I'm writing this story to entertain, and also to explain what a typical Friday is like living here in PNG. The very first thing you need to know is that there is no such thing as a typical day.
You never know what is going to happen on any given day, but Friday's and Monday's seem to be the LEAST predictable.
FRIDAY:
8am I arrive at work to finish some projects and find I'm the first one in. I begin to do my work, and as others file in I find the news that they will be driving across the country for a week and I'll be left behind to man the department. That's fine, I prefer to stay than to take the drive.
PLEASE pray for their safety and that the job goes well, they'll be attempting to in 4 days: (the pic above is them and some of the equipment they'll be installing)
-install 2 wireless links (putting 2 of our centers on faster internet)
-get VSAT training so we can increase our bandwidth and bring other regional centres online.
-success - it's hard when you have to travel so far and have no access to electronics or tools, they have to plan this down to every last screw and zip tie. It is an ambitious goal, but once done, we will have faster access and have 2 departments online that have not yet been online!!!
it's a LOT to accomplish in 4 days.
at 10am I head over to a department selling a used desk to see if my kids could use a nicely made but affordable desk. I pass on the desk it's too big. But I head home to check.... nope too big.
I head back to work
11am I get the news my truck has a bad solinoid on the fuel injection pump, it'll be out of commission for up to a month.
at noon I get home and realize there isn't much to eat for lunch so I scrounge.
I tell my wife the news about the truck and the desk. I leave for work, nearly forgetting that the water to our house is unexpectedly off because they are trenching a new water line in front of my house... as such I have to practically jump the 1 foot wide trench... it was more of a fall jump, but I made it.
THIS is where the day goes oddly.
I decided since we have a 3 day weekend to treat my kids to a trip to the river, so I go to check it out... there is a new gate there since I last went and it's locked.
I find out I have to go to the industrial department to get the key.
I go.. get the key. I drive to a different dept. to make a copy... they said 'we can't copy that key it's a master.'
I call around.. 'woops that's the wrong key'.
I go back down to industrial, they give me 2 keys 'It might be one of these or 1 other one'
I DRIVE clear over to the river, nope both keys don't work.
On the way back I nearly scrape a van, my fault, but thankfully only the rubber of my fender touched the rubber of his fender. I wasn't driving fast, it was a skinny area and these things happen.
I get back 'hey this is the wrong key' he says, 'okay then it HAS To be the other one... you have to go down to the gravel wash to find the tractor driver, he's got the key.'
I drive over the trenching, passed the gates, and find a big frontloader, I pull along side, they were expecting me, they give me the key but want it back by 5pm.
3pm I take it up to get copied.
4pm I get a message:
'I don't have any blanks for these keys to copy, go over to Dept C and get blanks.'
So I go over to THAT department, buy 2 blanks, and come back.
On the way I see someone with ice cream!!!!
The store hasn't had ice cream in months and my wife could use a cheer-me-up today so I stop by the store, pick up a liter of vanilla, and head home. Still needing to get the keys to copied.
AT home what was going to be a quick drop off of the ice cream turned into a dog story.
Apparently our friend's dog got stuck under our house in pain and wrapped up in wire.
They tried to rescue it but it was biting them, so they asked for help.
The young son accused me of setting a wire trap. I assured the little.... tyke... that were I to set a trap, it would have been a lot more effective than wrapping pig wire around a dog's hind legs and causing it to yelp.
SO.. I go inside, get my squirtgun, chase the dog out of under the house, put my foot on it's neck, and whip out my leatherman's and cut the wire loose.
I'm thanked, but the boy refuses to give me an apology for the trapping comment, his mom tells me to soak him with my water gun. I opt not to.
back on the bike, heading to get keys copied.
Drop the keys off at 4pm.
All the while in between all of this I'm setting up printers, debugging software, fixing stuff, and working with satellites.
It's been a really non-boring, crazy day here, oh hey! someone just put me a bottle of Gummy Vites on my desk for no reason.
I suppose this mystery will be solved when I go home and find my wife had ordered these or something.
I try one.
Not bad... like a gummy bear with a vitaminy after taste.
I read in a book today that 'the gelatin in gummy bears is made from cow bone and pig skin'.
So.. now that I've put that in my body I figure it's a pretty good end to a totally unpredictable day.
Yet it's only 5pm, and I have my kid's choir concert tonight to attend, and anything can happen there too.
WOW.. sometimes life is exciting.
