I am "Rockin the Bakken" and "Frackin the Forks"!

26.6.11

Shopping

It is funny how when things change in your life, your shopping experiences change as well.  When I was in college my favorite stores would of been Maurices, Herbergers, JC Penney, American Eagle, etc.  When I bought my first house, my favorite store to shop in was Home Depot!  I would ask for gift certificates to Home Depot for Christmas and Birthday presents! 

On a different note, I spent a weekend with my little sister a few weeks ago.  Her and I have a pretty good fashion sense (that I believe we got from our mom)!  I have been working now on the oil rigs for approximately 10 months.  I still try and keep up in the fashion world but it gets harder and harder to do!  Here are some examples:

My lil sis looked at me and said, "I like your shirt."  I replied, "Thanks, I got it for $3 at Walmart." (Not sure what I would do if I did not have a Walmart close by.)
An hour later she said, "I love your sunglasses."  I replied, "Thanks, I got them at Cenex." (I am officially shopping at gas stations!)
The other day, a friend made a comment that they like my hat.  I replied, "Thanks, I got it at Runnings." Runnings Fleet Farm!  Runnings Fleet Farm is my new favorite store to shop in...what is happening to me?!?!!?!?!

22.6.11

Smells

There are all sorts of smells on the oil field. 
1) Diesel:  I use diesel to clean my samples.  Diesel, being made up of non polar molecules, will dissolve the "alike" non polar drilling fluid that is contaminating our samples, leaving us with clean rocks to analyze!  I have a bucket full of diesel just sitting in my work shack and oh does it smell!

2) Rough necks: This spring we had a terrible storm in May.  The towns of Watford City, Williston, New Town and many others did not have power for days!  This in turn denied the opportunity for our roughnecks to shower for 5 days!  At the beginning of every shift, we have a safety meeting that is located in a very small room with lots of people (including all the rough necks) crammed inside!  I can describe the smell given off by these boys as a mixture of BO, 5 day old bacon grease (from the last breakfast they cooked), diesel, rotten eggs, the grease that is accumulating on their hair, chew, cigarette smoke, sweat, and morning breathe.

3)  There is a certain smell that the rig gives off and I can't describe it.  It is a faint smell but even after I wash my clothes, I can still smell it on them.  I wash my rig clothes, box them up, and store them in the garage on my days off!

4) Lately, the smell of grilling has made it's appearance!  Summer is finally here and our new shacks have built in grills!  Yummm!

5)  Coffee:  There is A LOT of coffee that is drank out here!  Early mornings + long shifts= not a lot of sleep= lots of coffee!

6) Cigarette smoke:  One guy I work with smokes at least two packs a day.  He coughs like he is coughing up chunks of his lungs.  I refreshed my memory on how to do CPR, just in case! (Not really sure if I want to do mouth to mouth if it comes down to it!)

7) Lastly, this made me chuckle.  I got a call from our safety guy asking if I had an extra box of sample bags that another rig could borrow and replace.  I said I sure did!  15 minutes later he stopped by to pick them up...side track for a minute:  This is the first rig where I actually work with another girl!  She is the MDW and works days just like me.  Most of the time it is just her and I in the work shack all day long.  OK back to the story.  This safety guy comes in, I hand him the box of sample bags, we all chat a bit, and he leaves.  He doesn't just leave the room, but he also leaves behind a very POWERFUL smell of CK1.  Remember that cologne from like the 1990's!!!  UFF DA!  We had to open the windows because it was SO strong! 

20.6.11

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11.6.11

Purse

The other day my purse broke!  I was racking my brain to figure out a way to fix it.  Luckily, I had some zip ties in my office.  Before I started this job, I had never used a zip tie.  Now these lovely little inventions are part of my "essential items" list.  Attached is a picture of my repaired purse!


The Arrows are not part of my purse!


My brand new shack!

I am almost officially done with my very first job as a lead.  We are about half way done with the lateral part of the well.  In case you didn't know, we drill straight down about 10,000 feet, then drill a curve, then drill horizontally for about 10,000 feet.  I am the lead geologist for this brand spankin new well by Oxy.  I am going to post some pictures of my very own living shack.  It is brand new and super fancy!!!
Hard Wood Floors!

Stainless Steele Appliances!

Leather Couch and Surround Sound!

HUGE Flat Screen TV!

The un-made Bunkbeds!  Sorry mom...

Another flat screen TV in bedroom.

Shower and toilet

Vanity