Tiss the Season

When I first decided to get into the trades, I really wasn't sure where it would take me, or how much I would get out of it. Once I actually started work and realized the general simplicity of it, I wondered if it would keep my interest. Generally we fabricate and install ventilation in commercial buildings. Specifically however there is a LOT more involved in what we do. To create the simple rectangular piece of duct work that you see, there is a lot of planning, mapping, and precision involved to come to that end result. It is all that is involved in the making of such material that is keeping my interest. I believe I will be starting school in January and there is a strong possibility that it will be drafting. I'm stoked! Another thing that I have discovered however is that with all the knowledge that I will obtain over the years, I will be able to create things of mine own. My friend Andrew has put together an AWESOME pontoon boat with his skill, so in as much as our aim at work is ventilation, the knowledge can take us anywhere we wish. I do believe however that my mind does work a bit overtime with creativity. I find myself thinking up different things that I could do up on my own with the right materials. However, I do not have all the skills yet to put some of these dreams together, so I find that they can be a bit unrealistic. For instance... I have yet to own a cat carrier case that can in fact carry securely a scared adult cat. Most carrier cases out there are made of plastic with plastic joints and secured together with plastic pins. Any cat that is terrified of the great outdoors and then placed in a small space to be dragged out into this great space would be doing anything in their power to escape, and I'm telling you from experience, plastic is not the answer!! Thank goodness Tom knew his way home and traffic was not his enemy that day!! In one of my pre sleep day dreams (eve dreams?) I had invisioned a cat carrier case made out of sheet metal!! Now the fact that metal is so much more solid than plastic has it's advantages, but then again... metal is so much more HEAVIER!! So how much of the carrier could realistically be made of metal, though let me tell you, the image in my mind was fabulous!! So there is my crazy mix of what I see in my future and the lack of what I know!

I'd like to say Merry X-mas (or is it Y-mas? lol) to everyone out there! Hope your stockings aren't too stained from that lump of coal! jokes!! Take it easy (and I can say that now that I actually have a holiday free from on call work!) and drive safe!!!!!!

A Bit of X-mas Cheer!

Safety first... that is a common phrase that makes it's way around work... and for a very good reason as well. I've used just about all the machines at work now. I know what they are capable of both progressively and regressively. Claude told me the tale of how he blinked and his pinky ended up between the rollers. He didn't forget to give me the details on how his finger exploded. Couldn't eat dinner that night! Safety is VERY important when it comes to your environment. Kirby and I may be old friends by now, but there will never come a time that I won't respect every aspect of what I do.

Every day at work I do things that of course use muscle. I was thinking the other day as I struggled with my snips, that though you may be using a certain part of your body, the dominoe of muscles through out your body that you use is a lot more complicated than it may originally seem. For instance... I was trying to cut through four layers of 26 gauge metal, and I realized my hands where not strong enough to work the snips through the metal. Mario comes along and chomp! chomp! there goes the extra metal like tissue paper. I was thinking of ways to work the muscles in my hands so that there will come a time that I too can do just that. In thinking of my hand muscles I also started thinking of all the other mucles that I am using that would need strengthening to get through that metal. Arm muscles, shoulder muscles... possibly facial muscles do to all the faces I was making whilst struggling with the job...

Our X-mas party was last night. I am getting to know the people in the shop well enough, but there are still so many more faces that I have yet to put a name to. I made the decision to go with a friend and his wife. Then I would have another female to talk to if I couldn't get any conversation going with the co-workers. She it turns out was thinking the same thing. So I had a few weeks to try and figure out what I was going to wear to this shin dig. As grundgy as I get during a typical work day, I thought it would be good to show the world that I am in fact female. So I had ideas brewing in my head as to what to wear, how to do make up (yikes, what is THAT!) and so on and so forth. I thought of wearing a skirt, but then on closer inspection of my legs one night in the shower, I realized that work is definitely harder not only on my hands, but my shins as well. Skirt was out! With the help of my mum, I finally got and ensemble together and then the creator opened it's doors and let in a bit of freezing rain!! Freezing rain cancelled my friends care giver, which cancelled him and his wife from going which cancelled me going. So I didn't make it to my first work party. Next year... (and yes, it was MY choice not to go alone)

Well now.... Dusty (our cat) definitely has some interesting habits. If you recall I mention some posts ago that he tends to go around leaving doors open. Well we also have box's placed around the apartment for his sleeping pleasure. As soon as a box comes into the home, he is all over it! Well actually IN it. So now he has an old box that he started sleeping in back when we first got him (which he barely fits anymore...) a new bigger box with a sleeping matt mum bought for him in it, and a box at the end of the hall that he likes to trip you to get into whenever you show an interest in heading in that direction. If your not careful, you'll get clipped by a paw as he spies you over the edge of one of his trenches. Dusty has introduced himself to new people by standing up on his hind legs to get a better sniff of you. Most interesting however is the fact that he can now turn on the bathroom tub tap to get a drink. As soon as the shower goes on he is right there. He far prefers running water to the stagnant liquid in his bowl, no matter how often it is renewed. He went so far one evening as to hop in the shower with my daughter and wait patiently for her to finish up so he could get his ever important drink. Well this evening he took the next step and got the tap going by himself. I do hope I don't come home one day to find him having ordered cable and flipping through the nature channels while enjoying a tray of choice imported cheeses!!

The Canteloupe Are Running Across The Sky....

Time to make the donuts...

So I spent two days straight putting together TDFs (a type of duct). A TRUE TDF marathon... Time was not my friend during this period at all. I had no one close to chat with, so I did what I'm sure any other assembly worker does. I started talking to myself. Ran out of things to say so went into singing mode. One thing I have found in the month and a half I've been working there is there is nothing better than a good crew of people to work next to. When everyone feels at ease around each other and the jokes come easily, the day slides by at a faster pace. When you know that everyone else around you is going through the same things you are, it's a lot easier to just let yourself relax and not stress. It's one big party!! I was at the pinning machine giggling to myself over my sparatic pinning abilities today and I could hear Mario mumbling to himself while cutting out insulation. So A: I know I'm not alone, and B: We're all just a bunch of crazy metal workers!!

I made the donuts.

Looking Back...

Oh yeahhhhhhhh this is me.... calm... cool.... and collected....

But I have to tell you... that wasn't always me! No siree! There was a time that I too was a bit apprehensive! A bit unsure of myself! I know... hard to believe right? The stand tall... stoic Liz could NEVER have been a a tiny shivering, curled up in fetal position, rocking back and forth ball of nerves!! Oh wait... did I say that? I meant someone a fraction less than 100% on top of things... yeah... that's it!! So anyway, everytime I was faced with a new machine to operate, I had a momentary "uh oh" go through my mind. How will I do? Will I chew up a few pieces of metal? Will I... anyway, after I had my first attempt I was "oh... is this all?" Now I look forward to trying something new out. I guess it was just my step through the door that kind of had me worried. Now it's more like "BRING IT ON HOSS!!" Hard to believe that even Kirby intimidated me some. Well you know... just a tiny bit... couldn't even measure how little, honestly!

My daughter and I spent last weekend in Toronto. We had a good time. The first day there we went up the CN Tower, took some pics and then attempted the subway system to my sisters stop. Piece of cake! We went to the Pow Wow the next day, took some more pics and bought some Native crafts. Sunday we went to visit my friend Tammy whom I hadn't seen in at least 7 years. Had a good time with her. Lot's of catching up and did a bit of shopping. Then we returned to Ottawa Monday. Nice long weekend for us, glad we went. When we were on our way home, my daughter pointed something out to me that I had never considered and though somewhat amusing. She said that whenever we go visit Andrew for a night, we pack like we're going away for a week, but when we went to Toronto, we each had one small bag to carry on bus entertainment and a small overnight suitcase and Andrew lives in the same city as we do.... Wierd....

This past Friday I went in to my daughter's class and spoke to them about the Sundance. Quite the experience. Her teacher told me I had about 40 minutes to talk and then after that we could take questions. Well I only filled about 20 minutes, but we filled the whole rest of the time with questions. Was amazed at the interest there was on the topic! Afterwards I thought of so many things I wanted to say, but never brought up. Yes I was a bit nervous. Adults do get jittery too hey!!

Progress

It has been four and a half weeks since day one and I'm telling you my forearms are MASSIVE!!! Just kidding, because considerng before I started working in sheet metal I had an interesting sagging effect going on with these muscles of mine, I'd have to build them up a lot more to even come near massive, haha. I do however have noticable muscle mass going on! I also have friends asking me how the "man hands" are coming along. Interesting path my friends must see me going down with questions like that. Well I have one friend that sees all the good in it. Andrew is the one that came along at the right time and talked to me about it, and he has expressed how proud he is of me. Keeps calling me young padawan.... So I'm building stamina and strength. I think it's almost time to seek out those bullies from school days!! LOL (Now how sad is THAT...)

Heard from my father today through the powers of email. Haven't seen him since just after new year. I guess it's coming somewhat close to an annual visit. Love him, just wish we were a bit more social with each other. New years resolution....

Off to Toronto to visit my sister and check out the big Aboriginal gathering at the sky dome. Haven't gone to a pow wow in a long time, should be loads of fun. Will be accessing the TTC (Toronto public transportation). Will see if we get lost making our way around the city. Although in googling a map of the subway system in Toronto I came up with a map of Tokyo's system and in comparison... TTC subway is kindergarten to Tokyo's spagetti system. So we should do alright.

Grrrrr rrrrrr

I've decided to name my air hammer!! And I'm going to luv it... and hug it... and call it Kirby!!

Yes... Kirby!! Why you ask? Well the reason is two fold. First off Kirby is a nintendo game character and if you know anything about me, you know I LOVE my games! Secondly, if you saw Kirby you'd know he's this round pink doe cheeked cute thing and... well.. you know these women that insist on owning these little adorable cute cuddly ooooh ur such a sweety, poochy coochy coo dogs that if you get within five feet of it, it will rip ur head off... Well that is my air hammer. It is a rather small thing in comparison to some power tools out there, but it packs a punch! Treat it well and it will treat you well. I've gotten on it's bad side and payed the price! He can be tempermental, as the gash on my ring finger will attest. If I hit him unexpectidly he growls to let me know I've gotten too close. So I am ever careful not to piss off the hammer!

Don't worry, I have lost all my marbles... just don't tell the foreman that!!

I've cracked! I caught myself humming CHRISTMAS tunes today at work!! What on earth would possess me to do THAT! I'm commercial now......

One Of Many

Well it is done!! I have become one of the many...

...

...

What... that's it? Well of course that's it. My job is now just that... a job. I am in the assembly line starting sharp at 6:30, break from 9:15-9:30, lunch at 12-12:30 and off home at 3:45. Don't for a minute think I work until 3:46 EVER!!!! So yesterday and today were rather good days. Simply because I have fused into my work. When I got off work yesterday I realized that I wasn't in a constant panick wondering if I was doing it right, or if I was going to be taught something new. I've used most of the machinery in the shop and have a PRETTY good idea what sort of order goes to the assembly of duct work. So now it is just a matter of getting into the assembly line somewhere and going to town on metal! Of course now that I've found a "comfy" niche (and I use that word loosely), I'll probably get shipped off to some slab site to start the learning process all over again.... now.... in the middle of November.... in the midest of natures winter prep.... cold.................................... Welcome to tinbanging apprenticeship I guess eh?

Sadly my daughter has been very sick as of late. She refuses to get a flu shot. She's decided she'd far rather live through every disease and sickness out there, then get an excruciatingly painful prick from a needle. Just wait until she has to get another immunization shot and realizes it's not a choice... the fun that will be................. (I DO like using those periods....)

*giggle snort* Shhhhhh

November 10th '06

Ok ok... so here's the scoop on the guys I work with!! So there's...
...
...
HA you didn't actually think I'd gossip did you? Hey you be quiet!!
So over all things are going well. The guys are all good people's. Very helpful and definitely friendly. Didn't really notice if I got any "OMG a GIRL on site!!" looks when I started, but I don't feel any of that right now anyway. We joke we swear and we SPIT together.... lol. Hmmm talk about a stereotype eh? All jokes aside, I'm glad I'm at this job site and hope to stick with them for a good portion of my apprenticeship anyway.
I spent 8 hours putting together TDFs. They are a type of duct. One of the guys was telling me we'll be dreaming about TDFs all weekend. After that I was picturing myself running through a field of daisies with my hair blowing in the wind and a big smile outshining the sun on my face, when all of a sudden I realize I'm holding something and my smile turns to confusion. I look down to see a hammer in my hand. I lift my hand with the hammer up and catch site of my field. It is no longer a field but never ending rows of TDF parts waiting to be assembled. As I come to a stop I trip over a row sending them tumbling like dominoes and then I'm standing watching TDFs fall all around me as far as the eye can see.... *shivers* hmmm all that in a split second or two... man I dream fast.
So tonight we head over to Andrew's for pizza and movies... and tomorrow... laundry!!
I've been asked to go into Tammie's class and talk about being Blackfoot. They want to know about the Sundance and our culture. I guess their big topic right now is Natives. Not sure what kind of source I'd be. I have about 14 years of cultural knowledge in me, but it's all observation. It's not something I grew up knowing. I'm thinking about it though. Might be interesting... but of course standing up in front of her class will bring forth a whole new nightmare....

Surviving

November 4th '06

I am now two weeks into the trade. and am doing fine! This weekend my right hand is a bit swollen from all the hammering I've done, but considering some people injure tendons, or pinch nerves with sudden hard work on a limb, I'm glad this is all I'm going through. In the two weeks that I've been there, I can already feel muscle building in my arms. Considering I was probably at a minus muscle mass (lol) this is a good thing. Last weekend I worked my last shifts at the Travelodge, so this weekend is truly my first official weekend off!! It is now Saturday and I still wake up feeling something needs to be done. Not work anyway!! I'm sure this apartment could use some tidying though. I will tell you though, that I'll be glad when I get past the point where my body is still adjusting. I know that there will always be times where I work myself a bit more than usual and will get sore, but overall, when my body has adjusted to the general work habits forming here, I won't be AS exausted at the end of the day. I can tell you I am very proud of making it through each day now though!! On Thursday Paul the head cheese, gave me a Dilfo Mechanical jacket. I am truly part of the team now! hehe...
I have to do some heavy budgetting from this point on. I need to learn to save some money. To this point I have been pretty bad with my spending, and with this new job I do not want to waste the concept of making good money. As the years of my apprenticeship go by I will be making more money and I would hate to think that by my 5th year I'll be making really good money and still be squandering it on unneccesary material needs. I want a car!! Something to strive towards.
Now as a side note to good or bad spending, I bought an Ipod Mini off someone for $50. Which is a good pretty good deal. My old shuffle died a few weeks ago and I was almost in a panic as to what I would do without my travelling music!!! lol...

Here We Gooooooooooooooo

October 22nd '06

Got the word Friday. I start work at a new place on Monday (tomorrow). I officially have the "new job jitters". Everyone tells me I'll do fine. I believe them, but feel the rush! Now I have to survive my 90 day probation period and we're all set.
Went out to Value Village to buy some "work" clothes. Gotta luv them thrift stores!! Got my boots at Walmart. Good price, was hopeing for black. Still a bit of that dark child in me, lol. So I'm all set. Will have to buy my own tools, but as the apprenticeship progresses I will be able to build them up. I don't have to get them all at once, which is good, cuz good tools are DAMN expensive!! Guess I'll be asking for tools as X-mas gifts this year, hehe.
I now have a seriouse goal! A car. If I have to start work at 7am, I don't want to be having to leave two hours before then to catch a zillion buses. So note to self... learn to BUDGET!!!!

Foot In The Door

October 11th '06

Today I went and wrote my aptitude test for the sheet metal workers union. They told me it will take about a week to hear back from them. If I passed the test I will get an interview and then be put on a list to be shipped out for work! Yeeha!!
The questions on the test were very basic. Even the problem solving at the end were basic, but I still managed to get stuck on one. It went SOMETHING like this. I don't remember the exact numbers, so this may not work out, but this is the jist of it:
Three men are hired for a job. They are paid $9.65, $10, and $12.95. They work 7hrs. a day, 6 days a week. How long will the job take if they earned $6300?
I did some math and put what I thought was the answer, but who knows... I believe over all though I passed the test. Most of the work was mickey mouse. I'll keep my fingers crossed just in case though....
So here's to women out there and our involvement in getting the job done!!
Wish me luck!!!!

A Week In Review

October 5th '06

Well my daughter celebrated her 11th b-day this past week. I think it is all just a big conspiracy, cuz there is no way she is already 11. Kind of like those soap operas where one day a couple has a child and they stay that way for maybe a year, then all of a sudden they are teens with issues of their own. Well she is not quite a teen, but I'm sure the issues are not far away... She had a party with friends on the weekend and then a dinner with family on her actual b-day. Both turned out quite well. I learned that I truly do suck at mini golf!! I also found out that my mum thinks this guy I hang out with resembles my brother!!! Interesting the things that come up at family get together's...
Tammie is transitioning from one set of interests to another. Barbie, Polly Pocket and the like are behind her now. She has kept her fondness for anime, which is cool, cuz I love that stuff as well. Now I am just sitting back and waiting to see what new set of interests she will come up with. Although she has informed me this evening that she does not consider herself a "girlie" girl. I told her if she wanted a cell phone she had to have a bag to carry it in so that she doesn't put it down and forget it and she almost had a fit. So she said if the bag is just big enough for the phone and can go under her jacket where no one can see it, she'll be fine. She will NOT be the kind of girl that carries around a "purse" full of make up and "girlie" things. We'll see how long it is before that starts up, though personally I hope it doesn't!
Ok we have a cat, his name is Dusty (Prince Dust Bunny). He has a very bad habit of leaving doors open where ever her goes. His food is under the sink and he goes in, eats then leaves with the cupboard door wide open. At least three times a week he goes to our canned goods cupboard to see what new things are in there and again leaves the door open once he's appeased his curiosity. He opens closet doors throughout the apartment to nose around or sleep and then just as if the world revolves around him, leaves them open for someone else to close behind him. LoL, ok I'm not crazy enough to believe he can actually close them simply because I'd luv to drop the before bed ritual of closing doors behind him. Although they can teach cat's to potty in a toilette and occasionally flush after, but I don't hold high hopes for him with the doors. As far as he's concerned the apartment is his, so why should he have to waste precious time with doors. Right now I have his large food bag in my daughters room because his litter is in the hall closet. Those two closets being the only two that shut with a latch. The others slide on tracks and he's all but figured them out. I hide his food because he rips the bag's open and eats from it and he is getting a bit chubby. I hide the litter because the last time he found it, he managed to rip into it and started using it as his litter box! The joys of pet's eh? hehe...............

Thoughts From The Past Revisited

September 15th '06

I was cleaning rooms this morning and it occured to me, that you can tell a lot about a man through these rooms. O....K.... this person has been here almost three days and the shower has yet to be used? Hmmmm laptop... business man... but ohhhh condom's... business man with an agenda. Then there is the guy in the room that follows you around with his eyes everywhere you go even though when you first entered he was sitting diligently in front of his laptop looking all into his work... "BUSINESS man".
Then there are the bathrooms you walk into that look like a tornado hit. I can just picture as soon as they get into the shower it's like one of those classic fight clouds in cartoons, only instead of two people fighting, there is only one man in there. The occasional arm comes out to grab the shampoo... soap... The cloud follows them out of the shower and you see an arm extend out of it to grab his tooth brush, a towel flashes across the mirror and half an hour later the cloud disappears and a perfectly manicured man walks out of the room, leaving water smudges over every milimetre of space. Wrappers of who knows what toilettries on the ground, all the towels soaked and all over the place, dangling off the door, the curtain rod, over the back of the toillette. The rest of the room looks as spoltless as he does, though all his secrets are sitting dripping wet in that bathroom.
You know those who don't really care about the room when you see how horribly they missed the toillette. Ok I can see someone missing the cheerios the odd time, but when it looks as if it all went around the toillette rim and very little could have possibly gotten in, well it's carelessness. No bear bottles to offer excuses. I remember as a teenager going to hotels specifically for the purpose of getting hammered and having somewhere reasonable to fall over when that eventuality hit. Now I am seeing the other end of that spectrum. I've seen rooms with the oddest, but nastiest messes. "Now how on earth did THAT get over HERE!"
I've seen furniture moved into the oddest places. Why on earth they went to that much trouble when it would have been so much easier to go this way. One word of advice when entering a clean fresh looking hotel room. Do not make the mistake of fornicating on that bedspread. Chances are MANY people have already beat you to it, and those spreads don't get cleaned unless there are obvious reasons. Now before you go thinking OMG where does she work, I'm never going there. It is universal. I've worked at more than one hotel and believe me, it's ALL the same. You've worked at one, you've worked at them all. I'm even going to go to the extent of saying I doubt very much even the five star hotels out there are really all that different. The staff is just more humble and taught to "dot there i's and cross their t's" when it comes to how well they clean their rooms. Underneath those five stars, the girls are probably gossiping about the rest of the hotel staff or giggling at the new dishwasher.
I am surprised that some pillows make it past inspector 83 or whoever is responsible for seeing that a pillow is comfortable. I came across a pillow today that weighed a ton. I can just imagine the neck pain in the morning after sleeping on that thing. It's the kind of pillow that you don't pick up and fluff subconsciously in your sleep. It is the pillow you subconsciously roll and move around and find in tha exact same place it was when you got into bed the night before. Pillow fights with that sucker would end in tragedy. If the child didn't put out their back trying to pick it up, when they struck the other child with it, that other child would be out for more than just the count. I can just see the mother calling the other child's mother because her son sent the boy to the hospital by a pillow to the head. No people, cement blocks are NOT pillows.
Ok, I have managed to single out men, bear drinkers and bricks/pillows... oh and bedspreads.... in the hotel business(connection? possibly...). I'll leave the rest of my job antics for my "memoirs of a housekeeper". Sorry for the droning on... when you wander from room to room every day, seeing the same stain on the carpet that you've seen for the last year, you tend to let your mind wander... the only sane thing to do. Have a nice day

Funny How Life Is....

September 9th '06

Ok just so everyone knows up front and there is no dispute down the road.... Michelle Rodriguez is da bomb!!! You cannot look at that pick and tell me she is not super hot!!k... got that out of my system... heheOk ok!!! I've been doing some serious thinking, and I've got a lot more of it to do. I have the weekend to go over the pros and cons of this mind cube, so I'll disect it many times over before Monday. I am seriously debating going into labour work. It is something I have thought of many times in the past, but never seemed to surface with any real substance. Now I find myself with the option to get into it, and to make a decent living in doing so. I like that it is weekdays, and not weekends or hopefully holidays. The pay is really sweet and would allow me to survive as a single mother without any assistance from anyone (including family!). I think it would be good to do something that get's me working hard as well. I need to be on my feet, though I know the first while will be killer on me until I strengthen up some. As well as the fact that it will get me into shape and there is honestly nothing wrong with toned chick looking all sweaty after a hard days work!!

New Beginnings?

I've decided to transfer my main account to Blogger... so where's my new Ipod shuffle!!!

I started posting with Yahoo when I decided to get into construction, so I will post the blog's I had there just so you get an idea where I'm coming from. They will be dated from the day I wrote them over there, so that you also get a time frame of how things happened to me. If I walk you through it any more you just may get through kindergarten yet!!! Oh and don't forget my apple!!!!