You Beauty!!!!

Yehar. Finally lashed out and bought a digital camera. Went all out and got the massive memory card as well. All I need to do now is upgrade my computer so it can have a usb port. I might need to save up for a while, it's either that or suck up to my very close friends with cd burners. I guess I can do it at work, seeing as I don't actually do much "work" when I'm at "work". Hmmnn........

Anyway, I'm totally thrilled with my new toy. Lets see how long it takes me to break it! He he he......

So folks, the pictures aren't too far away, you will eventually be able to see what a bad photographer I really am.

Got back last thursday. It was supposed to be wednesday but it rained.

Here is the sorry saga of my crew change day......

Finished work at midnight on Tuesday. Got back to camp and had breakfast, shower etc. Was a bit worked up cos I new I was going home the next day. Stayed up for a couple of hours watching tele, finally went to bed around 3am.
Woke up Wednesday about 5am. Packed my bags. Stepped out of my room and into the biggest puddle I've ever seen. Bugga. Took the 4wd up to the rig to ask the company man if the roads were closed. Yep. Bugga. They might be open after lunch. Just in time for me to miss my flight.
Went back to bed. At about 10am the cook woke me up to tell me there was a chopper coming for me after lunch. Nice one. And I didn't even have to ask! I might just make my flight after all. At about 11am the cook woke me again and told me to go and see the company man up at the rig. The good news was that the roads had dried out and the chopper was cancelled. Yay. He told me I can drive out.

I missed my plane by four hours.

Oh well. Booked myself a room in Ballera and got out the next day.

The main reason I was bummed was because there were army excersizes on wednesday, and I missed out on perving at all the army boys. Turned out there were a few going out on Thursday. So I got my fix after all.

Anyway, I'm back to work on Wednesday. Only 6 days at home. 5 if you take into account the fact I got home late in the evening on Thursday, and have to leave in the crack of dawn Wednesday. Bugga.

Oh well, that's enough of me bitching about my crew changes.

This is how I have filled my days at home so far......
Thursday was pretty quiet.
Friday - went out with best mate for dinner for a long overdue catch up session, followed by a night out at the garage for a cd launch of some band, whom I really can't remeber the name of right now. They were "great". Sigh........Followed by a night of Kareoke where I sang the last song of the night about 3.2 tones out of where it should have been sung. Sang it perfectly, just 3.2 tones out. Sigh.....
Saturday - perved at the guys playing baseball all late afternoon, followed by a night out watching northern lights latest production of Scrooged. Very good, well done all. Particularly enjoyed the fuck ups! Well......isn't that why you go to see live theatre?
Sunday - went shopping and spent spent spent, did I mention I spent a whole lotta money! Sunday night spent on the phone being a shoulder for my best mate to cry on. How does it go........? "Men will come and go but we will always be there for each other" and "one door opens and another door closes" and " if it was ment to be etc...."

I love you, you know who you are......

Monday is now, and I have been playing with my new toy. I have nothing to show for it, but I have had a great day. I hope you all have had a great day today.

Talk again soon.

lightning + oil rigs = fun + no communications

Hey there kids, havn't been on in a while cos lightning hit the lease and fried all our internet and telephone communications.

At the moment I'm in Ballera on a rig move. I really don't have anything interesting to say. It rained last night and the roads are closed. That might delay the rigmove by a day or two. Might even get out of here without having to do a rig up.

Most exciting thing that has happened on the rig this hitch.........the brand of toilet paper we use has changed it's formula slightly and has become softer. Nice.

We have a new trainee, on his last training hitch, almost ready to become solo. He happens to be the bosses cousin or nephew. Some kind of close relation. Excellent. He is a very smart "kid". Straight out of high school. Apparently we wont have him for very long because he will be going on to medical school next year. Honestly, I don't know why they bother....... This kid can tell you the formula for vegemite, but he can't open the friggin jar!

Psycopaths R Us!

I've just been warned that my offsider is on anti psycotic drugs, and not to upset him.
Hmmnn.......

It does make our handover a little more interesting though.

Not much to report today. When I get home I will try to post some W.F.H. photos.
(wedding from hell)

Oh, our internet is coming and going. More going than coming, which is unfortunate for my computers sex life. It's kinda representing my sex life at the moment. (sad sexually repressed sigh). So it means I can only post occasionally. Sorry if you are one of the people who like regular updates (I know, I'm one of them - drives me nuts when there's a big time gap in a really good blog, it's like checking the letter box every day for 3 years, waiting for the letter that your 19 year old boyfriend promised you when you were 16.) I know I know, I have issues.

Ummmnn..... awkward pregnant pause.....

Oh, speaking of pregnant..... My company man just came in and asked me if I was pregnant....
Faarrkk, I've definitely got to leave the lamingtons alone. No, the driller has just discovered he has chicken pox. Yehar, that's just what we need, a camp full of roughnecks with the pox.

A plague on both your rig camps.

Damn it's hot!

It is what I call eyeball drying weather. 40° C + .

As soon as I step out of my unit, the thin film covering my eyeballs instantly dries up, and I can't blink. Nice.

The taxi ride to the airport was interesting. New driver, and the conversation went a little bit like this.....

Hey there, you off on holiday.
No, I'm off to work.
Oh, where do you work?
Out near the Moomba gas fields.
Oh, I know a guy out there, do you know Barry?
I only know one Barry, was the barry you are talking about a bit of an idiot?
No, the Barry I'm talking about was some one I dated for a long time. He's dying of cancer now and I loved him dearly.
I'm sorry to hear that.

Awkward pause.........


How do you like driving for this company, you're new aren't you?
I love it. The last company were complete arseholes. My new bosses make sure I'm ok, and ring me everyday to check up on me, even on my day off.
Oh....
Yeah. I got attacked on my last week at the other job, and my boss didn't believe me.
Oh..... I'm sorry to hear that.

Awkward pause.........

Taxi driver then proceeds to talk me through her depression symptoms.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

Awkward pause......

Taxi driver then proceeds to talk me through her menopause symptoms.

Very awkward pause.......




Meanwhile, she stops at a servo for petrol.
Then she stops at another servo for credit for her mobile phone.
She gets me to put the credit thingy on her phone while she drives.
When that's done, she proceeds to make several calls on her phone, with no hands free set.
Meanwhile, I'm stressing out that I'm going to miss my plane, cos she had to detour from my normal route (80km the entire way with no traffic lights) to friggin main north road in peak hour.

And then, she detours again to pick up another taxi driver, and detours again to take him home.

Arrrgggghhhh..............

I'm a lazy blogger

Yep, I've been home for two weeks and this is the first time I've been motivated to actually write something down.

In the past two weeks I have.......(in no particular order)......

deposited my tax cheque

spent my tax cheque

learnt how to spell cheque

organised and ran a hens night

mentally disembowled the hen

several times

in many nasty and excruciating ways

had a bridesmaid dress made

worn bridesmaid dress to wedding from hell

got incredibly drunk at wedding

unfortunately got drunk just before my speech

fortunately performed speech with eloquence and pizzaz

did not fall down marble staircase in bridesmaid dress during entrance to wedding from hell

went to a baby shower

the day after hens night

did not pull up too well

did a no show for christening

the day after the wedding from hell

went to a birthday lunch for best mate

bridezilla showed up at lunch for best mate

practiced civility and manners

(it is much easier when drunk)

broke up with lover

(that's a whole other blog - but doing a 25 day hitch only to come home to "I've got a new girlfriend" ......hmmmnn...)

cleaned house, played with dog, paid bills etc etc....

caught up with many old friends

flirted with many old friends boyfriends

discovered ex boyfriend was engaged to pregnant girlfriend

but not the girlfriend he left me for

picked up a 60 year old man at the casino

won on two up

lost on blackjack

conned taxi driver to take me a $95 fare for $60

yelled at my mother

broke my mop

yelled at my mop for breaking on the day I was motivated to clean the house

fell asleep on the couch too many times to mention

discovered I can add creme de month to milo!!!!!!!

had dinner at girlfriends

dropped off dog

discovered worked had fucked up again and delayed my flight by one day

text old lover to demand key back

deleted old lovers cheery voice from answering machine

here i am.