Bucket List bingo

Do you have a Bucket List?  Most people do, whether it’s a formal “list” or just an informal, and perhaps un-written, collection of things they want to see and do.  Of course what’s on the list can be places, things to do, people to meet, or whatever.  Travel bucket lists are among the most popular.  I’ve been asked, more than a few times, if I have a “Travel Bucket List”.  As I rejoin the Blog world, as the Traveling Irishman, on the Blog called “My next 50 years” I thought that a good idea to attempt to create one for you, my readers.

Before I give you my updated (an ever fluid) list, I want to tell you that this year (2012) has been a very good year for Bucket List check offs for me.  This year, alone, I have checked off 5 places that I always wanted to visit.  Those places, in order, are:

1.       Costa Rica (with long-time friends Kirk and Rainy Broussard)

2.       Montreal

3.       Niagara Falls (with friends on a church Mission Trip)

4.       Monterey California (and the wonderful Monterey Aquarium, with Susan and Erin)

5.       San Simeon, California (and Hearst Castle w/ Susan and Erin, while visiting Jordan & Erin Paige)

What a great list of places to visit, right?  Well here is my Bucket List that I shared with long-time friend Jon Hufnagel earlier this summer:

·         Australia (only Continent I lack)

·         New Zealand (rafting, skiing, local wine)

·         Africa (photo) Safari  (Keya, Tanzania, or South Africa)

·         Spain (again, I love it)

·         Galapagos Islands (Perhaps a couples boat trip)

·         Fiji/Tahiti (somewhere in French Polynesia)

·         Alaska Cruise

·         Mediterranean Cruise – East

·         Mediterranean Cruise – West

·         Sequoia And Kings Canyon National Parks (California)

·         Thailand (ride Elephants)

·         Lake Tahoe (skiing)

·         Ireland (again, including the North)

·         N. Carolina (Outer Banks)

·         Salmon fishing in Oregon or Alaska

·         Machu Picchu (in Peru)

Do you see anything you’re interested in?  Let me know, I love planning for groups!

Welcome back!

Dear readers,

 

This is my first post in almost 3 years, since I learned that my company was selling all of their International assets, and that I (as the International Production Manager) would be out of a job.  Well, two and a half years later, I am living in the heartland, enjoying life, and still working for Devon Energy as the Reservoir Manager for one of the most important gas projects in the entire U.S.  Wow, much has changed, but much has stayed the same. 

A friend at work once said to me:  “You should write a Blog”.  What Stephanie probably meant by that was:  Stop telling me all these stories, I have work to do!”.  In any case, it reminded me that I do have a Blog, although it’s been dormant for the last few years, and maybe it’s time to dust it off.  So, here we are, deep into 2012, and I’m dusting off my Blog again.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I still love to travel, and have had some fun trips since my “wings got clipped”.  Since my last posting, in late 2009, I wanted to let you know where I’ve been, both for work and pleasure:

Business:  Azerbaijan (twice), China, Russia, and the U.K. (to visit our partners, and the host governments affected by Devon’s divestitures)

Vacations:   Italy, California (twice, to visit my son), Montreal, Costa Rica, and Niagara Falls

In case you cannot tell, I love travel.  I love visiting new places, both in the U.S. and beyond.  I love new languages, the landmarks, and new foods.  I enjoy meeting different peoples and learning of the love and depth of their cultures.  I like day-dreaming about future trips, the planning, prioritizations, and even writing my little travel journey summaries when I get home. 

Today, I went to the Post Office in Edmond Oklahoma to renew my passport.  My current passport expires in November, and (of course) I never want to be without one.  I have actually lost track, but I think that this will be my sixth or seventh one (I had to double up for several years).  I am already wondering what will be the first destination and stamp in my new passport.  That will be the subject of my next posting.  So onto my next travel blog…..

 

Dear readers,

For those who don't know me well, I work as an Engineering Manager for an oil company overseeing assets in Russia, Azerbaijan, and China. I have worked there since 1997, and over the last 10 y3ears or so have traveled all over the world working on a wide variety of projects. I have spent time in South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. 2009 has not been a good year at work, with staff reductions and "cost challenges", so it hasn't been fun. Despite that, our International assets have across the board, have done very well - both technically and profit wise. Well on Monday morning, without warning, my company announced that it planned to divest (sell off) of all its assets in the Gulf of Mexico and Internationally. Worse, they announced that they did not plan to retain any of the staff working on the assets after they were sold.

So, how do I feel, you ask? I am greatly saddened by this event.

This announcement is analogous to your spouse, out of the blue, telling you that they are filing for divorce.

1) It comes as a complete surprise.
2) You both agree that you have done nothing "wrong"
3) You had agreed and committed to support each other in good times and bad
4) You routinely talk about things, both reviewing the past and planning for the future
5) Then, without warning the divorce comes
6) You hear:

We thank you for all your past contributions, but
We are not growing in the same direction
We want to go forward in on different path

We will take care of you (a severance payment)
But for now, we have to live together for the next ~ year or so.....

- until you finish up all your activities (including laying off your staff)

Then we part ways
But we wish you good luck

It has not been a good week!

Dan Dan Noodles

Dan Dan Noodles

One of the things I look forward to most about coming home from China (of course besides coming home that is), is the Noodle Bar n the Cathay Pacific airport lounge. The Dan-Dan noodles (pictured) are always hot and spicy.

You don't have to worry about eating them too fast, because the chopsticks slow you down! I always love coming through here to get fortified for the long flight over the Pacific.

I love coming home from China so I can fill up and dream about more noodles on the plane!

What did you do last weekend? I spent my weekend in China. I had to go over there, on short notice to make a presentation to the Chinese government (our partner) on putting in some new offshore platforms in SE China (about 100 miles from Hong Kong).

The Chinese think that this project is a "no brainer", but my company is not so sure. I made a presentation showing them how we evaluate the risks, and why this project may not be a good investment. I think they understood my presentation and are considering my concerns. As the "VIP Presenter" (their words, not mine), I was presented the "choicest portion" of fish - the head. They serve it to you, then everyone sits and looks at you, refusing to eat until the VIP eats first.

Okay, so I picked around quickly and carefully and found a piece of meat, not a gill or eyeball, but a small piece of meat. Talk about relief.....

Fortunately, I did get to come home a day early. Believe it or not I chose NOT to have fish on the plane!

The Office - Moscow version

I recently returned from a cold trip to Moscow. While there, I took the opportunity to walk around beautiful Red Square. There are many "picture worthy" views, including The Kremlin, the GUM department store, and my all time favorite view: St Basil's cathedral, with it's multicolored onion domes. But there was one picture I really wanted to share with you, that I call "The Office".

There are a number of vendors around selling snacks and souvenirs. In an effort to provide them with a place to go to the bathroom, city officials have installed several rows of port-a-potties. Makes sense, right?

Well, in the true spirit of entrepreneurship, one industrious lady has turned the last one on the left into her personal office. She installed a board across the sink for her desk, your typical office memos stuck to the wall, and (just to add a bit of personal charm), she has added a curtain and chair cover.

I tried to get close to take a picture without disturbing her, but apparently didn't hold the camera as still as I should have - resulting in the grainy image - but you get the point. I walked closer after I took the picture and she looked up from her newspaper, as if to say: "I'm on my break". Priceless!

The Office has arrived in Moscow!

Mediation

I may have mentioned before, but I like books, especially novels, especially, especially Legal novels. That and historical fiction top my list.

In my career, I have been involved in a couple of lawsuits. I have been deposed a couple of times when an angry S. Texas royalty owner thought that we should have drilled more wells on his side of the fence.

Well, over the last several weeks, I have been the "principle" in a mediation concerning our minority owners in our Russia JV. Now this has nothing to do with Russia, these are Americans suing Americans - it just happens to be a Russian JV. In any kind of disagreement between parties, there are three main ways to proceed through "dispute resolution". You can have 1) a trial (typically in front of a judge & jury), 2) arbitration - in which an arbitrator listens to both sides and decides who's got the better claim, and 3) a mediation, in which a third party attempts to find a common middle ground that both parties can ultimately agree on. My recent Russia partnership went through the third process ; a Mediation.

Both parties got to plead their case (or the weakness of opposing case) in front of each other, and then we went to separate rooms. From there the Mediator, an old retired judge in our case practiced "shuttle diplomacy" going back and forth until a settlement is reached or the parties decide they cannot go any further. In our case one plaintiff was scheduled for arbitration in July, while the other was scheduled to go to trial in state court. My company and the two plaintiffs decided to try the mediation before pursuing the more expensive and less predictable arbitrations and trials.

The mediation is one of those things that you schedule with the agreement that you will stay until you're done. In this case we went all day June 11th and then from 4:00 PM until 1:00 AM last Monday. Whew! What a long and frustrating couple of days. In the end we made a deal just after 1:00 AM. neither party liked the settlement, but I guess it was better than the trials. Anyway, it didn't go the way it was supposed to in the latest Grisham novel - I guess you can't believe everything you read!