Think I Should Run For Governor of Oklahoma?

We’ve been in Oklahoma for the last two weeks. Yes, Two. Weeks. One week, both ThatManILove and I were in a directional drilling school. (Yikes. The brain strain I suffered!)  The next week, I had a national board meeting and we attended a technical drilling symposium.

Needless to say, both events were peppered with customers, friends, good fun and lots of hilarious incidents...but I’m glad to be home. 

Over the next week, I’m going to try to grab some of those funny things and put them down on paper for you all.  Mi vida loca, huh?

I finally got to meet Georgie of Decisionally Challenged!  We had a quick lunch at Pei Wei in Tulsa.  What a sweetheart, and she’s so flipping funny!  Can’t wait to see Georgie again, and meet her family. And maybe play "Seven Degrees From Georgie".

Scott's Job Description...or, We May Be Blood Kin

The other day, I mentioned a meeting with a Sr. VP who told me to "write my own job description". My brother, Scott, got a kick out of that, and wrote one for me, as I detailed here on my post.

Finally, after a blogging hiatus, Scott's back. And that "write your own job description" uncorked a river in him...and he wrote his own job description.

I sometimes forget how alike we are...but when I read his self-authored job description, it so fits me. You know we gotta be kin!

Go here, and read Scott's real self-authored job description. You'll enjoy it!

PS - Scott...I shot 81/100 today! Come and get me!

Sunset in My World - The Oilpatch

Here are some sunset shots I took last night coming home from Santa Fe. Check out the different colors of a single sunset, over a 30 minute period. Amazing stuff, that.

For those who don’t know, these are pumping units. They pump that there oil outa that ground, so you can have all this. I think that pumping units are beautiful machines.

Enjoy!

How many pumping units can you see in this picture?

I love how the sun is setting to the right of this Mark II pumping unit.
Sunset is almost done now. I love the blues and grays.

This is a conventional pumping unit. Aren't the colors absolutely beautiful?
Now you've had your science lesson, with a smidgeon of fluid mechanics, and if you read the link, end product analysis!

More Than Just A Statistic

Okay. No more suspense.

My job was “eliminated” yesterday.

I am now a statistic. Female. Executive. Over 50. Unemployed.

I’ve been a statistic before, just not “unemployed”.

I’ve been married. Divorced. Single mom. Single working mom. All those things.

But never, ever, unemployed.

And certainly not in a recession, much less a bust in the oilpatch.

I knew it was coming, my boss let it slip that I was “on the list” two weeks ago. ThatManILove and I cut a traveling trip short, came home to Midland, went straight to my office and cleaned that sucker out. (I didn’t think I could stand the pressure of someone standing over me while I boxed up my office.) My boss told me many things yesterday. Affirming I was their top producer in 2008, affirming how I conducted my business throughout the almost 2 years I’d been there. But here’s the kicker - I need affirmation, and keeping my job, in some weird way, was one of the places I somehow got that affirmation. So, I needed to know “why”. I’ll probably never know the real reasons. My boss did tell me one thing - he said if he’d known the company was ever going to go down this road, he wouldn’t have brought me into the company at all.

I’m a rainmaker. I make rain. And I made a huge amount of rain for this company. The Lord seeds the clouds, and those clouds rain relationships, and I watch over those like a hawk. I nurture them like the best mom. And I win - because a huge part of those relationships become friends, and family friends at that. For those relationships, I am so very thankful.

My employer let me keep my phone, and gave me all day to do what I needed to do. I wanted to get out of there right away, but I took the time to send out bulk mails to all my customers and clients, letting them know I was leaving and giving them my new contact information.

In retrospect, I could have done that from the house. Immediately, my my work e-mail flooded. And I felt like I needed to answer all that I could, though I forwarded some to my home e-mail for later response. The voice mail on my phone filled up 3 times - before I could get it emptied, the messages recorded on paper for later attention, it would fill up again. This morning, when I awoke, the voice mail was once again full. I still have a magnum of phone calls to return.

And in the midst of all the storm, this is where things went right. People were calling to check on me all day long, and today as well. I have never felt so loved.

Now, my bloggy friends, you’re going to get to walk this road with me. My emotions are running the gamut, but I promise to keep the rants down to a certain decibel. Already, some hilarious things have happened. Welcome to Mi Vida Loca.

Fun With My Brother

Do you ever get to just "hang" with your sibling?

Forty miles separate Scott, my little brother, and I. Since he's hopped back into the oilpatch, we get to see each other more (his office is in Midland), and talk way more frequently. It is fun, I tell you, (even when I blow up his Kawasaki Mule), fun!

Last week, I called him to see if he was available for lunch, and he was. We met, sat down to visit, and, BAM...one of my friends taps me on the shoulder. He and his business partner sit down and join us. We all visited. It was still a fun time, and we just rolled with it, traded customer info, and sales tips. We all learn from times like those, so the time wasn't wasted.

Scott had to go out in the field, and I was nosy enough to ask where, and who it was he was going to visit. (Big Sisters have rights, you know.) Turns out it was a customer I was wanting to meet, so we teamed up and went out there to location. It was really fun going on a sales call together, but most of all, it was great just hanging with my brother.

One of those little "special" times. Love ya, Scott!! Thanks for letting me tag along.