Six Years!

Happy Annniversary, Sweetie!
   Today marks six years since Andrea and I officially became a couple. We have had a lot of fun times, and had many new experiences together. I can't wait for what our future holds! I love you, Andrea!

United Sucks

   Well, if possible, I have flown my last flight on United. Friday I flew from SLO to OKC on United. I bought a last-minute ticket (so I paid them heftily for it) that would take me from SLO at 6:00 am and get me in to OKC at 3:30 pm. Now normally, I would have flown on USAirways, not because they are really any good at being on-time or because they have any really good help, but because they have the best connections. (Only one stop between SLO and OKC.) Unfortunately, this time, the earliest flight on USAirways would not have gotten me in to OKC until 1030 pm. My understanding was that the job was to begin just after midnite in McAlester, so the 1030 flight would be too late.
   I won't go into any great detail on exactly what happened, but between United's multiple mechanical failures, scheduling problems, and extremely poor customer service, I did not arrive into OKC until 11pm. I could have taken the USAirways flight, left 9-1/2 hours later, paid $200 less, and arrived at the same time.
   Luckily, they dropped a fish down the well (fish=2-3/8" socket) just after midnite, and it took them about 9 hours to get it out, so I got a good nite sleep in McAlester.

Running Smoothly

   Huge thunderstorm came through the area today. I am working near Guy, AR, which is about 60 miles north of Little Rock. The countryside is very pretty, with lush oaks and grasses. The minute you step out of an air-conditioned space, though, things are not so pretty. Before this thunderstorm came through, it was 114 degrees and the humidity was high. I can only imagine what it will be like tomorrow. This will probably be my last night in Arkansas as everything is running smoothly. I will be flying home on the next available flight after I return to OKC.

Sidetracked

   The second test went perfectly! Unfortunately, there were no more opportunities for more tests right away, so I returned the RV to OKC. In all honesty, I am not totally sold on the RV as the solution for this type of work. Don't get me wrong, it was very nice to be able to set up my computer and sit in a nice air-conditioned room on location rather than to sleep in the back seat of a rented F-150. The downside: being stuck on location. Since the RV was my only mode of transportation, I couldn't leave (without significant rig-down). This meant that if things were slow, or working well, I couldn't run to town for a bite. Drives me nuts!
   In the morning, I am heading to Arkansas to help some operators out there with their operation. I've never been to Arkansas before, so it might be interesting!

1/2 Down, 2-1/2 to Go

   Well, we decided to pull the tool early after we got stuck in the hole. (Getting stuck had nothing at all to do with the tool-it was just along for the ride.) The customer didn't want to risk losing the tools, so we aborted the test early. (The tool worked flawlessly while it was in the hole, though.) There is another job I can get on that will start Sunday morning, 6am. It is only a few miles down the road, so I guess I will restock the RV and head out!
   Also, it is stinkin hot here. The temperature has been well over 100, and the humidity is high too. Accuweather is calling for record-breaking heat for the next week at least! Yuk.
Happy Birthday, MOM!!!

Weight-On-Bit, or Wait-On-Bit?

   Well, I'm back in Oklahoma. Sadly, I left before Andrea returned from Minneapolis so I won't be able to see my sweetie until I am done with this trip. If all goes to plan, this will be my last trip to Oklahoma for testing of this new tool we have been working on. The Boss Man has decided that I need to be present for three successful runs in a row, and Oklahoma just happens to be our ideal test ground. So, I am here to hopefully run all three tests.
   Because of the not-centrally-located nature of the locations where I will be running the tests, I have decided to rent an RV so I can stay on location. I picked up a 24-footer from the Oklahoma City Cruise America office, and got stocked with Diet Pepsi and microwave foods. So far so good... I'll keep you posted on my RV-ing across "America's Corner."
   P.S. for anyone not oilfield-inclined (or in case my pun is just plain lame), in the picture above they are putting the maximum weight onto the bit! The blocks are slacked over and we are still drilling slow!

Remember, there is no "I" in "Team America"

   Yesterday, Andrea and I celebrated our Independence from Britain with a bash at Kelly's place. We lit off some sparklers and had some hot dogs and watermelon (that American enough?). All in all, it was a fine party and a good time with friends. Hopeully, next year we'll have the house done and maybe we can host a 4th party of our own!

Hi Grandma!

   Today, Andrea and I were paid a visit by my parents and my grandma. She is out from Minnesota visiting my parents, so we invited them down to see the house and to visit. I missed my grandma's visit last year because I was out of town on business, so I was pretty glad to see her this year. She had not seen the house before (even though it is still under construction). We gave her the grand tour, but since there is really no seating in the house for more than Andrea and I, we headed to Morro Bay for a stroll on the embarcadero and some dinner. After some fish and chips at the Flying Dutchman, we went over to Morro Rock and watched the sun (almost) set.
   On a side note, it was about 30 degrees cooler in Morro Bay than in Paso. Sometimes it's easy to forget what a difference 20 miles can make!

No prey, no pay!

   Yesterday was Sal's birthday, so we cowardly swabs took the Scourge of the Seven Seas for a seafood feast at the Old Custom House in Avila. Then we weigh'd our anchors and headed to Kelly's for some grog and to sing a shantey for the cap'n. After he displayed his loot and we pillaged the cake, we had a contest to see who was the most fearsome pirate in the group. In our game, however, Sal was hornswaggled, and Captain Andrea of the Princess of the Seas showed that she was the ultimate Dread Pirate!