and then decided to walk downtown because I was pretty wound up and excited about tomorrow. It's a decent walk, but it was so gorgeous out and I was in such a good mood I figured that if I tuckered out I could always call a cab or catch the bus. My eyes had been dilated for the assessment but my hat did a decent enough job of shading my eyes so off I went.
A couple of blocks down from the mall I came across a Royal Bank- I had intended on stopping there tomorrow morning to get a money order for the surgery since the eye people didn't take cheques (I suppose it is pretty hard to repossess freshly lasered corneas if your cheque bounces). I went in and since it was about 2:30 in the afternoon the place was pretty quiet, with only one person ahead of me. I chatted with the teller a bit and when her manager came over to authorize the money order we visited a bit too since she was also thinking about laser surgery and was wondering about costs and such. I glanced over to my left and two tellers over was a man wearing dark sunglasses and a white ball cap- I remember thinking that he was a bit of a tool for wearing is glasses indoors, and then thought that maybe he had his eyes dilated too, since the Gimbel clinic wasn't that far away. I finished my transaction and then went off to the side to try and cram all my stuff back in my purse in a way where the $3200 money order had no chance of falling out. As I headed for the door the manager was pulling the metal curtain across and dead-bolting the door. I asked if I was allowed to leave and she just said no and walked away. Turns out sunglasses man had handed the teller a note that said he wanted all the money in her drawer and to act normally (I learned this by eavesdropping on the bank employees because no one told the customers anything other than to sit in the waiting area). I never heard whether he claimed to have a weapon on him. The police showed up within 5 minutes and took statements from everyone and then I was allowed to leave. According to witnesses in the parking lot he took off on foot so I am guessing it was probably for drugs, if he didn't have enough money for a getaway car. All in all, probably not the most exciting bank robbery story you've ever heard, but I am pretty happy about that. Tomorrow: LASER EYES!
I am currently staying at my buddy Maureen's place in Edmonton because I am scheduled for laser surgery tomorrow at the Gimbel Eye Center. Today was my assessment day, so Maureen dropped me off at the clinic and I had my eyes poked and scanned for a couple hours. In the end I found out that I have asymmetrical corneas (there goes my eye model career!), which means I can't get the fancy instantaneous lasik surgery but must opt for PRK which is cheaper but with more recovery time. That's all fine with me because I still get to toss out my glasses at the end. After my appointment I hung around Kingsway Mall for a while and then decided to walk downtown because I was pretty wound up and excited about tomorrow. It's a decent walk, but it was so gorgeous out and I was in such a good mood I figured that if I tuckered out I could always call a cab or catch the bus. My eyes had been dilated for the assessment but my hat did a decent enough job of shading my eyes so off I went.
A couple of blocks down from the mall I came across a Royal Bank- I had intended on stopping there tomorrow morning to get a money order for the surgery since the eye people didn't take cheques (I suppose it is pretty hard to repossess freshly lasered corneas if your cheque bounces). I went in and since it was about 2:30 in the afternoon the place was pretty quiet, with only one person ahead of me. I chatted with the teller a bit and when her manager came over to authorize the money order we visited a bit too since she was also thinking about laser surgery and was wondering about costs and such. I glanced over to my left and two tellers over was a man wearing dark sunglasses and a white ball cap- I remember thinking that he was a bit of a tool for wearing is glasses indoors, and then thought that maybe he had his eyes dilated too, since the Gimbel clinic wasn't that far away. I finished my transaction and then went off to the side to try and cram all my stuff back in my purse in a way where the $3200 money order had no chance of falling out. As I headed for the door the manager was pulling the metal curtain across and dead-bolting the door. I asked if I was allowed to leave and she just said no and walked away. Turns out sunglasses man had handed the teller a note that said he wanted all the money in her drawer and to act normally (I learned this by eavesdropping on the bank employees because no one told the customers anything other than to sit in the waiting area). I never heard whether he claimed to have a weapon on him. The police showed up within 5 minutes and took statements from everyone and then I was allowed to leave. According to witnesses in the parking lot he took off on foot so I am guessing it was probably for drugs, if he didn't have enough money for a getaway car. All in all, probably not the most exciting bank robbery story you've ever heard, but I am pretty happy about that. Tomorrow: LASER EYES!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
All the better to see you with my dear...
In exactly 2 weeks I will enter the Gimble Eye Center in Edmonton and come out a new woman. For the low low price of $3600 I will be the proud owner of some new and improved laser(ed) eyeballs. While I am hoping for better than 20/20 (just because it seems very bionic woman-ish) I will settle for being able to see my alarm clock in the morning.
Many folks these days have a "Bucket List" of stuff they want to do in their lives- I made one when I was sick and before the movie came out so mine was called "Shit I Get to Do Because I Didn't Die". Not quite as succinct, but it gets the point across. Laser eye surgery was in my top 5, along with scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef, climb a mountain, run a marathon, visit all 7 continents and stick my toe in all 5 oceans. I think some revisions will have to be made soon because my top 5 will soon be my top 2.5 I have been scuba diving at Great Barrier Reef, my eyes will soon be fixed, and I've been to all but one ocean. Damn Arctic Ocean, with it's limited road access. As far as continents go, I have technically been to 4, though I feel like South America deserves more exploration than just Trinidad (which may or may not be part of the Caribbean, depending on who you ask) and the airport in Caracas, Venezuela.
Normally I am not partial to checklists as a way of traveling: ie. go to country 1, see landmark a, b, c; go to country 2. repeat. But in a grander sense, I feel like my list is just a rough framework. A blueprint to encourage me to get off my lazy butt and shut off the xbox and go DO something. Anything. It's certainly worked so far.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Batten down the hatches, me hearties, it's ethical quandary time!
I am completely aware that if you give the average person anonymity and a forum to express themselves, sometimes they morph into a strange mutant internet beast that tends to be either extremely hostile, vulgar or completely nonsensical. There are certain places on the web that this phenomenon tends to be harsher or more benign. For example, I tend not to read the comments on popular you tube videos because it simply isn't worth the effort. Same goes for a lot of gaming forums.
One place I thought I might be alright is the Thorn Tree forum on the Lonely Planet website. I have been doing some research on a trip to Europe in the fall and posted a question about whether I should bother with a working holiday visa for Ireland to find casual work. If you just want to pick fruit for a couple weeks or help out on a farm, the $500 in fees and registration is probably not worth it. The replies ranged from unhelpful to downright hostile. One poster said that anyone who was working without a visa and from a privileged country was scum and that the only excuse for working illegally was if I had to to feed my poor family. Another said that there were many other people willing to work way harder and for less pay than me so don't bother. A third said I had two hopes for finding undocumented work, Bob Hope and no hope (which doesn't even make any sense). Disregarding the fact that these people have no idea how hard I am willing to work (I cleaned gas station toilets in the desert for minimum wage, after all), these people really pissed me off. At first I felt that the forum members were just being judgmental elitist jerks but I thought I would get a second opinion.
If a farmer is willing to hire me to do a bit of shoveling for a few euros, does that make me scum? Am I taking food out of the mouths of some poor EU family by supplementing my adventure with casual labour? . Am I missing something? Ireland isn't exactly El Salvador, after all. In
the end I will probably be going through WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms), volunteering in exchange for room and board, but my sister travelled in the 90s primarily by getting random work along the way and to me it seems like a great way to absorb the culture of an area and meet people. Thoughts?
-A.
One place I thought I might be alright is the Thorn Tree forum on the Lonely Planet website. I have been doing some research on a trip to Europe in the fall and posted a question about whether I should bother with a working holiday visa for Ireland to find casual work. If you just want to pick fruit for a couple weeks or help out on a farm, the $500 in fees and registration is probably not worth it. The replies ranged from unhelpful to downright hostile. One poster said that anyone who was working without a visa and from a privileged country was scum and that the only excuse for working illegally was if I had to to feed my poor family. Another said that there were many other people willing to work way harder and for less pay than me so don't bother. A third said I had two hopes for finding undocumented work, Bob Hope and no hope (which doesn't even make any sense). Disregarding the fact that these people have no idea how hard I am willing to work (I cleaned gas station toilets in the desert for minimum wage, after all), these people really pissed me off. At first I felt that the forum members were just being judgmental elitist jerks but I thought I would get a second opinion.
If a farmer is willing to hire me to do a bit of shoveling for a few euros, does that make me scum? Am I taking food out of the mouths of some poor EU family by supplementing my adventure with casual labour? . Am I missing something? Ireland isn't exactly El Salvador, after all. In
-A.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
The Jeep Wave and other stories
The other night a woman was being interviewed on the news about the GM plant in Ontario rehiring 800 layoffs. She was really hoping that she would be one of the rehires because her savings was running out and she had two kids. Boy did I feel like a shit for complaining about my job. I am well paid, doing what I love, and NOT in a factory. I'll shut up now.
For those of you who do not have the privilege of owning a Jeep, you might not be aware that, similar to the VW Beetle Wave, Jeep people also have one. The enthusiasm tends to vary with model, but if you encounter another Jeep on a 2-lane road, there is probably a 65% chance you will get a wave, 80% if you wave first. The percentage also increases with decreasing population or when you are near good off-roading terrain. There is also a hierarchy in the Jeep community. Usually, the older and more beat-up your vehicle is, the more cred you get. I think I even saw a points system on an online forum once.
CJs (1944-1986) are at the highest level and drivers basically deserve a salute for keeping their vehicle roadworthy. The YJ (1987-1995) is second, though this is a somewhat controversial topic for some because of it's un-Jeep square headlights. TJs (1995-2006) used to be considered the "yuppie jeep" and an object of scorn until the much maligned JK came out in 2007; the round headlights were back, but there was much less metal in the body and the switch form leaf springs madefor a smoother ride. The argument against the JKs was that if you want 4 doors on your Jeep, get a Liberty or a Compass and leave the Wranglers alone. And as far as cred goes, most folks believe that if you are driving a JK, Liberty, Compass, or a Cherokee (also known as an XJ) made in the last 15 years, you don't deserve a wave. You also lose points for having an ugly lift, bad paint job or any kind chrome.
Please note that these are not necessarily my views, just what I've learned. Though I still think that a 4-door JK looks way too much like a mutant baby Hummer.
On the topic of Jeeps, my poor little 20 year old beast has seen better days. There is an alarmingly loud ticking sound when the engine is running, probably caused by the lifters and/or rocker arms. Instead of tearing the engine apart, my dad figures we should just put in a new engine. At $2000, the repair is most assuredly more than what the whole vehicle is worth, but frankly I don't care. He may be noisy, drafty, bad on gas, and a rough ride (gotta love leaf springs), but my little beast has never left me on the road (except for the time I found out my gas gauge was broken). Not to mention I got him for free! I figure it's like a heart transplant on an old man. It may not extend his life by much, but if he survives, it's still totally worth it.
- A.
For those of you who do not have the privilege of owning a Jeep, you might not be aware that, similar to the VW Beetle Wave, Jeep people also have one. The enthusiasm tends to vary with model, but if you encounter another Jeep on a 2-lane road, there is probably a 65% chance you will get a wave, 80% if you wave first. The percentage also increases with decreasing population or when you are near good off-roading terrain. There is also a hierarchy in the Jeep community. Usually, the older and more beat-up your vehicle is, the more cred you get. I think I even saw a points system on an online forum once.
CJs (1944-1986) are at the highest level and drivers basically deserve a salute for keeping their vehicle roadworthy. The YJ (1987-1995) is second, though this is a somewhat controversial topic for some because of it's un-Jeep square headlights. TJs (1995-2006) used to be considered the "yuppie jeep" and an object of scorn until the much maligned JK came out in 2007; the round headlights were back, but there was much less metal in the body and the switch form leaf springs madefor a smoother ride. The argument against the JKs was that if you want 4 doors on your Jeep, get a Liberty or a Compass and leave the Wranglers alone. And as far as cred goes, most folks believe that if you are driving a JK, Liberty, Compass, or a Cherokee (also known as an XJ) made in the last 15 years, you don't deserve a wave. You also lose points for having an ugly lift, bad paint job or any kind chrome.
Please note that these are not necessarily my views, just what I've learned. Though I still think that a 4-door JK looks way too much like a mutant baby Hummer.
On the topic of Jeeps, my poor little 20 year old beast has seen better days. There is an alarmingly loud ticking sound when the engine is running, probably caused by the lifters and/or rocker arms. Instead of tearing the engine apart, my dad figures we should just put in a new engine. At $2000, the repair is most assuredly more than what the whole vehicle is worth, but frankly I don't care. He may be noisy, drafty, bad on gas, and a rough ride (gotta love leaf springs), but my little beast has never left me on the road (except for the time I found out my gas gauge was broken). Not to mention I got him for free! I figure it's like a heart transplant on an old man. It may not extend his life by much, but if he survives, it's still totally worth it.
- A.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
...WANT... TO... SMASH....THINGS...
I am SO FRUSTRATED right now I am near tears. I have really been enjoying my job so far and I actually look forward to logging core. The problem is that the man who hired me and the man who is the head geologist on site are polar opposites and it makes it VERY hard for me to do my job. The head geologist is a PhD and has an extremely... academic approach to logging core to the point where I am measuring changes in quartz vein intrusion level down to the inch.
I was originally trained how to log the core by Arnie, the guy who hired me and he has a very pragmatic approach to logging core. Basically, if it won't help to find gold, I didn't need to put it in the log. In school I was trained to log to a detail somewhere between these two extremes. This rant may be a little obscure to non-geologists, but what it boils down to is that I have to re-do 576 feet of core which took me two days to log in the first place and has already been logged once before, simply because I didn't write down where between the 2.5ft intervals the quartz increased or decreased. That 2.5 ft of leeway will not make a difference! I just have to do it because The head geo thinks that more information is always better. Is that really the case if I have to spend another 2 days doing it? ARRRRRRGHHH!!!!!!!
I was originally trained how to log the core by Arnie, the guy who hired me and he has a very pragmatic approach to logging core. Basically, if it won't help to find gold, I didn't need to put it in the log. In school I was trained to log to a detail somewhere between these two extremes. This rant may be a little obscure to non-geologists, but what it boils down to is that I have to re-do 576 feet of core which took me two days to log in the first place and has already been logged once before, simply because I didn't write down where between the 2.5ft intervals the quartz increased or decreased. That 2.5 ft of leeway will not make a difference! I just have to do it because The head geo thinks that more information is always better. Is that really the case if I have to spend another 2 days doing it? ARRRRRRGHHH!!!!!!!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
There's Gold in Them There Hills
Five days in and I still like it so that is a good sign. According to Wikipedia, Wells has a population of about 236; apparently this is a generous summer estimate as the current population probably sits somewhere near 50, including all employees of Barkerville Gold Mines. Kind of like Enilda with a better view for you High Prairians out there.
I've been pretty busy so far learning the ropes and such. Turns out I'm a the resident GIS software expert, which isn't a surprise since I am pretty sure that 75% of the people I work for were alive before the invention of television. The first person I met that didn't have gray hair was Holly the core tech. It's funny because everyone kept telling me how tough she was, hauling these 50-80lb boxes of drill core around(20 ft of core in 5 ft lengths about the diameter of a Red Bull can all in one box), and when I meet her, instead of some big butch lady, there's this freckled redhead who is smaller than me and around my age. I only managed about five of those boxes before my muscles gave out on me.
This place has been explored and mined for gold for decades and there was even a running mine back in the 30's which had to shut down due to lack of manpower because of the war. I've been sorting through old maps trying to find info on the area we are drilling and have come across everything from 70 year old mine plans to the route of the annual sled dog race that used to be held around here. Crazy stuff. My main job is helping to inspect the core being drilled and though it sounds dull, it's nice to get my brain working again. My own office, good pay, and a company vehicle don't hurt the situation either.
My boss is this older fellow named Arnie, and I don't think he could be more of a character if he tried. He's a good teacher, which is a surprise because he comes across initially as one of those old school hard ass field geologists. He is a heavy-smoking diabetic who listens to classical music in the office and often spouts off about how the world has gone to crap and there are never any good movies or TV anymore. I keep waiting for him to say "I'm too old for this shit" to complete the cliche. That said, he is definitely one of the better bosses I've had, even if he does insist on smoking in the core shack.
-A.
I've been pretty busy so far learning the ropes and such. Turns out I'm a the resident GIS software expert, which isn't a surprise since I am pretty sure that 75% of the people I work for were alive before the invention of television. The first person I met that didn't have gray hair was Holly the core tech. It's funny because everyone kept telling me how tough she was, hauling these 50-80lb boxes of drill core around(20 ft of core in 5 ft lengths about the diameter of a Red Bull can all in one box), and when I meet her, instead of some big butch lady, there's this freckled redhead who is smaller than me and around my age. I only managed about five of those boxes before my muscles gave out on me.
This place has been explored and mined for gold for decades and there was even a running mine back in the 30's which had to shut down due to lack of manpower because of the war. I've been sorting through old maps trying to find info on the area we are drilling and have come across everything from 70 year old mine plans to the route of the annual sled dog race that used to be held around here. Crazy stuff. My main job is helping to inspect the core being drilled and though it sounds dull, it's nice to get my brain working again. My own office, good pay, and a company vehicle don't hurt the situation either.
My boss is this older fellow named Arnie, and I don't think he could be more of a character if he tried. He's a good teacher, which is a surprise because he comes across initially as one of those old school hard ass field geologists. He is a heavy-smoking diabetic who listens to classical music in the office and often spouts off about how the world has gone to crap and there are never any good movies or TV anymore. I keep waiting for him to say "I'm too old for this shit" to complete the cliche. That said, he is definitely one of the better bosses I've had, even if he does insist on smoking in the core shack.
-A.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Redemption
I have not worked in geology since September of 2008, when I was voluntarily laid off by Aurora Geosciences in Yellowknife. A recruiting company had convinced me to head to Australia, despite the fact that the company in Perth that had been interested in me had rescinded their offer. Like most people, the recruiter probably didn't foresee that the global economy was a month away from near total collapse. I got to Perth in November and after a month and a half of job hunting ended up at a roadhouse in the desert with $40 in my pocket. Everyone there was confident I would find something locally, since the roadhouse was close to so many nearby mining operations. Well, that didn't happen.
As the recession worsened, I gave up on trying to find work in my field and decided that I would instead turn the trip into a backpacking adventure. 20 000km later I headed back to Canada with $30 and the word of our finance minister that the recession was over. To pay my student loans I worked part time over the summer, confident that after a month or so I would find geology work. As Christmas hit, I was at an all time low for morale- being unemployed does quite a number on one's self-esteem. Perhaps for all my schooling and experience, I was just a mediocre fake scientist. I stopped worrying about getting geology work and started to think of alternatives for my life. A welding ticket, maybe. That would mean more school, but at least I would have guaranteed work at the end. Maybe I should have tried a Master's degree, even though I was so sick of university.
After the new year I finally made a decision, which basically equated to "fuck it". I was living in my parents' basement, not doing much of anything but playing xbox and working part time just enough to pay my bills. I started exercising and committed to the fact that I may be there for a while. Instead of stressing about it all I embraced my situation and started making an effort to have a bit of fun. I stopped thinking of High Prairie as a pit stop and started to settle in. Of course, that is exactly when life decided to throw everything on it's head. All that anxiety, all that self-doubt of the last year and a half evaporated with one phone call. Someone had seen my resume on a mining website and contacted me. There wasn't even an interview (I have a feeling my references helped out in that regard); he basically asked when I was available and if I was happy with the salary and then I was hired on the spot.
The danger of identifying yourself by your profession is that if you lose that, then there is not much else to prop you up. I didn't think so when I was stuck in Perth with no job and no money, but I was lucky I got stuck in Australia during the bulk of the recession- at least there I was able to carve out a niche for myself that I was able to think back on positively during the last while. I was not just an unemployed geologist, but an adventurer, a hobo, an amateur mechanic, a scuba diver, and a bit of a nut. I am certainly a stronger person than I was when I first left university, For the next recession I will have a nest egg put aside and you'll find me in India, thanks... 0r South America; or Ireland.
-A.
As the recession worsened, I gave up on trying to find work in my field and decided that I would instead turn the trip into a backpacking adventure. 20 000km later I headed back to Canada with $30 and the word of our finance minister that the recession was over. To pay my student loans I worked part time over the summer, confident that after a month or so I would find geology work. As Christmas hit, I was at an all time low for morale- being unemployed does quite a number on one's self-esteem. Perhaps for all my schooling and experience, I was just a mediocre fake scientist. I stopped worrying about getting geology work and started to think of alternatives for my life. A welding ticket, maybe. That would mean more school, but at least I would have guaranteed work at the end. Maybe I should have tried a Master's degree, even though I was so sick of university.
After the new year I finally made a decision, which basically equated to "fuck it". I was living in my parents' basement, not doing much of anything but playing xbox and working part time just enough to pay my bills. I started exercising and committed to the fact that I may be there for a while. Instead of stressing about it all I embraced my situation and started making an effort to have a bit of fun. I stopped thinking of High Prairie as a pit stop and started to settle in. Of course, that is exactly when life decided to throw everything on it's head. All that anxiety, all that self-doubt of the last year and a half evaporated with one phone call. Someone had seen my resume on a mining website and contacted me. There wasn't even an interview (I have a feeling my references helped out in that regard); he basically asked when I was available and if I was happy with the salary and then I was hired on the spot.
The danger of identifying yourself by your profession is that if you lose that, then there is not much else to prop you up. I didn't think so when I was stuck in Perth with no job and no money, but I was lucky I got stuck in Australia during the bulk of the recession- at least there I was able to carve out a niche for myself that I was able to think back on positively during the last while. I was not just an unemployed geologist, but an adventurer, a hobo, an amateur mechanic, a scuba diver, and a bit of a nut. I am certainly a stronger person than I was when I first left university, For the next recession I will have a nest egg put aside and you'll find me in India, thanks... 0r South America; or Ireland.
-A.
Friday, January 29, 2010
The Equity of Memory
Sorry for the length, but this is what happens when I wait a month between posts: my brain needs to empty it's lint trap, and this comes out so my thoughts can... um... dry better.
In the darkness and cold of this Canadian winter, I have been thinking a lot about my travels last year, if only to distract me from the perpetual blocks of ice that used to be my feet (damn you, poor circulation!). Driving home the other day I realized something interesting about my memories- it's going to be a weird analogy, but bear with me. Like a well renovated home, certain memories seem to have more intrinsic value than others. Obviously this isn't a monetary thing, but in the long term, some events or periods in your life just stick with you more. I'm not talking about traumatic memories or even really seminal moments like a wedding or significant birthday. Looking back at the last eight months, there is very little that stands out in my mind. Even though I am back in my home town with limited funds or social life, I have still had some pretty fun and interesting experiences. But compared to even the most enjoyable things that have happened to me in the last while, it's the banal days of travel that I remember; driving fourteen hours through the Australian Nullabour is not stimulating in the least, with the largest shrub being about waist high and nothing but gas stations to look forward to for 1200km. That sticks with me. The monotonous days behind the counter at the Auski roadhouse, saving money so I could afford to see more of Australia than Perth and the Outback. That sticks with me. Driving 6000km across Canada this fall, sleeping in the van, with several stops along the way to visit friends. This does not stick with me. Why?
When I let my mind drift, the current of my thoughts inevitably bring me to some random day in the first half of 2009. Whether I was wandering the streets in some unremarkable New Zealand town (there are more of these than you would think), or chilling out in some un-named park or roadside turnoff, eating noodles, I can instantly recall the situation, if not the date and exact location. I think this is because during this time, even though I wasn't doing anything particularly noteworthy, and there were ups and downs along the way, there was a very long period where I was consistently really happy. I would wake up (either in my car, my tent, or my hostel bed) and it would be 6 or 7 in the morning and I couldn't sleep anymore because I was so excited to start a new day. It sounds incredibly cheesy to write it down, but it was a very common occurrence for me to stop in my tracks and look around and just be stupefied by how awesome my life was, those "Hell, yeah!" moments. Not to say it's terrible now, but the jubilant appreciation of just existing is missing lately. I think it's this "high on life" feeling that ingrains even the most banal of days I had over there in my memory more keenly than the last few months or anything before that.
Lately I have been feeling this anxiety in my guts that has nothing to do with being semi-unemployed or living in my parents' basement. Even though it's only been eight months, I feel like I am wasting time. Pretty much every year of my life since high school has been dedicated to achieving something I wanted to do. 2001, First year of University (aka learning what life is like outside High Prairie); 2002-2003, recover from cancer; 2004-2008, get a university degree/see what it's like outside of Alberta; 2008-2009, try being a geologist/see what it's like outside of Canada/ see how long I can survive on noodles and jerky. I got back from the Southern Hemisphere in June of 2009 with a few stamps in my passport and a scuba diving license but no direction other than to wait out a recession and make some money. Eight months later and I am in the same position I was in June. No wonder it's all been a haze with no definitive moments. I may be only 26, but I am also already 26. If I keep sitting around waiting for things to happen, then nothing will. There are people who wake up at 40 and finally get it. I think I get it now, and I think I got it when I got over cancer, but sometimes a person forgets. Whether you are 26 or 40, there is never any time to waste. Do what you need to do to be happy. Don't settle or if you do, at least settle for something that doesn't make you regret it later.
-A.
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