Post: #1

*Not about finding work*
Try the Oil Sands Work Thread for that


Seems like there is now enough oil pigs, dirty welders and rough tradesmen to start a thread discussing how we go about blowing our hard earned cash and chasing tail back in town.

Some game is universal and while some is location dependent. I think the Oilsands is one such location that requires its own particular brew of game. Battling the harsh winter elements, trying to act somewhat smooth after 2 months living out of your truck, remembering how talking to lady-folk is different to talking to your foreman Bob about hunting moose and his raised Ford F350.

I want drop some tips of my own over the next while as to what has been working and what hasn't.

First Up

The Double Job

If I had to pick one move to increase the quantity and quality of notches in the Oil Sands its getting a second job back in town. I'm talking about cafes, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, swimming pools, gyms, shopping centres. Might sound crazy to go from working non-stop out in the field to working another job during your time off but it works. While most of the guys are out of town working these places are stacked full of hot female staff and hot female customers.

Make up resumes with some experience (real or not) and walk along the main strips of whatever city you're in. For Edmonton that's Whyte Ave, Jasper and West Ed Mall.

Aim for a place that's kind of chill where you won't actually be working that hard. This gives you time to relax and game. Aim for hours which will maximise results. Midday works for a University café but not so well for a Bar with a worksite nearby.

Try get into a management role or another role where you can stop and talk if you please. A bouncer is meant to talk to customers on the way in, the guy collecting empty glasses isn't. A lot of smaller restaurants and cafes encourage staff to have lengthy discussions with customers.

Come up with 'the story'- a girl friendly version of events as to why you work like a pig. Something like 'saving to travel the world by motorbike' sounds better then explain how your centrally located apartment is going to work wonders in poosy paradise this summer.

Go for broke. Rack up as many notches as possible. No worries about getting fired- you already have a proper job anyway.

Post: #2

My biggest problem once I get the hell out of Alberta and into a poosy paradise is I have to focus on raising my standards and not just bang anything that walks, it usually takes a couple of weeks. Its a hard transition because you get used to banging fugly camp tramps and road skanks, then you get to a place where you can date higher quality women, I'm like a fucking caged animal set free after a long stint up there! Another thing is adjusting to city life, my last hitch was three weeks in a fucking brutal town in the middle of nowhere, I think the population was about 200, then three days later I"m in Bogota, population 8 million, just walking around the city and seeing so many people was hard to adjust to. Of course, as Irishman mentioned, you have to get used to speaking to "normal people" again, its hard not curse like a sailor after a long stint in the patch!

Post: #3

I find I get 'workers block' sometimes for a few days after I come back: I can only talk to people if I am working on something at the same time.

I have noticed this before while working on building sites. The old guys will talk about everything under the sun while you are working. Then the second you sit down for lunch they don't can't say a single thing- 'warm out today.....' 'yup........' (10 mins go by) 'kind of windy though......' haha

Post: #4

haha, I love this stuff. Its nice to see 'bush culture' (ie. Canadian oil, gas, mining and forestry jobs) get out there a bit more. My days are done but transitioning back to 'real life' on off time was always an adventure. The first thing I would always remember is being irritated that I had to actually find a bathroom when i wanted to go, after a month in the woods where you just drop your pants and let er rip while enjoying the scenery having to walk into a specific dark and awful smelling public bathroom just seems ridiculous.

That and consciously not saying fuck for every second word in public.

Post: #5

I haven't gone through the full oilsands thread yet, so I have a question not regarding the jobs themselves.

Can you guys maintain an active workout routine? Say weight training 4-5x a week. I ask considering the nature of the long shifts and days, the availability, location and pricing of the gyms, the quality of the gyms themselves..

I don't mind holing myself up there for a few months at a time to make some $$$, I'd just like to know if at the same time I'd be able to maintain my fitness and make some gym progress.

Post: #6

(01-09-2014 10:52 AM)Nascimento Wrote:  I haven't gone through the full oilsands thread yet, so I have a question not regarding the jobs themselves.

Can you guys maintain an active workout routine? Say weight training 4-5x a week. I ask considering the nature of the long shifts and days, the availability, location and pricing of the gyms, the quality of the gyms themselves..

I don't mind holing myself up there for a few months at a time to make some $$$, I'd just like to know if at the same time I'd be able to maintain my fitness and make some gym progress.

If you're staying in a large sized camp there should be a fitness center. Whether or not you'll feel capable of working out after a 12 hour shift, however, is a different matter.

Post: #7

Pretty much everyone I work with is a hardcore racist that loves Jesus.

What type of hours are ya'll working? I'm getting like 70 hours a week on average.

Post: #8

(01-09-2014 10:52 AM)Nascimento Wrote:  I haven't gone through the full oilsands thread yet, so I have a question not regarding the jobs themselves.

Can you guys maintain an active workout routine? Say weight training 4-5x a week. I ask considering the nature of the long shifts and days, the availability, location and pricing of the gyms, the quality of the gyms themselves..

I don't mind holing myself up there for a few months at a time to make some $$$, I'd just like to know if at the same time I'd be able to maintain my fitness and make some gym progress.

I keep an incline/decline weight bench in my truck along with some adjustable dumbbells (they are more expensive then traditional dumbbells but a lot more compact). Between these two I can manage a lot of different exercises. Some camps have small gyms too but I usually stay on location.

I usually lift before I start work so I know I will get it done with no excuses.

Post: #9

(01-09-2014 10:29 AM)wiscanada Wrote:  after a month in the woods where you just drop your pants and let er rip while enjoying the scenery having to walk into a specific dark and awful smelling public bathroom just seems ridiculous.

The funniest I have seen is one of the drillers taking a piss on the side of his truck while he was fueling up in a busy gas station. Couldn't believe he had the cheek to do it while other people where all around fueling their own cars. No one noticed though haha.