My Art Is Where the Ohm Is

On being diagnosed with Prostate Cancer the author decided it was time to write his memoirs. He felt that his life as an expatriate contractor was infinitely more interesting than that of many so-called celebrities whose autobiographies filled the shelves.As a well travelled telecommunications engineer in the oil and aviation industries he has a host of stories to tell. In this book he recounts his experiences in Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Libya, and Zimbabwe.Commuters who bemoan their fate every day may see their journeys in a different light after reading some of the hazardous methods the author has had to use to get to work. Helicopter travel was routine but there was also the occasional landing by seaplane on a crocodile infested river. Being hauled by a crane from the deck of a supply ship to the top of an oil platform or running the blockade of the American Sixth Fleet to get into Libya were just other ways to get to the office.The book describes the difficulties and frustrations of working with conditions and cultures so different to those in the UK. In Saudi Arabia a Brit would have to accept that for doing the same job he would find himself paid less than a Saudi national or an American. However, he would be paid more than a Filipino or a Pakistani. In Nigeria a contractor discovers that nothing gets done unless he pays "dash" ( bribe) to almost everyone concerned with the project.The book is amusing but sometimes tragic as the author remembers colleagues who never made the journey home and whose bodies now lie forgotten in some neglected graveyard under a tropical sun. Throughout the book the author keeps the reader informed of his cancer treatment and his later battle with the Health Authority.