Happy Thursday, y’all…and I must say, you’re looking simply marvelous! Today is, of course, National Vinyl Record Day, and I’m defying all expectations by posting the following picture: This is the label from a promotional LP featuring Wolfman Jack on behalf of the United States Air Force. For the back story about this series of… Continue reading Random Thursday: A mile wide and two inches deep
Category: Oil & Gas
The Directional Driller’s 23rd Psalm
My pal Kelly posted his version of the 23rd Psalm on his Facebook wall, written from the perspective of an oil driller. I was inspired by his version to create my version, which is similar – but since my company drills nothing but horizontal wells while Kelly tells me he’s primarily drilling vertical wells, my… Continue reading The Directional Driller’s 23rd Psalm
Grading the Hybrid Bit Performance
Remember this post? We finally got to run that fancy drill bit, two months later than planned thanks to some unexpected complications in the previous well. (If you work in the oil industry, you may recognize the phrase “unexpected complications” as a practical synonym for “business as usual.”) We drilled through a very tough formation… Continue reading Grading the Hybrid Bit Performance
One big frackin’ mess
It’s not really my intent to turn this into an oil and gas blog, but I go where the muse takes me, and she’s apparently spending a lot of time lately in the oilpatch, having heard about the healthy salaries and acknowledging that being a muse doesn’t pay like it used to. Below are… Continue reading One big frackin’ mess
Bird’s Eye View?
We get daily reports from each drilling rig summarizing the operations for the previous 24 hours. Our rig supervisors are intelligent, experienced, and well-trained…but they weren’t hired for their literary skills, and sometimes their reports contain phrases are, shall we say, mystifying. We in the office can usually discern their meaning based on context. For… Continue reading Bird’s Eye View?
Hybrid Drill Bits: Oilfield Geekiness
First, some simple oilfield visual mathematics: You probably (possibly?) recognize those as the business end of drill bits, the tools that are used to bore holes down to where the oil and gas lives. The first one is a roller cone bit, and it operates like its name implies. Those three cones turn on bearings,… Continue reading Hybrid Drill Bits: Oilfield Geekiness
The Uglification of West Texas
It’s no secret that our region is the beneficiary of an economic boom of historic proportion, due to a perfect storm of high commodity prices and technological advances that have unlocked significant oil and gas reserves that were considered by most to be unrecoverable a decade ago. The benefits of this boom are easily enumerated:… Continue reading The Uglification of West Texas
You’ve Been Warned
We’re totally gonna put one of these in the company reception area: OK, maybe not, but it’s hilarious to contemplate. This is an edited version (hey, this is a fambly blog, sort of) of a sign that’s posted on the door of a certain local oilfield service’s company tool repair lab. They do some seriously… Continue reading You’ve Been Warned
Somebody’s got some ‘splainin’ to do…
I’m taking a directional drilling class at the PPDC this week, and it’s pretty darned interesting. It’s very basic – precisely what an accountant-turned-drilling analyst needs – but also quite relevant. We’re drilling almost nothing but horizontal wells, as are many other operators in the Permian Basin, and while I’m not remotely involved in the… Continue reading Somebody’s got some ‘splainin’ to do…
Aitch Too Ess: Nothin’ to Sneeze At
Did I mention I have a new job? Still working for the same company, but I’ve moved over from the exploration group to the drilling department. I don’t have any experience in that area, but they said they needed the help, and I’m all about helping (as long as the paycheck shows up every other… Continue reading Aitch Too Ess: Nothin’ to Sneeze At