We ate outside as well, which was sort of nice but when you are used to eating in an air-conditioned dining room it’s a bit of a shock to the system to be in 30+deg heat with the sound of an enormous generator rumbling away in the background. As with all these occasions we are the last to leave and they end up clearing away around us. We generally do this because there is very little that’s attractive about going back to your room at eight and playing on the internet or watching another film. I’ve tried going to sleep early but it just means that I wake up early, and then lay in bed trying not to go back to sleep because I know I’ll oversleep if I do. I have to be up tomorrow at about 6.30 to go with the client on his early morning walkabout – I have to take one for the troops as it’s my last day.
His walkabouts are notorious – he asks questions non-stop until he finds one that you can’t answer, then he piles in – you end up on the radio to one of your staff trying to find the answer out instantly whilst the whole of your team waits…… to be fair we have generally been waiting since about half an hour after he sets off (most people can do half an hour before he finds something). It’s a sort of morbid fascination – if I’m due out I spend the night wondering what I should have mugged up on before everyone went home today, so that I can have some more answers ready just in case. It must be like being a politician, always having to have all the answers at your fingertips just in case.
What’s all this got to do with diversion tactics I hear you all cry – well, during our after dinner cup of tea discussion we were talking about diversion tactics for naughty children – you know the sort of thing
“wail wail I wan a bicut wail wail”
“oh look, spoon…..”
“eeh ?”
One of my colleagues has a term for it, he calls it Squirrel, as in
“oh look, a squirrel”
“where”
“oh, it’s gone now”
The discussion meandered around to using diversion tactics when the client asked difficult questions – the favourite being
“oh, sorry, the phones vibrating – won’t be a sec”
or if you have an ear piece for your radio then
“hang on – there’s something coming through”
and then in both cases jabbering away quietly whether there was anyone there or not, until he gets bored and walks off.
My personal favourite was just taking a ball out of my pocket and throwing it, but that was deemed unprofessional, although it was agreed that it was likely to result in the best facial expression from the client……..I might try the squirrel one though, I think that’s got mileage, although I will probably have to use a lizard as there isn’t a tree in sight !
The worst thing is knowing that, like I was this morning, everyone in the team is waiting by their radios for the first sign of weakness, and trying to keep a straight face when I realise I am going to have to get on the radio !
I though I would treat you to some site photos from one of the towers. Those of you that have been following this drivel for 6 weeks will be able to remember what it looked like 6 weeks ago, and those of you that haven’t, will be able to go back and have a look. And before any smart Alec says that it doesn’t look much try and remember that we have had to raise the whole site by nearly 2 metres !
Today’ inventory
1 medium sized cigar and 3 small ones – I had two different suppliers today because I can’t rely on anyone anymore – tusk !
0 units and £0 dollars – tomorrow is going to cost me though, as I had to promise a pizza and a milkshake to someone back at the COB to get a job done.
No gym – but I had to have a shower at lunchtime as I was soaked with sweat after spending several hours out on site so that must count for something ?
Weather – bloody hot again, in a burning sort of way. I had to put suncream on my nose at lunchtime, which is not the sort of thing you do when you're panic tanning before going home !
Food – BBQ and Ice Cream (and jelly)
Countdown – 1 desert sleep, 1 COB sleep, 1 Dubai sleep – I’ve tried very hard not to keep talking about it today because I know how irritating it got when other people were going home earlier and I wasn’t – I‘m not sure I can do it tomorrow though……
Tomorrow I thought I would do a summary of my inventory (because Lewis suggested it) for the whole trip along with my highs and lows (one of the lows is likely to be the sand in my keyboard, but you can’t see how many times I have to go back and retype words because there are letters missing – mental note to self, must remember to hover keyboard when I get home !) and Monday’s is likely to be typed at the airport (or even on the plane) concerning my night out in Dubai and posted on Tuesday morning (probably) and then Tuesday’s will be very short !
Evening All !
What a trip, its been fascinating following your blog. Wonder if i could do one - based on searching for a space in the hospital car park - perhaps not!
ReplyDeleteSafe journey home.
Sally
It's an interesting point though. If you have time it's a good exercise in discipline to write it and it makes you think about some of the things I, and anyone else who reads it, take for granted. I only started it because people kept asking me the same questions and I thought if I wrote it down in a central place then it would save me answering it all twice.
ReplyDeleteI think that there would be real interest in the day to day goings on of a family such as yours - because it's so far detatched from most peoples realities.
I'd read it ! The biggest problem I have had is finding photos of somehting different every day to brighten it up. Maybe every day would be stretching it for you but a weekly review would be fascinating.
Ian