Dream Silently

Today started to feel so frustratingly gloomy. The wind is blowing outside like it did in Palmer when I was a teenager. It’s kicking up so much dust too as a result. So KL mis-told me what was going on. We’re not coring at all. As a matter of fact, we aren’t even getting anywhere with the current drilling rig we’re using.

The ground we’re working on is filled with volcanic rock. It’s the kind of rock that flows on the surface and then hardens quickly and becomes porous due to air bubbles getting trapped in the pockets. I can’t think of the exact name currently. All I know is, they’re fucking hard to drill through or around. And we need at least a 100 foot hole just to do the permeability test.

Monday found us at one bore hole going all cockeyed. The drill was bouncing off the previously mentioned rocks. We got down to about 30′ and then had to pull out. We started another hole in the same general vincity (about 5′) and then crapped out at 15′. On that hole, we managed to break 2 ogre connections. I didn’t even think we could get that much force to rip a steel eyelit off. So today, we went out there and it took them 2.5 hours to get the ogre from the previous day back out of the ground. We moved to a different location and hit bedrock at about 6′. Okay, good. At least we hadn’t broken anything yet.

We moved back up the slope (it’s kind of a gently sloping hill surface), started drilling and we’re going good, excellant; we’ve almost made it back to 25′ without too much trouble. I’m sitting on the back of the tail gate, watching. The two drillers are watching. We hit another boulder sized rock and the drill’s slowing down quite a bit, it’s almost to the point where I’m debating on telling them to stop.

Then there was this snap sound, a spark of fire, and half the U-joint that connects to the drill bit ripped off and flew.

Nobody got hurt. Thank gawd.

But that put the drill out of commission and I got to come back early. To bad I ended up at the office late. You get to trying to figure out what the hell we should do with our current situation and you just lose track of time.

On another note, KE has lost my bore hole samples for the ones done up at Midas. Three of them. We only have 1 of the 4 we completed. I was really irritated about that yesterday because he argued with me about where I had put them. I put them by the other midas samples in the lab. He was saying he didn’t think I had. Obviously, me being there and the one to take care of them didn’t say a whole lot. Or the fact I found BH4 samples in the lab, under another bucket.

We had a better conversation today. I think we both needed a day to cool. I wouldn’t be suprised if his sign is fire. It would so explain why we rub each other badly periodically.

Anyways, other things:

1. I had no heat until today. It was coooold on friday and the rest of the weekend.

2. I blew out my front passanger tire and learned how to change a tire on a big truck. Yeah, it took me about 30 minutes to figure out that the jackstand is the compacted thing hooked underneath the passanger seat. Who designs a vehicle with the jackstand underneath the passanger seat?? Who??? Don’t they know that’s so contrary to where it’s suppose to be? :sigh:

3. I’ve fallen in love with this kitty called Squeak that they are looking to give away at this one business. We share a storage unit with this company and the lady there found these kittens that were abandoned. They’re about 7 weeks. This female cat attached herself to me. We had just finished unloading a bunch of bucket samples and she came around the corner with these cats. And I shouldn’t of, but I picked the one up that reached for me and she just wanted so much love. And she was tabby colored. And she purred and purred. And then when I gave her back and we turned to leave, she started following me >_< And it was sooo cute.

I told the lady that I was going to go talk to my realitor. We do have a new owner for the buildings and I’ll ask if I could put some kind of extra deposit down just to have this critter. It might end up with me down on me knees begging.

As it is, I’ve started the Lore Wants A House Fund, so she CAN have pets. It’ll especially be in effect if I get rejected.

And that’s it. I think. There’s always so much to talk about when you’re away.

BTW, I love you Joe. And if I don’t get a call from you this weekend, expect another silly card/letter from me.