10/07/05

October 2005

Oct 5th 2005 -- Too much work, disappointment in work

Oct 6th 2005 -- BRING OUT THE BALL AND CHAIN FOR SHEA

Oct 2005

Well I am back in Williston today. Tomorrow will be the 47th of the last 50 days that I have worked. I have been making lots of these type of sacrifices -- working through my days off, doing many things outside my job description, and trying to do as good a job as I can for the last year now. I've been "going the extra mile" whenever I could to try to show Schlumberger that when my time comes I'll be ready for a transfer. Well this week I found out that I won't be getting transferred when I was originally told I would.

It is hard to describe the disappointment I'm feeling now. I was told that since I was flexible with my location that I would be placed in a location that would provide good training and allow me to get transferred overseas as fast as possible. Well Williston, unfortunately, has provided me no training. I know many of you might not understand this terminology, but I have not had a training engineer, SQC, nor FSM (almost everyone in the company has these). And I have done many things that other engineers do not have to do. And throughout the ordeal I felt OK, because even though I have to put up with a lot that I'm not supposed to put up with, and even though I have not had an input or training from above, and *even though* I work much more than even Schlumberger recommends, I thought I was "doing my time" in lieu of a good transfer. Nope, now I am told that I am in Williston "indefinitely". One of the most frustrating things about this process, is that if I was not continually bugging my local management ("local" -- 600 miles away), I wouldn't have been told any of this. My managers would have been content to let me stay here without any guidance or instruction, or telling me what my future holds. Since I have been here people have been content to let me "do my own thing" without any input. That has made my already challenging job more difficult, but it did not bother me as much because I thought it was being recognized and would eventually be rewarded. I found out that I was wrong on both accounts.

I am just really exasperated right now. I know it is nothing personal, no one is "out to get me" or anything like that. Most of the managers I have met are really good people and very good at their job. Williston is just really busy right now, and no one wants to come here. I am already here, so it only makes sense to keep me here. We have no open-hole competition, so it only makes sense not to give us new equipment (I use the oldest logging unit in US Land). We're a small location, so why should Schlumberger go to the extra expense to have a secretary, FSM, or SQC for the engineers up here? It just sucks that I am the one that suffers because of all of this, and no one from above has sat down and told me all of this. Instead, I hear silence, and if I start to ask questions I am told that this is good for my career. I am still trying to understand how not having a manager, trainer, appraisals, new technology, or new equipment is "good" for my career, but I am trying to give them the benefit of the doubt. I really don't know what to do. I desire so much to be a good employee and reward Schlumberger for offering me this opportunity -- but I need a little input and I need honesty. "Where there is no vision, the people perish," and now my vision of a transfer is gone, I am mentally floundering.

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Oct 6th 2005

Shea is engaged! But to quote shea, who is quoting me, "Just because you gave a ring doesn't mean the deed is done." This is in reference to several friends who had given the ring, but the wedding was called off. Let me just get this out right now to the women folk out there, because obviously we (men and women) are not seeing eye-to-eye on this whole engagement process:

The question, "Will you marry me?" is taken at face value. Do not interpret this as, "Will you maybe marry me a little later?" THESE ARE NOT THE SAME. DO NOT MAKE THIS MISTAKE. When you say "yes" or "no", we take you for your word. The engagement is not a "figuring out time". If you are unsure, and still need to figure out some stuff, "maybe -- I'm not ready right now" is a perfectly acceptable answer to the original question. Ok, I needed to say that one for my boys out there....

CONGRATULATIONS SHEA AND MISTI!!!! Holy crap! I don't know if you spell her name "Misti" or "Misty". I'm sorry Misti/y! I'll get it right eventually!

Anyway for those random internet surfers, Shea is my best friend....we've known each other since birth (literally). Our parents all grew up together and therefore so did we. He's also one of a super close group of friends in Jacksonville. He is the first one to get engaged....man we are getting old!

I wish you guys the best!!!!!!

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