Wednesday, September 26, 2007

oh yeah, im back

So yeah, I was on vacation last week and the last half of the week before that. I'm back now. I got back into town on Sunday and the next day, I was off on another nice, long drive for week. This circuit drive was only 390 miles and I was by myself which is actually advantageous in certain ways.

Right now, I'm racking my brain trying to remember what I was thinking about this morning. It was definitely blog-worthy (which is an admittedly pretty low standard) but something light and clever and a good way to get back into the blogging mood. Alas, I cannot remember now.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

safety dance!

This morning, I heard one of the greatest songs ever on the radio. The best part is that it's been referenced not once, but twice on The Simpsons. That song was an instant classic when I first heard it in college. Much like this song.

Saturday, September 08, 2007

lots of driving

The only time I ever drove more in a single day than I did today was when I originally moved to Farmington. On the first day of my two-day drive out here, I covered about 700 miles in what was or less a car of my choice. That was a painful drive. Today, I drove 556 miles in a one ton pick-up. This was much more draining.

As one might expect, the trip started at our yard in Farmington and we ventured to a field near Basin, CO to pick up a truck that can carry some equipment and use it to pick up some equipment. From there we jumped to another rig to drop off a piece of equipment. Not surprisingly, we picked up another piece of equipment nearby and moved it to yet another rig. Then, we moved the truck back to close to where we originally picked it up at. And of course, we came home when it was all said and done. Mostly done, not a lot said.

Monday, September 03, 2007

ambition, maybe

While I was in Houston, I was asked the expected questions about how I liked Farmington, what I wanted to do next, where I might be willing to go, what I found interesting and challenging, etc. Basically, questions designed to elicit answers from me that would enable the powers that be to find a suitable role and location to put me into next. In many ways, the questions were a lot like the ones relatives ask you at big family dinners when everyone gets together and catches up on major life events. Essentially, the questions were a roundabout way to ask what do you want to do with your life, but framed in the context of working here.

I've answered these questions a few times now and my answers are the same but not all that specific. I want a challenge, worthwhile work, a sense of contributing, something new-ish, and to not be in Farmington. Additionally, I don't care that much about money (beyond achieving a certain standard of living which I currently have) or internal or external recognition (since I want my work to be validating on its own). When it comes to specific job roles that are most common for people in my position to enter into, most of them don't interest me. I can tell that my somewhat non-specific answers about specific job roles aren't received with enthusiasm, but I'm not about to lie and then end up doing something I don't like, but that personnel and management think is a great fit because I already professed interest in it.

As I've thought more about the issues at hand, I've come to realize that (at least right now) I may not have any ambition. Now, don't take this the wrong way. Perhaps a better way to phrase that might be that I have no desire to appear to have ambition. Well, that just sounds confusing. Essentially, I don't care about power or glory. I want to do my job well and find it fulfilling, but I'm not interested in holding power over other people or winning awards or some such things. The analogy (which is woefully inadequate) is that I'm like a loaded weapon. I don't really know what direction to go in, but point me somewhere and I can be your man. But if what I find myself doing both sucks and doesn't teach me enough about something (anything!), then I'll probably be gone pretty quickly. I've already done the job that has what we'll euphemistically call character-building days and I've had enough of them. I'm sure I could use plenty more tough-lesson days, but their value with be much greater if they occurred in a different context than the one I'm presently in.

In a nutshell, I want good ideas that I have to be adopted because they are good. Not because they are mine, but because they are the best ideas. Basically, I want people to admit when I am right, not by telling me I'm right, but by doing something that shows I am right. Perhaps that makes me more ambitious than I think. Persuading people to adopt your ideas and plans is never easy. In fact, if it means significant changes to the status quo, it's nearly impossible. But shaking things up is fun. And challenging. And fulfilling.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

same shirt

I haven't even watched much US Open, but I've already seen four different men wearing this shirt. In fact, I think I saw that annoying Spanish player in the yellow version. And it looks like I'm right.

Saturday, September 01, 2007

tire blow out, almost

I had a little more fun than I cared for yesterday. I went out to the field to pick up a truck with someone. We were on our way in when I heard a loud noise and then the pick-up started to shake violently. I let off the gas and coasted for a moment and then started braking when I knew I still had control of the pick-up. I checked my mirrors and could see pieces of tire behind me and I thought I had blown a tire. Sort of. When I got out to check the tire, it was still on the rim and still inflated. Unfortunately, the tire was missing the tread from about half of its surface. It was down to just the steel belts. It looked like the tread simply separated from the tire and did a nice number on the fender as it left the vehicle. I knew new tires were in the not-too-distant future for the pick-up, but I had been keeping more of an eye on some slightly uneven wear on the front tires. This is as good an excuse as any to simply get new tires for the pick-up all the way around. I thought I would have them today, but apparently the tire place we work with doesn't stock what I think is a very common tire size for field pick-ups. They had only one BF Goodrich Mud Terrain 265/75R16 in stock. People don't buy tires one at a time! Well, some people do, but they really shouldn't.