Shut it down

Ok so I am now in the final quarter of what seems like an eternity...

I'm on day 14 of the Lead Plant Shutdown and in that time I've worked 140hrs and had only one RDO. Actually if you take into account all the prep work we were doing in the weeks leading up and the work still to be done, I'll be clocking up close to 350hrs over 6 weeks with 6 RDO's. I've been getting up at 5am every morning so I can be in the changehouse by 6am. First meeting at 6:30am, second at 7am, quick walk-through of the site then 3rd meeting at 10:30am, eat whilst calling contractors, order replacement parts, organise crane to lift ductwork, inspect welding, catch-up with area supervisors, find missing bolts, update schedule with the scheduler, find time to update site-diary, eat whilst reviewing JSEA's, take photos, attend 4th and final meeting at 4:30pm, write "to do" list for tomorrow... realise it looks much like the "to do" list for today...

It's the most fun I've had at work in ages. It's not work, I love it.

It's hectic, noisy, stressful and sometimes hazardous to your health (not in an incorrect posture at a desk way but rather a acid burn, getting crushed, falling off something way). But the reason I like it is that things are happening here. I mean, things are being torn-down, rebuilt, refreshed, refurbed. The old plant, well sections of it, are being given a new lease of life. And it's not just so that they look pretty, if production isn't improved then not only is the plant obviously going to suffer but everyone who lives here will too. From the guy that works night shift on the Blast Furnace, to the dude who runs the newsagency. Pirie runs on lead. I keep that in mind when I finish a 14hr shift - this work is really important.

What more could you ask for?

Whilst not obvious in this photo, I am fully aware that 15 tonnes of steel crane is being dismantled behind me

Have a shit one

I remember, long ago, a good friend of mine telling me about how he dealt with his complaining girlfriend. Now this wasn't all the time, just a one off. After hearing a tirade from her about how her work/uni was crap, her hair wasn't behaving, she was too busy etc. etc., he pointed out to her recent events and said "I've just picked you up from lunch with your friends, bought you a new pair of Birkenstocks (they were the fashion at the time) and you're going on holiday next week... HAVE A SHIT ONE!"

Obviously he didn't want her to "have a shit one" but he did want to brings things into perspective, quickly. Whilst I would have warned that this sort of rapid refocussing could be harmful to ones' health (especially around this girl), I can see, and last night did see, its merit...

First off it started with a little spring cleaning in my email tray at work. I started reading through a few that I'd sent to contractors to check if they were worth archiving and to my horror I saw this (I've removed the boring technical stuff):

Hi Andrew,

I tried calling Andrew ealier but...
...
...


Could you please pass this on to Andrew as I don't have an email adress for him?

Regards,

Jared

At this point I'll let you know that there is only one (very confused) Andrew that works there. One of my biggest peeves is when someone sends me and email/letter/quote and doesn't bother to proof read it and now I'd done the same. By no means is my grammar perfect but I have high standards (even my double standards are high).

Then I came home and realised I locked myself out. Whilst waiting for my landlord I was bitten by no less than 4 mosquitos, then as I walked inside and started unloading my shopping (which I had to load myself as no-one apparently works at a checkout in the supermarket anymore?) the juice from the raw pork stir-fry had drained into the bag and contaminated the rest of the shopping. Teach me for being a carnivore!

Anyway, I then realised;

1. My mum is sending me a new doona and bed sheets to replace the crappy ones I have here in Pirie
2. Dave is building me a sweet new roadie to replace the crappy Trek I'm riding
3. Daylight savings means that even though I'm working long hours I should still get some ride time tonight
4. I've got a heap of leftovers for today's lunch

Have a shit one Jear (sorry for the profanity Dad!)

Local track, zero banks given