I've come to find out over the past 5 weeks that my "move" offshore has kind of been a running joke. Talks of my move started April, then June, and now November, so I can understand why no one believes that this is actually my last rotation onshore. But my time has finally come!
Last night, my last Saturday in camp, was full of good food (potjie), good (Malongo-standards) wine, and rugby (slash, chatting with the 2 other ladies in camp while the boys yelled). The rugby world cup is going on, and last night the big game was Scotland vs South Africa. I would say the vast majority of expats in camp are either South African or Scottish, so it was a huge turn out for the game. On a normal work day, I have a VERY difficult time understanding some of the South Africans and the majority of the Scots, so on a night of beer-fueled, rugby yelling it was basically impossible for me to A) get a word in or B) follow a conversation. I LOVE the ZA accent, but they just talk so stinkin fast I can't keep up. And it's honestly a wonder that the Scots are even speaking English. Is lik evr oher wrd is cu in haf. The funny thing is that I'm sure they all think the same things about the way I talk.
My first few weeks were pretty exciting with all of the commissioning activity we had going on, but the pains of shutting down a project have worn me out over the last 2 weeks. Needless to say, this Sunday, especially, I'm going to enjoy my nap ;)
37 days down, 2 to go! xoxo...
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Sunday, September 27, 2015
WHOA
I don't even know what happened this week because ALL I can think about is my ride back in from offshore yesterday....
I've successfully determined that if I put in my head phones, sit in the first row on the right hand side right behind the captain, and close my eyes I can handle the surfer ride out to the platform and back with no problem at all. So on the ride back in yesterday, I did just that. I was riding in with 2 coworkers, and one of them, Harry, always sits in the same seat, which was one over to the left of me.
Sidebar: On the way out on Friday I was with Harry as well, and we both fell asleep. Which normally would be just fine, except that the other 3 guys and the captain saw a WHALE along the side of the boat. So naturally, I yelled at them all when I woke up and said if that ever happened again I need to be woken up immediately.
Anyways, yesterday we got on the boat, I started listening to Ryan Adams cover of Taylor Swift's 1989 album, which is a very calming playlist and I highly suggest you check it out, and I started dozing. About then, the boat took a HARD left (enough to almost roll me off my seat) and simultaneously Harry slugged me. He was basically standing over me when I opened my eyes, and the captain was yelling. So I popped up and started to leap for the door thinking that we were abandoning ship. BUT I looked to my right and saw the last few seconds of a humpback whale breaching, literally 15 feet from the boat. That image, or the fact that I thought I was on a sinking ship, took my breath away. It was unbelievable. Apparently, the hard left was because the whale popped up right in front of the boat. Had our captain not been alert we would have had one of the most odd incidents to report....boat collision with whale.
I came back and immediately told Rene, aka Sniper, and of course his first question was "Did you get a picture??" Uh no, Rene, I didn't have time to whip out my camera amidst the shear panic that I was experiencing at the time, geeez. But this is basically what happened....
When I was in Bakersfield in August, my good friend, Rachel, asked me to be in a fantasy football league with some other girls in Bako. I have only "played" fantasy football once with The Kennedy's and my performance was shameful. I never even looked at my team, and I think all I did that season was make Wesley regret allowing me to be in their league. This year is a total 180. I am SO into fantasy, even though I still don't quite understand all the ins and outs; like what in the world is a "waiver". I'm going to go ahead and predict that my obsessiveness will probably ware off when I start losing, because I'm 2-0 right now...no big deal ;)
It's looking like we are going to have a sunny Sunday here in camp, but I'm not keeping my hopes up. We are getting into rainy season, which means the weather can (and usually does) change at a moments notice. As long as I can get my 15 minutes of sunshine, I'll be a happy camper.
30 days down, 9 to go! xoxo...
I've successfully determined that if I put in my head phones, sit in the first row on the right hand side right behind the captain, and close my eyes I can handle the surfer ride out to the platform and back with no problem at all. So on the ride back in yesterday, I did just that. I was riding in with 2 coworkers, and one of them, Harry, always sits in the same seat, which was one over to the left of me.
Sidebar: On the way out on Friday I was with Harry as well, and we both fell asleep. Which normally would be just fine, except that the other 3 guys and the captain saw a WHALE along the side of the boat. So naturally, I yelled at them all when I woke up and said if that ever happened again I need to be woken up immediately.
Anyways, yesterday we got on the boat, I started listening to Ryan Adams cover of Taylor Swift's 1989 album, which is a very calming playlist and I highly suggest you check it out, and I started dozing. About then, the boat took a HARD left (enough to almost roll me off my seat) and simultaneously Harry slugged me. He was basically standing over me when I opened my eyes, and the captain was yelling. So I popped up and started to leap for the door thinking that we were abandoning ship. BUT I looked to my right and saw the last few seconds of a humpback whale breaching, literally 15 feet from the boat. That image, or the fact that I thought I was on a sinking ship, took my breath away. It was unbelievable. Apparently, the hard left was because the whale popped up right in front of the boat. Had our captain not been alert we would have had one of the most odd incidents to report....boat collision with whale.
I came back and immediately told Rene, aka Sniper, and of course his first question was "Did you get a picture??" Uh no, Rene, I didn't have time to whip out my camera amidst the shear panic that I was experiencing at the time, geeez. But this is basically what happened....
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| O.M.G. |
It's looking like we are going to have a sunny Sunday here in camp, but I'm not keeping my hopes up. We are getting into rainy season, which means the weather can (and usually does) change at a moments notice. As long as I can get my 15 minutes of sunshine, I'll be a happy camper.
30 days down, 9 to go! xoxo...
Sunday, September 20, 2015
dance
I read the best quote yesterday afternoon..."Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!" It reminds me of my mom who, for as long as I can remember, will break out in song/dance at any given moment. Particularly while doing house chores like cooking, vacuuming, doing dishes, etc. Naturally, as I've mentioned many times before, I'm catching myself more and more often doing the exact same thing. That includes walking down the hallway at work humming and bouncing to the latest One Direction song. Chad swears that my taste in music (and sometimes accessories) is comparable to that of a 13-year old girl, but I can't help it, they are so catchy! I think he should consider himself lucky to have me because I'm keeping him young and hip!
Dad and Dusty are in Chicago for their annual boys football/baseball trip, but this year Mom got to tag along. My guess is that during the planning phase they realized that this year's trip was close to Mom's birthday, so they decided to double-dip and call it a birthday present too...well done boys ;)
Anyways, things are still moving over here. I shipped Phil offshore on Friday morning and I'm trying to get Jimbo out of here sometime this week. I should also have all of my contractors demobilized by Saturday or Sunday, and my instrument and electrical folks are out of here next Tuesday. So by next week, I'll be the last one standing on the project and I'm expecting to be itching to get home (even more so that I already am). The good news is I'm over the halfway point, so I'm on the downhill slide of this rotation...
We are breaking out of camp this afternoon to head to Cabinda for a final team celebration with our contractors. I was hoping for a sunny Sunday so we could take advantage of the beach, but it looks like it's going to be a dreary, overcast day. BUT this Sunday we will have as fresh cooked meal and (hopefully) some Italian wine to brighten up the day!
23 days down, 16 to go! xoxo...
Dad and Dusty are in Chicago for their annual boys football/baseball trip, but this year Mom got to tag along. My guess is that during the planning phase they realized that this year's trip was close to Mom's birthday, so they decided to double-dip and call it a birthday present too...well done boys ;)
Anyways, things are still moving over here. I shipped Phil offshore on Friday morning and I'm trying to get Jimbo out of here sometime this week. I should also have all of my contractors demobilized by Saturday or Sunday, and my instrument and electrical folks are out of here next Tuesday. So by next week, I'll be the last one standing on the project and I'm expecting to be itching to get home (even more so that I already am). The good news is I'm over the halfway point, so I'm on the downhill slide of this rotation...
We are breaking out of camp this afternoon to head to Cabinda for a final team celebration with our contractors. I was hoping for a sunny Sunday so we could take advantage of the beach, but it looks like it's going to be a dreary, overcast day. BUT this Sunday we will have as fresh cooked meal and (hopefully) some Italian wine to brighten up the day!
23 days down, 16 to go! xoxo...
Sunday, September 13, 2015
labor
This week while everyone back home enjoyed a 4-day week celebrating labor day, we've been actually laboring. We are incredibly short-handed because our contractor has de-mobilized the majority of their staff, so I've been relying heavily on Phil and Jimbo to use their muscles. In typical Jimbo/Phil fashion, there is always complaining involved, so I've been trying to get out and help as much as I can. Sadly, installing piping and opening/closing valves has made me realize that I have basically zero upper-body strength and I would never survive as a pipe-fitter. On the plus side, even though I still feel a bit like Homer on all my instrument & electrical commissioning, I've got the mechanical stuff down...
Naturally, I was complaining about being sore/exhausted to Alanna and being the sweet friend she is, she said something along the lines of prove it. Conveniently one of my inspectors snapped some photos...
Back on the home-front...My parents and grabbed Nana and Papa and headed to Houston early Saturday morning to send Laurel and Jason off to South Korea. They decided to have a joint birthday (HBD Jason), anniversary (34 years for mom and pops) and bon voyage Johnson family get together. Anytime there is any sort of family function when I am at work, my mom does a great job of rapid-texting me pictures of what's happening. Usually the photos are one of 3 things: blurry, someone eating/mouth full, or surprised/caught off guard faces. In her defense, I know first hand that getting some of our family members to smile is like pulling teeth. Luckily, now we have Jason and Julie, and they are both always ready for a close up...
Last week I reluctantly agreed to let my amazing construction coordinator (coonass Phil) leave my portion of the project to go help out another contract that is shorthanded. He'll be heading offshore next week, and today is his last Sunday in camp which means there is a lot of prep work going on this morning for a big afternoon BBQ!
16 days down, 23 to go! xoxo...
Naturally, I was complaining about being sore/exhausted to Alanna and being the sweet friend she is, she said something along the lines of prove it. Conveniently one of my inspectors snapped some photos...
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| Alli I'll help you, but first let me take some photos... |
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| Typical response when I ask these two to do something. |
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| Typical text message that I wake up to post-family function....i love you mom! |
16 days down, 23 to go! xoxo...
Sunday, September 6, 2015
homer simpson
Week 1 - DONE. I always say the same thing about how time just flies and blah blah blah, and this week is no exception...
We have been so crazy busy starting commissioning on the project, and it's been one of those weeks where I just feel like I'm in way over my head. There have been so many times since I started my career that I have wished that I was an electrical engineer, and this is another one of those moments. When I talk about commissioning, I mean that we have finished construction, energized all of the equipment, and are starting to manipulate the electrically powered pieces of equipment to see if they are actually working. This involves sitting at the operations control panel and talking to folks in the field to make sure that all the programming in the system is matching what is wired up in the field. Most of the time I can participate in technical discussions and intelligently(ish) answer questions, but the rest of the time I just feel like Homer Simpson...
On the other hand "they" say that most technical management positions are filled by people who have a background civil engineering. But that's probably just because we aren't really that good at anything besides being organized, doing paperwork and delegating...
In other news, my sweet friend Jenna found out that her and her husband, Wesley, are expecting a baby GIRL this January! Now, for those of you that know Jenna, she's pretty much perfect and (of course) has had the easiest pregnancy to this point. Every time I talk to her I expect her to say something along the lines of "I can't stop puking" or "omg, this is awful" but all she ever has to say is "I feel totally fine!" I haven't seen her, but I'm sure that she just looks amazing....typical Jenna ;) Words cannot express how excited I am for them, and beyond that I am even more excited to see Wesley as a daddy to a little girl. Now we just wait and pray for her easy pregnancy to continue to give them a healthy baby!
Originally, I thought I would probably be onshore for just a few weeks, but the way things are going with commissioning (see Homer above), I'm thinking I may have to be here for my entire hitch. The good news is that my new back-to-back finally got his visa and arrived in camp yesterday. So since we are both here, he's going to start getting things organized while I finish up here. I'm taking full advantage of my last (really this time) few weeks onshore; including Sunday afternoon naps :)
We have been so crazy busy starting commissioning on the project, and it's been one of those weeks where I just feel like I'm in way over my head. There have been so many times since I started my career that I have wished that I was an electrical engineer, and this is another one of those moments. When I talk about commissioning, I mean that we have finished construction, energized all of the equipment, and are starting to manipulate the electrically powered pieces of equipment to see if they are actually working. This involves sitting at the operations control panel and talking to folks in the field to make sure that all the programming in the system is matching what is wired up in the field. Most of the time I can participate in technical discussions and intelligently(ish) answer questions, but the rest of the time I just feel like Homer Simpson...
In other news, my sweet friend Jenna found out that her and her husband, Wesley, are expecting a baby GIRL this January! Now, for those of you that know Jenna, she's pretty much perfect and (of course) has had the easiest pregnancy to this point. Every time I talk to her I expect her to say something along the lines of "I can't stop puking" or "omg, this is awful" but all she ever has to say is "I feel totally fine!" I haven't seen her, but I'm sure that she just looks amazing....typical Jenna ;) Words cannot express how excited I am for them, and beyond that I am even more excited to see Wesley as a daddy to a little girl. Now we just wait and pray for her easy pregnancy to continue to give them a healthy baby!
Originally, I thought I would probably be onshore for just a few weeks, but the way things are going with commissioning (see Homer above), I'm thinking I may have to be here for my entire hitch. The good news is that my new back-to-back finally got his visa and arrived in camp yesterday. So since we are both here, he's going to start getting things organized while I finish up here. I'm taking full advantage of my last (really this time) few weeks onshore; including Sunday afternoon naps :)
9 days down, 30 to go! xoxo...
Sunday, August 30, 2015
idaho'ed + sunsets
The good news is that I get to stay onshore for a least the next couple of weeks, the bad news is that my 28-day hitch has turned into a 39-days...
I had a verrrrrry lazy time off compared to jam-packed June, which was awesome and made me slightly stir-crazy at the same time. I found out that I need to get some new hobbies besides traveling. The problem is that all the hobbies that I have brainstormed either A. requires more than one person (ie. tennis, volleyball, etc) or B. requires follow up with I'm working (ie. gardening, guitar, piano, etc) . I think I've narrowed it down to becoming a professional yogi or getting back into running - or maybe sewing/knitting. One thing that I can to both on my off time and while I'm working is start studying for the Professional Engineers exam. The problem there is that I think I forgot how to study. Clearly, I've got some work to do.
Anyways, onto the recap of the last 4 weeks...I landed in Houston and headed straight to Jackson Hole, which I found out is actually just called Jackson and all those annoying tourists have morphed the name to Jackson Hole. Confusing. I met Alanna and Kory in Jackson for the night and then we began our annual pilgrimage to Challis, Idaho for one of the best music festivals around - Braun Brother's Reunion. I actually missed the last 2 years; one for Andrea's nursing school gradation (valid excuse) and the other because I was working (not as valid). Over the years, we have had several interesting experiences getting to and from Challis. Including driving 16-hours on a Sunday after 3 long days of sun, booze, and dance moves ...there's not much that the Rolow sisters and I won't do for a good time. This year did not disappoint...
After thoroughly wearing ourselves out, we got up first thing Sunday morning and headed back to Jackson and were Bakersfield bound. I spent the next week on Chad's couch, literally. I actually didn't leave the house until Wednesday, and that was only because Micky and the Motorcars and Reckless Kelly (yes, two bands that we had seen the weekend before) were playing in Bakersfield. Naturally, I needed to see them again. That weekend, Chad and I had talked about heading to the coast to get out of the Bakersfield heat for mini-vacay and lucky for us, the bands were heading that way to play at a mac n cheese festival. Naturally, we had to go making that 3 shows in 1 week - ridiculous, I know. We didn't just go eat pasta, drink wine, and dance we actually did quite a bit of hiking and sunset watching as well...
That Saturday I found out that my baby cousin (by 2-years) and her sweet husband are going to be moving to South Korea! Their planned move date is October 1st for an 11-month job assignment, and I am just so thrilled for them! However, that week it began to sink in that I wouldn't be able to say bye to Laurel and Jason before they move and I started getting sooo sad (aka super grouchy). I'm not sure if Chad just wanted to get rid of bad-mood bear or if he actually wanted to take a quick trip to Houston, but either way we booked a last minute trip to H-town to see the Browning's before they officially become expats. Even though Houston in mid-August isn't exactly a vacation destination, I am soooo glad that we got to spend time with our Houston family :)
I got back and headed straight to Ojai for a little girl's get away with Carrie. I haven't really gotten a chance to spend time with just Carrie since I left Bakersfield, so we planned to get out of town to catch up a few weeks ago. Shortly after arriving, we agreed that we needed to make the trip to Ojai Valley Inn and Spa and annual one. Everything about the resort was absolutely gorgeous...
I ended up having to come back to work a few days early to help take care of some issues, so my time off was a little short and I didn't get to go home as planned. BUT since I'm working 5(ish) weeks this hitch, I'll have an extra long time off :)
2 days down, 37 to go! xoxo...
I had a verrrrrry lazy time off compared to jam-packed June, which was awesome and made me slightly stir-crazy at the same time. I found out that I need to get some new hobbies besides traveling. The problem is that all the hobbies that I have brainstormed either A. requires more than one person (ie. tennis, volleyball, etc) or B. requires follow up with I'm working (ie. gardening, guitar, piano, etc) . I think I've narrowed it down to becoming a professional yogi or getting back into running - or maybe sewing/knitting. One thing that I can to both on my off time and while I'm working is start studying for the Professional Engineers exam. The problem there is that I think I forgot how to study. Clearly, I've got some work to do.
Anyways, onto the recap of the last 4 weeks...I landed in Houston and headed straight to Jackson Hole, which I found out is actually just called Jackson and all those annoying tourists have morphed the name to Jackson Hole. Confusing. I met Alanna and Kory in Jackson for the night and then we began our annual pilgrimage to Challis, Idaho for one of the best music festivals around - Braun Brother's Reunion. I actually missed the last 2 years; one for Andrea's nursing school gradation (valid excuse) and the other because I was working (not as valid). Over the years, we have had several interesting experiences getting to and from Challis. Including driving 16-hours on a Sunday after 3 long days of sun, booze, and dance moves ...there's not much that the Rolow sisters and I won't do for a good time. This year did not disappoint...
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| BBR! |
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| this one pretty accurately captures the group.. |
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| Shell Beach sunset |
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| Bishop's Peak Hike |
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| mac n cheese festival |
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| Avila sunset |
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| Newest addition to the Johnson clan...JAKE! |
I ended up having to come back to work a few days early to help take care of some issues, so my time off was a little short and I didn't get to go home as planned. BUT since I'm working 5(ish) weeks this hitch, I'll have an extra long time off :)
2 days down, 37 to go! xoxo...
Sunday, August 2, 2015
blue moon!
Another week in the books. I spent a few days on the water, got news that my days onshore aren't completely over, saw a blue moon, and today I plan on soaking up some fun - finally!
I met my new boss this weekend, and he supports me finishing up onshore commissioning before making the Camelot my permanent home. Meaning I'll get at least a few more days (or weeks) in Malongo before heading offshore next hitch - all good news :)
It's crazy how just about 36 hours on a boat can change your equilibrium so much. I got back onshore at around 4PM yesterday, and as I'm sitting at my computer this morning I still feel like I'm swaying back and forth. It's not enough to feel sick by any means, but I just still feel like I'm moving just a little bit. Glad I've got time to get used to this.
I've definitely got vacation on my brain! I'm heading straight to Jackson Hole when I get back on Wednesday for a long weekend with Alanna and I couldn't be more excited! Then I've got a few weeks in California with my babe ahead of me, so needless to say it's going to be tough to focus for the next day and a half ;)
26 days down, 2 to go! xoxo...
I met my new boss this weekend, and he supports me finishing up onshore commissioning before making the Camelot my permanent home. Meaning I'll get at least a few more days (or weeks) in Malongo before heading offshore next hitch - all good news :)
It's crazy how just about 36 hours on a boat can change your equilibrium so much. I got back onshore at around 4PM yesterday, and as I'm sitting at my computer this morning I still feel like I'm swaying back and forth. It's not enough to feel sick by any means, but I just still feel like I'm moving just a little bit. Glad I've got time to get used to this.
I've definitely got vacation on my brain! I'm heading straight to Jackson Hole when I get back on Wednesday for a long weekend with Alanna and I couldn't be more excited! Then I've got a few weeks in California with my babe ahead of me, so needless to say it's going to be tough to focus for the next day and a half ;)
26 days down, 2 to go! xoxo...
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| Blue moon from the helideck |
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