Monthly Archives: August 2013

Arrived in Deadhorse Monday afternoon. As you may know it is not a town as much as an oilfield on the Tundra next to the Arctic Circle. Weather 55 degrees, calm and sunny. No jacket needed. Met at Airstrip by Edith our safety director. Grab bags and jump in pickup truck and drive the 1/2 mile to our accommodations on beautiful Lake Colleen. Walk in door and get checked in in 1 1/2 minutes. Told I have room on first floor down hall on right. Enter room and notice room already occupied and full of someone elses stuff. Look at cork bulletin board and see

Posted In My Room In Deadhorse

Well until I get a permanent room, I am using one where other guy is home now. Room clean and has everything I need. Drop my stuff there and make walk back down to entrance area and hook up with Edith again to go to office. Up one flight of stairs which at the top is our office. That will be my commute to work. A one minute walk.

Meet everyone and crew seems to be a great bunch of people. Friendly, adventurous and laid back. Got a cubicle. Oh Oh…. a desk!! Never have had one. Begin what they tell me will make me want to jump out the window and into the lake. New hire training for both KFI, BP and Oilfield work. Lots and lots of documentation on procedures. Very ridged and detailed. Standard Military or NASA like stuff with lots of procedural checkpoints to accomplish any single task. Basically I work for an Engineering firm that is responsible for ensuring proper operation of all facilities Emergency Ventilation on Oilfield. This involves maintaining proper pressure between various parts of Facility to keep things stable, exhaust toxic air, and prevent a mishap from becoming disastrous. Very serious stuff. All team members are very professional and experienced. Edith call us her AARP crew. Most everyone is over fifty. Over the afternoon individually everyone has a one on one with me. Introduces themselves, informs me we are a team, share knowledge and experience, and have no cowboys. Watch, listen and definitely offer input. Same story from everyone. We are professionals and have each others back. So far so good. Miss my Vic though. Be home in seven days.

Spent Monday training in Anchorage for what to expect, safety and environment. Lesson be safe and do not disturb the wildlife or environment. Driving off road, even to avoid an animal is immediate grounds for dismissal. Drive slow, look and be aware. If stopped for say a Caribou herd, and you leave the vehicle to take a picture, and one of them turns there head because they noticed you, is considered harassing the wildlife, and grounds for being written up or worse. If a fox corners you, you cannot shoo it away. It is my responsibility to be aware of my surroundings and make sure I will not be cornered. This sounds extreme, but I am sure happens. Point is to not alter the environment (Prime Directive). It was made very clear to us we are only guests in this habitat and are to do everything possible to minimize impact. We are responsible and will be held accountable for our actions as individuals and Black Booked off of Slope for gross negligence.

When I left on Sunday I had to spend 6 1/2 hrs on the plane, which left me lots of time to reflect. I am entering into a whole new lifestyle and career. Since taking this job Vicki has been very supportive, but I could see, and sense her discomfort. I reassured her this will not be that bad and could greatly improve things. Time will tell. Well during that time on the plane my anxiety grew and I was thinking what the hell have I done!! I am leaving my wife of 25+ years alone for 16 days!! To clarify my schedule, it is not exactly two weeks on, two weeks off. I will be gone for 16 days, and at home for twelve. Two of the 16 are travel days. With that in mind, I realize I am gone away for more than I am home, and my anxiety starts to rise. What have I done and why? Why?

Well I was burning out on my current job and it was affecting me greatly both emotionally and physically. I used to be busy writing HVAC programs for building systems that stirred my brain and creativity. I thrived and excelled at this and looked forward to my work. Rare for most people. My job was not work, but something that kept my brain alive. Well over the last 3+ years the work dried up and the future for me to do what I enjoyed was evaporating. My brain was dying and dragging me down. I was becoming depressed and it was affecting our (me and Vic) quality of life.  As the plane approached the Prince William Sound, I saw through the plane windows, three Glaciers spilling out into the Sound. I could feel my anxiety leaving. My brain it seemed, began to breath in fresh air. The sight of the magnificent, brightly glistening, blue glaciers stirred me. This new job is going to be for the better. I can once again become the person I was. My new job, experiences, and responsibilities intrigue me. Thus allowing me to be recharged and maximizing my time at home with my beautiful wife. Love you Vic!!

Many of you have arrived here after receiving my email with this link. This is a way for me to let people know about my new experiences and post pictures. Feel free to post comments, questions, and thoughts as you like. Hope this Blog improves and grows over time as I learn “How To”.

Just starting the packing for tomorrows departure for Anchorage just after noon. Have Nicole over tonight for our annual Block Party. Got to go. Will post soon