January 2012
4 posts
Chapter 4: But I Won't Quit
I am falling down, fools in a spiral,
Round this town of steam
Despite the occasional insights and the whole strengthening-of-character bit, the oil patch was mostly bad vibes. I used to hear my muse when I drank from the tap, inspirational ideas carried to mind through the water. Now I only hear static.
“I could have sworn the last conversation we had was you telling me how much you hate it when...
Chapter 3: The Cuffs of Debt
Did I mention we were flowing $30,000 a day on that single site? That’s almost a million dollars a month, from one minor rig out of thousands. “No shortage of money,” Shevko said. Amen to that, brother.
The company I worked for was called Cathedral, and they paid me $220 per night, plus $65 for expenses. Cathedral. Like they were divinely sanctioned to carry out missionary work on crude oil,...
Chapter 2: Dinosaur Juice and Well-Meant...
I read the faded sign as we pulled into town: “Welcome to Hudson’s Hope - Land of Dinosaurs and Dams.” Two green brontosaurus were stenciled on either end of a massive hydroelectric plant. Past and future, with this rusting hamlet as epicenter.
“Land of Shit.” Shevko corrected. “Don’t blink or you’ll miss it.”
It took me a while to draw the connection between dinosaur fossils and their oil...
Chapter 1: Respect is a Dish Best Served Cold
The rusted iron head of the sledgehammer arced through frigid air, an unnatural extension of my core flowing energy slickly through my arms and directly into the pipe joint’s sweet spot. The gear chimed its hellish bell and finally spun tight.
“There! You see?” The Bosnian hulk in dark coveralls shouted and in the orange light from the scorching flare stack his carotid artery bulged through an...
October 2009
1 post
Felice Brothers - Rockefeller Druglaw Blues