This weekend I morphed back into a 12  year old boy; only this time the true 'gay' in me came out.  I was a HUGE Expose fan in the 80s/90s.  If you don't know who Expose is, you need to know, so do some internet research! :-)  Anyway, as a huge fan, I heard they got back together and are touring once again.  This weekend they were at Columbus Pride and yes, I drove 8 hours to Columbus (with a friend, Jim, who has now jumped on the band wagon as a fan, especially after getting photographed with them) to see them.

As you can see from the photos, it was AWESOME!  I sang every song--so well that Jeanette and Anne kept eyeing me.  We met a couple of gals from the 80s who sat next to us (in the front row) and who also were HUGE Expose fans (former groupies, actually).  At one point, we all did a move from one of the videos and Gioia actually called us out on stage remarking: "You guys even know the video moves?!!  You really were gay as a child!" 

Being in front of them, talking to them, getting my picture taken with them and yes having Gioia joke with me and remembering my name was exciting!  As a 12 year old boy I attended their concert at the Riv in Chicago.  I wanted to meet them so bad; a security guy saw how excited I was and was going to try to get me backstage, but to no avail.  Disappointment turned into excitement 20 years later!  I guess patience really is a vertue...or good things come to those who wait!  :-)  Enjoy the pics! 

For those Expose fans out there, let me know if you want me to email you any of these shots....and...make some noise locally with venues to get them books in your area!

It's been quite some time since I've updated this space.  I'll keep it brief.  I'm back in Chicago full time and loving it.  My life is getting back to normal after 9 months of pure hell with 'that consulting company.'  The weight lifted off my shoulders has been enourmous!  It's like someone with a terminal illness who finds out it's not so terminal after all and he/she appreciates his/her life 10-fold.  I'm taking full advantage of EVERYTHING now.  I'll give you a quick list:

 

--Bought a condo

 

--Got a new job

 

--Attending an anti-war protest in the loop (now that I FINALLY am working in the loop)

 

--Completing paperwork for the Canadian Immigration Process.  The 3-5 year plan is to move out of Chicago to either Montreal or Seattle

 

--Being VERY active culturally (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Shakespeare Theatre season tix, festivals)

 

--Joining an African refugee volunteer organization

 

--Swimming

 

--Seeing my friends as often as possible and appreciating every moment of the time with them

 

 

Soon (if not already), you will see some recent photos of some spring (with hints of winter) photos in Chicago, some spring (with hints of summer) along the lake, Cory's visit to Chicago and my annual BBQ and my recent weekend excursion to Milwaukee for Pride Fest to see Kathy Griffin and Chaka Khan.  Addition, in the coming months there will be pics from events such as Taste of Chicago, a trip to Cedar Point, a trip to Pride Fest (either Columbus or Minneapolis--skipping Chicago this year) and MANY more exciting events!  Check back often!

 

Hugs to all,

Del

 

 

The assignment I was given on January 8^th was to travel to France for one week and return thereafter to begin a project in New Jersey.  I’ve been on quite the detour since my arrival on the other site of the pond. 

 

Indeed, I did spend a week on a business review north of Paris, in a town called Rouen, in the heart of the region of Normandy.  Traces of history, like the two World Wars, are around every corner:  Churches dented with holes from the bombs that rained on the city; stories of the occasional undetonated missile found in an undiscovered part of the countryside on the nightly news (they have to call the bomb squad for this), and the memorial near the church where Joan of Arc was burned.  Unfortunately, given our work schedule, I was only lucky enough to see the inside of my hotel and a chemical plant for an oil company. 

 

The fun really began when I received a phone call at the end of the week informing me that I would be staying in France another week and then shipped to Africa for three weeks.

 

A quick ride on the TGV lands me in Avignon, a quaint little town in the south east of France known for its bridge that was painted by Monet (I think).  The accent in the region is much more ‘fluid’ than the one I have grown used to during my sojourns in Paris.  Voices skip through sentences, jumping high and falling low; it’s quite enchanting. 

 

My mission here:  to find inefficiencies in the process of bagging salad for supermarket sale.  Exciting!  Upon my arrival at the plant, I am handed a white overhaul-like outfit, a helmet, a winter coat, gloves, a hat and boots.  This was tragic foreshadowing for the rest of the week that I would spend inside the heart of the plant—at temperatures between 1 and 4 degrees Celsius (about 33-35 F).  Some rooms were colder than others and I found myself wondering if it was possible to catch frostbite, as my extremities became so cold (it was also very damp) I could no longer feel them.

 

As usual I would spend my entire day (7am-7pm) at the plant, return to the hotel to type up everything that happened during the day during the evening/night and finally find some repose between midnight and 1am.  It was great! (I’m being sarcastic)

 

My weekend in Paris was short with friends and it was “Destination: Gabon” aboard Air France flight 1077.  My arrival at the equatorial city of Libreville began what would be three weeks filled with a plethora of emotions, adventures and stimuli. 

 

HEAT.  What you’ve learned about the equator being hot is true.  I left Paris in a sweater and jeans and arrived in Libreville panting like a dog.  We waited over 45 minutes just to get our VISAs, despite the fact that we were first in line.  Border control/Immigration is ‘very’ efficient here.  Our papers were handed back and forth to the same people 4 times just to complete a simple monetary transaction.  Later, we would wait at the airport in Port Gentil

 

DESPAIR.  The door to the Air France 777 was quite hostile to the heat upon arrival in Libreville and decided not to release our luggage.  We were told someone from the client’s office would stay at the airport and get our luggage while we hopped on another flight--prop plane--to our final destination at Port Gentil.  This was not comforting to me.  As I have OCD tendencies, leaving my luggage in an airport in a ‘minimal security’ country, left me feeling rather irritated for obvious reasons.

 

DISCOVERY.  Skipping all of the horrid details of the first week at the main office, the real adventure began on Saturday.   We headed for the airport for what would be my first ride in a helicopter.  I’m not really sure what to say about it.  The experience was similar to being in an airplane but it was a little hotter and it didn’t involve high speeds for take off and landing.  A propos landing, we reached our destination after about 20 minutes of skimming the Atlantic Ocean from above (about 10,000ft):  an oil rig smack in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the ocean.

 

Living out at sea is quite interesting.  First, there is the constant whistle of the compressor that can be heard at any moment of the day or night, wherever you find yourself on the platform.

 

Turning North, South, East or West, I saw nothing but ocean all around me.  There was not a hint of land to be seen on this clear, hot, humid day on the equator.  I don’t think I’ve ever been out of the sight of land while on water.  It was both disconcerting and peaceful at the same time.  The platform was not that much different from standing on a dock except for the fact that I was about 100 ft above the surface of the water.

 

Unfortunately during my stay, I wasn’t lucky enough to see any whales, dolphins or sharks as are often seen during the ‘cooler’ seasons.  I had to content myself with the photos they showed me.  On the other hand, I am told that mosquitoes don’t find their way to the platform.  This is good news, as the risk of malaria is ever present in Gabon (and other African countries).

 

At night fall, I was quite surprised to notice that, despite the clear sky, there were hardly any stars.  Later, I was told that near the equator it is difficult to see the stars.  I’m not quite sure why that is and I’m not quite sure why I never learned that in school, but there were few stars in the clear, dark open sky.

 

Despite the empty sky, the horizon was lit with bright orange flames.  In the distance, we could now see all of the torches from the other rigs.  These torches serve to burn the chemicals that accompany the extracted oil from its reservoir.  From a distance, one could imagine small tea lights sitting atop the surface of the ocean. 

 

After two days at sea, it was time to hop on our helicopter and head to land—the Jungle. 

 

The voyage via helicopter was beautiful.  From 10,000ft, the tops of the cluster of trees reminded me of broccoli bunches in the produce section at Jewel or Dominicks. 

 

It was clear from the moment my feet were on ‘terra firma’ that this experience would be quite the opposite of that from the ocean.  Bugs were flying all around; my biggest fear—bees—were hovering right around us…and a huge one at that!  Lizards, chameleons, Iguanas and Geikos could be seen peeking around corners, jumping off of rocks or just scurrying around the ‘pavement’ everywhere you looked.

 

The Iguanas were by far the most humorous of the bunch, while the Geikos were the cutest.  The Iguanas would scurry around, stop and then bounce up and down on their front limbs, making their head bounce up and down in unison.  They looked like they were doing speed push-ups.  It was hysterical.

 

Arriving in my bedroom, I found that I had a roommate—a geiko.  I tried many times to get a photo of it during my stay, but he was too quick for me. 

 

There isn’t much to say about the Jungle.  It was like camping, but there also weren’t any mosquitoes.  We were told there may be elephants, but once again we were not lucky enough to see any wildlife. 

 

Civilization welcomed us with open arms on Wednesday when we returned to a much cooler Port Gentil.  I was glad to be back as it signaled the ‘one week to return’ point. 

 

The remaining week back at the office in Port Gentil was business as usual:  hotel, work, lunch, work, hotel, sleep.  Nothing much to report.

 

Straddling the equator was fun and experiencing another one of the cultures within the continent of Africa was exciting, but I was more than happy to return home, speak English and yes, even to freeze my balls off the moment I walked outside of the airport to a frigid 5F.  I love Chicago!

Happy Monday everyone!

 

I hope you all have had an enjoyable 4 day weekend and are ready for the race to the finish (of '06 that is).  What a kick off to the holiday season:  a four day weekend at home that has reminded my why I love chicago and why I need to work quicker to find a new career in a 'permanent' area.

 

First, let me say, to all of my friends and family reading this, I did a lot of thinking this weekend (not to mention the past few weeks) and I would like to tell you all how much I love you and am thankful for you.  You each know who you are and each fulfill my life in one way or another.  If you don't know why you are special to me, feel free to ask. 

 

On a sad note, my faithful friend of 17 years, aka my dog, aka Mickey, had to be put down.  While sad, I'm thankful he had 17 years on this Earth.  When we first bought him, we were told that he may not last longer than about 10 years since he was a pure bread Llahasa Apso (sp?).  We've attributed his longevity to a healthy diet.  Many many years ago, my mother decided to no longer feed him 'people food.'   A few years ago, he needed to have a procedure at the vet and they stated he had blood of an 8 year old dog--very healthy. 

 

Back on to a happy note, the weekend was lovely and filled with friends, fun and family.  The turkey at my aunt's was delicious!  Card games ruled the weekend both on thursday night at the Scheffki's and Friday night chez moi with Mandy and Gina.  I believe I won both nights!  :-)

 

Sales were everywhere and I took advantage of them to purchased some much needed fall/winter clothes.  I got some phenomenal deals! 

 

And here I am, back in Florida ('what's there to do in FLAAAARIDA?'), Mickey's town.  They are calling for 80s all week here--i love it!  I'm hoping to have the chance to go out a bit here, as it may be my last week.  I've met a few friendly folks and am looking forward to dinner, a movie and maybe a night out on the town, if I'm lucky!

 

Well, that's about it for now...I must get to work.  So, from Vancouver to Chicago, into Montreal, over the pond via England and landing 'en France,' I send each of you my love and thoughts; I hope you are well and healthy and I hope to hear from you soon.

 

Bisous,

Del

 

Awe-inspiring, amazing, breathtaking, riviting and magical are just a few of the words I can find to describe the Cirque du Soleil show, La Nouba, I saw last night (as of this posting, I actually saw it last week) with David here in Orlando.  I had goosebumps, I got 'vaclempt' (teary-eyed for those who don't know me well enough to know Linda Richmond) and I laughed out loud.  The spectacle put on by these performers is Olympic-like; I'd even go so far as to say that the things they must endure have got to be at a higher caliber than that of an olympian.  While I respect and am touched by the dedication and hard work put forth by Olympians, I would have to say that the Cirque performers are in another league.  Think about about it--an athlete practices everyday, so do the Cirque performers.  However, an athlete may only compete once or twice a month.  If you've ever been an athlete, you know it gets your adreniline pumping and your mind racing on your 'event.'  It's tough on the body.  The Cirque performers have that once, sometimes twice, a day when they go on stage.  Finally, take the acrobats as an example:  most compete and sustain their levels throughout one event that could last 3 minutes or so.  Cirque performers were sustaining this level of tumbling and jumping and flipping, etc for 15 minutes or more.  That has got to be hell on the body. 

 

Anyway, literally from the moment the first note of music began, I was captivated like a child with all of the stimuli going on across, and above,  the stage:  model train cars running across the stage, men inside ‘rings’ circling the parameter, acrobats, daring tightrope acts above.  It was nearly overwhelming if it hadn’t been so exciting!

 

I’ll leave out the details of the show, except to say that it had a child-like feel to it, as the performers duped one another throughout the show and some of the performances felt like I was reading from a ‘story-book.’  If you’ve never seen a Cirque du Soleil show, I HIGHLY recommend it.  Verekai passed through Chicago a few years ago and it was equally spectacular.  The plan (as it was three years ago) is to take a trip to Vegas in early Feb/March to see one, maybe two, of the shows they have in Vegas (‘O,’ ‘Mystere,’ or ‘Zumanity.’).  ‘O’ is a must-see and then we’ll see about a second show. 

 

Changing gears for just a moment, and since we are on the topic of ‘children of all ages,’ it seems appropriate to also let you in on another exciting adventure coming my way.  On December 7^th, the Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral) will be launching the Space Shuttle Discovery into space.  It will be a night launch.  The Space Center is only about an hour from where I am.  I’ve met someone who is into Aeronautics and wants to also see the launch.  I’m so excited about the possibility of witnessing a space shuttle blast off into outerspace.  You can bet I’ll have my camera with me.  Keep an eye on my blog for photos.

Hey folks,

 

After a crazy week in Floriday/Tennessee last week, I'm back in the sunny warmth of central Florida.  We can expect excitement and amusement this week with David's arrival on tuesday night.  We have tickets to see Cirque du Soliel (La Nouba) on Tuesday night and we will probably hit the town on Wednesday night.  I'm looking forward to both!

 

I've also made a friend or two down here and am looking forward to a night or two at a movie, dinner or other.  Nice folks these Floridians...and not too bad on the eyes either!  :-)

 

I must get to work right now, but you are all in my thoughts! 

 

P.S.  thanks for those who have been reading this!  I enjoy reading your thoughts!  Please email me more often with them--as well as with what's up with you! 

 

Hugs,

Del

 

Two years ago today I left a friend's apartment in tears.  As I left the Presidential election 'returns' party at his place and arrived at the local bar (The North End) to meet my politically-active friend Michael, he hugged me and I began to sob.  Emotions ran through me that were so intense:  how could the people in this country not see what 'W' was doing to the country and the world?  How could they not see the trouble he was creating for everyone, everyday people?  More importantly, the 2004 election turned into a vote against 'the gays' more than anything else with many states including 'anti-gay marriage' initiatives on their ballots.  The pundits were attributing the high turnout in many of those states to these initiatives.  Did so many people, my fellow citizens, hate people like me that much?  Was the importance of the Iraq "war," and its failure, really glossed over for trivial gay civil rights laws?  I could believe it.  The silver lining I found within all of this was that I lived in Chicago, and more importantly, in Illinois.  Democrats control almost every important post in the state; People in this city are some of the most open and accepting around the country.  Neverthless, I couldn't help but feel that my dream of moving to Montreal couldn't be any closer.  Montreal, a city known to be extremely accepting of 'the gays' and a city not unlike Chicago:  not too big (like New York) or overwhelming and yet not too small to bore me.  Cultural activities, opportunities for community work, laid back people and most importantly for me, the opportunity to be bilingual on a daily basis!  Chouette!

 

After a few days of licking my wounds (along with my fellow Democrats), I realized that leaving for Canada may not be the best option.  It would be giving up--not to mention that the immigration process isn't the easiest or cheapest.  So I stayed.

 

As Tuesday began, I felt excitement running through my veins.  Regardless of the total outcome, I was certain Dems would take the House.  This in of itself would help to balance some power in our country.   The cherry would be the Senate.

 

I left the Orlando airport (and later found out that there was a tornado WARNING for the airport right around the time I was there) and didn't see a mention of the results.  By the time I landed in Atlanta for my layover to Nashville, results were flooding in and the Dems had already taken 3 Senate seats!  Unfortunately, my arrival in Nashville an hour or so later didn't give me any additional details.  The night was exciting though, watching Montana, Missouri, New Jersey and a host of other states go dem!

 

Further, I couldn't help but feel vindicated from the loss of Howard Dean as Democratic Presidential candidate in 03.  Howard Dean was a pioneer for the Dems.  He opened the door for Dems to realize that there were other voices out there willing to say NO!  to this ridiculous made up 'war.'  He said exactly what everyone wanted to say but was afraid to say for fear they would be called unpatriotic.  He alone did this.  The media/Repubs would later paint his as some nut-job because he got excited after his first Presidential primary in Iowa after having campaigned tirelessly for over a year around the country.   They continue to call him names for his 'frank' views and pronounciations on TV programs and in the newspapers.  They say he's crazy, he doesn't know what he's talking about, etc.  Howard Dean was given the Charimanship of the DNC and for good reason:  he wanted to influence elections from the bottom up; this means school board officials, local mayoral, gubernatorial officials, etc in every state--blue, red or purple.  He took the campaign out to each and every state in the union.  His efforts paid off last night.  Howard had the foresight to realize this party couldn't only focus on the select few states (cities) where most of the people with common sense lived.  Whether or not you agree to completely attribute last night's results to Dean or not, his vision clearly had an influence on the elections.  Dems weren't afraid to go to Idaho, to Montana and to other states where they previously threw up their hands and said it was no use.  Go DEAN!!!

 

 

Ok, so the excitment was over--well not really, as Va is still in doubt--and I needed to check the excitement a bit.  The Dems have a HUGE weight on their shoulder now.  They aren't perfect (nor are they THAT strong yet).  They really only won because the people are tired of the crap in Iraq.  Some of that may subside in 08, and if they expect to take the White House in 2 years, they better do some REAL work.  They Dems better not play politics as usual.   They only have two years to show us what they got.  Failure to do so will surely result losses (including the White house) in 2008.

 

I'll congratulate the Dems for their win, trust me, I'm jumping out of my skin, but I also see the reality of it all:  they didn't really win for their own strengths but rather as a result of the complete and utter incompetence of the Repubs. 

 

Let's get to work now and start focusing on 08!

 

hugs all...oh...and while I'm not yet going to completely remove this quote from my signature on my yahoo account, I feel the need to post it here for posterity:

 

Hello everyone--

 

I'm not going labor this point, but I have to admit that I could get used to this weather on a constant basis for the winter.  After being home this past weekend where it was chilly, it might be fun to spend a winter in the sun.  I don't want to rub it in for all of my friends in Chicago, Montreal, Connecticut, Paris et al, but nevertheless...good times!

 

So, I don't know about you, but I cannot wait for "super tuesday" to be over.  As much as I love politics and as fun as it has been to hear the negative ads (especially in Chicago) about the candidates, I'm tired of wondering about Judy Baar Topinka and 'what is she thinking?' or hearing that Melissa Bean wants to take books away from school kids (what a joke!) or that Tammy Duckworth wants to raise your taxes--she probably WILL vote to raise taxes, but it sure won't be any taxes of her constituents since they are all middle class.  I hope the Dems get in and raise taxes.  I hope they raise taxes on all the ass holes makes obscene amounts of money and find loop holes as it is to get out of paying a huge percentage of their taxes. 

 

Having now been in three states outside of Illinois during this campaign, I've had the opportunity to see TV ads about other candidates.  It turns out that it is NASTY everywhere.  In Flordida and Minnesota both, one hears that same scary 'boogie man' voice guy doing the ads saying "Do you really know who John Smith is?"  "Do you know John Smith says he's going to scare the taxes out of you?"  It's really quite funny.

 

Anyway, I am getting a good laugh out of the Republicans and their scramble.  Nobody wants Bush to campaign next to them and then you have the lovely 'homosexual' affairs of congressmen, preachers and everyone in between.  Proof that the Republicans are as much Pagaens as the liberals, eh?  I guess that ruins hell for us because they'll be down there too...probably preaching to us about something.  Ugh! 

 

Another random thought:  people are funny.  On my plane down to Florida, the guy next to me did something I've seen only one other time:  He did the sign of the cross as we began to accelerate down the runway just before liftoff.  I wonder how many people out there actually do that.

 

A few last points:

 

--I'm going to see Kathy Griffin this Friday night.  Super excited about that.  should be very funny;

--Got tickets to see Lisa Lampanelli (hysterical comedian and NOT very P.C. at all) in December with friends;

--I'll be in Florida until Tues night, then off to Tennessee for the rest of the week;

 

 

That's it.  I must get back to work.  Hope to hear from all of you soon and to see some of you even sooner.  Don't forget to vote tomorrow!  You can't complain if you don't vote!  Make your voice be heard!

 

hugs,

Del

 

Hey all--

 

This is just a quickie to let you know I'm now in Florida...Orlando area to be exact.  This is pretty much ideal:  I'm by myself with my own 'real' project, in the sun, near a big city.  Good times!  My hotel (Holiday Inn) has a pretty big pool that I'll be testing out tomorrow for practice, I made a few friends at the end of last week and hoping for some nice 'after work' outings.  Cirque du Soleil has a permanent show here and I'm hoping to catch that and maybe even a trip to see Mickey!  :-)  Ok, maybe not Mickey, but Universal Studios is a possiblity.  For those hoping to get away from the cold winter back in Chicago (or wherever you may be), I am supposed to be here about 6 weeks.  A visit from a friend would be nice; staying the weekend is also possible with me with enough advanced notice.  As with everything with this company, six weeks isn't certain; remember South Africa.  So plan fast!   

 

I'll take some photos soon and post them.  The waterfall attached to the pool at the hotel is nice.  I can actually hear it from my room as we speak.  Hopefully I don't get sick of that!  :-)

 

I'm off to bed now. 

 

Hugs,

Del

 

It's 7:40am here in Minn.  We've just arrived at the client site, opened the office window and find a beautiful pink/rose/red colored sky with a blanket of rolling clouds hovering over.  In the foreground is a pond that reflects the color of the sky while still holding on to it's darker hue of blue.  Finally, in the middle of the pond is a lone tree, naked of the majority of its leaves, yet not so vulnerable as to hold its own in the cold morning air.  I didn't bring my camera this morning because I didn't think many photo opportunities would present themselves at an office.  Damn!  Shame on me!

 

 

Just a quick update for those keeping track of me--it's like "where in the world is Matt Lauer" but with Del standing in--I'm currently in Minneapolis, Minnesota after a wonder week of vacation.

 

I am beginning a project this week involving HealthCare, with a orientation-like session here in Minnesota to understand what has been happening on the project for the last 12 weeks.  Then, I will be sent to Orlando, FL on Wed.  Weekends will still be mine in Chicago, but I'll be in Florida for about 6 weeks.  As we have learned from the past, however, this is never set in stone (think Montreal).  So, if anyone wants to come experience a bit of warmer weather this winter, let me know.

 

Vacation was great, relaxing and incredible.  My first few days were spent visiting friends and enjoying MY bed, MY kitchen and everything else 'chez moi.'  The second part of vacation was spent with Cory, a friend from Montreal (for those who don't know).  We had an incredible time together discovering Chicago.  This was his first time to our spectacular city and he learned very quickly the street names, directions and even landmarks and other important facts.  Similarly, I learned a few new things about my great city (did you know that Mr. Wrigley originally sold bars of soap?  They didn't sell well, so he gave a free pack of gum along with the purchase of a bar of soap.  Everyone loved the gum but hated the soap and he therefore ditched the soap for gum production.  Long live Spearmint, Juicy Fruit, etc!). 

 

That's about all for now.  I'll be adding some pics soon from my journies with Cory as well as any new photos taken here in Minneapolis.  Come back for more!  :-)

 

Hugs,

Del

 

Hey everyone,

 

I submit this entry to you from an actual 747 at 35,000 feet about the surface of the earth!  Pretty neat.  The Germans have equipped their Boeing 747-400 with satellite internet service and the purser was handing out 30 minute vouchers.  Pretty neat, eh?

 

I'm about half-way through my journey home, as we should be arriving in Frankfurt in about an hour.  I'll have an hour or two delay there and then off to Chicago, direct from Frankfurt.

 

My flight should arrive around noon, so call me anytime afterwards. 

 

Ciao 4 now,

Del

 

Last night it was decided that most of the team would now be de-crewed because we aren't needed.  In addition, the Cape Town project is fully staffed.  As a result, I will be coming home tomorrow.  I leave in about 5 hours!  YEAH!  I'm off until Wednesday then off to Wisconsin until the weekend and then another week in Wisconsin.  After that, I'm taking a week off.  A friend from Montreal (Cory, for those in the know) will be coming to visit.  Anyone for Great America with him and the Fright Fest?

 

I've also added three new blog entries, so please check them out.

 

 

See you soon,

Del

 

27 September 2006

 

The Back Nine

 

This is it folks.  It’s Wednesday and we’re almost finished.  The head of the team is in their meeting with the client as we speak (3-hour meeting).  The last few days have been more than I could imagine I could handle from the perspective of sleep deprivation.  Please remember that they never let me catch up from jet lag since my arrival last Tuesday.  I’ve been working 18 hour days almost everyday, many of them in very hot conditions in a mine, 2+ miles below the Earth.  We’ve been told that we will either be de-crewed after tonight and sent to Cape Town or be sent home.  I’m not sure what I’m hoping for more;  I would love to come home as this town is boring and I only see the mine and bedroom.   Further, the guys on this project are really annoying with the woman talk.  They are all, with the exception of Andrew, in their 50s and talk about sex and women in a most disgusting manner.  I’ve thought about just throwing in how hot some of the guys are in the mine, but I’ve decided to shy away from it.  I figured if I have to be grossed out and uncomfortable with that talk, maybe I should open my mouth and make them uncomfortable.  Oh well.  Anyway, I also wouldn’t mind going to Cape Town, but I’d only want to go if Andrew goes.  We are planning on going shark diving if we’re there. 

 

I finished my last study last night around 1:30am.  Waking up at 7 today proved challenging as a knock on my door woke me frantically at 6:50.  It was done, though.  We only needed to tie up loose ends.  No ‘underground adventures’ today.  No interviews to give; it was nice.  I’m looking forward to a relaxing evening and most especially to find out what’s next. 

 

So wow!  In yesterday’s blog I mentioned the ‘seismic event.’  Today’s was huge.  I thought the building was coming down.  I just found out it was only 2.8 on the scale though.  Yesterday’s was 2.4.

26 September 2006

 

This isn’t fun anymore!

 

Although Monday was a national holiday here in South Africa, it isn’t for the Proudfoot team.  Work began at 8am yesterday.  Ugh!  And without giving all of the details, I’ll simply say we worked at the hotel until about 18:00, drove to our bed and breakfast and began to work again until 1am.  This was great because we had to be up again at 4:30am and out the door by 5:00. 

 

Today had me back into the mine.  Today:  40 level.  This is just about 3 miles below the surface of the Earth.  I no longer feel too nervous about the whole thing.  I think knowing I was to work with the repair team (of the trains) was comforting because their work station is close to the cage (elevator shaft).  This is the safest place in the mine as the rock type is more stable and the area has been reinforced by so much concrete and other materials.  This part isn’t going anywhere.

 

On that same note, we experienced our first really exciting seismic event.  What is a seismic event, you ask.  Well, you are close if you say an earthquake.  Actually, the mine uses explosives everyday around 13:00 (1:00pm) in order to advance further into the tunnel and/or to retrieve the gold out of the rock.  Everyone must be out of the mine by this time.  After the blast, nobody goes back down until about 20:00 (8:00pm).  This is to let the Earth settle after the shock.   So, around 16:00 (4pm) we were sitting in our office on the client site and the entire ground shook, the building rumbled and I could see my water begin to rock back and forth in the bottle next to me.  RRRRRRRRR!  During this ‘settling’ time, there are entire tunnels that collapse from the blasts.  This one was the loudest to date.  Wow!  I was stunned.

 

I’m going to end for today, as work continues.  The end is in sight; Wednesday will not come fast enough for me. 

 

Missing you all,

Del

24 September, 2006

 

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!

 

One couldn’t come to Africa without seeing some of the more ‘exotic’ animals that reside with us on planet Earth.  The opportunity to go on a game run (aka Safari) couldn’t have been more appropriate given my intimate relationship I’ve had with ‘all things natural.’  Maybe it’s my Taurean nature (Earth sign) that renders me so peaceful about the entire experience here (minus the work).  I’ve now penetrated the bosom of Mother Earth, reaching depths of 2.5 miles or more; extracting the gold that formed naturally throughout the centuries from this former inland sea (think Black Sea).  The fear of this nurturing being crushing down upon me has significantly subsided and it’s beginning to feel like home.

 

Today, I was able to sneak a peak into the wild side of Mother Nature and walk among my fellow animals in our animal kingdom.  I would not, however, have a meeting with the King.

 

It was an early morning, very early actually, as Andrew and I began with a few drinks in the hotel bar around midnight.  Our conversation really got going and before we knew it, our watch chimed 5am; we were to be fetched at 6:45 that morning.  Needless to say, neither of us got to sleep.

 

This didn’t matter though.  As we began to drive that morning, adrenaline percolated through my veins like a delicious cup of morning coffee.  We passed fields of long stemmed, dried grass—the rainy season is about to begin, fortunately for the soil—with the occasional squatter camp a few hundred feet from the road.  An hour into the trip we could see a beautiful mountain top (see photos) with a lake at its foot.  The scenery approaching and around the location was so juxtaposed. Houses that most likely were owned by wealthy individuals in the distance, while squatter camps filled with small tin shacks lined the main roadway;  people driving by in BMWs, Porsche’s, expensive crotch rockets, while poverty stricken individuals in dirty second-hand clothes filed down the shoulder on foot.  I couldn’t help but soak in all of the imagery.  It was amazing. 

 

As we passed one of the squatter camps, I noticed something not previously found in other camps:  a cemetery.  It struck me as sad to think that the only place to bury your loved ones had to be a few meters outside of the village where you live, reminding you daily of the loss. 

 

After our two hour trek, we arrived at a large ‘mountain.’  The guide explained that many centuries ago, a volcano formed.  As it began to ‘fire up’ for an explosion, it just fizzled out like a balloon when you let out the air.  The result was a grassy mountain-like structure that is no longer active.  In the 70s, they decided to make it a National Park and imported hundreds of exotic, African animals.  The brochure highlights elephants, lions, monkeys, alligators and the list goes on.

 

We entered the park and I was amazed at how large it was.  We slowly drove about in our little Toyota mini-van (from the 80s) that clearly had no shocks (as was demonstrated on the ride to the park.  Every bump on the road had us bouncing up and down violently!).

 

Not even a half meter into the park we came to a halt to see a wart hog.  Cool!  I didn’t expect that!  Without giving a blow by blow view of the park, I’ll highlight the baboon pack fighting, hippopotamus in the distance, rhinoceros laying under a tree and the giraffe from a distance (all of which you can find in the photo section of the blog).  We waited with anticipation to see a giraffe close up, to see an elephant run across the pathway and to see the ultimate:  The King—A Lion.  Unfortunately, this would not be in the cards for us today.  Our day would end after this three hour tour without any elephant sightings.  Our guide put it into perspective, stating that he had been game riding for over 20 years and didn’t see a lion until a few years into it.  He continued and said it would be a great reason to come back for another ride sometime.  This was true; I guess Nature couldn’t blow its entire load on the first time; save some for another time.

 

Our afternoon was to be reserved for the Sun City Casino, but we would arrive late as a result of our European visitors who were also on this Safari (Germans, at that!  Please read my first blog and tell me they aren’t trying to put the world in danger…although one of the guys was HOT! YAH! Die deutsche spache mache me frohlich..yah.).  Clearly they didn’t understand the concept of the buffet lunch—QUICK!  Instead, it was a typical Euro-lunch that lasted 2 hours!

 

In the end, this was not a bad thing because as we arrived at the Casino, we were told they only had slot machines.  To boot, they charged a fee to buy a card that had to be inserted into a machine before you could insert money into the machine.  So I had to pay to spend my money at this place…a casino!!!  What!?  We only had an hour and decided it wasn’t worth it to gamble.

 

As we returned my aim was to capture more great photos of the scenery.  You can find these in the blog.  Some of them are really good.  I can’t take credit, however.  I learned how to use the ‘racing man’ feature along with the ‘multiple shots’ feature.  This enabled me to actually capture a decent photo driving at 120 km/hr (about 70 mph).  I only had to press the button and hold while it snapped shot after shot.  I only included the decent ones on the blog.

 

My return to the hotel would greet me brutally.  The fun Andrew and I had the evening before in the bar, coupled with the day long game drive, now put us behind on our work.  We returned around 18:00 (6pm) and had now been up for 27 hours.  I ended up working until about 2 or 3 in the morning and had to be up 7am to work with our team.  Ugh!

 

All in all, it was a great day and great experience in the wild with the animals.

Hi everyone,

 

Computer time is limited and crappy here.  I haven't had much time to write about the Game Run (aka Safari) just and there are so many photos, msn couldn't handle them all at once..  i'm going to try to get a few up now before we leave hotel (and lost internet access), but you'll have to check back later for more.

 

 

I don't have anything exciting to report right now.  I slept 12 hours last night (3am-3pm), trying to catch up from the work week.  Unfortunately, I had a ton of work today.  I'm still not done at almost 1am here.  These are really tedious studies to complete...and time consuming. 

 

I was about to take a photo of myself, to show you how extremely bored I am sitting here listening to www.boystownlive.com (radio station of a friend), however, my NEW batteries from Best Buy are dead.  I put them in yesterday after the batteries from the manufactuer died after 5 pictures.  So, I pray that the shop in the hotel will be open at 6:45 tomorrow so I can purchase batteries for our Safari ride!! 

 

Look back tomorrow for what is expected to be some awesome shots of exotic animals in the wild. 

 

Heading downstairs now to have a few drinks with Andrew and relax. 

 

Hugs to everyone,

Del

 

 

22 September 2006

 

Thank goodness it's Friday, that's all I've got to say. 

 

So the ant farm I've been crawling around in for 3 days has finally gotten to me.  Day two down there was just f-in hot!  This place was so hot that my body was swollen from sweating so much.  They pulled out a thermometer at one point and it read 34 degrees Celcius (this is about 100 degrees F) and it was humid!  I wasn't too afraid although we found ourselves much deeper than the first day--about 2,000m below the Earth (getting closer to 2 miles).   Nothing too noteworthy on that front.

 

I don't believe I've mentioned in previous blogs that we are not staying in a hotel, but rather in houses with families.  They have 'Bed and Breakfast' set ups.  Most of these--actually all of them--are Africons (pronounced Afri-cons) families.  These are white people who are now from Africa, but their parents or grandparents were part of the colonisation of Africa back in the day.  This is a topic I plan to cover a little later as the 'racial' make-up is very interesting here. 

 

Anyway, we had a BBQ at one of the B&Bs with our entire team.  At this meeting, Andrew (a colleague who is my age and with whom I have a bit more fun than with the other 'seasoned' folks) and I found out that we may be de-crewed off of this project at the end of next week and sent on yet another project in Cape Town.  While I am enjoying Africa and want to learn more about this part of the world, I won't be disappointed to get out of these mines, not to mention that I hear Cape Town is AMAZING!  Underwater caged shark diving is in the plans.

 

A bit of good news also came our way this week.  Originally, we were to work in the mines all weekend because we are a bit behind schedule.  However, it turns out that there is a national holiday on Monday and the entire mine is closed for 3 days.  We are currently at a pretty posh hotel in a northern suburb of Jo-burg..with internet.  So, Andrew and I both really want to do a game run.  What is a game run...a safari!  Yes, I want to see giraffes and lions and elephants in the wild.  We found a company thanks to our hotel and will be exploring this on Sunday.  Definetely check back soon for photos of that!  It should be wild.

 

Today was Friday and our last day of the week in the mines.  I finally succumbed to the pressure, to the fear of the rock.  Today I was to visit the 'stopeing' area.  What is stopeing you ask?  It is the actual mining of the gold from a reef.  In previous days I have followed the development team (putting metal rods in the rock to give it support) and the equipping team (bring in pipes with water, air and the rail tracks); these are support functions in preparation for miners to begin mining gold.  Well, these support functions, and consequently my visits, have heretofore been in tunnels.  When one stopes, however, you must dig differently.  It's like a crawl space where they first dig it large enough to stand.  They add these huge, thick wooden blocks from floor to ceiling.  This is because this section of the rock is actually going to sink.  Gravity is acting differently here and as time passes, the pressure will actually begin to slowly flatten the wood blocks.  As these miners dig into the reef, within 6 months time they will no longer be standing, they will be on their knees drilling, then a few months later they will be a bit lower and finally they must crawl in on their hands and knees to drill.  It's crazy...and scary.  Anyway, this was my assignment today:  follow a shift boss for the stopeing section in #1 shaft.  We wandered throught the tunnels, as usual, to reach the team..about a 40 minute commute.  When we reached the work area, he began to climb a hill.  As I got slightly atop this hill I could see into the stope.  There was no way I was crawling in there.  I must have developped claustrophobia over the years.  The thought of having that heavy rock surround me freaked the hell out of me; the slipping of just one of those timber blocks and feeling the rocks begin to shake ran through my head.  I told the supervisor I would not be continuing with him and would wait for him at the bottom while he spoke with his team. 

 

The story doesn't end here.  I expected to sit for about 15-20 minutes as he would check on their work, etc.  I waited for an hour and he didn't return.  I was totally freaking out now.  Some of the other workers in the tunnel where I was waiting began to leave.  I began to wonder how I would get back if the supervisor had taken a different route and accidently 'lost' me.  At 10 I finally asked a worker to take me back to the elevator shaft.  My mind couldn't do it anymore.  He brought me about halfway and then just pointed me in the direction.  This freaked me out even more.  I knew how to get back, but what would happen if there was an accident, what if a small earthquake began (which does happen there)?  Where would I go?  What was I to do?  My heart was racing and and walked faster and faster, the sweat rolling off my head as though I were under a shower.  It was unreal.  I finally made it to the main tunnel with flourescent lights and other people walking toward the shaft.  Phew.  I felt much better.  About 5 minutes later, the Shift boss showed up and we laughed at how I chickened out. 

 

As Andrew and I drove out of there today (on the left side of the road), we couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief it was over for the week.

 

I'm safe in a hotel now, enjoying my internet.  It's like 2am and I'm still not sleeping despite severe sleep deprivation.  My intent was to get this blog up for everyone, at any cost.  I hope you are all enjoying it.