I'm jthomas1600, The Sailor Man! Toot Toot!

JerRocks2day · 06-05-2008, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jthomas1600

I only get 7 days this time. Ivan is having his 13th birthday in July so this is an early preseant.

Happy birthday to your son then.

jthomas1600 · 06-06-2008, 09:44 PM

Just got back from guitar center. Bought Ivan an Epi PR-150 for $130. I was willing to spend a little more, but this seems to be a fine beginer guitar and it was one of the few they had with a vintage sunburst finish which he realy likes. He's in his room making noise right now. They had a peavey classic 30 for $299 I thought about buying but when I pluged in there was something wrong with it. One of the store employes said they would probably have to re-tube it. I just left. I don't need to be spending $300 right now anyway.

TunerSteve · 06-07-2008, 09:19 AM

I bought my 13 year old daughter a slightly used Peavy raptor because she wanted a guitar. I'm glad I didn't spend too much, because she's now 15 and has lost most of her interest in guitars. When I was young my parents didn't spend much on my first guitar either. Better to make sure they will stick with it, and not just a phase they are going through.

jthomas1600 · 06-07-2008, 09:35 AM

My post was probably not clear, Ivans guitar is an acoustic. The amp would've been for me. You are 100% right though about kids loosing intrest--the pawn shops are full of their guitars. The bright side in my situation is that I only have an elctric guitar, so if Ivan looses interest I will have an acoustic to play. For now though, he is pumped. Today was the first day he has gotten himself up early that I can remember. My wife and I were awoken early to the sounds of...music?

jthomas1600 · 06-08-2008, 03:41 PM

Man, church was good. Bible study was on listening to and being receptive to the Spirit. It didn't start out that way, but we have a pretty fluid situation--it's good. The 11:00 service was on Christs suficiency. My 11, and 12 year olds, Ivan and Winter have been participating in a Bible drill team where they memorize scriture and the locations of key passages like the Lords supper--the kids did a drill before the service--I was so proud of them. After church we came home and Ivan and I played the guitar for a while. Life is GOOD!!

jthomas1600 · 06-11-2008, 10:30 AM

Well, it's time to go back to work. I will leave my house at about 1400 this afternoon to get to Fourchon, La. for a midnight crew change. The Capt. I am releiving is sort of being forced to get off a week early so it won't be a pleasant crew change. Of course I will be on watch when I get to the boat, so I will not be able to go to bed untill 1200 tomorrow afternoon. It's always a long and difficult day on crew change day. On my way to work I need to pick up my TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Card) card. I have had a complete background check for my Coast Guard documents, for my passport, and then had to get fingerprinted and checked all over again for my TWIC, just seems a little bit reduntant to me--like wasted government resources. I think that is what they do best.

jthomas1600 · 06-15-2008, 11:37 PM

I've been back to work four days now. We have made one run to the drill ship Belford Dolphin. We did safety drills etc. today. I got up early to watch the the Celtics and Lakers-I was dissapointed it the outcome. I can't stand the Lakers. When this hitch is over we (the family) will be flying up to Oregon. It will be the first time we have been back since we moved to Texas two years ago. It will be the first time my youngest kids have been on a plane, so tha will be interesting. We are looking forward to seeing family and friends. It will be nice to get out of the Texas heat for a few days.

**Tallahassee** · 06-15-2008, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jthomas1600

I've been back to work four days now. We have made one run to the drill ship Belford Dolphin. We did safety drills etc. today. I got up early to watch the the Celtics and Lakers-I was dissapointed it the outcome. I can't stand the Lakers. When this hitch is over we (the family) will be flying up to Oregon. It will be the first time we have been back since we moved to Texas two years ago. It will be the first time my youngest kids have been on a plane, so tha will be interesting. We are looking forward to seeing family and friends. It will be nice to get out of the Texas heat for a few days.

I have not been back to Oregon in a long time. It is one of my favorite places.

Are you and your family originally from there?

jthomas1600 · 06-16-2008, 12:19 AM

I lived in the N W corner of the state for 25 years. Mostly in Astoria which is on the Columbia river and the Pacific ocean and also just down the coast in Tillamook. Both towns are about 2 hours from Portland. I can't think of a place I'd rather be in July through September. I can't stand the wet dark winters though.

**Tallahassee** · 06-16-2008, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jthomas1600

I lived in the N W corner of the state for 25 years. Mostly in Astoria which is on the Columbia river and the Pacific ocean and also just down the coast in Tillamook. Both towns are about 2 hours from Portland. I can't think of a place I'd rather be in July through September. I can't stand the wet dark winters though.

I was born and raised in Salem. I spent many a summer day in Astoria. Fort Stevens was a regular place for my family to go to.

And Tillamook is the only cheese that sees the inside of my refrigerator.

jthomas1600 · 06-16-2008, 01:23 AM

Where I live now I don't see Tillamook dairy products in the strore. Tillamook ice cream rocks--the nearest thing I find in Texas is Blue Bell. I will post vacation pictures in my sig--maybe straight from Fort Stevens.

**jump5fan** · 06-16-2008, 05:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jthomas1600

Man, here's some perspective--one of the drill rigs we're running to is drilling a hole 6 miles deep (6 miles from the the ship to the bottom of the hole). The NASA space station is 6 miles above the earth. Wow, that's a deep hole.

wow! that is deep! becareful that you don't drill too deep as the earths oceanic crust is between 3 and 6 miles thick i think

.

jthomas1600 · 06-16-2008, 06:38 AM

I miss remembered how hight the space shutle was--it was much higher than 6 miles--air liners fly a about six miles. Yea that's still deep though. I don't know how close the inner layer of the earths crust, but they tell me they have extreem temps--like 500-600 degrees in the deep holes.

**jump5fan** · 06-16-2008, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jthomas1600

I miss remembered how hight the space shutle was--it was much higher than 6 miles--air liners fly a about six miles. Yea that's still deep though. I don't know how close the inner layer of the earths crust, but they tell me they have extreem temps--like 500-600 degrees in the deep holes.

Are they drilling for oil? Also are you part of the drill team?

jthomas1600 · 06-16-2008, 08:20 AM

They drill for both oil and natural gas in the Gulf of Mexico where I work. I'm not part of a drill team. The boat I work on runs tools and supplies out to the rigs and ships that do drill. We take 400 gal tanks of helicopter fuel out so that the helicopters that run personel back and forth can refuel. We take out various size cargo boxes - some are 4x4x4 feet, some are 12x12x12, some are 12x12x20 - these boxes contain any thing from office equipment to groceries to sheets and blankets. We take out drill pipe - in 20 ft sections so it takes many boat loads of pipe to drill these holes. Check out the new pic in my sig--that's the back deck of our boat ready for a run.