Today does not feel like Christmas Eve. Between the hustle and bustle of work, searing temperatures and absence of family and friends, it feels like just another summer day.
I spent 90% of my shift out in the field trying to finish up the sampling and monitoring that I was left with. Decked out in Barrick garb, a wide brimmed hat and fly net, it was hard to not laugh at my attire. Do I look like an Aussie yet?
When I rolled back to the mine site in the afternoon it was all but abandoned as everyone had gone home to prepare for the festivities. I too seized the opportunity to head to town early as Phil and I had a few things to take care of before the shops closed, including activating our brand new mobile phone (a Nokia N95 – very fancy). I have never been a fan of cell phones and now I have two to juggle. One for work and one for home. I’m so connected all the time that it’s kind of disgusting. It’s interesting how we’ve all become slaves to technology. Remember when every family only had one phone in the house to worry about? Tomorrow thousands upon thousands of children will wake up to find stacks of gadgets under the Christmas tree designed to allow them to stay in touch with everyone all the time. And yet I can’t help but feel that people are actually becoming more and more disconnected with every technological toy that is put out there. What have we become?
