79. Find Meaningful Employment in Houston

I don't feel I can officially cross this task of my list of things to do until the current contract I have with Chevron is extended at the end of March/April (however at this point all things are leading to a positive conclusion on this topic) however I wanted to write a quick post to keep everyone updated on what I've been up to...

I've spent the last week in Midland, Texas -which has got to be the closest thing to an official oil town that I've ever seen! The area is basically the birthplace of oil in Texas (Discovered in the Permian Basin in 1923) and there is literally no other industry here except for those companies that support petroleum production!! Anywho its been a very informative and educational week, both in regard to learning the drilling and completions process of oil wells as well as more of a cultural education on what Texans are truly like - it involves pickup trucks, mexican food, sweet tea, dr pepper and country music y'all!!

Out and about on HP281 - Drilling ahead!

Location of the Rig - Winkler County, Texas

Im really enjoying my time with Drilling and Completions and have my fingers crossed it turns into something more permanent.. something I can really get my teeth into... And its wonderful to finally get some insight into Pauls industry and the type of work he does (after all I deal with Drill Site Managers now on a daily basis!) tell you what though... Paul better watch out... I'm getting uesd to all these super sweet, amazingly well mannered Texan Boys :D

49. My two new words

I've been stranded in Midland, Texas for two days now - and its cold, windy and a complete oil town! But in honour of my time in central Texas and receiving my cultural indoctrination I've decided its only fair for my two words this week to be classic Texan drawl... after all gotta assimilate to be accepted :D

Fixing'ta or Fixing to : About to do something, or get something done. Getting ready to do something. Example 'I'm fixing to go to the store'

Y'all : contradiction or informal form of the phrase 'you all' and is pronounced as one syllable ('yawl' or 'yu-awl'). It is used as a plueral second-person pronoun. Example ' Y'all can come round at 10

Oh and I have to include this!! During my training session in Midland this week I also learnt a new analogy which im guessing is an American thing... let me introduce you to the chicken and the pig (which afforded lots of laughing, in my direction when I wenth 'huh' during the training... the chicken and the pig went to breakfast... the chicken was involved but the pig was commited... can you figure it out?!?!?!

49. My Two words of the Week

Yup you guessed it... In honor of the new job, my two words this week are still oily in nature... hey if I've got to learn them for work I may as well kill two birds with one stone!!

Packer

A production packer is a standard component of the completion hardware of oil or gas wells used to provide a seal between the outside of the production tubing and the inside of the casing, liner, or wellbore wall. Based on its primary use, packers can be divided into two main categories: production packers and service packers. Production packers are those that remain in the well during well production. Service packers are used temporarily during well service activities such as cement squeezing, acidizing, fracturing and well testing.

AND

Elevators

Elevators, as developed for the drilling industry, is a hinged device with handles that are used to wrap around the tool joint of drill pipe, casing or lift nipples (for collars) to facilitate the lifting or lowering of them singly or of the drill string as a whole.

91. Read and review 100 books (2/100) People of the Book, Geraldine Brooks

‘People of the Book crosses continents and centuries to bring stories of hope amidst darkness, compassion amidst cruelty, all bound together by the discoveries made by a young Australia woman restoring an ancient Hebrew book.

When Hanna Heath gets a call in the middle of the night in her Sydney home about a precious medieval manuscript that has been recovered from the smouldering ruins of war-torn Sarajevo, she knows she is on the brink of the experience of a lifetime. A renowned book conservator, she must now make her way to Bosnia to start work on restoring the Sarajevo Haggadah – a Jewish prayer book – to discover its secrets and piece together the story of its miraculous survival. Bit the trip will also set in motion a series of events that threaten to rock Hanna’s orderly life, including her encounter with Ozren Karamen, the young librarian who risked his life to save the book’

The title of this novel encapsulates the theme behind the story perfectly – it many tales intricately woven into the main story to explain the history of the Haggadah and the many people who risked their lives to keep it safe. The penultimate message is about how diverse cultures influence and enrich one another as Jews, Muslims and Catholics  each fight to keep the Haggadah and its history safe. It didn't grab my attention right off the bat however the story was intriguing enough to keep me coming back for more as apposed to just placing the book back in the book-shelf during a very busy time in my life - I enjoyed the story, although i didnt find it riveting.. the message is relevant to today!!

86. Send a birthday card snail mail to every member of my immediate family for a year (2/10)

My two gorgeous little nephews, born 3 days apart are first off the chopping block for this task being January and February babies. Jayden, the eldest, will be 6 in the coming days and his little, somewhat insane and crazy little brother will be turning 4 a couple of days later... wow, when did these little cuties get so old?!?! Is it just me or does time really really fly!!! I guess the saying really is true, you really do notice the passage of time through the old and the young...

Meeting my first  little bubba nephew Jayden Ryan Keneally, 6 years ago.. seems like yesterday!! (2004)

My second little man - who joined us 2 year later... Wade James Keneally (2006) 

My two little rat bags - today! (Looking very impressed.. as usual!) 

So with birthdays in the near future its time to send birthday cards to fufill this part of the challenge... I had to be well prepared as of course the boys aren't quite to the point of understanding that Aunty Bee and Uncle Paul live in America SO I had to have the birthday cash saved and in reserve on the last trip back to Oz (for the wedding)... But at least I got to pick some super cute cards at home in H-Town :D

Jayden and Wade's birthday cards 2010!

I especially love the inside of Jayden's card - I guess as the boys get older they begin to understand more and more it starts to opens an entire new world of opportunity!!

The inside of Jayden's birthday card - Monster Mash!! 

Happy birthday my dear boys - you make your Aunty Bee feel older and older every year that passes.. and they do seem to pass waaaay to quickly!!! xxx

49. My Two new words of the week...

In honour of the new job... both my words this week are drilling related.. boring for you I know, but I have to learn them!!!

wireline

1.  adj.  [Formation Evaluation]

ID: 2967

Related to any aspect of logging that employs an electrical cable to lower tools into the borehole and to transmit data. Wireline logging is distinct from measurements-while-drilling (MWD) and mud logging.

2.  n.  [Well Workover and Intervention]

ID: 4827

A general term used to describe well-intervention operations conducted using single-strand or multistrand wire or cable for intervention in oil or gas wells. Although applied inconsistently, the term commonly is used in association with electric logging and cables incorporating electrical conductors. Similarly, the term slickline is commonly used to differentiate operations performed with single-strand wire or braided lines.

AND

Snubbing

The act of putting drillpipe into the wellbore when the blowout preventers (BOPs) are closed andpressure is contained in the well. Snubbing is necessary when a kick is taken, since well kill operations should always be conducted with the drillstring on bottom, and not somewhere up the wellbore. If only the annular BOP has been closed, the drillpipe may be slowly and carefully lowered into the wellbore, and the BOP itself will open slightly to permit the larger diameter tool joints to pass through. If the well has been closed with the use of ram BOPs, the tool joints will not pass by the closed ram element. Hence, while keeping the well closed with either another ram BOP or the annular BOP, the ram must be opened manually, then the pipe lowered until the tool joint is just below the ram, and then closing the ram again. This procedure is repeated whenever a tool joint must pass by a ram BOP. In snubbing operations, the pressure in the wellbore acting on the cross-sectional area of the tubular can exert sufficient force to overcome the weight of the drillstring, so the string must be pushed (or "snubbed") back into the wellbore. In ordinary stripping operations, the pipe falls into the wellbore under its own weight, and no additional downward force or pushing is required. 

79. Find meaningful employment in Houston

Oh scary of most scary things... after months and months of sitting at home being a trailing spouse and housewife... almost 18 months in fact, I am heading back to work tomorrow, albeit not in a permanent capacity at this point and therefore I don't feel I have the right to cross off this task!! Scarily, thought the job is in a foreign country and in an industry that I have no experience in... unless you count listening to the hubby talk continuously about his job as experience ;) Yup tomorrow I start a contract HES consultant role with Chevron's Drilling and Completions division... wish me luck... hopefully it turns into something more permanent and hopefully I enjoy it!!

The Sky Ring between 1500 Louisiana St and 1400 Smith Street - the two Chevron 'Towers' which coincidentally used to be the Enron Buildings... I'll be based in the Smith Street building.. 2 floors down from where Paul's office would be, if he was an office worker! 

77. Get married to my wonderful fiance

Ok I know that I officially crossed this task off my list of things to achieve months ago (we've in fact been married now for 10 weeks now... pity the hubby has been AWOL for 5 of those weeks!! LOL) but I just had to share some of the professional shots we got back from our amazingly talented photographer Samm Blake... she captured the beauty and emotion of the day so wonderfully and I am eternally grateful to her! The hardest part is going to be deciding which shots are going to grace the album!! 

Enjoying a calming glass of Veuve with mum before heading out the door to get hitched

Mazel Tov! Paul completing the 'Smash and Grab' He couldn't remember the sequence of smashing the glass and then kissing the bride until Lyle, one of his groomsmen broke it down into simple terms -  'It's a smash and grab'

Married!! One of my favourite shots!

Samm you are amazing! Such a wistful shot! Who knew we could be so photogenic! 

Love the veil in this pic! Once again it creates a really wistful image

How lucky am I? I found the perfect man to spend my life with and I have the most perfect photos of the wonderful day we officially became husband and wife... sigh! 

44. Learn how to cook 10 traditional American dishes (2/10) - Tailgate Chili

Ah does it get more authentically Texan than Chili? I would argue yes (fajitas, bar-b-que , chicken fried steak) however I would officially be WRONG! Would you believe that the Texas Legislature officially proclaimed chili as the official ‘state food’ of Texas in 1977 ‘in recognition of the fact that the only real ‘bowl of red’ is that prepared by Texans’ so I guess I’m overruled! So in honor of my adopted state I decided it was time to make chili, (the negative temperatures may of influenced my decision a little as well) however it is interesting to note that the addition of beans in chili is controversial at best in Texas as ‘If you know beans about chili, you know chili ain’t got no beans’ – if you’re a Texan chili purist you don’t add beans but I just had to… for nutritional value!!

Tailgate Chili

Ingredients

1kg mince beef

500g Italian sausage

3 cans chili beans, drained

1 can chili beans in spicy sauce

1 6 ounce can tomato paste

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 large green capsicum, chopped

1 large red capsicum, chopped

2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped

3 pieces Canadian bacon, cooked and chopped

4 beef stock cubes

1 375ml bottle of beer

¼ cup of chili powder

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 tsps ground cumin

2 tsps Tobasco

1 tsps dried basil

1 tsp salt

1 tsps ground black pepper

1 tsps paprika

1 tsps white sugar

All the ingredients for the Chili - I like to use a rich beer like an American Amber for added flavour (Love Breckenridge Brewery Avalanche Ale) and I buy my tomatoes with the green chilli already added in... less chopping!! 

Directions

Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage and the bacon, remove from pan and chop into small pieces. Crumble the ground beef (mince) into the hot pan and add the sausage. Cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess fat and liquid.

All the mincy sausagey goodness ready for the next step

Pour in the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomato and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red capsicum, chile peppers, bacon bits, stock cubes and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, Tabasco, basil, salt, peper, cayenne, paprika and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over a low heat for at least two hours, stirring occasionally. 

Having added all the ingredients the next step is to wait... perhaps with a nice Avalanche Ale??

After 2 hours, taste and adjust the salt, pepper and chili powder as required and allow to simmer for another hour - remember the long the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and refrigerate for eating the next day (again it will intensify the taste!)

Ready to be thrown in the fridge overnight to intensify the flavour

Serve the chili with corn chips, a sprinkling of cheese and sour cream - Texans call this a Frito Pie (Frito-Lay is the brand of corn chips traditionally used) or scoop out a twice baked potato and replace the filling with chili. Perfect comfort food on a cold and chilly evening!! 

Bon Apettite!!

49. My Two new words of the week...

panacea

  \pan-uh-SEE-uh\ , noun;

1.

A remedy for all diseases, problems, or evils; a universal medicine; a cure-all.

AND

surreptitious

  \suhr-uhp-TISH-uhs; suh-rep-\ , adjective;

1.

Done, made, or gotten by stealth.

2.

Acting with or marked by stealth.

37. Learn Photography

Ok well I admit that at this point I still most definitely cannot tick this task of my list and probably wont be able to for quite a while yet however I'm happy to report that this weekend I did move one step closer to fulfilling my life long ambition of taking my love of photography to the next level with the purchase or rather order of an SLR digital camera!! 

After getting the go ahead from Paul through the use of an IOU one birthday present note I started my research - who knew there where so many different camera out there?!?!? I was torn for quite a while between Canon and Nikon but after much soul searching and honest personal contemplation as to why I actually wanted a SLR and of course continual reference to a photography terminology guide I am now the very happy owner of a Nikon D90 http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Digital-SLR/25446/D90.html

My very soon to be most favourite toy - the Nikon D90 

What made me decide on the Nikon D90 in the end? Well its a prosumer level camera meaning it straddles the divide between a professional and a consumer camera giving it additional professional features, better lenses and more control over exposures than a consumer camera without the professional price tag (after all lets face it, yes I would love a Nikon D700 but would it really be worth the $2700 price tag?? And thats before you even start thinking about lenses!!). So in the end it means the D90 is going to keep me happier for longer and will allow me to 'grow into it' rather than having to upgrade once I find my feet. 

Best bit of all was that I got an awesome deal for it via Amazon... hey who doesn't love Amazon?? Free 2 day shipping, no sales tax and fantastic every day deals!! The hardest thing now is going to be not opening that little Amazon box that will soon be calling my name so temptingly until Paul gets home from his rig float (no fair *pout* but I guess it was part of the terms and conditions of the IOU.. thats right my birthday gifts come with terms and conditions LOL)

So I guess the next step will be signing up to a course with the Houston Community College or Leisure Learning Unlimited so I can figure out what all these cool buttons actually do and take advantage of my new baby.... bring on the squirrel photos!!! 

61. Go cave tubing and spelunking in Belize

**Im sorry, this isn't actually a new post but instead is the splitting of a previous post about visiting a Mayan site of significance... I accidentally combined two tasks into one post.. so without further ado, since I am detail orientated (just ask my husband) I have decided to split the two posts... 

Actun Tunichil Muknal (The Cave of the Crystal Maiden) - Belize

ATM cave is a notable Maya archaeological site and one of the top 10 cave experiences in the world (so says NSS) that includes ceremonial ceramics, stoneware and human remains, including ‘the Crystal Maiden’, the intact calcified skeleton of a teenage girl who was most likely a sacrificial ‘victim’.

The tour involved a 45 minute hike through the jungle of the Mountain Tapir Reserve with our experienced guide who educated us on traditional medicine and jungle food and who had recently had the ‘pleasure’ of escorting Bear Grylls, the poser from Man VS Wild and Andrew Zimmern from the Travel Channel Bizarre World… lets just say I had a different image of both shows after our discussions!!! The hike in was a lot of fun, we completed three different river crossings and Paul got to swing a machete at a latex tree and I got to eat a live termite… taste just like carrots!! After having a bite to eat and receiving our briefing on the geology of the cave and Mayan culture including why the Mayans would go into caves and perform ceremonies, we strapped ourselves into our helmets and headlamps and proceeded to swim across the icy cold pool of water and into the entrance of the cave.

The entrance to ATM cave

The rest of the trek into the main cavern required us to hike ‘in’ and ‘out’ of water, while climbing over, around and through rocks, caverns and stalactite/stalagmite formations. When we finally reached the ‘dry chamber’ we proceeded to doff our footwear (sans socks) so we could walk around and view the priceless artifacts including the crystal maiden... as a side note just after we entered the dry chamber, the tight dark spaces began to get the better of one of the members of our group and our tour guide had to leave us with another group so he could escort her out... ended up being a bonus for us as once we arrived at the skeleton of the crystal maiden our new guide ushered Paul and I over the barrier ropes and into the actual exhibit itself to provide the room for his tour group to also be in the space... therefore we got some awesome photos, from an extremely close distance and from an angle the average person never gets to see!!

'The Crystal Maiden' for whom the Cave is named after.

An awesome experience I would highly recommend to anyone travelling to Belize... as long as you're not claustrophobic!!!