Today we were tested on the skills required to cut, bend and crimp copper tubing, flare and swage the ends, and silver-solder joints together. At the end, our pipe projects were submitted to 200psi of nitrogen and submersed in water to check for bubbles (leaks). Yours truly got a 100.
Here’s some pictures: …Read the rest »
Today I took two pass/fail lab practicals in my Basic Electricity class. I created a “dead-short” in the series circuit with a switch but had no trouble making a parallel circuit with two bulbs on a switch and a third wired directly to the power source. Even if you know nothing about electricity, you’ll probably guess that the first is easier to do. So why did I screw it up? My brain is definitely out of shape when it comes to this sort of thing.
On a totally unrelated note, Laura and I were in Louisville, KY for a wedding over the weekend. Neither of us had ever been to that state. The grass really is a shade of blue…so crazy! The reception was held at a place called Yew Dell Gardens, in the horse country. The scenery was so lush and the grounds were impeccable. Though La and I never seriously considered a Big Wedding for ourselves, we had a great time being guests at Tony and Christine’s. Just at the end of the party, before the bride and groom jetted off in a vintage Thunderbird, all the guests were treated to Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Totally delicious. Totally sinful. Later that night I figured I’d also have to try some KFC, because when in Rome… Let me just say, Double Sin = Double Delish.
Oh and did I mention it was the end of Bourbon Week?
So now five pounds heavier, it’s time to start jogging again. Sigh.
Greetings from the land of the living. Today I came THIS close to electrocuting myself in the pursuit of my HVAC certificate. …Read the rest »
The other day while I was working in the post office, a woman came in to deliver a thick stack of postcards. I was introduced to her by a co-worker as a regular customer who often sends packages and letters to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Far as I can tell, this woman does not have children of her own, though she calls all of her adopted soldiers, who she finds through AnySoldier.com, her “children.†…Read the rest »
Since last post, I started working again at Litchfield Books, I took a week of classes at Horry Georgetown Tech for HVAC, and Laura and I celebrated our one year anniversary. …Read the rest »
First an update. Then some thoughts on my progress as a fiction writer. …Read the rest »
I would consider tonight my first real shift-shift. I kept up okay, didn’t screw up very badly, and even managed to earn a few compliments from the front of the house regarding the presentation of some plates. I know this isn’t a lot to brag about considering I’m making salads, but it would be a lie if I told you that I didn’t swell with pride when someone told me, “looks good, Roman.” That type of feedback is very important to me; I don’t think I’m alone in that. Don’t you all feel so much better about your job when someone tells you that you’re doing it well and recognizes your effort? …Read the rest »
Just got the good news that I am scheduled for five cook shifts next week and NO dishwashing shifts. Moving up in the world.
Earlier this summer Secretary Chu was in London talking about “cool roofs”. For those of you not down with the lingo, a cool roof is a flat topped roof painted white. Desert cultures have long known about the benefits of white stucco, which reflects heat. As opposed to black, which absorbs heat. Chu says he has a colleague who reckons that changing all flat-topped roofs to white and changing the color of all the roads in the world to a concrete color, as opposed to a black-top color, would reflect sun back into space and cool the planet. They say it’d be the equivilant of 44 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, offsetting the last 18 years of car emissions. …Read the rest »
Last night was my second training shift on garde manger, the salad and dessert station. It was a lot more fun than cleaning dishes and scrubbing greasy pots. After a month of learning how to prep much of the food we make, finishing dishes and plating them was rewarding. There are close to 30 salads and desserts between the lunch, dinner, and brunch menus and I can do most of them on my own now. Funny, the trickiest part of the new job is breaking everything down and cleaning up. …Read the rest »
