Backwards Compatible

I was writing a letter to my Aunt and I got to thinking "I wonder how many people under 25 know how to send a letter?"  In the age of "smart" phones (a totally inappropriate name for a device that dumbs people down) people have become too dependent on these electronic devices.  I'm amazed by the people I've known whose lives seemed on the brink of destruction because their "smart" phone failed.  They depend on the phone for contact information, and when the phone fails they're dependent on the service provider for back up.  How about taking on some of the responsibility and writing that information down?  If your "smart" phone fails, will you know how to pay your bills?  And the cost of having a "smart" phone... Jesus H. Christ!  Having your ability to contact people, pay your bills, navigate in your car and access the internet all in the hands of one entity?  Are you nuts?  And then there's the TV, cell phone, home phone and internet "all in one" packages.  Insanity!  The most recent spam (in mail form) I received from the Borg stated something like "Guaranteed fixed rate for two years!"  I didn't read further but I'm sure it entailed a five year contract, wherein they bend you over and fuck you right up the ass (no lube) for three years.  The "phone" company can go fuck themselves.  Google documents, Google+, Google search engine, Google dildo supply...  They'll tell you what you want and how long you're going to like it.  And you people keep drinking the Kool-Aid.  When was the last time (if ever) you've written a letter?  When was the last time (if ever) you've received a letter?  Would you know how to address a letter?  Would you know where to buy stamps (if you even know what stamps are) if you didn't have your "smart" phone to tell you?  Could you drive to an unfamiliar place without the aid of the GPS on  your "smart" phone?  Would you even be able to know what the time is without your "smart" phone?  When was the last time you read the Sunday comics?  When was the last time you read a book that didn't require battery power?

I know I'm being harsh, but I'm doing so with purpose.  I have a cell phone (A flip phone.  Cheap.) and use it often, but I don't even have a texting plan.  I have an old iPod touch that I use frequently, mainly for the camera and alarm functions, but I don't depend on it.  I also, obviously, use some of the things Google provides.  This blog for example.  I also give money to the local phone provider for a land line and internet connection.  A slow, DSL internet connection (Cheap!).  But I'm not a slave to those things.  I have an address book, a journal, a rather large home library, a library card, a newspaper subscription and a mail box.  All of that stuff works without power.  Hell, I even have a set of encyclopedias in one of the bookcases.  I certainly enjoy modern technology, but I can get along without it just fine.  Can you?  Go write someone a letter.

Save the Boobs Month

Breast Cancer "Awareness" month.  The tool trucks are all running specials wherein the purchases of certain tools will cause a certain percentage of the profits to be donated to breast cancer.....  Meaningless.

Your Facebook shares, twitter posts, instagram pictures etc. do not do one thing to cure breast cancer, diabetes, reduce drunken driver kills, solve child abuse et al.  You think you're participating, you think you're doing your bit but you're doing nothing.  Nothing at all. 

An Uncle and a Cousin of mine were killed by drunken drivers.  My Father and Maternal Grandfather died from cancer.  My Brother, Mark, died from diabetes related complications.  Do you think sharing a post on Facebook helps?  It doesn't.  You're fooling yourself if you think it does.  Your intentions are worthless, but your actions can perform miracles. 

If you truly want to help a cause, donate directly to the source doing the fighting.  The American Diabetes Association, the American Cancer Society, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the United Way, the Red Cross...  "Awareness" and social media don't mean a goddamned thing.  The ribbons, the decals, the posters...  Meaningless.  How about you find a family from your church, school, place of employment etc. who is dealing with cancer, diabetes, death from a drunken driver, and helping them directly.  You could offer to mow their lawn, feed them for a day, offer your support and a willing ear, give someone a ride to the hospital.  So many ways to help that will mean something and actually make a difference. 

Put down that fucking "smart" phone and actually DO something.

Is it time to leave?

This past week I had a few really stressful days.  It seemed everything was falling apart and we couldn't get anything done.  One guy, who had already been gone for two weeks on vacation, didn't show up.  A new guy started and he, though fairly smart, has no background in truck repair.  Service calls were throwing us way off track.  On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday it seemed like the whole of the transportation industry simply fell apart.  Each day, soon after starting my shift, the day foreman and I get together and make up a "to do" list for the night shift.  Those first three days of the past week made the "to do" lists worthless.  Igor and I were working like crazy and it seemed we just couldn't get anything done.  The scheduled jobs went from around ten to thirty in a flash.  Some other people, those who somehow manage to always leave right on time and are never affected by increase in workload, created even more headaches for me.  I had two drop-in jobs.  Both of which started with a customer showing up and saying "I called earlier.  They told me to just stop by."  Well, it would be nice if that information was passed on to me.  There was no foresight from those "other people".  No concern was given to the jobs already in the shop or the lack of workforce.  The "other people" just keep piling up the work knowing they don't have to deal with the consequences.  They don't think about how Beaver and myself have to deal with angry customers.  "I was told my truck would be done tonight!"  In my opinion, disregarding one customer for another is not good business practice.  The workload is still there, it's just the order of operations that changes.  The "others" start at the same time and leave at the same time.  Every day.  "Oooh, you worked thirty minutes past the end of your shift.  Thanks for the extra effort."  Try an extra four or five HOURS every day trying to fulfill YOUR promises!  By Wednesday I had reached the point where I didn't care anymore.  I realized that my life was slowly being consumed by my job.  The piles of dirty laundry, the clogged gutters, the projects left unfinished... They kept stacking up because I was at work all the time and by the time I got home I was too tired to do anything other than feed myself and go to sleep.  Day after day after day...

Years ago I found myself working as night foreman.  I was never (and still haven't) been given the "official" title and position.  At the beginning it was a temporary thing.  Not a big deal.  I knew enough of the office workings that I could hold things together until a permanent replacement could be brought in.  One has not been found.  You see, the ideal foreman in a truck shop is a person who has considerable experience (meaning an older person usually) out in the shop.  We've had two people who were hired as service writers.  Both of them couldn't hack it and lasted no more than a few months.  I was disgusted with both of those people.  They had no clue how easy their job was.  All they had to do was answer the phone, get parts, write up work orders and deal with the customers.  I have to do all that and still work out in the shop.  I'm also still in the service call rotation.  What is supposed to happen is when someone moves to a foreman position, they're taken out of the service call rotation.  Not me.  Coming up on three years performing foreman duties and I'm still in the service call rotation.  Beaver got taken out of rotation soon after becoming day foreman.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not bitter towards Beaver.  He works just as hard as I do.  I'm just using him as an example.  He makes up for not being in rotation by putting in more time in other areas.  I'm just getting sick of continuously putting in more effort than most and being "rewarded" with more work.  I simply want to either be working in the shop or working in the office.  Not both as I have been. 

Preferably, I want to be in the shop.  Truck repair is hard on the body, but I have a lot of years left in me before I become too worn out to be effective.  The decision I need to make is whether or not I will continue at the current shop.  There are two fleet shops in town that are desperate for mechanics.  Heck, every shop in town is desperate for mechanics.  There's a lack of skilled, experienced mechanics right now which means I have a little bargaining power.  I've been going over the pros and cons of changing jobs and, lately, the balance has been shifting to quitting my current job and moving to one of those fleet shops.  I might lose a little money but not having to run service calls and not having to deal with the general public or picking up the slack from careless coworkers would more than make up for the loss of income. 

I'm not going to be one of those assholes who threatens to leave if I don't get what I want.  If I walk into the office and hand the boss a letter of resignation it's because I'm leaving.  Period.

Shop Update: 13 June, 2015

I just finished uploading the final parts of my "Fan Hub" series to YouTube.  It ended up being ten parts.  The project was done in one session after work because the part had to be installed the next day.  From start to finish I somewhere around five hours into it.  It was a simple part and probably could have been knocked out by a professional machinist in an hour.  Amongst the other things I'm learning, I'm learning how to be more efficient on the lathe.  I try to set needed tools out before starting a job, have stock selected etc.  Problem is, I don't always know what I'm going to need right from the start.  I am still pretty green when it comes to machining. 

I also uploaded a short clip of those cabinet doors I made for my Mother's kitchen.  I didn't have the new drawer fronts made at that time.  A video I made for the Facebook crowd also got uploaded to YouTube.  Sometimes I decide a video made for Facebook might be interesting to those on YouTube.  The FB vids have black backgrounds with white text, the opposite of what I use for YT vids. 

Upcoming vids that have been filmed, but not edited, will include another tool purchase and review, a "how to" regarding tips for broken bolt removal and a tour of my basement "machinist's" tool box.

Hello, Ireland!

Ireland, you are wonderful.  I rarely check this blog's statistics beyond the amount of views my articles receive but, Ireland, you must like me.  Emerald Isle, you are, consistently, the number two viewer of this silly blog of mine.  I am (by heritage, most to least) Danish, Welsh and German with a light sprinkle of Scottish and English as garnish.  I don't have a clue what you like, but I'm glad to have you visit and hope you'll keep coming back.