"The Machine" A Journal Cont..

Old habits die hard. Around Christmas time, after returning from my parents home in Okotoks, I thought it would be a brilliant idea to stop by Tracy's parents house to wish them a merry Christmas. I pulled up to their home around 5 and walked up to the door. I could smell the cooking. How her mother could cook. Good German cooking. It was a highlight of every season in her family, and something I always looked forward to.

I rang the door bell and a moment later, Tracy's mother opened the door. I'm not sure what I had expected at that point. Her parents undoubtedly knew of our separation, but it was Christmas; a time for peace and goodwill. How naive. She seemed rather shifty but invited me in. I took off my jacket and shoes and strolled into the dining room to wish everyone a festive hello. To my surprise, Tracy was sitting next to someone. I had been introduced as a "friend" years before. Awkward. Truthfully, I didn't care too terribly much. I was more taken back by the surprise than the betrayal I should have felt. I found out later, that he had already moved in at that point. You think you know someone. Well, I put on my best poker face and bid everyone a happy holidays and then left. I think I saw her one other time while in Calgary, but it was more out of an accident. It's easy to walk away when the only thing holding two people together is indifference.

December 29th 96

The week to come will surely be of immense
importance. It is in this week that I learn my fate.
Do I join the ranks of the employed at either Nowsco 
or Haliburton or do I return to the unemployment lines
looking for work.

Tracy seems to have quite a thing for Corrie. She has been
spending quite a bit of time with him. I wish them well.
My relationship with her was far too much work to make
it a worth while venture. I can get far more done on my 
own than in the company of fools.

Until Tomorrow. Sleep well.

I didn't get either jobs. The only way I was going to get in with an oilfield company of this caliber was if I held a class: 1 drivers license. Come hell or high water,I was going to make it happen. The cost of getting my license at the time was $1400. Which was about $1395 more than I had. I pulled every string, scheme and possible scam I could to get that money. After a month and a bit, I had drummed up enough money to get things going and apply to school to get my ticket. It took about two to three weeks and I barely passed. The most difficult part of driving trucks that large on the road can be broken down to two things. Staying awake, and backing up. Being and insomniac made me a perfect candidate for the first part, backing up was another matter.

   I failed my first test with Nowsco while trying to back up. They told be that I needed a little more experience before they could hire me. Not a good sign for my next interview. Luck however, was once again on my side. The next day I had an interview with Halliburton and after much grinding of teeth, I not only hit it off really well with my interviewer, but I did well enough backing up a 50 foot long trailer around a corner, that I got the job. It was a good day. Sunshine and Lollipops.

February 20th 97

Upon the foothils
lay ideals of grandeur
by men who ignore
thier foolish actions.
It is upon this land
that the whims of
the ignorant
shall face themselves.

My travels have taken me far from the familiar,
to places of immense beauty. These places speak 
not of the history of man, but of time itself. Land
once claimed by mamoth sheets of ice, now a fertile 
land with lush forests. This place is truly a sight to
behold.

My place of employment is exquisite. No one could
have given me a better career. Life has without a 
doubt, taken a turn for the better. I am now an
employee of Halliburton. Before me is my mountain.
I will climb it. I will succeed.

If I recall correctly, my first job with Halliburton was up around Red Earth. Such an jaw dropping area to witness. Miles of green forest, more rivers than I've ever seen, wildlife beyond imagining. It was like I had stepped into some mythical place. What I saw next was cause for concern, but my years have made me less angry at the way we treat our country and more understanding. At least, to a point. Lease sites with oil all over the ground. Areas of forest needlessly pushed over by bulldozer. I heard of a group of radio collared bears that were snooping around a camp had been shot and buried in a pit. A few days later some game wardens came by asking if anyone had seen these bears that were being tracked for scientific purposes.

Now, before some of you start sending me mail, calling me a tree-hugger. Hear me out. I get up in the morning and fire up my full sized van which runs on gas. I come home and turn up the heat which is done so via natural gas. The very nature of how I am employed relies on the oil sector to keep producing. It is what saved us from a vaguely bad recession to becoming something much worse. I am pro oil, but I believe there has to be some level of accountability for our actions when it comes to our resources and our wild places. Enough said.

Money, made the employment easier to swallow. I am after all human and susceptible to the same ailments as everyone in need of food and shelter. Halliburton provided a lot of it. At least it was a lot to me at the time. I couldn't live on what I made back then now, but considering what I had been making, it was more than enough.

March 9th 97

I am in Red Earth which is located north of Slave Lake.
The weather here is as mild as the work. My toughest job is 
not becoming bored. Life is good. The crew I work with
all seem very easy to get along with and I have no complaints.

Goodbye Hale-Bopp.

I had forgotten about that last part. Hale Bopp, the first comet I ever saw with my own eyes. Up north, with no light pollution to obscure the view, the sight of the comet was amazing. The night sky even without the comet was amazing. Northern Lights that seemed so close you could almost run your fingers through them.  Well that's it for now. Until tomorrow.

In saecula saeculorum.