An Abundance of Sprinkles

Tired

Today’s Exploit:

I was going to have a nice story about pretending to be a Paleo person, but then I had to do work at 2:00am after a late night, and the next night I had to do work at 1:00am. And I got tired and lethargic. 

I was also going to make cupcakes for the rig crews, but I was tired and the oven doesn’t work. So now I have an abundance of sprinkles and butter, and no way to use them.

Also, I wish I had a better story to go with this post title, because I really like it and this post is pretty sad.

Maybe tomorrow I can write an “Abundance of Sprinkles” story that better suits.

So Much Sugar!

This week’s recommended reading:

I read this book all the time! It is one of my 74 billion favorites.

Today’s Exploit:

The other day one of the roughnecks stopped me and asked for a grocery list so that he could buy ingredients for cupcakes. He didn’t care what kind, and he was going to get everything I needed for them. So I puttered around the internet for a while to find one that looked interesting. 

I finally settled on Turtle Cupcakes. The recipe was for chocolate cupcakes with homemade caramel sauce and caramel cream cheese frosting. Then they’re topped with some chopped pecans drenched in some more caramel. 

I decided that it would be better to use less frosting and cut out a bit of the cupcake to make room for more pecans. 

Turns out this was a good idea and everyone at the rig was excited about the secret stash of extra pecans. 

They were also really confused that I hadn’t asked for caramel sauce.

I tried the caramel, and I tried the caramel, frosting and cupcake combination. It was good, but 2 bites was more than enough! They were so rich and super sweet! I can’t imagine eating multiple cupcakes at one go.

The Race is On

5 dozen cookies gone in 4 hours.

Today’s Exploit:

Have I ever mentioned that Cupcake and I have fitness competitions? Sometimes it’s just a challenge from me to her, with prizes for meeting certain requirements, sometimes it’s fighting for the most steps of most miles.  

This time we are going for time. 

Six days a week.

At least 40 minutes a dy.

I bet I win the first 2 weeks.

About My Babies

It’s raining, raining, raining here. So much rain.

Today’s Exploit:

I have a new mint baby. His name is Max. He is a transplant from Wyoming and the grandchild of the Saratoga mint bush that wanted to take over the yard, and the garage.

Natalie and Max's future homes, and Max hanging out in the water growing some roots.

I also re-potted Maya Mint, and cloned Myrtle. (I pulled her out of her pot and broke the resulting mass in half and planted them in separate pots.) I still have Myrtle, she is doing quite well again, finally. And her clone is Myra, who looks more like Maya. 

Maya, looking all spiffy in her new "real" pot.

I also have a new nasturtium called Natalie. I planted her at the end of September and then neglected all the babies on my porch while I went off and made caramels, fudge, cookies and met H’s new nephew. Thankfully the Mint clan is pretty hardy and I remembered to leave Natalie on the wall to catch the rain. 

My Babies!

Ally and Jack now live on my patio wall since they can survive off the minimal Texas rain, and are too big to carry around in a milk crate with all the other new babies.

Cookies For Sale

I finished Accounting. I think it was the first really useful class I took. Some others have given me new points of view, but the majority of the information has been worthless. Yay for hard Accounting.

Today’s Exploit:

I sold some cookies today. 

I have been spending my free few days between turning in my final project for Human Resource Management and the start of my next classes reading and making cookies. Also I have been avoiding cleaning, but that is not important. 

I sent some cookies with H. one day. And one day I took some to his rig myself. While I was there H’s friend Slick ate six cookies. I heard a rumor that he at most of the rest of them later that evening. 

Then H. came home and said his driller had requested some White Chocolate Macadamia cookies. I assumed that they were the new favorites since I hadn’t made any oatmeal ones in a while. 

But no. 

He wanted some to take home to his family and wanted to pay for them. 

So I did my first ever calculation for how much to charge for cookies, which took longer than the making of the cookies. I might have to add a few cents for calculation costs. 

Then I made a bazillion cookies, because the recipe made a lot. 

And I sent them to the rig.

I feel silly having sent them in a ziplock bag instead of a real cookie bag, the way we used to get them from the Donut Ranch Bakery. Also, I need to design some stickers for the cookie bags! 

Agh!

So much to do. 

And I already had 731405 things on my list.

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 Late Thanksmas

Thanksgiving pies for some roughnecks, or other oilfield workers, by PJ and Cupcake.

Apple Pie by PJ

Pumpkin Pie by Cupcake

Today’s Exploit:

I made it home for the week before Christmas, it was our latest Thanksmas so far. Only a week before the 25th. 

I went tree hunting with the whole family, to lunch with my mom, and went to work with my dad, and skied and rode in a groomer and had all sorts of adventures. 

And then we had Christmas breakfast for dinner

And my mom made the table look very pretty so that the mass destruction was even more obvious and traumatic

and destroyed my mom’s cleaning efforts with ribbons and tissue paper and crepe paper. 

Everyone is guilty of gift paper-chaos

Cupcake mad out like a stripy-cupcakey bandit

And she loved her babushka hat and russian doll measuring set

And we all got ‘stashes and had an official family photo night. Arley was forced to take part, but Eda managed to escape Cupcake’s best efforts to get her to join. 

Family photos with faux-stashes are totally in

The Green Thumb of Cooking

Today’s Exploit:

I got two small days off, when they sent someone to the other rig to take my place and before they sent me back to my rig. It was lovely and horrible. I loved that I got time off, I’m getting used to this schedule thing and going to another rig disrupted it. And it was horrible because I only had 2 days, gah.

But now I am back on my rig and dying from heat and lack of sleep. George basically forced me to go to bed, telling me that he’d make absolutely certain that my depth was right before they started drilling, and my night hand, Harley, said I could sleep late this morning if I needed. 

I like working with nice people.

Today, after checking on the computers and making sure everything was working properly, I went back to the trailer to make breakfast. I stuck a frozen waffle in the toaster, a store bought one because I never remember to make enough right before I go to work to have fresh ones. While it was toasting I was washing and slicing some strawberries to put on top of said waffle. Suddenly George was leaning over my shoulder sniffing like he’d just found the prize apple pie at the county fair. 

Me: It’s a waffle, do you want one?

George: No, but you have a way of making everything smell good.

Me: It’s a frozen waffle, I didn’t do anything to it.

George: I know! But everything you cook smells amazing. You have a talent!

So, evidently I have a talent for making frozen store waffles smell good. It’s, like, the green thumb of cooking. The Cinnamon Nose, or something. But it’s my magical talent, so I’ll take it.

My Abnormalities

Today’s Exploit:

According to George I seem to be the abnormal as an MWD. 

The first time he told me this was when we were picking up our tools to get ready to drill. All of the roughnecks were off doing other things when it came time to pull the slips (move the fancy wedge-thingy so that the drill string could move up and down) on one of the sections. George was going to pull them himself, so I went over to help and my night hand decided he’d help too. 

I didn’t think it was a big deal, but evidently I am the only female that he’s ever seen pull slips. But really, it’s not like they give us much of a chance. The last time I did it was when we were almost finished with a well and it was the middle of the night when the big boss-types were in bed, and not out making sure that all rules were adhered to.

My other instance of MWD abnormality was the last time I carried water into the trailer. I do this on a regular basis, we keep at least 2 bottles inside so that they’re not quite so hot when we need to use them. 

George: PJ, I think you’re the only MWD that carries water. I’m pretty sure that most of them would die of thirst before they’d carry water.

Hint Hint Wink Wink

Countdown: 18 days left - *sob*

I decorated cookies tonight.  Now the box smells like too much sugar.

Today’s Exploit:

The mud logger is one of those creepers.

Mostly he’s just irritating and an insufferable over-sharer.  

But lately he’s been hinting that I “need” to bake something.

He walked in one day and said, “So, I hear you’re a baker.”  

Me:  You’ve been misinformed.

Him:  What! Those roughnecks lied to me?

Me:  Yep.

On another day, after I’d gone food shopping I dropped my bananas and was cursing my clumsiness.

Him:  Oh! It’s time for banana bread! You bake, right?

Me:  Grumble grumble. No.

For one:  Who wants to bake in a pig sty that’s infested with mice?

For two:  Trying to force me to do something is probably a guarantee that I’ll do everything in my power to not have to do it.  Especially if you’re being creepy and stalker-ish.  

I have taken to being extra surly in the trailer so that no one will talk to me, since privacy and being alone is not a conceivable option.

Too Much Food

Countdown:  Some day I’ll count and know fore sure how many days.

I was just serenaded with “I’m a Little Teapot” over the phone.

By an adult.

Today’s Exploit:

The other day I made pasta.  Lots of pasta.  Probably enough to feed an army.  And only a few people had the required courage to try it  

Now I have a pot of pasta in the fridge.

Then I went home and was given chicken and rice and asparagus.  Enough for another army.  So now I have that in the fridge too.  

When I came back to the rig I had a giant box of fried shrimp and fish and cornmeal and some beans and cabbage waiting.   

Today I was fed by another of the guys in my trailer.  He had enough food to feet 7.2 armies.  

Now the refrigerators are full.  And no one else can eat.  

The Hot-Stove Virus

Cupcake!  What do you think about 31 March?  I couldn’t find any in May.

Today’s Exploit:

It seems a virus is going around in the trailer.  

No one has been able to turn the stove off for days.  

In the last 3 days I’ve gone to the kitchen 4 times to find at least 1 burner on.  

1. I was heating water for tea and couldn’t figure out why it the stove was so hot without boiling my water instantly.  I had made absolutely sure I had the proper burner before turning it on, I’ve started the wrong one a few times.  But not this time!
2. Went to use the toilet only to see 2 burners glowing red, with no one in sight.  Later, one of the boys told me he thought it would heat the trailer because he was cold.
3. Heated some water this morning, but had to go to the trailer.  I turned the heat down, but the solids control guy decided it was boiling too much.  He moved the pot, but left the burner on.
4. I was heating water to make tea this afternoon while Debbie Downer was frying an egg.  When it was done he turned the burner to HI instead of OFF.

Now I’m afraid to go near the stove for fear I’ll trip over one of the loose floor tiles and land on a red-hot burner.

I love my job.  I love my job...Ilovemyjob...Ilovemyjobilovemyjob...

Eeets a Gooooood Moooooo-veeee

I’m going to get a pumpkin tonight.  So I can have Halloween at the rig.  Maybe I’ll be really motivated and make sugar cookies to frost.  

Or maybe I’ll have time to make those at my new home.

Today’s Exploit:

Ricardo likes movies.  

Every time I go to the trailer he is watching something new.  

Each time he tells me:

“Have you seen this?  This is a gooooood moooooo-veeee.”

Doesn’t matter if it’s a movie made for 13 year old girls, 5 year olds or a really creepy horror movie.  It’s always a gooooood moooooo-veeee.

I’ve seen him watching “A Cinderella Story”, “The Flintstones”, Some nasty vampire movie, “Planet of the Apes”, and “The Mask”.  

Each and every movie he has seen before.  Each and every movie is a “gooooood moooooo-veeee’.  And each one always surprises him.  

He says, “What the...” at least 4.7 times each time I go to the trailer.  

Ricardo:  What the..., did you see that?

Me:  Yes.

Ricardo:  He just mumblemumble mumble, can you believe that?

Me:  Mmm.

I’m never sure how to answer, because I just saw it on the movie, it wasn’t that exciting.  And I’m not exactly sure about his stance on the subject due, partly, to his mumble and partly to his accent.

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.

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.