Read more about it at www.chron.com, The Houston Chronicle, Houston's news source.
Facts
West Houston survived, as did most of the City of Houston! Hurrah!
Unfortunately, we did have a great deal of devastation along the Gulf Coast communities. The news media might be lying to you somewhat, as some of the areas in Galveston and Chambers counties were labeled as "no fly" zones, meaning...the government did not want you to see the human and animal debris along the Bolivar Peninsula, mainly out of respect for the loved one's families.
Personal Perspective
My family was very fortunate. Although most of the city had no electricity for 11 days, we received electricity 3 days post-storm. I was shouting praises when the electricity came back on. If the lineman had been at my front door, I would have hugged him for dear life. God bless these behind the scenes people who are away from their loved ones to help us out!
POST HURRICANE - DAY 1
Saturday morning - A few hours post-storm, the neighbors all got together in the rain and cleared the sidewalks of large oak trees and debris. I never knew we had so many kind neighbors. On the other hand, I never knew I had so many CLUELESS neighbors...LOL!
Saturday afternoon - Two of those kind men happened to have a generator and a window unit (swamp cooler) air conditioner that they hooked up and ran non-stop for 3 days. (On the positive side, they did share it with the beautiful ladies next door.)
For those of you who have never heard a diesel generator run,let me tell you they are LOUD AS HELL !
POST HURRICANE - DAYS 1 - 3
After the first morning of frayed nerves and attempting to sleep with my windows opened and the battery operated fan in my face, I had to admit defeat and packed up the family and headed out to Dad's for air conditioning, laundry and showers. When I got to my Dad's I couldn't keep my eyes open - I sacked out with my head back on the couch and SNORED so loudly and obnoxiously that when I woke up, there were no family members left in the room.
POST HURRICANE - DAY 3
Monday, 2:00 p.m. - When we returned home 3 days later, that obnoxious generator was still running and we still had no electricity. Luckily, my freezer only had one package of meat to be cooked. So, I dragged out one of my necessary hurricane supplies, my Coleman gas stove, and set up shop on the front patio. My son and I enjoyed delicious turkey tacos with corn and all the fixins. Who says hurricane living has to be dull?
The other thing I found when I got home was a laundry full of wet and soured towels. I put my towels out on the front bushes and let them dry in the sun. I knew I would need to wash them again, yet at least I could rest in the fact knowing that they would not be mildewing in the washing machine.
Monday, 4:00 p.m. - Hurrah! The generator has stopped. Oh! It has only run out of diesel. One of the men comes out on the front porch. I yell across the courtyard at him, "Hey, can you guys give that thing a break, some of us haven't slept (slight lie, yet defending my neighbors) in 3 nights. Can you at least turn the thing off at 10:00 p.m. tonight so that we can ALL get some sleep?"
AMAZINGLY, those clueless guys gave into my guilt trip! They shut the generator right down, and put the window unit away!
Monday, 4:30 p.m. - I'm cleaning up all of the lunch mess off of my front porch. My neighbor across the way climbs down the stairs with her children in tow, points to my front porch, and states "I've had all of this I can put up with!" Oh no, now I'm the clueless neighbor!
I guess it's all a matter of perspective, eh? I cleaned up my front porch, slowly put all of the dried towels back in the laundry basket, and then the electricity came back on at 7:00 p.m. And that's how we Houstonians survived Hurricane Ike.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Friday, August 1, 2008
Everything Changes in a Day
Hi Readers - I am sorry it has been so long since I have posted. I have been involved in a long-term project at work, which zapped all of my writing creativity.
Yesterday, my company laid off at least 20 people. I, luckily, was not one of them, and have accepted a new job (finally!) with a small company that enjoys teaching and providing services involving technical writing. Yea! It's been a long two years since I home-schooled myself in technical writing through the local community college.
Seeing your co-workers laid off is sad. It's something that I've witnessed several times over the years. Some people are happy and joyful to leave, some are crying in the hallways, and the few men I've seen laid off appear almost suicidal. I suppose men focus so much of themselves into work that they never think of other aspects of their lives providing happiness, such as family or hobbies.
As for myself, I am never bored...I juggle being a single mom, dealing with my mother diagnosed with Alzheimers, keeping my house in semi-order, cooking meals for the growing teenager, providing taxi service to all of the teen's friends, and THEN...I work 40+ hours a week. Sometimes the job seems like a respite from the rest of my life.
For those of you looking for jobs, take the time to post a resume on monster.com. Also follow-up on every lead, recruiter, newspaper ad, and finally (or maybe more importantly, make this STEP 2 after posting on monster)...CALL everyone you know, especially professionally, and let them know you are looking for a job. Telling colleagues and friends you've been laid off is your choice.
Good luck in your job search, and if you need advice about living in Houston, please e-mail me. It may look inviting to live here, yet commuting alone and the electricity bill can eat up at least 50% of your paycheck.
Take care,
Terre
Yesterday, my company laid off at least 20 people. I, luckily, was not one of them, and have accepted a new job (finally!) with a small company that enjoys teaching and providing services involving technical writing. Yea! It's been a long two years since I home-schooled myself in technical writing through the local community college.
Seeing your co-workers laid off is sad. It's something that I've witnessed several times over the years. Some people are happy and joyful to leave, some are crying in the hallways, and the few men I've seen laid off appear almost suicidal. I suppose men focus so much of themselves into work that they never think of other aspects of their lives providing happiness, such as family or hobbies.
As for myself, I am never bored...I juggle being a single mom, dealing with my mother diagnosed with Alzheimers, keeping my house in semi-order, cooking meals for the growing teenager, providing taxi service to all of the teen's friends, and THEN...I work 40+ hours a week. Sometimes the job seems like a respite from the rest of my life.
For those of you looking for jobs, take the time to post a resume on monster.com. Also follow-up on every lead, recruiter, newspaper ad, and finally (or maybe more importantly, make this STEP 2 after posting on monster)...CALL everyone you know, especially professionally, and let them know you are looking for a job. Telling colleagues and friends you've been laid off is your choice.
Good luck in your job search, and if you need advice about living in Houston, please e-mail me. It may look inviting to live here, yet commuting alone and the electricity bill can eat up at least 50% of your paycheck.
Take care,
Terre
Sunday, May 4, 2008
New Park in Downtown Houston
http://www.discoverygreen.com/
It's not Central Park in New York, only a mere 13 acres, yet I wanted to share with you one of Houston's newest parks in Downtown Houston, Discovery Green Park. The park is located in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center, and I'm definitely looking for an opportunity to drive downtown and take a look.
The Houston Proud committee has been very proactive during the last 10 years, and has rapidly updated the downtown area including the addition of Minute Maid Park (first known as Enron Field and the new home of the Astros) and Toyota Center, home of the Houston Rockets. Other developments include the Main Street electric train which runs all the way from the University of Houston Downtown down through the Texas Medical Center and the Reliant Center, home of the Houston Texans.
Now if we could re-focus some of this Houston Proud money on developing a reliable mass-transit system. If we could have rapid transit trains down each major freeway corridor, I think we'd be ready to bring this city into the current century. First vote - the I-10 West Corridor - hint, hint - someone listen up!
It's not Central Park in New York, only a mere 13 acres, yet I wanted to share with you one of Houston's newest parks in Downtown Houston, Discovery Green Park. The park is located in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center, and I'm definitely looking for an opportunity to drive downtown and take a look.
The Houston Proud committee has been very proactive during the last 10 years, and has rapidly updated the downtown area including the addition of Minute Maid Park (first known as Enron Field and the new home of the Astros) and Toyota Center, home of the Houston Rockets. Other developments include the Main Street electric train which runs all the way from the University of Houston Downtown down through the Texas Medical Center and the Reliant Center, home of the Houston Texans.
Now if we could re-focus some of this Houston Proud money on developing a reliable mass-transit system. If we could have rapid transit trains down each major freeway corridor, I think we'd be ready to bring this city into the current century. First vote - the I-10 West Corridor - hint, hint - someone listen up!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Beautiful dusk at Terry Hershey Park
Attention exercise enthusiasts - Terry Hershey Park continues to be a great place to go relax !
In my last post, I mentioned how my mother had just finished two months of illness. Unfortunately, she had a heart attack over the weekend and has landed back in the hospital again.
Of course, getting that phone call puts a shock in one's system. Last night, I decided to go enjoy walking through Terry Hershey Park and get some of that stress out of my system. I walked along the trails from about 7:55 - 8:30 p.m. At 8:10 on the dot, all of the trail lights came on.
The park maintains wildflowers along the banks of the bayou and among some of the berms or hills along the trails. Black-Eyed Susans, dandelions, natural grasses, and cat tails were abundant everywhere.
Enjoyable sites inlcuded people playing with their dogs, a man and his son throwing a baseball back and forth, and a family of 6 making a full team. Yet another family of 4 biked upwards from the bayou level to the upper level with the oldest child outpacing mom and dad, and the youngest riding in a toddler seat just in front of mom, who definitely got the raw end of the deal.
As I left the park at 8:30, the bugs and mosquitoes started buzzing. Reminder to self - take bug spray next time!
Get out and enjoy this local treasure of a park...Cheers, Terre
In my last post, I mentioned how my mother had just finished two months of illness. Unfortunately, she had a heart attack over the weekend and has landed back in the hospital again.
Of course, getting that phone call puts a shock in one's system. Last night, I decided to go enjoy walking through Terry Hershey Park and get some of that stress out of my system. I walked along the trails from about 7:55 - 8:30 p.m. At 8:10 on the dot, all of the trail lights came on.
The park maintains wildflowers along the banks of the bayou and among some of the berms or hills along the trails. Black-Eyed Susans, dandelions, natural grasses, and cat tails were abundant everywhere.
Enjoyable sites inlcuded people playing with their dogs, a man and his son throwing a baseball back and forth, and a family of 6 making a full team. Yet another family of 4 biked upwards from the bayou level to the upper level with the oldest child outpacing mom and dad, and the youngest riding in a toddler seat just in front of mom, who definitely got the raw end of the deal.
As I left the park at 8:30, the bugs and mosquitoes started buzzing. Reminder to self - take bug spray next time!
Get out and enjoy this local treasure of a park...Cheers, Terre
Sunday, April 27, 2008
The Economy in Houston
Hello everyone! I'm back after almost two months of caring for a sick loved one. See my other blog, "Frugal, Single Mom" for details.
Houston always has one of those economies that maintains no matter what is happening in the rest of the world. As an almost native Houstonian, it can be depressing at times, because it is hard to maintain friendships when your coworkers are being rotated in and out of jobs every two years. Luckily for me, some of my oil and gas coworkers from years ago have finally landed back in West Houston, and I shake their hands vigorously and get a five minute update whenever I happen to bump into one of them.
The Houston economy, at least in my opinion, is leveling out. I've called one of the local recruiting agencies lately (mainly because I'm so put out with my current job), and was told to "stay put", at least for now. That means, I've got to sit and eat crow for at least another 4 months.
Unleaded gas this week hit $3.50/gallon. My car gets 22 mpg compared to many of my coworkers who get 15 mpg or less because they drive SUVs. When gasoline goes to $4.00/gallon, I told myself that I would start staying at home, walking more, or riding the bus, but the reality becomes that Houston is 2 weeks away from 90F or higher temperatures. Sigh!
All that glitters is not gold. There are a lot of hidden costs to living in Houston...sales tax 8.25%, long commutes to your job (sometimes 60 miles roundtrip per day), high crime rates depending on where you live, TRAFFIC +++ (that's a HUGE understatement), no reliable commuter system, and it's hotter than hell here in the summer time with electric bills at $225.00 + through October.
So, my advice to those who feel lured to move to Houston this summer...stay put! Unless you have a lot of money saved up, have a great car, or are willing to live in substandard housing conditions or overly priced housing (with a high crime rate), don't make the trip.
I'm sure our mayor, who I dearly love, would paint a rosier picture. I'm Houston Proud, but not Houston Stupid. Good luck to everyone during this tricky economy!
Houston always has one of those economies that maintains no matter what is happening in the rest of the world. As an almost native Houstonian, it can be depressing at times, because it is hard to maintain friendships when your coworkers are being rotated in and out of jobs every two years. Luckily for me, some of my oil and gas coworkers from years ago have finally landed back in West Houston, and I shake their hands vigorously and get a five minute update whenever I happen to bump into one of them.
The Houston economy, at least in my opinion, is leveling out. I've called one of the local recruiting agencies lately (mainly because I'm so put out with my current job), and was told to "stay put", at least for now. That means, I've got to sit and eat crow for at least another 4 months.
Unleaded gas this week hit $3.50/gallon. My car gets 22 mpg compared to many of my coworkers who get 15 mpg or less because they drive SUVs. When gasoline goes to $4.00/gallon, I told myself that I would start staying at home, walking more, or riding the bus, but the reality becomes that Houston is 2 weeks away from 90F or higher temperatures. Sigh!
All that glitters is not gold. There are a lot of hidden costs to living in Houston...sales tax 8.25%, long commutes to your job (sometimes 60 miles roundtrip per day), high crime rates depending on where you live, TRAFFIC +++ (that's a HUGE understatement), no reliable commuter system, and it's hotter than hell here in the summer time with electric bills at $225.00 + through October.
So, my advice to those who feel lured to move to Houston this summer...stay put! Unless you have a lot of money saved up, have a great car, or are willing to live in substandard housing conditions or overly priced housing (with a high crime rate), don't make the trip.
I'm sure our mayor, who I dearly love, would paint a rosier picture. I'm Houston Proud, but not Houston Stupid. Good luck to everyone during this tricky economy!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
New Structures, New Restaurants
Along with the highway changes along the I-10 West and Energy Corridor, have come a change of the scenery along our local streets. On Eldridge, just north of I-10, Foster Wheeler (Engineering) has placed their name on a modern new highrise just across the street from Conoco Phillips. Also on Eldridge, 1/4 mile south of I-10 are new apartments (The Broadstone) that have a modern look and feel, yet have the curb appeal of an ultra-luxury "flat" as some of our British coworkers might say.
Oh, and speaking of the British, did I mention that BP's parking garages and new trading center are shaping up well at the WestLake campus. By the way, I do miss all my coworkers there. It's been hard leaving a group of friends after 13 years of comraderie. It's a pleasure when I bump into you guys in my ramblings about the city, especially at Federal jury duty this past week.
Along Memorial between Dairy Ashford and Eldridge, we've had a new "Burger Shack" open up, apparently a favorite to the local Stratford High School teens. And south on Eldridge, about 1/2 mile past the Buffalo Bayou bridge near Terry Hershey Park, cafe type restaurants are offering nouveau, niche, market type fare. Examples include Poblanos Mexican Restaurant, one or two Japenese sushi places and my still all-time favorite Cafe Red Onion, which serves the best seafood enchildas you'd ever want to honor your tastebuds with.
We're getting there, West Houston. Oh, and how I still love this neighborhood almost 20 years later!
Oh, and speaking of the British, did I mention that BP's parking garages and new trading center are shaping up well at the WestLake campus. By the way, I do miss all my coworkers there. It's been hard leaving a group of friends after 13 years of comraderie. It's a pleasure when I bump into you guys in my ramblings about the city, especially at Federal jury duty this past week.
Along Memorial between Dairy Ashford and Eldridge, we've had a new "Burger Shack" open up, apparently a favorite to the local Stratford High School teens. And south on Eldridge, about 1/2 mile past the Buffalo Bayou bridge near Terry Hershey Park, cafe type restaurants are offering nouveau, niche, market type fare. Examples include Poblanos Mexican Restaurant, one or two Japenese sushi places and my still all-time favorite Cafe Red Onion, which serves the best seafood enchildas you'd ever want to honor your tastebuds with.
We're getting there, West Houston. Oh, and how I still love this neighborhood almost 20 years later!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
What $100/barrel oil means in the oil & gas services business
One would think that with the price of gas hovering at $3.00 +/gallon and finally hitting the $100/barrel mark this past week, that everything oil related would be doing well. Guess what, we are hitting challenges we've never seen before in this industry.
First of all, try being a service company, whether onshore or offshore. Equipment is hard to find. If you are working in the offshore environment, ask anyone who handles the barges, ships, tugs, rigs, etc., how easy it is to find available equipment at a reasonable price. It won't and can't happen. Then, say you are an operator in the Gulf of Mexico...just one vessel can run up to $500,000/day to lease, and the vessel is only available for a certain period of time. Should the vessel not finish the job or become disabled due to weather or accident, then the whole project goes off schedule, causing the company to lose millions per day both in vessel expense and production...either cut totally or slowed significantly.
I'm not saying that the majors aren't posting a profit. Certainly the number one and two companies have 10 year plans in place and will always be a good investment. What I am trying to say is that the oil industry is not living in the land of gold fixtures in our offices and the lavish days associated with former boom times.
If you are reading this and are unhappy about the price of oil, consult Wall Street, Venezuela, Iran and West Africa to see what's really happening. The balance between supply and demand is fragile, and I don't think we will be seeing even $75/barrel oil anytime soon.
I had hoped by 2010 that this country would be further along in solar power or alternative sources of energy. I can remember being a young 20-something and smarting off to my oil industry bosses years ago. Guess what - it ain't happened yet! As long as oil remains a highly valued commodity, we're stuck!
First of all, try being a service company, whether onshore or offshore. Equipment is hard to find. If you are working in the offshore environment, ask anyone who handles the barges, ships, tugs, rigs, etc., how easy it is to find available equipment at a reasonable price. It won't and can't happen. Then, say you are an operator in the Gulf of Mexico...just one vessel can run up to $500,000/day to lease, and the vessel is only available for a certain period of time. Should the vessel not finish the job or become disabled due to weather or accident, then the whole project goes off schedule, causing the company to lose millions per day both in vessel expense and production...either cut totally or slowed significantly.
I'm not saying that the majors aren't posting a profit. Certainly the number one and two companies have 10 year plans in place and will always be a good investment. What I am trying to say is that the oil industry is not living in the land of gold fixtures in our offices and the lavish days associated with former boom times.
If you are reading this and are unhappy about the price of oil, consult Wall Street, Venezuela, Iran and West Africa to see what's really happening. The balance between supply and demand is fragile, and I don't think we will be seeing even $75/barrel oil anytime soon.
I had hoped by 2010 that this country would be further along in solar power or alternative sources of energy. I can remember being a young 20-something and smarting off to my oil industry bosses years ago. Guess what - it ain't happened yet! As long as oil remains a highly valued commodity, we're stuck!
Road Construction Everywhere
These days it's not easy to get anywhere in West Houston. The Sam Houston tollway (known as Beltway 8 to locals) @ I-10 has closed access ramps to I-10 through September 2008. This means you can no longer access I-10 in any direction and will have to find an alternative route to the tollway. The olds ramps will be demolished and new ones will be put into place. Opinion: Why didn't Texas DOT make a 40 year plan, instead of allowing that money and structural work to be torn down after only 20 years! I'm mad because they've wasted our tax dollars.
Most roads north and south of I-10 from Highway 6 to the 610 loop are under construction. Be sure to plan an extra 30 - 45 minutes into your schedule should you visit West Houston anytime during 2008.
Most roads north and south of I-10 from Highway 6 to the 610 loop are under construction. Be sure to plan an extra 30 - 45 minutes into your schedule should you visit West Houston anytime during 2008.
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