01/02/05

12/6/2004 A couple quick stories

19-Dec-2004 School is almost over...

Dec 6 2004

Man this is a bittersweet day. This is my first day back from my weekend in London -- which really is beyond description. The entire weekend was amazing in many different ways. It started in Edinburgh Friday night and went through Sunday night. I think that I slept a total of 8-9 hours the entire weekend. However today starts the last two weeks of the school. And, as usual it's very busy. I shouldn't even be writing this. I am writing it, however, primarily for the reason why today is such a sad day. Phu, my good friend here at the school, quit this morning. I've already shared some stories about Phu, and there are many more. He talked to his family and girlfriend back in Vietnam, and is happy about his decision. That makes me happy for him, but I know that he's upset about not finishing the school, and now he needs to find a new job. He's making a few of us dinner tonight (he's a great cook). I'm going to miss him a lot. He opened up so much through the school...man, this is just the first of close friends that I'm going to have that will leave Schlumberger. It happens all the time in this company, and anyone who has worked here for any length of time has stories that start, "My good friend who used to work for Schlumberger..." So I better get used to this.

Now that I've started telling about London, it's hard to stop. We saw so little of the city, but it was amazing. It truly is a "World capital". Maria, who has been there before, kinda new the cool places and showed us around. Hilmi, a devout muslim, had one of two expressions on his face at all times: 1) A wide smile taking in everything he could 2) Complete shock as in when we went to the Hard Rock Cafe and he saw the how the drunk people acted. It was hilarious. There's much more to tell, but it's hard to describe in writing. We saw some of the famous old landmarks, and some of the new "big city" ones. Hopefully I'll have a few more minutes soon to give some specific stories, but not now. I've also added a London picture page. Peace out people!

Ok, I have a few minutes (well not really) to expand some things. I forgot to mention that I went down Portabello Road in London -- that was really cool. Remember Marry Poppins? Portabello Road, Portabello Road....something like that. I also am continually forgetting to plug in my mouse that I won on an auction in ebay.uk.com. I only paid 1 pence. Shipping was 9.99.

I miss all you guys a lot. I haven't been able to communicate as much as I would like, but I'll be returning to the states soon, and will have more consistent communication then (e.g. cell phone, more internet access, and more than 4 hours of sleep a night to to talk).

One really funny thing in London was the Waterloo memorial. As soon as you come in, written in French is, "Welcome to Waterloo!" Kinda tounge-n-cheek relationship they have with France :)

Well, I just took my 16th test of the semester (only 2 tests left, and 2 logs left) -- the explosives safety exam. Who would have thought someone in their judgment would deem me worthy of handling radioactive and explosive materials? And no mom and dad, I won't get you anything. I'm going to go upload those pictures, so be on the lookout. Later peeps!

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19-Dec-2004

Holy crap it's been a long time since I've updated! It feels like just yesterday -- but then again, I've only slept 2 nights since Tuesday, and it's Sunday night now. Well, my training here is coming to an end. I fly back Wednesday, though my parents don't know. I have no fear of them finding out -- since they never read my blog!! They're expecting me on the 28th, not Christmas eve, so it'll be a funny surprise for them...well, for me really, they'll probably be a little upset :)

I was the first one of the 18 students to finish Job 3. You are on a rotating schedule, where you have to operate (help the engineer put the tools in the well and drive the winch) for 16 hours on 2 days, and on one "day" you engineer for 27 hours. So I did those things in the first 4 days of the 7 days that we had. With my couple of days off, I just hung out in Edinburgh, got my haircut (FINALLY! 4 months of growth, I looked like a hippy!), and watched a few movies with friends. Meet the Parents, I've seen it before, and a great movie -- Lawrence of Arabia. It's about the Arabian "revolt" during the 2nd World War against Turkey. Now that I've met people who actually live in the middle east, it was neat seeing some very similar things in this movie. I recommend it if you have about 3 free hours after you finish logging a fake well...

Even though I went again to Edinburgh -- I need to return at least one more time, you see I have some unfinished "business" there. At the train station, they have toilets -- that you have to pay for! 20 Pence (about 35 cents). The first time that I was waiting on my train, and I went to the bathroom and found out that I had to pay for it, I stubbornly refused out of principle. I can hold, I can pee at my own flat for free in only....45 minutes....(half an hour later, after many "leg crossings" I ruefully went over, reached out my 20 P coin, and grudgingly went to the bathroom). For the only bathroom that I've paid for, it left something to be wanting for. In fact, it was a rip-off. We had two long "troughs" instead of individual urinals, with random bars of pink cleanser soap throughout. It just made me mad. I vowed then and there, that before I leave this Country, I will come back and get my 20 P worth! So, next time I go, I'm going to eat all the Mexican food that Scotland can offer, show up early to the train station and order a coffee, buy a newspaper, and gladly pay my 20 P and get my money's worth if it's the last thing that I do!

But a funny story did happen to me in Edinburgh. My shoes are nearly done for, and I made up my mind that if I saw some decent shoes for $50 US or less, I'd buy them. As I was walking to the train station, I passed a neat outdoor store that had some shoes for 1/2 off - for about 18 pounds ($35). So I go in, and start looking at the shoe, taking it off the display rack etc. I see a store clerk looking at me, but not offering "assistance", so I make eye contact and say, "Do you have this is an US size 10?" He replied, "I think so, but that's a woman's shoe," and I understand why he didn't approach me -- the American transvestite. So he points me to the men's version, which of coarse is not half off. So now, in an effort to save face, I go through the motions of trying on the shoe, walking around the store, and trying to make the disappoint on my face evident as I knew I was not going to buy the shoe.

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Well, 3 months later, here I once again am over the Atlantic. I'm sad to report that I never got my money's worth at the Edinburgh Train Station bathroom. But I take solace in knowing that maybe one of you, who have read my blog, will be in Edinburgh, remember my words, take your 20 pence and upset stomach and do justice. For they may take our coin, but they will never take our diginity!

So what to say? The training was very hard, just like everyone who did it said it would be. I did think of quitting, just like everyone said that I would (because everyone does). The job is simply amazing, the company can be great, and the people that you meet wonderful. But you are young only once, and the price of this job is very high. It was a great struggle to find the time to get a haircut -- and I was barely able to once in 3 months. In other words, this is the best job that I think that I could have, but is it worth this much of my life? That's the question that so many engineers here deal with, and why there is such a high turnover rate. But I should "break out" (what they call when you pass your initial training period and you can go do jobs on your own) by early Feburary. Once that happens I'll be making a little more money, but way more importantly, I'll get the rotating schedule that I've been dreaming of since August: 12 days on, 6 days off. Wow...I've already made 3 mini vacations when I had 2 days off in a row, and it felt like Spring break -- I can't even imagine what I would do with 6 straight days off, especially with such frequency.

I also learned something else about this job during the training -- that it doesn't come as easy to me as I thought it would. My class passed 17 students -- one of the largest ever graduating classes. And about 3 quarters through the school, we had the highest grades ever for the training center (which is 30 years old, and we were class number 101). The grades are divided up into theory and practicals. Theory is covered by the 17 tests that you take throughout the school over how the tools operate, and safety procedures, etc. Practicals are what you get on the logs that you turn in (the final product that you'll be giving the customer in the field). You need a 70% average to pass the school. I was the only person in the school to pass all 17 tests, and had one of the highest theory averages. But my final practical average was about a 69%, and I was at best in the middle of the pack, probably in the lower half of the class on those scores. Generally my logs had at least one major mistake, which is very serious, but were full of tiny mistakes (like spelling, wrong dates, etc). When they first started recruiting me they asked if I would like to pursue a job in the field as an engineer or in one of the 4 product centers designing the tools. I told them I very strongly wanted to be in the field, but my performance in the school told me that I might have made a mistake. Ka Sa Ra Sa Ra -- nothing to do now but get better at the logs. Try and minimize my numerous small mistakes, and concentrate more on fixing the big ones. I just thought that this would come easier than it has.

I just got the "seat belts please" announcement cause we're hitting some turbulance. If we crash at several hundred miles per hour into the cold North Atlantic 5 hundred miles from New Foundland, I have no idea what a waist-band would accomplish, but I'm a good citizen so I comply with the request.

Well, now I also have about 10 trips planned once I do get that rotating schedule. I have friends all over the world now, who are in the same situation that I am. I'd love to visit a couple of places in the Middle East, and a good friend has a home in the Pyrannese, and I'm for sure going to visit some Canadians in Calagary sometime this winter (probably the only vacation that I know for sure will happen).

But first things first -- and I have a lot of great friends in Florida that I can't wait to see. Ian, Richard, and Shea are going to be picking me up from the airport tonight -- and then I get a treat that I haven't had since July: Taco Bell at midnight!!! Oh man I can't tell you guys how excited I am about the food situation over the next week. Williston is particularly lacking in resturants, and Scotland was even worse. I am sooooo excited about Cracker Barrell and Red Lobster and Chilli's. But even small things like Taco Bell and Subway and Bono's will be nice....ooh boy I'm getting excited!! Sorry for that diversion. So I'll be able to see them, Lance, Ashton, Scott, Owen, Tom and the rest of the Sunrise/Jax gang, and probably even make a trek to see Tim and Bethany in O-town. I'll be able to spend some time with my family, see my crazy dad and overworked mom, my sisters and their brood -- including Skye's newest baby -- Sadie, who is about a month old now. I haven't even made any plans aside from eating and visiting with all these people -- though I know I should try and do something when I'm in Jax.

Oh yeah, I get to watch the NBA! I forgot about that as well. Man, Boston won the world series and I missed it -- Curt Schilling's the man.

Ok, I'm at the point now of just rambling. So I'm going to sign off. Talk to you guys later. If anyone is in jax through new year's (that includes you Crazy Bob and Leslie!) drop me a line. Peace out.