Well today was a good day, and I did indeed sleep in, so that worked out well. Also went for lunch with people from work, and that was good too. They are good people, and it was good to see them all again. Then I went to MEC and the fun really began (c: I am going ice climbing tomorrow (yes, in the summer!) so I needed a set of mountaineering boots and a set of crampons too. Heh, I love that store, I could spend hours there and today I did, two to be precise. I came away with these and these. Yup, if I were to kick you it would hurt, and extra because of the spikes. Anyway I need to get to bed so I can be up nice and early tomorrow.
Well, I’m home
July 26, 2004 Calgary Alberta
Well, I am finally home. I had a good tour of the US and saw some cool stuff while I was out. I really glad to be back though. I just want to say thanks to everyone who came out to Kilkenny tonight it was really great to see so many people and really made me feel home again, so thanks (c:
I think tomorrow I’ll sleep in!
Millitary Surplus is good!
July 21, 2004 Idaho Falls, Idaho
Today we went to the largest Army Surplus store I have ever seen. It was truly amazing, a whole warehouse fully of old military shtuff. They had everything from camo underwear to ammo boxes to MREs to used airplane tires. It was really amazing. I was almost tempted to buy a whole crate of 80s style telephone handsets with frayed wiring but remember just in time how hard they would be get through customs. I think I may have to go back and get some camo pants though, everyone needs cammo pants. And maybe a jacket, and sweater, and toque and maybe a ghillie suit if I can find one.
When we left the giagantic metal warehouse I had a voice message waiting for me. These phones are really rather pathetic, they don’t seem to work half the time. Anyway the message was from the office, and apparently the drive I shipped yesterday was not in the pelican case when it arrived today. I ransacked my room and didn’t find it, as I had hoped I was merely and idiot and sent and empty case. Alas I was not, and they have to track it down now. The large empty feeling in the bottom of my stomach is slowly subsiding though, I think I’ll live.
My replacement arrives tomorrow afternoon and I should be on my way home on Monday morning. I am trying hard not to get my hopes up because it seems every time I do I end up getting screwed. Last year around Labour Day I was about 5min from going home because our equipment was broken, we had checked out of the hotel and had all our gear loaded and decided to do one last check of the lidar. Damned if thing didin’t work! And another week for Jonny in Ft.Nelson. Anyway Monday is the day I am trying to not look forward too (c:
Saddle Barstools
July 19, 2004 Idaho Falls Idaho
Today was another excellently cloudy day which we used to our advantage. The town of Jackson Hole Wyoming is only about and hour and a half from here and we couldn’t turn down the chance to go see it. I wanted to go to Yellowstone but it was about two and a half hours away, a little too far. Jackson Hole is a really cool town and it totally reminded me of Banff. It is nestled in the mountains and has the same style of mountain architecture and the same pulsing shoving crowds of mindless tourists. The only differences are 1) Its hotter here, and 2) The people aren’t all Asian.
We got into to the area and decided against going straight to downtown in favor of hitting the local ski hill. It looks like an awesome hill, with excellent terrain and good lifts and good people all around. We had lunch on the outdoor patio and just enjoyed the silence. Silence is something that is precious and hard to come by sometimes, but out there it was in plenty. There was still the noise of people talking but the constant background hum of vehicles and city life was completely gone, it was very nice. After lunch we hit the shops and laughed at all the funny t-shirts and just generally bummed around. After we were finished there we decided to brave downtown Jackson Hole. The town was really quite charming, we spent most of it walking around and poking into shops and whatnot. We stopped at the Million Dollar Bar, climbed up on the saddle-bar-stools and ordered a beer. The beer was bad and overpriced and the stools weren’t really comfortable, but it was a neat place none the less.
As a final note, the state troopers here are really nice as long as one is respectful to them, even if they did pull one over for doing 93 in a 65 zone.
As an even finaller note, no I wasn’t driving at the time (c:
Rainy Days – pt 2
July 18, 2004 Idaho Falls Idaho
Well at least tonight I will be able to sleep soundly without fear for my life. Last night’s hotel was called the Executive Guest House and had an incredible rate, we looked at the rooms and they didn’t seem too bad, a little old maybe but not bad. Once we got settled though we noticed a lot of unsavory people in the hallways. We also noticed a definite musty-wet-dog-old-socks smell in the hallway. Add to that the fact that one of the guys had dried blood and snot on his pillows and we were not happy campers. So needless to say we moved today. Anyway the place we have is clean and safe and really close to lots of markets.
Looking back it’s been a while since I did a lengthy update, perhaps this will be it. We moved up the Idaho Falls yesterday from Pocatello. We had finished pretty much everything around there and it was time to move again. We currently have a kickass rental 4Runner and we decided that I would drive up while the others flew. I guess it was a 10min flight and only a 45min drive. The ground around here is really neat, it looks like someone took very large very sharp harrows and tilled the rock right up. It is rolling and bumpy and there isn’t much in the way of grasslands, it is very neat. The drive up was pretty nice, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t think that I would need to do a road trip back here for some time though. It is nice country just rather flat and dry for my tastes.
Long sleeve pants. This one goes back to Twin Falls a while ago. We were moving that day to Pocatello, and I have a slight tendency to under-dress on occasion, so much so that I have managed to not wear pants for this entire tour; including about four border crossings. Don’t get my wrong I would always put on a nice wrinkle free golf shirt and my nicest sandals but always the shorts. So anyway we were going to a new FBO and our Navigator wanted me to look a little nicer. He suggested that I find something other than shorts to wear and the pilot chirped up and said “Yes, how bout some long-sleeve pants” and the saying has stuck every since. We all found it rather humorous, perhaps it was a situational thing.
“Phone booth” was an excellent movie. I read that the idea of a film that takes place totally in a phone booth was pitched to Alfred Hitchcock in the 60s but that no one could think of a way to keep the guy there. Eventually the writer thought of the sniper and it wrote itself. It was very entertaining and introspective as well. I would recommend it.
As I said before, it rained most of the day today which was very nice. We were pretty much inundated with data and I was this close (doesn’t really work unless you can see me does it?) to falling behind. Fortunately though it rained so we had a day off; I feel bad for the Nav that just left, we got kicked all around this state doing tons of production and then the day after he leaves we get to take a break. Hardly seems fair but such is life. The new navigator we have now is a lot of fun. She has been in the business for a long time and gets along well with the guys while still maintaining her femininity. At any rate I am almost sad that I will be going home soon, this is a fun crew to be on and I would do it again any time.
We went to a “sporting goods” store today. I love how in the states “sporting goods” means “stuff you need to go out and kill animals”. To be fair they did have some non-animal-killing related products but they were few and far between and could be used to knock off a buffalo in a pinch. Still, they did have some interesting things. Did you know that switchblades are legal here? Yup, tis true.
Rainy days
Well it is raining today, hard too. It is nice to have a day to catch our breath and stop and think for a moment. We have been running around this state like mad fools but today will be very nice. We are moving hotels today so I don’t have a lot of time right now to update but here is a list of things I hope to mention later today, when we get settled.
- How the ground is all torn up around here
- Hotels thats have hallways that smell like junior high locker rooms
- Long-sleeve pants
- The Canadian Geese out my window
Phone booth
I just finished watching “Phone booth” with Colin Ferel and Keifer Sutherland. It was an awesome movie, strange and unique for sure. Remind me to post more about it tomorrow, tonight I am tired.
Arrogant Worms
Oh, Johnny was a tall man but his memory was short
He’d forget to at doorways and often he’d get hurt
I took good care of him for he had no family
Actually he did, but he forgot who they be
Johnny often liked to go out on the town
He’d forget where he’d be going so he’d just wander around
I when he was back for I would hear the smack
Of his head hitting the doorway but tonight it was alack
Johnny came home headless, it was a great disgrace
But wherever it’s a-lying there’s a smile upon his face
I should have seen it coming, he finally lost his mind
But if his head don’t turn up soon then all his hats are mine
Johnny came towards me but suddenly he stopped
As if trying to think of something but having no luck
Still he didn’t notice that his head weren’t there
‘Til he took out a brush and tried to comb his hair
I said, “Johnny where’s your cranium?” but he didn’t seem to know
He just shrugged his shoulders and tried to find his nose
And the sight of him there topless made me start to cry
For I feared we’d ne’er again see eye to eye
Johnny came home headless, it was a great disgrace
But wherever it’s a-lying there’s a smile upon his face
I should have seen it coming, he should have stayed in bed
For now I fear he’ll spend his life just trying to get ahead
Refusing to believe that he had split for good
His lower half and me searched the neighbourhood
It soon became apparent that his head we wouldn’t find it
He could not retrace his steps, he was absent minded
Well years went by til late one night I heard a voice I swore
Was Johnny calling out to me, I flung open the door
Johnny’s head was home, it took a taxi cab
Alas, it was too late, his body had gone bad
Johnny’s head was homeless, his body was cremated
And the funeral was harder than he had anticipated
I should of seen it coming he said in his eulogy
But never thought I’d have to say I ain’t got no-body
(I ain’t got nobody)
Johnny came home headless, it was a great disgrace
But now his head’s upon a shelf, a smile upon his face
But now his head’s upon a shelf, a smile upon his face
“Title of the Post”
July 11, 2004 Pocatello Idaho
Well we moved again, we left Twin Falls this morning and flew to Pocatello which is further east. I guess we are only 2.5hrs from Yellowstone National Park now, and the Teton (Tea-tawn) mountains as well. Hopefully we’ll be here for a while so I can get a chance to go adventuring.
We flew some photo for the first time in about a week. It was kinda nice, but of course they wanted to move the next morning. I was up all night working on the data then got up early and flew here. I managed to get us a rental car and a killer deal on a hotel, then took an awesome nap. The guys flew again today and got a load of data so I am working on that right now… well “working” anyway.
I put in my request to be home for the August long weekend so I could go to the Big Valley Jamboree, so far there has been no word as to when I get some time off. I have heard rumours that we are looking at a lidar job up in Northern BC, and with two cameras and a lidar and three people doing data analysis that means that all of us will be busy, ergo very little time off.
Right now I am watching “The 4400” on USA, it is kind of a neat show. If you don’t know anything about it it is all about these people that disappeared over the years and then came back without aging a day. When they show the returnees they are all in a sepia sort of tone and everything “modern day” is in full colour. Tonight is the first show, I think I’ll have to try and catch the others as they come on.
When we were still in Twin falls we switched hotels because the one we were in was charging us too much, but they did have the nice advantage of free wireless internet. So after we changed hotels I would occasionally go back to the hotel and sit on a picnic table and, uh borrow their internet. Does that make me a bad person? A friend described it as “If my neighbor leaves his light on and it spills into my lot is it wrong for me to use it? Since it doesn’t deprive him of the light does that mean it isn’t stealing?” Any thoughts?
So the hospital story, yes I deliberately put it at the end. I was sitting in my, decidedly second rate, hotel room in Twin Falls and notices this wireless network that kept popping up but was very weak, it was called MVRMC. I decided to go for a walk and see what I could find and lo and behold right across the street was the Magic Valley Regional Medical Center, the hospital. I grabbed my laptop and cruised around the building looking for a good spot to connect, and found it in a beautiful little courtyard. The signal strength was excellent but for some reason it wouldn’t let me connect. I had a quick peek inside the hospital but garnered some strange looks… I don’t think it was actually open.
So there ya go, tomorrow I have to drive back to Twin Falls to pick up a gyro for the airplane. There was a miscommunication with FedEx so I get to play delivery boy. Should be decent, I enjoy road trips.
PS I would like to recommend a group called DaVinci’s Notebook especially their song “Title of the Song” it is a great mockery of the Boy Band movement which, as far as I can tell, is completely dead.
Never give up! Never surrender!
Well I just thought I would mention that the landing gear on our airplane fixed now so we could fly if we had weather, which we don’t.
It’s a beautiful evening this evening. The sun is going down and I am sitting outside eating icecream and surfing the net at the same time, does it get any better than this? Yes, I suppose it does.
Quote of the day:
man 1: “You are our last hope to save our world!”
man 2: extremely hungover “Well, I guess I’d better put on pants then”
Right now the sun is going down over the Snake River gorge, and I forgot to bring my camera. Tomorrow I will try and capture it, it really is something else.
Have a good weekend everyone.
