JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 10:42:10 PM)
(This user has entered Midland - Odessa) (IP = 64.19.251.196)

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 10:43:48 PM)
(This user has entered Midland - Odessa) (IP = 24.196.37.162)

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 10:45:48 PM)
*Late afternoon - Keenan arrived in Midland - Odessa - a West Texas city founded on oil in the Permian basin, a hot, dry, dusty desert full of scrub brush and tumble weeds and yellow grasslands, where pinion and juniper and the occasional cactus punctuated yellow sandy expanses under impossible blue skies.*

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 10:47:55 PM)
*as he was going by car he brought all the essentials: flask, several bottles of hiigh quality irish whiskey...* *Looking around, following the directions he thought he had right...*

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 10:49:54 PM)
**the house was a little brick and vinyl siding place that felt like it was in the open desert on the outskirts of town. It was within eyesight of dozens of old oil pumps, drawing their plunder from the earth. An old yellow hound dog sat on the porch under a rocking chair in which an aged man with graying hair and a Stetson poised on his head sat. He watched the car drive up and hiked one eyebrow, a sprig of old dry grass in one side of his mouth.*

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 10:51:16 PM)
(Is it possible for me to have called first, or would I not have gotten his phone number from reserach?)

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 10:51:54 PM)
(Actually - "Panama" doesn't have a listed number - as far as you can discern he doesn't "own" A phone!)

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 10:52:44 PM)
(kk) *he slowed, parked in an appropriate spot, slng his satchel over his shoulder and got out. Redhead kid, bright smile* Hello?

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 10:53:50 PM)
*The old man fixed Keenan with a rather appraising eye, openly looking him up and down* You're way off the beaten path fellah, you sure you in the right place?

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 10:54:33 PM)
I'm looking for Allan O'Shea *he gave a friendly smile*

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 10:55:42 PM)
You done found him. What do you want him for now? *he dropped the sprig of grass from his mouth* So, what are you looking for old Panama for? if this is about that parking ticket I got the receipt. Damn woman never was attentive where she parked.

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 10:57:58 PM)
Nope. My grandfather said that you were awesome back in the day and should I ever find you that I should deliver this... *he pulled out a bottle of Kibbegan and a bottle of Bushmills* and beg a few stories. * a wide, open expression, offering*

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 10:59:51 PM)
*Panama hiked one eyebrow* Well, who was your grandfather ifn i can ask? Because I had to quit drinking three years ago when the liver started to give up the ghost. *he loooooked over his shoulder, then back at keenan* But I'll have a nip if you keep it on the down low. Pull up a chair and tell me what it is you want to know.

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:01:26 PM)
*he slid one back into his satchel and pours a small amount fo the other into two glasses* Kiernan Murphy. He said that you were on the Piper Alpha cleanup? *he slid one of the two small glasses forward*

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:04:43 PM)
Kiernan Murphy... not sure that.... wait. Kiernan was a boat hand way back in the 60s wasn't he? Late 60's?

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:05:24 PM)
Yes *he nodded*

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:06:42 PM)
*He chuckled* Piper Alpha was... *he froze. He was old. His mind sometimes had to catch up, and today was no Exception* You said Murphy was your Grandpa?

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:06:49 PM)
Then you are....?

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:07:01 PM)
Yes *a small nod*

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:09:45 PM)
*He took a loong deep breath* what's your *name* Mister? Afore I go and say something i shouldn't oughta? And should I be calling you Rhya?

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:10:51 PM)
I'm Keenan Murphy, and no, I came seeking you so lets just sit back and chat.

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:11:48 PM)
*he nodded* Okay Keenan. What do you want to know about Piper Alpha, becasue i am assuming it's not the standard story.

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:12:27 PM)
Well, I would like to know about the cleanup. Because the Macondo spill off of New Orleans seems to be showing some pretty similar problems cropping up

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:13:50 PM)
*He blinked* the Polluted Ones... You got them down in the bayous dontcha? *He looked out across the yard.* Holy shit. *he picked up the glass and tossed the shot back with a sigh, then set it down and folded his hands* Do you know how we put out a burning blow out?

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:14:23 PM)
not in specific *leaning forward, listening with focus*

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:18:20 PM)
*He held up his hands, he was an old texan, an old oil hand, and he was animated when he spoke.* We would build a blast shield made out of currugated steel panels and put it on the end of a big ofl tractor. Then we'd drive it right up to the blow out, with just this one window in it. When we got close, we'd have this special arm and on the end it would have a little clamp. you'd get up about five feet away from the blow out, and you'd run the pole right to the mouth of the blown out well where the fire started with a thermos on the end. Inside the thermos would be full of explosives. Boom! you know what that woudl do?

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:19:12 PM)
Collapse the well?

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:20:29 PM)
Nope. it *strangled* the well, nitroglycerine. When it blows up, it pushes the fire off the well and excludes the oxygen for long enough that the fire goes out.

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:21:05 PM)
Like when firefighters cut a hole in a roof to pull the fire up and out?

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:21:19 PM)
Now. Piper Alpha was real different. There was no oil fire, it was all gas because the platform only got oil from OTHER platforms. So when they called us, we went out to cap that bastard and we had no crude oil coming out.

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:21:38 PM)
*he gave a small nod*

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:23:21 PM)
But, when we got there? *He leaned in close* There was oil all ove rthe place from the inital fire and blow out, before the other platforms stopped pumping to Alpha, right? So those things were alreayd there.

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:24:44 PM)
In the water?

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:24:53 PM)
*Focusing, trying to picture it*

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:27:57 PM)
Not so much. I mean, some, but most of it had blown allll over that platform. So there were critters all over the place. But they were staying put in the umbra. So anyway, we prepared our explosives and Red was getting pissed. - I knew what it was, it was them wyrm critters, they were trying to get him to make a mistake so they could feed more, but he was always sharp, Red was, never seen him fuck up bad in the field.

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:28:30 PM)
*he gave a nod, staying quiet*

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:30:57 PM)
Okay, so. *HE thought for a long moment* When we got ready to blow the well, they got real antsy, tried to come across, but we got the explosives set off first. And you know what? It really fucked them up. They were disoriented for HOURS, sluggish, and by then we had the fire out 8and* the well was capped.

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:31:47 PM)
What kind of explosives?

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:36:21 PM)
(one second. Sorry - I'm talking to my medic - he has a patient downstairs and I'll be right back with you.)

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:37:18 PM)
(no worries)

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:39:48 PM)
Well, we used Nitrogylcerine at piper alpha. It's a little more stable than TNT, because the heat from a blow out tends to cook tnt off unpredictably. Now a days they use more stable stuff like RDX and things like that. When we did it back in the 60's and 70's it was still a bit more... seat - of - your - pants.

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:40:28 PM)
*he nodded, taking some notes* What happened after the well was capped?

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:43:42 PM)
*he thought for a moment.* Well, they started clean up and the investigation right away. But, the thing is, with the well capped and the oil all spread out where it was, the banes kinda of... fell back asleep. What I can tell you about them things is this. First, explosions fuck them up somehow. Second, solvents.

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:43:58 PM)
Not just any solvent. it's gotta be a solvent that works on oil.

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:44:54 PM)
*he nodded again, more notes* Any ones that are common?

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:46:59 PM)
The brits used something called Orange-Solve. It smelled like oranges, Strong, but it cost a hell of a lot. when they used it to clear away oil for to look at some important piece of something, it just, dissolved the bane plum away. *he smiled* That shit costs like 150 bucks a GALLON - but it was like, pure death to that crude.

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:47:58 PM)
Seems it is well worth the money

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:49:45 PM)
it could be, but not on the scales of Macondo... you did say it were Macondo that was your issue, right? Down there on the Gulf Coast?

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:50:16 PM)
Yes, Macondo. New Orleans

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:50:46 PM)
*he nodded* You'll pay a fortune. You might have to get a little and use that shit tactically is alls I can say.

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:52:18 PM)
such as when they're trying to chew your face off?

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:52:35 PM)
Maybe. yeah. it don't work on any bane, just them oil critters.

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:54:43 PM)
got it. *he gave a nod, scratching notes* When you were capping the spills - did you come into contact with any formori?

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:55:40 PM)
*He shook his head* On Piper ALpha we were the only things alive. I've run across them sons a bitches in the oil patch, but not there.

Keenan Murphy (Sep 27, 2011 11:56:10 PM)
*he nodded* found some in connection with Macondo, just checking.

JKRende (Sep 27, 2011 11:57:11 PM)
*He shrugged* You got a whole different world down there on the Gulf Coast than it was in the North Sea. you sure to find some different things.