View from my bathroom window…
We work 6am to 6pm which leaves a couple of hours in the evening to fill. The project is located 90mins from the nearest town so heading in for a few drinks or a movie isn’t an option.
We have a couple of options. Last year, my preferred option was do my laundry, watch TV in my room and eat chocolate. This lead to a shortage of chocolate mid-rotation and a mild feeling of guilt. To combat this increase in chocolate consumption, I would head down to the basketball or tennis courts or cricket nets for a run around or a group work out. We played a few rounds of no-rules tennis which was fun. We also did some excellent circuit style work outs and sprint sessions. There is a regular group but their workouts were super intense so a group of girls met on an alternate night for a slightly easier version. We don’t have access to a large grassed area but if we can negotiate with another camp nearby, it would be great to play some Ultimate or football.
We also have the wet mess. There is a variety of light beer and low alcohol wine as well as chocolate, chips, cookies, coffee milk and sundry items like toothpaste and tampons. The wet mess also has a media room with big, comfy armchairs, a pool table, darts and ping pong. There is a book swap but I’ll confess, despite being a big reader, I’ve never even looked at it. The wet mess also has a projector screen and sound system that plays everything from State of Origin to one of the various music channels.
I spent a couple of nights at the wet mess this rotation. It’s nice to talk to people that you don’t work with on a daily basis. We had a few beers on Australia Day and a few beers on my last night. There is also a BBQ that you can pre-order for lunch or dinner. They’ve been a popular summer change to eating the usual buffet dinner. There aren’t many organised activities at the wet mess – movies, trivia or other. I’ve been asked to join a committee looking to improve the standard of living at camp with a focus on food, facilities and social activities. Any suggestions on evening activities would be greatly appreciated…
The last rotation, I spent most nights at the gym. I’ve been working out twice a day because I’ve been bored. I’m too tired to do any thing that requires thinking or fine motor skills like reading, sewing or drawing. I’ve been hitting the treadmill and watching my iPad or listening to music. I worked out with a friend from my previous project which was good opportunity to catch up. I’m hoping we can make it a regular thing with a few of us going together. Last week, I clocked up 60kms of combined cycling and running which felt awesome. I thought I’d be exhausted but it’s been incredibly energising.
That’s all the after work activities we’ve got at camp. Nothing incredible to write home about but just enough to keep you from going insane. Let me know if you have any after work ideas to mix it up…
x S
