Would you like to take a survey? - Part 14
Here I am in the thriving metropolis of Windsor! The drive down from Sarnia was okay - pretty good, not too long (about two and a half hours). However it was pretty tricky for me to get directions! MapQuest kept wanting to have us go down through eastern Michigan and drive back across the border into Windsor from the Detroit side. Unfortunately, the rental agreement/contract with Enterprise prohibits the vans from leaving Canada. So, the MQ default route obviously wouldn't work! I finally figured it out by using Chatham as a waypoint/axis between Sarnia and Windsor. I plotted two separate routes - the first from Sarnia to Chatham, then the second from Chatham to Windsor. Combine the two and voilà! Directions to Windsor from Sarnia that don't involve crossing the American border!
The city is pretty decent. Nothing exceptional, though. It's pretty typical for a city its size. Has all the usual features: lots of chain stores and restaurants, shopping malls, bars and pubs, night clubs, etc. Pretty dull for me, though. There's nothing to do or see here that really appeals to my tastes and sensibilities (I'm not much of a night life kind of guy...) Oh well! I can find ways to entertain myself. One noticeable trait, though, is that the city smells funny! Even the locals jokingly refer to Windsor as "the armpit of Ontario" :-) Most likely the odour is the result of air pollution, which is quite significant here. Indeed, a number of Windsorites I talked to said that there are exceptionally high rates of cancer, asthma and other respiratory diseases among the city's population...
Our hotel - the Travelodge Ambassador Bridge Windsor - is nice. Has all the amenities: indoor pool and hot tub, free continental breakfast, good customer service, business centre with Internet access, gym. It's in a good location for us, too - about a 5-minute drive up the street from our survey site. Very easy to get to and from work. The hotel is also located in the main commercial district along the highway; lots of stores and restaurants to choose from that are within walking distance.
Our survey site is the US-bound side of the Ambassador Bridge. Decent location - the duty-free shop wasn't far away. Also, the site was right next to the central campus of the University of Windsor; I didn't realize that the school was so close to the both the bridge and the border! Oddly enough, there's a cemetery there, too - so much for resting in peace... It's the busiest commercial border crossing in North America, so there's always lots of traffic! The flow of trucks is pretty constant, so we didn't get much downtime between trucks/surveys. However, our productivity is limited due to the fact that we can only bring in two trucks at a time, one behind the other. It's also contingent upon how quickly and efficiently trucks are waved in for us - it was done this time by bridge authority personnel, as opposed to police officers like before. They were a little slow at first, but it was fine once we got our signaling system down pat and established a smooth rhythym. They were really nice folks! Very kind, good humoured, and they bought us coffee and donuts a couple of times! One downside to the site was the noise level. There was lots of loud background noises with all the trucks passing by; it was often quite hard to hear - or be heard - while interviewing the truckers. Most of the time I practically had to shout while surveying, or ask the drivers to repeat their answers. Needless to say, it was rather annoying!
One interesting thing I've noticed after surveying for a while in both Sarnia and Windsor is that all the East Indian/South Asian drivers seems to live in Brampton! Almost without exception, every time I ask them that question during the survey, that's the answer I get. I've come to expect it now. Living in the Ottawa area, maybe it's just my naïveté and unfamiliarity with the GTA, but I thought this was neat in a way. I'm sure Torontonians accept this as a matter of course and don't give it a second thought... I actually asked a couple of the drivers about this; they said the main reasons for such a concentration are cheap housing and that many trucking firms are based out of Brampton and nearby Mississauga (thus, proximity between home and work). Logical.
On a personal note, I'm no longer a driver on this project! Got a call from Bob (one of the project managers) on Wednesday informing me of this. Simon from Danny's team (same shift as me, but on the opposite side) was recently approved as a driver - he'll be assuming the driving responsibilities for us from now on, but without switching teams. Apparently, some complaints were made to management with regards to my driving - that I wasn't attentive enough on the road, getting lost a few times, etc. Basically, certain people no longer felt safe driving with me. Personally, I think they were overreacting a bit - backseating driving on a power trip of sorts. Some people are always nervous when they're not driving themselves; fundamentally, it's a control issue, I think. As a result, they make the worst passengers! Stresses out both themselves and me as the driver. I don't like it when passengers criticize my driving while I'm driving - makes me starting second guessing myself and, thus, potentially aggravating the problem! Besides, it goes without saying that you'd be a little unsure of yourself and out of your element while driving in an unfamiliar area. I wasn't the only driver who missed a turn or got lost on occasion! I know for a fact that I am a good driver; ask any of my friends and family. I guess I was just betrayed by a conspiracy of circumstances... Definitely frustrating (both for the pride factor and the fact that I'm now making $2.00 less per hour), but I'm rather surprised that the end result doesn't bother or upset me as much as I thought it would. We're close enough to the end of the contract that the pay cut isn't that much of a loss. Also, I don't really have too much ego riding on this; my annoyance springs more from the way this was handled, rather than the actual change. More of the same bullshit and immaturity that I've seen consistently on this project...
I don't mind being a passenger again - I'm a pretty easygoing one, I'm not nervous when other people drive, and I'm far too polite to criticize (even when it's warranted). There's less stress, pressure and responsibility; I can just relax and admire the scenery while we travel :-) And I can have more fun and stay up later at night, without having to worry about losing sleep and being overtired the next day. So, overall, the driving has been a learning experience for me, both positive and negative. Helped expose some of my flaws and bad habits as a driver, which I can now work towards fixing and improving. Rather than be bitter and resentful, I'm humble enough to take this little lesson for what it's worth and learn from my mistakes.
Here are some other anecdotes/notes of interest from last week:
Tuesday (the 17th): Before work I met up with Andrew, a good friend from high school. He and his girlfriend moved to Windsor this past summer - she's enrolled in teacher's college at the university. We went up the street from the hotel to Casey's - nice atmosphere and good food. Had a nice time - we caught up on current events, reminisced about old times, discussed potential career plans for the future. It was really good talking with him, to be able to see a familiar face. While I get along fine with everyone in our group, I miss hanging out with my usual circle of friends back home. Socializing and partying with my fellow surveyors, while enjoyable, just isn't the same - I don't really know them as well, in a sense...
Wednesday (the 18th): It was a good shift. Very busy - we did nearly 70 surveys! The bridge authority staff were really cool - friendly and enthusiastic. They hung out with us between surveys and during our supper break, trading jokes and telling funny stories.
Also, the team on the other side (Danny's crew) got to meet The Killers! Surveyed one of their equipment trucks. Afterwards, they all signed autographs and even posed for photos. Brandon Flowers (the lead singer) even sat on Danny's lap when they were taking the group shot! I really should ask to get a copy of that pic...!
Thursday (the 19th): Jeff, one of the bridge employees who's been exceptionally helpful and nice to us, picked a bunch of us up and took us out to eat before our shift! Went to the Giovanni Caboto Club for a buffet lunch. Very nice place - posh, classy, elegant Mediterranean-style decor. Excellent food - pasta, roast chicken and beef, salad, Italian rolls, fresh sausages. Lots of fun.
Also, I think I found my new dream car: the 2007 Cadillac Escalade. It's what Jeff drove. Very impressed. Lots of headroom and space (an important consideration for a big guy like me), elegant interior, GPS satellite navigation system, rear-view camera that activates automatically when the car is put into reverse, touch-screen radio and dashboard controls, heated seats, lots of pep... Black or navy blue. I know it's a gas-guzzling SUV that would make environmentalists cringe, but I don't care! I like it anyhow. If I ever won the lottery or otherwise got my hands on a lot of money, I'd definitely buy myself one of these!
Anyway, that's it for now! We're back in Niagara Falls next week. Until then!
The city is pretty decent. Nothing exceptional, though. It's pretty typical for a city its size. Has all the usual features: lots of chain stores and restaurants, shopping malls, bars and pubs, night clubs, etc. Pretty dull for me, though. There's nothing to do or see here that really appeals to my tastes and sensibilities (I'm not much of a night life kind of guy...) Oh well! I can find ways to entertain myself. One noticeable trait, though, is that the city smells funny! Even the locals jokingly refer to Windsor as "the armpit of Ontario" :-) Most likely the odour is the result of air pollution, which is quite significant here. Indeed, a number of Windsorites I talked to said that there are exceptionally high rates of cancer, asthma and other respiratory diseases among the city's population...
Our hotel - the Travelodge Ambassador Bridge Windsor - is nice. Has all the amenities: indoor pool and hot tub, free continental breakfast, good customer service, business centre with Internet access, gym. It's in a good location for us, too - about a 5-minute drive up the street from our survey site. Very easy to get to and from work. The hotel is also located in the main commercial district along the highway; lots of stores and restaurants to choose from that are within walking distance.
Our survey site is the US-bound side of the Ambassador Bridge. Decent location - the duty-free shop wasn't far away. Also, the site was right next to the central campus of the University of Windsor; I didn't realize that the school was so close to the both the bridge and the border! Oddly enough, there's a cemetery there, too - so much for resting in peace... It's the busiest commercial border crossing in North America, so there's always lots of traffic! The flow of trucks is pretty constant, so we didn't get much downtime between trucks/surveys. However, our productivity is limited due to the fact that we can only bring in two trucks at a time, one behind the other. It's also contingent upon how quickly and efficiently trucks are waved in for us - it was done this time by bridge authority personnel, as opposed to police officers like before. They were a little slow at first, but it was fine once we got our signaling system down pat and established a smooth rhythym. They were really nice folks! Very kind, good humoured, and they bought us coffee and donuts a couple of times! One downside to the site was the noise level. There was lots of loud background noises with all the trucks passing by; it was often quite hard to hear - or be heard - while interviewing the truckers. Most of the time I practically had to shout while surveying, or ask the drivers to repeat their answers. Needless to say, it was rather annoying!
One interesting thing I've noticed after surveying for a while in both Sarnia and Windsor is that all the East Indian/South Asian drivers seems to live in Brampton! Almost without exception, every time I ask them that question during the survey, that's the answer I get. I've come to expect it now. Living in the Ottawa area, maybe it's just my naïveté and unfamiliarity with the GTA, but I thought this was neat in a way. I'm sure Torontonians accept this as a matter of course and don't give it a second thought... I actually asked a couple of the drivers about this; they said the main reasons for such a concentration are cheap housing and that many trucking firms are based out of Brampton and nearby Mississauga (thus, proximity between home and work). Logical.
On a personal note, I'm no longer a driver on this project! Got a call from Bob (one of the project managers) on Wednesday informing me of this. Simon from Danny's team (same shift as me, but on the opposite side) was recently approved as a driver - he'll be assuming the driving responsibilities for us from now on, but without switching teams. Apparently, some complaints were made to management with regards to my driving - that I wasn't attentive enough on the road, getting lost a few times, etc. Basically, certain people no longer felt safe driving with me. Personally, I think they were overreacting a bit - backseating driving on a power trip of sorts. Some people are always nervous when they're not driving themselves; fundamentally, it's a control issue, I think. As a result, they make the worst passengers! Stresses out both themselves and me as the driver. I don't like it when passengers criticize my driving while I'm driving - makes me starting second guessing myself and, thus, potentially aggravating the problem! Besides, it goes without saying that you'd be a little unsure of yourself and out of your element while driving in an unfamiliar area. I wasn't the only driver who missed a turn or got lost on occasion! I know for a fact that I am a good driver; ask any of my friends and family. I guess I was just betrayed by a conspiracy of circumstances... Definitely frustrating (both for the pride factor and the fact that I'm now making $2.00 less per hour), but I'm rather surprised that the end result doesn't bother or upset me as much as I thought it would. We're close enough to the end of the contract that the pay cut isn't that much of a loss. Also, I don't really have too much ego riding on this; my annoyance springs more from the way this was handled, rather than the actual change. More of the same bullshit and immaturity that I've seen consistently on this project...
I don't mind being a passenger again - I'm a pretty easygoing one, I'm not nervous when other people drive, and I'm far too polite to criticize (even when it's warranted). There's less stress, pressure and responsibility; I can just relax and admire the scenery while we travel :-) And I can have more fun and stay up later at night, without having to worry about losing sleep and being overtired the next day. So, overall, the driving has been a learning experience for me, both positive and negative. Helped expose some of my flaws and bad habits as a driver, which I can now work towards fixing and improving. Rather than be bitter and resentful, I'm humble enough to take this little lesson for what it's worth and learn from my mistakes.
Here are some other anecdotes/notes of interest from last week:
Tuesday (the 17th): Before work I met up with Andrew, a good friend from high school. He and his girlfriend moved to Windsor this past summer - she's enrolled in teacher's college at the university. We went up the street from the hotel to Casey's - nice atmosphere and good food. Had a nice time - we caught up on current events, reminisced about old times, discussed potential career plans for the future. It was really good talking with him, to be able to see a familiar face. While I get along fine with everyone in our group, I miss hanging out with my usual circle of friends back home. Socializing and partying with my fellow surveyors, while enjoyable, just isn't the same - I don't really know them as well, in a sense...
Wednesday (the 18th): It was a good shift. Very busy - we did nearly 70 surveys! The bridge authority staff were really cool - friendly and enthusiastic. They hung out with us between surveys and during our supper break, trading jokes and telling funny stories.
Also, the team on the other side (Danny's crew) got to meet The Killers! Surveyed one of their equipment trucks. Afterwards, they all signed autographs and even posed for photos. Brandon Flowers (the lead singer) even sat on Danny's lap when they were taking the group shot! I really should ask to get a copy of that pic...!
Thursday (the 19th): Jeff, one of the bridge employees who's been exceptionally helpful and nice to us, picked a bunch of us up and took us out to eat before our shift! Went to the Giovanni Caboto Club for a buffet lunch. Very nice place - posh, classy, elegant Mediterranean-style decor. Excellent food - pasta, roast chicken and beef, salad, Italian rolls, fresh sausages. Lots of fun.
Also, I think I found my new dream car: the 2007 Cadillac Escalade. It's what Jeff drove. Very impressed. Lots of headroom and space (an important consideration for a big guy like me), elegant interior, GPS satellite navigation system, rear-view camera that activates automatically when the car is put into reverse, touch-screen radio and dashboard controls, heated seats, lots of pep... Black or navy blue. I know it's a gas-guzzling SUV that would make environmentalists cringe, but I don't care! I like it anyhow. If I ever won the lottery or otherwise got my hands on a lot of money, I'd definitely buy myself one of these!
Anyway, that's it for now! We're back in Niagara Falls next week. Until then!
posted by Blake @ 7:19 p.m.
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