The reason we moved was because I started a new job last Monday. First new job since 1990, I was a tad nervous, but it went pretty dam well, I think. Once I get all the new procedural B.S. down pat, I'll be rompin'-n-stompin' round the place like King Chit of Turd Island, just like normal.
Incase you wonder or care, I got out of the field repair and maintance of natural gas compressors, thier drivers, pumps, air compressors and the like in the oil patch, and took a job in a shop working just on natural gas compressors and thier drivers in partable packages. 'Portable' is all relative, and if you got a big enough truck, it's amazing what can be considered portable. So there are units with engines as varied as Ford 300 6 bangers turning small screw compressors to Cat 3304-6-8' turning small reciprocating compressors or larger screws, to the big girls, Wakasha V-12's and Cat 3500 and 3600 series engines spinning big multistage reciprocating compressors. And all the control and instrumentation equipment that goes with them. These are mostly rental skids, so the go out and run for a period of months or years, then come back for overhaul at our shop. Also, we make new packages all the time, so there is a series of new stuff to assemble and align comong in steady. So there is always something different to work on. I haven't enjoyed a workweek so much in a loooong time.
Now the good part....
And now I don't have to drive a tool truck to work. This means that for the first time in very close to 20 years, I can ride to work.
Monday, I had to get my rollcab and topbox to work, so I drove the truck. Tuesday, it was snowing when I got up. I took the truck.
Wed.... it was -5*C, that's upper 20's for you 'Merican-types, when I got up. Despite the fact I can't find my snowmoblie gloves and so have to wear my thin, summer gloves, I rode to work. It's only 40 KM of mostly straight Hiway, but it was fun, even with frozen hands. At 6 am-ish, I had the road to myself. I made good time. Real good time. Almost half the time I took in the cage. Minimizing time exposed to frezzing hands... that's my story and I'm sticking to it. By the ride home (at 4:30 instead of after 7 or 8 like before
) it was up in the 20's C (70's F) and the ride home was awesome. Thurs. was about the same as Wed., and Friday it was even warm in the morning, and the wind had stopped howling, great day to ride.
As well, I have sparked interest in other guys there with bikes, some of who are riding to work for the first time now.
At coffee time, all us evil, degenerate smokers go out to a shack out back to pound nicotine and shovel shiit. Strangely, many non-smokers also come out there to do some shoveling of thier own. One of the guys there was in the process of buying a new '05 Bandit 1200 that he took delivery of thurs. after work. He rode to work Friday. Both bikes parked in the parking lot drew lots of talk about bikes at coffee, helped because the smoking shack is right next to the parking lot. So one guy there has a mid 80's Nighthawk 650, another has a '01 Honda Blackbird, a couple others mentioned various older bikes I forget right now.... so the non-riders started calling us the 'Motorcycle Gang'. For about 3 minutes. Then some smartass decides we need a name.
Turns out every one who has a bike, also has a last name the starts with the letter 'M', so the name was 'The 4M's'... but wait, the new guy (me) has a name that starts with 'A'. So it was '4M's and A'.... until my mouth got involved. 'A & M4' sounds better I say. Besides, none of you can catch me.....
Mr. Blackbird takes exception to this and says so. I just tell him that there's more to riding a bike fast than twisting the throttle.... like riding the bike in the first place. .... I bet there is a Blackbird parked in the parking lot Monday...... So far so good. The job is decent, the guys are pretty cool, and there's other riders at work. Quite a change from my last incarnation.....
