Paul Alton MBA

We, that is, I, am back in the cycle of Eat, Work, Sleep, Repeat, at a job near Edmonton. Juanita gets to spend time with the Edmonton grandkids and help our daughter, Rebekah. She (Rebekah not Juanita lol) is on bedrest, expecting their sixth child.

My work is not that strenuous physically other than requiring about ten thousand steps a day and multiple trips up and down the stairs to where the compressors and turbines are housed. We remove and replace vibration and other monitoring devices to allow millwrights to service the machines. When they are done, we put the devices back and test them to ensure they work correctly. A few tight spots to get into but no heavy lifting.

The worst part of the job is the forty-five minute commute in the dark in the morning. There is one section of road where the lines on the passing lane are no longer visible. There was a fatal head on collision on that section last year. There was another head on collision there this year.

I have taken to using a five minute longer route to avoid that piece of road. Halfway to work Mr. Google Maps suggests the quicker route. I cancel the suggestion with the “No Thanks” button. Google Maps is on not because I can’t find my way to work or home again, but because when a road is closed for an accident, it reroutes me. A couple of times I have arrived on time when co-workers who know the way and “don’t need a GPS” arrived late.

Almost at the end of the month the lines have been repainted on what we call the potato hill. I may opt for that route again, but painted lines won’t help with the tailgating pickup trucks and the rear end collisions that have been happening almost weekly. Our car was bumped from behind at a light but with no visible damage. Others have not been so lucky. Multiple cars involved on more than one occasion with major damage and some injuries.  

While in Edmonton we attend the church our daughter and her family attend. The people are great. The message is solid, other than the pastor’s strange practice of randomly shouting the occasional sentence. I suppose that is for emphasis. It doesn’t work for me. My mind self defensively tunes out his ecclesiastical Tourette’s spasms along with the next parts of the message. Maybe it works for others. The church is growing. Or maybe it is like learned love in a marriage. Habits that would be non-starters when dating are accepted as trade-offs against more important traits.

Normally, in September, we would use the zoo tickets given out at the UA picnic in June to walk through the Edmonton Zoo on a sunny Sunday. This year the picnic was cancelled due to soggy park grounds from relentless rains.

The Empire Grill, our favorite Indian restaurant for butter chicken and naan bread on Saturday evenings has closed permanently. We found a new favorite, Chef’s Butter Chicken, a few blocks away. We’ve been there twice this turnaround. (Turnaround is what the petro chemical industry call a maintenance shutdowns).

One Sunday we celebrated Ansel’s eleventh birthday.

We have gifted cards for Pampa Brazilian steak house in the past. I could go there forever, but recipients may be ready for a change. One Sunday evening we checked out Blowers & Grafton as a change. They claim it is “where Halifax Street Food meets East Coast hospitality”. The food was tasty and the service was good. Not sure I’d order fish tacos again. They tasted great but my mind and metabolism is not ready for a repeat of battered fish and chips style fish in tortillas. Juanita says the salmon was good.

The last beautiful, summery Sunday of the month we went for dim sum at the Blu Café. Then we strolled through the Kaleido street festival. 118^th Avenue was closed off between 90^th and 95^th Streets for booths and activities for all ages. The last block and an overflow parking lot was a show and shine for classic cars of vintages spanning over a hundred years of vehicle fashion and technology. Lots of model T’s, a tricked-out VW bug, a spotless 1936 Nash and many others. Maybe the best show and shine I’ve strolled through.

There were a flock of food trucks parked next to the community center. Juanita had a mango bubble tea from a food truck for dessert. I opted to wait until we were on the way home for a Marble Slab Creamery treat as my overpriced carbs of the week.

The timing of my lay-off from this turnaround is uncertain. It could come quickly as the project work wraps up and man count has to go down. They may lay off me and the other people who are getting subsistence allowance first to save money. They may keep me around for subject matter expertise until just before startup late in October. Either have happened in the past. We just don’t know how much time we will have back home to prepare before we leave for Vietnam. We have started doing as much as we can to prepare for Vietnam while still in Edmonton.

Today is the last Sunday of September. The weather has turned colder and fall like. Our plan is to use Juanita’s birthday gift certificates for lunch at Boa & Hare followed by dessert at Delavoye Chocolate Maker. We’ve been to neither before. Based on reviews we are considering Birria Taco-Bao (marinated pork in Korean cheese tacos), Black Forest Mochas and Miso Caramel Squares. Those plans may change with what else they have on their chalkboard or menu. I might get back to you on how things went. Or not. I can be a bit unreliable these days as can the web site editor.