>At the time I was asked this, I had just left that crap job I had been at for 8 months. I took some time and went on tour, visiting family and friends, writing and doing a lot of drinking. I only sent out 2 resumes.  I was offered a couple of things, but didn't take them. I was waiting for "something". Well, amazingly, the day after the Superbowl I got a phone call. "I need you in Memphis as soon as possible." Wow. Ok.

 

It was my old job, the job I loved and the job I unfortunately left when I was planning on getting married. The job requires 100% travel and, for a girl like myself who can't sit still, it's perfect.  So, for those of you who've asked, I can't explain in 140 characters, so here's a brief description:

 

I work for a company that does non-destructive testing in nuclear, petro, and power refineries and plants around the world. We have a highly skilled team of technicians and inspectors who are trained to use equipment such as x-ray, eddy current, ultrasonic, liquid dye penetrant, magnetic particle and tons of other cool gadgets to measure corrosion, thickness, weakness, and other structural mechanics. These guys are awesome. They measure piping, crawl up towers, into vessels, exchangers, tanks and and other enclosed spaces to do this. And they do it in blocks of 6-8 weeks, sometimes longer, working 12 hour days every day until the job is done. Sites have to completely shut down every unit every so often to do this job. I love those guys. Mike Rowe could learn a thing about dirty jobs from them. 

 

I do not do any of that.

 

One, I'm afraid of heights. Two, I'm afraid of enclosed spaces. Three, it's really freaking hard work.

 

No, no. I do what I always do: tech.  The company I work for hired me as a tech writer (which at that time was a glorified data entry clerk) and sent me to Port Arthur. I learned a ton of valuable skills there, including some highly specialized software and all the vernacular. Soon, instead of just entering data, I was writing reports based on data the Inspection crew would give me. These reports were sometimes 10 pages long, filled with crazy numbers, strange words, acronyms and gauge readings. The reports end up going to OSHA, the API and any other relevant government entities. I eventually learned how to interpret them all.  So, I moved up and up and was sent on more and more jobs. It was great. I was so excited about this line of work that I even got a TWIC card issued by the Department of Homeland Security, which put me through a rigorous background check, among other things. But, again, I left all that last year when I wanted a more regular schedule that didn't require me to travel. So, I took the first job I was offered at way less than my normal rate...yeah, I took about a 2/3 cut in pay to be with Eric. FOOLISH. Love is blind. So much for that dumb decision. Never again.

 

So...back to Monday. I got a call to go to Memphis, which I eagerly accepted. I knew it meant missing Mardi Gras and South by and just being in NOLA for awhile, but I can't stress enough how much I love this job.  And this time, I get to sorta be the expert. I've been working with PCMS for almost 4 years now and apparently it's a very coveted skill. They've already asked me to move to Memphis. I politely declined, but agreed to be there for the next few months. This will ensure we migrate all this accumulated data (some of it well over 30 years old) to the new database, get through the turnaround using the database, and then scrub and massage new data. I LOVE IT so far.  It's like this HUUUUUUUUGE puzzle and I get to solve it! I take this data (millions of pieces) put it all where it's supposed to go and then calculate and present the risk rate. I get to do this 80+ hours a week, which is fun, though always taxing. 

 

If you know me, you know I'm not a sleeper, so keeping this busy is a godsend. When I get home at night after being on site for 12-14 hours, I just fall out and sleep soundly for 6 hours (better than my average!). 

 

Anyway, I can't tell you how excited I am about this project. It's like the holy grail of projects. 

 

Looks like I'll be here at least through spring, but don't worry...I'll be back in NOLA periodically to drink, party and piss everybody off! 

 

Yay!

 

Cheers,

 

Champ

 

PS I had some pictures of my little office, but I think I left my phone in the car.