Category Archives: oilfield

Vietnamese Medical Exam

This morning, I went to get my Vietnamese Medical Exam to make sure I am fit to go offshore. They didn’t like my other one because it is almost 4 years old. So one of the secretaries took me down … Continue reading

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Names

I’ve had an assistant working with me for two weeks now. I just found out his name is Van Dam. Which is cool. Sadly, I’ve been calling him Benjamin for two weeks. He is Vietnamese, but it isn’t uncommon for … Continue reading

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Communists don’t like jokes

When you need to pick up something tubing with a forklift, you need to use what we call a strap. Since the tubing doesn’t have a flat area or forklift holes, you take this strap which is usually heavy duty … Continue reading

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Reception

IMG_0607 (Large) Originally uploaded by Fronzel This is the front desk for our office in Vietnam. The secretary came to me with some candy and offered it. I took it and she said she likes to give me candy because … Continue reading

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Vietnam

The first night in Ho Chi Minh(not Saigon, but Ho Chi Minh. If you have a date in Saigon, She’ll love you long time in Ho Chi Minh) I stayed at a nice hotel. From there, I moved to the … Continue reading

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Offshore in Mexico 2

The lead tool hand here sounds like Bela Lugosi. And he is so polite. I half expect to hear him say “Senior, Senior… Please… Let me drink your blood”. There are times when I am glad I don’t speak Spanish. … Continue reading

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Del Carmen by the sea

To go offshore, I need a special badge. Possibly a special school. I hope not. I’ve done it before. I sit in a room with a few locals, watch videos in their language, listen to lectures in their language and … Continue reading

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Back from Africa

I made it back from Africa. No problems getting out. I saw a stuffed Ostrich. The airport also had cans of Zebra meat. But I didn’t buy any. It may have been a good thing. The US Customs guy really … Continue reading

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Training Africans

Part of my job duties include training locals to do my job. The problem is, I’m training idiots. We have formulas we use for the job. A common need is changing the hydrostatic. Hydrostatic is the weight of a column … Continue reading

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Back from offshore

And just some random thoughts I wrote down. I learned something about Russia today. Only Russian Men can handle explosives. It is against the law for a woman to handle explosives in Russia. I’ve been in a few post Soviet … Continue reading

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