But seriously - I am starting to get overwhelmed with the amount of requests for new projects I have been receiving lately. It’s nice to know that people are willing to pay for quality work now - there’s been a definite shift from “My nephew/niece/third cousin removed can do that for me for a case of beer” to businesses and individuals recognizing the value they receive from hiring a professional which is absolutely wonderful.

I was starting to think that the industry was going a bit downhill in the last few years with people not willing to pay for something that offerred so much value to their business but that is starting to change which is an awesome thing for both myself, my business and the industry in general.

So I’ve come to a pretty grim conclusion in the last few weeks - I can’t take on any new work for at least 6 months or I am going to work myself to death (or a really bad ulcer - whichever comes first!)

Between my full time contract at the Oil Company and all the side projects I have been doing lately I have little to no time to myself and when I do take time for myself I have been left with this horrible guilty feeling as though I am letting down my customers. It’s been an interesting few months to say the least!

Combine all this with my recent life changes (long story short I have just come out of a 6 1/2 year relationship and have had to deal with all the upheavals related to that which has taken up a lot of my mind space the last while) and you have one overworked and emotionally drained Gabby!

But I’m a big girl and am dealing with everything quite well considering everything but am going to have to pull back on the work front to help me even out the work/life balance.

So for all my new customers and recurring ones - I do apologize for the fact that I will be turning you down for the new work you want to send my way - at least until about August or so and promise when I come back to work on your projects they will be 100 times better as I won’t be worrying about what else I’m forgetting.

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My research in the last few days has mostly been revolving around the emmissions created by both The Company and the Oil sands operation they have running by Fort MacMurray. I have studied the Kyoto accord that was ratified a few years ago and have made some startling discoveries both in what Canada is required to do and the contributions that The Company supposedly has.

Now to start off, the Kyoto accord is basically a sham. Not in it’s principles or ideas but by the way that half of the world’s largest emissions producers have not signed it and refuse to do so.

China, one of the world’s largest contributor to global emmissions (in 2004 they produced 3.8 billion metric tonnes of CO2, almost five times that of the emissions coming from Canada), and India, a close second, have not signed the Kyoto Accord and have no intention of ever doing so.

That frightens me the most - that the world’s largest contributors are never going to change their ways - no matter what we do it will be cancelled out by the fact that their emmissions rates are actually increasing every year.

So let’s examine what the Kyoto Accord calls for - it basically calls for the reduction of emissions by 5% below our 1990 levels. So what this means for Canada is that by 2012 we’ll have to reduce our emissions to a total of 572 million metric tonnes, down from our average of about 731 million metric tonnes, a reduction of approximately 22%.

It sounds very impressive - unfortunately, for the level of industry we have here in Canada (producing the raw materials for the rest of the world,) it’s completely unobtaintable. We would have to shut down almost a third of the gross production that Canada currently supplies the world with - and you know how well that would go over with both our economy and our unemployment rate.

Now let’s examine where The Oil Company comes in. Its Oil sands operations in Fort MacMurray produce, as of 2004, 3.5 million metric tonnes of emissions per year. At my calculations, that’s less than 0.006% of the country’s total emissions. And that’s from an operation that is supposedly destroying the air quality country-wide.

And despite what the activists will say, The Oil Company has been committed to reducing their emissions by an average of approximately 17% per year. So in 2010 they will have reduced their emmissions by 50%! To approximately 1.75 million metric tonnes of CO2 per year.
That’s ten times more than what the Canadian government has committed itself to with the Kyoto Accord (and with Harper in power I’m not even sure that they will do it) and not only has this goal been committed to, it has been in the works for some time now and has shown considerable progress.

Now, again, as in previous posts, I have to state that I’m not really defending The Oil Company. There is no doubt that their products are a contributor, but I’m starting to realize more and more that it’s not the products that are to blame, but their users. The Oil Company is doing no more than what the local gun shop is doing - providing a product that is potentially dangerous. The gun store isn’t going around and using their guns to shoot people, their customers are - so who is to blame? The owner of the store or the customer who pulled the trigger?

It’s an amazingly complex issue and the more I learn and the more research I do, the more befuddled and obscure the answers become.

I think the answers really need to come from yourself. If you think that you are being a contributor to the pollution that is ruining our environment then you can personally take action and change how you affect that environment. If you believe that you have as little impact as possible then keep doing what you’re doing.

In the end I believe the only people we have to answer to is ourselves - not that guy who rants about how the Oil Sands are the root of all evil.

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Some of you will say “Quit now! Don’t let a big pay cheque blind you to the effect this company is having on our environment!” and you would be partly right. Others will say “Don’t stress too much about it - whether or not you are working for them, it will continue and there’s nothing you can do about it, might as well cash their cheques!” and they would also be partly right.

But over the last few days I have realized that it isn’t as simple as that. Yes, there’s a bit of a moral issue working for the largest oil and gas company in the world in that they are doing damage to the environment. But it’s a unique situation as The Oil Company knows they are and have the potential to do some major damage (and I mean major - I am literally sitting in a small trailer right next door to one of the world’s largest chemical bombs - if anything should ever go majorly wrong I will most likely die in an instant) and knowing this, this company strives to maintain the environment and resources that ultimately are thier livelihood!

I may seem like I am defending them - but in some regards, I am. Not necessarily the work they do or the damage that is done in the name of civilization and economy but the people that work here, because The Oil Company is ultimately the people who work for her. These are not bad people - they do not purposefully pollute and are actually more environmentally aware than the average activist shouting out to shut down the oil sands. These are people who understand the gravity of what they are doing, they understand that a false move, a wrong signal or an outdated manual can mean the difference between environmental disaster and business as usual.

I am also in a unique situation in that what I will be doing here will significantly impact the way that the average Oil Company employee views their job and the industry in general. My current contract is one to create and update training materials for their employees. In a while, all Oil Company employees at my specific location will be using and learning via my materials - which puts me in a position to really drive home the importance of environmental concerns and the reduction of damage in every way possible. I will be able to make it a more personal responsibility for each and every employee that walks through those doors (if my materials are successful in their objectives.)

But the real concern here is how do I personally come to terms with the fact that I will be contributing to this never-ending cycle of environmental damage and pollution? Well, I haven’t really figured that one out yet but I have a feeling that my research and work will help me to reconcile that in my own heart and head - and that’s really all that matters.

What do you think?

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New things have been brewing for 12strong - we are officially incorporated at this time so now I am completely removed from the company in a sense (legally that is!) and I have just garnered a very large contract with The Oil Company - so although this means a lot more capital for the company to play with for our productions and pieces - it also means a lot more work for a very large and demanding company.

The contract itself is amazing - I’ll be creating training materials for the employees of the scotford upgrader plant in fort saskatchewan and it means a lot of money for the company and a few more toys for me!

So I hope that everyone’s new year has been shaping up as well as mine has - 2008 holds so many great promises that I can’t wait to see what my customers will come up with and the projects that I will be able to partake in.

Next up - Chinese New Year!

Take care everyone!

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I love the challenge of the technology and the creation of my projects but sometimes the subject matter gets me a bit down. And that’s what I’ve been feeling lately with my existing gig - graphic/web designer for a major fitness facility. I mean - the work is fine and the company is ok to work for but I’m getting quite disenchanted with doing the same thing over and over again.

So I’ve been searching for other options and the idea of working freelance on my own has always held quite some sway over my career path - that’s really my end goal.

I’ve been in talks recently with one of the major oil companies and one of their contractors to do some technical representations of their facilities for a training web portal. It’s a small contract but worth a lot of money - enough to keep me in the black for a few months after the contract ends so I can wholeheartedly pursue my dream.

But I was just offered a full time gig at a major newspaper in the city and I’m extremely torn between the two.

On one hand I have the prospect of climbing the ladder at the newspaper while being happily employed by a major company - on the other I have the prospect (I say prospect because it isn’t a solid offer as of yet) of expanding my comfort zone and making ridiculous amounts of money with the oil industry.

I honestly am completely dumbfounded. Do I pass on a sure thing for the prospect of an amazing opportunity or do I play it safe and accept the full time job and maybe miss out if the oil company does decide to go with me.

For all things I am - I am not an unethical employee and if I accept something I will stick to it 100% so I must make up my mind before I commit to either one.

If I pass on the newspaper job in hopes of getting the oil job and the oil company decides to not go with me then I’m hooped and back to square one handing out resumes to other openings all over again.

If I accept the newspaper job and then the oil company offers me the contract - I really can’t commit to something and then renege a few days later - that’s just wrong and really rude. And I would miss out on an amazing opportunity because I jumped the gun.

Decisions decisions - any suggestions?

I’m about *this* close to digging out my 8 ball on this one.

Used to be that I couldn’t get work at all - now I have to pick and choose and it’s not as fun as it seems!

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