How'd it go today?

In the long run it's pretty easy, Jonny.

If what they say and do makes sense to us street and woods smart folk that make the machines run, get the work done, solve the puzzles that have to be solved for things to proceed to success...then they are the brilliant type.

There will be a second tier that help things go forward, not brainiacs, but not useless either. Without us, the folk that can make ideas come to fruition, most especially somewhat flawed ideas, they are often on the cusp of failure.

Anything less...generally they are lacking in utility to the planet :).
 
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I have a mental image of a double-range (or gradient) ‘speedometer’: the “speed” scale goes from zero to one hundred, and at the same time and right under that scale is another which goes from one hundred down to zero. The top scale is practical knowledge, the bottom scale is book-learned knowledge.

To use your categories as an example, there are engineers, doctors, nurses, and laborers that are on that scale. At the far left is the type that has zero practical, hands-on knowledge, but 100% ‘book-learned knowledge’. They can explain in minute detail with charts and equations how anything ‘should’ work, yet if you hand them a wetlands to protect, or a welding torch, or a scalpel, or a patient presenting with symptoms, or a rack of scaffolding to erect they fail miserably. since they can ‘talk-the-talk’ they often work well with policy makers and get to write the regulations.

At the other end of the speedometer is the type that has zero book learning, is self-learned, the autodidactic who perhaps has never studied or earned a degree, may not even know what calculus is, but has so much practical, hands-on experience they are brilliant, but can hardly elucidate that knowledge. They can do many things well with their innate, seat-of-the-pants knowledge; can build anything but can’t explain it to the number-crunchers or the policy makers.

Most will fall somewhere along that spectrum , and occasionally you’ll meet one of those rarities: the ones who sit exactly in the middle of the scale where the 0 to 100 and the 100 to 0 scales meet. They are the “well-balanced” ones at the double 50 point; their knowledge is both book-learned, theory-based AND practical, life-experience learned. They not only understand why something works but can utilize that knowledge in a useful, effective manner, can do what needs to be done, and can explain it, too.
 
hospital on lockdown yesterday.....no visitors even in the waiting area......same as way back in March. I kinda like that because it sure cuts down from unnecessary BS from family getting in the way. I think there is a second pandemic going on......its called Meth. Started my day yesterday with dude tripping balls on meth telling me he was calling the cops on me for trying to collect blood. I said "cool, lets wait in the lobby for them" Called my deputy in the front ........ then we escorted dumbass to the bus stop.......what a waste of resources.

dude rechecked himself into the ER hour later. Jesus our system is soft. Tempted to start that 14 gauge IV......but I restrained myself. I guess there are plenty of dumb customers everywhere........
 
I don’t miss those days. The times I was pulled from ICU to work with the ER staff I always learned a lot. Like, one day an older ER nurse asked, “What is ‘always’ your first assessment?” - her answer: “ Always, always assess for a positive tattoo to tooth ratio! You simply must know who you are treating!”
 
There are a bunch of younger engineers, who because they have a little piece of paper think they are smarter than your average construction hand. They might be smarter than the guy doing the mud and taping, maybe smarter than the block layer, likely smarter than the guy framing, but those aren't skilled trades. They likely aren't smarter than the sparky, and damn sure aren't smarter than the fitter. And this is where they frig up, because they don't pick up on that, we simply pound their mistakes through and then get paid again to fix them, most often to our suggestions.

Of course this is incredibly grating on everyone's nerves and pocket, but they friggin' know better because they don't wear bibs. They actually think they are better, at a personal level, even though most make less than i do. The end customer usually gets screwed by this type (the common type) of engineer, and i cannot properly express into English how much i hate this type. Most construction companies now view fixing these problems as their profit margin on a job it's gotten that bad.

As a tradesman, i almost can't even stand working in that kind of ignorance goes world, and will often throw a giant fit over the stupidity of everything until we address the problem on the front end and get an extra for it anyways rather than doing it wrong, then cutting it up and trying to fix it. This was my biggest hangup being a foreman, butting heads with the owners who insisted that i do shit exactly as specified on the prints only to have to go cut it apart and fix it. That goes against everything i stand for.
 
I knocked another nasty $1,000 stump out in 90 minutes.

This old Sycamore had grow over and around a lower section of the stone wall. I could see the embedded rocks before I started. the contractor had picked at it with a full sized excavator for 2 days with a rock bucket.

the whole yard was a mud pit two days ago. we had enough of a freeze to get the machine down the hill into this hole.

I hit a lot of rock but it was soft and I was able to work around it. just trimming enough wood to allow the mini excavator to bust up and pull out the rocks and then the debris. Finished at 11:17, just as the ground was starting to turn back to mud.

builder paid 1,000 cash for 90 minutes of work and he was thrilled. young guy, 31 years old. x marine, helicopter gunner and worked on Marine One as a mechanic. Met Obama a couple times.

it was cool going back and forth from grinder to excavator, at least 8 times. the debris was everywhere 20201230_094844.jpg 20201230_094818.jpg 20201230_100222.jpg 20201230_102603.jpg 20201230_111038.jpg
 
Mick! said:
Chrissake Frankie, get a new catchphrase.
Click to expand...
@Mick! ... next time you make bank whilst expending minimal time/effort you too can use the “lotta work” terminology...(see Daniels post above for example ) vocalized properly (the printed word does not do it justice) it is a catchy phrase ... One lotta work makes up for a lot of c..k jobs imho
 
His ‘minimal effort’ was the result of saving and working to buy a superb grinder over a period of time.
Don’t look at the hour spent on the grinder, look at the years climbing and cutting, building contacts and a customer base.

I find it a little vulgar to talk about prices on here, but it’s a cultural thing I think, anyway, good pics and work, kudos to Daniel.

It’s still an overused catchphrase Frankie.
But you carry on, I’m sure others think it’s brilliant.
 
Mick! said:
His ‘minimal effort’ was the result of saving and working to buy a superb grinder over a period of time.
Don’t look at the hour spent on the grinder, look at the years climbing and cutting, building contacts and a customer base.

I find it a little vulgar to talk about prices on here, but it’s a cultural thing I think, anyway, good pics and work, kudos to Daniel.

It’s still an overused catchphrase Frankie.
But you carry on, I’m sure others think it’s brilliant.
Click to expand...
One thing to talk, another to brag.
 
Mick! said:
His ‘minimal effort’ was the result of saving and working to buy a superb grinder over a period of time.
Don’t look at the hour spent on the grinder, look at the years climbing and cutting, building contacts and a customer base.
anyway, good pics and work, kudos to Daniel.
Click to expand...
Thanks Mic.

I've got three of those RG-100 X Rayco grinders. The first I took over payments when a buddy of mine got out of the business. The last two I bought new in 2016 and 2017 for $61,000 and $69,000, with 3 Rayco trailers which cost close to 5K each. Rayco discontinued the model for emmissions, which seems ridiculous given how fast they grind. I got one of the last three available on the east coast. And ya, those sweet little paydays are the end product of decades of working myassoff in hard and dangerous conditions that we all face out there. I paid my dues in this business. Even now, at 60 years old, I worked all summer long till dark every day, mostly 7 days a week, except for rain and the occasional Sunday off. Then 2 weeks ago I plowed snow for 28 hours straight and got up and went to work the next day. The bills don't take a day off!
 
Did you notice the house in the background. That's new construction 1.6 million. The builder is only 31 years old and he;'s on top of it. I told his father, who was running the mini-ex, that he did something right raising that kid. In a generation of pussies he's an animal!
 
I like that first shot with pups, and the road falling to the water :^)

Laying out more wetlands today; another 9.5hr... I'm not giving them everything they asked for. The project manager highlighted the wetlands, AND the wetland buffer. Standard buffer is 25'. Pretty sure they can handle a 25' offset. If not, I might have to visit the engineer with my new hatchet... They also highlighted the ChesapeakeBayCriticalArea. I cut that a little short cause some signs were in my way, and only put it in every ~100'. Since it's all pointless, I'm hoping it's enough to mollify them. They can point to some flags, and be happy they made the monkey do tricks. If not, I have a lot more time out there...
 
Mick! said:
His ‘minimal effort’ was the result of saving and working to buy a superb grinder over a period of time.
Don’t look at the hour spent on the grinder, look at the years climbing and cutting, building contacts and a customer base.

I find it a little vulgar to talk about prices on here, but it’s a cultural thing I think, anyway, good pics and work, kudos to Daniel.

It’s still an overused catchphrase Frankie.
But you carry on, I’m sure others think it’s brilliant.
Click to expand...
Yes @Mick! , I thoroughly understand the concept of having the best equipment available for the job at hand and I do ... I design / fabricate most hand tools needed at minimal expense because I’m a cheapskate and also posses the necessary welding , machining, fabricating , engineering and just general getr done knowledge accumulated over a lifetime (I forgot saw building , my bad). You may call it bragging but in the immortal words of Kid Rock “it ain’t being cocky if ya can back it up”. For the family
 
Well, just doing stuff today on New Years eve.
Made a nice batch of chili for tonight.
We had a customer give us nice wind chimes few weeks back, missing the sail.
I found a little scrap of 3/8ths thick by 3" wide oak and asked Lilly to paint a picture on it.
I shellacked it and hung the sail on the chimes and raised up a tree a distance out back so as not to over whelm us on windy nights .....
20201231_112942.jpg 20201231_113605.jpg 20201231_113755.jpg
 
Nice paddle decoration. I also like the idea of putting chimes way up in a tree. Kinda makes the sound more mysterious. I wonder if it pisses animals off?
 
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