we get up on monday morning about 5:30am to prepare for the 2 hour drive to the mine. we get ready and head to subway so we can get breakfast, coffee, and a sandwich for lunch later in the office. then we start the 2-2.5 hour journey to the office.
upon arriving in the office, our first order of business is to put on our metatarsal boots. these are steel toe black boots that are required on site. we get right down to business. me, catching up on email and sorting out my to do list. jim, making his calls and drives through the mining pits to figure out what occurred over the weekend and where he needs to go from there.
we eat lunch out on the picnic table right outside our office at about 11:30 - 12ish, and then get back to work until at least 6:00pm.
we go back to our room, unpack the car with all our stuff for the week and head to our room. when i say room i mean a trailer with a bedroom and a bathroom. we bring our own bedding (the mine provides it for you, but it's really old and you don't know where it's been) so we make up the bed real fast and then change into gym clothes.
we usually do a run and lifting routine after work every day, but we have recently been incorporating a large amount of tennis into our routine as well. so, depending on our mood we do any combination of the three and sometimes we do ALL THREE! some nights we play tennis until the very last minute before dinner shuts down at 8:30pm.
there is always a standard dinner that everyone has, but we usually special request a couple of chicken breasts (you can special order both chicken and steak). then we eat the sides that everyone else has - green beans, corn, peas, potatos, etc. it's pretty nice having all your meals cooked for you!
we like to be back in the room by 8, but, with our recent tennis infatuation, it's been more like 8:30 - 9:00! Then we shower and wind down by watching 10-or-so mintues of tv or reading a book before passing out.
the next day the alarm goes off at 5am, and we are in the crib room for breakfast by 5:30am.
after breakfast everyone heads over to the lunch area where there are plastic containers to pack a lunch. there are all kinds of options for lunch - sandwiches, salads, fruits, crackers, meat pies, cake, etc. so everyone packs their lunch for the day in the morning and then refrigerates it to have later at the office or in the crib rooms that are stationed on the mine site.
once the food for the day is sorted, we head to the office by 6am and start the day all over again - working until at least 6pm! that's right - 12 hours days.
tuesday is pretty much the same as monday except minus the drive out to camp. we literally work 2 minutes (driving) from the camp (where we sleep), so that is nice.
and then wednesday is the same as well, except there is a BBQ at night. this is what is considered the "social" night at camp. everyone meets on the patio outside of the crib area and 2 people volunteer each week to grill sausages, hamburgers and steaks. it's always really good food and a good opportunity to mingle with work people without actually discussing the daily grind that we like to call work.
thursday is the same as monday and tuesday, but by thursday you are really ramping up to go home!!
and then friday we are relieved to head home after our day's work, but we still have the 2 plus hour drive home. in the end, most weeks are 55-60 hour work weeks.
we wear this (cute, huh??):
and we have seen the following animals in their natural habitat since we work out in the bush:
these are emus, and we see these all of the time:
jim was unfortunate enough to run across this black headed python... i think i would have completely FREAKED:
since he saw this while driving through the mine site (the pits), i have to keep telling myself that this was really far away from where we live and sleep. yes, this is very far away from where we live in sleep. this is very far away from where we live and sleep..........
you have already seen the photo of this kangaroo, but this is the 2nd one i have seen. jim, on the other hand, has seen a ton of them; he gets out of the office a lot more.
and i wanted to introduce you to the kookaburra that keeps us company while playing tennis (i love this little guy), but he wasn't there the last time i brought my camera so i will post him as soon as i get a pic.
anyway... that give you a little glimpse into what our daily grind looks like... feel free to comment with any other questions you might have.
You are rockin that get up! I love it! :)
ReplyDeleteha ha... i know, right?? no, in all seriousness, i am looking forward to having a job where i can get dressed in real/professional work clothes, again! :)
Delete