Alexandra MacGregor
"is at home, finally, after 3 weeks on an oil rig"
Journal Entries for Alexandra MacGregor
Happy New Year
January 2nd, 2009 4:39 am MST
Well I am finally back home again after an extraordinarily long hitch away working. Felt like months although it was only actually 28days. Didn't help I was away over Christmas but that can't be helped in my line of work. And no I don't get paid any extra for working it, it's just another day ending in Y out on the rigs.
Anyhow, I would like to wish all my regular readers (you know who you are), my friends, contacts and those people that just like to look as well a very Happy New Year and all the best for 2009.
Stay safe, stay gorgeous and keep smiling if only because it makes people paranoid!
Love and hugs
Alex
xxxx
Christmas? Bah Bloody Humbug!
November 24th, 2008 5:57 am MST
Tis the season to be jolly? What idiot said that? All well and good I suppose if you are at home with family for the season but not in my case.
Yet again I will be working Christmas, although should be home for New Year, which makes 5 out of the last 8 years I have been away. Not that I actually mind if the truth be told as I have become somewhat dissillusioned with the whole festive season and being a Geologist means I don't have a religious bone in my body so why celebrate it anyway.
But I'm not a muslim and I wish my islamic friends a happy Eid, my Jewish friends Happy Hannakah and my Chinese friends Gong Chi Fat Cow (or however its pronounced) so to one and all I wish a Happy Christmas and a fruitful and safe 2009.
Just spare a thought for all of us who will be working at Christmas keeping the power on, the hospitals manned, law and order intact and in my case the oil pumps pumping. I can't even have a glass of wine with Christmas dinner so top yours up and remember me.
Take care all and see you in the New Year.
xxxxx
Surviving Ike
September 29th, 2008 9:07 am MDT
2 weeks after Ike battered SE Texas and after a week offshore I'm finally back home and it is nice to be somewhere that practically can't get hurricanes (only if it is a very rare southern one). I have to say it was an experience to weather out a hurricane and especially a direct hit. Thankfully I was on the western side of Houston so we didn't get hit by the full ferocity of the storm but still had a hell of a clean up. No water for 2 days and no power up to the point I left for the rig a week after. I feel sorry for those still without power. Definitely glad I wasn't in Galveston or on Bolivar. From what little I saw in the aftermath these areas got hammered. The official death toll I fear is far too low considering the damage. I hope that it really is low but instinct tells me it will be much worse. However, that said they were told to evacuate so if they stayed they only have themselves to blame. That said Ike was an oddball. It was a Cat 2 storm according to the wind speed at ground level but had a Cat 4 storm surge and Cat4 to 5 winds at about 100ft. And it's shear size made it an abnormal storm in that respect. At 600miles across it practically filled the Gulf of Mexico. So you did have to think if you evacuate where the hell do you go to? Anyway, it's finished and the clean up/repair is well underway. Really hope everyone gets back to normallity as soon as possible and people can get home and rebuild. i for one will not be sticking around next time if I can help it. Hugs to all affected by Ike xxxx
And they say women can never make up their minds!
September 5th, 2008 9:00 pm MDT
As I am stuck in limbo waiting to go back to the rig it makes one wonder why people think girls can never make up their minds. Hanna seems to know exactly what she's going to do but Ike is bimbling along not sure where he's going. Is he going East or West of Florida? Is he going to weaken or strengthen? Don't care just as long as he makes up his mind and the powers that be here can decide to send us back to work. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov if you want to see for yourself xxxx
July - what a month!
August 8th, 2008 5:55 am MDT
Well what a month July turned out to be. What with buying another property back in Scotland, all the hassles of trying to get a mortgage (still ongoing but looking better) and visiting the families it was somewhat hectic. Didn't help matters that the office in their infinite wisdom sent me back to the UK a week after I got home to do a 5 day training course. So I have had 2 transatlantic return flights in less that a month. Jetlagged and then some!! I actually worked it out and in July I have spent a total of 32hrs in a 777, 5hrs in a 767 and 32hrs wandering around airports in layovers. Whoever said travel was glamorous should be shot at dawn every day of the week, before having what is left stamped into a pulp by a pair of steel heel stiletoes. Flying sucks and departure lounges suck even more. So I'm back in de Caribbean for now until the office monkeys decide they want me to go to work again. Thankfully Houston is only 6hrs away but knowing my bunch of monkeys they'll send me to Africa or the Middle East.
It never rains but it pours
July 19th, 2008 4:07 pm MDT
Well I'm back home in Trinidad after a very crazy and eventful fortnight back in the UK. I know I wanted to do some shopping but never imagined I'd end up buying a kilt, a suit and a house!! Yes we ended up buying another property in Scotland to rent out whilst we are living the ex-pat life and to build up a bit of a pension. So it ended up a bloody expensive holiday! Still managed to pick up a stunning black satin skirt whilst I was home so not a completely empty trip. Hopefully home for a few days before I have to head back out to a rig somewhere so I'l' catch you in the chatroom for a coffee and natter. xxxxx
Hi Ho Hi Ho It's off to work I go (again!)
June 4th, 2008 7:30 am MDT
Back from a very relaxing and restorative weekend and feeling much more like a human again. Pity I only have a few days before I'm back at work and running myself ragged again but c'est la vie. Silver cloud to the lining though I am heading back to UK for 2 weeks once I'm back from work so I mustn't grumble. With any luck I'll get some much needed shopping in whilst home and replace some of the items that got eaten by mould when I moved out to T&T. Catch you again soon xxxxx
Exhausted!
May 27th, 2008 11:24 am MDT
After 3 weeks of non stop (and I mean non stop as in not even a pee break for 8hrs) work I've finally made it home. Been working on a land rig for a change and we were running a two man crew instead of the 4 I'm used to offshore, so it really was do it yourself. Drilling at 180ft/hr and trying to catch geology samples every 10ft is nigh on impossible, even for me, but that's what the company wanted so we had to do our best. There were days when the only time I sat down was at 5am to do the morning reports and to drive the 40miles back to the hotel. Rumble strips are a godsend believe me. Upshot of all this is I am absolutely creamed (cream crackered - knackered - very tired for all my non British readers) and in severe need of some TLC. Thankfully off to St Lucia for a long weekend on Friday so plan on doing nothing but read, drink and get pummled in the spa. If I get the chance I'm getting my nails sorted as work has completely trashed then (again!). Hopefully my bunch of idiots will be able to persuade the idiots at the oil company that a 2 man crew just is not going to work so when I go back for another 3 weeks it won't be quite so hectic. Fingers crossed anyway.
Racing Calendar
March 26th, 2008 2:57 pm MDT
March 2008. Blimey where has the time gone? What with settling in to T&T and changing offices the days have just whizzed by. I'm now based out of Houston working on oil rigs out in the Gulf of Mexico. Don't spend a lot of time in US but always looking for somewhere to hang out so if anyone knows anywhere in Houston, especially in the Bush Airport area I'd love to know. Just trying to replace the items I lost to mould in the move right now but it's proving difficult here in T&T for many reasons, not least of which is the difficulty deciphering the US sizes for things. Catch you all later xxxxx
I'm back!!
October 13th, 2007 9:05 am MDT
Blimey, I've been away ages it seems but now I am back online and hoping to catch up with all my friends here at URNA. Finally made it across The Pond and am now settling into the new house here in Trinidad. Finally got me Internet connection sorted and my wireless router set up so I can surf from anywhere, G&T on the roof terrace in the sun me thinks!!!Unfortunately had a disaster with the shipment and the mould got in. Lost a heap of clothes including my favourite black leather jacket, denim skirt and that sexy red mini skirt (amongst others) so I need a shopping trip somewhere to restock, any excuse! Oh and if anyone knows places to go in Houston for a girl to let her hair down and enjoy a night out I'd love to know.
Suppose I should start using this
July 5th, 2007 8:18 am MDT
Not being one for words I have not bothered to use the journal here at URNA but as I am currently in a kind of limbo with my online world (although not my real world) I figured I might as well try to put pen to paper (metaphorically) and make the most of what we have here. Life right now is hectic, chaotic and somewhat stressville. Basically we are in the process of moving house. Bad enough as that is we are actually doing an international move and having to deal with all the beauracratic bull that comes with living in France. Does explain why I'm not around in the chat room as much as normal, that and work comitments (it is a tad tricky to pop in for a chat when you are stuck on an oil rig and trying to negotiate the company firewall). So to all my friends I would like to say stick with me as I'll be back as the saying goes. I am trying to keep on top of the emails and reply to people but it's proving harder than normal.Love to you all and keep my coffee cup on the mug rack in the chatroom.
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