Photogenic

I don't know what's better... the pose or the amazing background.

Anyway, here's me at the job site. That's going to make ammonia when it's done. Saalam.

1 week down, 77 to go

The first week has come and gone and after that it appears that there will be enough to keep a person busy here. Mostly I’ve just been working a bunch… The work week is Saturday to Thursday, and I’m at 5am to get ready for the day. I head to breakfast at 5:45 for half an hour of your standard breakfast buffet with an Egyptian twist, then onto the bus which leaves at 6:15 to head to site where I start work at 6:30. Saturday to Wednesdays are 10 hour days plus an hour lunch, which means we leave site at 5:30. Some days I’ve worked 12 hours until 7:30, those have been tough but so far there’s only been two… Thursdays are half days, of which I’ve only had one, and I spent it warming up for a golf tournament put on by KBR on my first Friday off. It was a stableford style tournament and I may have underestimated my handicap because I came in 2nd. I still maintain it was a good day… On the Thursday I shot a 98 (shut up), but on tournament day I pulled in an 85. I gave myself a 19 handicap which means I ended up with 42 points, good enough for 2nd place and bragging rights at work the next day.

Everyday work evenings have been filled with a mix of working out, the driving range, squash, ping pong, sheesha, and a bit of shooting this shit at the pub. So far I’ve stuck mostly to the hotel my villa is at, but there are 2 others within the “complex”. I hear there’s a better a gym and some different restaurants to visit but I’m not sick enough of the ones at mine yet.

Last week I had to make a trip to Cairo for an HIV test… that was an experience. First off, Cairo is crazy. Not as crazy as Vietnam, but crazy in a Muslim Egyptian way. Cairo is a little dirty, too busy, polluted, hazy, old, chaotic, and pretty damn cool. It’s definitely something to see, but the clean streets of Brisbane and Calgary got it beat. But what can you expect from the area known as the beginning of civilization.

The hotel set-up is alright… I stay in a villa away from the main hotel. The villa is made up of 6 units over 2 floors and it’s an alright set-up. It’s a decent size with a good shower and a king size bed. Actually the bed is two singles pushed together so it’s not really a king size, so it sort of sucks come to think of it. The main complaint about the living arrangements is the fact there is no internet in our rooms, so I have to come to the main hotel to blog and surf… This is why I haven’t been as connected as in the past, but that just means you’re not as bored reading this.

Hah! Well, I’m off to play some pong.

Cairo - The Canuck has landed

I'm here. My trip from Calgary to Cairo went off without a hitch. All the flights were on time, I was met at the Cairo airport by someone from the "meet & greet" company that KBR uses, and now I'm in a hotel in Cairo. I'll be here for the night and then picked up in the morning to go the hotel/area near the Red Sea where I'll be spending the next 18 months. Doesn't sound as long when you say 18 months versus a year and a half for some reason.

It's 12:30 in the morning here right now, 3:30pm in Calgary... so I'm going to have a quick shower (21 hours in airports and planes) and hit the hay and hopefully be relatively fresh for the morning here. No good pictures yet because it's dark. hah.

Here's basically what the view would be from my room if it wasn't midnight.

Brrrr...

High of -19 degrees Celsius today in Calgary... I think I'm looking forward to some more moderate temperatures with the Egyptian weather.

Here are a few pics from the window at Bryan and Patti's, whose house I'm staying at for my lay over in Calgary. It's been snowing every day I've been here, with temperatures below -20. But it supposed to get up to 0 degrees tomorrow, how does that work? Imagine what this will all look like when it melts in a 6 hours time span.


Anyways, I get on the plane to fly to Cairo via London tomorrow at 8pm MST, putting me into Cairo at 11pm Thursday. I spend the night in the city and then get picked up to head to the hotel where we're staying... The word schedule there is Sat-Thurs, so Friday will be a day off to try and adjust to the time and have a look around the new hood.

I'm looking forward to it... I hope some more people will be able to make it out that way and visit, but I'll also have more regular time off and will be travelling around more as well. So if you're going on vacation anywhere in the next year and a half let me know you're plans and I might be able to meet you somewhere!

Take care!

Work situ

Quick update on the work/travel situation... I'll be in Houston for another week, returning to Calgary on Friday, February 9th. I'll spend the weekend and the early part of the week there and then fly to Egypt on the 14th. Happy V-day to me. Spent my birthday on an overnight-er from Vietnam to Sydney, now I'm spending the most sinister of quasi holidays flying to Egypt. Actually, I'm alright with that... =>

Loogy

Maturity level of this post: Low

I've had tickle in my throat all week. not a full fledged cold or anything, not even a sniffle... just a tickle.

Today I just sneezed in my cubicle and a “loogy” flew out of my mouth for about 5 feet and stuck to the cubicle wall. I nearly fell out of my chair giggling, only to recover in time to clean it off before my cube neighbours investigated the commotion. It left a wet mark, but luckily it faded quickly.

Cover your mouth when you sneeze, even if you're alone.

The tickle has vanished.

Humour level of this post >= maturity level.

Can my blog entries get boringer?

The answer is yes. By posting pictures of me at work on the 13th floor.

And my view as seen when I assume the "gopher" stance.

Bluetooth for the everyman

You see all those techie-type looking people with bluetooth headsets attached to their head? It's one thing to use those while driving, I understand that, but it's quite another to keep it on full-time. This annoys me, and I wag my finger at said techies. Chances are their mobile device is in a leather case on their belt too. Double wag.


As a show of passive resistence to this trend I've procured my own bluetooth device. I've attached a picture:

Here's a few pics from the last week or so... First one is from a Houston Rockets game:
I was supposed to go golfing yesterday with the boss, but when we got to the course it was pouring down rain. The course was nearby NASA though, so I hit the Houston Space Center, which was actually pretty cool. The Americans have been to space a few times in case hadn't heard. I think they should re-direct all the funds from the war back to the space program, that'd be sweet as. Here's where the astronauts train:
Here's the Canada Arm:
Here's a rocket:
Here's some moon rocks:

Here's me touching a moon rock, wicked:

Here's the biggest rocket in the world, which wasn't actually launched because the Americans waged war in Vietnam and had to divert funds:

Ahh, the memories

Here's our chainsaw videos, I put them together and uploaded them to YouTube. This was me, Frumby, and Peck's first night in our new house on 13th Ave back in the year 2000. We had a hard day of moving and when we were all done we cracked open a case of Kokanee, next thing we know it's 3am and the house smells like gas and exhaust.

Murray?? Morris?? Skipper?? Jason?? Frank?? Grant??

Midriff Woes

Midriff: the middle part of the body, between the chest and the waist.

Being on expenses in a hotel with no gym facilities sucks. Being on expenses at a hotel whose menu consists of fan favourites 8oz. Filet Mignon, 14 oz. New York Strip, Lamb Chops, Broiled Pork Chop, Mixed Grill (filet, grilled chicken, and 3 grilled prawns), and Sizzling Fajitas is taking it's toll. Must [dramatic pause] get [dramatic pause] to [dramatic pause] resort on the Red Sea with tennis courts.

Tonight though I'm going to Buffalo Wild Wings in Midtown to scarf down genetically enhanced chicken and watch the NHL All-Star game. Shabba!

Social Security Administration

Not to make light of the plight of the less privilaged, but if you're ever looking for a glimpse into inner city living in a large American city swing by the Social Security Administration building just outside of downtown Houston. I had to spend 2.5 hours in line there to apply for a SSN card because my company's HR/payroll department find it necessary for me to switch to the US payroll because I'm working here for 3-4 weeks instead of leaving me alone, in happy bliss on the international payroll. But no, just because tens of thousands of Canadians cross the border every day for training and business meetings while remaining on their Canadian payrolls is irrevelevant. Bloody hell. Ahh, I digress... Back in the lobby of the SSA a bad-ass security guard ordered people around, searched bags, barked orders on where to stand, called out ticket numbers, and kicked out "undesirables" in an endless comedy of events. I witnessed a 4 year old take a blow from his mothers purse... A smelly guy sits down and one by one all his neighbours get up and relocate... People from all walks of life (that's a lie, pretty much one walk of life if ya know what I mean) struggle to maintain their composure while being forced to wait hours in order submit a form and be told wait a little longer... Good times though, I was getting paid.

Aeros

I didn't get to beat up a mascot, I'm a little dissapointed at that. But otherwise it was a good night... went with a friend that works for Exxon whom I met in Brisbane. We sat 4th row behing the penalty boxes behind a couple of Texans who were goo gaa for hockey, unfortunately their screaming was often ill-timed and just plain wrong. Made for mild entertainment though in an otherwise boring hockey game (no fights, no highlight reel goals, no real big hits). But it was "mullet" night... we were too late to get mullets of our own but looking back I think that's ok.
After the game I met up with another friend from work at the Front Porch Pub in Midtown. I never knew this Midtown existed!! I think my nights will get a little more exciting now. It's basically like the Uptown area of Calgary, or the Valley in Brisbane, etc. We had a couple cervezas to round out the evening, happy times!
Tonight I'm going to try and find the Flames' game on a tv in a bar. Easier said than done.

TuckerMax

This is a link to TuckerMax.com. I have been laughing at this for the last couple of nights, while huddled in my hotel room and Texas fights off an ice-storm. Now be forewarned that the subject matter on this website isn't for everyone. And no one should tell my Grandma's about it, or that I read and am entertained by such juvenile/obscene subject matter. My favourite story on the website so far is "Tucker goes to hockey game, causes trouble". This segways nicely into me going to an Houston Aeros' game tonight, and even though I don't have a camel back full of Cooch Death Mix I do plan to indulge, imbibe, and hopefully beat up a mascot.

EDIT: I read another story and am worried that I've put a link to this on my public blog that my parents and relatives read. Anyone who is easily offended shouldn't surf over to tuckermax. Mom & Aunts, I'm just as shocked as you are that someone would write about this stuff and put it on the internet. I had heard about this sort of stuff out there on the interweb and am disturbed after stumbling haphazardly onto it at this website. I'm equally appalled at the language, subject matter, and graphic descriptions. I've since deleted this website from my computer, washed my mouth and eyes out with soap, and am going to church this Sunday after volunteering at a women's shelter.

Oreo

Went to the ball game on Wednesday. I've never REALLY like basketball, but I figured it was like most sports and that it'd be way better live than on T.V.. Like that time we were in Kelowna one summer, looking to kill a night when we realized the WWE was town after talking to a couple honies in the hotel pool. We checked it out, and it was awesome! Way better live than on the tube, but watching on the tube still sucks. Anyway, basketball wasn't like that. The only highlight was me being the cream filling in the Orea that is the crowd at a Houston Rockets basketball game. Steve Nash killed though. Basketball still sucks.

Talladega Nights on ice! Nice

Will Ferrell and Jon Heder (Napolean Dynamite) team up for Blades of Glory:

MLK - Ice-Rained Out

Alright, not a lot of support for the gogs from the older crowd but there was acceptance from the younger/hipper readers. Bobby thought I looked rather sheikh (he thought that was funny given my destination). Either way I think I'll keep looking for some new peeps.

It was Martin Luther King day here in Houston today, which explained the 2 or 3 marching bands staying in my hotel. Unfortunately the temperature was hovering just over 2 degrees Celsius, so I'm sure that put a damper on the festivities. I was going to go see the parade and take some pics but with the temperature and rain I thought better.

The stupid hotel here doesn't have any weights in the "fitness facility", only treadmills and bikes. This has me resorting to pushups and sit-ups in my room, feeling like a teenager growing up on 8-mile (or Aspen Drive in Sparwood). Soon I'll be doing chin-ups in the closet.

The time so far in H-Town hasn't been that exciting... spent the weekend at the mall and the movie theatre (pronounced: "thee-aaa-ter" in TX), and listening to Flames' games on the internet. This week coming up though I'm going to a NBA game and then the Houston Aeros on Friday. We'll see how that goes.

NES Bloopers * NHL Highlights on YouTube * Wondermark

Contemporary, or dorky?

What do you think of these, save the bad hair?

I've added some descriptions to the pics from Vietnam, nothing too serious....