For Business...and Pleasure

For the last 5+ years, I have worked for one of the nation's largest oil & gas producers. Our main focus is to pull gas and liquids from the ground and put it a pipe for refineries. For the first 4 years on the job, I reported all of the spending on US capital projects. About a year ago, just before my company went through a massive expansion through acquisitions, I was moved to focus solely on our Permian (West Texas/East New Mexico) area which has quickly become the most active region in the world for my company. It's fun to see more of the operations side of a region that has 25 rigs running on a daily basis.

We have operations in Australia, Chile, Argentina, Egypt, UK, United States and Canada...which brings me to the subject of this post. Our Canada operations are based in Calgary, Alberta. The Calgary office recently lost their capital reporting accountant and are in need of someone to come up for a few weeks to run the reports and analysis. My 'bat phone' lit up a few weeks ago and within a few hours, I had my flight and hotel stay for two weeks in downtown Calgary. My tasks for the two weeks are pretty simple: get the work done efficiently and timely, and once that is done...PLAY SOME GOLF!

Calgary is similar to Denver with the layout - mountains to the west, plains to the east. My timing couldn't be any better as the company's golf tournament will be played on the only Friday I will be in Calgary. You're crazy to think I wouldn't be signed up to play. The course we are playing is to the east of town, so it looks to be a fairly flat course but at a good elevation.

For the weekend, I am renting a car and heading west to the 'young' Rockies. Numerous co-workers have told me to go see this lake or this mountain lodge, etc. Thanks but no thanks. My car is going to Stewart Creek on Saturday and then Kananaskis on Sunday for 36 holes of awesomeness. With daylight lasting for a good 15 hours, I should have plenty of time to enjoy the rounds. That's 72 holes of golf for the weekend with 54 holes of golf in a 2 day span...in the sheer Rockies, at high elevations...life will be pretty incredible. I sure hope I remember to take plenty of photos to remember this trip.

Kananaskis:

Stewart Creek:

Oh yeah, I get home on Thursday around 9:30pm and head straight to Galveston for a little weekend beach party. The weather in Calgary: low 70s. The weather in Galveston upon my return: mid 90s.


Numerical Summary for the week:

4 - hours spent at a Slip-N-Slide party yesterday. Yes, a bunch of 20 and 30-somethings got together on an inflatable slip-n-slide and I have to tell you...it was a lot of fun. I was given the task to provide music for the party and I succeeded with my wide selection of old school hip-hop. Thanks Snoop and Biggy.

12 - as in noon, which has been the average tee time for me the last few rounds. Nothing strains the body more than playing golf in heat index north of 100 and humidity around 80%. Hey, at least I know I am not the only idiot out there sweating profusely while hitting a small white ball around the course.

33 - days until the first Baylor football game. With baseball being the only sport going on right now, I am so ready for some football.