19 Feb 2016

And Then, Take A Step Back....

Firstly, how did this post come to be born? I’ll tell you. Back in the day the oil exploration industry mostly attracted those of a free spirit with a sense of adventure. The money was pretty good too but, trust me, you earned every last cent of every last buck.

As time passed, levels of bureaucratic control began to be smeared over the top of those of us out there by those who weren’t in ever increasing and progressively stifling layers.

What to do? Bite the bullet and your tongue, go with the flow, let the chain take the strain and keep taking the bucks. But there comes a time...

Back then companies were pretty big on newsletters, glossy magazines and ‘information’ flyers so, thought I to me, “I can do that.” and so found myself a bit of desktop publishing software and.... What? You have to ask? Okay, a bit of free desktop publishing software, and set about putting together an alternative, somewhat{?} satirical newsletter as a reality counter-balance which also acted as my own pressure relief valve.

All I did was periodically glue a one page thingy together, print a copy and pin it to the rig’s main notice board. What I didn’t know at the time was this one copy was being photocopied many times by many of the crew and distributed all over the place. See? I wasn’t alone.

This newsletter is obviously slanted towards oil rigs but anyone working anywhere should be able to relate to some of the stories contained therein. Here’s a sample; firstly dealing with a cunning initiative to train trainers and the second relates to the new, modern, simple method to place and track an order for any bit o’ kit just to give you a teaser;

  Trainer               Jaws

Back in 2013 I gathered together all the copies I could locate and glued them together in a single PDF file and passed it on to likeminded friends who’re still in the ‘patch’. Then a few days ago I thought as, much to my surprise, I’m not getting any younger, I’d put him somewhere and open him up to any and all likeminded folk out there so they can read him and, hopefully, smile for a while.

Should you be able to draw parallels with the above clips to your work surroundings, please go to the left side and click on Eye Spy The Past to enjoy a little fun. Hay, if only one person on this sad, strife-torn rock we call home does the clicky bitty and ends the evening smiling as a result, my job is done.

Quote;  Kim Harrison.

“I sighed. I hated the maze of bureaucracy with a passion, but I've found the best way to deal with it is to smile and act stupid. That way, no one gets confused.”

            Douglas Adams.

“But the plans were on display…”
“On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”
“That’s the display department.”
“With a flashlight.”
“Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.”
“So had the stairs.”
“But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.”

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