The New Project: Phase 2

“The New Project” is progressing ahead of schedule (or at least it seems to be going fast). The new project milestones achieved this past week include: seeing herself in a mirror, discovering the existence of the floor, almost waving, sleeping 8 hours at night, and possibly recognizing the sound of her name. She's also growing like a weed. She barely fits in the bathtub that looked like it would drown her 6 weeks ago.

As for me, I'm passing some milestones of my own. Despite secretly conspiring never to change a diaper, I bit the bullet yesterday and got the job done. It turns out it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. There are no pins in the modern cloth diapers; its all velcro; and it didn't smell bad at all. In another couple of months I may be ready to change a dirty diaper. I'll keep you posted.

Well, break's over. If you need me I'll be in the laundry room.

The New Project

Your favorite steel toed boot wearing, travelling trench jockey has recently embarked on a project like no other, a completely different job than anything he’s ever experienced; truly groundbreaking. During the typically slow months of January and February, I have been working on raising my beautiful baby girl. The job has odd hours, is physically (and mentally) demanding, and the pay is fantastic (though the monetary cost is astounding).

Our “Little One” was born in January and although I had hoped to be one of those old time fathers who paced the waiting room and handed out cigars, I ended being one of those fathers who woke up on the floor of the delivery room dressed in scrubs. The entire event was the most surreal moment of my life, and that is saying something.

Since the birth, every day has been both a joy and a challenge. I have been there for her first dirty diaper, her first smile, her first time outside, and her first ride in a car, bus, boat, and buggy. I have spent every day; almost every hour for the past two months with her and I have enjoyed every minute (well, almost every minute).

How I am going to leave her when the next out-of-town project comes up, and what milestones am I going to miss?

I'm Too Exhausted to Think of a Title.

The wind howled all day today. Rain overnight turned our excavated material into boot sticking mud that seemed to add 10 pounds to each foot. By afternoon a cold front appeared and the temperature dropped; snow fell shortly thereafter but not enough to accumulate. To keep warm I wore long johns, two long sleeved shirts, bib overalls, a jacket, coveralls, a visi-vest, a hard hat liner, a hard hat, and gortex lined work boots. Still I had to keep moving to stay warm, and today there was plenty of reasons to move.

I shovelled more gravel today than I should have, ran a plate tamper more than I should have, and lifted concrete risers more than I should have. At the end of the day I thought I’d hurt my back, but after a hot shower I found out I had only hurt many, many muscles. It was the kind of day that makes you want to skip dinner and go to sleep, like someone lost in the wilderness about to succumb to hypothermia maybe; or like someone working in Saskatchewan in October.

Luckily we were saved at the last moment by Baba’s "Drive-Thru" Perogies.

Day Off

A day off today. My alarm was not set but I still woke at six.

Day’s off, when you’re on the road, are for laundry. There is a laundry mat next to the hotel I will spend some time in today. You have to pack enough clothes to make it through a week of work because there’s no time for laundry after work; just dinner and sleep. And you have to pack the right clothes for whatever weather you may encounter. I think my body is finally adjusting to the 20 degree shift in temperature we experienced in transition between Red Deer and Saskatoon. The shorts in my suitcase seem so out of place now. The crew laughed at me when I told them in Red Deer I packed long underwear for this trip. That seems so long ago but only seven days have passed; one week since I arrived in Saskatoon and did laundry.

Drunks

Drunks in the hallway of the hotel woke me up this morning at 3:30 and I haven't been able to go back to sleep. I fantasized about opening the door and letting go a barrage of punches into the guy who kept yelling "dude" again and again to his friends. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pockets in my sleeping attire and so nowhere to put my room key. I would have certainly locked myself out of my room and been stranded in the hallway in my underwear with the bloody corpse of “dude” at my feet. Then I would have had to go down to reception to get a new key made, still in my underwear, and tell them to send someone upstairs to clean up the mess on the second floor.

I suppose could have dressed into proper ass-kicking clothes, but by the time I could have laced up my steel toed boots “dude” would have been gone. Instead I put a pillow on my head to muffle the sound and tried to sleep while wondering if prison would have been quieter than the Best Western Harvest Inn.

Cigars and Enchiladas

Saskatoonies seem to enjoy smoking cheap cigars and eating Mexican food, and thanks to lung cancer and the subsequent anti-smoking laws, one can enjoy a good enchiladas verde without being enshrouded that acrid, dried manure smelling Colt 45 smoke you encounter every time you step outdoors.

And enjoy a good enchiladas verde, we did. In fact it was one of the best Mexican meals and one of the best margaritas I’ve ever had, which is quite a find in a small Canadian city in the middle of the prairies. The place is called La Bamba. They have 2 for 1 margaritas on Tuesdays, and 2 for 1 Mexican beer on Wednesdays.

In fact, if I was flying anywhere that routed me over Saskatchewan airspace I would purposely choose a flight with a 7 hour layover in Saskatoon (i.e. any Air Canada flight) so I could take a taxi from the airport to La Bamba and have a meal. It was so good, I would be willing to fly Air Canada to eat there again.

Damn, that was a good enchilada.

They Got Omlets in Saskatchewan!