It's A Small World, After All

You know what I love about the oilfield?

The thing I love the very most?

The fact that you can meet someone for the very first time, and within minutes, find out that you have about twenty mutual friends.

And those mutual friends are good friends, that both of you have known all your lives.

And still, you’ve never met each other, and pretty much, have lived in other states most of your lives.

Talk about 6 degrees from Kevin Bacon.

It’s a small world out there.

And we’re all connected.  And what we do, matters.  

It really does.

Think about that as you go through your day today, wherever you are, and whatever you do.

What you do matters.  So go love on somebody today, will ya?

Sunset at Seminole, Texas - Pumping Unit - Photo by Janie Snelson

You Really Can't Live Well Without Us...

(another repost from my old blog)


You know, the energy industry is either boom or bust, feast or famine. I’ve been doing what I do for 25+ years, and I don’t think we’ve had a time when we could just “cruise.” To top it off, media hates the oil and gas industry. All they can talk about is the price of a gallon of gas...something that is regulated by many different things. Sometimes, it’s wearing to be in a field that is always in the negative limelight.

I go places (outside the oilfield), and people ask what I do. When I tell them, they frown. And then, tell me, “You are EVIL.” I’m always nice, but inside, I want to scream, “Do you know you really can’t live well without us?” So, I decided I’d show you a little bit about my industry. It is, after all, an industry that I dearly love. And who knows, maybe you'll see it a little differently after today.

Way past the basics of energy for your house, and gas for your vehicle (car enamel, dashboards, antifreeze, safety glass for that front window, additives, oil, tires and fan belts, etc.), there are some of the menial things essential to living well that you utilize every day... and they all are derived in some form or fashion from the oil and gas industry.

Got an IPod? iPhone? The casing is plastic. Plastic is made from...wait for it...petroleum.
What about that laptop or desktop? iPad? Tablet? Sweet. Oilfield, baby.
Cameras for those great picture moments? For sure, oil.
Play a guitar? What makes up your strings? Oil. Oh, yeah, baby, sing it. Right through those speakers. That, by the way, are also made from a petroleum product.

Wear makeup? Most makeup has a petroleum base.
Perfume? Eyeglasses? Even your soft contact lenses? Oil, baby.
Seal it with a kiss...because your favorite lipstick probably is made from petroleum.
Need cold cream to take that lipstick off? Thank the oilfield.
How about nail polish? Oil. Don’t like the color, need nail polish remover? Oil.

Does your kiddo draw with crayons? Yup. Oilfield.
Play with Legos? Oilfield. Model cars, trains, planes? Oil and gas, baby.
Baby dolls, trucks, trikes and bikes? Oil.
Huggies? Luvs? Passies? Made from oil...to help you take care of that precious baby. And when you put him or her in that life-saving carseat? Rest assured, it’s made from Oil.

Are all your clothes white? Or that unbleached fabric? Because if they have any color to them at all, the dye has some petroleum product in it. Speaking of clothes, the detergent you wash them with - is a petroleum product.
Go fishing? Fishing rods, line, nets, boots, lures, life jackets, oars. Cooler. Water skis. Wakeboards. Tow rope. Fishing BOAT, for God’s sake. All petroleum based.
Shower curtain? Shampoo? Hand Lotion? Oil and gas. Again.

How about that cellphone? Coffeemaker? Those cool little appliances that help you make it through the day, from drying your hair to making a grilled cheese? And do you play those old LPs or CD’s throughout the day? All petroleum based.
.
Scotch Tape? Electrical tape? Duct tape? Glue? Paint brushes? Paint rollers?
Bicycle/motorcycle helmets? Trash bags? All that, and more are made from oil.

Do you use a toilet seat? Yeah. Seriously. You’re sitting on oil, baby.
How about those credit/debit cards? P.l.a.s.t.i.c. - made from o.i.l.

Are you a golfer? You couldn’t be without those little white balls! Petroleum. Shooter? Parts of your gun are made from oil. Tennis player? Rugby? Any sport known to man? I bet the oil and gas industry has some part in it.

Wax your floor? Yup. Is it linoleum? Yup again. Use a mop? Burn a candle? Oil.
How about when you write a check? Use a ballpoint pen? Oil.

What if you fall and get a booboo? Need a bandage? Oh, yeah, honey, it’ll get better with oil. Are you diabetic and need insulin injections? The syringes...are made from oil.
Take antihistamines? Aspirin? Cortisone? Wear dentures? Use a toothbrush, comb, brush, hair curlers? Glycerin, insect repellant? Gotcha. All made from Oil.

Anyone been in the hospital lately? The shunt they put in your arm to start an IV---oilfield. The Christmas tree contraption they add to that so you can get 4 different meds by 4 different delivery systems – made from oil, and the technology came from the oilpatch.

And what about the very process of running a camera into an artery? That process originated in the oilfield, as well, if I’m not mistaken. These and numerous other medical advances were fueled by the injection of oilfield workers into another field, bringing their knowledge and can-do with them.

I could go on and on, forever. But I’ll leave you with this: When your future’s so bright you gotta wear shades, remember this -  you wouldn’t be sporting that badass bling without the oil and gas industry. So next time you see your favorite oilfield worker, don’t trash them. Give them a hug.

And maybe even a pair of those bling bling shades. 

Q&A From Texas Red (rerun)

This is a repost from 2009…I thought it was pretty cool, so I'm going to reshare...

Texas Red flung an interview upon me. So, here goes the answers to her questions. And man. She went a little deeper than the most!

Her questions (and my answers) are as follows:

(1) When and why did you join the oilfield industry? Well. Hmmm. I didn’t join with any set purpose – kind of hard to believe now, huh? Oil and gas is a major industry in West Texas. I was raised an oilfield brat. And when a job came available as an office manager, I took the job. My son was 2 years old…so that was 26 years ago! My, how time flies when you’re having fun! I soon was promoted to sales, and promoted, and promoted and here I is. Even in it’s worst cyclical nightmare, I love the oilfield. It’s never boring, always changing, and full of awesome people.

(2) What does your typical weekday look like---posting on the blog; lots of phone calls; meetings; travel in the field, etc.?Mondays, I drop breakfast by a customer’s office by 7 a.m., then spend most of the morning on conference calls with my staff and fellow coworkers…starting at 9am, it’s the sales call; morphing into the 10 am accounts receivable call. Meanwhile, my friend Daniel comes and steals LaToya the Sequoia for her weekly carwash. Some Mondays, I’ll then go meet another oilfield salesperson at Starbucks to trade opportunities and information (that’s how this patch works, it’s all about networking.) At 11:30, I’ll be at a customer’s office to pick them up for lunch. After lunch, I spend most of the afternoon collecting invoices, fielding calls from consultants, making sales appointments for the rest of the week, and making sales calls. I leave the office around 6-6:30 p.m., and head to the house to free Zack the WonderDog from the confines of the backyard. Then we grab something to eat, do some laundry, and if I’m lucky, I’ll spend time reading blogs. And every once in a while, writing something of content and purpose. If I'm really motivated, I'll post ahead a couple of days. Tuesdays look totally different, but that’ll save for another Q&A session, right?

(3) What would you recommend for non-hunters trying to learn about/appreciate the sport? Go with someone! Tag along. Observe the hunter, preparing, planning. A hunter is patience personified. Watch the dogs work – it is a fine dance, one that becomes a finely executed ballet when the hunter works with his dog. It's beautiful. Learn to shoot, and connect with times of old – when hunting was an absolute must, in order to live. Hunting gets you “out” – out in the open, sunshine, cold, whatever. Know that it’s a glorious thing to be outside, in the wild, with the wild, and watching a fine dog do his work to his best ability. Watch TV shows. Learn about whichever hunting sport most intrigues you, and go to it! There are classes and hunters all around you, I promise. They may be quiet, but they’re there. And almost every hunter I’ve know has an excellence about them…a love for wildlife, and for the cycle of life. You’ll see. And you’re welcome to go with me, anytime. Any of y’all are welcome to go. Just tell me you want to, and it’ll be A. Done. Deal.

(4) What do you love most about West Texas? Lord, girl. The sunsets. The people. The weather and its inherent insanity. The oilfield. The farmers. Stock shows and rodeos. Blue skies. Pumpjacks on the horizon. Oil rigs, lit up like Christmas trees, when I'm landing on the flight from anywhere at Midland International Airport. But mostly, it's the people I love. The people are great, no matter their race, religion, or gender. I love the “try” in people…they just will not give up, and they are bound and determined to make their way in this beautiful desert land that is the frontier of West Texas. I’m one of them. There are a million awesome things about West Texas. Balmorhea. Goldsmith. Ft. Davis. Alpine. Midland. Stanton. Big Spring. Odessa. Forsan. Kermit. Coahoma. Each of them has their own drawing points. Okay, enough about the towns. But wait, one more thing about the West Texas towns…the best thing is they are all great places to raise your children. How about the colleges? Did you know most every child that graduates in Midland/Odessa has the chance to go to college for free with a little community service? Are we blessed, or what? Back to what I love most about West Texas, I cannot forget Scenic Mountain in Big Spring…I have cried my heart out on that mountain. When I was younger, and lived there…and after I moved to Midland, I would drive over. And when I came to the Lord, cried out, screamed, ranted to Him many times on Scenic Mountain. And He heard my cries. And then, I worshipped. It’s a special place to me., and to many others, as well. Go pay your $2 and check it out. There’s something awesome about that State Park…

(5) What was your motivation for starting this blog? I read blogs for about a year. And commented. Before that, I wrote stories about my life experiences, i.e., vacations with the boys, a work experience, something that happened with my mom, and would send these stories via e-mail to my customers. They loved them! They encouraged me to write, to try to publish. And though I’ve not yet gone that far, I won’t forget my first try at blogging. I loved, and love, the comraderie and friends I’ve made through blogging. If I were to stop writing tomorrow, I’d still stay in touch with my blog buddies. You and they are all part of my family now, if that makes any sense. So, in essence, I started for myself – but I stay, 

because of y’all.

Hope you enjoyed that. If anyone else has any questions, please feel free to contact me. Like I said before, "I ain'ta skeered!" You may be bored to death, but I'll try to answer.

Creativity For Hire

We have a referral bonus drive going on at work.

For example, if I refer a person, and they make it through the gauntlet and actually get hired, I get a bonus.

So I did.

Refer a person.

And they got hired.

I’ve received notification, however, that I’m not going to get the bonus.  Because the person that we hired forgot to put my name in the online application form.

I appealed their decision.  Utilizing the logic that (1) the online app is hard and (2) not everyone is going to be able to 1-2-3 navigate that thing as easily as they suppose.

And then, like a good neighbor, I substantiated my claim via PrintScreen.

You see, the person had contacted me after hours, and I didn’t have my computer on me to walk them through “the process.”  

So, I did it via my iPhone, on Facebook Chat.  1-2-3, every step. Included the job website. Told the person exactly what to do.

Oh, yes, I did.

And I had every one of the messages in my FB archive, thankfully, though through zero prior planning on my part.  (Thank you, Facebook!)  And I also happen to have the Print Screen function on my work computer (Thank you, Dell).  And I also happen to know how to copy, paste into an email.  (Thank you, me.)

I ran into the head HR person, in from Houston, yesterday.  She looked at me, and grinned and we laughed about it.  It was the first FB referral she’d seen. 

I said, “Awww, c’mon. You don’t expect someone like me to follow the rules verbatim, do you?  Little Miss Think Outside the Box?”

She told me she was going to have to take it to a higher power.

I thought, “I already did.  God gave me the wisdom to do the Print Screen.  And, send the text to y'all.”

But, I just smiled.

Because, you know....it’s never boring around here.

Taking Time to Grieve

Last night, I called to check on one of my young friends.  She had suffered a tremendous loss recently - her boyfriend had passed away unexpectedly, due to a medical complication.

And they were in love.  Their relationship was somewhat complicated by distance - he lived in Houston, she on the other side of the country...but they made it work.

A young person’s death is always a shock.  It seems so out of time, for a young person to be there one day, and gone the next.  I knew this young man professionally, and we had worked together in a professional industry organization. He was a young man of much excellence and promise, and had just accepted an overseas assignment in the oil industry.

I was pleasantly surprised to hear that my friend was in town, and we quickly arranged to meet at the local Starbucks.  When I saw her, we just hugged.  She’s such a beautiful, sweet lady - my heart is breaking for her.

We talked for a bit, and she downloaded some of the ups and downs of her past days.  She is such a pillar of strength, and had helped the young man’s family in so many ways.  I was glad she had come back home from the services to be in the arms of her family.

As she enjoyed her hot chocolate and I, my chai tea, the funny stories started coming out.  This girlie has such a fun, quirky sense of humor, and it seems that our friend really appreciated that side of her.  

I laughed and laughed as one story tumbled into another, and we read text messages between the two that were the stuff comedy writers only dream of creating.  I’m so very glad that she has such tangible proof of their love.

If you think of it, please pray for my friend as she begins to heal.  She is so very precious to me, and to many others.  She is a precious, fine jewel. I know this loss will only temper her brilliance, and make her shine all the more. And I know the Lord holds her in His arms.

And I’m so very thankful.

Ride That Wave!

Today, I flew to Houston to meet my new boss.  My third boss in three months - my fourth boss in a year.  I like him and hope that we will work well together.

When a big corporation is in the flux of a merger, it’s a constantly shifting machine. And you have to be able to ride the wave, while planning ahead for the next one. The merger is an awesome thing, and will help position my company to make great strides in our industry.

The good news?  I’ve been promoted to executive sales - one of 5 for the entire company.

The bad news?  I’ve been promoted to executive sales - one of 5 for the entire company.

Seriously, though, I’m excited about this new opportunity.  I’ve known about it for 3 months...the same three months I’ve experienced three new bosses!

How do you make a mark when you work for such a huge machine?  Our team will be working all that out, forging new paths, creating new synergies.  Working on deepening existing relationships, and opening doors to new relationships.

It’s what I do best, in my work world.

It’s what I do best - because it’s my design factor.

I’m excited about it.