Friday

It's Friday. Time for some quick hits...

New driller added some costs. Seems that there is a minimum depth for drilling that is charged for. Who knew.

Another 2am phone call. Luckily, I got to bed early so I didn't lose any sleep. Just in case the caller is reading this (and I know you are), this is not a complaint, just a comment. As I have said, keep calling if you need to talk. I'd rather you call me than sit around feeling miserable.

Somebody is filming a show around the Tim's I went to this morning. Can't remember what the show was.

I'm doing a traffic protection plan for the drilling sites. Lots of fun.

My favourite cheese is Mozzarella.

I have never visited the Congo, and I don't know if I ever will.

I finished my taxes last night, but the QuickTaxWeb program is pretty limited in changing things - I want to carry forward some tuition from this year to next year because I already have a large refund coming. Since I will make more this year than last, it would be nice to have some extra deductions. Time for a phone call.

Peace out.

Not much to say today...

Holding pattern going on right now with work. Just waiting for the boom to be lowered. Everything is getting ready for Monday.

I should probably get my taxes done. I expect to get cash back, but I haven't really looked at my info yet. Oh well. That'll get done tonight.

Word.

.... and some people don't

So today we met with the new driller and he was much more thorough in his analysis of each location telling us exactly what we will need up front. I feel much more confident with this guy. He had no problem saying "no I can't do that", which included two of the spots the last driller hand picked with me.

I prefer a driller with years of experience over some green pup who will say anything to get a job. Sorry dude, your rep is gonna suffer because of your incompetence.

Next week, the ball rolls. Giddy up.

Some people suck

Well, the problems we had with our drillers culminated today with them quitting almost a month after the head of the company came out in the field with me to install stakes indicating our drilling locations. If this was a simple process, losing them would not be a problem. However, the reason for putting stakes in was to locate utilities, which took two weeks. Having them come back last Wednesday to the spots they had already pre-chosen and saying "No, we can't drill here" was a slap in the face. And to have them avoid my phone calls and send a fax instead showed me a great deal of unprofessionalism. I don't think I will be hiring or recommending those drillers to anyone in the near future.

However, with our luck, we may have a driller available to us starting next week - someone who has been in the business for more than 30 years (experience = more reliability = more knowledge of what really happens in the field = none of this one month later sorry we can't do it even though we originally said we could bullsh!t).

I have felt terrible through this entire process. I guess it is a fitting lesson that the world isn't the nice honest place that I would like it to be, and that things don't always work out in the end in the time frame you are looking for (although I learned that one on my thesis).

I feel a renewed sense of optimism right now. Perhaps it was enough to cut away the poison from this job. Just a note - if we had've kept our original driller, we would have started last week, on time. Another guy with 30+ years experience, you see. Not someone who says they can do it if they cannot. (Or is that another lesson to be learned??? :o)

Doomed

I feel doomed.

The drilling yesterday was a disaster and now the drillers are unavailable till Monday.

We are scrambling around looking for tree removal and fill permits and all sorts of crazy bs that should have been done a month ago right after the site walk. Of course, getting all the info you need from the drillers the day you start drilling really puts you behind the 8-ball, so what can you do.

I'm tired. Today will be a long and difficult day.

But once it is over, there will be solutions. I can feel it. Things will go forward, the work will get done. That is inevitable.

That doesn't stop the feeling of impending doom.

Oh, and we need one site to dry out before we can get in, since the rig got stuck yesterday. Forecast for the next 3 days? RAIN. Damn.

Stay tuned.

Unbelievably

I am still in the office. The drilling is a full week and a half late starting and I am starting to get frustrated. At least the driller called last night to let me know that we weren't going to start today. That was a first. I am not happy that this project is so far behind.

At least now I have time to do some other things in the office. Hopefully I won't get dragged down there as well.

First weekend over 20C !!!!

This weekend looks like it will be a beauty. Sunny and 20 some degrees for the first time since last year!! I can hardly wait to hit the roads with my bike while my wonderful companion rollerblades along beside me. :) It has been so beautiful here of late that I am really amazed. We have had sun for almost two weeks straight, and thats FRICKIN AWESOME.

And it looks like there will be plenty more sun in store for me next week in the field!!! Woo hoo!!! I had better pack my sun block, that's for sure.

Heck, it is pretty much PATIO WEATHER!!!!!!!!! Crack open a cold one. Cheers.

Computer Weirdness

Last night, I was sound asleep when I was awakened by a weird beeping noise. I looked up and saw that my computer had turned on by itself. I wondered what could cause something like that, whether there was an auto-on function that had been activated. I then became suspicious (i.e. paranoid) that some hacker had arranged for my computer to go on at specific times so that they could use my pc as a portal to perform nefarious deeds in cyberspace. In the end, I shrugged, shut my computer down and went back to sleep.

Coincidentally, internet was down on my computer this morning.

Setbacks

So I went out to my field site this past Monday wondering what had become of my driller, and lo and behold he was nowhere to be found. I was a little perturbed, since he had not returned my phone calls late the previous week to inform me of the status of the rig. I continued on my way, doing my baseline water levels and called him when I got back to the office.

Tuesday arrives, still no word. Things get frantic. We were supposed to start this week and we haven't and we have no idea why.

Finally, the call comes and the driller gives me the gory details - the rig broke down late last week and he has been scrambling for parts, finally deciding to send it out west for major repairs. Oh well.

Drilling is scheduled to start next Monday. Stay tuned...

A Drilling we will go....

So it is Thursday and I am preparing for a three-week journey into the world of drilling and pumping tests. Three weeks in the field in Mississauga sounds to my liking. :)

I am so nervous about it though - making sure everything is prepared. It isn't an easy task.

Maybe I will update later, I really don't have much more to say about this right now.

Okay, so...

I published that congrats to Mischie and Christoph yesterday, but it didn't seem to get published, so I created another one and then BOOM suddenly there were two, and I was all like WTF and stuff. So I surrendered and came over here to make a new blog.

Mould sucks. I have mould in my room, mould in my carpets, mould on the wall. I haven't been home too much in the last month which makes it worse, since I haven't had much chance to clean it up. I wanna just run out and grab a carpet cleaner and go to town cleaning that sucker up. Maybe I'll go buy one, since it will probably be cheaper in the long run (you know you aren't a student any more when you go from rent to buy for these kinda things - now if I'd just get off my lazy ass and buy a car - though renting is still cheap!!!).

I'd much rather use the ol' carpet cleaner than get down on my hands and knees and scrub. Though I'll have to give the old walls a good cleaning too. And all my furniture that was on that carpet. Hmm. I will consult the landlord about this as well and see if she wants to pull up the carpet to check underneath it for mould. It might save some grief in the long run.

Congratulations to Mischie

I would like to take this time to congratulate my good friends Michelle and Christoph on the birth of their first child, a baby girl born on Sunday April 3 in Germany.

I just want to say I am so happy for both of you and I send my warm wishes to you and the blessing you have brought into this world.

Lots of love,

Derk