I know, i haven't been keeping up with the blogging. I could say i've been really really busy, but that would be a lie. I could find time to do this since I'm constantly thinking of things to put in here with all my interests (especially given the times we now live in), yet i don't. It's not like anyone has been reading these posts anyway ...lol.
There have actually been quite a few things going on in my life.
**ok, so i walked away from the computer to go make dinner, and a friend of mine closed the windows and put on youtube, and messed me up ...now i don't even remember what all i was gonna put in here**
Work has been really really slow. As i've posted before, i'm a glazier, and the construction progress has been all but halted, i believe due to the economic stresses our nation has been under. I haven't made even close to 40 hrs/wk in the past month. But, we're still going. I love this career enough to stick this out with this company. It's a very good group of people i work with.
At home, we've taken in a friend of ours from a 'domestic issue' to help him get on his feet. It has taught me a few things also, like, wow i'm not doing this again for a while.
Still waiting for that winning lotto ticket.
My daughter turns 11 this month. I'm making her a glass dollhouse. Hope she likes it.
Hmmm, what else? well, another time then.
J
Showing posts with label glass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glass. Show all posts
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
What are you afraid of?
Now and then, I'll 'evaluate' myself ...by talking to myself.
Recently (in the car on my way home), I asked myself, "What are you afraid of?" As if, it was being asked by someone one could trust with their innermost.
First and foremost (atleast until it can be defined further), I'm not a big fan of hostile confrontation, especially verbal, between coworkers and friends. All others I'm at ease with. And, this is most definitely to a detriment. For instance, we needed to fabricate an addition to our tempering machine at work to make the flow of progress much more efficient. It was discussed for quite some time, but with everything going on in our shop, there was very little opportunity to progress. When that time did arrive and we discussed what materials to use, there was conflict; wood, which was plentiful and cheap, or aluminum and tin, which was more costly and an ordering process that would have taken up to 2 weeks. The wood won over because of one man's insistance (although we have a welder and machine on premise), and now we wait and see if it catches fire: hopefully not. What we did make out of aluminum (we have a metal bender), there was conflict over. Keeping in mind that I run this operation that the additional fabrication is for, the wood idea was from the 'manager' of another division (of which we are all a part of) ...that might be another post. Anyway, although neither of us has explicit authority over the other (unless my division is not in operation, then he does have authority over me), I allowed him to lead the process of this additional fabrication. Wow, this is getting longer than I thought it would be. Aaaannnd, back to the aluminum part ...after a few minutes of thought and discussion with a coworker, I had to step up. So, roughly 15 minutes after the discussion with the 'leader,' I had to disagree and tell him. I'm going to make these {this way}. He said 'ok.' Hrmmmm ....learn something.
I'm afraid of flying stinging insects, like wasps, hornets and bees. If the means are convenient, I'll atleast try to kill a bee, though. I don't get close enough to hornets and wasps to kill them. And they know it. They taunt me all the time. I hate those things. When I was a little kid, like 5 I think, I was stung on my upper-inner thigh (extremely close to something I would soon be close to) by a bee. That was a terrifying ordeal. Then, two years ago, helping my father-in-law trim a loquat tree in our backyard, I was swarmed and attacked by hornets. Since that day, you will hear a grown man wine about hornets and wasps.
I've had other fears in the past, but a great deal of them have been dealt with and there's nothing I can think of now that I fear ...save hornets, wasps, bees, and verbal hostile conflict between coworkers and friends. Thats all!
Recently (in the car on my way home), I asked myself, "What are you afraid of?" As if, it was being asked by someone one could trust with their innermost.
First and foremost (atleast until it can be defined further), I'm not a big fan of hostile confrontation, especially verbal, between coworkers and friends. All others I'm at ease with. And, this is most definitely to a detriment. For instance, we needed to fabricate an addition to our tempering machine at work to make the flow of progress much more efficient. It was discussed for quite some time, but with everything going on in our shop, there was very little opportunity to progress. When that time did arrive and we discussed what materials to use, there was conflict; wood, which was plentiful and cheap, or aluminum and tin, which was more costly and an ordering process that would have taken up to 2 weeks. The wood won over because of one man's insistance (although we have a welder and machine on premise), and now we wait and see if it catches fire: hopefully not. What we did make out of aluminum (we have a metal bender), there was conflict over. Keeping in mind that I run this operation that the additional fabrication is for, the wood idea was from the 'manager' of another division (of which we are all a part of) ...that might be another post. Anyway, although neither of us has explicit authority over the other (unless my division is not in operation, then he does have authority over me), I allowed him to lead the process of this additional fabrication. Wow, this is getting longer than I thought it would be. Aaaannnd, back to the aluminum part ...after a few minutes of thought and discussion with a coworker, I had to step up. So, roughly 15 minutes after the discussion with the 'leader,' I had to disagree and tell him. I'm going to make these {this way}. He said 'ok.' Hrmmmm ....learn something.
I'm afraid of flying stinging insects, like wasps, hornets and bees. If the means are convenient, I'll atleast try to kill a bee, though. I don't get close enough to hornets and wasps to kill them. And they know it. They taunt me all the time. I hate those things. When I was a little kid, like 5 I think, I was stung on my upper-inner thigh (extremely close to something I would soon be close to) by a bee. That was a terrifying ordeal. Then, two years ago, helping my father-in-law trim a loquat tree in our backyard, I was swarmed and attacked by hornets. Since that day, you will hear a grown man wine about hornets and wasps.
I've had other fears in the past, but a great deal of them have been dealt with and there's nothing I can think of now that I fear ...save hornets, wasps, bees, and verbal hostile conflict between coworkers and friends. Thats all!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
40 hour week for a livin
Only because the Alabama song came to mind ...lol.
Three years ago, I was in my 16th year of food service, and decided i had had enough. It was really grinding me down and going nowhere ...so i quit. A new direction, completely different. A change of careers. I had already served 7 1/2 years in the US Air Force, so i wasn't afraid of work or change, and was ready to learn. What was out there that is completely different and ready for me. Glazing ...YES!
No, i don't glaze doughnuts at krispy kreme. A glazier is, by Wikipedia definition, a construction professional that selects, cuts, installs, replaces, and removes residential, commercial, and artistic glass. Glaziers also install aluminum storefront frames and entrances, glass handrails and balustrades, shower enclosures, curtain wall framing and glass and mirror walls. And thats what i got into. MAN, i wish i would have done this a long time ago.
Three years ago, i got into this trade; today i am the initial interim supervisor of a new entity where i work, tempering glass for our sister company and for customers in a three state area. Tempering glass is basically the same idea as tempering steel. Where steel is cooled by immersion in water in most cases, glass is cooled rapidly by air (in all cases). Its the rapid cooling after reaching a furnace temperature of 1100 to 1300 (roughly) degrees Fahrenheit. I am so glad when i was taught how to spell in skewl ...there is actually a use for spelling that word.
Back in December, i believe, my boss and i were talking while in his truck at a job site two states away. The discussion was about his purchase of a tempering furnace that will be arriving soon. In our discussion, I made the comment, " what will it take to be a part of this. i want to learn this." In what i had learned in the prior 2 1/2 years, i knew this was huge and REALLY wanted this. His reply was, "i wanna learn this too, so we'll see."
From the moment the 'boxes' arrived, i have been involved in the entire process, because the boss called my name to be on this project. Driving the forklift and the torque wrench assembling this machine and all its faculties, to include a 'helicopter landing pad' to support the enormous blower engine. The assembly literally pushed us out of the building. Good thing we're a glass company. We built a sun roof where the blower fan broke out the roof, of which we had open anyway when we lowered it by crane into the building. But all of that might be another story. No room here ...lol. Long story short, we now have an addition to the building roughly 30 ft by 100 ft, and expanding operations inside to include this new entity into the flow. Yes, we're looking for another building ...lol.
Since the onset, i have stayed dedicated to this operation and the learning process, along with going out on the field when needed, or even learning how to make insulated glass units (IGs) and cutting glass. I've also assisted in fabrication ...this entire glazing thing is AMAZING! Anyway, i digress ...i must mention that i was not the only employee assigned to this process. There are two of us remaining in the operative status with this machine. We went from steadily have from 6-10 workers every day to 4 for a while, down to the technicians from the supplying company and the two of us left. i even got to take two of the technicians out on the town one saturday in May.
Anyway, i guess to kinda sum this blog up ...
There are things in life one just has to do. And i have found that usually the right thing is the most obvious, and usually looks the most difficult. Really, the most obvious is the right thing, and its only harder physically. just a little labor. so, to get somewhere is to get off one's ass. i can do that! In less time than it 'by the book' takes to get to the next level in glazing is four years, i'm running a new division/entity at the fourth glass company i've worked for: three years (well, almost ...3 yrs in august). I'm not saying I'm the shit, I'm saying all it takes is just to get off ur ass. This career has literally changed my life. In a few months, I will have learned enough to just about go anywhere in the world with this job ...and make it.
As a nation, we all used to dream of things being better. Not afraid of hard work. Remember shoveling the driveway (before snowblowers were everywhere) only to still have to push the car past the pile the street snow plower left behind. And it was done because you HAD TO DO IT. What happened?
Learn Something
Do Something
Three years ago, I was in my 16th year of food service, and decided i had had enough. It was really grinding me down and going nowhere ...so i quit. A new direction, completely different. A change of careers. I had already served 7 1/2 years in the US Air Force, so i wasn't afraid of work or change, and was ready to learn. What was out there that is completely different and ready for me. Glazing ...YES!
No, i don't glaze doughnuts at krispy kreme. A glazier is, by Wikipedia definition, a construction professional that selects, cuts, installs, replaces, and removes residential, commercial, and artistic glass. Glaziers also install aluminum storefront frames and entrances, glass handrails and balustrades, shower enclosures, curtain wall framing and glass and mirror walls. And thats what i got into. MAN, i wish i would have done this a long time ago.
Three years ago, i got into this trade; today i am the initial interim supervisor of a new entity where i work, tempering glass for our sister company and for customers in a three state area. Tempering glass is basically the same idea as tempering steel. Where steel is cooled by immersion in water in most cases, glass is cooled rapidly by air (in all cases). Its the rapid cooling after reaching a furnace temperature of 1100 to 1300 (roughly) degrees Fahrenheit. I am so glad when i was taught how to spell in skewl ...there is actually a use for spelling that word.
Back in December, i believe, my boss and i were talking while in his truck at a job site two states away. The discussion was about his purchase of a tempering furnace that will be arriving soon. In our discussion, I made the comment, " what will it take to be a part of this. i want to learn this." In what i had learned in the prior 2 1/2 years, i knew this was huge and REALLY wanted this. His reply was, "i wanna learn this too, so we'll see."
From the moment the 'boxes' arrived, i have been involved in the entire process, because the boss called my name to be on this project. Driving the forklift and the torque wrench assembling this machine and all its faculties, to include a 'helicopter landing pad' to support the enormous blower engine. The assembly literally pushed us out of the building. Good thing we're a glass company. We built a sun roof where the blower fan broke out the roof, of which we had open anyway when we lowered it by crane into the building. But all of that might be another story. No room here ...lol. Long story short, we now have an addition to the building roughly 30 ft by 100 ft, and expanding operations inside to include this new entity into the flow. Yes, we're looking for another building ...lol.
Since the onset, i have stayed dedicated to this operation and the learning process, along with going out on the field when needed, or even learning how to make insulated glass units (IGs) and cutting glass. I've also assisted in fabrication ...this entire glazing thing is AMAZING! Anyway, i digress ...i must mention that i was not the only employee assigned to this process. There are two of us remaining in the operative status with this machine. We went from steadily have from 6-10 workers every day to 4 for a while, down to the technicians from the supplying company and the two of us left. i even got to take two of the technicians out on the town one saturday in May.
Anyway, i guess to kinda sum this blog up ...
There are things in life one just has to do. And i have found that usually the right thing is the most obvious, and usually looks the most difficult. Really, the most obvious is the right thing, and its only harder physically. just a little labor. so, to get somewhere is to get off one's ass. i can do that! In less time than it 'by the book' takes to get to the next level in glazing is four years, i'm running a new division/entity at the fourth glass company i've worked for: three years (well, almost ...3 yrs in august). I'm not saying I'm the shit, I'm saying all it takes is just to get off ur ass. This career has literally changed my life. In a few months, I will have learned enough to just about go anywhere in the world with this job ...and make it.
As a nation, we all used to dream of things being better. Not afraid of hard work. Remember shoveling the driveway (before snowblowers were everywhere) only to still have to push the car past the pile the street snow plower left behind. And it was done because you HAD TO DO IT. What happened?
Learn Something
Do Something
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)