“I made a golden promise that we would never part
I gave my love a locket and then I broke her heart
and then I broke her heart’
-Tom Waits “Innocent when you dream”
Ive taken to wearing hoodies out on the deck of the Normand Flower while it speeds off into the blue headed for a tiny little platform out in the gulf.
Sometimes, my job requires that I pack a bag and then spend some time as a ‘mechanical systems engineer’ ala Val Kilmer in Red Planet. Everybody else has these super specific jobs to do, I make sure the toilets flush and the airlocks dont open- or, more to the truth, that are product is collected and deliverable to the client at the end of the job. (I say ‘our product’ to be all secretive and make me look all hawt to all the women who read my blog.) It’s usually bad food, close quarters, 12 hour days and no weekends- but the view is sometimes amazing. For instance. At night out in the middle of the gulf, the stars are not shy at all. Light pollution is a rare rare thing and typically, If you choose wisely where to stand you can gaze at stars you havent seen since you were a kid in that ill-equipped astronomy class in primary school. You know the one.
While Im out I typically have a little downtime to work on whatever I see fit and THIS time around I have done some blog upkeep- written a tiny tale, written a slightly risque’ longer piece and gotten pretty wrapped up in calling myself a writer again. Loosely. There are times when I find myself just incapable of coherent thought. But I push forward blindly until it feels right again. Cause. ya know. American.
That quote in the open is from a Tom Waits song Ive been listening to while Im out on the back deck watching our wake. Or while I was wandering around the dock looking for where our equipment was dropped off in the rain and shivering. Or any time I feel generally crappy and want to wallow in it for another 3 minutes and 9 seconds. Music is the coat that protects me from the elements. Its my seatbelt when im driving too fast. Its my blanket when the monsters prove my parents wrong about their existence. A great many very memorable times in my life have been laid a soundtrack by my brain either on accident or not. That might be a bad thing, or a good thing- but it’s my thing.
Heres another thing. Ive decided on a new ritual for when I go offshore. While Im offshore, I’m not going to shave. at all. And when I come back from the dock looking like Tom Hanks in the latter half of Castaway, Im going to find a full service straight razor barber and pay him heaps of money for the most relaxing shave my face has ever experienced. Rose petals should rain down around the chair while a fat itallian tenor sings about the virtue of upselling a pedicure. I expect to not need the happy ending after this shave.
I’ll let you know how it goes
ps: My ipad has been a trooper out here. as a pdf reader and general work assistant it has been invaluable. Apple gave me a couple apple stickers, so I feel I owe them a free plug. Youre welcome.