.
I didn't recognize any celebs. Right now this is about the biggest job starting in Las Vegas, so I kinda thought the governor would show up. But no. Photo by my partner Carlos.
.
Guardsmen put up this tent for the ceremony. It didn't get used. Carlos took this picture too.
.
The superintendent came around and told us we were to stop work and be all patriotic when the trumpets started blaring. We were supposed to
.
Carlos(center of picture) ran one total station and I took the other. Spittin' out points on the dirt.
.
I use this pretty Nikon total station and HP48 data collector to lay out the building. Batter boards and string lines are for losers. This is how carpenters do things these days.
.
.
The water tank in the background is for the existing National Guard facility. This is where they spend their one-weekend-a-month training for the next pointless war.
.
The first thing we do is to mark the ground with pink feathers and paint lines. Then the backhoes have at it.
.
After the backhoes dig the footings, we put in "steel racks" for the vertical rebar. (Verts are not in yet.) If the above pictures seem disjointed and random, it's because they are. I took these pics on break. When I'm working, we're under the gun and expected to keep our heads down and look worried.
Posted by Dave
10 Underlying Comments:
I hate jobs like that. "Stay busy", and some asshole watching you all day. Makes for a miserable day...
Hi Craig,
I probably painted the wrong picture. My work is fairly enjoyable. These days, though, profit margins are slim, especially for the little company I work for, and I worry about whether my boss can cover payroll. So even if the boss isn't watching, I try to stay focused and give them some value. The "head down and look worried" was a failed attempt at humor.
Dave
I got it!Always good for a laugh.
China
III
Hi China,
I've been on jobs like Craig described, and I quit every one of them. Life is too short.
Dave
"I took my hard hat off and reverently held it over my heart."
You did? I can't pay any heed to the Nationalist Anthem, the Hymn to the State. I keep doing whatever it is I'm doing.
Hi Brass,
Eyes were upon me. I needed the paycheck.
Dave
Dave,
I understand the second part.
I hope, at least, that you were the first to stop clapping at the end?
Hi Brass,
I didn't clap, but I did wait until the general superintendent nodded to me to go back to work.
At the start of every job is a mind-numbing, belaboring-of-the-obvious called the "safety orientation." One curious item on this job was a stern warning against insulting any of the guardsmen. Not that that would ever occur to me, but if so inclined, I would not insult a guy carrying a military rifle.
Dave
This is where they spend their one-weekend-a-month training for the next pointless war.
*sigh*
Hi Lisa,
The National Guard used to be the only Constitutionally defensible "standing army." Now these poor citizen-soldiers will be almost certainly shipped overseas.
Dave
Post a Comment