21 May 2005
Great start to the day, good night sleep, fresh air and breakfast. The food is very good. For breakfast you have a choice of brown eggs, sausage, French toast, pancakes, pastries, coffee, tea, juice, milk and cereal. Stay away from the coffee/tea due to the theory of one cup in equals an unlimited amount out.
Now that may sound funny but the following is a typical dress code:
Insulated socks, sock liner, and insulated boots. Underwear, long underwear, pants and insulated work coveralls. Tee shirt, insulated shirt, long sleeved shirt, hooded sweat shirt, insulated vest, and coat. Jimmy Buffet hat, insulated head shield, (only eyes show when the wind blows other wise it keeps the neck warm) hood over all that and a hard hat. Back to my point watch what you eat and drink!!
Tomorrow is supposed to be colder I will add a second pair of long underwear and a second head shield.
Today the weather changed again from bearable to ooohhhh shit. In a matter of an hour big temperature drop with wind then snow - not quite a white out but close. The men I work with have been here almost 3 months and have endured 60 to 100 below weather. They are extremely good, hard working men. They are married with families, and travel to where the jobs are . $40 – 70 dollars per hour for the starters more for the experienced, I feel privileged to have them consider me one of them. I expected them to be roughneck type but instead talking to them they live in very good homes. One has a plane (he flies), another has a home in Canada and a condo in Thailand where on a job he met his wife.
The people here are from every corner of the world. When I asked if they would go to Iraq to work almost everyone said yes. Same answer from all, they fell the odds are in their favor and the money is great.
Not much else to write about, there having cookies at nine tonight but it’s too cold. In fact I decided my hygiene level will hit new lows, no shower, just can’t picture throwing all the clothes on, maybe tomorrow.
With any luck we may start testing some of the equipment tomorrow after noon but I spoke with the construction manager and the weather is supposed to go down hill the next 5 days, and work seem to slow down he said. DUH!
Stay tuned.