As everyone knows, I like to cook. So when I'm on rigs I take a lot of cookies and brownies and other goodies to the rig floor for the hands. Also, yesterday was Pancake Day. Sadly a guy from the "office" came out and gave us a schpeal about Service Quality. It was very long-winded and not very interesting, from my perspective. So, instead of making large quantities of pancakes, and going for my run, I watched slides on the goals of the company.
I decided to have my very own Pancake Day today. We were tripping pipe, so my job was "stand by" for when they got close to the bottom of the well. Since I had lots of free time, I made crepes. Cupcake said I should put lemon and sugar on them, but I really didn't have either. So I made something up.
I debated for a long time whether to put this post here or on PJ's Kitchen, but I've already posted Crepes, and this is really funny.
I was trying to think of anything that I could put on the crepes. Considering I have pretty much depleted my resources, this was very difficult. I had cream cheese, chocolate, sour milk, some yogurt, some cheese and some ranch dressing, and honey. Finally I figured out I could mix the honey and cream cheese and make almost a fruit dip, which was really delicious. I also melted some chocolate and put butter and some sour milk in it. It made a nice thick sauce. I put each in a piping bag and put a strip on the finished crepes. MMMMazing.
Today's Exploit:
When I took these goodies up o the rig floor, most of the guys were pretty baffled. One thought he may have heard of crepes at IHOP, or something.
He went outside to tell the other hands I had come crepes for them, but I guess with all the noise something was lost in translation. The next guy to come in was looking for the grapes.
Me: No, Crepes. Really thin French pancakes.
Him: How did you get them so flat? They're like tortillas.
Me: There's no baking powder.
Him: Huh? I use the boxed stuff.
The next guy came in and was told: They're Grepes, really thin Italian pancakes.
And the chain continues. The third went out and told the first guy: They're Grepes, really thin pancakes made in Italy.
Wow. They've traveled far to get to good ole' Gill, Texas.
The final guy was up on the derrick, the platform that's at the top of the rig when this was happening. He was lucky enough to have some left when he came down and later came by to tell me that the Sweet Enchaladas were really good.
Well, I guess we've traveled all over the world with these...things.
Wednesday, February 17
Monday, February 15
Mousecapades
We have mice in the box we're living in. I think I've mentioned that. And I've hinted at the crazy mousey things that have happened. So now I'm here to tell you about them. Oh, I should say that I have seen at least 1 mouse. Shortly after this happened I was laying on the couch when I felt something on the cushion. I put my hand down and felt something smooth and long. I jumped about a foot, and let me tell you that is NOT easy while laying on your side. Turns out it was just my headphones on my ipod, and had fallen out of my pocket. But it was still traumatic.
Also I am not usually a squeamish person with animals, but I don't want them in the house. And I don't want them to touch me. At the same time I really don't like traps, because I don't like seeing them dead. Hopefully if they ever catch anything I will be away until it's cleaned up and disposed of. I'm not sure which is worse. Living with mice or having them dead in the kitchen. Eeewww.
Today's Exploits:
Pink Stringy Thing
One of the guys showed up in the trailer the other night with a pink stringy thing that one of the drillers made. I think it's supposed to be a whip, but it's braided pink string. My roomies were very entertained by this pink stringy thing.
Also one of the guys finally got some mousetraps for the trailer. So of course mice and the pink string thing became the topic of conversation. Gene decided that he wanted to catch a mouse and tie the pink stringy thing to it's tail and keep it as a pet. They all thought this was a very clever idea and went into more detail than I wish to remember.
The next morning I woke up and went to put water on for my tea. The pink stringy thing was tied to the fan with a paper bag hanging on the end. I'm pretty sure they didn't catch anything, but I avoided the bag as much as possible. I had no desire to see whatever it was they thought funny enough to display in that bag. Ew.
Toe Traps:
I believe that I've mentioned that the day DD and night MWD don't much like each other. Here's another example of this animosity:
The DD thought it would be funny to put all the traps next to the door that leads to the "MWD bedroom". I know the MWD is pretty alert when he wakes, otherwise I probably would not have allowed this.
That night when I was getting ready for bed, I tried to move them back to the kitchen. I touched the first one and it snapped. I squeeked and jumped back about 3 feet. My hand felt a little shocked, but there were no marks thankfully. I made the guys move the other two.
Morning Snarkyness:
The evening after the trap snapped at me the DD told me he put a trap in the lower bunk, so I'd know what it was if it snapped in the night. (The lower bunk is the one the MWD sleeps in.) That I was not to impressed with, so the next morning when he was snarky with me about the temperature of the trailer I told the MWD. I'm pretty sure someone would have gone to the ER for that one. Either broken fingers or broken nose...
Also I am not usually a squeamish person with animals, but I don't want them in the house. And I don't want them to touch me. At the same time I really don't like traps, because I don't like seeing them dead. Hopefully if they ever catch anything I will be away until it's cleaned up and disposed of. I'm not sure which is worse. Living with mice or having them dead in the kitchen. Eeewww.
Today's Exploits:
Pink Stringy Thing
One of the guys showed up in the trailer the other night with a pink stringy thing that one of the drillers made. I think it's supposed to be a whip, but it's braided pink string. My roomies were very entertained by this pink stringy thing.
Also one of the guys finally got some mousetraps for the trailer. So of course mice and the pink string thing became the topic of conversation. Gene decided that he wanted to catch a mouse and tie the pink stringy thing to it's tail and keep it as a pet. They all thought this was a very clever idea and went into more detail than I wish to remember.
The next morning I woke up and went to put water on for my tea. The pink stringy thing was tied to the fan with a paper bag hanging on the end. I'm pretty sure they didn't catch anything, but I avoided the bag as much as possible. I had no desire to see whatever it was they thought funny enough to display in that bag. Ew.
Toe Traps:
I believe that I've mentioned that the day DD and night MWD don't much like each other. Here's another example of this animosity:
The DD thought it would be funny to put all the traps next to the door that leads to the "MWD bedroom". I know the MWD is pretty alert when he wakes, otherwise I probably would not have allowed this.
That night when I was getting ready for bed, I tried to move them back to the kitchen. I touched the first one and it snapped. I squeeked and jumped back about 3 feet. My hand felt a little shocked, but there were no marks thankfully. I made the guys move the other two.
Morning Snarkyness:
The evening after the trap snapped at me the DD told me he put a trap in the lower bunk, so I'd know what it was if it snapped in the night. (The lower bunk is the one the MWD sleeps in.) That I was not to impressed with, so the next morning when he was snarky with me about the temperature of the trailer I told the MWD. I'm pretty sure someone would have gone to the ER for that one. Either broken fingers or broken nose...
Friday, February 12
SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!
"I'm so excited, I just can't hide it..." The rest of the song really doesn't help convey how extatic I am that IT SNOWED ALL NIGHT! We got 4 inches. And when I came out to the box, a SNOWMAN greeted me! It's almost like a real winter.
I would love to show you pictures of this phenomenon, but Hotmail is dumb and won't let me look at my emails, and I still haven't gotten my camera charger back. Now I'll have to wait even longer, because there is no way to deal with snow around here. All I can do is wait. BUT THERE'S SNOW!
Today's Exploit:
I'm too excited, so this is gonna be really short.
Yesterday I was sitting at my computer and the DD was entering a survey and some other data into his. Suddenly he made a muffled noise and then:
DD: I feel like a marsupial, I always forget I have this pouch [in my sweatshirt].
Me: Hahahahahahaha
I'm pretty sure a marsupial has never forgotten that it had a pouch.
I would love to show you pictures of this phenomenon, but Hotmail is dumb and won't let me look at my emails, and I still haven't gotten my camera charger back. Now I'll have to wait even longer, because there is no way to deal with snow around here. All I can do is wait. BUT THERE'S SNOW!
Today's Exploit:
I'm too excited, so this is gonna be really short.
Yesterday I was sitting at my computer and the DD was entering a survey and some other data into his. Suddenly he made a muffled noise and then:
DD: I feel like a marsupial, I always forget I have this pouch [in my sweatshirt].
Me: Hahahahahahaha
I'm pretty sure a marsupial has never forgotten that it had a pouch.
Thursday, February 11
Too Many
I have had far too many exploits in the last day to come up with a good title for this post. I am having a hard time deciding if I want to put them all in one post or spread them out. But if I do that I am sure I'll have an even longer list with these people I'm working with. So here goes, at least until I get tired or interrupted.
Today's Exploits:
Bluetooth:
This morning the DD was trying to get the Bluetooth on his phone to work. He just got a new one because the last one died. Rather the battery warped and if you pushed on the Mickey sticker there it would turn the phone off.
He was struggling because the new phone is set up different than the last, and it has a touch screen. Finally he got it to work and 5 or 6 options came up to connect to.
His computer
The night DD's computer
My computer
His headset
and some others.
He laughed and told me the phone was pretty smart because it didn't want to connect to the other MWD's computer. Did I mention that those two don't get along? They always smile, but they NEVER agree. I spend a lot of time laughing at them pretending to be civil.
Frolicking:
This morning the night MWD came frolicking into the trailer when I was having breakfast and waking up. This is a person that says he's tired, but you can feel the energy rolling off him. And he's always bouncy.
Later I was talking to the DD and he told me he was glad the night guys finally went to bed. And that they were having too much fun laughing and frolicking. I'm not sure they would appreciate the idea of frolicking, but it's the truth. And I think the Day DD is a bit jealous that they have so much fun.
Camera Charger:
Last night I talked to my drunken dial buddy, Steve. He is back out on a rig near me. I asked about my camera charger, since he's been keeping it safe for me. He was so kind as to offer to let me drive out to the rig he's on to pick it up. He even said I could watch TV with him and the other guys.
It was quite sweet, but I think I'd have gotten lynched if I showed up there with no cookies.
Today's Exploits:
Bluetooth:
This morning the DD was trying to get the Bluetooth on his phone to work. He just got a new one because the last one died. Rather the battery warped and if you pushed on the Mickey sticker there it would turn the phone off.
He was struggling because the new phone is set up different than the last, and it has a touch screen. Finally he got it to work and 5 or 6 options came up to connect to.
His computer
The night DD's computer
My computer
His headset
and some others.
He laughed and told me the phone was pretty smart because it didn't want to connect to the other MWD's computer. Did I mention that those two don't get along? They always smile, but they NEVER agree. I spend a lot of time laughing at them pretending to be civil.
Frolicking:
This morning the night MWD came frolicking into the trailer when I was having breakfast and waking up. This is a person that says he's tired, but you can feel the energy rolling off him. And he's always bouncy.
Later I was talking to the DD and he told me he was glad the night guys finally went to bed. And that they were having too much fun laughing and frolicking. I'm not sure they would appreciate the idea of frolicking, but it's the truth. And I think the Day DD is a bit jealous that they have so much fun.
Camera Charger:
Last night I talked to my drunken dial buddy, Steve. He is back out on a rig near me. I asked about my camera charger, since he's been keeping it safe for me. He was so kind as to offer to let me drive out to the rig he's on to pick it up. He even said I could watch TV with him and the other guys.
It was quite sweet, but I think I'd have gotten lynched if I showed up there with no cookies.
Wednesday, February 10
Nighttime Woes
The past few nights I haven't slept well. A large factor in that was the heat in the sleeping box. For some reason these guys think it needs to be 80* to sleep. I on the other hand think the colder the better.
Actually the only person that likes it warm is the day DD. Of course he's the one I get to work with, and therefore we sleep at the same time. Bummer for me.
Today's Exploit:
Last night it was HOT in the box because I had the oven on to make some cookies. So I did the logical thing and turned the AC on.
It was LOVELY. I only woke once, when the DD was in the hallway grumbling about how cold it was. And my hands were safe from my scratching. All around win, I think.
When I got up, the DD asked if I turned the heat on before I went to bed. I told him no, I turned on the AC. He kinda laughed and said he woke at 4 freezing. I apologized. End of story, right? Nope. He came out to the work box before I did. When the night MWD said hi, the DD said F*** you and made a nasty gesture. Hmmm. Taking his frustrations out on the boys.
Sorry guys. I know you can handle it. Because, while I feel bad that he was cold, I definitely don't feel bad enough to keep it from happening again. I spent 4 or 5 nights roasting, he can spend a few chilly.
The End.
Actually the only person that likes it warm is the day DD. Of course he's the one I get to work with, and therefore we sleep at the same time. Bummer for me.
Today's Exploit:
Last night it was HOT in the box because I had the oven on to make some cookies. So I did the logical thing and turned the AC on.
It was LOVELY. I only woke once, when the DD was in the hallway grumbling about how cold it was. And my hands were safe from my scratching. All around win, I think.
When I got up, the DD asked if I turned the heat on before I went to bed. I told him no, I turned on the AC. He kinda laughed and said he woke at 4 freezing. I apologized. End of story, right? Nope. He came out to the work box before I did. When the night MWD said hi, the DD said F*** you and made a nasty gesture. Hmmm. Taking his frustrations out on the boys.
Sorry guys. I know you can handle it. Because, while I feel bad that he was cold, I definitely don't feel bad enough to keep it from happening again. I spent 4 or 5 nights roasting, he can spend a few chilly.
The End.
Tuesday, February 9
Dreams
My sister likes books about dreams, and what they mean. I remember her keeping a journal of the dreams she's had. I on the other hand rarely remember dreams. Therefore her interest has rather baffled me.
Since I've been at this rig, out in the scary boonies of East Texas, I've been having lots of dreams. As in every time I fall asleep. Also, I haven't gone running becasue I work all the daylight hours. Not that that's stopped me before, but this road is scary, and it has scary houses along it. And since Starla bottoms out on nearly every pothole, I would probably be lost forever if I fell into one.
But back to dreams. Something about this has caused me to start dreaming, or remembering my dreams, or something. And this has not reassured me about my sister's interest. If I had to analyze what my dreams meant I would probably lock me up in an institution.
I dream of falling out of beds, random crazy cakes melting away (maybe stories by the other MWD), and some other random crazy stuff.
Ok, ok, I understand how some of the dreams could be some of my recent experiences. For example I've been sleeping on a bunk bed, hence falling out. As for the cakes, this could be a result of reading too many Cake Wrecks entries. The melting is definitely a combination of the temperature of the trailer and the stories of the other MWD, but we'll save that for another day.
Today's Exploit:
Er...dream?
This dream is sticking with me for some reason. I have no idea how it came to be, but it is really random and quite confusing.
I am sitting in a house. I'm not sure who's house because it had red carpet like my parents' old house and I was sitting under a bar, like in my new home. For some reason I was facing the wall. Then Eli, of Jealousy, runs by. This continues, but is not shocking in any way. Eli has lots of energy and, in my experience, is always running. That is, if I don't have him cracking eggs for cookies. Next Cavan, also of Jealousy, came and sat by me. That is not strange either. The strange thing was that he had an acid green elastic band that he wanted in his hair. His hair is usually about 1/2 an inch long. Also, in my dream, these guys are the age they were when I moved away. Eli was just starting to be a chatter box, and Cavan was just starting to walk.
In the midst of this I was texting my sister. Not odd in itself, but why I had to sit facing a wall to do this is beyond me. Another character in my dream is one of the DDs from this rig, Chris. He was in the background on his phone. (I think this may have been real life incorporated into this dream) The strange part was that his phone talks. "Voice mail from Brandon West" for example. I know it makes funny noises because I hear it quite often, but as to telling who left voice mails who knows?
When I think about this dream I can't decide if it's funny, boring or completely messed up. I mean this is about 5 different parts of my life. None of which usually go together.
Since I've been at this rig, out in the scary boonies of East Texas, I've been having lots of dreams. As in every time I fall asleep. Also, I haven't gone running becasue I work all the daylight hours. Not that that's stopped me before, but this road is scary, and it has scary houses along it. And since Starla bottoms out on nearly every pothole, I would probably be lost forever if I fell into one.
But back to dreams. Something about this has caused me to start dreaming, or remembering my dreams, or something. And this has not reassured me about my sister's interest. If I had to analyze what my dreams meant I would probably lock me up in an institution.
I dream of falling out of beds, random crazy cakes melting away (maybe stories by the other MWD), and some other random crazy stuff.
Ok, ok, I understand how some of the dreams could be some of my recent experiences. For example I've been sleeping on a bunk bed, hence falling out. As for the cakes, this could be a result of reading too many Cake Wrecks entries. The melting is definitely a combination of the temperature of the trailer and the stories of the other MWD, but we'll save that for another day.
Today's Exploit:
Er...dream?
This dream is sticking with me for some reason. I have no idea how it came to be, but it is really random and quite confusing.
I am sitting in a house. I'm not sure who's house because it had red carpet like my parents' old house and I was sitting under a bar, like in my new home. For some reason I was facing the wall. Then Eli, of Jealousy, runs by. This continues, but is not shocking in any way. Eli has lots of energy and, in my experience, is always running. That is, if I don't have him cracking eggs for cookies. Next Cavan, also of Jealousy, came and sat by me. That is not strange either. The strange thing was that he had an acid green elastic band that he wanted in his hair. His hair is usually about 1/2 an inch long. Also, in my dream, these guys are the age they were when I moved away. Eli was just starting to be a chatter box, and Cavan was just starting to walk.
In the midst of this I was texting my sister. Not odd in itself, but why I had to sit facing a wall to do this is beyond me. Another character in my dream is one of the DDs from this rig, Chris. He was in the background on his phone. (I think this may have been real life incorporated into this dream) The strange part was that his phone talks. "Voice mail from Brandon West" for example. I know it makes funny noises because I hear it quite often, but as to telling who left voice mails who knows?
When I think about this dream I can't decide if it's funny, boring or completely messed up. I mean this is about 5 different parts of my life. None of which usually go together.
Monday, February 8
SLB Love
The day I got out here was a rough day, to say the least. I couldn't sleep the night before, until abut 2:30 or so. I had to leave my flat at 5:00. I was supposed to be at the rig by 10:00. It is a 6 hour drive, 7 if you hit traffic in Dallas.
The crowning jewel of this day was the condition of the trailer when I arrived. The floor was crusted with gunk. The bathrooms were brown with gunk I'd rather not think about. The kitchen was filled with food from 3 jobs ago and mice. The four of us all pitched in and now it looks semi-serviceable. Unfortunately, no one has remembered to get mousetraps so far.
Today's Exploit:
The crowning jewel of this day was the condition of the trailer when I arrived. The floor was crusted with gunk. The bathrooms were brown with gunk I'd rather not think about. The kitchen was filled with food from 3 jobs ago and mice. The four of us all pitched in and now it looks semi-serviceable. Unfortunately, no one has remembered to get mousetraps so far.
Today's Exploit:
The only thing that was missed was the shelf below the coffee table:
Well, I would show you, but Hotmail won't let me view my emails where the picture is. All I can say is
"Micah
's SLB
's SLBwritten in the dust next to a Gatorade bottle half filled with tobacco spit.
Saturday, February 6
Revelation
Today I had to break down and go to WalMart. Not an ideal expedition at the best of times, but it was the only place I could go for a printer. Sadly I needed to get a printer for the job I'm at right now.
By the way. I'm back in Gill, Texas. Population: approximately 4.7. This makes those itty-bitty Wyoming towns look charming and high class.
But back to my story. I needed a printer, (don't forget the usb cable that the printer MUST have, but is not included) some extra ink cartridges and food for a few days. I made it safely to the checkout line where Jewel asked me 5 times if I wanted to sign up for a WalMart credit card (Um, you know you wore me down...where's the form?). Then she proceeded to tell me a very longwinded story where the magnet at her checkout stand kept resetting her watch (I kept wondering if it ever occurred to her than an analog watch would work, but knew better than to ask).
I finally made it through and was out the door.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I've been up since 5:00 am, driven 7 hours and rigged up at the wellsite only to find that they won't be ready for us for who knows how long, AND I only got 2 hours of sleep last night.
I got to the nasty road that poor Starla HATES because she could bottom out on EVERY bump if I'm not amazingly careful, when I realized...DUN Dun dun. I FORGOT THE USB CABLE. Without this cable I cannot use my printer. AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!
I made a point of calling and telling them I forgot my stuff and would be in the NEXT morning. RAWR!
Today's Exploit:
I was walking through the store, for the second time. I'd found everything I needed and was headed for Customer service to "check out". (Really the lady just demagnetized the stuff and put it in a bag taking about 23.2 seconds.)
I was looking at the people and being amazed at some of the things people wear out of their houses. Yikes. I happened to notice a man walking past with a Texas Longhorns sweatshirt. I looked for a minute trying to figure out why the color looked so familiar. Finally I looked down and realized that I was wearing that exact same color, sans logo.
Sadly I will continue wearing this sweatshirt, at least for a while. I will switch it out as the one I wear to work, so that I can save the Fire one, which I like.
Tuesday, February 2
Dirty Laundry
The other night I was feeling quite restless and had the munchies. I was watching a movie, so I figured it would be ok to go get some chips or something from the store...I forgot about the storm. Now, it had pretty much passed. The streets were all slushy from people driving and tramped down from walking.
I got my stuff together. Put on my shoes, grabbed my bag and hit the stairs. I got to my car and was a little perplexed. It had a half inch of ice over THE ENTIRE THING! I punched it a few times around the door frame like I had seen other people do, and that helped a little. It wigged. But I had to pull REALLY hard to make it wiggle, and I was scared of hurting poor Starla.
I briefly considered walking, it's not very far. Then I remembered Oklahoma City has no sidewalks. And it's dark. I'm all for running out in the boonies after dark. I get warned about wild animals every time I step out the door. But people at night are another story. They're scary!
So, I decided to make use of this setback and do some laundry.
Today's Exploit:
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! I really need to get my own washer and dryer. I mean, YUCK!
On the best of days this laundry room is not the cleanest. I have seriously considered taking Lysol or Clorox wipes with me. Now I believe I HAVE to.
I'm a bit of a germ-o-phobe to begin with. I will not let my clothing touch the rim of the washer or dryer, even if they're dirty. And if anything touches the floor...straight back in the washer.
The cleaner for this facility must not work if there's any precipitation on the ground because this was atrocious. Enough to make even the strongest laundry-room-goer run screaming for the nearest mental help professional.
I got my stuff together. Put on my shoes, grabbed my bag and hit the stairs. I got to my car and was a little perplexed. It had a half inch of ice over THE ENTIRE THING! I punched it a few times around the door frame like I had seen other people do, and that helped a little. It wigged. But I had to pull REALLY hard to make it wiggle, and I was scared of hurting poor Starla.
I briefly considered walking, it's not very far. Then I remembered Oklahoma City has no sidewalks. And it's dark. I'm all for running out in the boonies after dark. I get warned about wild animals every time I step out the door. But people at night are another story. They're scary!
So, I decided to make use of this setback and do some laundry.
Today's Exploit:
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! I really need to get my own washer and dryer. I mean, YUCK!
On the best of days this laundry room is not the cleanest. I have seriously considered taking Lysol or Clorox wipes with me. Now I believe I HAVE to.
I'm a bit of a germ-o-phobe to begin with. I will not let my clothing touch the rim of the washer or dryer, even if they're dirty. And if anything touches the floor...straight back in the washer.
The cleaner for this facility must not work if there's any precipitation on the ground because this was atrocious. Enough to make even the strongest laundry-room-goer run screaming for the nearest mental help professional.
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