Well I’m back, Just had a two week holiday in the UK and it was awesome. My itinerary looked a little like this:
W-S-M for a night.
Falmouth for two nights.
Download Festival for five nights.
W-S-M for two nights.
Falmouth for three nights.
W-S-M for a night.
I managed to see almost everyone that I wanted to with a few glaring exceptions but I had an amazing time. It was great to be back in England and have people around me who actually give a shit and miss me. I even saw most of my family which was a pleasant surprise! I can't wait to get back in September and help out all the Freshers etc like I did in my 2nd year.
Download was incredible as always, I saw so many brilliant bands like Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach, Faith No More, Trivium, Marilyn Manson, Slipknot, Static-X, Killswitch Engage, Korn, Limp Bizkit and of course, Scumface. It was wicked to meet up with the Northerners again and see a few other old friends over the week. Can’t wait til next year :D I’ve even got myself a half decent tan from the four days in the sun which is the first I’ve had in a couple of years.
I was pleasantly surprised on my return to find that my housemates here in Oz have missed me too! I was only gone 2.5wks yet all I’ve heard is how quiet the house was and how glad they are that I’m back! There are two blokes living underneath me now which is strange as it’s only a one bedroom place and they’re both apparently straight but hey… horses for courses. I haven’t seen them yet and they’ve made no effort to get to know anyone else in the house either. One of the girls from the back has moved out too and been replaced by another who is just as attractive haha, another excuse for a party. I’ve already had to replace her lightbulb and fix their electricity supply, images of dodgy ‘handyman’ porn films spring to mind!
Work has been great too; I’ve organised to do a round-robin of all the various engineering departments over the next 8wks so I’ll be in a great position to write my 5000 word report. I’ve got my dissertation working title too which is something to do with roof/rib support in coal mine roadways so I’ll be spending a lot of time with “Mad Dog” the geotechnical engineer to gather data for that.
Just before I left I drew up some 2D and 3D models for a torque multiplier to install 8m cable bolts using a CM instead of contractors and while I was away they had a prototype made and tested it. Now there’s a few adjustments to be made and more testing so I’ll be involved with all of that which will be very useful for my dissertation.
Caio for now…
25 June 2009
2 June 2009
Glossary:
Since September I’ve had to learn two new languages; Australian and Mining. Here is a selection, by no means comprehensive, of the words I’ve learnt both above and underground. This list is still quite short and I'll be updating it as I remember new words.
Crib: food/lunch/snacks.
Crib-time: when you have ‘crib’. Officially, this is 40mins a day but actually closer to 2hrs.
Crib-tin: tin for carrying food for crib plus a wide array of miscellaneous items that may or may not be useful. This includes porn, porn and sometimes porn.
Smoko: a short break, usually mid-morning, has nothing to do with smoking.
Shifter: adjustable wrench, more commonly used as a hammer to ‘shift’ stubborn fittings.
Bull hose: 3” black rubber hoses that are near impossible to connect/disconnect without the use of a ‘shifter’.
Bat-bags: plastic bags that hang from the roof, each must contain a minimum of 6kg of ‘stonedust’. Often used for target practice and great for slicing with a knife when someone is working underneath.
Stonedust: limestone dust, used to prevent explosions due to coal dust. Is sprayed everywhere in coal mines, most ends up inside your overalls or in your eye.
Arvo: afternoon or “beer o’clock”.
Doggy: dogwatch or night-shift, see ‘doggers’.
Doggers: people who don’t turn up when promised or who turn up, drink all your beer then leave.
Rib: the walls in a mine and the area at the base of the walls for example: “chuck that bull hose in the rib”.
Rib-borer: a small, handheld, air powered drill used to drill 4ft holes in the rib or floor. Underpowered and often useless due to lack of a ‘turtle’.
Turtle: either a small metal oil container used to lubricate rib-borers or a stream of gas bubbling up through a puddle. Both can usually be found on the floor, the former under several feet of mud.
Vent tubes: 4m x 0.7m fibreglass tubes used to ventilate the working face. These are always located at least 3 pillars outbye when there is no Eimco available. Handles are invariably broken.
Eimco: now known as LHDs or load-haul-dumps these machines are the workhorses of the mine. Normally driven by the least competent person available.
Inbye: towards the working face, fresh air at your back.
Outbye: away from the working face, towards pit bottom, fresh air in your face.
Pit bottom: Area at the bottom of the drift where all men, vehicles and supplies are organised and dispatched. The favourite hangout for useless gits like fitters, leccos, drillers and bludgers.
Fitters: mechanics, responsible for keeping all machinery working. Can often be seen racing around in their ‘ute’ but rarely seen working.
Leccos: electricians, responsible for keeping all electronics and power supplies working. Never around when needed.
Drillers: these guys operate the drill rigs that take core samples and drill gas drainage holes. Biggest bludgers in the pit.
Bludger: someone who doesn’t work or shirks their fair share of the work. Often used to describe dole-scum, politicians, leccos and drillers.
Ute: a ‘utility’ vehicle, otherwise known to the rest of the world as a pickup truck. Often driven by ‘hoons’ and tricked out to the max with alloys, lowered suspension and tinted windows.
Hoons: the chavs of Australia, see ‘ute’ and ‘stupid-fucking-redneck-bastards’***.
Soft-cock: derogatory term used to describe someone who won’t stand up for themselves or who doesn’t follow their words with action. Otherwise known as a complete pussy.
Drug bus: not an enterprising young drug dealer who delivers but a minivan that turns up randomly to test mine workers for illicit substances. Randomly turns up after every major sporting event.
Out-of-service tag: Supposedly a tag to inform others that a piece of machinery is broken, how it is broken and what to do about it. In 95% of all cases this is summed up quite eloquently in a single word: “fucked”.
Feds: mine workers/ lazy bastards
Staff: managerial level workers/incompetent bastards.
*** I may have made that last one up….
Crib: food/lunch/snacks.
Crib-time: when you have ‘crib’. Officially, this is 40mins a day but actually closer to 2hrs.
Crib-tin: tin for carrying food for crib plus a wide array of miscellaneous items that may or may not be useful. This includes porn, porn and sometimes porn.
Smoko: a short break, usually mid-morning, has nothing to do with smoking.
Shifter: adjustable wrench, more commonly used as a hammer to ‘shift’ stubborn fittings.
Bull hose: 3” black rubber hoses that are near impossible to connect/disconnect without the use of a ‘shifter’.
Bat-bags: plastic bags that hang from the roof, each must contain a minimum of 6kg of ‘stonedust’. Often used for target practice and great for slicing with a knife when someone is working underneath.
Stonedust: limestone dust, used to prevent explosions due to coal dust. Is sprayed everywhere in coal mines, most ends up inside your overalls or in your eye.
Arvo: afternoon or “beer o’clock”.
Doggy: dogwatch or night-shift, see ‘doggers’.
Doggers: people who don’t turn up when promised or who turn up, drink all your beer then leave.
Rib: the walls in a mine and the area at the base of the walls for example: “chuck that bull hose in the rib”.
Rib-borer: a small, handheld, air powered drill used to drill 4ft holes in the rib or floor. Underpowered and often useless due to lack of a ‘turtle’.
Turtle: either a small metal oil container used to lubricate rib-borers or a stream of gas bubbling up through a puddle. Both can usually be found on the floor, the former under several feet of mud.
Vent tubes: 4m x 0.7m fibreglass tubes used to ventilate the working face. These are always located at least 3 pillars outbye when there is no Eimco available. Handles are invariably broken.
Eimco: now known as LHDs or load-haul-dumps these machines are the workhorses of the mine. Normally driven by the least competent person available.
Inbye: towards the working face, fresh air at your back.
Outbye: away from the working face, towards pit bottom, fresh air in your face.
Pit bottom: Area at the bottom of the drift where all men, vehicles and supplies are organised and dispatched. The favourite hangout for useless gits like fitters, leccos, drillers and bludgers.
Fitters: mechanics, responsible for keeping all machinery working. Can often be seen racing around in their ‘ute’ but rarely seen working.
Leccos: electricians, responsible for keeping all electronics and power supplies working. Never around when needed.
Drillers: these guys operate the drill rigs that take core samples and drill gas drainage holes. Biggest bludgers in the pit.
Bludger: someone who doesn’t work or shirks their fair share of the work. Often used to describe dole-scum, politicians, leccos and drillers.
Ute: a ‘utility’ vehicle, otherwise known to the rest of the world as a pickup truck. Often driven by ‘hoons’ and tricked out to the max with alloys, lowered suspension and tinted windows.
Hoons: the chavs of Australia, see ‘ute’ and ‘stupid-fucking-redneck-bastards’***.
Soft-cock: derogatory term used to describe someone who won’t stand up for themselves or who doesn’t follow their words with action. Otherwise known as a complete pussy.
Drug bus: not an enterprising young drug dealer who delivers but a minivan that turns up randomly to test mine workers for illicit substances. Randomly turns up after every major sporting event.
Out-of-service tag: Supposedly a tag to inform others that a piece of machinery is broken, how it is broken and what to do about it. In 95% of all cases this is summed up quite eloquently in a single word: “fucked”.
Feds: mine workers/ lazy bastards
Staff: managerial level workers/incompetent bastards.
*** I may have made that last one up….
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