What a day....

The angry plant post will have to wait. This was my yesterday:

I had to put this one out there because I just had one hell of a day full of ups and downs, mostly downs. The events themselves aren't really worth talking about but their summation creates a veritable tapestry.

The day started off like any other. Get up at an ungodly 5:45am, walk to bathroom, do business, brain begins to understand that it needs to be used, neurons begin to fire.

I decided to spend the day in the hangar office to get some things done. I had noticed some things that were bothering me so I sent out some e-mails to the people I'd been working with. No sooner had the last one gone out when stuff that rhymes with hit, kit and pit smashed its proverbial self against a jet turbine. I had unintentionally started a shitstorm. And two more would follow. I hate conflict. I did not enjoy the process.

So after stirring the wasp nest in the morning I was asked to take some equipment out to Cahill's Crossing to meet someone from one of the other camps.

Along the way the ute felt like it was stuttering and surging its way down the road unless I was at highway speed (100km+). It was odd and I figured I should have a look when I got to Cahill's. As I waited for the other vehicle to arrive I went down to the river for a peak. I didn't see any crocs but I did see some aboriginal kids fishing. They don't use rods though. What they do is spin the hook in the air kind of what you see with special ops troops and grappling hooks. They were able to throw the hook a good 20-30ft out before they grabbed the line and started pulling it in.

"Aboriginal kids fishing while the tide is low at Cahill's Crossing. That ute has been there since I first showed up. It must be stuck in there pretty good because when the tide is up it's completely submerged."

When I returned to the ute the other gents weren't far behind. It had been an hour of waiting but the time to pass on the equipment had finally come. But as I turned the key over so I could leave, the ute stuttered and failed. It was toast. Why? How did this happen?

Earlier in the day I filled up the ute as it was just below a quarter tank. Better to do it early so I can go straight to the hotel after work. Good thinking. Too bad I didn't pay attention enough to realize that it needed diesel instead of petrol (gas). That's right, I had filled the tank with gas and it had carried me over 50 km even though it was a diesel engine. To say I felt like a complete idiot would be like saying Larry Bird felt like the whitest player in the NBA of his time, it's obvious.

After working out what to do with said toasted ute, a ride back was worked out. Before I left the crossing, my ride asked to take a picture of me. Apparently I look exactly like a young Robert Downey Jr., whom his daughter has a huge crush on. This noticeably brightened my day even though I had no clue what he was talking about.

I caught a ride back to the hotel with the chopper, not the worst way to travel.

While I waited for the drillers in the bar some younger gents were playing pool beside me. I was fixated on the TV even though all it was showing was an Indian cooking show. Out of nowhere I heard a loud "pop" and then all of a sudden, "ting!". The cue ball had bounced off the racked balls and cracked against the edge of my stool only an inch away from my kibble and bits. I couldn't help but laugh. My day had officially taken a turn toward good.

Moral of the story is, even though you might make an epically stupid mistake, you can still come out on top if you look like Robert Downey Jr. and have testicles that are protected by the hand of God..... I hope God is a woman.