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03/29/05 |
     
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March 20th -- Question: What is worse than going to the bathroom in North Dakota? March 21 -- Going to the F-L-A March 28 -- Transitions are hard, but good
Can I be getting this slow at updating my sites? I haven't put on for all of march? I'm getting lazy or something I guess. So this might be a "catch up" posting that will cover the first 3 weeks of March. March started out with my going to extra radiation training in Tulsa OK. I met some people that I went to "school" with in Scotland there. So we all caught up and compared locations (the Schlumberger employees are spread out all over the US). At one point a girl named Sarah from Rock Springs Wyoming said, "Isn't it funny how we can all get together and joke about how bad our locations are, but yet are still better than Williston?" It is soooo true. This morning my dad told me about this new cold medicine and to get some from Walgreen's. But we don't have a Walgreen's. Or CVS. Or Eckard's. In fact, I've never seen a pharmacy here, but I'm sure we have some mom and pop place, and I believe there is one inside the grocery store. Ok, onto the question of the day. Before I proceed, please be aware that this post is not for the faint of heart. If you are over 60, experience heart or back problems, have a squeamish stomach, or are a expectant mother you probably should consult your doctor before reading on. What is worse than squatting down to go to the bathroom in August in the middle of a wheat field in Montana? Answer: Squatting down to go to the bathroom in March in the middle of a wheat field in South Dakota. That's right -- for the second time now I was forced to answer the call of nature in the middle of nature. At this rate I think I should start charging the farmers a fertilization fee. Let me give you some background: Our job was 4.5 hours south in South Dakota. I had to leave Williston at 9:00 PM, to get to the rig at 1:00 AM after several gas station stops for my nutrious dinner. When I arrived at the rig, I found out that we have a 4 hour wait *before* I start to log the well (which will take another 5 hours). At this point I regretted the 2nd plate of Lo Mien I had at the China Sun Buffet for lunch earlier that day. Yes sir, going back for seconds of an imported food right before you visit a rig for the next 20 hours is what we in the oilfield call a "mistake". So I once again find myself walking around the portable trailers, mud pumps, and drilling rig around 2:00 AM in 20 degree weather to find a suitable location. What makes a suitable location? Well you defiantly want to be down wind of the company man's trailer (he runs the rig). You also try not to be in direct view of the roughnecks working on the drill floor. As mentioned in previous postings these are women deprived roughnecks -- many of whom colloquially refer to prison as "home". I tell you what, you gain a little bit of appreciation of what your dog has to go through after a couple of similar experiences yourself. I used to lose patience and couldn't understand why my dog was so picky -- but you just try and poop in public and you realize there is more that goes into the choice of a good spot than what first meets the eye. So after about 10 minutes of wandering I found what looked to be a good spot. Then I realized my new dilemma. One that did not haunt me in my Montana bathroom break. It is 20 degrees outside, and I have about 5 layers of protective clothing on. You would think that I was performing a male review for the passing cattle with the amount of clothing I had to take off. Either the cattle had seen this before or I wasn't too impressive because they didn't seem to care. This is Tom Daschle's home state so I understand. Well I did the deed, bundled back up, and waited for the rig to allow us to start logging on an empty stomach.
Well here I am. Once again. In a plane, updating my blog. It seems like this is the best time for me to do it, since probably about 25-35% of my postings are from 30,000 feet. I hope that I haven’t lost any of my “readers” by the infrequent updates. But my life really isn’t that exciting, and I just feel guilty putting up useless information. I’m getting settled into my position as a “full” engineer. I go out and do jobs on my own now (without another engineer – I still take 1-2 operators), and am taking more responsibility at the shop. So far so good. I haven’t encountered my first tool failure yet – that is supposed to be a very stressful time, and I believe it. I’m sure it’ll happen soon, because last summer was very busy, and we had 36 rigs in the Williston Basin. Due to hurricanes, political prisoners from Russia, the War on Terror, a crazy government in Venezuela, and high demand from US and China we all are enjoying these prices at the gas stations which means there will be around 80 rigs in the Williston basin this year. Translaiton: we all expect to be extremely busy. Right now I’m on a flight from Denver to Orlando, and I have never SEEN so many kids! If I hear one more question about Mickey Mouse I’m going to start my “Hip hip horay – down with Micheal Eisner” chant. J Well a friend in Tulsa gave me a “Nintendo” program for my computer with around 200 old Nintendo games. So I think that I’m going to take a little trip down memory lane…
“Momma said knock you out”….my small tribute to LL Cool J I’m returning from Florida where it was over 80 degrees and either raining or very beautiful for my 6 days off. I’m returning to North Dakota not knowing what the weather is like now. I was able to play tennis, go running, and wear shorts all week long. It was AWESOME!!! This week I was faced with more friends going through the transitional period between college and young adulthood. Being 25, and having friends around the same age, I’ve been able to see this, and experience it a lot. You go from a college setting, with some responsibility for the short run, but very little for the long. You have tons of friends and acquaintances in the same phase of life as you, with the same interests, schedules, desires, problems, and hopes. Then you go to your job, where people have very different concerns, mainly dealing with their families and jobs. You’ve sworn that you would not let you job become your “life” where it is what you think and talk about all the time, but it slowly becomes a means to and end (job being a means for life) to an end in itself (job starts to be life). Your circle of friends is drastically reduced, and your schedule is not set by yourself as much anymore. Meeting people becomes harder. You meet fewer new people whereas ever semester brought a flux of new comers. You might have a little more money now than you did (or you might not), but it doesn’t seem like enough, and if you are fortunate one with a high starting salary, your social life is so much more limited that it doesn’t seem to matter. Once again you ask yourself questions like, “Is this what my life is reduced to? Where do I go from here? Will this ever change, and if so how?” And unlike that graduation date circled on your calendar, a definite end is not in sight. But do you remember that first semester (or two)? I do. I don’t remember one person who the free pizza, meeting tons of new people, and getting used to campus didn’t quickly get old and you end up calling home on an almost daily basis to talk to someone who doesn’t ask where you are from and what your major is. But then, over time, it got better. You developed close friends that know the “real” you. You picked a major (and sometimes changed it). Relationships now took on a whole new level of seriousness as you approach the “marrying age”. You started thinking about the next stage in your life – which happens to be the one that you are in now. The new possibilities, challenges, and adventures that come with yet another transition. Well, we should learn from our past. We should know that things do get better. Transitions are hard, but they build character. Embrace this time of your life! Don’t let work define you or become a member of the “rat race”. We all are becoming who we are! That’s a confusing sentence but an exciting one. Think about the challenges that will soon face us now: Maybe you’ll find someone to share your life with, and grow with them. (Remember that first college roommate? At least they were the same sex!) And maybe you’ll start a family – that’s a lot more exciting I think than picking a major. Are you going to be up to the challenge of going out and meeting people with the same interests? It is harder now than in college – but that was all practice for this stage in your life – don’t lose all that training. All those meetings where you have social ice breakers are going to pay off, because now there is no group president with a nice script to guide all of us, we’re on our own. Are you going to pick up hobbies and get involved with your own community, or watch lots of cable? Are you going to put for the effort to keep up with that old roommate, or let them remain as a friend in the past? We might be more intermingled in big cities, but there are thousands of us – the same number that graduated from college last year for all you math majors out there. Basically, we are in the game now, the last few years was training. And sure you might have joked around and decided on your own when to start and stop practice, but who, when playing the game, longs for practice again? Basically we are a social species – drop your pride and get a little vulnerable. Make a point to have something in your life besides work and movies. This is life – we’re either living or dieing – it’s our choice!! Ok, I know that this is already a long post, but before I go I need to say one more thing. Yesterday was Easter. This really is my favorite holiday. About 10 years ago I realized that I either believe that Jesus came to earth and died in my place to forgive me my sins, or I believe that is just a story to tell little children. There’s not middle ground. I, through the grace of God, believed that a Jesus who with the father, created me, and while I was turning away from him, died for me. This is the weekend that I celebrate that event. So I just wanted to say “thanks God, I really, really appreciate it.”
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This site was last updated 03/29/05