A Sunrise, Wide Angle

Red Jello is my favorite. Then orange. I don’t like the green. 

Also, I don’t like whipped cream on it.

Also again, I just discovered this site, I want them all.

Today’s Exploit:

This color later filled most of the sky.

Wide Angle

I Just Like To Be Selfish Sometimes, OK?

I get a fruit tray from the kitchen every day. They write my name on the box so I’m not forgotten. I have had many spelling incarnations on that box. Today I was called Maya, yesterday it was Mkiah.

Today’s Exploit:

I had this conversation today:

H: Whoa! Lightning’s going on. They’re like pew pew pew pew pew. And I was like “Whoa”, and it was like “Whoa”.

PJ: ...

H: Hey, are you there?

PJ: Yes, just a sec I had to write that down

H: Write what down?

PJ: The lightening thing.

H: Why? Are you going to use it in your blog?

PJ: Maybe.

H: You’re actually going to write about me in your blog? You never write about me.

PJ: I wrote about you once.

H: You called me your friend.

PJ: It was the first time we hung out, you were my friend.

H: It was when we went to Wyoming!

PJ: Oh, see? I’ve written about you twice!

H: But you called me your friend.

PJ: I probably always will. If I write about you at all.

H: Why?

PJ: Because you’re mine. And I’m selfish.

H: You’re afraid if you write about me someone will try to take me?

PJ: Maybe.

The Perils of Living With 42 Guys

Okay, Okay. Maybe it’s not 42, but it’s a lot.

On to the real post:

I have finished week 4 of Insanity. I now have a “recovery week” where I do something resembling yoga. And then the hard part starts. The second month is the first month times 7, divided by ‘really hard’, and added to ‘fear’. The solution is ‘I’m REALLY scared”. 

Yay.

Today’s Exploit:

Recently I have lots of stories about boys embarrassing me. It’s a pretty normal occurrence, although not necessarily relating to my bum. Lots of these encounters I can laugh at, and dismiss to guys being guys, and some of them being sleazy. 

I can laugh that Cupcake’s friend told her my bum looks like it weighs 20 pounds.

I can laugh at how tight my work “jeans” are, and that I can’t breathe when I wear them.

I can even laugh, later, when sleazy guys use sleazy lines, and I run out the door as fast as I can.

And I can mostly even laugh at the stupid comments that they make after I leave a room, the ones that Ali relates to me at our next breakfast “date”.

What is not fun is the staring. 

We have a group of guys here preparing the site for the production stage, they set up the storage tanks and the pipelines that lead to the larger lines across the road. They also live in camp with us, while they are here. 

Of the four guys, two of them stare at me constantly. None of the four have ever said a word to me. They just stare. 

And I’m to chicken to confront them.

So I hide behind a table if I have to get up while they’re in the room. Or I avoid the dining room if they get there first. 

Tomorrow I’m going to be really brave and talk to the company man. Wish me luck, because I will probably be shaking, and have sweaty palms. And probably I’ll stammer. But if I have to spend the next 3 days or 2 weeks of month and a half with them it will be worth it if I don’t feel like I need to wear a bag over my head and dress in a tent to hide. 

Ok. That was depressing. Next post will be more fun. Promise.

Some Things I Want To Make, When I Go Home

I have discovered that Canada has this thing called Ketchup flavored potato chips. 

Um, what?

I have been very brave and worked up the courage to test them, and they taste, weirdly, like a combination of German curry sauce and tomato soup.

I haven’t been able to decide if I like them or not.

Proof. You didn't believe me, did you?

Today’s Exploit:

I miss my stove. I have a list of about 4,391,975 things I want to try to make. 

Right now I have the tools to make No Bake cookies and Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches. That’s a lot of peanut butter.

I have so much motivation to cook when I am at work with no tools to accomplish my goals. And then I go home and lay on the couch reading my book for a week. 

So I am going to make a list, to remind myself to get my lazy bum, which has been the topic of many a conversation lately, off the couch and go get some groceries. And then use them, rather than letting them rot in the fridge.

My list:

Marshmallows. They are so pretty and they look so fluffy and squishy. 

Apple Fritters. I love them, I love them, I love them, and I miss the Donut Ranch.

Fruit Snacks. You have no idea how much I love fruit snacks. I’m such a 5 year old. 

Spider Repellent. To keep those crazy brown widows from laying egg sacs and me trying to remove them, resulting in spiders falling down my shirt.

Nutella. Because, really, who doesn’t like nutella?

Macaroni & Cheese. About 7200 ways, sans the breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs ruin a good mac & cheese.

Asiago Cheese Biscuits. I discovered them as a pot pie topping, and I changed the recipe to suit my whims and kitchen supplies. I want them as real biscuits, today. 

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pudding. Because, yum.

Queso Blanco Dip. I love this stuff, and could eat it all day, and all tomorrow.

Vanilla Extract. Except I still have 3 bottles in my cupboard.

Graham Crackers. Perfect with Mom’s Chocolate Orange Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

Goldfish Crackers. “I love fishes ‘cause they’re so delicious!”

Plus a billionty other items.

A Mini Dorm Room

I am reading Pride and Prejudice. I’m sure I’m missing much of the context due to the language difference, but so far it seems like a bunch of overly dramatic girls and very dense men. I have not discovered Mr. Darcy’s charm thus far. 

Today’s Exploit:

I used to live in a dorm. The rooms are small and you have to share. Also, communal bathrooms are gross, no matter how often they are cleaned. And mostly the whole floor knows exactly what you are doing at any given moment, and can hear all your conversations in HD.

This week I am living in a dorm room again. Except it’s a bunch of nasty guys on my floor, and the walls are made of 2.3 sheets of paper instead of .273 layers of brick. 

Through that wall is the door, people like to stand
there and shout as loud as possible.

The pros of paper:

-It doesn’t hurt when you fling your arm up to use as a pillow. No more scraped knuckles.

-It’s easier to decorate with cork-board “pictures”. A picture and a place to pin your papers, all in one pretty frame.

-If you trip and fall, you’ll fall through the wall and the debris will cushion your landing, rather than bashing your head on some bricks.

The cons of paper:

-If you fling your arm up, particularly roughly, to use as a pillow you will punch through the wall.

-The cork-board picture might fall down due to insubstantial support from the wall.

-If someone whispers on the other side of the building it will sound like they’re standing on your head and screaming as loud as they can in your ear. 

Also, I lived by the main door for 2 weeks. That was pure torture. Everyone is quiet at night. No one is quiet during the day. And they turn the heat to “blistering” and my room is the first on the overflow list. Then, if I open my window to cool down a teensy bit, someone will stand under it and smoke cigarettes the whole time.

My new room is larger, it has shelves and drawers, my
own sink and a connecting bathroom. And the only noises are
from generators. 

A 'Heart' Day Surprise

I made this just for you, I hope you have a lovely day.

Bee mine? Pretty please?   .

Well, That Was Awkward, Please Refrain From Such Comments in the Future

Today’s sunrise.

Also featuring a dirt pile, because I was wearing my gym shoes and didn't want to leave the safety of the walkway and risk getting snow on my pretty pink footwear.

Today’s Exploit:

I think Mitch’s entire purpose out here is to attempt to embarrass me, with the help of Ali, my ‘friend’. 

My first encounter with him was more or less normal, he joked and I smiled. The next time, however, I was fighting an o-ring. I was trying to get it in place around my flow sleeve, a steel cylinder with a flare at one end, and he decided it would be funny to comment on how well I did such a task. Sexual innuendo inserted here. Following that was an episode where Oscar had to help me and Mitch told us, “PJ puts the o-ring on way better than you.” Cue red face. 

Another encounter was the time he blatantly ignored the closed door in the weight room/gym and walked in on me working out. I actually didn’t expect any company that day, and was only wearing my sports bra and shorts. When I packed up to leave I had to walk through the gym to replace the mat and the Lysol. At that time he started a conversation about how difficult it is to work out when working nights, and I made not-committal noises. When he failed to get me talking he came in with this line:

“So, you look good.”

I made a beeline for the door calling out to have a good workout over my shoulder.

I was somewhat relieved when his last day came, and he was to go home for a week, but he had to have the parting shot.

Mitch: PJ, you know the two things I love about you?

PJ: (still trying to comprehend that remark and meaning What did you say?, rather than What are they?) What?

Mitch: Well, your name’s one of them.

He then proceeded to walk out the door and leave me trying to figure out if I heard the first part of that exchange properly. I’m pretty sure he wanted me to follow and beg him to tell me the rest or to be completely absorbed in figuring out the answer over the week he was gone, but I was so relieved to avoid such confrontations that it completely backfired. 

Tomorrow he switches back to nights, and I’m dreading having to be on the rig floor when he is. Especially after Ali told me how my trainee was acting around him, and a conversation the three of them had a few days ago concerning the time at the gym. Any advice on avoiding unwanted attention and diffusing the possible jealousy of someone yearning for attention?

411

Trees. 

"I spy something green."

Trees with snow. 

"I spy something tall."

Trees with road.

"I spy something with bark."

Today’s Exploit:

Fun fact: This is post # 411 and I have been going at this for more than 3 years. This is some kind of record for me. 

I am very impressed that I actually noticed that, and therefore this post will be dedicated to some very important life facts.

I ran in 4 races last year. Only one was at my normal pace.

I made marshmallow fluff with my sister. It took two tries because I misread the thermometer.

Last night someone drew horns, a tail, a pentagram and the note “I love satan” on my rear windshield. I think I know who it was, and I have to think of a retaliation, fast.

I just acquired a digital library of 5000+ books. The first series I read was amazing, the second ruined the story Sleeping Beauty for me, for life.

My sister lives in Texas with me, but 45.9 minutes away in good traffic. I see her now as much or more than I saw her when we were attending college in the same town.

My sister is starting a running/yoga/other workout program. She actually offered to run a half marathon with me. I thought she would never again run in a race after the trauma of our St. Patrick’s day race.

I want to do a mud run and the color run. You get to run, and roll in the mud and pretend to be 5.

I built some shelves, all by myself. Until my dad came and helped me finish them and fix a couple boo boos. Then he was more excited about finishing them than I was, and that’s saying something.

Myrtle is almost 2!

Myrtle now has 1 baby and 4 siblings.

I am designing plans for my nightstands, since I can’t find any that suit my liking on the internet. And also for a table that goes under my girl painting, to hold my girl statue, because they need to be together - they’re sisters.

I am in love with snow, and skating across the location in my super-slippery pink steel-toed boots.

I graduated from high school 10 years ago. I still act like I’m 13, or sometimes 5.

I am over half way done with an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration. I have learned that I could have passed the writing portion of this in grade 6, and that late papers don’t get docked points like the instructors claim, but that’s about all.

I have seen my house 32.06% of the days over the past 4 years, maybe.

Ok, I’m done. Have a nice day.

My Apologies

I am very sorry, but this may be my final post for a while. I have more posts in my queue, but I made an agreement with my mother that I would post more if she did. Sadly, she hasn’t kept up her end of the deal, and I’ve come to find out she made a similar agreement with my sister. So Cupcake and I have agreed to protest by discontinuing our posting.  I will start my protest today, Cupcake will start hers in one week if no new posts appear on The Naylor Home Front.

Until Mom posts again...

Adieu.

Today’s Exploit:

When talking about trying to convince my mom to update her bloggie:

PJ: I said I'd do more posts if she did. And then she didn't. 

Cupcake: haha she said she would do more posts if i did. and then she didn't.

PJ: I may have to postpone some of mine as incentive.

Cupcake: hahah do it.

The notice:

To my mom:

I have 2 or 3 posts ready to go, but since you haven't made any new posts I will be forced to postpone them indefinitely. I will make an apology letter for my next one, and then wait...

When Cupcake found out what I said: hahahahahahahahaha

Cupcake: you can tell her that i said if she doesn't make a post within one week, i have agreed to also postpone my future posts.

So, the notice continues:

My sister has also agreed that if you do not make a post within 1 week she will also postpone her posts indefinitely.

Thank you and good night.

Cupcake’s response: hahahahahahaha

Um, Please Don’t Do That

I spend my mornings in fear that one of the roughnecks will decide to use their gym, now that they’ve taken over the room I usually commandeer for my workout. 

Today’s Exploit:

When I arrived at the Canadian rig I got a lot of funny looks, because everyone was expecting a guy since my name is rather androgynous. 

Then I was accosted right and left for wearing jeans, everyone had to make sure that they were fire retardant. Many of the roughnecks were amazed when I told them that, yes, my jeans have the proper properties to wear at the rig.

One of these conversations happened after I had been talking to Kas for a while, and was almost starting to feel comfortable around him.

Kas: Are your jeans fire retardant?

Me: (Showing him my reflecties) Yes, they are.

Kas: That’s so cool, I want some.

Me: I hate them and avoid wearing them whenever possible because they’re so tight I can hardly breath when I do.

Kas: (Leaning to check out my backside) Well, I think they fit just right.

Me: (Stammer a bit and turn bright red)

Why is it that every one I start to feel comfortable with, as a friend, has to go and burst my little happy bubble by doing something like this? I like my bubble and only get self-conscious and awkward when I know that people are watching me. Especially my bum.

Boys are frustrating.

I’m Not Sure How to Respond to That

I really don’t like my job today.

Today’s Exploit:

Alleah is the housekeeper at the camp that caters to the rig crew. They have individual rooms, a common room and make about 10.2 times the amount of food needed by everyone working on the rig. Alleah gets to clean the bedrooms every day, and the nasty boy-bathrooms. 

Since only three women are residing at this camp, Alleah talks to me a lot. I get to hear how disgusting the boys are and how horrible and evil the head cook is to her. I also have heard all about her boyfriend problems and know a great deal about her family. (Ali likes to talk)

The other night I was getting some salad to take with me for a “lunch” when she walked out of the kitchen.

Alleah: PJ, you have a nice butt!

Me: Um, thank you?

Alleah: No, really. Are those Lululemon pants, because those are awesome and make everyone look like they have curves.

Me: No, they’re just some cheap ones I found.

Alleah: Oh. Well, you have a nice butt, it’s nice and curvy.

Me: ...

Alleah: (walking away) It’s nice, you look black from the back.

I was completely blindsided by this conversation. Alleah has so much attitude, and she’s not shy about anything, and this conversation happened in the middle of the dining/common room. I don’t know how to respond to things like that, and I’m pretty sure anyone within earshot of her watched as I walked back to my room with my face flaming red and pulling my shirt down as far as I could.

Some Pictures on a Drive

I was just very disappointed by a very sugary cup of strawberries and whipped cream. An excess of fake whipped cream and a few over-ripe strawberries are not my idea of an ideal combination. 

Today’s Exploit:

I drove some in Canada.

The rig was an 8.7 hour drive from Calgary. So I took 2 pictures to show you that.

Lots of open space, but trees.

Hey look! MOUNTAINS!

The rig is also 1.98 hours from the nearest city. So I took 2 more pictures to show you. 

You’re welcome.