Pat Got a Bicycle

Last night I made creamy pesto pasta with balsamic chicken.  

Today’s Exploit:

After 2 days of running with me Pat decided he should start out with every other day.  

Then he decided he’d get a bicycle, so that he could work up to running every day.  It took him 2 .3 weeks to finally buy the bike he wanted.  

It spent another 3.4 days in the back of his truck and 2.7 in his bedroom.  I think it shared his bed.

But yesterday he took it out, and took the paper advertisements off the wheels.  And then he went outside.

When I went out to start my run, 5.3 minutes later, he was sitting by his truck.  

I guess he’d been waiting for me, because he grabbed the bike and followed me.  We got to the cattle gap (hehe) and I started running while he got on the bicycle.  

He decided that riding just behind me, so that I could barely see him in my peripheral vision, was a good place.  Not beside me, or ahead of me.  Just barely behind me.  He stayed there for 2 miles, until I had to walk a bit.  

I was ready to turn around, so he went on ahead.  

After a couple minutes of walking I got going back to the rig.  

The plus side of Pat riding just behind me was dropping 4 minutes of my normal 4 mile time.  That’s only 30 seconds from my target time per mile.  It also made the last mile really hard.

They Try To Make Things Harder Than They Are

Boys are not good at re-stocking the toilet paper roll.

Today’s Exploit:

Today I had to change a sensor, so I called to the rig floor to ask them to shut down the pumps and send someone to close the valve in the drill line.  I didn’t want to get a mud-shower.  

I got my replacement sensor and the tools to change it.  But by the time I got to my old sensor 4 roughnecks were trying to take the sensor base off.

I yelled for them to stop, and they all looked at me blankly.   

Me:  I only need to change this piece!

RN1:  You don’t need the whole thing off?

Me:  No, I just need to take this protector piece off.

RN2:  It comes apart there?  

Me:  Yep, just have to take out these bolts and then take the sensor off.  

RN4:  Wow!

So we took off the protector.  They wouldn’t let me do any of the work, as usual.

Then Number 3 started looking for a wrench.  

RN3:  Do you have a smaller one, thinner?

Me: What?

RN3:  It doesn’t work, it’s too big.

Me:  Oh.  

I took it off by hand.  

Number 3 looked really embarrassed, and Numbers 1, 2 and 4 laughed at him as he proceeded to take the sensor off and give all of us a mud-shower.  

PS Oil based mud smells really bad.

Myrtle’s New ‘Do

I ran 7 miles yesterday.  

It only took me 68.55 minutes.

That was an epic moment.

Today’s Exploit:

Right after I moved my things to San Marcos I went HOME for the weekend.  

I had to leave Myrtle on the counter, where she got lots of light, because I didn’t think TSA would look kindly at me taking her as a carry-on.  

I made sure she had plenty of water and told her I’d be back Sunday.

But then we missed our flight.  So I didn’t get back until Monday.  

Myrtle forgave me when I watered her right away.  She was still contented when I checked her Tuesday, so I left her to enjoy the sunshine.

Wednesday they called me to a job.  

I had plenty of time, so I unpacked a few more things, and tried to organize the never-ending succession of “Kitchen” boxes.  Then I packed up my RIG boxes and headed out to my next work adventure.  

The next morning I realized that my window in the box looked strangely empty.  

I left Myrtle sitting on my kitchen counter.  

I went home on my casing break, 4 days later.  

She wasn’t quite so willing to forgive me.  She was limp and wilty and a bit pale.

So I watered her and fussed over for a few days.  

The limpness went away, but she persisted in being unnaturally pale.  

Finally I gave up and gave her a haircut.  

Now, instead of a 5.2” messy tangle, she has a neat and tidy 2.05 inch-somewhat tame ‘do.  

And she’s green again.  

I think I’m well on my way to getting back into her good graces.

Silence Would Be Devine

I almost had to adopt the poor starving dog.  She followed me around for the rest of the time I was in town.  I bet she’d have gotten in my car if I gave her half a chance.

Today’s Exploit:

I’m ready for a break.  

I want my own bed.

And silence.

No buzzing, no roaring, no clanging, no yappy trailer-mates.

Just silence.  

And I want to make caramel on my new stove.

Instead I get to make the trip to Oklahoma one more time.  To clean and to get my Kitchen-Aid.  I also need to get my hangers and my toolbox.  

Then I’ll be able to put my table and my futon together.  

And I’ll sit in the silence in my new living room basking in the light that comes in.

For dinner I’ll eat at my dining table, contemplating my new cubby-shelves, and enjoying the quiet.  

Ruined with Cheese

It’s raining buckets and buckets of water.

I am now living in a swimming pool.

Today’s Exploit:

The other day, after two long stressful days with little to no sleep, I really wanted a hamburger.  

Really.

So I drove the 48 minutes to the nearest town only to discover that their restaurant was closed.  

My option was the gas station, or the everything-and-then-some convenience store.  

I chose the everything-and-then-some place, because they made hamburgers.  I went in and ordered one.  A hamburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mustard.  Then I went and got a cup of grapefruit and some cranberry juice and waited.

They called my number and I picked up  my order and went to find a table.

I opened my burger to find the worst possible scenario.  

They put CHEESE on it.

I was so exhausted and irritated that I couldn’t take it back and have it fixed.  So I pouted and ate my grapefruit.  

Then I took the defiled burger outside and fed it to the poor dog that was hanging around hoping for some attention.  And some food.  It looked like it hadn’t eaten anything but a bug in the last 7 months.  

The poor thing was so excited for some food it nearly knocked me over trying to get to the second bite.  But it was patient enough with me to let me stick my hand in it’s mouth to retrieve the paper wrapper it stole in its excitement.

While I went and washed my hands the dog cleaned up any scrap of food I may have dropped.  

Except the tomato.  

Gobble Gobble

Herb, the Dirty Old Man, is back.

Still making me laugh and still making things awkward.

Today’s Exploit:

I made pumpkin cookies today.  

They were supposed to be for dinner.  

I ended up with nearly 5 dozen.  

I might not have any left by the time dinner time actually comes.

These guys are gobbling them up.

Just Another Number

I made Balsamic Chicken Alfredo.

Yum.

Cream and butter and Parmesan and Balsamic vinegar.

Today’s Exploit:

I was fighting with my computer when Tony came into the box.

Ryan was sitting on the bench watching me alternate between sweet-talking and yelling at Betty-Sue.  He thought it was hilarious.

Tony:  I’m going up to slide.  Also, Hector wants your number.

Me:  Nope.  Come on, buddy.  You can do it.

Tony:  That’s it, huh?  Just nope.

Me:  Just nope.

Tony:  Ok, I’ll tell him.

Later he came back and told me that Hector was surprised when Tony said I declined to give him my number.  

Tony:  I think he was surprised I actually asked you. 

My thoughts:  At least it was a little better than asking him to deliver a note.  Still...

I am glad he didn’t ask me directly.  I have a hard time saying no to people.  

He Did Try to Keep Up

Debbie Downer went home.  Maybe everyone else will be a bit more cheerful now.  

Maybe cookies will help.  

Today’s Exploit:

One of the mud loggers claims he used to run a lot.  And he wants to get back into shape.  

So I told him I was always happy to have company on my runs.  

So he asked me to wait and went to change.  

I was a bit amazed.  Mostly the guys that say things like that are all talk and won’t actually go with me.

But Pat went with me.  In the wind and dust and, later, downpour.  

We ran .748 miles, and walked the rest of the 3 mile trip.  It was very soggy.

The next day he was ready before I got back to the trailer.  

So we took off again.  Pat said he wanted to make it at least a mile.  The last third he spent wheezing, hacking and choking.  But he made it a mile.  

I tried not to ask to often if he was ok, guys are goofy and get offended if you do that.  

I let him walk.

After half a mile told him that I was going to run some more.  I ran the rest of the 3.2 miles to the guard shack and turned around.  On the way back I caught him where we’d stopped running and I walked the last mile with him.  

He limped the whole way, and the rest of the night.

Later he told me he might have to start running every other day, until he was in a bit better shape.

I’ve run alone since.

Complaining is Contagious

I’m making Smashed Roasted Garlic Bread.  My fingers are going to smell like garlic for a week.

Today’s Exploit:

I believe I mentioned I’m living with 400 people right now?  We’re packed into that grimy trailer like sardines. 

Smells like a sardine tin also, but that’s beside the point.

One of the guys in the trailer is not happy about anything.

And he wants everyone within a 3.7 mile radius to know.  

Also, he knows everything.  

A know-it-all complainer.  A loud one.  That means that no one is aloud to sleep if he can think of anything to say.  And he can always think of something to say.  He doesn’t even need acknowledgement from another being.  As long as he knows there’s someone within almost-hearing distance he can go on and on and on.

After about a week of listening to this guy, no one being able to get a word in edgewise, I noticed it.  

Everyone else started in on the complaints.  

Mostly it was about the complainer, but it’s hard to withstand all that negativism.

I even caught myself complaining more than usual.  

So I made a seriously stellar effort to cut back on the random complaints, and tried to avoid everyone else that seemed in the complaining mood.  

Luckily I’ve got my box to retreat to. 

And Solitaire.