"The Machine" a Journal

Shortly after my return from the trip around the countryside via R.P.D. (Repetitive Pedaling Disorder), I began taking notes on any idea that popped into my head. Most of them were ludicrous, absolute abstract ideas that would give the reader the notion that I had started smoking pot again. I assure you this was not the case. While it was far from my first time coming up with an idea for something, it was the first time I was trying to come up with an idea that could make money. I watched infomercials to get an idea as to what sort of consumer goods people were willing to pay for. As I sit here now, I have my old journals in front of me with pages upon pages of inventions. Some are on the market now, although not by my doing, others are on the market and were as a result of my ignorance and foolishly placed trust, and most are likely to never see the light of day. While nothing really came from the inventions I created, one thing did come from all that notation; I started to keep a Journal. So often did I keep notes that it became habit. From 1996 to the present I have kept a journal of my experiences, creations, and life's battles. I will share some of them with you now.

   April 10th 1996
I drove to Medicine River Wildlife Rehab the other day
to deliver an injured bird that had a run in with a cat. Today
I called the office to see if the animal made it. The vet said it was fine.

Pretty mundane stuff to start with,and I'm afraid if I read the lot to you, you'll become rather bored. Let's fast forward a bit. I had my last dinner party with Tracy's folks and her brother was there. He mentioned how easy it was to get a job in the oil field and that they were hiring guys right out in the field. All you needed to do was go out and ask for work. He had a habit of exaggerating. I didn't know this till much later. Shortly after my last fight with Tracy outside of the 7-11 I left for Red Deer to find work. I drove around to a few sites for a while and eventually, I ran out gas money. Most people would have headed home at that point. Not me. I was all in.

   I walked from rig site to rig site. There were many rigs up, all over Alberta at the time, problem was, they were spread out all over our Province. I'd walk for near 20 kilometers some days to get to the next rig. At this point I realized that I really didn't like Tracy's brother much. Eventually my persistence paid off. I walked up a long dirt road one day to a rod rig and asked a large dirty guy if they were looking for workers. He informed me that all hiring was done through the Red Deer office. I remember him asking," Where's your car?"

   I informed him that I didn't have one, and that I had walked out here from the overpass 10 kilometers away. He just laughed and I walked away. I made it about 2 kilometers before a truck pulled up behind me. The large dirty guy stepped out of the vehicle with his boss. He said that he had never heard of anyone walking around the countryside looking for work and if I was willing to go that far to get a job, then they had better hire me. The company was Frontier Well Service.

   August 18th 1996

The machine is running again; it's clanking rumble
is heard echoing through my mind. The journey continues.

My life is deep in the muck, and now I lay on soiled ground, 
dwelling where all things are vile and twisted. Perhaps this 
is penance for something I have done. These people are a 
reminder of who I once was, and what I could become again.
The work I now involve myself in has broken well beyond 
tolerable. Morally speaking the nature of what we are doing 
seems wrong. I will bear this cross. I am here to learn.
I started work on the 31st of July. Many things have occurred
since then, but all are rather trivial.

This employment has taken me from my home and placed me 
in a boarding house in Red Deer. On a closing note; tonight I 
visited a house of God, perhaps to see if things had changed.
Perhaps I went for no reason at all. My answer would 
remain the same. People are still blind and unable to look 
beyond their books and beliefs; to stand silently and hear 
the whispers of vacant thoughts. Their prayer unanswered,
their pleading eyes unseen.

   August 25th 1996

   I need to remind myself that these are not people I can 
relate to. They know it and I'm certain they tried to have
me fired today. They failed. I called one of them to step 
out side and deal with their issues. Their opinions changed 
quickly. I'm being moved to a different crew. Out of the 
frying pan, and into the spit.

I spent a fantastic day with my Grandmother. She took
me to Red Lobster in Calgary for my birthday. It's been a 
long time since I've had seafood of that variety.

August 30th, 96

"...Now is the time for you to show your spearmanship and
daring. Now is the time for you to fall in love with evil war, 
if there is any prowess in you. Run to our captains everywhere
and whip them into rally round Sarpedon. And then fight 
over me with your own bronze. Every day of your life the
thought of me will make you hang your head in shame, if 
you let the Achaeans spoil me of my arms, here where I fell,
beside their ships. Hold on then, with all your strength, and
throw every man we have into the fight."

The Iliad; Homer.

I guess I was a bit dramatic back then. My time with Frontier was short. I had troubles getting my mind into the oil field mentality. We were cut from the same cloth, I just spent too much time in the rinse cycle. I had no intention of leaving the oil field, I just needed to find a different place to dwell. Someplace were every sentence didn't end with profanity. Not that I'm opposed to profanity. I use it frequently myself. Things profane are a lot like spices. You add too much basil to your pasta sauce and all you taste is basil.

Autumn came finally and I had left the boarding house due to an infringement on our arrangement. I was paying for food and lodging but they only met one of the criteria. I found another home in Red Deer with some nice judgmental  religious types people. Clean home, great food and hours of endless philosophical discussions on all things esoteric. Enough was enough. I needed my own place. The shared accommodations were best suited for oil field work. I was never home. I simply needed a place to hang my hat form time to time. However, with my need to stay at home for a while, also came my need to be alone.

I had made enough money to tide me over till I found more suitable employment. I wanted to stay with the "nice" people just a tad longer. Something always came my way. I just needed to wait a bit longer.

September 17th 96

I called two fine companies today; Nowsco and Halliburton. I 
spoke to Jim Hunter at Halliburton and Andrew Eaton. Both
sounded like great places to work. Watch how the ball bounces. 
My life keeps taking marvelous twists and turns. Will the excitement
never end?
On an off note, If this book lasts as long as I hope it will, then I wish
my future generation will read this and learn as much as I have.
Know this, the most important thing in life, is just one thing.
To those that seek success must first come to terms with themselves
and the demons that haunt them. Upon that, your dreams await 
reality and the moment of your awakening.


Life can be so dramatic at 26. If I only knew then what I know now.

In saecula saeculorum.

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