July 23-August 19

Well it’s been an interesting month since I last wrote.  I have completed step one of my Schlumberger progression!!!  I broke out on August 8^th, and did my first job by myself.  It took exactly 3 months, but at least now I feel pretty good about doing these jobs.  The best thing about breaking out = times off.  At least that’s what they tell you…  I’m supposed to be having off the 29^th of August -4^th of September.  We’ll see if that actually happens.  If so, I’m hoping to get out to Roma, head to Brisbane, meet the family, drink some wine, buy some stuff, and generally, enjoy myself.  I really can’t wait.  I’ve been working for 84 days straight.  I’ve got at least another 6 on the job I’m on right now, I’ll talk about that in a second, and then I’ll have my 90 days on.  A new personal record for me.  I’m not exactly thrilled about this.  Oh sure, I’ve taken the occasional half day, but considering I’m usually working 10-12 hours a day, and that’s just counting the days I’m in the office, not the days I’m in the field, I’m pretty sure those half days don’t count.  I’m really looking forward to some me time.

I missed a pretty big event back home this past weekend, the weekend of my cousin Tori.  It’s the first really big event that I’ve missed since starting this job.  Thank goodness for my cousins, that had a picture of me printed out so I could ‘go to the wedding’.  I’m think I’m in more pictures than if I had actually been there!  I am truly blessed with a wonderful family.  I haven’t booked then, but I’m doing it tonight , flights to come in October/November.  I WILL be home for my next cousins’s wedding, my brother’s senior football game, and hanging out with people I haven’t seen in awhile.  Maybe a job interview or two if I can swing it…  Yeah, work is nice and all, but it’s not for forever.  I’m going to keep my options open, so if you have of something Stateside that I might be interested in, please let me know.  

I’m currently on a job near the Lucy Creek in the Northern Territory.  If you look this up on Google, you might have a hard time finding it, because even Google Maps tells me there is no way to get to it from Roma.  The road I took here, was…well, pretty much a 1 ½ car length wide and paved from Roma to Boulia (you can look up that journey on Google Maps), and from Boulia to the wellsite was pretty much just a graded dirt road.  Needless to say, an interesting journey.  We spent the first night in Longreach, QLD, home of the Sportsman’s Hall of Fame.  We didn’t get in town early enough to visit, but maybe on the trip back through.  Pretty uneventful drive.  Next we made our way to Boulia, home of famed camel races.  We passed by the Diamanthia (spelling?) National park.  It basically looks like big red mountains jutting from the plain.  Really beautiful stuff.  Kind of like the pictures you see of Ayres Rock.  We didn’t exactly have time to go hiking in them, but I can see where that would be a good time.  Boulia was small, and I mean small.  The one bar in town afforded us a nice evening though.  We set off for the wellsite at 6:30 AM, and the country was desolate.  It’s not a desert like I imagined it would be, just scrubby bush land, trees in abundance, but they’re short little things.  Cows and kangaroos are about all you see out here, and the occasional car that passes by.  Makes for some pretty boring driving, but I had Queensland rural public radio to keep me company.  It’s way better than NPR, no offense NPR fans, but this stuff rocks.  The crew with me is Crew Chief Kris and Operator Dan, both Aussies, and fellow engineer Pwapei, from Puapa New Guinea.  All real nice guys.  It’s been a good journey so far, if the job ever starts, then things will start to get interesting.