Typical morning

I realised this morning that there is something else I am learning here, and that is how to deal with/manage a very stressed and stressful lead geologist on the phone. Now that I have the experience and related confidence I find I can deal with the crazy phone calls a lot better.

Yesterday I was discussing the situation with one of the Sperry Sun boys, and when I mentioned the stressed GE-A he just asked "why?". This morning as I woke up, I found myself wondering, indeed, why. And I realised that so long as I sent everything in on time and stayed informed and calm I could deal with (almost) anything!

As there is nothing too much going on I wouldn't expect any queries but I now know better so I wasn't surprised to find new-Sasha (this is not Sasha A but the one who arrived last time from our more easterly Siberian venture-I will now call him Sasha K. He is working on pad 3 but it is not up and running yet so him and Andrey are doing CBLs in pad 54. They seek refuge here during the day) on the phone looking very tense when I arrived back from the morning meeting.

Instead of getting involved I left immediately for a chat, a cuppa and a few questions with the Sperry Sun guys (who are also dealing with the Gamma Ray(GR)). Sure enough, five minutes later a breathless Sasha came bursting in needing data I had already sent an hour ago. I told him not to worry, to go back to the caravan and do his own work and not answer the phone :-)

I took my time getting the latest update and being showered in chocolate (again) and made my way back. Apparently there had been 2 angry and confused phone calls in those 10 minutes, all about non-existent problems. So I sent the latest update just as the phone rang, and I picked it up calmly, answered all of Alexey's questions whilst conveniently forgetting to mention that Simon was asleep, and then as he started berating me for not sending any data I suggested he check his inbox for emails from 1 1/2 hours ago. It was an unusually short phone call.

And that, I have decided, is my Thought of the Day. Dear reader, WHY are you so stressed? Is it really necessary? Has reading my blog really been that hard on your blood pressure?