I can see the light at the end of the Hitch....

Just a quick update from my rig work. I'm now on the downside of my two-week hitch in California. I'm all done by Tuesday night, and fly home Wednesday. Just in time for about two months off (theoretically)--which is a welcome respite after working 4 out of the last 5 weeks. Before anyone says "awwww, poor you! didn't we ALL work 4 out for the last five weeks?" I say ha. My weeks were 12 hours a day, 7 days a week :-) SO yeah. I'm looking forward to this time off :-)

I'm still amazed at the whole process of oil extraction. I always had vague ideas of the process (rotating pipe into the ground while pumping in fluid to flush out the debris created from the rotating drillbit). But man. I'm in awe at how complicated it really is--there are a hundred different variables affecting another 1000 different moving parts, all MASSIVE in size, and all vitally important to ensuring that the other parts work together in harmony, to ensure that this round hole gets deeper and deeper, moving through layers of strata that can be punishingly hard to drill through.

Its fun just to be up on the floor, 70 feet or so above the ground, and watch it all unfold. All those metal stairs are great exercise too :-). I was leaning over the railing the other night, looking at the mud below. Speculating with one of the guys how soft the mud would be in the event we fell off, and how many bones would break. Then we looked up at the guy on the "monkeyboard" (the platform at the very top of the derrick) which sits another 90 feet or so above us. Now THAT guy would be messed up if he fell... And he's up there wresting with 90 foot lengths of 4500 pound pipe stands....

These guys are a different breed up here--typically easy going, fun to josh around with, and all aware of the fact that if something breaks and flies off, someone can lose a limb or head, in an instant. Everybody has their stories, and some of them are pretty hair-raising. It is just interesting to be a part of. Also THE most un-judgemental people I've ever seen. So freaking different from anything else I've ever done.

But anyway. That's that. Looking forward to getting home and just being home for a while.