Smokeless in Fort Mac

Ah, and so here I am at the brink of the beginning of the end of the world. Or so it seems. It is surprisingly humid here, something I've always equated with the tropics. There are more trees than I thought were in the world; balsam, pine, fir crowded harmoniously together separated windingly by the Athabasca River. I've heard it was beautiful up here for the outdoorsy soul, and this is true. There is something inviting about the cool green surroundings and still, pale jade river. The stars are so bright here, and the clouds are so low it seems you could feel their cool, moist grayness just by reaching out your hand.

The Hotel and Convention Centre is supremely busy, so I am working immediately. I had expected it to be this backwoods beaten up hamlet, but I was wrong. SO wrong. Fort McMurray is BOOMING! The issue seems to be with staffing as there is simply nowhere to put the people that are needed to work here. The land is natively owned and meted out sparingly, there are very few places for people to live. As the Oil and Gas industry has exploded, more and more workers are arriving creating an incredible need for other necessities; restaurants, meeting space, clothing and hardware stores. There is a brand new 34 million dollar RONA built that now sits empty. They could only find 90 employees, they need 200.

To accommodate the arriving throngs, people rent our their basements, dens, and even their couches, but the prices are steep..$800.00 and higher per month for a bed. They even rent out the RV's and trailers in their driveways! The campgrounds are utterly overloaded, and property prices are exorbitantly high. The average apartment rent starts at $2400.00 per month, forcing three to five individuals to cram into small two bedroom units. There is a huge waiting list for any space in apartments or condo's. Houses that were bought four years ago at $160,000.00 now sell for close to $400,000.00. I wish I'd known about this, but then so does everybody.

I am staying with Pig in residence until his roommate, who is in Calgary, returns. I have never stayed in residence before, so I'm amazed to find how really nice and clean his condo is. It's very simple and generic, but clean and more spacious than I'd anticipated. There is a backyard that is communally shared with the in-resident occupants, and as I follow him outside to keep his habit company, I see a string of residents all outside on their mini porches lighting up. We are immediately surrounded by large and irritating insects. I am getting eaten alive. I was barely bitten as a smoker, and I hear this from smokers alot almost with pride, 'Yep. They don't seem to like me.' they say. 'Yeah,' I think, 'they didn't like me either when I was inhaling poisonous toxins into my body. Guess they know.' So after a deep and dreamless sleep, I am ready for work.

I quickly learn that the two giants of the Oil and Gas sector own this town - corporations named 'Syncrude' and ' Suncor'. It is all anyone talks about so that when I asked a young couple where they were from (everyone here is transient), they replied, 'Syncrude'. Wow. I start helping with a wedding that evening. I am amazed at the well-heeled crowd and at the amount of really gorgeous people, especially the women. 'They come up here to catch an Executive Oilman', Al the DJ tells me. Al is from 'Suncor', he is a team leader and nearly retired. He DJ's the odd weekends for fun and visits me often as I relieve the bartenders, telling me what's what and who's who. 'They won't go near any man who is not a part of either Suncor or Syncrude.' he shakes his head.

There are other O & G companies up here though too, and the community is filled with people from Newfoundland, affectionately called 'Newfies', because the economy is so poor there and so wealthy here. To attract and keep staff, the wages here are unbelievable, it is the highest paid Tim Horton's Donut Shop in Canada with a starting wage of $16.00 per hour. There are Oil companies here offering a ten thousand dollar start up fee, with an additional ten thousand after thirty days. 'I'm 52 years old', the father-of-the-bride tells me, 'and I'm retiring next year! I LOVE this place!' He dances a jig around the bar and immediately is surrounded by family members offering to buy him more drinks to fill his special silver embossed jug. They are all having so much fun. I watch many 0f them sneak off after dances and dinner to smoke collectively and jovially outside. I feel suddenly lonely and I want to smoke. They look so festive, so carefree, so relaxed pulling on that little white stick.

Ah yes. The family wedding. An immediate trigger, even though it isn't even my own dang family. But they could be anybody's family; you got yer m-o-b (mother-of-bride) and f-o-b, yer parents of the groom, ya got the brothers and the sisters...yep, one brother's gotten ahold of the drink tickets and is spreading them about indiscriminately (THAT'LL be fun for his brother the groom tomorrow!), one Uncle already teetering about crimson-faced and spilling beer all over a disapproving, yet resigned Aunty. Youngsters in ribbons and spit-shined shoes spin eachother about gigglingly, the smaller ones doing somersaults on the carpet. The older cousins gather together laughing and reminiscing, just as I used to with my cousins. The urge to smoke is incessant and throbbing...but I ignore it, for I know what this is. This is the 'wedding' test. And once I pass this test, I will not sub-consciously crave at a wedding again. I bite it down and busy myself clearing up and touring the room to make sure everything is going smoothly.

Although the craving comes and goes, I have not experienced cravings like that at a wedding since that evening. But there is something different about this one, as strong as it was...it was getting weaker, wasn't it? Yes, yes it really really was! I recalled an entry by the marvellous and wonderful Kerri from the forum about attending a wedding during an early part of her quit. It was so interesting to hear her views on the experience, to remember how smoke clings to people and makes them reek. I was always conscious of this and would stand a bit back from the crowd, nervous to offend. It is so nice not to have to do that anymore! One sense memory obliterated...how many more to go, I wonder?